An Old Jewish Anarchist Revoluntionary Anthem

It’s Dawn Already, Wake Up! Open Your Eyes!

www.akpress.org/2006/items/ana

This is a wonderful historical piece that I found today. Enjoy.

  If Queers Without Borders could fly off to San Francisco we would be there for the protest against HRC’s annual dinner. We will be there in spirit, in solidarity sending out our good vibs for justice and freedom for all. We will be in the street with the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, And Castro 4 All, SF Labor Council, Pride at Work at what these groups are calling the “Left OUT Party.” I found this information on Kelli Busey’s site  (see link for planetransgender on our side bar) and she had a link to an article from San Francisco’s Alternative Online News. The article by Tommi Avicolli-Mecca can be found here. There are many fine articles stating QWB’s position on HRC. To sum it up in a nut shell, Fuck HRC!!!

“Nashawn Williams Addresses The Media” posted by Kevin over at the Undercurrent Blog is a video in 3 parts of the press conference held last Saturday at Charter Oak Cultural Center. Please click here. Nashawn William is a 16 year old black youth who was attacked by a gang of whites in Plainfield while waiting for a school bus in October 2007.  Police are trying to close the case, no witnesses or arrests.  Click here for a report from Frank O’Gorman on QWB’s blog.

QWB thanks Kevin of the Hartford Undercurrent for this video.

We Keep giving Insurance Companies 

-MORE-

They keep giving us less.

Where is all the money going? 

Join healthcare advocates, policy makers, activists, and allies for a Roving Demonstration.

DATE: Thursday July 24, 2008

Time: 3:00 PM

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Wearing signs that said, “NO ATTACK ON IRAN”, 200 +protesters poured into Grand Central Station at the heart of rush hour. The protesters FROZE in place for a few minutes and then erupted in shouts of

“NO ATTACK ON IRAN!!!!!!!”

If you work hard, you deserve a secure retirement. And no one would suggest that Hartford’s retired teachers, paraprofessionals, police and firefighters didn’t work hard. Of course they did.

But Mayor Eddie Perez wants to slash the health benefits that retirees bargained for while they were working. Retirees are seeing their insurance premiums double and even triple!

Hartford WFP Councilman Larry Deutsch has been the real champion on this issue. Monday evening, Councilman Deutsch will introduce a resolution to put a 90 day moratorium on any changes to retiree health benefits, to give retirees the time to figure out their options, and to limit increases in retiree insurance premiums to a reasonable amount.

But we need you to join us. It’s time to stand up for retirees.

Join us for a rally for retirees:
Monday at 5:30 PM at Hartford City Hall.
Click here to invite a friend to the rally. [Read more →]

Nashawn Williams and his family gathered with allies this morning for a press conference on
the steps of the Charter Oak Cultural Center to express our collective outrage at the lack of
even one arrest in the brutal hate-crime assault on Nashawn last October.

Nashawn, 16, spoke briefly before being overcome by emotion as his mother watched sobbing
in the background. Cornell Lewis, founder of the Men of Color Initiative, with his hand on
Nashawn’s shoulder, comforted the young man as he spoke.

Cornell said, “Shame on America” for the racist assault perpetrated by K-Nation that inflicted
such physical and emotional injury on a young African-American man and his family.
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On August 11 2007, while marching in solidarity with our union
sisters and brothers of the Industrial Workers of the world (IWW) 460/640
campaign in NYC, the Providence, RI IWW branch was attacked by the out of
control North Providence Police force. During the attack Providence IWW
member Alexandra Svoboda was brutally maimed by officers of the NPPD and
arrested. Jason Friedmutter, also of the Providence IWW branch was
arrested as well. Alex has faced a long road to recovery that she is still
on. Alex and Jason both face dubious criminal charges that the City of
North Providence has drummed up in order to thwart Alex from receiving
justice and to protect their violent, inexperienced police force.
Included in this article is a brief, but all encompassing account of
August 11, ‘07, Alex’s injuries and recovery, Alex and Jason’s legal
status at the time of this writing.
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See also Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago’s Gay Pride Parade

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Monday July 14, 6:00-9:00 PM

11999 King Davis Labor Center

77 Huyshope Ave. Hartford

SHUTDOWN is a in-depth and action packed documentary exploration of how 20,000 San Franciscans successfully organized to blockade and shutdown their financial district in March, 2003 to protest the US attack on Iraq. An inspirational, informative, and engagingly honest look at the difficulties they faced in maintaining militant opposition. Created by people directly involved with the organizing, utilizing on the street footage, news clips and interviews with 18 key participants. It is a people’s history made in support of the movement against the war and empire, aiming to galvanize resistance and further critical analysis in cities and towns throughout the country.

