Some events and anniversaries coming up May - July

Check for additional events added later on and note that events may be listed for interest rather than with complete endorsement. 

751 South under construction

I got confirmation that the project is being built, and I am looking into the details.  I might have missed media coverage, but there seemed to be little or no reporting in April.  The public should know what the current plan is and whether the promised jobs, etc. are actually produced.  Some groups I spoke with may monitor water quality, but the lower New Hope Creek/northern Jordan Lake area is kind of remote, so violations might not be noticed unless people actively check for them, though a plume of silt will probably be easy to see by boat or airplane this summer. 

Two anti-war petitions

Peace activist David Swanson is going to Russia this week and is taking peace messages from the American people - to add your own, see:  act.rootsaction.org/blastContent.jsp

There is a petition calling for negotiations with the DPRK at:  act.rootsaction.org/blastContent.jsp
It is framed as being about Trump, but aggressive hostility to the DPRK is bipartisan, though there are fears that Trump doesn't care or is oblivious to the dangers of using military force in Korea.  On the other hand Trump provokes an international crisis every few days or weeks, and it is possible the administration is aiming for negotiations rather than war.  In a recent Congressional vote on more sanctions against the DPRK it looked like the Democrats all voted for the bill, but one Republican voted against, whether for progressive or reactionary reasons.    

There is also a petition calling for the indictment of NC Representative Justin Burr for supporting vehicular terrorism with House Bill 330, which immunizes from civil liability drivers who run over people exercising their rights to assemble and protest:  www.credomobilize.com/petitions/indict-n-c-house-representative-justin-burr-for-inciting-terrorism  To read the short text of the bill, search for HB 330 at www.ncleg.net .  The bill does not apply "if the actions leading to the injury were willful or wanton," but that may be difficult to prove. 

NC Green Party asks for calls to legislators in support of democratizing ballot access

"Please call North Carolina state representatives NOW and ask them to support Senate Bill 656 to lower the ballot-access signature requirement in North Carolina from 94,211 petition signatures to 10,000 signatures!

What's Happening

A bill to lower the signature requirement for parties to qualify for the ballot may soon be heard in the NC House Elections and Ethics Law Committee. Senate Bill 656, the Voter Freedom Act of 2017, passed the NC State Senate unanimously in April. It would lower the signature requirement for a new political party to qualify for the ballot from 94,221 to 10,000 signatures. This bill would significantly lower the barrier for the North Carolina Green Party (NCGP) to get on the ballot! Had this bill been law in 2016, Stein/Baraka would've been on the NC ballot last November, as the NCGP gathered over 12,000 petition signatures for them.

The bill would also lower the signatures for an unaffiliated statewide candidate to a flat 5,000 signatures.

This is a big step forward for free, fair, and open elections in North Carolina. We need to do all we can to get this bill passed.

The bill also lowers the signature requirement for unaffiliated candidates running for district offices (General Assembly, Congress, etc.) and local offices from 4% to 3% of the qualified voters in the district.

Call to Action

EARLY THIS WEEK, we urge you to CALL the members of the NC House Elections and Ethics Law Committee (listed here [ see www.ncleg.net ]) (spreadsheet here [ docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OrJY1eeK2ZNWubO24YrnEfVHJCENE-K3MzPIAGyAxmw/edit#gid=1671712310 ]). Simply urge them to support SB 656 and give it a hearing in the Elections and Ethics Law Committee. This is the first step in the process. If the bill is heard in committee, there’s a good chance it will pass the committee. And when that happens, we’ll be asking you to make another call, to your state representative, to urge them to vote YES on SB 656.

We recommend that you DO NOT mention that you support the Green Party when making your calls. Instead, simply say that you are a concerned North Carolina voter.

You can use some of the talking points below:

Why North Carolina Needs Ballot-Access Reform

• No state has a higher signature requirement for new political parties to obtain access to the ballot than North Carolina does.
• No state has a higher signature requirement for congressional candidates.
• North Carolina required 10,000 or fewer signatures for more than 50 years (until 1983) with no administrative problems related to ballot access.
• No state that requires as few as 5,000 signatures for access to the ballot has ever had more than eight candidates on the ballot for a statewide office, including North Carolina
• 36 of the 50 states require 5,000 or fewer signatures for US Congress (15,000 fewer than North Carolina)
• 36 of the 50 states require 10,000 or fewer signatures for statewide office (84,000 fewer than North Carolina)
• 36 of the 50 states require 20,000 or fewer signatures to form a new political party (74,000 fewer than North Carolina)
• All states require fewer signatures than North Carolina for a new political party and congressional candidates.

Other points

• North Carolina’s election laws impose excessive and unreasonable requirements on new political parties and unaffiliated candidates far and above the standards in most states. It’s time for North Carolina to reduce these burdens.
• If the state can arbitrarily exclude candidates from the ballot as it does now, the whole voting process is undermined.
• The legislature is wrapping up its session and may adjourn in early June, so things may happen fast. The bill could be voted on in committee in one day and on the House floor the next, with little notice. Please make your calls today. This is the best chance we’ve had in many years for meaningful ballot-access reform in North Carolina.

Questions? Please e-mail us at vicechair@ncgreenparty.org. You can also sign and share our Demand for Equal Access to the Ballot to lower the signature requirement here: https://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/opentheballot.

Solidarity!

