Annual Candlelight Vigil memorializing the homeless who have lived and died on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 4:00 pm.
This year, the event will be held at Christ the King Catholic Church at 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive at W. Tropicana.
Link to map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=christ+the+king+church+las+vegas&fb=1&cid=0,0,11422666161161224214&ll=36.101839,-115.23051&spn=0.006831,0.013819&z=16
Please email Forgotten Voice at forgottenvoice@gmail.com if you have any donations of nonperishable food, warm clothes, sleeping bags, blankets, and hygiene items.
Saturday, December 13th you are invited to help sort and bag
items for distribution after the Vigil. The sorting will also take place at Christ the King Church.
After The Vigil, "Straight From the Streets" will go around the valley and hand out supplies to any homeless or needy person we come across.
Someone once said: "No one is truly dead until they are forgotten." "Do you ever get afraid of death? Death is your friend. When this long hard journey is over, and I'm too tired to go on, Death will say, "I understand." "Then there'll be no more trouble, no more pain."
Conversation between Junior and Nanny from the show Lackawanna Blues.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Still Thinking Pink
Received the above image in my e-mail. I do not know the original source. One of the cutest images I've ever seen.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-nation-white-privilege
By Tim Wise
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-nation-white-privilege
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Welfare, Public Hearing Notice & Agenda
August 19, 2008 9:00 am
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE & AGENDA
Notice Of Public Hearing To Adopt
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,
Medicaid, Food Stamp, and Child Care Program
Policy and State Plan Amendments
DATE: August 19, 2008
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
LOCATIONS: Via Video-conference at the following locations:
Carson City
Legislature Building
402 South Carson Street
Room #3138
Carson City, Nevada
Las Vegas
Grant Sawyer Building
555 East Washington Avenue
Room #4401
Las Vegas, Nevada
http://dwss.nv.gov/dmdocuments/Gen_081908_Agenda.pdf
Nevada’s poor will have to tighten belts more if food stamp, welfare cuts OK’d
By Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, Fri, Jul 18, 2008
Just when a souring economy is making life tougher for a growing number of poor Nevadans, the state is preparing to cut back on the services designed to help them.
The proposed changes would yank some people out of programs faster, punish others for longer periods when they don’t keep promises and make children and other family members pay when heads of household don’t follow the rules.
Cuts in the food stamp and welfare programs are needed, officials say, because of shrinking federal reserves and state funds. Increased demand for those services, they add, is making the situation worse.
New rules for the public assistance programs will go into effect this fall, and the public’s last chance to comment on the proposals will be at Aug. 19 hearings in Las Vegas and Carson City. On that date, Nancy Ford, administrator of the Welfare and Supportive Services Division, is expected to decide which ones the state will adopt; if she follows the recommendations of her staff, she will approve all of them.
Click here to read the full article:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/18/nevadas-poor-will-have-tighten-belts-
more-if-food-/
Notice Of Public Hearing To Adopt
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,
Medicaid, Food Stamp, and Child Care Program
Policy and State Plan Amendments
DATE: August 19, 2008
TIME: 9:00 a.m.
LOCATIONS: Via Video-conference at the following locations:
Carson City
Legislature Building
402 South Carson Street
Room #3138
Carson City, Nevada
Las Vegas
Grant Sawyer Building
555 East Washington Avenue
Room #4401
Las Vegas, Nevada
http://dwss.nv.gov/dmdocuments/Gen_081908_Agenda.pdf
Nevada’s poor will have to tighten belts more if food stamp, welfare cuts OK’d
By Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, Fri, Jul 18, 2008
Just when a souring economy is making life tougher for a growing number of poor Nevadans, the state is preparing to cut back on the services designed to help them.
The proposed changes would yank some people out of programs faster, punish others for longer periods when they don’t keep promises and make children and other family members pay when heads of household don’t follow the rules.
Cuts in the food stamp and welfare programs are needed, officials say, because of shrinking federal reserves and state funds. Increased demand for those services, they add, is making the situation worse.
New rules for the public assistance programs will go into effect this fall, and the public’s last chance to comment on the proposals will be at Aug. 19 hearings in Las Vegas and Carson City. On that date, Nancy Ford, administrator of the Welfare and Supportive Services Division, is expected to decide which ones the state will adopt; if she follows the recommendations of her staff, she will approve all of them.
