Tidbits for January 3, 2011

1. RE: About Portside
2. Re: Congressman Warns Citizen United Could Lead to
"Fascism"
3. From the Jewish Boat to Gaza
4. Re: America's Political Class Struggle

===
1.
Date:  	Mon, 3 Jan 2011 
From:  	Dennis Formento 
RE: About Portside - Peter Carroll, Carl Davidson, Peter Marcuse, Bill Schleicher, Meredith Tax

Thanks for dog the work that Portside does.  In
response to Carl Davidson, who said that he loves it
when someone approaches him & says he or she is a
Portside subscriber; me, on the other hand, I'm usually
the only person any-given-where who is (except when I'm
in New Orleans, among lefties) and I get to turn them
on to it.  More importantly, as  a community  college
instructor, I find mountains of information, on health,
health-care, science and evolution, and yes, even
intelligently written sports articles, with which to
stir the pot for my truly information-starved students.
 Portside allows me a way to support the teaching of
evolution subltly, by in-class discussions of
microbiology, genetics and adaptation from a scientific
perspective that a liberal arts teacher can explain or
prepare for a student to explain-- and engage in the
teaching process.   Portside also provides me with the
links that bring my students directly to news sources
they have never heard of and might otherwise never
read.   On a note of suggestion for future pathways-- I
do wish there were more articles on literature and arts
from a left perspective.

Congratulations on completing another great year.

Dennis Formento
Slidell, LA

===
2.
Re: Rep Hall's story regarding the Supreme court's decision
(Re: Congressman Warns Citizen United Could Lead to
"Fascism")

I agree with Rep Hall's comment.  I believe that the
decision of the Supreme Court allowing corporations to put
money into campaign funds in any way is a violation of the
spirit of our constitution.  Corporations have been allowed
to become super-persons.  Corporations do not deserve the
total power of persons and citizenship.  This is very
destructive of the whole spirit and meaning of our
constitution as I have been taught in high school, college
and my numerous advanced degrees and education--especially
the philosophy of law and the law courses that I have taken
over the years.

Bishop Frank Adams, BS.,M.Div., STM, Ph.L., DD

==========
3.
From the Jewish Boat to Gaza

Hello,

I am Lillian Rosengarten a 75 year old refugee from Nazi
Germany and the only American on the small Jewish Boat
(Irene) to Gaza this past Sept. We were kidnapped by the
Israeli "moral" navy and towed to Ashdot. At the Immigration
detention center, I was deported and told I could not return
to Israel

I am driven to speak out for never again can I be silent in
the face of human rights abuses that much of the world and
especially the US refuses to acknowledge. I write for the
Palestinian soul and for the freedom they are denied. My
writing is strong and emotional for I wish to raise
awareness to the suffering that Israel perpetuates on
Palestinians and also Bedoins whose land Israelis also have
stolen. It is difficult for me for once I too had dreams of
IsraeI  as a beacon of light for the world as an open,
compassionate society.  Yet as a Jew and refugee I must
speak out and am in a unique position to translate into
words and imagery  the suffering of those who are victimized
by former victims who themselves have been brutalized

I have written about 10 essays and some poems published in
"Mondoweiss" and "Palestine Chronicles"  My voice is
powerful for my stories need to beam out onto the world to
seek solidarity for the Palestinian struggle  for freedom.

I have included 2 poems and one recent essay. Also I want to
tell you I have been invited to Gaza at the end of Feb where
I hope to write from an eye witness perspective.

Many thanks,
Lillian

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16400

http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16351

http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/a-hidden-witness-to-the-brown-shirts-now-prepares-to-go-to-gaza.html

==========
4.
Re: America's Political Class Struggle

Jeffrey Sachs is an  accomplished activist scholar.  His
reports are a good read.  He is correct as far as he goes in
at least identifying a "... Political Class Struggle."
However, like most liberals on the progressive spectrum, he
can't bring himself to ditch the word "Political" and
identify exactly what will be occurring in the US and the
rest of the capitalist world-an intensified "class
struggle."  This manifest error reflects the liberal moral
conundrum.  Liberals recognize the myriad burdens on middle
and low income people as results of the decline of the
capitalist system.   They may even intuitively recognize
that stagnation is actually the normal condition of mature
capitalism.  However, taking the debate to that level is
anathema to them.  To do this might subject them to
professional risks and opprobrium from others.  Taking on
the class struggle from various perspectives is the only
worthwhile way to get anywhere in the slog ahead.

Bruce T. Boccardy
President
Massachusetts SEIU Local 888

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