Michael Trudeau
Vice Chairvicechair@ncgreenparty.org
North Carolina Green Partyhttp://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/ "


A letter on the proposal to eliminate NC's Office of Environmental Education:

"Greetings Environmental Educators, Advocates and Friends,

 

Imagine our state without the Office of Environmental Education. No state environmental education certification program. No email listserv to connect educators from mountains to sea. Far less progress in advocating for outdoor, ecological, environmental and experiential education in our state. 

 

If the office were to close, the over 700 candidates currently working on their NC Environmental Education Certification would be out of luck. Employers who rely on the distinction of this certification would no longer have this tool to aid in selecting applicants. The over 1,100 certified environmental educators who worked hard over years to complete the 200-hour certification would find their efforts invalidated by a certification the no longer exists.

 

Let's not let that happen. Our state's certification program is a source of great pride for those of us who have been a part of this program, and I'm willing to bet you or a close colleague are among those ranks. Dive deeper into the role the Office of EE serves in this state and you'll find essential services such as the grants and jobs listings, the listserv that you and 3,400 other rely on to share information across our state, the Discover River Basins program. involvement in crafting our state's environmental literacy plan, the list goes on.

 

Most recently, the good work of this office was spotlighted in an article by the National Science Teachers Association. Many of you may have attended or benefited from the collaboration highlighted between environmental educators and the Department of Public Instruction. 

The Office of Environmental Education needs your help this week. We need you to call, email and follow up on communications made to specific members of our State House of Representatives as well as State Senate. 

To recap, the State Senate passed a budget last week that eliminates the Office of EE and it's two positions. Here are the next steps as the State House creates a budget:

1. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources will choose what to fund for the Department of Environmental Quality, which includes the Office of EE. 
2. From there the House Appropriations Committee will make final decisions on what to include in the budget. 
3. The budget is then put to a House vote which may or may not include the same cut to the Office of EE that was in the Senate budget.
4. Members of the House and Senate will convene to draft a budget that will be sent to the Governor.

If the House budget cuts the Office of EE as the Senate did, there's little chance we can save it. But, we've already heard that your efforts are making a difference and putting the importance of the Office of EE on the radar of our lawmakers. Now is the time to step it up if you've been writing. If you've silent, now is the time to act- while we still can.

 

I have attached a contact list of the individuals who we most need to contact. If you work or live in one of the districts of these individuals your voice will carry great weight. If you do not, your voice is still important. Tell your representatives how the loss of the Office of Environmental Education will impact your profession, those you serve, and you personally. Personal accounts will lead to the greatest impact. You may also consider including information from the attached Save the Office of EE Condensed Talking Points and Save the Office of EE Extended Talking Points.

Many of us are not comfortable making phone calls and emails such as these. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of sitting this one out. It's happening, and if you value your profession and the work we do NOW is the time to act.

 

Respectfully and Sincerely,

 

Jonathan Marchal

--

President,

Environmental Educators of North Carolina

NC Certified Environmental Educator"

Bike Month [and Backyard Wildlife Month]

May is Bike Month at the Durham County Library, with events throughout May and June.  See the front page of their website/Twitter and:  durhamcountylibrary.org/2016/04/dcl-holds-bike-rodeos-in-may-for-bike-month/

Wake County's Annual Book Sale and Festival of Reading

The sale, which sounds like the biggest annual book sale in the Triangle, will be May 4-7th; see:  www.wakegov.com/libraries/events/Pages/booksale.aspx

Student Action with Farmworkers 25th anniversary

Student Action with Farmworkers, based in Durham, was organized in 1992 and is hosting anniversary exhibits and events throughout NC and in Washington, DC this year.  An exhibit in Raleigh's Historic Oak View County Park is ongoing through May 7th.  The same exhibit will be at FLOC's office in Dudley May 26th to December 31st.  There will be an event August 5th 6-9:30pm at the Power Plant in Durham's American Tobacco complex.  Duke's Center for Documentary Studies will host an exhibit June 22nd to November 11th, with a reception September 10th 2-4pm.  For details, see:  saf-unite.org/content/saf-2017-exhibits-events

Victory Day 

May 9th commemorates the defeat of Germany in 1945, mainly in ex-Soviet and eastern European countries. 

Russian Revolution exhibit at UNC

I can't vouch for the content, but there is an exhibit, "A World on Fire in Flames of Blood:  Narratives of the Russian Revolution," marking the 100th anniversary, at UNC's Wilson Library until May 14th.  For more information, see:  blogs.lib.unc.edu/news/index.php/2017/01/russian-revolution-exhibition/ 

Climate Carnival

Abundance NC's Climate Carnival will be May 13th, 12-8pm at The Plant (220 Lomax Lane) in Pittsboro; for more information and tickets, see:  abundancenc.org/event/2017-climate-carnival/  Abundance NC promotes sustainability and adaption to the changing climate. 

Ritmo Latino

The NC Sierra Club's Capitol Group and probably others will table at Cary's 13th annual Ritmo Latino Festival, a celebration of Latino music, dance, and art at the Town Hall, Saturday, May 13th 12-6:30pm. 

US Mother's Day

This holiday on Sunday, May 14th has some peace and justice roots, though it is rarely noted now.  May 14th is also UNC's Spring Commencement and I've heard that the Eno River's mountain laurels usually bloom around then, so it is a good time to visit (though many spring wildflowers bloom in March and April as well).    

Anniversary of 1970 massacres and violence against US anti-war protesters

Protesters were killed May 15, 1970 at Jackson State, Mississippi and May 4th at Kent State, Ohio, and there was other violence that month, including the bayonetting of protesters at the University of New Mexico on May 8th and violence instigated by the AFL-CIO in New York the same day.   