Click here to read the full article:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/18/nevadas-poor-will-have-tighten-belts-
more-if-food-/
Public Workshop Meeting Minutes - 04/17/2008
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Welfare and Supportive Services
04/17/2008 - Public Workshop Meeting Minutes
http://dwss.nv.gov/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=57&limit=25&limitstart=25
Then click on: 2008 - 04/17 - Public Workshop
Division of Welfare and Supportive Services
04/17/2008 - Public Workshop Meeting Minutes
http://dwss.nv.gov/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=57&limit=25&limitstart=25
Then click on: 2008 - 04/17 - Public Workshop
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Meeting on Cuts to Welfare Programs,
April 17, 2008 10:00 am
The Division of Welfare will be holding a public meeting on April 17, 2008 at 10:00 am at the Nellis District Office, 611 North Nellis, Las Vegas, NV to reveal the latest measures to decrease the expense to the TANF and Food Stamp programs.
The caseloads have increased dramatically this year and the Governor says we don't have enough money to cover everyone who needs assistance. So, the Division has come up with ideas to ensure that "benefits go to only those who are genuinely seeking to become self-sufficient." Since our state has pared things to the bone already, what they are left with is kicking kids off the programs.
The proposals include kicking the entire family off of Food Stamps if one person in the family has an outstanding felony warrant (we used to only remove the adult, but continue to give Food Stamps for the children.)
One other proposal is to remove the entire family if the head of household does not comply with work requirements (we used to only remove the adult, but still provide assistance for the children) and the family will not be eligible for assistance for three months - even if the adult does become compliant.
Another one is to give assistance for a determined amount of children only; for example, the state will set household size limit at 3 children and the family would receive TANF and Food Stamps benefits for a household with 3 children, no matter how many children the family may currently have or if another child is born later.
General Public Comments will be heard. Let the State know that you do not agree with their decisions.
PUBLIC WORKSHOP & AGENDA
http://dwss.nv.gov/dmdocuments/Gen_0410-1708Agenda.pdf
Notice Of Public Workshop to Explore Impacts
of the Budget Reductions to
TANF and Food Stamps
DATE: April 17, 2008
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATIONS: Division of Welfare & Supportive Services
Nellis District Office
611 North Nellis
Las Vegas, NV
Posted March 19, 2008
The caseloads have increased dramatically this year and the Governor says we don't have enough money to cover everyone who needs assistance. So, the Division has come up with ideas to ensure that "benefits go to only those who are genuinely seeking to become self-sufficient." Since our state has pared things to the bone already, what they are left with is kicking kids off the programs.
The proposals include kicking the entire family off of Food Stamps if one person in the family has an outstanding felony warrant (we used to only remove the adult, but continue to give Food Stamps for the children.)
One other proposal is to remove the entire family if the head of household does not comply with work requirements (we used to only remove the adult, but still provide assistance for the children) and the family will not be eligible for assistance for three months - even if the adult does become compliant.
Another one is to give assistance for a determined amount of children only; for example, the state will set household size limit at 3 children and the family would receive TANF and Food Stamps benefits for a household with 3 children, no matter how many children the family may currently have or if another child is born later.
General Public Comments will be heard. Let the State know that you do not agree with their decisions.
http://dwss.nv.gov/dmdocuments/Gen_0410-1708Agenda.pdf
Notice Of Public Workshop to Explore Impacts
of the Budget Reductions to
TANF and Food Stamps
DATE: April 17, 2008
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
LOCATIONS: Division of Welfare & Supportive Services
Nellis District Office
611 North Nellis
Las Vegas, NV
Posted March 19, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Nevada Desert Experience,
Annual Sacred Peace Walk,
March 17 - March 24
Nevada Desert Experience,
Annual Sacred Peace Walk,
March 17 - March 24
www.nevadadesertexperience.org/programs/2008/peacewalk.htm
Annual Sacred Peace Walk,
March 17 - March 24
www.nevadadesertexperience.org/programs/2008/peacewalk.htm
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water
Teach-In, March 14 & March 15
Dear Friends,
On Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, 2008 you are invited to
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, An Environmental Justice Teach-In at Christ Church Episcopal, 2000 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV.
We hope you can attend what promises to be an exciting and informative day of community building, dialogue, a Cosmic Walk, workshops, food, fun, reflection, sharing and the many other good things that happen when intelligent, caring and thoughtful people come together to improve their community and the world we live in.
