INFORMATION about the Counter-Inaugural Protest in Washington will be found under Jan. 20 below. FOLLOWING are some progressive political activities of interest, scheduled locally, nearby and elsewhere, preceded by this week’s quote, and several news reports your local paper probably ignored. The calendar is published by the Mid-Hudson National People's Campaign and the local branch of the International Action Center. Send information about upcoming events to Jack A. Smith (914) 255-5779 or Email jacdon at earthlink.net. If you know someone who might benefit from this calendar, ask them to subscribe at jacdon at earthlink.net. If you no longer wish to receive the calendar, say so at same address.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISSUE #34 QUOTE: Martin Luther King Jr. was born Jan. 15, 1929 and would have been 72 years old next week. Just imagine the contributions he would have made had he been allowed to live out his life. King wrote the following on April 16, 1963, in his famous Letter From Birmingham City Jail, explaining that simply because something is the law, doesn’t mean it’s just: "There are some instances when a law is just on its face but unjust in its application. I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit. Now there is nothing wrong with an ordinance that requires a permit for a parade, but when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then it becomes unjust."
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RECENT NEWS REPORTS THAT YOUR LOCAL PAPER MAY HAVE IGNORED
“OURS” AND “THEIRS”: The Clinton years have been very good to CEOs of the top U.S. corporations, according to figures recently released by Business Week. The magazine reported that these powerful executives “earned” an average $12.4 million in 1999--six times what they took in at the beginning of the decade. This amounts to 475 times the wages of the average blue-collar worker. Twenty years ago, U.S. corporate bosses got 40 times more pay than the worker. By comparison, Japanese corporate leaders today bring home no more than 11 times the wages of an average factory worker. In Germany, it’s 13 times. Most working class Americans have no idea that they are exploited at a far greater rate than comparable workers in other industrialized countries or that “our” ruling class is so much greedier than “theirs.”
AFL-CIO: DON’T BUY, DO BUY: “Many of the goods and services Americans buy come with a hidden cost: abuse of the workers behind them.” So says the AFL-CIO, which continues: “Even shoppers who want to avoid buying sweatshop-made products and supporting union-busting employers find it difficult to locate good alternatives.” As a remedy, the union organization has established two websites “for worker-friendly shopping.” They are The Worker Friendly Marketplace at workingfamilies.com, and the AFL-CIO’s Union Label and Service Trades Dept. at www.aflcio.org. Here’s an example of “Don’t Buy” products: Clothing--Master Apparel, makers of men’s and boys’ trousers with Hills and Archer and Ivy Hill labels. Food/beverages--California table grapes; Diamond Walnut co.; Farmland Dairy; Mt. Olive Pickle Co. Hotels--Best Western-Grosvenor Resort, located at Disney World; Four Points by Sheraton in Waterbury, Conn.; Holiday Inn Sunspree Hotel in Kapaa, Hawaii; and New Otani Hotel and Garden in Los Angeles. There are lots of “Do Buys,” too, so check it out.
PLIGHT OF YOUTH IN “CHANGING SOCIETIES”: The tribulations of the peoples of the former Soviet Union seem to be endless. In calendar #32 (Dec. 13) we reported shocking statistics on life, death and poverty since the transition from socialism to capitalism--facts our local media routinely ignore. Now comes a new UNICEF study of the plight of children in the various countries of the ex-USSR and East Europe, titled, Young People in Changing Societies. "Today's young people find that the institutions, resources and social norms that once smoothed the way from one generation to the next are either weak, in the process of fundamental change or non-existent," the report notes. A 1999 investigation of 65 million young people in these countries shows that 18 million (27%) were neither in school nor employed. Youth unemployment, which didn’t exist 10 years ago, has jumped to 30% in most of the countries. In 1989, virtually 100% of children in Albania, Bulgaria and Romania graduated from high school--a figure that dropped to 20% by 1997. In Lithuania, White Russia, Russia and Turkmenistan, the youth suicide rate more than doubled in the last decade. In destitute Russia, the death rate of young people between 15-24 years old was 30% higher in 1998 than in 1989. HIV infection was almost unknown during Soviet times. By the end of 1999, those infected with AIDS neared 400,000 and it’s still going up. Young people are the principal victims.