Palestinian Hunger Strike Solidarity & Nakba Day Observance

Jewish Voice for Peace, Triangle-NC ( www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ ) is organizing a protest at Durham's People's Plaza (near the bull statue) in solidarity with the ongoing hunger strike by Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and marking al-Nakba, the Catastrophe, May 15, 1948, when the Israeli government took over sovereignty of Palestine from the UK and proceeded to violently dispossess and expel much of the native Muslim and Christian Palestinian population.  According to JVP's protest flyer, more than 1500 prisoners have been on hunger strike since April 16th, demanding the restoration of visitation rights, phone access, better medical care, and an end to solitary confinement (something they share with prisoners in the US) and administrative detention, in which people are imprisoned for an arbitrary period without being charged or tried.  Since 1967, about 20% of Palestinians have seen the inside of an Israeli prison at some point in their life, and Israel currently imprisons about 6300 Palestinians for political reasons, of which 300 are children, about 56 women, and it is estimated that about 500 of these prisoners are in administrative detention, and 2 are children.  JVP recommends jewishvoiceforpeace.org/saluting-palestinian-prisoners-hunger-strike/ and nyti.ms/2pwmU47 for more information about the prisoner strike.  The Facebook page on the Durham protest is at:  www.facebook.com/events/1544127255607190/

A statement from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee:

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | May 15th, 2017 - Today, marks the 69^th anniversary of the expulsion and dispossession of the Palestinian people from their homeland, the Nakba or Catastrophe, at the hands of Zionist paramilitaries. Over 400 Arab villages were depopulated and either razed or handed over to Jewish settlers, and over 700,000 Palestinians became refugees. From orange groves to libraries, Palestinian property was expropriated by the new state of Israel.  

The tragic event was midwifed by the erstwhile British Empire. Later this November, the Palestinian people will mark another sad anniversary: A century since British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour penned a historic letter offering the blessing of His Majesty’s Government to the European Zionist movement to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. While Zionism, and Jewish colonial-settlers in Palestine, predate the November 1917 Balfour Declaration, the backing of the preeminent power of the day would forever alter the course of history.

The League of Nations Palestine Mandate awarded to Britain after WWI, however, explicitly stipulated that the sovereign power must establish representative government, but it would soon emerge that the British thought little of their obligation to respect Palestinian rights. In 1935, faced with growing Palestinian frustration, British colonial officers finally offered to establish a representative parliament, but this effort was obstructed by the pro-Zionist sympathies of the British House of Common, whose members believed that any expression of Palestinian self-determination would stand in the way of Zionism’s goal of a Jewish state in Palestine. As the eminent Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi has observed, the state that today boasts about its ostensibly status as the “only democracy in the Middle East” was only able to emerge through the denial of the democratic rights of the native Palestinian people.

And, so it was to be, that the Palestinians were to be continually ignored and subdued in the name of Zionism and the passions it stirred in the hearts of its Western patrons. “Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad,” Balfour wrote, “is rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs, in future hopes, of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit that ancient land.” Moreover, his Declaration – which oddly but revealingly referred to Arabs, the vast majority in Palestine, as the “non-Jewish communities,” as if they were an adjunct to newly arrived Jewish immigrants – spoke of the “civil and religious rights” but never the political rights of the unnamed Palestinians.
Such a conspicuous disregard for the rights of one people because of an ideological (and, at times, religious) commitment to Zionism continues to reflect much of the world’s approach to Israel’s occupation of Palestine and unceasing denial of Palestinian rights.  

While Palestinians around the world remember the Nakba, Palestinian prisoners are on a hunger strike protesting their treatment by Israel, which systemically abuses jailed Palestinians, subjects many to periods of potentially indefinite “administrative detention” without charge, and coerces them to sign “confessions” that enables Israel’s military courts to score a 99% conviction rate. While many world leaders never tire of lecturing Palestinians to adopt peaceful measures of resistance, those same leaders are noticeable silent about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners and their form of peaceful struggle.

On this day, more than any other perhaps, Palestinians might be reminded about how little lofty words emanating from diplomats and foreign leaderships are worth. The Palestinians were promised self-determination only to see the Mandate end in the loss of their country, and the last several decades of a U.S.-brokered “peace process” has bequeathed more illegal Israeli settlers on Palestinian lands and a more entrenched military occupation. The Palestinian people, however, have never relied on the good graces of foreign powers. Today, joined by solidarity activists around the world, Palestinian civil society seeks renewed hope in the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to hold Israeli accountable to international law and end a half-century of occupation. 

The international community still has a role to play, primarily the United States, and an obligation to the Palestinian people to finally secure their just rights. ADC will continue to advocate for the rights of the Palestinian people to freedom, justice, equality and self-determination.

Remember the Nakba by taking action to support human rights for Palestinians: 

Calls for: (From Badil Resource Center [ www.badil.org/en/publication/press-releases/86-2017/4783-pr-en-150517-37.html ])

• The international community must hold Israel accountable for ongoing human rights violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian People, including forcible transfer, colonization and apartheid

• The US Government and the International Community particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to uphold and fulfill their obligations and responsibilities to provide humanitarian aid and assistance as well as protection to the Palestinian People

 

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign:

 

You can also support Palestinian rights by participating in the campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights. Click here to learn more about the BDS Campaign. [ bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds ]

Take Action: Tell Congress that supporting BDS is a constitutional right [see AD's website]

 
UNC Board of Governors protest in Chapel Hill

The UNC BOG will meet in Chapel Hill (I assume at the UNC General Administrative building on Highway 54) either May 18th or 19th, and it is thought that the date is being kept vague to deter people from protesting against the proposal to prevent a UNC civil rights legal center from engaging in lawsuits.  The proposal is supposed to be discussed later in Asheville, but activists think it will really be decided at this Chapel Hill meeting.   