A good deal of information about our Teach-In is immediately below. A brochure is attached and still more detailed information is available on our web site at www.NevadaDesertExperience.org . If you have questions or know you are coming please call us at 702.646.4814 and we will be glad to assist you. Also we would very much appreciate if you could pass this along to your friends and neighbors. NDE's Sacred Peace Walk also starts on March 17-24 and complete information is available on our web site.
Thank you.
Sr. Megan and John Amidon
Nevada Desert Experience
Earth, Wind, Fire & Water
When the ancients spokes of the basic elements of life, the stuff of the universe they spoke in terms of Earth, Wind, Fire & Water. Often they worshiped the sun. The clean air blew in their face and they breathed deeply. Pure water was precious and all land was sacred. Now at the beginning of the 21 century, we cannot help but ask what has happened? The weather has become violent. The rains have diminished greatly. Our lakes and rivers are disappearing. In many places the water and air are unsafe to drink or breathe and the land itself, appears tortured and is dying. What has happen?
The Nevada desert is a land of great beauty and harshness, of gentle delicacies and very sharp and pointed edges. Living here, we know the fire of the summer sun, the importance of life water, the winds and the beauty of the land and its mountains. Sadly even with its unique capacity for survival our Nevada desert is now threatened. What can we do?
Please join us beginning Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 for a time of thoughtful conversation and community building. While focusing on environmental issues we will also do the important work of inner dialogue also so that we might walk more gently on our journey and learn to act with thoughtful recognition of our need to renew and sustain our environment.
Our Time Together
Our time together will be spent in a series of workshops and plenary (large group) sessions. We will have lunch as a community enjoying good food and conversation. In the afternoon we will join together as a in a special and reflective Cosmic Walk.
We will also look at some of the tougher issues which we cannot responsibly avoid if we are serious about undertaking the work of environmental justice. Since 1982, Nevada Desert Experience has worked for environmental justice focusing on the great injustice of nuclear weapons and the degradation of all of humanity and the earth's ecological systems, as a direct result of this deadly and poisonous nuclear technology
Teach - In Overview
Friday, March 14, 2008
4:00 - 5:00 PM Registration
5:00 - 6:00 PM Community Building
6:00 - 7:00 PM Lite supper
7:00 - 7:30 Welcome
7:30 - 8:30 Plenary - Parish Hall
Environmental Justice and the Nevada Desert by Gard Jameson
8:30 - 9:00 PM Q&A Goodnight!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
8:30 - 9:00 AM Registration & Coffee
9:00 - 9:15 AM Opening Remarks
9:15 - 10:15 Plenary - Main Auditorium
"Nevada Test Site (NTS) and the
Environmental Impact of Nuclear Weapons"
by John Hadder
10:15 - 11:30 AM Workshops Session 1
See www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
for our workshop selection
11:30 -12:30 Plenary - Parish Hall
"Yucca Mountain and the Future of
Nuclear Waste" by Judy Treichel , Steve Frishman & John Hadder
12:30 - 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 PM Workshops Session II
See www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
for our workshop selections
3:15 - 4:15 PM Plenary Session
Cosmic Walk
4:15 - 5:30 PM Open Mic
2 minutes per person
5:30 PM Closing and Thank You!
For information and registration please call:
Sr. Megan Rice @ 702.646.4814
John Amidon @ 702.646.4814
Cost:
Adults - voluntary sliding scale
$20.00 - $50.00
Students and Seniors $15.00
Full & partial scholarships are
available also upon request.
By mail:
Please send your name, address, phone and email
along with check to:
Nevada Desert Experience
1420 W. Bartlett Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
Checks are made out to Nevada Desert Experience
Directions:
Christ Episcopal Church is located
At 2100 S. Maryland Pkwy between
E. St. Louis Ave and E. Sahara Ave.
Complete conference and workshop information is available at:
www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
Pre-registration is deeply appreciated to help facilitate planning for food and the days' logistics.
We wish to express our appreciation to Christ Church Episcopal
for hosting this event.
On Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, 2008 you are invited to
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, An Environmental Justice Teach-In at Christ Church Episcopal, 2000 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV.
We hope you can attend what promises to be an exciting and informative day of community building, dialogue, a Cosmic Walk, workshops, food, fun, reflection, sharing and the many other good things that happen when intelligent, caring and thoughtful people come together to improve their community and the world we live in.
