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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2012)
NEWS BRIEFS father.” He adds, “Art Robinson’s long-held belief that we should abolish public education, his support for additional tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and his recent statement that the most important issue in the upcoming election is not jobs, but the ‘right-to-life’ issue, are not traditional Democratic issues.” The younger Robinson had suggested they debate on the OSU or UO campuses and as part of the same response, DeFazio asked that both Robinsons attend, pointing out that the campaigns share the same campaign manager and address, and both Robinsons share fundraising and political views. These points were lost on the 24-year-old Robinson. “Your suggestion that my father, Art Robinson, participate in a Democratic primary debate is highly unusual,” he wrote in a March 15 letter back to DeFazio. DeFazio also asked the debates be restricted to registered Democrats — those who can actually vote in the primary. DeFazio announced on April 3 that Matthew Robinson has declined to debate him because of the limitation. Robinson maintains that he would not drop out if for some reason he did in fact defeat DeFazio in the Democratic primary. “It wouldn’t really be honest to let the Democrats elect me and then step aside,” he says. He adds that he and his father would separately run general election campaigns and let the voters decide in the end. — Ted Shorack HUMAN NEEDS VS. WAR, WALL STREET A coalition of peace, justice and labor activists are organizing a series of actions on Tax Day April 17 demanding that Congress redirect war dollars and increase taxes on the top 1 percent to fund education, job creation, universal health care and other vital services. At 11 am Tuesday, people at Eugene’s downtown post office at 5th and Willamette will be invited to participate in a “penny poll.” Participants will be given 10 pennies to put in jars representing a six-category breakdown of the federal budget. At noon at the post office will be a rally with speakers and music. War tax resisters who object to more half of their federal taxes going to the military will be redirecting these “war” taxes to local organizations. At 1 pm will be a procession from the post office to the new U.S. Courthouse with stops along the way at a few big banks. Congressional staff from the offices of Sens. Merkley, Wyden and Rep. DeFazio will be asked to come speak to the group and outline what they’re doing to fund human needs and not war and Wall Street. At 5 pm, SEIU has organized a Stand Up For Tax Fairness rally outside the main post office, 3148 Gateway, in Springfield. For more information Contact: Michael Carrigan of CALC at 844-4677 or email calcpeace@efn.org ACTIVIST ALERT • North county commissioner candidates Rob Handy, Pat Farr and Nadia Sindi will be speaking in a special City Club candidates forum at 7 pm Thursday, April 12, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 440 Maxwell Road. City Club will resume its regular Friday meetings with Rep. Peter DeFazio talking about “Congress, Timber and Transportation” Friday, April 13. See www.cityclubofeugene.org • Authors and photographers Paul Dix and Pam Fitzpatrick are back in Eugene after an East Coast tour with their acclaimed bilingual book Nicaragua: Surviving the Legacy of U.S. Policy. They will be talking about their book and their return trips to Nicaragua from 3 to 5 pm Friday, April 13, at J-Tea on Friendly Street. Journalist Bill Moyers says he was “deeply touched” by the book. “You have done the people who suffered and died a profound service.” • The 18th annual Holistic Options for Planet Earth Sustainability (HOPES) conference at UO will bring in national design experts for free workshops and discussions April 13-14. traveling soon? medical advice for global travelers Topics will include worm composting, permaculture, earthen finishes, sustainability and urban gardening. See schedule of keynote speakers and more info at pages.uoregon.edu/hopes • Peace activists from around the Northwest, including a contingency of vets from Lane County, are gathering from noon to 5 pm Sunday, April 15, at Jon Dam Plaza in Richland, Wash., for a Hanford rally. The anti-nuclear action is looking at issues of clean-up of what Occupy Portland calls “the most contaminated site in North America.” Helen Caldicot is one of the keynoters. The local Squadron13 vets bus is going up if they can get more donations to cover gas. Email gs@ squadron13.com or call 729-7760. Info on the action can be found at hanfordrally.wordpress.com • Dalit Baum, Ph.D., will be speaking on “Occupy the Occupation!” at 7 pm Monday, April 16, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 NW Circle Blvd., in Corvallis; and Tuesday, April 17, at UO’s Willamette Hall 100. She is an Israeli feminist and anti-occupation activist and co-founder of Who Profits from the Occupation (whoprofits.org) in the Coalition of Women for Peace, researching corporate complicity in Israel’s occupation of Palestine. The Eugene talk is sponsored by Students for Palestinian Liberation, and the Al-Nakba Awareness Project. • Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, will speak at 7 pm Tuesday, April 17, at Ninkasi Brewery, 272 Van Buren St. He will also speak in Corvallis at 5:30 pm Wednesday, April 18, at OSU’s new Linus Pauling Science Center, Room 125. The events are free and open to the public. See www.space4peace.org for tour updates. • Max Rameau, director of Take Back the Land, a national movement “liberating” vacant government land and foreclosed homes by moving homeless families into them, will be in Eugene for several events, sponsored by Reality Kitchen, Occupy Eugene, CLDC, Lane Peace Symposium, and A Community Together (ACT). At 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 18, Rameau will be guest trainer at Occupation Education series at Occupy Eugene V, 1274 W. 7th. Free, donations welcome. He will speak on “Community Control of Land and Human Rights” at 7:30 pm Thursday, April 19, at a fundraiser for Reality Kitchen, 245 Van Buren, Eugene. $10 advance, $12 at the door (tickets at realitykitchen.org). This talk will be recorded by David Barsamian for Alternative Radio. Barsamian will be in town that week for several appearances, including City Club April 20. Just when you need them most… t he t ravel c linic City & Touring Bikes John D. 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Maybe yours will be the next powerful tale we tell. 10 APRIL 12, 2012 EUGENE WEEKLY WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