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CALENDAR
Friday, Jan. 12, RHINECLIFF: Party and benefit to support the movement to end sanctions against Iraq and help pay for medical supplies being shipped to Baghdad in violation of the U.S./UN embargo which has claimed 1.5 million lives in the 10 years since the Gulf War. The event starts at 10 p.m. at the Rhinecliff Hotel and it is sponsored by the Mid-Hudson Coalition to End Sanctions on Iraq, a group initiated by students from Bard and Vassar and community groups. Entertainment includes PErFect (“the most rockin’ band at Bard College”); Badger (“femme rockers from Saugerties”); MC Whitebread (“Dutchess county’s own” Joel Tyner), among others. Information, mc753 at bard.edu.
Friday, Jan. 12, NEW YORK-BAGHDAD: Defying U.S./UN sanctions, a group of over 50 delegates led by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark will depart from the U.S. for the Middle East today, arriving in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 13. The delegation, including three college students from the Mid-Hudson region and SUNY professor Barbara Scott, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led Gulf War on Jan. 16. Iraq Challenge IV will bring tons of medicines and medical supplies to Iraq “in an act of solidarity with our Iraqi sisters and brothers in Iraq and in defiance of the genocidal sanctions and continued bombing.” Said delegate Sara Flounders, a co-director of the International Action Center, which Clark heads, "We know that the amount of humanitarian aid we bring cannot truly meet the needs of the Iraqi people. Only ending the sanctions and allowing Iraq to resume normal trade relations can bring an end to the country's catastrophic economic situation. Secretary of State nominee Gen. Colin Powell, has already threatened tighter sanctions and increased aggression against Iraq. This demonstrates the great urgency for antiwar and anti-sanctions forces to stand up and mobilize right now.” Flounders said that the IAC is urging anti-sanctions activists to turn out en masse for the Jan. 20 counter-inaugural protest in Washington with signs and banners demanding an end to sanctions and to all U.S. aggression. For information, contact the IAC at (212) 633-6646, www.iacenter.org or iacenter at iacenter.org.
Friday, Jan. 12, HIGHLAND: "Whose River is It Anyway?" is the title of an address by Manna Jo Greene, who will speak on the EPA’s Proposed Remediation Plan to remove PCBs from the upper Hudson. Location is the Boughton Place meeting hall on Kisor Rd., just south of Rt. 299 between New Paltz and Rt. 9W. Potluck at 6 p.m.; meeting at 7 p.m.. Email, buffalohenny at altavista.com.
Saturday, Jan. 13, KINGSTON: Ulster Co. Friends of Clearwater starts its Winter 2001 Coffeehouse benefit concert series with Stephanie Fix, Susan McClean and Karen Brooks, at Holy Cross Church on Pine Grove Ave. The club will convene its business meeting at 5:00 p.m.; potluck supper at 6:30 p.m.; concert at 8 p.m. Contribution at the door, plus refreshments. Information, Susan Murphy, (845) 246-0697 or sjmurphy at ulster.net.
Sunday, Jan. 14, KINGSTON: “PCBs: Is Dredging the Answer?” The scheduled speaker is Rich Sciafo from Scenic Hudson. 12 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Rd., Kingston. Sponsored by the UUCC’s Social Action Committee. Information, (845) 331-2884, 688-2313, or 246-5235.
Sunday, Jan. 14, WOODSTOCK: The “11th Annual Birthday Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.--Keep the Dream Alive” event starts at 7 p.m. at the Woodstock Community Center on Rock City Road. This gala event--and it’s free, too!--includes Pam Africa (leader of the campaign to free Mumia Abu-Jamal), Kay Olan (a Mohawk storyteller who uses her art on behalf of Native American peoples), Odell Winfield (Co-chair of COLOR, among other organizations), Don Moore (with gospel music), Ras T and the Asheber Posse (Roots, Rock & Reggae), Dennis Yerry (Native American music), Pat Humphries (Songs of freedom), Seeds of Wisdom (Political Rap), and Songs of Solomon (reggae). Sponsored by the Woodstock Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Haitian People’s Support Project and COLOR. Information, 679-0605, 679-7320.