Join us as we host the Direct Action to Stop the War Video Collective on their national screening tour, which will also feature an active discussion/workshop.

Published in NYC Indymedia-

 The Persistent Power of Socialist Feminism

Grassroots feminists will gather in San Francisco this fall at a National Conference.

This is a national conference for Radical Women, a Socialist Feminist organization founded in 1967 and active across the U.S. The conference will feature speakers from Central America, China, Australia and the U.S., plus interactive workshops. There will be discussions about building independent grassroots movements for revolutionary change; the role of women of color and immigrants in forging labor solidarity; multi-racial organizing; and youth and queer leadership. Conference dates are October 3-6, 2008 at the Women’s building in San Francisco. Daily registration is $15; and students and low income registration is $7.50. Everyone is welcome to attend. To register for this conference go to www.RadicalWomen.org. For more information call 212-222-0633 or email nycradicalwomen@nyct.net. Radical Women can be found at Freedom Hall, 113 West 128th Street, New York, New York 10027.

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An injunction has been filed against the closing of 2 branch libraries in Hartford.

On Monday July 14 there will be at least 2 events: A rally at 2:30 pm at Mark Twain School
in the Northend of Hartford (more info below) and an opportunity to voice protest at the
City Council meeting that evening. [Read more →]

Check out here for Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s interview with Terrain Dandridge of the New Jersey 4 when Terrain was in San Francisco to meet with Angela Davis. QWB stands in solidarity with our lesbian sisters in the New Jersey 4 and calls for their release.

The Socialist Party Presidential nominee Brian Moore was interviewed on WTIC 1080 of Hartford Ct. by Colin McEnroe on his show, Afternoons with Colin McEnroe. Among the topics discussed were what exactly a socialist is, Brian’s positions on various issues, an update on ballot access and the purpose of his candidacy. For more information about the Socialist Party presidential ticket of Brian Moore and Stewart Alexander, please visit the following campaign websites: http://www.brianmoore.com/and http://www.votesocialist2008.org/.

Todd Vachon the Socialist Party candidate for the Ct. 2nd District sent the interview our way. His site: www.votevachon.com.

QWB stands in solidarity with the unionizing of all workers especially those in the low income brackets. From the janitors, to the cafeteria workers, to the hotel and restaurant employees and to the newest group being organized by SEIU Security Officers.

The Summer issue of “Building Strength” the magazine of 32BJ of SEIU had some very good news regarding the effort to unionize the low income workers in the Security profession. A little note here: Some Security Officers in New York City make $7.00 an hour. We won’t even get into what is expected of them in performance of their duties. [Read more →]

“Come Out” is a piece of music written in 1966 by composer Steve Reich. This piece was written and performed at a benefit for the retrial of the “Harlem Six”, six black youths arrested for committing murder during the 1964 Harlem Riots for which only one of the six was responsible. For more info on this amazing piece see here. The Choreography Dance was added in 1982 by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Michele Anne De May. Check out more of Reich’s music exp. “Clapping Music” found on you tube, which is an attempt to write a piece of music requiring nothing more then the human body.

New Haven, Conn. –This article is from www.deletetheborder.org.  A summary as written: When Abel Sanchez went to check on his brother-in-law, he was issued a ticket for interfering with a police officer. When he left police custody, he needed to go to a hospital, according to a civil rights complaint filed in federal court Monday. The affidavit alleges Sanchez was shoved to the ground, punched, kicked, handcuffed, and Maced in the back of a squad car by patrol officer Dennis O’Connell, before being taken to a warehouse and cleaned up by other cops. Read more of this story here.

A Tribute

“Songs in a Miner Key”

Elizabeth Sipos and Dan Thomson

This was passed out as a  flyer at the Boston dyke march, to which the Boston local of NEFAC was invited to table and march. I’m not personally a fan of the term “anarchist-communism,” even though I’ve found myself affiliated with NEFAC.  Generally I prefer “social anarchism,” but these labels could generally just as easily apply: anarcho-syndicalism, libertarian socialism, libertarian communism, revolutionary anarchism, free communism/socialism, etc etc etc. I need to start hassling uncle Noam, the great linguist who also happens to be an anarcho-syndicalist, to see if he can come up with a label that’s not quite so damn clumsy or problematic…

by Thomas Giovanni

- Boston NEFAC

Anarchist communism is- and has always been- against all oppression and exploitation of people over people including any system where a person or group of people has privilege or power over any other person or group politically, economically, socially or otherwise.

