Traditionally, war is a messy business– all that blood, sweat, and tears– not to mention danger, death, destruction, dismembered bodies, human suffering, nightmares, guilt, wasted taxpayer dollars, mounting deficit spending… you know the drill. (Pun intended.)

In recent years, the US military-industrial complex has made war less messy and less dangerous, at least for a select group of American soldiers. Drone pilots sit in secure bunkers and, armed with banks of sophisticated computer hardware, “fly” unmanned killing machines.

Drones– killing machines aimed at faceless targets– AKA fellow human beings– thousands of miles away.

No-muss, no-fuss drone warfare is no less deadly, destructive, or perverse than traditional war. It’s just easier and cleaner– just like playing the same violent video game day after day.

Although you hear about drones in the news, there is never any real analysis or detailed reporting of what the US is doing. Recently, Code Pink co-founder and author of the book Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control Medea Benjamin gave an eye-opening talk to an audience of about 60 Tucson activists. Personally, I was shocked how deeply entrenched in drone warfare Tucson already is. Davis-Monthan, The University of Arizona, Raytheon, and Fort Huachuca all have ties to the drone business. According to Benjamin, Fort Huachuca trains more drone pilots than any other facility in the world.

Last winter, Mayor Rothschild, then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ office, and the  Davis-Monthan 50 held a press conference promoting Tucson and DM as a drone warfare center. (You can see the Tucson Sentinel’s raw raw footage here above and in KVOA’s edited news footage here.) We already have a dearth of good-paying jobs in Tucson that are not connected to the military industrial complex. Why court more? Sadly, when I posted the poll on this story from December, most readers said they’d take a drone job.

Click here for a USTREAM video of Benjamin’s entire one-hour talk. Below is a Loneprotestor video of the event.

Down with drones.

Give peace a chance.

May Day– more than any other day– is a holiday for the 99%. For decades, on May 1, workers around the world have honored the memory of Haymarket Square and striking Chicago workers who were fighting for an 8-hour work day.

From Wikipedia…

The Haymarket affair (also known as the Haymarket massacre or Haymarket riot) refers to the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square[3] in Chicago.

It began as a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they acted to disperse the public meeting. The bomb blast and ensuing gunfire resulted in the deaths of seven police officers and at least four civilians, and the wounding of scores of others.

In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy, although the prosecution conceded none of the defendants had thrown the bomb. Seven were sentenced to death and one to a term of 15 years in prison. The death sentences of two of the defendants were commuted by Illinois governor Richard J. Oglesby to terms of life in prison, and another committed suicide in jail rather than face the gallows. The other four were hanged on November 11, 1887. In 1893, Illinois’ new governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned the remaining defendants and criticized the trial. [Emphasis added.]

The Haymarket affair is generally considered significant as the origin of international May Day observances for workers.[4][5] The site of the incident was designated a Chicago Landmark on March 25, 1992,[6] and a public sculpture was dedicated at the site in 2004. The Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument in nearby Forest Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997.[2]

When I was growing up in the 1960s, May Day was not celebrated widely in the US. On the TV news, we watched May Day marches in the Soviet Union, and the corporate media billed May Day as a Communist holiday. Thanks to selective education in the public school system, I had no idea that May Day was connected to early battles for workers’ rights in the US.

As wealth inequality between the 99% and the 1% has grown, the US economy has crumbled, forclosures and layoffs have skyrocketed, unions have been attacked, and the middle class has dwindled, May Day has grown in popularity in the US. In 2010, with the passage of SB1070 by the Arizona Legislature, immigration reform and the rights of the undocumented became a May Day cause. Thousands marched in Phoenix and across the US.

Although immigration reform, pay equity, and economic and social justice are pivitol May Day issues, we must remember that May Day is not a Soviet holiday, not a Communist holiday, not a Latino rights holiday, not a women’s rights holiday, not a gay rights holiday, not a black power holiday. May Day is a workers’ holiday.

There are two types of people in the world–workers and owners. As long as the 99% willingly divide themselves with words and deeds into warring factions, we will not win this struggle.

In the spirit of May Day, here is John Nichols of The Nation, speaking in Tucson this year, about uprising, the Occupy movement, and the importance of worker solidarity. Below are links to related videos.

John Nichols of ‘The Nation’ on corporate media, solidarity, and the lessons of Wisconsin

Arizona Unionists Rally in Phoenix to Protest Anti-Labor Laws

Arizona Unionists and Democratic Legislators Speak Out Against Anti-Labor Laws

Arizona Unionists and Supporters Protest Proposed Anti-Labor Laws

Jobs with Justice, Occupy Tucson, and Union Workers march to save postal jobs

Last week’s AFL-CIO Day of Action at the State Capitol was a resounding success. Approximately 1000 workers came to Phoenix to express their displeasure with our state’s Republican-controlled government and the six anti-worker bills still alive in the Legislature.