A good deal of information about our Teach-In is immediately below. A brochure is attached and still more detailed information is available on our web site at www.NevadaDesertExperience.org . If you have questions or know you are coming please call us at 702.646.4814 and we will be glad to assist you. Also we would very much appreciate if you could pass this along to your friends and neighbors. NDE's Sacred Peace Walk also starts on March 17-24 and complete information is available on our web site.
Thank you.
Sr. Megan and John Amidon
Nevada Desert Experience
Earth, Wind, Fire & Water
When the ancients spokes of the basic elements of life, the stuff of the universe they spoke in terms of Earth, Wind, Fire & Water. Often they worshiped the sun. The clean air blew in their face and they breathed deeply. Pure water was precious and all land was sacred. Now at the beginning of the 21 century, we cannot help but ask what has happened? The weather has become violent. The rains have diminished greatly. Our lakes and rivers are disappearing. In many places the water and air are unsafe to drink or breathe and the land itself, appears tortured and is dying. What has happen?
The Nevada desert is a land of great beauty and harshness, of gentle delicacies and very sharp and pointed edges. Living here, we know the fire of the summer sun, the importance of life water, the winds and the beauty of the land and its mountains. Sadly even with its unique capacity for survival our Nevada desert is now threatened. What can we do?
Please join us beginning Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15 for a time of thoughtful conversation and community building. While focusing on environmental issues we will also do the important work of inner dialogue also so that we might walk more gently on our journey and learn to act with thoughtful recognition of our need to renew and sustain our environment.
Our Time Together
Our time together will be spent in a series of workshops and plenary (large group) sessions. We will have lunch as a community enjoying good food and conversation. In the afternoon we will join together as a in a special and reflective Cosmic Walk.
We will also look at some of the tougher issues which we cannot responsibly avoid if we are serious about undertaking the work of environmental justice. Since 1982, Nevada Desert Experience has worked for environmental justice focusing on the great injustice of nuclear weapons and the degradation of all of humanity and the earth's ecological systems, as a direct result of this deadly and poisonous nuclear technology
Teach - In Overview
Friday, March 14, 2008
4:00 - 5:00 PM Registration
5:00 - 6:00 PM Community Building
6:00 - 7:00 PM Lite supper
7:00 - 7:30 Welcome
7:30 - 8:30 Plenary - Parish Hall
Environmental Justice and the Nevada Desert by Gard Jameson
8:30 - 9:00 PM Q&A Goodnight!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
8:30 - 9:00 AM Registration & Coffee
9:00 - 9:15 AM Opening Remarks
9:15 - 10:15 Plenary - Main Auditorium
"Nevada Test Site (NTS) and the
Environmental Impact of Nuclear Weapons"
by John Hadder
10:15 - 11:30 AM Workshops Session 1
See www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
for our workshop selection
11:30 -12:30 Plenary - Parish Hall
"Yucca Mountain and the Future of
Nuclear Waste" by Judy Treichel , Steve Frishman & John Hadder
12:30 - 2:00 PM Lunch
2:00 - 3:15 PM Workshops Session II
See www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
for our workshop selections
3:15 - 4:15 PM Plenary Session
Cosmic Walk
4:15 - 5:30 PM Open Mic
2 minutes per person
5:30 PM Closing and Thank You!
For information and registration please call:
Sr. Megan Rice @ 702.646.4814
John Amidon @ 702.646.4814
Cost:
Adults - voluntary sliding scale
$20.00 - $50.00
Students and Seniors $15.00
Full & partial scholarships are
available also upon request.
By mail:
Please send your name, address, phone and email
along with check to:
Nevada Desert Experience
1420 W. Bartlett Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89106
Checks are made out to Nevada Desert Experience
Directions:
Christ Episcopal Church is located
At 2100 S. Maryland Pkwy between
E. St. Louis Ave and E. Sahara Ave.
Complete conference and workshop information is available at:
www.NevadaDesertExperience.org
Pre-registration is deeply appreciated to help facilitate planning for food and the days' logistics.
We wish to express our appreciation to Christ Church Episcopal
for hosting this event.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Empty Bowl Benefit, April 5, 2008
Las Vegas Catholic Worker
Serving the Poor and Homeless Since 1986
Click on image to view flyer.