From the Durham County Library:

"SISTER CITIES: THE KAVALA - DURHAM CONNECTION

Sunday, May 21, 3 p.m.

North Regional

 

What does Durham, NC have to do with a 2,700 year-old city in Greece? The business that Washington Duke began on his small farm in 1865 grew into a world-wide industry that dominated life in Durham for most of the city’s history. In the 20th century, working for one of Durham’s tobacco companies might actually mean buying tobacco in Kavala, Greece. Come learn about Durham’s tobacco connection with its newest Sister City, Kavala, Greece.

 

Questions? Email jelevine [at dconc dot gov] or call 919-560-0268."

     
Longleaf Festival 2017

The 8th annual Longleaf Festival, celebrating the longleaf pine savanna that once covered much of eastern NC, vital for many species and once economically important for naval stores, will be May 20th, 11am-3pm at Wake County's Harris Lake County Park.  For more information, see:  www.wakegov.com/parks/harrislake/Pages/Longleaf-Festival.aspx

Dr Margaret Flowers talks about single payer in NC

Dr Flowers, a leading advocate nationally for universal single payer healthcare, as well as social and economic justice and peace, will speak about the urgent need for a movement for single payer healthcare this month in four cities across North Carolina, mostly sponsored by Healthcare for All and Healthcare Justice, affiliates of Physicians for a National Health Program.  From the NC Green Party: 

"CHARLOTTE - MAY 22 6:30PM - International House
RSVP: https://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/singlepayerhealthcare_charlotte_may2017
NCGP Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/309117179524130/

ASHEVILLE - MAY 23 6:00 PM (program starts 6:30)
Pack Memorial Library
RSVP: https://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/flowers_tour_2017_asheville
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1865140197069542/

GREENSBORO - MAY 24 7PM
Elliott University Center, UNCG - Alexander Room.
RSVP: https://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/flowers_tour_2017_greensboro
NCGP Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/824165391071168/

DURHAM - MAY 25 6:00 PM (program starts 6:30)
Stanford L. Warren Branch Library
RSVP: https://ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/flowers_tour_2017_durham
NCGP Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1349755721798271/

Dr. Margaret Flowers is a Baltimore-based pediatrician who practiced for 17 years. She served as congressional fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program in 2009-10. She is currently an adviser to the board. She is the co-director of Popular Resistance where she runs the Health Over Profit for Everyone campaign and she is on the leadership council of the Maryland Health Care is a Human Right campaign.Video Interviews:
w/ Chris Hedges - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVHa_yS2aGk
w/ last year Dr. Jill Stein on The Real News Pt. 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ9Ya76Erk4&t=865s "

World Turtle Day

World Turtle Day, May 23rd, is an annual event to increase awareness of turtles and tortoises, and was created by American Tortoise Rescue ( www.worldturtleday.org/ ).  Many turtles are unnecessarily killed on roads around here (and even turtles that look too injured to survive can recover if at least removed from the road, and if necessary taken to a wildlife rehabilitator, in part because they are cold-blooded and rugged animals), and it is possible that box turtles are in decline because of sprawl.  It might not be causing problems, but red-eared sliders, colorful aquatic turtles that used to be traded as pets, live in the Triangle and elsewhere in NC, but aren't native, while closely related yellow-bellied sliders are native.  On the coast there are issues with endangered species of sea turtle.   

This Changes Everything showing in Chapel Hill

This Changes Everything, a film by Avi Lewis and inspired and narrated by Naomi Klein's book, will be shown at Varsity Theatre on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill Tuesday, May 23rd at 7:30pm.  Tickets cost $11 dollars (see www.tugg.com/titles/this-changes-everything ).  This showing is sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Non-Fiction Readers and the ECO Committee.     

Memorial Day Commemoration for Victims of War

The Orange County Peace Coalition is organizing this commemoration Monday, May 29th 2-3:30pm at the Chapel Hill Public Library.  Lori Khamala, Director of the American Friends Service Committee's Immigrants' Rights Program will be the keynote speaker. 

Orange County town hall meeting

WILPF and others are organizing a town hall-style meeting on a variety of issues with State Senator Valerie Foushee and State Representatives Verla Insko and Graig Meyer Saturday, June 3rd, 10am-noon at Carrboro's Century Center (100 North Greensboro Street). 

American Winter film showing in Durham

The Durham People's Alliance and the NC Justice Center are sponsoring a screening of the documentary American Winter, which follows eight families impacted by the deepest US economic crisis in the US since the 30's, at Motorco Music Hall (723 Rigsbee Avenue), Tuesday, June 4th at 7pm.  There is a $10 dollar suggested donation.  The doors open and there will be food trucks at 6:15pm and a brief panel discussion at 8:30.  For more information, see:  www.durhampa.org/_american_winter_film_screening    

June 5th is the UN's World Environment Day. 

World Oceans Day

This annual day for increasing awareness about the oceans and keeping them healthy will be June 8th (see:  www.worldoceansday.org/ ).    