From the Huffington Post…

The statewide AFL-CIO called for a Day of Action on March 1, 2012 and bussed hundreds of workers to the capitol to talk with lawmakers, hear fiery speeches by union leaders and protest bills attacking labor rights.

Several speakers, including Arizona AFL-CIO Executive Director Rebekah Friend, called out the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the Goldwater Institute as the creators of the union-busting bills SB1484, SB1485, SB1486, and SB1487, which are reminiscent of legislation in Wisconsin, Ohio, and other states.

Not to be satisfied with diminishing the strength of public sector unions, the Arizona Legislature is also considering bills that would reduce the minimum wage earned by tip workers and people under 20 years of age (HCR2056) and eliminate civil service protection for thousands of state workers (HB2571) .

Check out the links (above) to the six bills, and you will find that four of Southern Arizona’s Republican legislators are sponsors of these anti-worker bills– Frank Antenori, Terri Proud, Al Melvin, and David Gowan. (None of the Democratic Party legislators have voted to move these bills forward.)

If you’re represented by Republicans in the Legislature, call them and tell them that you’re tired of them representing ALEC and the Goldwater Institute, instead of  Arizona residents. Antenori should really be put on the hot seat for this, since he wants to be Southern Arizona’s representative in Congress, replacing Gabrielle Giffords. Southern Arizona doesn’t need an ALEC puppet as a representative.

Here’s a link to the rest of the story.
Arizona Unionists Rally Against Anti-Labor Bills, 1000 Strong

Four buses of unionists left Tucson this morning. (Image credit: Pamela Powers Hannley)

When I originally reported on the AFL-CIO Day of Action, I said four bus-loads of unionists were going to the Capitol to lobby Legislators and demonstrate against the anti-labor bills. Correction: that’s four buses just from Tucson. Additional bus-loads will be arriving from other Arizona cities.

As they loaded the buses, one participant told me that two years ago, 30 unionists went to the Arizona Legislature on the Day of Action. Last year, there were two buses of unionists. This year with six anti-worker bills in the Arizona Legislature, there are four bus-loads just from Tucson going to the capitol.

Maybe today will be Arizona’s “Wisconsin moment.”

The Arizona AFL-CIO has organized a Day of Action for March 1. Four bus-loads of union members and supporters are descending upon the state capitol in Phoenix on Thursday.

But will this Thursday be Arizona’s “Wisconsin moment” or will union members politely wander the halls of the Legislature and ask the wingnuts  legislators to play nice?

Annually, the AFL-CIO has a lobby day when unionists meet with lawmakers, but this year’s lobby day will have a twist– thanks to six anti-worker bills winding their way through the Arizona Legislature. After the four bus-loads of unionists go the capitol and say to people like Senator Frank Antenori (who wants to be our Congressman), “WTF?”, they will have a rally at 1 p.m. on the Arizona State Capitol, House Lawn, 1700 W. Washington St.

From Rebeka Friend, executive director of the Arizona AFL-CIO.

Corporate politicians are pushing these bills to scapegoat working families and fulfill their extreme, right-wing agenda—to the detriment of our schools and the health and safety of our communities.These bills are not about the budget and they’re not about jobs. They’re about satisfying deep-pocketed donors and right-wing organizations like the Goldwater Institute and the American Legislative Exchange Council to further their political agenda to help the 1%.

For background on the status of the anti-worker bills check this link.

This is not just a union fight. This is a worker fight, since four bills attack unions, one attacks civil servants, and another attacks people who make tips and those 20 years old and under. And, let’s not forget the anti-college student bill that would require all college students– regardless of income– to pay at least $2000 of their tuition. No free rides.

This collection of abominable bills is an onslaught against all Arizonans. Be there. If you can’t be there, call and/or e-mail your state representatives or senators.

Why are nurses leaving the bedside?

Here’s an explanation from loneprotestor…

Several nurses met at breakfast the other day, and we discovered we had more than our profession and activism in common. For those who had worked at Banner Health, an alarming trend emerged: Banner seems to have a policy of firing for a trifle and then reporting to the State Board of Nursing. Is this a tactic to keep nurses from fighting for their careers, their livelihoods, and their ideals?

As one member of the Arizona Board of Nursing once told me, “In a right-to-work state, you can be fired because your supervisor doesn’t like the color of your hair.”