Serving the Poor and Homeless Since 1986
Click on image to view flyer.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Fifth Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq,
March Actions
A Day of Fast and Mourning
Las Vegas, NV
March 19, 2008 07:00PM to 08:00PM
Hosted by Vicenta Montoya
Event Description:
We invite the Las Vegas community to join us in day of fasting and reflection on the 5th Anniversary of the War.An interfaith candlelight vigil will be held at 7PM at the Lloyd George Federal Bldg. We will have a symbolic breaking of bread. Please bring candles, banners, signs, poetry, letters from soldiers you may wish to share.
Event Type: March 19th Actions
Location: 333 Las Vegas Blvd So.
No More Endless War
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, March 22nd 2008 1:00 PM
Hosted by Sean Sabatini
On the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, join us in front of the Venetian Casino for a patriotic protest against Bush's plans to bomb Iran and occupy Iraq indefinitely. Profits from the Venetian fund a multi-million dollar media campaign to support the war.
Nevada Workers Against the War invites you to a patriotic protest on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
When: Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 1:00 P.M.
Where: On the public sidewalk in front of the Venetian casino, 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Why: Profits from the Venetian are helping fund a multi-million dollar media campaign to support the endless occupation of Iraq, and lay the groundwork for an attack on Iran.
The Venetian is a gold mine for Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who in turn provides financial backing for a right-wing group called Freedom’s Watch. This group has spent a fortune on misleading ads linking Iraq directly to 9/11. They maintain “the surge is working” (it isn’t), and they make wildly exaggerated claims about the threat posed by Iran. Their approach to Iran is a rerun of the run-up to the war with Iraq. To top it off, they claim that organizations like ours are “anti-victory groups that are undermining the war on terror”.
We won’t get fooled again.
OUT OF IRAQ -- HANDS OFF IRAN -- NO MORE LIES!
Join us in saying NO to endless war. Protest signs will be provided. If you can, please bring American flags. First-time protesters are more than welcome.
For more info, visit www.lasvegasantiwar.org , or email lasvegasantiwar@cox.net . You can also call Sean at (702) 241-8578.
Photos of our previous actions are on the website. Those with high-speed access can also check out www.youtube.com/lasvegasantiwar .
To facilitate our planning, please reply and let me know if you can attend.
A few important practical notes about the rally:
This rally will NOT be at the Federal building. Protesting on the Las Vegas strip sidewalk means that things won’t be quite as relaxed as they were in our previous actions. The courts have ruled that we have a right to be there, but to make things totally legal we’ll have to keep a picket line going. That means you’ll have to be on your feet for an hour or two. Actually, there is literally no place to sit down, anyway.
We expect media coverage, and most likely a police presence. The rally will be spirited, fun and non-violent. As usual, it is our policy to try to work with law enforcement to ensure everyone’s safety and constitutional rights. If any passers-by want to give us a hard time, we do NOT engage them. Most people will be supportive, and the bigger our turnout, the more support we will get.
The rally starts at 1:00 pm, but I would suggest you come a bit early. Most of us will be parking in the surrounding casinos, and it is a bit of a hike to get from the casino parking garages out to Las Vegas Boulevard, and over to the Venetian. If any of our less-mobile members have wheelchairs or similar devices, consider bringing them. If you need help with that, you can give us a call at (702) 241-8578 and we’ll see what we can do. Bringing water would help, too.
Please use the above contact info if you have any questions.
Peace,
Sean
RSVP • PEACE VIGIL
8:30 am
Weekly Event
Thursdays
Hosted by Las Vegas Catholic Worker
Join us every Thursday morning from 8:30a.m. - 9:30a.m. for a Peace Presence Vigil. The vigil meets in front of the federal courthouse at the corners of Las Vegas Blvd. and Bridger. Hope to see you there. These vigils have been an ongoing part of our community since February 2003.
Las Vegas, NV
March 19, 2008 07:00PM to 08:00PM
Hosted by Vicenta Montoya
Event Description:
We invite the Las Vegas community to join us in day of fasting and reflection on the 5th Anniversary of the War.An interfaith candlelight vigil will be held at 7PM at the Lloyd George Federal Bldg. We will have a symbolic breaking of bread. Please bring candles, banners, signs, poetry, letters from soldiers you may wish to share.
Event Type: March 19th Actions
Location: 333 Las Vegas Blvd So.
No More Endless War
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, March 22nd 2008 1:00 PM
Hosted by Sean Sabatini
On the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, join us in front of the Venetian Casino for a patriotic protest against Bush's plans to bomb Iran and occupy Iraq indefinitely. Profits from the Venetian fund a multi-million dollar media campaign to support the war.
