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Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Union-Busting, Betrays Judicial Principles

by Brendan Fischer — June 15, 2011 - 1:51pm
  • Topics: Activism, BanksterUSA, Corporations, Democracy, Labor, Politics, Wisconsin Protests

    • In the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision reinstating Governor Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining plan, the Court's conservative majority not only neutered the Open Meetings Law, but in its rush to make a decision before legislative Republicans acted on threats, the Court overreached and potentially eviscerated the meaning of Article IV, Section 10 of the Wisconsin Constitution.

    Rally for a People's Rights Agenda!

    Event Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 5:00pm - 6:00pm

    5:00pm (King Street):Rally for a People's Rights Agenda! REJECT Walker's Corporate Agenda!

    http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117020271720404

    Capitol - King Street Side

    Walkerville - Press Briefing

    Event Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

    12:00 p.m. briefing and program to be developed on the day's theme at Capitol Square - State Street Side

    Whose house? Our house! (People's Rights Campaign March)

    Event Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

    Capitol Rallies with the People's Rights Campaign

    NOON (State Street): Whose house? Our house! March to demand the State Capitol be returned to the people of Wisconsin by making the building fully accessible and open to the public.

    Facebook

    Capitol Square - State Street Side

    Take Back Our Buses! - Mass Transit Appreciation Day

    Event Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 - 12:00am - 11:30pm

    The ASO Calls for a Day of Action Wednesday, June 15th to Take Back Our buses! In an effort to thank our bus drivers and Metro workers as a whole for their tireless work serving the community we will be boarding buses with gifts for our drivers throughout the day, Wednesday, June 15th. To raise public awareness of these cuts and their effects on the community, we will also distribute informational flyers to Metro patrons. We encourage all members of the community to take this day to show your support for transit workers and continue to do so throughout the year.

    Website Lets People Respond to Sarah Palin Documentary

    by Anne Landman — June 14, 2011 - 1:24pm

    Filmmaker Robert Greenwald and his company Brave New Films have launched a new website that encourages visitors to comment on what they think has been left out of a new documentary movie about Sarah Palin. The website allows visitors to put words in Sarah Palin's mouth. Filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon created the two-hour-long, pro-Palin film, titled "The Undefeated," in response to what he feels is negative treatment Palin has received in the media. Bannon's movie portrays Palin as a martyr. The casting of Palin as a victim of repeated baseless attacks is punctuated by a scene showing a pack of lions tearing apart a zebra and another showing a man being buried alive. When people point out Palin has actually been defeated in a number of elections, Bannon says, "I want people to come out of this movie arguing and debating. That's what I want." The film premieres Friday, June 17, in Minneapolis. The winner of Greenwald's "edit Sarah Palin's film" contest will get a collector-edition Sarah Palin bobblehead doll dressed in army fatigues and holding a rifle.

    Main Source: 
    Brave New Films, June 14, 2011
    News

    Massive Protests Expected as GOP Legislators Promise to Add Collective Bargaining to Budget

    by Eric Carlson — June 14, 2011 - 7:09am
  • Topics: Activism

    • Republican state lawmakers announced on Monday their decision to introduce Governor Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining measure as a budget amendment during Tuesday's extraordinary session, despite unfinished Wisconsin Supreme Court deliberations on the proposal.

    Tuesday's legislative activity promises to rouse the residents of Walkerville, the new tent city surrounding the capitol. State Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs said authorities are planning for increased crowds, and the Wisconsin Education Association Council has urged its 98,000 members to descend on Madison's Capitol Square, to protest a budget that guts public schools, strips workers of their rights and erodes our state's quality of life."

    CMD Opposes Proposed Changes to E-Verify System

    by Anne Landman — June 10, 2011 - 3:15pm

    The Center for Media and Democracy has joined a coalition of privacy, consumer and civil rights organizations in signing onto comments from the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) (pdf) opposing a proposal by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) to expand "E-Verify," a national internet-based employment verification system that lets employers check citizenship status and verify employment eligibility of people applying for jobs. DHS plans to integrate records from state motor vehicle agencies' systems and change the verification process to include validation of a driver's license, driver's permit or ID card from a state or local jurisdiction. Groups signing onto EPIC's comments say the DHS proposal to integrate driver's license information into Homeland Security's database is unlawful and is very similar to the REAL ID Act of 2005, which established new federal standards for state-issued driver's licenses and other ID cards. Some states have declined participate in the REAL ID Act. EPIC and other groups oppose provisions in the DHS proposal that would, for example, allow DHS to distribute E-Verify records to public and private parties, and disclose E-Verify data "to the news media and the public" with just a vague exception for any "particular case [that] would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."

    Main Source: 
    Electronic Privacy Information Center, June 10, 2011

    CMD at Netroots Nation, June 16-19, Minneapolis, MN

    by Nikolina Lazic — June 10, 2011 - 7:19am
  • Topics: Citizen Journalism, Activism, Internet, Journalism, Media

    • Center for Media and Democracy's Executive Director, Lisa Graves, the Director of our Real Economy Project, Mary Bottari, and Senior Fellow on Health Care, Wendell Potter, will be speaking at this year's Netroots Nation convention. The conference will take place from June 16-19 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Further details and the agenda click here. Stop by the CMD table at the Exhibition Hall and sign up for our IPad 2 raffle. For the very lucky, there may even be cheese curds!

    Americans for Prosperity Posts Fake Eviction Notices on Detroit Homes

    by Anne Landman — June 9, 2011 - 12:48pm

    The Koch-backed group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) has been posting fake eviction notices on the doors of residents of a Detroit, Michigan neighborhood, frightening homeowners in a city with one of the country's highest foreclosure rates. AFP 's goal is to get people to oppose construction of a new bridge that would connect Detroit with Canada. Canada agreed to fund a loan to construct the bridge, to be called the Detroit River International Crossing. AFP argues that the bridge is "unwarranted" and a "boondoggle." Large capital letters near the top of AFP's flyer say "EVICTION NOTICE." The medium-sized print at the top says "This property is subject to seizure by the Michigan Department of Transportation." The fine print says the property in question could be seized if a bill approving the bridge is passed. The editorial editor of the Detroit Free Press called AFP's fake eviction notices "emotional terrorism." Scott Hagerstrom, state director of the Michigan chapter of AFP, refused to apologize for the flyer or for rattling Detroit residents. Hagerstrom said, "It was meant to startle people ... We wanted people to read it."

    Main Source: 
    CBS News, June 8, 2011
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