It is for a cooperative and free social order aimed at the equal freedom of all humanity achieved through: directly-democratic decision-making, a social/cultural value system actively opposing domination, privilege, oppression and exploitation and a classless economy where all contribute according to their ability and receive according to their needs.

It was developed in the 1800s by revolutionaries who observed the natural tendency of generally communal and generally self-managing people -both within emerging economic imperialist states and within colonized states exploited by imperialists around the world- who resisted forced incorporation into a developing white-supremacist, patriarchal, authoritarian, industrial capitalist system. Of course, to develop anarchist communism the logic of the generally communal and generally self-managing societies had to be taken to their natural conclusions: that it’s neither desirable nor necessary for any human or group of humans to control, dominate, rule, exploit, decide for, oppress or otherwise cause harm to any other human or group of humans. [Read more →]

We, Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF), were recently shocked to hear
about another homophobic murder in Johannesburg and extend our sympathy and
solidarity to the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex)
community of South Africa, that has had to suffer from oppression and
discrimination so often within a short period of time. The murder of drag
queen Daisy Dube is yet another horrible chauvinistic murder and adds to the
escalating number of people killed in homophobic violence in South Africa in
recent times, including 10 lesbians killed since just 2006. [Read more →]

Let’s all take a listen

as  

A Revolutionary Speaks.

Many thanks to Regina Dyton and the dedicated folks the City of Hartford LGBT Issues Commission for making this happen!

The LGBT Queer Pride flag will be raised tomorrow, Friday, June 13 at Hartford City Hall at noon. There will be a brief ceremony with the Mayor and a councilperson. The flag will stay up for a week. The public is invited to attend this ceremony raising the Pride Flag.

Chisholm ‘72: Unbought & Unbossed.

Thursday, June 19, 2008, 6:30

Faith Congregational Church

2030 Main Street, Hartford Ct.

This movie is about Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her campaign to become the democratic party’s presidential nominee in 1972. Come join us to honor her legacy with a screening of this historical documentary. The film will be followed by a community conversation with community leaders.

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Anti-War Spaghetti Dinner

6:00 pm Saturday June 14th

United Methodist Church of Hartford

571 Farmington Ave, Hartford

Help Send Activists to the National Assembly Against the War in Iraq in Cleveland Ohio. Nearly 500 organizations and leaders have joined the call for the National Assembly to End The War in Iraq scheduled for June 28-29 in Cleveland, Ohio. Called in order to “place on the agenda of the entire US antiwar movement a proposal for the largest possible united mass mobilization to stop the war and end the occupation,” the Assembly offers every participant a vote and the right to propose resolutions and amendments.

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An interview with gay rights hell-raiser Tamara Turner. Turner is a co-author of Gay Resistance: The Hidden History (Red Letter Press, 1997) and a cast member of the 1993 play “Hidden History: True Stories from Seattle’s Gay and Lesbian Elders.” Turner comments on decades of activism and shares her acerbic observations with FS writer Doug Barnes.

From the interview:

Q. So what lessons do we need to apply today?

A. “History tells us that if we don’t hang together we’ll hang separately. I think we need to build a broad, radical leadership that can expose this system and offer a vision of its replacement. A world where people are judged by their qualities as a person, as a human being rather than by skin color, what’s between their legs, their sexual orientation, or gender.” [Read more →]

BULLETIN: Cuban 5 appeal denied, protests set

June 4—As the Cuban Five near the end of their 10th year of unjust
imprisonment, the 11th Circuit Court denied their latest appeal today. A
three-judge panel upheld all convictions but ruled that the Miami trial judge
must re-sentence Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, and Fernando
González, who are serving life sentences.

The Cuban Five were jailed for monitoring Miami-based CIA-backed
paramilitaries, who planned violent attacks on the Five’s homeland, Cuba.
Meanwhile Luis Posada Carriles, who in 1976 organized the first mid-air bombing
of a passenger airliner, killing 73 people aboard Cubana 455, walks free in
Miami.

Demonstrations demanding immediate freedom for the five heroes begin on
Thursday, June 5. Make your voice heard! For more information on demonstrations
see www.freethefive.org, www.antiterroristas.cu and www.freethefiveny.org.

Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php

Page printed from:
http://www.workers.org/2008/us/cuban_5_0612/

QUEERS WITHOUT BORDERS (QWB) 

Who we are. 

A small group of Queers activists who are active in the anti-war movement began meeting several years back to bring a queer presence to the many movements that we as individuals were involved in. Our name Queers Without Borders was taken from the slogan, “We are here, there and everywhere.”  It logically follows in our mind then that all issues are our issues. We stand with all who fight oppression. We work to build a new day of justice and a culture of peace. 

