James in Brighton highlights "Mayday 2005 - Euromayday and More"

Community member James in Brighton e-mailed this in today. It's from UK Indy Media and to our members in the UK (and anyone who's visiting), hopefully you'll find an event you can attend.

"

This years

Mayday Events sees Euromayday protests and actions happening in 20 cities around Europe, all based around the theme of 'precarity'.

The Euromayday events have been happening over the last years in Europe, and getting bigger every year, with parades of causalised workers, temps, part-timers, immigrants and unemployed marching through Europe's capitals to demand new social rights for the most marginalised [see audio background interviews one two from globalproject.info]

In London, there's a euroMAYDAY/Flexmob action, but the location is secret up until Sunday May 1st, when the details will be texted to people's mobile phones. Also in London, there the usual TUC Trade Union March meeting up at 12pm. At 2pm there's also the Spacehijackers vs MPs cricket match at 2pm in Parliament Square. Later in the eveing there's a benefit for Also in London, Critical Mass will be celebrating their 11th year of monthly bike rides with a huge bike ride event on Friday 29th April, as well as a G8 bike ride benefit in the evening of May 1st.

Also check out the other Critical Mass rides taking place around the country for Mayday weekend. In Glasgow, there's a Reclaim The Streets Party happening at 1pm, and the Camcorder Guerillas are screening their new G8 film "Why Close the G8" at 4pm, while the usual STUC Mayday Rally takes place at George Square at 11am.

On Friday there's also a Critical Mass bike ride. In Sedgefield (Blair's constituancy) there's a pre-election Mayday WMD Festival running May 1st-2nd with music, comedy and a peace camp set up. In Dublin in Ireland, scene of last years major Against Fortress Europe Mayday demonstrations, there's an Anti-G8 Reclaim The Streets Party on Monday 2nd, as well as a Euromayday Precarity Block on the usual Trade Unions march on Saturday 30th April. See

Also:

Manchester: Radical Bookfair 30th April Critical Mass 1pm Picnic 2pm

Plus Ministry of Truth ID Cards Street Theatre on Trade Union March Liverpool: Friday Critical Mass Saturday Gig May 1st TUC Trade Union March London: 30th April Anti-authoritarian Film Festival Oxford: May 2nd: Protest against war on Iraq and pensions Worthing Friday Anti-G8 Critical Mass Euromayday Net Parade CopyRiot euroLANparty005

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Arkansas IMC: "Promise Keepers Are Coming To Fayetteville! A Counter-Event Planning Session" by Reposted

From Arkansas IMC, we're going to highlight this. As with the highlight from Richmond IMC in the previous post, neither is the only thing posted, so visit the sites and see what else is there. You may find something that would have spoken more to you than what I highlighted.
The piece I picked is in the public domain. So we will highlight it in full tonight.
But that's not why I selected it. I actually was on a college campus when Promise Keepers "visited." (That's the topic of the post we're highlighting.) The weather went bad and the smiles turned sour. The words became curses. I was visiting a friend and we were walking around the campus. When the weather went bad, campus security attempted to keep the crowd calm as they crossed a major street to exit the stadium. A lot of "Godd--ns," a lot of "F--k you"s aimed at the campus security (who were attempting to get them to use the crosswalk as they were stopping traffic to allow the people to cross). By apparent Promise Keepers. As one campus security guard joked after, "I hope they didn't promise to give up swearing because if they did, they didn't keep that!"

Indeed.

Here's the article in full:

Promise Keepers Are Coming To Fayetteville! A Counter-Event Planning Session
by Reposted by AR-IMC

On June 10 and 11, the male-dominated fundalmentalist Christian group, The Promise Keepers, will be holding a convention at Razorback Stadium on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The group, which operates under the banner of restoring godly values to families, is in actuality, a part of the movement to return the United States to so called "godly values." Below is a letter which Arkansas Indymedia is reposting in order to both inform the reader about this extremist group, and announce a call to action for those who wish to counter its presence here.
On June 10-11, the Promise Keepers, a religious men's organization will hold a national rally inRazorback Stadium on the University of Arkansas campus.
While the Promise Keepers have received an enthusiastic welcome from Athletic Director FrankBroyles, others in the community are very concerned about the presence of the Promise Keepers at the University of Arkansas.Founded in 1990 by Colorado football coach Bill McCartney, the leaders of the Promise Keepersdeclare an agenda of "taking the nation back for Christ."
While on the surface, they promotethemselves as men seeking to be better husbands and fathers, they preach a doctrine ofpatriarchal control and homophobia. Their backers are members of the Christian religious rightincluding Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson.
While the Promise Keepers certainly have a right to profess their religious beliefs, their rally inthe stadium of a state university with the support of the university's athletic director seems inappropriate. The goal of a university is to teach critical thinking. Having an organization which promotes a patriarchal system that opposes two adults standing as equals and peers taking responsibility for their family seems to insult every woman faculty member, staff and student on this campus.
Chancellor John White has initiated a broad program encouraging diversity on the U of Acampus. The Promise Keepers' outspoken stand against homosexuals as well as theirconservative Christian evangelism seems antithetical to promoting respect for diversity ofindividuals working at or attending the University. Founder Bill McCartney served on the boardof Colorado for Family Values, which sponsored the anti-gay Amendment 2 in Colorado. That amendment barred local laws in the state of Colorado that guaranteed equal rights for gays andlesbians. (It was later declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.)
On April 27 at 7:00 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, there will be a planning session onhow to educate the public about the Promise Keepers, and to consider an alternative eventcelebrating equality and diversity. If you are interested in learning more about the PromiseKeepers or want to be part of a coalition to educate others, please join us on Wednesday, April 27.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Richmond IMC: Federal Government's Attack on Minority Preservation by Andrea Buono

