progressiveissuesblog

Ilhan Omar

U.S. House – Minnesota (MN-05)

Ilhan emigrated from Somalia with her family when she was 8 years old. After spending 4 years in a refugee camp, they arrived in Minneapolis. She’s now mother of three, a former state representative — and the first Somali-American Muslim woman to hold public office in the United States. (She’s also a past PCCC Champion, and alumni of our training program!)

In 2018, Ilhan was elected to the Congress representing the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota. Upon her first three months in office, Ilhan introduced the No Ban Act, combating Donald Trump’s xenophobic Muslim Ban, she also co-sponsored the Yemen War Powers Resolution that would end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen.

Issues

Rashida Tlaib

U.S. House – Michigan (MI-13)

Rashida was born and raised in Detroit, the daughter of working-class immigrants and the oldest of 14 kids. She became the first Muslim woman ever to serve in the Michigan legislature — where she fought predatory lenders, big polluters, and big corporations. She also fought for free health clinics and Meals on Wheels. Rashida is “taking on corporate billionaires, crony capitalists, industrial polluters, and government officials who would prefer to be unaccountable.”

Issues

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

U.S. House – New York (NY-14)

Alexandria received national attention when she beat longtime incumbent Joe Crowley in a primary, and since then she’s ignited a movement. She is a proud Democratic Socialist, running on a strong platform of single payer healthcare, a federal jobs guarantee, end to private prisons, and campaign finance reform.

Issues

Pramila Jayapal

U.S. House – Washington (WA-07)

Pramila has spent the last 25 years as a Seattle organizer and activist — leading the charge for a $15 minimum wage, founding an immigrant rights’ organization, and passing legislation to help rape survivors. In 2016, she was elected to succeed retiring Congressman Jim McDermott, a huge progressive champion.

Issues

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National Progressive Candidates

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from Creating Better World

Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 Contra Costa Health Services

The People of the World Say: No War On Iran! World Beyond War

Bernie is People’s Candidate Progressive Views on Candidates

US Constitution Amendment to unequivocally state that inalienable rights belong to human beings only Move to Amend

Women’s March Walnut Creek Women’s March Walnut Creek

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Events Calendar History

Petitions History

from Creating Better World

The US has charged Assange with multiple counts of espionage related to the publication of classified national defense information on WikiLeaks in 2010. Most of the published documents pertained to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The charges against him also include conspiring to hack government computers. If convicted, Assange could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison. In the meantime, Sweden has dropped an investigation into rape allegations against Assange — the main reason he had sought refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012, as he had feared extradition to the US via Sweden. He remained holed up in the embassy until April 2019. After being evicted, he was arrested and sentenced by the UK to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail.

While the U.S. sees Wikileaks as a “hostile spy agency,” Many are concerned that Assange’s case could set a dangerous precedent on freedom of the press and freedom of speech. In the view of supporters “this is a crucial point in time where the people have to realize that this is not about some man whom they like or don’t like, but that this is about their own rights and the integrity of the democracies and the rule of law systems that they live in.”

We should all support Julian Assange. We owe him a great deal of thanks for helping to expose more of the American government’s corruption and war crimes!

Protests August 26th in L.A. Julian Assange Supporters Alice Springs. Protests like this have been occurring for years all over the world.

Banner in the Day of the Dead procession in the Mission District in S.F. on Saturday evening, November 2. It reveals the tragic details of one of the most recent U.S. drone attacks.

Code Pink’s Golden Gate Bridge Monthly Vigil

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

Jan Passion, Captain of the Hokahey “We dress up our boats to remind folks that, despite the thrill and excitement of loud planes, fast planes and stunt planes; war, the preparation for war, and glorification of war are problematic on multiple levels”. Martin Luther King once called America the greatest purveyor of violence the world has ever seen. Over 50 years later this statement is more truer than ever!

The U.S. Military is also the largest single contributor to carbon emissions and thus the climate crisis. The U.S. spends more on war than the next eight countries combined squandering many of our precious resources! The financial waste alone leaves insufficient money to fund basic human services (homelessness, health care, education, infrastructure, poverty, etc,).

As our Boats passed each other, I am photographer on the Lil’ Wing

The Hokahey and its crew. Code Pink and Veterans for Peace members and supporters are among the crews of both boats.

Mahatma Gandhi “Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

These young ladies were appearing in the Black Diamond Ballet with Sharon Sobel Idul’s professional production of the Nutcracker – the only full-length production in Contra Costa County. With a cast of 40 + performers featuring professional dancers from SF Ballet, Diablo Ballet and more. Join us for this wonderful holiday tradition for the whole family! Performance will be held at the Pittsburg Creative Arts Building, 250 School Street.

My long time friend Lois Ann Flood has been performing the exquisite dances of Isadora Duncan for over 20 years. Her interpretations are widely recognized for their dynamic, expressive and dramatic qualities. She is also acknowledged for her sensitive and profound musicality as she creates visual music though movement bringing to life the elegant passionate dances of the great Isadora Duncan. She has performed and taught master classes in NYC, Paris and San Francisco. Lois is well known in the Northern California area, where she performs lecture/dance programs at theater’s, museums and colleges.

Art work by Social Justice and Peace Activist Shirley Osgood. She saw me washing dishes wearing an apron during a breakfast gathering following one of our montly vigils at Beale Air Force Base against Drone Warfare!

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

With a large number of roommates, I do my best to recycle. But we need to do a lot more as a nation. Why shouldn’t everything be repairable, reusable, or recyclable! Currently a lot of our recycling is for show only and just dumped on poor countries.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

Large march against the Oligarch Death Squad Government 1989

So much Anti-graffiti in San Salvador. While still dangerous, this was best done alongside large demonstation marches.

Rally in San Salvadore City Center

Saint Oscar Romero, Salvadoran Roman Catholic archbishop who was a vocal critic of the violent activities of government armed forces, right-wing groups, and leftist guerrillas involved in El Salvador’s civil conflict. He was assassinated in 1980, and he is celebrated as a martyr for his defense of the poor.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

Breaking into small groups, 25 of our original caravan eventually were able to enter El Salvador. We then met up with our host community group in San Salvador.

Here, I am helping the co-coordintor of the group make a banner for a comming demostration. Days after my last conversation with her while on my 5 day bus trip back to U.S., Tita Guzman, a 24 year-old mother of two, was disappeared and never seen again. It was later discovered that she had been taken to the infamous Treasury Dept and tortured.

Because of paperwork hassles hauling aid through Mexico, Guatamala and into El Salvador, all the aid was shipped by boat. Aid arrived by truck from the port.

Part of human assembly line unloading the truck.

A job well done loading the storage building in extreme humid heat.

Members of our Carvan were able to get the brother, Manuel of one of the community members out of prison. I was able to visit him in prison with family members and to be outside at his release. He told me he would continue his political activities. A few years later and his family has never seen him again.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

Our aid caravan to El Salvador had 50 people and 20 vehicles, many to be donated to communities. After initially granted entry, we were suddenly refused. I did a juice fast for 10 days. We were allowed to cross the border gate to eat meals in the border town

I was the first to do so, but we caused a cultural stir when we all joined the Salvadorian women at the river to wash our clothes. Why weren’t our women washing the men’s clothes? Such a scandal!

Short on Spanish, helpless me, I was almost always surrounded by children eager to guide and help me during my several month’s stay in El Salvador.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World