Over the years we have actively help to plan and to participate in all sorts of activities.  We firmly believe that for the lgbt community to not take a multi-issue stand is foolish and unwise and any single issue stand denies our true heritage. The following is just some of the events that we worked on. These are not listed in chronological order. [Read more →]

Sunday June 15, 2008

6:00-8:00 pm

Charter Oak Cultural Center

21 Charter Oak Ave. Hartford Ct.

Ken Keyser is an activist from the nascent anarchist movement in Norway-the “social democratic paradise” in Northern Europe. In the start of June he’ll be touring the North-Eastern US with an illustrated presentation called, “The Prefigurative Organization”. The presentation will try to answer the question, “How can we best try to reflect the future that we want, in our present work.” It will touch upon subjects such as direct democracy, direct action, workers councils, anarchist organizing and involvement in social movements.

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Note: These remarks were presented by African American Lesbian Activist Regina Dyton at the May 30th Press Conference at City Hall Hartford. 

The City of Hartford Commission on LGBT Issues is proud to stand with ADAPT, all members of the disability rights community, Queers Without Borders and all other allies to protest the lack of equitable access to the Hartford Public Library.

The ramp at the front of the library invites all who need to use it to enter with dignity, on par with all people wishing to use the library. The inoperable door at the end of the ramp sends a message of inequality, not to mention the work it take for many pepole to get to the end of that ramp, only to find no access. those who need the ramp include not only those using wheelchairs, but those who have difficulty walking up stairs and those who use walkers. All of us who find a dead-end at the end of the ramp are instructed to use the accessible entrance at the back of the library, next to the parking lot. As an African American woman in her 50s, using the back door sounds all too familiar. If it ain’t right for me, how can it be right for someone else? That entrance is commonly used by people who drive to the library (as it is next to the parking lot) or others who choose to use it. It is unfair to provide choices for some and none for others. [Read more →]

Join us for a U. Utah Phillips Song

Stand hand in hand

There is power in the union.

 by Joe Hill

SEPARATE BUT EQUAL ACCESS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Organizations including ADAPT of Connecticut, Queers  Without Borders, Connecticut TransAdvocacy and other activists will gather at Hartford City Hall on Friday May 30th at 12:00 noon. We will be gathering to speak out about the lack of accessibility for people in wheel chairs through the front doors of Hartford Public Library.

Seven months ago Claude Holcomb of ADAPT of Connecticut began this effort to get the main doors of the Hartford Public Library accessible for all. Seven months later we bring this unsolved problem to the steps of City Hall. The work hasn’t been started and for seven months we have been given the run-a-round by employee’s in Constituent Services, Public Works and by the Director of Hartford Public Libraries. We have been told by these same people to “go around to the back door.” Hardly words to use in this day and age. Included in the new construction is a beautiful new ramp but once up the ramp a person in a wheel chair can not get in the front doors. While the city stalls for 7 months, a power button could have been in place by now.

NO MORE STALLING!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

Our Demands are:

1. A power door opener must be installed at the front doors of the library.

2. This work must begin by July 1, 2008.

3. We must have in our hands a copy of the work order with a start date.

4. They mayor of Hartford must sign a letter committing to a start date.

For other QWB postings on this subject click here and here.

**note: Today I went to look again at the doors. Contrary to what Ms. McMullen is stating  in her comment on the Undercurent site, there is a good 2 feet of metal above the wing doors on each side of the revolving door. So I  don’t see what the problem is. Unless of course its this “lets play a game” talk, and she is talking about the inside foyer where there is a glass wall and glass doors to get into the closed coffee or party area that the library doesn’t use. Perhaps that is what she is thinking, we want to get in and have a cup of non-existent coffee.  Hardly MS. McMullen that isn’t what we are talking about and you know it, the mayor knows it and the activist community knows it! Let’s stop this game playing and get the problem fixed. **Richard Nelson, Queers Without Borders, Hartford Ct.

See Utah’s website for an official obituary.

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Reprinted from the People’s Weekly World, “World Notes” May 24-30, 2008. www.pww.org.

Spain’s La Vanguardia newspaper recently interviewed Mariela Castro, director of Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education. Anticipating change, Castro believes that gay people’s rights will be protected under Cuba’s Family Code and will evolve through an educational and media strategy assisted by the Communist Party. A “legal union” formula will eventually guarantee the rights of homosexual couples.

