Save Darfur

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South Carolinians will rally at the State House on Oct. 6 at 2pm to bring attention to the genocide in Darfur. The event is organized by the SC Darfur Action Group, which hopes that a rally will raise the issue of US funding for an African peace keeping force in Darfur in the presidential debates. They are taking advantage of the spotlight on South Carolina because of the early primaries here.

The US supported a UN Security Council resolution to urgently mobilize the force, but has not come through with anticipated funding.

Watch this powerful TV ad on YouTube. May it move you to join us on Saturday!

Who’s the real phony?

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From Media Matters:

During the September 26 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Rush Limbaugh called service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq “phony soldiers.” He made the comment while discussing with a caller a conversation he had with a previous caller, “Mike from Chicago,” who said he “used to be military,” and “believe[s] that we should pull out of Iraq.”

Limbaugh told the second caller, whom he identified as “Mike, this one from Olympia, Washington,” that “[t]here’s a lot” that people who favor U.S. withdrawal “don’t understand” and that when asked why the United States should pull out, their only answer is, ” ‘Well, we just gotta bring the troops home.’ … ‘Save the — keeps the troops safe’ or whatever,” adding, “[I]t’s not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.”

“Mike” from Olympia replied, “No, it’s not, and what’s really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media.”

Limbaugh interjected, “The phony soldiers.” The caller, who had earlier said, “I am a serving American military, in the Army,” agreed, replying, “The phony soldiers.”

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Rolling revolution

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At the Pride march on Saturday, a woman stepped out of the parade to offer me a handout, which I stuffed into my back pocket without reading. Doing laundry yesterday, I found the handout and took a better look. It read:

What is Fagbug?

On the 11th annual National Day of Silence (April 18, 2007), Erin Davies was faced with an unfortunate tragedy. She was victim to a hate crime. Because of sporting a rainbow sticker on her VW Beetle, her car was vandalized in red spray paint with the words “fAg” and “u r gay” placed all over the hood and driver side of her car. Despite immediate shock and embarassment, she decided to embrace what happened and keep driving her car as it is in order to increase public awareness about the blatant homophobia that exists in our society.

Mission:

Erin’s mission is to drive her fagbug on a cross country trip and take it to as many diverse communities as possible. She will be gathering feedback for her fagbug documentary, which will shed light on the intolerance that exists in our society. Erin’s goal is to get at least one million people to add fagbug rainbow stickers to their cars so that no one else is targeted like she was. Until that happens, her car will stay as it is!

Check out her web site, get a free sticker for your car, make a donation and read her blog (including a blurb about her time in Columbia).

What the Dems’ health plans mean for women

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Big 3 Dems’ Health Insurance Unfriendly to Women
By Susan Feiner, WeNews commentator

So who’s got the most women-friendly health care plan?

Is it Hillary, Obama or Edwards?

Answer: none of the above.

Only Dennis Kucinich offers what women really need: single-payer, universal health care.

To the others I have one question: Why are you ignoring over 50 years of experience in our peer nations, which show that the public provision of health care delivers far better results at far lower costs?

The national disparities in women’s deaths between the United States and countries such as Canada, France and Germany are horrendous.

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UAW strike at GM

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Statement by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney

Sept. 24, 2007

The ten million members of the AFL-CIO stand one hundred percent in solidarity with the 73,000 men and women of the UAW who went on strike at General Motors today.

GM workers and the UAW are on the front lines of working people’s efforts to make corporations accountable, demanding that one of the world’s largest corporations honor its workers’ contributions and listen to their reasonable concerns.

Its workers are among GM’s greatest assets – they have improved product quality and productivity, boosting strong gains in critical areas. The UAW membership has approached corporate restructuring and other top issues in a spirit of partnership and flexibility.  

We stand ready to assist the members of the UAW in any way necessary in order to hold GM accountable for reasonably addressing the key issues that are so important to these working families’ futures.