Monday, Jan. 15, POUGHKEEPSIE: The annual M. L. King March for Social and Economic Justice will begin from the Family Partnership Center, 29 N. Hamilton St. Events start at noon with a speakout, then march. This year, an additional emphasis will be on voting rights and threats to democracy, stemming from the disenfranchisement of many African-American voters in Florida’s presidential election and the Supreme Court appointment of Bush as president. Information, Mae Parker-Harris, (845) 495-3515, or Lateef Islam at (845) 452-6088.
Monday, Jan. 15, ALBANY: This is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and there will be two events in the state capital.
First is a daylong celebration of King’s life and principles. The Center for Law and Justice and various community groups will participate. Groups check in at Empire State Plaza at 7:30 a.m., followed by an 8:30 a.m. press conference at the main entrance of Empire State Convention Center, featuring Dr. Alice Green, members of Prison Families of New York, and of the Coalition for Parole Restoration. From 9-11:30 a.m. there will be speakers and discussion. At noon starts the state-sponsored public march to the King Memorial in Lincoln Park. Progressive themes for the day-long celebration will emphasize the need for the criminal justice system to take a more restorative approach to justice, and reiterate the call for a statewide moratorium on the death penalty. Information, (518) 427-8361.
Second, there will be a “Martin Luther King Jr. Day--Labor and Civil Rights Solidarity” event from 1-4 p.m. at the Wilborn Temple Church, Swan & Jay Streets. More information later, including possible additional events elsewhere. Speaking will be Bill Fletcher, assistant to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and a leader of the Coalition Of Black Trade Unionists. Information, (518) 462-6005, Email dorothy at empireone.net
Monday, Jan. 15, EVERYWHERE: Dr. King’s birthday is a good day to remember that if Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier isn’t out of prison by Jan. 20 (Bush’s inaugural), he may rot in jail. FBI pressure may prevent President Clinton from extending a holiday clemency. You can send a fax message to Clinton by logging on to www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/usa/peltier/getInvolved.html. At the same time, call the White House at (202) 456-1111. (Press zero to bypass the automated system.) Also sign the online petition at www.petitiononline.com/Clemency/petition.html. Follow up with an Email to Clinton at president at whitehouse.gov. There’s also an online poll where you can vote to pardon the Native American activist at www.vote.com.
Monday-Saturday, Jan. 15-Jan 20, ALL OVER: “Pro-Democracy Week,” from M. L. King’s birthday to Inauguration Day. “Teach-ins, demonstrations, rallies and other forms of action will be taking place in localities throughout the country during this week,” we have been informed. In Washington, Jan. 17-19, the Institute for Policy Studies is putting forward its “Progressive Challenge Coalition--a gathering including speakers and workshops with the goal of launching working groups and an electronic network linking progressives across the country with allies in Congress.” For information about Pro-Democracy Week, contact the Independent Progressive Politics Network at (973) 338-5398 or indpol at igc.org. For information on the January 17-19 Progressive Challenge Coalition event, (202) 234-9382, x. 238 or aquinn at mindspring.com.
Wednesday, Jan. 17, ALL OVER (including ALBANY): Today is the “International Day of Action to Close the School of Assassins (SOA),” also known as the School of the Americas, at Ft. Benning, Ga. Coincidentally, it’s the day the SOA will be renamed as “The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” in an effort to obfuscate its real purpose. The facility will still remain a U.S. government combat training school for Latin American soldiers. The protest group SOA Watch is calling on local groups and individuals to take action in their local communities today--from educational events to vigils and other forms of opposition. Information, (202) 234-3440, Email soawatch at knight-hub.com, www.soaw.org. In ALBANY, discussion about efforts to close down the school with a guest speaker from SOA Watch office. Vegetarian potluck dinner, 5:30 p.m.; presentation, 7 p.m., at Emmaus (Catholic Worker) House, 35 N. Main Ave. Information (518) 482-4966
Thursday, Jan. 18, ALBANY: Public Forum on Reproductive Rights featuring a discussion of current issues including medical abortions (RU486/mifepristone), hospital mergers and the threat to availability of reproductive health-care services, legislative attempts to prohibit late-term ("partial birth") abortions, Medicaid funding for abortion, contraceptive and reproductive equity, and young people's rights. 7-9 p.m. program is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the New York Civil Liberties Union, Capital Region Chapter. Sage College, Campus Center, 2nd Floor, 140 New Scotland Ave. Information, (518) 436-8594.