50th anniversary of Israel's attack on the USS Liberty

The Israeli air force and navy attacked the USS Liberty in international waters off Egypt, killing 34 and injuring 171, during the 1967 war, on June 8th. 

Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad!

The United National Antiwar Coalition ( www.unacpeace.org/home.html ) will have a national conference, Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad:  Building a Movement Against War, Injustice and Repression!, June 16-18 and the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia (403 North 3rd Street).  The webpage is at:  www.unacconference2017.org/p/registration-form.html, and there is a Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/events/1208020632638814/?notif_t=plan_user_joined&notif_id=1485905602475965 

Northstar Compass' final print edition content deadline June 30th

The Northstar Compass Signature Edition is coming out in October for the 100th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution, and that will be the final paper edition, but the magazine, which covers communist organizing and news in the ex-Soviet states and other left news, mainly in Eastern Europe, including many photos, along with some articles on theory and Slavic culture, will continue online at:  sovietcompass.today/ and will post news from the International Council for Friendship and Solidarity with the Soviet People (of which US Friends of the Soviet People is a part).  Content for the final issue is due by June 30th, but preferably before then, and can be sent to sovietcompass at [gmail dot com] (also copy to bwz [at] [bell dot net]) or by mail to:
 
Northstar Compass
280 Queen Street West 2nd floor [I'm not sure that "2nd floor" is unnecessary]
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 2A1    

They are specifically looking for short inspirational personal anecdotes about the many achievements of Soviet socialism and greetings to the Friendship House in Canada or the new online effort.  They are also looking for articles for the October issue and ideas for the website. 

38th Annual Festival for the Eno

The Eno River Association's annual Festival will be July 1st-4th at West Point on the Eno in Durham.  For details and tickets see:   www.enofest.org/

July 4th celebrations

WILPF will table at Carrboro's event, Tuesday, July 4th 10am-4pm, I assume at the Town Hall. 

Local elections coming up

People can register to run for office in the City of Durham July 7-21st, for the elections October 10th and November 7th this year.  The Durham Board of Elections website is: dconc.gov/government/departments-a-e/board-of-elections and the State Board is at:  www.ncsbe.gov/ 

Election results are on at State Board's website and they are broken up by precinct Durham's website; in Durham County 535 (0.34%) write-in votes were registered for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, while there were 2000 (1.28%) miscellaneous write-ins, and Libertarian Gary Johnson got 3,999 (2.56%) votes. 

From an activist calendar in Chapel Hill:

"SLIDE SHOW OF NATIONAL FARM WORKER MINISTRY'S PROGRAMS Introduction to farmworker issues and support of their  organizing. Opportunities to help. 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 9,130 Hunt Street, Durham (park Senior Center across street). Triangle Friends of Farmworkers, Dave Austin, 919-433-6718.

ACT TO SUPPORT  UNC CENTER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND ITS MISSION  Center (www.law.unc.edu/centers/civilrights ) advances civil rights and social justice through education, fair housing, environmental justice, and community inclusion. UNC Board of Governors (BOG) now considers prohibiting Center from engaging in any advocacy or direct representation for equal justice. BOG’s vote will effectively shut down Center. Attend Public Hearing: 11 a. m., Thursday, May 11, Center for School Leadership Development, 140 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill; UNC BOG meeting: May 18-19, Center for School Leadership Development. Email BOG: public [at bog dot northcarolina dot edu] and UNC-CH Chancellor Carol Folt: chancellor [at unc dot edu]. Write letters to editor. 919-445-0190.

TRIANGLE TRASH – PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE  Speaker Blair Pollock, solid waste planner who initiated public recycling programs for Orange County beginning in 1987.  6:30 p. m., Friday, May 12, Recyclique, 2811 Hillsborough Road, Durham
(parking in Food Lion lot).  $ 5 suggested.  http://communecos.org/.
 

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING  Film directed by Avi Lewis, inspired by Naomi Klein’s non-fictional bestseller, draws on nine countries, from which Klein makes case that from crisis of climate change, people can transform failed economic system into something radically better. 7:30 – 9:30 p. m., Tuesday, May 23, Varsity Theatre, 123 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill. General admission $11.  https://www.tugg.com/events/this-changes-everything-czzb. Needed: 16 more to purchase online. Hosted by ECO Committee and UU Non-fiction Readers of Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist.
 

OPPORTUNITY TO HELP CHOOSING AND SHIPPING BOOKS TO NC PRISONERS. Join Prison Books Collective working at  Recyclique, 2811 Hillsborough Road, Durham. Volunteers meet Sundays at 1 - 4 pm to pack and mail books. http://prisonbooks.info/get-involved/volunteer/ . Contact: prisonbooks [at gmail dot com].

ONGOING VIGILS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Raleigh: Stop the Arms Race and Build a Culture of Peace Vigil, 1st Wednesday of every month, Noon to 1 PM, Century Post Office on Fayetteville St (919-782-0667); Raleigh: End the death penalty (PFADP, AI-USA, NC-ACLU), 5 - 6 PM, Mondays, Central Prison, corner of Hunt Dr and Western Blvd (919-779-1912); Chapel Hill: 5-6 PM EDT [4:30 - 5:30 PM EST], Fridays, corner of Elliott Rd and East Franklin St; bring your sign(s) to show your concern or take one from collection (919-942-2535)."

