progressiveissuesblog

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

NA became a 24/7 vigil after S.Brian Willson was deliberately run over by weapons train on Sept 1, 1987. The protest was against the U.S. arming Central American Dictatorships. People came from all over the nation & world to participate.

For over two years we blocked every weapons train and many weapons trucks resulting in many hundreds of arrests.

When Lawyers wanted to do a reenactment of the train arttack on Brian, I played WW2 veteran Duncan Murphy.

Thousands of people eventually participated in Nuremberg Actions in one way or another. The action wound down after the fall of the USSR and in expectations of peace as Central and South Americans seized their countries from U.S. supported oligard dictatorships For a nuber of years we gathered at the CNWS to remember

I was the support house manager and 24/7 member of the Nuremberg Actions. We blocked every weapons train for 2 years.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

In Late 70’s,I was on the emergency response team to stop eviction of mainly poor Asian seniors at the International hotel in SF.

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World

While Obama and Democrats were enacting a corporate written health insurance plan, the defective Afordable Care Act (ACA), I was fighting for Single Payer Health care (Medicare for All). ACA was a finacial windfall for the insurance industry. While it has helped many lower income people, with no cost controls it never addressed the high premiuns and co-pays of the middle class. This became a focus of anger and resulted in the Republican take over of our government leading to the election of TRUMP as president.

Why does anyone want to pay exhorbinant money to a middleman who determines who your doctor will be and whether you can even have medical treatment. Medical costs are the major reason behind bankrupcies in America. Medicare for All guarantees at no additional cost 100% of your healthcare when ever you need it as determined from consultation between you and the doctor of your choice. No middleman permission required. It is paid by those who can afford it out of your income taxes. It’s a no-brainer!

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Image Gallery – Michael E Kerr

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from Creating Better World