Saturday, Jan. 20, WASHINGTON: Most permits requested by the counter-inaugural coalition have been granted by authorities after weeks of stalling, so it’s going to be legal to perform the constitutionally-guaranteed act of protesting the inauguration of George W. Bush as president. We estimate a minimum of 300 people from the Hudson Valley region (Albany down to Westchester) will demonstrate in the nation’s capital. Many thousands are coming from New York and other areas of the Northeast, as well as Midwest and South. Major demonstrations are also planned in San Francisco and San Diego, among other Western cities. Here’s an up-to-date roundup:
1. TRANSPORTATION:
MID-HUDSON: We have obtained a second bus, so seats are now available once again--but probably not for long so order your seat today. Buses leave from KINGSTON and NEW PALTZ in the early hours of Jan. 20, arriving in Washington just before events begin at 10 a.m., and leaving for home between 5-6 p.m. The round-trip cost is $35. Call (845) 255-5779 or Email jacdon at earthlink.net. for reservation. After we tell you if seats are still available, send your check made out to the Mid-Hudson National People’s Campaign to MHNPC, P.O. Box 523, Highland, NY 12528. We would like to assist low-income people with lower price scholarships, so if any people on this list can make a contribution for this purpose, please let us know immediately and we will earmark your donation for that purpose.
ALBANY: At least two busses at $35 per ticket, with some scholarships available. Contact Steve Segore, (518) 426-4254 or segorese at bigfoot.com, or Joe Seeman at (518) 584-4326 or seeman_joe at yahoo.com.
LOWER HUDSON VALLEY: A bus leaves from WHITE PLAINS in Westchester. Contact WESPAC, info at wespac.org., or gracetime at earthlink.net.
NEW YORK CITY is sending scores of buses from three locations in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. Call or Email the International Action Center at (212) 633-6646 or iacenter at iacenter.
2. POLICE AND PERMITS:
As mentioned, D.C. police have issued permits. After telling organizers, for the last two months they wouldn’t get permits, authorities finally authorized the IAC’s requests this week to hold counter-inaugural demonstrations at Freedom Plaza (14th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW), the Justice Department (10th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW) and at McPherson Sq. (15th St. and I NW). In a packed press conference carried by CSpan Jan. 9, the IAC’s Brian Becker and Larry Holmes told reporters they were concerned about any possible police maneuvers to prevent access to these legal sites. They noted that the IAC had permits to protest in Washington April 15, but police arrested over 500 marchers before they could reach the permitted area. They urged the assembled members of the media to keep their eyes on the police to make sure they did not try to stop legal protests.
3. EVENTS: It’s too early to list the exact protest events because being worked out within the coalition and between the coalition and the authorities. We will send out a listing of specific activities soon. The IAC will list information as it becomes available on its website at www.iacenter.org.. Other websites include: www.inaugurauction.org., www.now.org, www.votermarch.org, www.countercoup.org, www.mumia2000.org.
4. ORGANIZING: A huge and broad coalition has been formed to participate in counter-inauguration events. In addition to the IAC, the coalition includes such forces as the Justice Action Movement, NOW, WILPF, the Independent Progressive Politics Network, Global Exchange, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, Millions for Mumia, InaugurAuction, Refuse and Resist, PUSH (Jesse Jackson’s organization), League of Indigenous Sovereign Nations; Vieques Support campaign; Haiti Support Network. The list goes on and on.
Saturday, Jan. 20, KINGSTON: Can’t get to Washington today? The next best place is Academy Green Park where a local counter-inaugural vigil in solidarity with the Washington action will take place from 1-2:30 p.m. Bring your own signs. The sponsor is the Caribbean and Latin America Support Project (CLASP), which is based in New Paltz. To reach the park from the Kingston Thruway traffic circle, take Chandler Drive, Rt. 547, to the first traffic light, and turn right one block. Information, (845) 255-0113, 691-8289, 679-7502.