A more recent calendar:

Some Triangle Peace and Justice Events May 18 - 30, 2017
 (Events listed in chronological order except for recurring events posted at end) 

ACT TO SUPPORT  UNC CENTER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND ITS MISSION  Center (www.law.unc.edu/centers/ civilrights ) advances civil rights and social justice through education, fair housing, environmental justice, and community inclusion. UNC Board of Governors (BOG) now considers prohibiting Center from engaging in any advocacy or direct representation for equal justice. BOG’s vote will effectively shut down Center. Be present by 1 p. m., Thursday, May18, Center for School Leadership Development,140 Friday Center Drive, Chapel Hill, when Education Policy Committee of BOG meets to discuss proposal to shut down Center and/or midday Friday, May 19, for public comment period after full BOG meeting ends.  naacp5689 [at gmail dot com].

 

VANISHING OF THE BEES  Film on dilemma and potential solutions for endangered honey bees with commentary by Alice Hinman, director of Apiopolis, Raleigh’s Urban Bee Sanctuary. 6:30 p. m., Friday, May 19, Recyclique, 2811 Hillsborough Road, Durham (parking in Food Lion lot).  $ 5 suggested.  http://communecos.org/.   

THE CONFEDERATE FLAG: WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT Teach-in featuring Karen Anderson, Executive Director, ACLU of NC; Alfred Brophy, UNC Law School Distinguished Professor; Ronda Bullock, Co-founder of we are: working to extend anti-racist education; Reginald Hildebrand, Emeritus Professor, UNC Department of History.  10 a.m. to Noon,, Saturday, May 20, Hargraves Community Center, 216 North Roberson Street, Chapel Hill.  Sponsored by Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP and NAACP Youth Council. naacp5689 [at gmail dot com].

 

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT  Screening and discussion of segments of Michael Moore's film on Tunisia, Iceland, and fall of Berlin  Wall. 1:15 p.m., Monday, May 22, Carol Woods’ Assembly Hall, 750 Weaver Dairy Road, Chapel Hill. Sponsored by Elders for Peace. judybellin [at gmail dot com].   

THE FIGHT FOR SINGLE-PAYER HEALTHCARE   Dr. Margaret Flowers, Baltimore-based pediatrician who served as congressional fellow for Physicians for a National Health Program in 2009-10,  and  currently is an adviser to the board.  She is co-director of Popular Resistance, where she runs Health Over Profit for Everyone campaign. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Thursday, May 25, Stanford L. Warren Branch Library, 1201 Fayetteville Street, Durham.  Sponsored by North Carolina Green Party. Tony Ndege · cochair [at ncgreenparty dot org]. 

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING  Film directed by Avi Lewis, inspired by Naomi Klein’s non-fictional bestseller, draws on nine countries, from which Klein makes case that from crisis of climate change, people can transform failed economic system into something radically better. 7:30 – 9:30 p. m., Tuesday, May 23, Varsity Theatre, 123 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill. General admission $11.  https://www.tugg.com/events/ this-changes-everything-czzb. Hosted by ECO Committee and UU Non-fiction Readers of Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist. 919-818-8289.

IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES AS VICTIMS OF WAR  A Memorial Day commemoration with speaker Lori Khamala, Director, NC Immigrant Rights Program for American Friends Service Committee; proclamations from Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and Carrboro Mayor Lydia Lavelle; tribute to late peace activist John Heuer; readings; peace and justice songs by Raging Grannies. 2 to 3:30 p.m., Monday, May 29, Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive.  Sponsored by Orange County Peace Coalition. 919-929-3316, 919-419-1261.

JOIN QUARTERLY MEETING OF MOVEMENT TO END RACISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA (MERI).  Hosted by Charles M. Jones Peace and Justice Committee of Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist. All welcome to get involved with work that MERI does (http://merinc.org/). 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 30, Straley Room, 106 Purefoy Road, corner of Mason Farm Road. Space may be limited so please contact Terri Brinton (tbrinton [at nc dot rr dot com] or 919-319-7512). 

OPPORTUNITY TO HELP CHOOSING AND SHIPPING BOOKS TO NC PRISONERS. Join Prison Books Collective working at  Recyclique, 2811 Hillsborough Road, Durham. Volunteers meet Sundays at 1 - 4 pm to pack and mail books. http://prisonbooks.info/get- involved/volunteer/ . Contact: prisonbooks [at gmail dot com].

ONGOING VIGILS FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE Raleigh: Stop the Arms Race and Build a Culture of Peace Vigil, 1st Wednesday of every month, Noon to 1 PM, Century Post Office on Fayetteville St (919-782-0667); Raleigh: End the death penalty (PFADP, AI-USA, NC-ACLU), 5 - 6 PM, Mondays, Central Prison, corner of Hunt Dr and Western Blvd (919-779-1912); Chapel Hill: 5-6 PM EDT [4:30 - 5:30 PM EST], Fridays, corner of Elliott Rd and East Franklin St; bring your sign(s) to show your concern or take one from collection (919-942-2535)."

Witness for Peace Southeast seeking donations for youth delegation to Nicaragua

"Dear Friends and Supporters of Witness for Peace Southeast, 

I’m writing to ask your support to meet my goal of raising $2,000 for youth scholarships for our annual Fair Trade Youth Delegation to Nicaragua!

 

This delegation will take place from July 3rd to July 12, 2017, 

and includes 15 participants, including 3 sponsored by Movement of Youth (http://movementofyouth.org/), 1 from a Catholic Worker community (http://www.catholicworker.org/), and 4 Latinx teens from Greensboro, NC. 