Nevada Workers Against the War invites you to a patriotic protest on the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
When: Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 1:00 P.M.
Where: On the public sidewalk in front of the Venetian casino, 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Why: Profits from the Venetian are helping fund a multi-million dollar media campaign to support the endless occupation of Iraq, and lay the groundwork for an attack on Iran.
The Venetian is a gold mine for Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who in turn provides financial backing for a right-wing group called Freedom’s Watch. This group has spent a fortune on misleading ads linking Iraq directly to 9/11. They maintain “the surge is working” (it isn’t), and they make wildly exaggerated claims about the threat posed by Iran. Their approach to Iran is a rerun of the run-up to the war with Iraq. To top it off, they claim that organizations like ours are “anti-victory groups that are undermining the war on terror”.
We won’t get fooled again.
OUT OF IRAQ -- HANDS OFF IRAN -- NO MORE LIES!
Join us in saying NO to endless war. Protest signs will be provided. If you can, please bring American flags. First-time protesters are more than welcome.
For more info, visit www.lasvegasantiwar.org , or email lasvegasantiwar@cox.net . You can also call Sean at (702) 241-8578.
Photos of our previous actions are on the website. Those with high-speed access can also check out www.youtube.com/lasvegasantiwar .
To facilitate our planning, please reply and let me know if you can attend.
A few important practical notes about the rally:
This rally will NOT be at the Federal building. Protesting on the Las Vegas strip sidewalk means that things won’t be quite as relaxed as they were in our previous actions. The courts have ruled that we have a right to be there, but to make things totally legal we’ll have to keep a picket line going. That means you’ll have to be on your feet for an hour or two. Actually, there is literally no place to sit down, anyway.
We expect media coverage, and most likely a police presence. The rally will be spirited, fun and non-violent. As usual, it is our policy to try to work with law enforcement to ensure everyone’s safety and constitutional rights. If any passers-by want to give us a hard time, we do NOT engage them. Most people will be supportive, and the bigger our turnout, the more support we will get.
The rally starts at 1:00 pm, but I would suggest you come a bit early. Most of us will be parking in the surrounding casinos, and it is a bit of a hike to get from the casino parking garages out to Las Vegas Boulevard, and over to the Venetian. If any of our less-mobile members have wheelchairs or similar devices, consider bringing them. If you need help with that, you can give us a call at (702) 241-8578 and we’ll see what we can do. Bringing water would help, too.
Please use the above contact info if you have any questions.
Peace,
Sean
RSVP • PEACE VIGIL
8:30 am
Weekly Event
Thursdays
Hosted by Las Vegas Catholic Worker
Join us every Thursday morning from 8:30a.m. - 9:30a.m. for a Peace Presence Vigil. The vigil meets in front of the federal courthouse at the corners of Las Vegas Blvd. and Bridger. Hope to see you there. These vigils have been an ongoing part of our community since February 2003.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Raising water rates in Las Vegas
Hearing today on raising water rates;
County Commission looks to reduce waste
Feb. 19, 2008
http://www.lvrj.com/news/15760602.html
How does this reduce water waste? Why aren't we looking at the corporations, golf courses, and government wasting?
Maybe the County could even address the City of Las Vegas regarding its over-watering of the public parks. People all over the city have been complaining about the City's practice of wasting water.
Check out the article in the Forgotten Voice street paper (front page and page 5) about the waste of water in the public parks. These photos were taken on four consecutive Sundays in January 2008.
Southern Nevada Drought Alert?
http://www.forgottenvoice.org/archive/FV_V1_No10.pdf
More reading:
Las Vegas water rates increasing; officials cite drought, supply
Nevada Appeal, Feb 20, 3:28 PM EST
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NV_WATER_RATES_VEGAS_NVOL-?SITE=NVCAP&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-20-15-28-35
Water Rate Decision by Launce Rake
February 19, 2008 Rake's Green Vegas Blog: http://rakesgreenvegas.blogspot.com/
http://rakesgreenvegas.blogspot.com/2008/02/water-rate-decision.html
County Commission looks to reduce waste
Feb. 19, 2008
http://www.lvrj.com/news/15760602.html
How does this reduce water waste? Why aren't we looking at the corporations, golf courses, and government wasting?
Maybe the County could even address the City of Las Vegas regarding its over-watering of the public parks. People all over the city have been complaining about the City's practice of wasting water.