Saturday, Jan. 20, ALBANY: A counter-inaugural rally “Against the Stolen Election” will held at 3 p.m. at the Leo O’Brien Federal Bldg., Clinton Ave. and Broadway. Details in the next issue.
Saturday, Jan. 20, NEW YORK CITY: “Protest the Inauguration of George Bush, Stop U.S. Intervention in Colombia! Stop the Death Machine!” Demonstration in solidarity with the national mobilization in D.C. From 12-2 p.m., Times Sq. Information, Colombian Action Committee, (212) 591-0709, colombiaaction at hotmail.com.
Monday, Jan. 22, ANYWHERE: Something tells us we’re all going to be sending a lot of petitions to the White House over the next four years. Welcome Bush on his first day at the job by asking him to protect America’s Heritage Forests. Log on to www.ourforests.org and you can Email the new chief executive a message urging expanded forest protection.
Tuesday, Jan. 23, POUGHKEEPSIE: Public Comment on EPA's proposed PCB remediation plan for the Hudson River is tentatively scheduled to take place at Marist College. Details later. Check Clearwater website www.clearwater.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 23, NEW YORK: Screening of SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) videos exposing animal abuse, with a discussion about the use of videos to win people over. Free, 7-9 p.m., Wetlands, 161 Hudson St. (3 blocks south of Canal). Information (212) 966-4831, adam at wetlands-preserve.org, www.wetlands-preserve.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 24, SHULTZVILLE: 7:30 p.m. Dutchess Greens meeting. Clinton Town Hall on Route 18 (Centre Rd.). Public invited. Information, call Glen Burger at (845) 889-4158, DutchessGreens at yahoo.com, or www.greens.org/ny/dutchess.
Friday-Monday, Jan. 26-29, WASHINGTON: A “Youth Summit on Globalization” is being sponsored by the Sierra Club and Amnesty International. They say, “We have space to accept 200 students from around the country to join us for this event. At the Summit, we will learn from each other new skills and methods for building the Human Rights and the Environmental movement together. We'll learn grassroots organizing, coalition building, message development, strategic planning and other critical tools for effective campaigning. We are looking for applicants interested in being involved in this event and would love to hear from you and/or your friends.” For information Email Alejandro Queral atalejandro.queral at sierraclub.org, or phone (202) 675-6279. For an application online, www.sierraclub.org/human-rights and then click the Youth Summit icon. The deadline for applying is Dec. 13.
Saturday, Jan. 27, ALBANY: “The Case For Black Reparations”--are African-Americans entitled to compensation for 400 years of enslavement and legalized discrimination? The Herukhuti Afrikan Enlightenment Council presents the “Free Your Mind Lecture Series” featuring Sam E. Anderson, a member of the Black Radical Congress, a founding member of the Malcolm X Museum, and the author of “Black Holocaust For Beginners.” Currently, he is education director at Medgar Evers College's Center For Law and Social Justice in Brooklyn. Begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Albany Public Library, 161 Washington Ave. Free, open to the public. Information, (518) 482-9390 or muata at africana.com.
Monday-Tuesday, Jan. 29-30, ALBANY: All pro-choice supporters are invited to the 24th annual legislative conference sponsored by Family Planning Advocates of New York State at Empire State Plaza. Barry Lynn, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, is the keynote speaker. Meetings with legislators, workshops, Truth for Youth activities for teen advocates, and a teen parenting forum. Contact Kathleen Boyle (518) 374-5353, ext. 307, www.fpaofnys.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 30 (VARIOUS LOCATIONS): The Bush administration indicates it plans to continue President Clinton's increasing military intervention in Colombia. And it's already making threatening gestures toward neighboring Venezuela. In response, the U.S. Out of Colombia Committee of the International Action Center--which sent a delegation led by Ramsey Clark to meet with FARC leaders recently--is calling for coordinated nationwide protests against the developing U.S. military presence in Colombia and the region. Information, (212) 633-6646 or iacenter at iacenter.