 

The youth delegation was first organized by Witness for Peace Southeast co-founder Gail Phares in 1991, and they have educated hundreds of young people about the impacts 

of our government’s foreign policy and trade agreements.

 

Here are some of the activities of the delegation:

·      Learn about Nicaragua’s history, politics, and economics, and how that is connected with US foreign policy. 

·      Understand the impact of trade agreements such as the Central American Free Trade Agreement

Continue reading, including requests from youth who want to go this year, 

and make a donation at: https://www.youcaring.com/witnessforpeace-772549# "

Communist fight songs and musical culture from the Socialist Bloc

Soundtracks for revolution © 

I like what is usually called “world music,” especially leftist political music, but it can take some searching to find and websites are often too short-lived, so this article points out some place to find leftist, mainly communist, songs and marches online. It takes a broad view of who was in the socialist bloc and communist movements. If you know of useful websites or stores I missed, and there are probably many, please let me know or comment.

Western Europe

Sinn Fein's online store ( www.sinnfeinbookshop.com/ ) has a number of CDs and other items, more nationalist than socialist, but there is a lot of praise for Irish socialist James Connolly and condemnation of the UK's imperialism, an enemy of labor globally and many countries. Surprisingly, Irish nationalist music with more class consciousness is sold by Smithsonian Folkways ( www.folkways.si.edu/index.aspx ), such as This Is Free Belfast! and England's Vietnam. Their releases include liner notes providing historical content, encoded on the discs and available online, and tracks can be sampled online. 

British singer Billy Bragg ( www.billybragg.co.uk/ ) recorded old leftist songs, such as The Internationale, The Red Flag, Blake's Jerusalem, Joe Hill, This Land is Your Land, and A Change is Gonna Come, as well as songs like There is Power in a Union, Never Cross a Picket Line, and Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto. These songs are on the album The Internationale, available on Amazon. He also sang about the 1649 Digger movement in Britain, but not on that CD.   

Another version of The Red Flag, popular with the British Labor Party when it had some socialist content, was available online; I think I found it through a link on the UE (United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America union) website, but I lost track of it. It might be this website: webpages.dcu.ie/~sheehanh/connell.htm A version set to a different tune is online at: protestsongs.ca/volume-1/the-red-flag/

The lyrics and midi files of The Red Flag and many other leftist songs are available at: drapeaurouge.free.fr/

Songs in English, Spanish, and German from the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War are available in two albums from Smithsonian Folkways, with a new one-volume version released in 2014. The singers include Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

Smithsonian Folkways also sells Avanti Popolo! Forward, People! a CD of Italian leftist music from the postwar years to the 70's, including Bandiera Rossa, Bella Ciao and The American Bases. 

I have some other communist songs in European languages, received second-hand, so I don't know where they came from originally, but it shows how much music is out there.

Eastern Europe

Many albums of German communist music have been released. Brandenburg Historica ( stores.militaryhistoryshop.com/ ) specializes in German military music and sells some imported albums of marches, leftist songs, and classical music recorded in the German Democratic Republic, as well as some Soviet music. Some of the albums from B.T.M. GmbH ( www.bt-music.de/ ) include Soldaten Singen: Kampflieder der NVA und Volkspolizei and Historisches Militärkonzert mit dem Grossen Zapfenstreich der NVA. Imports from BarbaRossa Musikverlag include Singende Fanfaren: Zentrales Musikkorps der FDJ und der Pionierorganisation Ernst Thälmann and Mit klingendem Spiel: Zentrales Orchester des Ministeriums Innern. They used to have Barbarossa's Dem Morgenrot Entgegen. Hymnen, which has several anthems and well-known songs. They also used to have Die Partei Hat Immer Recht: Eine Dokumentation in Liedern from Hansa Musik Produktion GmbH. It might still be available on Amazon or eBay and there is a sequel, Die Schalmei Hat Immer Recht. I just found a German site that seems to be about East German dance music: www.ddr-tanzmusik.de/index.php/Hauptseite

A number of songs from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, including Yugoslav versions of the International, We Are the Smiths, and Over Hills and Dales used to be available at www.titoville.com , a website about leader Josip Broz Tito, and they could still be floating around on the Internet somewhere (an image of the website can still be seen at: archive.is/www.titoville.com ). 

Many songs from the People's Socialist Republic of Albania are online at: www.enver-hoxha.net/content/content_english/home-eng.htm Some YouTube videos are linked at: www.enverhoxha.info/english/musics.php

USSR

Soviet songs are pretty easy to find online. A huge number of songs and some speeches in Russian, as well as some in other languages, including many versions of the International, are posted online at: www.sovmusic.ru/english/index.php Many Soviet songs were released on CD by Melodiya in Russia, such as Let Songs Narrate What People We Have Been. I think Youth Construction Brigade Songs was also produced by Melodiya. Northstar Compass sold some music from the USSR and other countries, but contact them to see if they still sell items. Smithsonian Folkways has a few CDs of music from the USSR, including History of the Soviet Union in Ballad and Song (it is called volume 1, but there doesn't seem to be a volume 2) with early songs, such as the Russian versions of The Red Flag and The Internationale (an early Soviet national anthem), as well as Varshavianka, We Are the Blacksmiths, The Engine, and We Renounce the World. Folkways has other albums of music from the USSR, but they might be mainly folk music. As said above, Brandenburg Historica sells some Soviet music. In the past they sold Barba Rossa's Mütterchen Russland: Originalaufnahmen 1930-1955 and Silva Classics' The Best of the Red Army Choir. I once saw an album containing all the anthems of the Soviet republics, I think sold by the import company Sovietski, but they no longer exist. Amazon and possibly eBay is a good place to look for these relatively rare CDs. I found a CD through Amazon that seems to be just songs relating to Stalin. Paul Robeson sang an English version of the Soviet anthem sometime around WWII (it is posted many times on YouTube, such as at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO6q_mFjEUg ) and the anthem of the People's Republic of China (one posting is at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrRAjeihxo )

The Middle East and Africa

Smithsonian Folkways has some CDs of music from Middle Eastern and African countries, such as songs of the PLO and the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.