Check out the article in the Forgotten Voice street paper (front page and page 5) about the waste of water in the public parks. These photos were taken on four consecutive Sundays in January 2008.
Southern Nevada Drought Alert?
http://www.forgottenvoice.org/archive/FV_V1_No10.pdf
More reading:
Las Vegas water rates increasing; officials cite drought, supply
Nevada Appeal, Feb 20, 3:28 PM EST
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NV_WATER_RATES_VEGAS_NVOL-?SITE=NVCAP&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-20-15-28-35
Water Rate Decision by Launce Rake
February 19, 2008 Rake's Green Vegas Blog: http://rakesgreenvegas.blogspot.com/
http://rakesgreenvegas.blogspot.com/2008/02/water-rate-decision.html
Friday, February 15, 2008
Feds admit mistakenly jailing
citizens as illegal immigrants
Feds admit mistakenly jailing citizens as illegal immigrants
By MARISA TAYLOR
McClatchy-Tribune
Feb. 14, 2008, 12:35AM
Original: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5540262.html
WASHINGTON — A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official acknowledged Wednesday that his agency has mistakenly detained U.S. citizens as illegal immigrants, but he denied that his agency has widespread problems with deporting the wrong people.
Gary Mead, ICE's deputy director of detention and removal operations, testified during a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing that U.S. citizens have been detained on "extremely" rare occasions, but he blamed the mix-ups on conflicting information from the detainees.
Nonetheless, Mead said his agency is reviewing its handling of people who claim to be U.S. citizens "to determine if even greater safeguards can be put in place."
The testimony before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law came after immigration advocates told McClatchy that they'd seen a small but growing number of cases of U.S. citizens who've been mistakenly detained and sometimes deported by ICE. They accuse agents of ignoring valid assertions of citizenship in the rush to deport more illegal immigrants.
Unlike suspects charged in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don't have a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves.
Last month, Thomas Warziniack, a U.S. citizen who was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, was mistakenly detained for weeks in an Arizona immigration facility and told that he was going to be deported to Russia.
Warziniack, 40, was released after his family, who learned about his predicament from a McClatchy Newspapers reporter, produced his birth certificate.
In another high-profile example, ICE agents in California mistakenly deported Pedro Guzman, a mentally disabled U.S. citizen, to Mexico. Guzman was found months later when he tried to return to the United States.
Mead contended that both Warziniack and Guzman said they were illegal immigrants, and he said ICE agents have to be careful not to release the wrong people. Guzman and Warziniack had been serving time for minor offenses when their jailers turned them over to immigration authorities.
Although Mead said that Guzman is the only U.S. citizen he knows who's been deported erroneously, immigration lawyers have said they've found at least seven others. In the past four years, ICE agents have detained more than 1 million people.
House committee members also heard stories of ICE agents interrogating or detaining U.S. citizens in their homes, at their workplaces and on the street.
Marie Justeen Mancha, a 17-year-old born in Texas, said ICE agents raided her family's home in Georgia in 2006 while her mother was running an errand. Her mother is also a U.S. citizen.
"I started to hear the words, 'Police! Illegals!'" she recalled. "I walked around the corner from the hallway and saw a tall man reach toward his gun and look straight at me."
Mancha said the agents left after grilling her about her citizenship.
"I carry that fear with me every day, wondering when they'll come back," she said.
Mancha is one of five U.S. citizens named in a pending lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center that alleges wrongful interrogations or detentions by ICE in Southeast Georgia.
Rep. Steven King, R-Iowa, the ranking minority member of the committee, described the cases as isolated and urged the agency not to be distracted from detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.
"ICE does not aim to harass and detain U.S. citizens," he said.
But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the committee, said that after hearing such stories, she feared an "overzealous government is interrogating, detaining and deporting its own citizens."
Nancy Morawetz, who runs an immigration rights clinic at New York University, said getting proof of citizenship is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for detainees, especially when they're shipped to a facility far from home.
In 2006, the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York nonprofit organization, identified 125 people in immigration detention centers who immigration lawyers believed had valid U.S. citizenship claims.
"As a country we do not have a national identity card," Morawetz said in an interview. "People don't walk around with a 'C' on their forehead that says they're a U.S. citizen."
By MARISA TAYLOR
McClatchy-Tribune
Feb. 14, 2008, 12:35AM
Original: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5540262.html
WASHINGTON — A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official acknowledged Wednesday that his agency has mistakenly detained U.S. citizens as illegal immigrants, but he denied that his agency has widespread problems with deporting the wrong people.