Nurses are in short supply in the US; this gives them power. The law of supply and demand tells us that when demand is high, the price should be high. When workers are intimidated, they are less likely to fight for their rights.

Why do nurses need a union? Now you know.

Nurses need a union because it is good for your health.

Image Credit: Pamela Powers Hannley

Labor union members and Jobs with Justice labor supporters will be demonstrating downtown today against the anti-union legislation currently sailing through the Arizona Legislature.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC, a corporatist group that writes business friendly legislation for Republican legislatures like ours) and the right-wing Goldwater Institute schooled Governor Jan Brewer and her minions in the Arizona Legislature in union-busting last fall in Phoenix. The fruits of their “labor” are a series of anti-worker bills currently being fast-tracked in the Arizona Legislature. These proposed laws mirror those in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana. They were passed in Wisconsin and Indiana by their Legislatures, but Ohio voters weighed in and squashed the legislation there. (Remember Wisconsin? The backlash caused weeks of nationwide protest and a recall election for several state lawmakers and Governor Scott Walker.)

The result of coaching by ALEC, the Goldwater Institute, and Walker is a suite of anti-worker bills which would harm teachers, police, firefighters, and other unionized workers in Arizona. All Democratic Party legislators are opposed to this legislation.  (Watch State Senator Dave Schapira on the Ed Schultz Show, here.) Locally, Congressman Raul Grijalva and Councilwoman Regina Romero have made public statements against the anti-worker bills. In addition, local MoveOn.org activists have created an online petition, which you can sign here.

Below is information about today’s demonstration. Also, don’t forget you can call or e-mail your legislators and tell them to OPPOSE anti-worker legislation. Ohioans stopped these bad bills; Arizonans can too.

Jobs with Justice urges you to come out in solidarity with unions under attack by the
Arizona Ultra-right legislature.

Rally in Support of AZ Working Families!

STOP THE ATTACKS ON PUBLIC WORKERS!

Friday, Feb. 3rd
4:00 pm (or when you get off work)

State Building,
400 W Congress
Downtown Tucson

Join union members and their families from the Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF), AFSCME 449, CWA Local 7000 and many community supporters to stand up to the attacks on union members and their families. The following harmful bills will directly harm our community:

SB1484, Paycheck deductions employee authorization

SB1485, Unions; public employees; prohibitions

SB1486, Public Employees; activities, unions; compensation

SB1487, Government employees; union dues; withholding

These terrible bills are moving fast. They have already passed out of committee and will be most likely debated in the full AZ Senate next week. We need to pull together and find solutions that work for the real issues Arizonans are facing. Join our rally to let the Arizona Legislature that attacking public workers is wrong!

To Take Action NOW by following the Arizona AFL-CIO link here.

Tucsonans turned out in force last week to support postal worker jobs and protect the Cherrybell mail processing plant from closure.

Inside the Leo Rich Theater, a capacity crowd of more than 500 citizens listened to United States Postal Service (USPS) representative Brian McCoy’s dog and pony show touting plant closures and layoffs as the path to financial solvency for the USPS.

Outside, representatives from Jobs with Justice, Occupy Tucson, and unions chanted, waved protest signs and signed a petition to save local mail processing.

The main reason the post office is going broke isn’t the Internet or the number of postal workers, it’s the Congressional mandate requiring them to pre-pay employee retirement. Last fiscal year, the USPS lost $5.1 billion. During the same time period, they had a $6.9 billion surplus in the Federal Employee Retirement Fund.

Closing 250 mail processing plants nationwide and laying off 35,000 workers won’t solve this structural problem.

Moving from one-day delivery of local mail to two- to three-day delivery of local mail (as proposed by the USPS) won’t make the postal service more competitive; it will further decrease the use of first class mail and could lead to more calls for privatization.

Trucking mail from the city of origin to a regional processing plant and back again isn’t environmentally friendly and could be cost-prohibitive in the future.

For more details on the meeting and background on the postal service’s financial woes, check out my article in the Huffington Post: Occupy the Post Office? Tucson Postal Workers, Supporters, Fight Back Against Threatened Job Cuts.

Tucson Occupiers discuss nest steps on Dec. 22, 2011 after their eviction from Veinte de Agosto Park. (Image Credit: Pamela Powers Hannley)

Although it has been nearly a week since Tucson Police evicted Occupy Tucson from their Veinte de Agosto Park encampment, Occupiers have not folded up their tents and disappeared into the night. They continue to meet, organize, protest, and solidify the movement for 99% and against corporate takeover of our country.

Tomorrow– Dec. 28– will be a busy day of action for Occupy Tucson and its supporters.