There was a website, probably set up in Germany, called the Iraq News Network (probably different from the current website called INN), that had songs related to the Iraqi resistance and some Soviet music, such as the WWII song Holy War. Trump and the Democratic leadership may soon give us the 'opportunity' to hear songs of anti-US resistance in Syria (or maybe in East Asia), though there must already be music against “Western” imperialisms throughout the Arab world.

South Asia

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)'s website had a lot of Nepalese revolutionary songs during the civil war, but the party split and the website is gone now. There must be music from India's Maoists (Naxalites) and others in the region, but I haven't come across any. Pakistan's Laal group (meaning Red), associated with the Communist Workers and Peasants Party (CMKP), has many music videos on YouTube, such as this version of the International: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PnIGbtqS5w Their YouTube channel is Laal Pakistan. I highlighted their music on The Peoples Channel in Orange and Durham counties a few years ago, with permission from the group.  

East Asia

A huge amount of music is collected in The Internet Chinese Music Archive (www.ibiblio.org/chinese-music/ ), which also includes ceremonial music, operas, childrens' songs, Chinese pop music, Taiwanese songs, and some Soviet music, as well as historic Chinese speeches. There seem to be varying translations for some of the titles, but the songs include My Motherland, No CCP, No China, Chinese Volunteers Battle Song, Socialism Good, Women Detachment Anthem, Red Sun Ode, and Song of Oil Workers, and many other songs, such as Ode to Plum, that could be folk rather than outright political music. There are albums sold on Amazon, and people can go to the source at www.yesasia.com , a company apparently started in the US and now based in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo. There is a 10-CD collection of Chinese folk music that includes many Maoist songs, a few probably the same recordings in the Internet Chinese Music Archive. Some of these songs are also on the CD My Motherland, from HUGO Productions, and Hundred Years Phonograph. Another CD mixing political and folk music is Rounder Records' China: Music from the People's Republic of China, which includes a Sinified instrumental version of The International. There is a collection of 20 marches from the different branches of the People's Liberation Army, and it includes versions of some Maoist songs. Revolutionary songs used for nationalist purposes are kind of common online as China grows in power. One album I found on Amazon is Ode to the Communist Party: 1921-2001. Amazon also has versions of the classical Yellow River Concerto (instrumental) and Yellow River Cantanta (with vocals), written in 1939.   

YesAsia has some music from the DPRK, such as a 3-CD collection of different versions of the folk song Arirang ( www.yesasia.com/us/north-korean-arirang-collection/1004171809-0-0-0-en/info.html ), and it probably has music from the ROK promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK sells music and other things directly online at: www.korea-dpr.com/ , but the store is not always available and is currently down. Websites with free Korean music that I found years ago no longer exist for the most part, but the anthem and other music might be posted on YouTube. I don't remember finding this store, but there is also: www.north-korea-books.com

Smithsonian Folkways sells Vietnam Will Win! and Vietnam: Songs of Liberation, music from the National Liberation Front during the Vietnam War, originally released in 1971. Many of Smithsonian Folkways' revolutionary albums were first released by Paredon Records in the 70's. 

They also have Paredon's 1976 album Bangon! Arise! , featuring revolutionary music from the Philippines. The tracks include a Tagalog version of the International, Wave the Red Flag, Down with US Imperialism, and Anthem of the New People's Army, apparently the same communist guerrilla army fighting today.   

The Americas

Folkways released an album of anti-Pinochet music from Chile and there are CDs of leftist songs from Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay, etc. The Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru put out a tape, Panorama Ayacuchano: Music from Peru, from the International Emergency Committee to Defend the Life of Dr Abimael Guzmán, the captured founder of Shining Path in Peru. The CSRP doesn't seem to exist now, but it might be possible to find the music somewhere online. 

In the US leftist music is mainly labor and folk songs, which are somewhat common in the media, though given how popular groups like the Socialist Party USA and then the Communist Party USA once were, and their cultural productions, there is probably a lot of left musical history buried in the US. The local NPR station includes some of these classic songs and new songs, like Andy Irvine's Never Tire of the Road, in its Back Porch Music program ( wunc.org/back-porch-music ), especially over Labor Day weekend. Back Porch Music is on for a few hours every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening. The Raging Grannies often sing familiar protest tunes with new lyrics at local demonstrations and events, such as the Hiroshima bombing commemoration last August in downtown Chapel Hill. Songs from the US Civil War sounds like contemporary world leftist music but the content is more relevant to war and issues of the time than to class politics today. There is some newer commercially released music, but it sounds more like the modern pop music genre than what I think of as leftist music, and it usually doesn't use hard left vocabulary, though it is on the left. In a way, music from some English-language musicals could be considered close to music from the actual revolutionary movements whose style they emulate.     

The NC and Ohio-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee's online shop sells labor songs by its president, Baldemar Velasquez, and the Aquila Negra Band (see www.floc.com/wordpress/floc-shop/ ).