We'll continue the indymedia roundup by highlighting a post at Richmond IMC. It's entitled
"Federal Government's Attack on Minority Preservation" and it's written by Andrea Buono:

"With the proposed amendments agencies and businesses will only have to consider those properties listed on the national register. The majority of properties on the national register were financed by the wealthy and those providing political favors. It is mostly comprised of mansions, high style buildings, and plantations. Especially in our state of Virginia to be deemed significant the property will have to be linked to the elite founding fathers of our country. In other words the wealthy white populations that have ruled are the only histories which will be saved. The Section 106 process forced business and agencies to look beyond this overwhelmingly white history and consult to the local population as to what is significant. This encouraged minority, ethnic, and the poor communities’ rights. Businesses have been complaining about this policy ever since it’s introduction in 1906."
The National Parks subcommittee of the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. Congress is considering a substantive change to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The proposed change will mean that only those historic properties already on the National Register of Historic Places, and those already formally determined as Eligible by the Secretary of the Interior, will be considered by federal agencies when carrying out or licensing undertakings.
This will remove thousands of unknown and uninventoried historic places from protection under the National Historic Preservation Act.
There will no longer be any requirement to identify and evaluate properties under the Section 106 provisions. Cultural resources of untold significance will be impacted by this change if it is implemented.
In layman terms this means that previous regulations forced federal agencies, big business with federal contracts, and any other state or local agencies who’s development plans are financed with federal money to consider all properties, structures, and cultural beliefs that may be affected by the proposed development. With the proposed amendments agencies and businesses will only have to consider those properties listed on the national register.
The majority of properties on the national register were financed by the wealthy and those providing political favors. It is mostly comprised of mansions, high style buildings, and plantations. Especially in our state of Virginia to be deemed significant the property will have to be linked to the elite founding fathers of our country.
In other words the wealthy white populations that have ruled are the only histories which will be saved. The Section 106 process forced business and agencies to look beyond this overwhelmingly white history and consult to the local population as to what is significant. This encouraged minority, ethnic, and the poor communities’ rights. Businesses have been complaining about this policy ever since it’s introduction in 1906. They deem this law as costing too much money and time. Because of this they have lobbied hard to abolish it.
This is where the people must take a stand and voice their opinions, the only opinion that matters, that of the citizen. We can not allow our government to say it is ok to destroy and displace the only link many of these individuals have to their heritage, a heritage which for the most part is a subjugated one. I hope that everyone will stand up to those congressmen they elected into office and declare that the public are who they should be lobbying for, not businesses whom they owe political favors.
Our president and republic government has efficiently created a nation of hypocrisy. In this day and time he stresses the heritage of our nation and nationalism but allows government to take away the heritage and history which the majority, ethnic and poor communities, has created. We are becoming a mockery in the global gaze. Most countries have much stricter policies towards preservation and strive to uphold them.
Here in a country who says they put the public's interests first are in actuality only putting business interests first. Please contact your representative concerning this amendment. Review hearings began today so immediate action is needed.
You can visit this site http://www.apva.org/apva/issues.php , scroll to the bottom of the page, and find all the contact information you will need.
See also:http://www.apva.org/apva/issues.php

This post has been altered. Originally, I posted an excerpt. While attempting to find an article to highlight at Arkansas IMC, I saw the article I wanted to highlight was in the public domain. Going back to Buono's article, I saw that it was as well. Since people are losing data due to these attacks, I have corrected this post to include Buono's article in full. Click on the title of the piece and you'll go to the article and can, from there, browse around to other articles, or click here and you will go to the home page for Richmond IMC. What follows is the original ending I wrote to this entry.

Click the link above (the title) to read more of Buono's article. And remember to support indymedia in any way you can. That can include becoming a part of an IMC in your area, donating money or energy, using it as a resource and passing the word on about it.

IMC is not corporate owned. It is by the people, for the people. That's why the attacks on Richmond IMC, Arkansas IMC and Colorado IMC are so awful (to me), they are attacks on the people. Do what you can to show your support, please.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.