Informational picket calls for return of union president and return of mail operations to Olympia.

Olympia, WA November 17, 2008.

The Olympia local of the American Postal Workers Union held an informational picket on Monday, November 17, 2008 from 7 AM to 9 AM, 12 to 1 PM, and 4 to 5 PM at the Olympia downtown post office located at 900 Jefferson Street in Olympia, Washington.

The informational picket was to call for the Postal Service to bring fired union president Clint Burelson back to work and to bring the outgoing mail operations back to Olympia.

The Postal Service recently fired local union president Clint Burelson for his union activities and major role as a whistleblower in exposing the fact that mail consolidations would reduce service and would not save money. Since then, mail consolidations all across the country have been stopped once communities have learned the truth about mail consolidation.

Burelson is a strong advocate for workers in the post office and management is firing him for performing his duties as a union representative. Despite many grievance settlements signed by the Postal Service in which they agreed to cease and desist in discriminating against Burelson for his union activities, management continues to discriminate against him.

The Postal Service recently admitted in their review of the consolidation that they have lost $1.5 million in six months as a result of the transfer of outgoing mail operations from Olympia to Tacoma. The Postal Service had previously claimed that the transfer of the mail to Tacoma would save the Postal Service $1.2 million. The Postal Service therefore made at least a $2.7 million mistake in judgment.

Power Substation, this is in between 5th and Legion on Cherry Street, almost kitty corner to the site of the future Olympia City Hall.

Razor wire protects military hummer vehicles (humvees) from intruders.

Solidarity with Women's Resistance to War!

26 participants in a nonviolent blockade of military cargo between Port of Olympia and Fort Lewis are being charged by the Thurston County Office of the Prosecutor. The first of those being charged will be arraigned tomorrow. Of the 26, 25 are women. The 26 are part of an action that is commonly referred to as the Women's Blockade, or Women's Action.

43 people in all were arrested in the November 13th, 2007 Women's Blockade. 39 of those who were arrested are female.

Last Friday, supporters of the Oly 26 vigiled at Percival Landing. Turn-out was good. About 40 people showed up.

The first arraignment of members of the Oly 26 is scheduled for tomorrow morning at the Thurston County Courthouse, up on the hill above Capitol Lake. Proceeding's are scheduled to start at 9:30 AM.

see more on the flipside: photos from Capitol Forest, more from the vigil, Percival Landing, and an Olympia Alley in Autumn

description: A protest led by the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign leads to police tear gas and concussion grenades at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, MN. Marta Costello is caught in the melee as she brings you the gnooze (the g is silent).

More information about protest and repression in St. Paul around the RNC.

MEDIA ADVISORY September, 4, 2008

For Immediate Release:

Contingent of Lawyers, Activists, and Media Take Concerns of Police Brutality at RNC to Mayor Coleman's Office

- WHAT: Attempt to meet with Mayor Chris Coleman about escalation of police brutality in St. Paul

- WHO: Lawyers, activists, and members of the media

- WHEN: September 4, 2008 @ 4:00 p.m.

- WHERE: St. Paul Mayor's Office, 15 W. Kellogg Blvd.

Police violence has not been limited to the streets. The Coldsnap Legal Collective, providing support to people arrested at the RNC, has received numerous reports of abuse in the jails. In addition to widespread denial of medical attention, multiple people have been brutalized by Sheriff's Deputies inside their cells. At a press conference earlier today, recently released activist Elliot Hughes made statements that while in jail he had a bag placed over his head, a gag in his mouth, and was beaten to unconsciousness by multiple correctional officers.

 Whoa! This is scary!

Eight Members of RNC Activist Group Lodged with Terrorism Charges

Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of a prominent activist group with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. We speak with the father of one of those charged and the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. [includes rush transcript]

[correction: the arrest occurred in St. Paul, by Minneapolis Police.]

Democracy Now!

Click on the picture for further commentary.

After Ron Suskind Reveals Bush Admin Ordered Iraq-9/11 Fakery, House Judiciary Chair John Conyers Opens Congressional Probe

One of the things that is evident from all the discussions on this blog about the Port Militarization Resistance group and their activities in Olympia and Tacoma is that there is a huge difference in the underlying assumptions that people hold. Folks within the PMR use words like "empire" and "militarization," and I think that many who read this blog don't have the same context for understanding the meaning they are intended to convey. I wonder if would be possible to bring to the surface some of the context surrounding the meanings of those words through a shared set of documents, videos, podcasts, maps, etc. So, if you know of a good article, interview, analysis, or graphic, please put a link in the comments. After we've collected some material, we may be able to ground our discussion a bit more, and perhaps achieve a better understanding of the arguments, if not agreement on the positions.

Here's a link to the photo set: Port of Tacoma War Protest August 4th and 5th

bert