Birds of prey

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Wade Fulmer, a veteran and anti-war activist who lives in Columbia, forwarded these thoughts about a group calling itself Gathering of Eagles:

I think this group might also be called Gathering of (swiftboat) Eagles. We will not be intimidated but WILL continue to voice our message to take care of the troops, to end the war of lies. In that Charlotte peaceful people vigils have also have been swooped down upon by these creatures, I expect we’ll see them here too soon. Be Safe, Be True, coordinate as needed and call law enforcement when their threatening “gatherings” occur. I found it not unexpected to find them in DC doing their dirty work, but a new low in their attacks on soldier care advocates at Walter Reed during a vigil on Friday night, Sept., 14. And, along the march route to the Capitol on Saturday. We shall continue our Peace and Care good works for our soldiers and families.

“The work of righteousness is peace… ”Isaiah 32:16. 

Take Care out there people.
– Wade 

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Anti-Anti-War Protesters: Gathering of Eagles Feather Their Nest With Padded Numbers at Anti-War March

Despite the massive crowd of as many as 100,000 protesters from as far away as Peru and the 175 arrests for civil disobedience, the mainstream media, including CBS TV news and Yahoo Internet news, reports of the on the Sept. 15 Anti-war march focused strangely on the anti-anti-war protest group, A Gathering of Eagles. Both Yahoo and CBS‚ on-site reporters (though we have no confirmation that the version of the story that ran was the one being taped, or on which station the report was to be broadcast) cast the flock of rabid pro-war hecklers as a group of over a 1000 dedicated vets and other concerned “patriots” who showed up to out-shout the rally of anti-war rally of thousands of concerned individuals attracted to Washington by dozens of organizations and disorganizations, such as A.N.S.W.E.R., Code Pink, the World Can’t Wait and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Rumored to be funded by wealthy GOP donors and right-wingers, The Gathering of Eagles did indeed field a healthy contingent of veterans in various semblances of patriotic/militarist garb and biker outfits. At one point the Eagles gathered along the sidewalk areas of three very long blocks behind barricades and heavy police security, though at no point did they appear to be more than one deep along the fence. At another highly visible area nearer the Capitol, they stood stretched turkey-neck thin tormenting the crowd gathered near the Code Pink bus on the final approach to the Capitol building.

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SC Pride 2007

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Columbia College students get proud.

This year’s Pride march stepped off at noon from Finlay Park in Columbia, and wound up Main, down Gervais in front of the State House and up Gadsden back to the park – a fair jaunt. Folks on foot and on floats did their best to keep up with the motorcycles setting the pace, a feat made even more challenging by the blistering heat. Sweaty but spirited, the marchers finally emptied into the park, where the stage was set, music was thumping and vendors readied their wares.

Our crew turned out in a big way. Besides GLPM, which organized the event, other Network members staffing tables were the SC Equality Coalition, Alliance for Full Acceptance, Carolina Peace Resource Center, Garden of Grace United Church of Christ, SC NOW, PALSS and P-FLAG. Network Co-chair Rev. Bennie Colclough was invited to speak. He was among the few in the African American church to support the gay community in fighting the marriage amendment last year, and has continued to work on their behalf. He fired up the crowd using skills honed as a preacher and a union organizer.

GLPM began the program by recognizing Mayor Bob Coble, calling him one of the city’s longest serving and most popular mayors. Under his leadership, Columbia was the first city in the state of South Carolina to include sexual orientation in the city’s non-discrimination policy for municipal employees. In 2006, when Charlotte NC Mayor Patrick McCrory refused to offer a welcome at the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner in Charlotte, Mayor Bob showed up to offer a welcome instead. Classy guy.

The headline speaker was Jonathan Jackson, a USC graduate and five-year Army veteran who was deployed to Baghdad for a year. During the campaign against the amendment, he interned for SCEC and the Fairness for All Families campaign. You can see the full line-up here.

The party lasted until five, just in time to pack it in before the skies opened up and let loose some blessedly needed rain on the Midlands.

It was a great turn-out, great vibe, great time. Congratulations to our friends Bruce Converse and Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge, who deftly emceed, and to all the organizers at GLPM for a job well done.

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AFFA marches past the State House.

For more Pride 2007 photos, click here.