Gary Mead, ICE's deputy director of detention and removal operations, testified during a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing that U.S. citizens have been detained on "extremely" rare occasions, but he blamed the mix-ups on conflicting information from the detainees.
Nonetheless, Mead said his agency is reviewing its handling of people who claim to be U.S. citizens "to determine if even greater safeguards can be put in place."
The testimony before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law came after immigration advocates told McClatchy that they'd seen a small but growing number of cases of U.S. citizens who've been mistakenly detained and sometimes deported by ICE. They accuse agents of ignoring valid assertions of citizenship in the rush to deport more illegal immigrants.
Unlike suspects charged in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don't have a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves.
Last month, Thomas Warziniack, a U.S. citizen who was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, was mistakenly detained for weeks in an Arizona immigration facility and told that he was going to be deported to Russia.
Warziniack, 40, was released after his family, who learned about his predicament from a McClatchy Newspapers reporter, produced his birth certificate.
In another high-profile example, ICE agents in California mistakenly deported Pedro Guzman, a mentally disabled U.S. citizen, to Mexico. Guzman was found months later when he tried to return to the United States.
Mead contended that both Warziniack and Guzman said they were illegal immigrants, and he said ICE agents have to be careful not to release the wrong people. Guzman and Warziniack had been serving time for minor offenses when their jailers turned them over to immigration authorities.
Although Mead said that Guzman is the only U.S. citizen he knows who's been deported erroneously, immigration lawyers have said they've found at least seven others. In the past four years, ICE agents have detained more than 1 million people.
House committee members also heard stories of ICE agents interrogating or detaining U.S. citizens in their homes, at their workplaces and on the street.
Marie Justeen Mancha, a 17-year-old born in Texas, said ICE agents raided her family's home in Georgia in 2006 while her mother was running an errand. Her mother is also a U.S. citizen.
"I started to hear the words, 'Police! Illegals!'" she recalled. "I walked around the corner from the hallway and saw a tall man reach toward his gun and look straight at me."
Mancha said the agents left after grilling her about her citizenship.
"I carry that fear with me every day, wondering when they'll come back," she said.
Mancha is one of five U.S. citizens named in a pending lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center that alleges wrongful interrogations or detentions by ICE in Southeast Georgia.
Rep. Steven King, R-Iowa, the ranking minority member of the committee, described the cases as isolated and urged the agency not to be distracted from detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.
"ICE does not aim to harass and detain U.S. citizens," he said.
But Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the committee, said that after hearing such stories, she feared an "overzealous government is interrogating, detaining and deporting its own citizens."
Nancy Morawetz, who runs an immigration rights clinic at New York University, said getting proof of citizenship is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for detainees, especially when they're shipped to a facility far from home.
In 2006, the Vera Institute of Justice, a New York nonprofit organization, identified 125 people in immigration detention centers who immigration lawyers believed had valid U.S. citizenship claims.
"As a country we do not have a national identity card," Morawetz said in an interview. "People don't walk around with a 'C' on their forehead that says they're a U.S. citizen."
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Kucinich urges Obama as a second choice
Kucinich urges Obama as a second choice
If the Ohio congressman doesn't receive enough support to be viable on Iowa caucus night, the candidate tells his backers they should vote for the Illinois senator.
http://tinyurl.com/yw5swr
“Antiwar” candidate Kucinich backs leading Democrat in Iowa primary
...Congressman Kucinich is known as the “antiwar” candidate and has suggested that he would withdraw all troops from Iraq and close military bases there. His willingness to back the openly militarist Obama demonstrates—far more than his pseudo-leftist rhetoric—that he has no intention of challenging the geo-political interests of American imperialism...
http://tinyurl.com/ywftwg
If the Ohio congressman doesn't receive enough support to be viable on Iowa caucus night, the candidate tells his backers they should vote for the Illinois senator.
http://tinyurl.com/yw5swr
“Antiwar” candidate Kucinich backs leading Democrat in Iowa primary
...Congressman Kucinich is known as the “antiwar” candidate and has suggested that he would withdraw all troops from Iraq and close military bases there. His willingness to back the openly militarist Obama demonstrates—far more than his pseudo-leftist rhetoric—that he has no intention of challenging the geo-political interests of American imperialism...
http://tinyurl.com/ywftwg
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