Sunday, Feb. 4 ALBANY: This is the day of the Basta Ya! Freedom Conference. There will be a remembrance of Amadou Diallo (the African immigrant who was murdered in a barrage of 42 bullets fired by New York City police who were tried and freed by an Albany court last year. Also, “Rally, drum circles, workshops, open mic, hip-hop, free housing/food,” etc. Information, bastaya2001 at hotmail.com. For housing , (518) 426-8862.
Sunday, Feb. 4, HIGHLAND: Several local Mid-Hudson residents will be just returning from separate trips to Cuba, visiting various parts of the country, and reporting back on what they saw and learned. The meeting, one of a series of monthly gatherings organized by the Caribbean and Latin America Support Project (CLASP), starts at 7 p.m. at Boughton Place meeting hall in Highland, just south of Rt. 299 midway between Rt. 9W and New Paltz thruway exit 18. A potluck dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will give you an opportunity to meet with others local residents with progressive views who have an additional political interest in events in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Admission free, all invited. Info and directions: (845) 691-8289.
Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 5-6, EVERYWHERE: National Call-In Days to the White House: These two days have been designated by the Back from the Brink Campaign for calling or writing the President to urge him to reduce the danger of accidental nuclear war by working with the Russians to take all nuclear weapons off hair-trigger alert. Call the President at (202) 456-1414 or write him at White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC 20500. For more information, call the Campaign at (202) 545-1001 or Email brinkprogram at backfromthebrink.net.
Wednesday, Feb. 21, NEW YORK: “Globalization, Neoliberalism and Resistance: The Case of Cuba,” 7:30 p.m. The speaker will be Ambassador Rafael Dausa (Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations) who will discuss how Cuba protects its socialist ideology and culture in the face of global imperialism. At the Brecht Forum, 122 W. 27 St., 10th Fl. Admission, $6-10. Information, New York Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, (212) 229-2388.
Sunday, March 4, HIGHLAND: Two CLASP members--Joanne Steele of St. Remy and Ed Haffmans of Accord--will discuss their recent visit to Nicaragua, where they were involved in a solar energy project. (Ed has long been active in trying to revive SUNY’s solar house.) The meeting, one of a series of monthly gatherings organized by the Caribbean and Latin America Support Project (CLASP), starts at 7 p.m. at Boughton Place meeting hall in Highland, just south of Rt. 299 midway between Rt. 9W and New Paltz thruway exit 18. A potluck dinner begins at 6 p.m. and will give you an opportunity to meet with others local residents with an interest in progressive views and who have an additional political interest in events in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Admission free, all invited. Info and directions: (845) 691-8289.
Tuesday-Sunday, March 6-11, WASHINGTON: U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines Legislative Action Events: a conference, advocacy training, meetings with members of Congress, student workshops, a reception with campaigners, survivors, and world officials, and a giant shoe pile are planned in Washington, D.C. The shoes symbolize the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost legs and feet to these terrible weapons. Information, call USCBL at (617) 695-0041 or Email banmines at phrusa.org. Web: banmines at phrusa.org.
Friday-Sunday, March 9-11, NEW YORK CITY: Critical Resistance Conference. The meeting, a follow-up on the 1998 conference in Berkeley, CA, “will bring prisoners and their families together with other concerned people working against the prison system and its expanding role in our society.“ Details will follow.
Tuesday, March 20, ALL OVER: Today is the 17th Annual Great American Meatout, a national campaign coordinated by Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM). Individual events are conducted by local consumer, environmental, and animal protection groups. Across the country there will be public dinners, cooking demonstrations, a congressional reception, and information tables set up at supermarkets, schools, and libraries. We assume local animal rights and vegetarian groups will be involved. Information, 1-888-FARM USA or www.meatout.org.
Wednesday, March 21, NEW YORK: “Globalization, Neoliberalism and Resistance: The Case of Vietnam.” Speaker: Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam’s Deputy UN Representative. He will discuss how Vietnam protects its socialist ideology and culture in the face of global imperialism. 7:30 p.m. at the Brecht Forum, 122 W. 27 St., 10th floor. Contribution, $6-10. New York Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, (212) 229-2388.
Tuesday, March 27, ALBANY: “March and Rally to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws.” Outside the Capitol. Organized by Families Against Mandatory Minimums and many other groups. Information, (518)452-5455, derikart at famm.org. (end)