Occupy Missoula to protest corporate personhood on Friday; campaign to continue

http://missoulian.com/#ixzz1jsq3aplo

Occupy Missoula moves to the fish sculpture for the General Assembly - Saturday at 10 a.m.

from OccupyMissoula:

The initial planners who are just trying to get things moving initially picked the xxxx's because of the high visibility on what is the main street of town. We are very happy that it is likely that will be too small of a space for everyone. and the goal is in no way to obstruct the circle square market. SO, the 99% won't fit at the xxxx's, and perhaps it is inappropriate in general. We hear that, and will be moving the GA to fish sculpture next to the river market, so we won't interfere with traffic by overflowing into the streets. Again I want to stress that these decision was only made to get the ball rolling and get everyone in one place so we could reach consensus on a Occupy Missoula location. Please bring your ideas to the general assembly and they will be heard.

Initial planning meeting for Occupy Missoula leads to planned General Assembly

Everyone who gathered Tuesday evening at the University of Montana Free Speech Zone had a different background, but all claimed to share one thing — being a member of the poorest 99 percent of U.S. society.

Occupy Together / Occupy Montana events

Montana is cranking up for the dance

Protesting megaloads of oil field equipment bound for an Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil oil sands project

MOSCOW, Idaho - Officials in Latah County say at least four people were arrested as they protested the movement of a so-called megaload through the city of Moscow early Friday.

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reports several of the protesters passively resisted arrest early Friday as they sat cross-legged in the street in the path of a 413,600-pound load of oil field equipment bound for an Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil oil sands project in Canada. The load was 24 feet wide, 14 feet tall and 208 feet long.

Wild Idaho Rising Tide organized the protest, but community organizer Helen Yost said she was amazed and surprised with how many people showed up. Counter protesters also attended, holding signs supporting the megaloads and the oil sands project in northern Alberta.

Atom bomb survivors join opposition to nuclear power

“They convinced us that nuclear power was different from nuclear bombs,” said Mr. Yamada, 80, who was in junior high school when Nagasaki was bombed. “Fukushima showed us that they are not so different.”

Montana Transportation Department says it will fight judge's megaload ruling

The ruling threw another wrinkle into Imperial/Exxon's plans to begin mining the tar sands in the Kearl Lake area of northeastern Alberta by late 2012.

Grassroots revolts fail to receive the media attention they deserve

Bank Protest — 6 Revolts the Tea Party-Obsessed Corporate Media Overlooked

Some of the most undercovered stories of 2010 were actions taken by ordinary people standing up for a more just and equitable society.
by Rosa Aguilar, alternet

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

Some of the most undercovered stories of 2010 were actions taken by ordinary people standing up for a more just and equitable society. People are taking to the streets on a regular basis across the country, but unlike the corporate-sponsored Tea Party — whose spokespeople can’t answer basic questions about the deficit they claim to be so worried about — those who believe in health care, affordable housing, economic justice, education, a living wage, and a better life for all rarely, if ever, get the attention they deserve. Instead, the media, even the alternative media, spent the better part of last year obsessing over the Tea Party and manufactured personalities like Sarah Palin, while ignoring people like 85-year-old Julia Botello.
Last month, Botello was among 22 people arrested for blocking the doors of a Chase Bank branch in downtown Los Angeles. Over 200 people, many of them homeowners facing foreclosure and eviction, took part in the action organized by Home Defenders League and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.
According to the Alliance, these families have never participated in an event or protest before, but they have exhausted all other options. Imagine if over 200 Tea Partiers took part in a similar action. Imagine if an 85-year-old Tea Party member was photographed being led away by two cops, one holding each arm. Not only would this video footage be shown over and over again on the cable shows, Julia Botello would be bombarded with interview requests, but because she’s standing in solidarity with people who are losing their homes, she’s only been contacted by two other reporters.
“If we’re united, we’re a better force. We need to stand together,” she says. “I use my voice for the people. I know all of the councilmen and councilwomen in my area. I’m not afraid to speak and ask for better conditions for my community.”
Botello found her voice 10 years ago after falling and hurting her knee on a routine walk home. Her South Central Los Angeles neighborhood was usually dark because the street lights rarely worked. “We usually had only one light that worked, so I went to local council meetings and raised my voice. Why are our streets dark? We need light. My neighborhood hasn’t been dark since.” She’s been going strong ever since. If there’s an action focusing on an issue she cares about, she will do whatever it takes to be there, even if it means rescheduling an overdue eye surgery. “I still have time and I want to keep going.”
In addition to the Chase Bank action last month, several other grassroots actions failed to receive the attention they deserve. These actions, no matter how small, should not be discounted. Let’s hope these voices and demands become too loud to ignore in 2011.
Original article on six grassroots revolts - at alternet.org

2011 Earth First! Round River Rendezvous

The 2011 Earth First! Round River Rendezvous:
***

*July 5-12, Lolo National Forest, Montana*

*For more information and directions, visit www.wildrockiesrondy.org*

This July, join environmental justice advocates and impacted community
members from around the country for the 2011 Earth First Round River
Rendezvous, a week of education and action focused around issues of resource
extraction and environmental injustice in the Intermountain West.

This year’s Rendezvous is taking place about an hour from Missoula, MT in
the Lolo National Forest. The site is located just a few miles off of
Highway 12, and much of the workshops and discussions will address the Exxon
heavy haul project.

Northern Rockies Rising Tide would like to invite our allies and other
interested parties to attend part or all of this week-long event. With
hundreds of experienced organizers and activists from around the country
engaging in workshops, discussion forums, trainings, and bold citizen
action, this year’s Round River Rendezvous promises to be an important and
valuable element in the growing movement for a just transition away from
carbon-intensive, toxic, and unsustainable forms of “doing business.”

Ten everyday acts of resistance that changed the world

The rise of Solidarity, a popular movement created in August 1980 by striking workers in the shipyards of Gdansk and across Poland, caused panic in the region that had ruled the country since the Second World War. On December 13, 1981, the Communist authorities put tanks on the streets to stop Solidarity once and for all. Hundreds were arrested; dozens were killed.
Despite the tanks and arrests, Poles organized protests against the ban on Solidarity, including a boycott of the fiction-filled television news. But a boycott of the TV news could not by itself embarrass the government. After all, who could tell how many were obeying the boycott call?
In one small town, they found a way.

Funny? or NotFunny?

A unionized public employee, a Pee-Tartyist, and a Kochodile are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The Kochodile reaches across and takes 11 cookies, looks at the Pee-tartyist and says, "Watch out for that union guy. He wants a piece of your cookie."

hijacked from David J. Otness on FB