Category Archives: Uncategorized

Targeting ALEC

Coca-cola announced that it was ending its membership in ALEC; PepsiCo. had ended its membership in January.  This is an activist story, covered well by Peter Overby on NPR. As we discussed, the long simmering campaign surrounding the Trayvon Martin … Continue reading

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Easter eggs and opportunities

PETA has announced plans to leaflet at the annual White House Easter Egg roll, protesting the use of eggs and the way chickens who produce those eggs are treated.  (Politico got the story first.) Eggs are a tougher target for … Continue reading

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Occupy diversifies; takes a building

Occupy San Francisco has seized a building on 888 Turk Street.  Located in the Tenderloin District, the building, owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. The takeover followed an April Fool’s Day march, and police apparently stood by as the … Continue reading

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Drawing a line from ALEC to Trayvon

George Zimmerman fired the shot that killed Trayvon Martin, but ALEC wrote the Stand Your Ground law at the core of his legal defense.  Taken just a slight step further, ALEC also pressed for the budget cuts that have led … Continue reading

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Cesar Chavez 2012

I’m typing from my office today, March 30, but campus is quiet in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.  Below is a repost on the occasion: On my campus, we commemorated Cesar Chavez Day early, yesterday, rather than March 31 (his … Continue reading

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Protest makes it harder to ignore injustice

Full Disclosure: I started wearing hoodies in high school and they’ve been a staple part of my wardrobe since. That’s not the only reason, of course, I was disturbed when Geraldo Rivera suggested that Trayvon Martin’s attire was responsible for … Continue reading

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The truth in fiction

Fiction, labeled as fiction, can be every bit as powerful as good journalism for stirring the imagination and mobilizing support.  In yesterday’s post, I cited Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as example, but obviously there are many many more.  … Continue reading

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The value of truth

I want to believe that telling the truth matters.  Advocates who have any belief in democracy as a value have to think that if people only knew what they know they’d agree.  Activists take on a public education job when … Continue reading

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George Clooney does politics outdoors–and indoors

George Clooney was arrested this morning in Washington, DC, protesting outside Sudan’s embassy.  They trespassed to call attention to President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s military blockade preventing food and humanitarian aid from getting to people on the border of Sudan and … Continue reading

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Portland and the future of social movements

I’m excited to participate in a discussion on the future of social movements and citizen power tomorrow night.  Oregon Humanities is sponsoring the event at the Mission Theater and Pub, 1624 NW Glisan St., Portland, part of its “Think and … Continue reading

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