Community Food Drive

From 7 a.m. – 4 p.m., Occupiers will be accepting people and pet food donations at Veinte de Agosto (Congress and Church) or DeAnza Park (Stone and Speedway).

From the Occupy Tucson facebook page…

In support of Shaun McClusky’s upcoming “Take Care of Tucson” food drive to feed the hungry, Occupy Tucson announces a companion event to help him boost donations.

McClusky, who has called Occupy Tucson a “smelly stinky presence” and has said he hopes “TPD takes their unemployed asses to jail,” has been awarded permits by the City of Tucson to occupy Veinte de Agosto Park and De Anza Park on December 28.

McClusky is the founder of Rincon Ventures, a real estate company that acquires foreclosed homes at public auction. For the past several weeks, members of Occupy Tucson have been disrupting these auctions, held at the Pima County Courthouse. In November, Occupy activists held a competing event, auctioning off donut holes to the public. The boisterous presence of Occupy Tucson at these auctions has become an impediment to McClusky’s ability to do business.

So we are particularly pleased that Mr. McClusky is spearheading this community food drive, in that it demonstrates his solidarity with the hungry and homeless of our community, the segment of the 99 percent most severely impacted by corporate greed and corruption. Although Occupy Tucson does puzzle over the efficacy of evicting homeless people from their tents in order to make their lives better, we applaud McClusky’s good intentions and pledge to join him on December 28 to raise contributions for the four organizations he has designated as recipients: The Tucson Community Food Bank, the Humane Society, Cold Wet Noses, and the Hermitage Shelter.

Occupy Tucson invites its supporters to engage in a friendly hometown rivalry. Help us answer the question: which group of Occupiers will gather more food? Foreclosure profiteer Shaun McClusky, or the 99 percent?

Occupy Tucson urges our supporters to bring donations to Veinte de Agosto Park or De Anza Park from 7am to 4pm on December 28. Occupy Tucson activists will have a visible presence nearby to greet community members and accept donations.

Occupy the holidays!

Political Action Supporting Postal Workers

Following the food drive, Occupy Tucson, Jobs with Justice, and their supporters will gather at Veinte de Agosto Park at 4:30 p.m. for a rally to keep the Tucson Mail Processing Plant, which is threatened with closure. The rally will be from 4:30 – 5:15, followed by a march to the Leo Rich Theater, in the Tucson Convention Center complex, where there will be a 6 p.m. public hearing about the proposed closure. Closure of the Cherrybell facility will not only mean the loss of 400 good-paying jobs, it will mean dramatically reduced mail service for Tucson.

From Jobs with Justice and Tucson Area Local American Postal Workers Union…

The Postmaster General is considering eliminating Tucson’s postal sorting station at Cherrybell Stravenue.

This would mean all mail would be routed through Phoenix, even if it is going elsewhere in Tucson. It would also mean the end of overnight service from Tucson.

This proposal would cost the community approximately 400 (union) jobs, hurt local businesses that rely on the postal service, and harm seniors who receive Social Security checks and medication by mail. It would also put the kybash on those last-minute runs to Cherrybell Station to meet those midnight deadlines!

Tucson is the 33rd largest metro area in the country.

Even though the USPS has agreed to hold off until 5/15/12 for any more closures studies are continuing as well as public hearings. This is our only chance to make an impact. Even if you don’t want to go to the microphone we need to fill 511 seats.

Written comments can also be submitted (by post, not email!) to: Management,Consumer and Industry Contact, Arizona
District, P.O. Box, 21628, Phoenix, Arizona 85036-1628. [Emphasis added.]

Marisa Muro of Occupy Tucson was taken into custody on Nov. 30, 2011. (Image Credit: Alex Maldonado)

As police and local governments begin major crackdowns across the US, the Tucson Police Department and Occupy Tucson continue their nightly dance of citations, arrests, and resistance at Veinte de Agosto Park downtown.

From Alex Maldonado, Occupy Tucson Peacekeeper and Veteran For Peace…

Tonight [Wednesday, Nov. 30], eight Tucson Police Department cruisers, one SUV and another unmarked SUV encircled Veinte de Agosto Park for the nightly issuing of citations for staying in the park after hours for Occupy Tucson.

As citations were being issued, Marisa Muro, peacefully refused her citation and was taken into custody without incident.  Muro is basically deaf with only 20% hearing in each ear.

Since Thanksgiving evening, nine occupiers have been taken into custody for refusing their citations.  Occupiers spend the night at the Pima County Adult Detention Center, have their arraignment hearing in the morning and are then released.

Tucson’s newly-elected Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will be sworn in next Monday, Dec. 5, 2011. Will the police change their tactics then? Only time will tell.