All societies are patriarchal, Castro suggests, but violence against women has waned as women’s rights advanced under Cuba’s revolution. She envisions a future of reduced prohibitions, easy departures from Cuba, and expanded citizen participation in decision making. That’s the “principal objective of socialism,” she says: “the emancipation of human beings; their well being with fairness and social justice.” To view the entire interview with Mariela Castro, go to www.walterlippmann.com/docs1800.html. [Read more →]

The average gas price in Connecticut is $4.06 per gallon — prices in Hartford might be even higher. So what is Big Oil’s solution? Not cutting into their record multi-billion dollar profits to reduce your pain at the pump. Instead, oil execs testified before Congress Wednesday that their solution is to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Please act now to protect the Arctic Refuge»

Our own government estimates that drilling in the Arctic will only affect gas prices by two pennies per gallon … in twenty years. But our polar bears could be extinct in less than 50 years.

If you believe polar bears and their Arctic Refuge home are worth more than two cents per gallon, tell your senators to protect the Arctic Refuge permanently»

From the Care2 and The Petition Team.

The Demands:

1. Install a power door opener at the Front door of Hartford Public Library.

2. Work must begin by July 1st, 2008.

3. We must have in our hands a copy of the work order with date of start.

4. The Mayor of Hartford Eddie Perez must sign a letter committing to a start date.

On Tuesday May 27th Claude Holcomb of ADAPT will once again go to city hall with the demands that were drawn up at the meeting. We will also be pursuing legal remedies with supportive attorneys and reaching out to the anti-discrimination coalitions.

On May 30th at high noon the coalition that has formed under ADAPT’s leadership to address this problem, will hold a press conference at City Hall. 

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“From the moment Nancy Pelosi became speaker she said impeachment is off the table. My slogan is as long as I am on the table, impeachment is on the table.” To regain our moral authority the American people have to make a statement that we don’t agree with what our president has done.”

“The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is suppose to be about non-discrimination right?” Yet they left out the T.  How is that not discrimination? It seems like discrimination to me, if she were fully representing the gay community’s interest Pelosi would have remembered the T.”

The above quotes are by Shirley Golub a lesbian who is running against Nancy Pelosi in the democrat primary in San Francisco. The article here was published in the Bay Area Reporter on May 15, 2008.

QWB would like to take this one step further and ask that Mr. Bush and all his cronies be tried for war crimes. 

“Israel was built over the debris of 400 destroyed villages and sorrows of 750,00 people, both Christians and Muslims, expelled from their land.” To read Bessy’s entire article click here. This article appeared in the Hartford Courant, Friday May 16, 2008.

California Supreme Court Says Same-Sex Couples Can Marry!

Today, in a historic decision, the California Supreme Court affirmed the dignity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, by ruling that same-sex couples can marry in that state. This momentous judgment profoundly supports same-sex couples and their families, and recognizes that two loving, committed people deserve the rights, respect, and equality that come with the freedom to marry. [Read more →]

“Over and Over again we told them, and they still don’t want to listen” my friend Claude Holcomb told me. “I guess they don’t get it”, I responded. Claude is the founder of ADAPT CT. whose site can be found here.  ADAPT has been working for 7 months now in trying to get the city of Hartford and the Hartford Public Library to fix a big mistake.  The city of Hartford built a beautiful addition to the public library. Everything is spanking clean and shiny and up to the minuet with the latest technology. They even put in a fine new ramp to get from street level up to the entrance but guess what? They forgot to make the doors accessible for people in wheel chairs. No button. No automatic door opener. Claude told me that in researching this the cost of a button and automatic door is around $2,000 dollars. Not very much at all. The city says that they can’t put a button because the door is glass. Well I don’t where they have been as many doors with a button are made of glass. In fact where I work we have them. But the thing that makes us the maddest is being told to use the back door. “Go around to the back, that’s accessible.”  Well, let me say this isn’t 1952. To say something like that is rather insulting. I wonder what it feels like to go up the beautiful ramp in your chair and then to be turned around at the door and told to go to the back. About three weeks ago I went down to Constituent Services and talked to a Sue Mc Mullen in the office. She told me that she was waiting to hear from corporation council on what the ADA law says and then could tell me how the city would proceed. Today I put another call in to her. She seemed to talk a good round and round talk, telling me what she thought I would want to hear. At one point she said, that it is only a few people who were complaining. Today May 13 I sent out a e-mail to some of my activist friends in the community about this matter. I have included it in this article. I will update this as more information comes in. All are welcomed to come to the meeting on May 23rd at 4:30 pm. The meeting will be held at 24 Park Place which is Park Place Towers, the 2nd building from the street.

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