justice

The Rag Blog and Rag Radio presents Tom Hayden, peace and justice activist, SDS pioneer, and primary author of the Port Huron Statement, who speaks on "The Drug War, The Peace Movement, and the Legacy of Port Huron." He was in Austin in conjunction with Mexican poet Javier Sicilia's Caravan for Peace which opposes the U.S.-supported Drug War in Mexico. Video produced by Jeff Zavala. A ZGraphix production. http://zgraphix.org

Austin activists gathered on Saturday to rally against the Austin Police Department's use of force and the racist criminal justice system. 147 years after the first Juneteenth celebration and the plight for Black people has remained the same, and for our sons and brothers, it has gotten worse. Activists from the Austin Center for Peace and Justice, International Socialist Organization (UT student branch), and Royal Civil Rights Society come together to demand justice for Byron Carter Jr. and Travon Martin; victims of the racist police system. The event was sponsored by Austin Center for Peace and Justice, International Socialist Organization (UT student branch), and Royal Civil Rights Society. Produced, filmed and edited by Grace Alfar. Directed by Jeff Zavala. A Zgraphix Production. http://ZGraphix.org Austin Indymedia http://austin.indymedia.org

The E-Verify Law/Legal Workforce Act would require all employers to verify the documentation status of potential employees electronically as a pre-requisite for work. This would be devastating to immigrant communities around the US and would wind up pushing those who already make low wages further into poverty and into the underground economy, working for employers who care even less about labor and human rights than they already do. Congressman Lamar Smith, who has an office in Austin, is one of the supporters of E-Verify. It is important for us to show Lamar Smith that the residents of Austin are opposed to this unjust and discriminatory law. Join us outside of Lamar Smith's office here in Austin to demand justice for immigrants! Protest organized by Workers Defense Project. http://workersdefense.org If you would like to learn more about E-Verify please visit: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405311190448090457649620001169992... Photography by Jason Cato. Video produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. A ZGraphix production. http://zgraphix.org

Palestinian poet Remi Kanazi performs his poem "Like Gandhi, Like Martin" at Monkeywrench Books in Austin, Texas on 4/4/11. Remi Kanazi - a poet, writer, and activist based in New York City. Poetic Injustice is the long-awaited release by this Palestinian-American poet and it is a diverse mix of unabashed resistance poems. Laced with searing indictments of occupation, ethnic cleansing, and war, Remi tackles some of the most important issues facing the world today. Remi is also the editor of Poets For Palestine (Al Jisser Group, 2008). His political commentary has been featured by news outlets throughout the world, including Al Jazeera English, GRITtv with Laura Flanders, and BBC Radio. His poetry has taken him across North America, the UK, and the Middle East, and he recently appeared in the Palestine Festival of Literature as well as Poetry International. He is a recurring writer in residence and advisory board member for the Palestine Writing Workshop. Poetic Injustice: Writings on Resistance and Palestine available today at - http://www.PoeticInjustice.net Produced by Jeff Zavala. A ZGraphix Production. http://zgraphix.org

Environmental activist Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation shrimper from Seadrift, Texas -- and a mother of five -- has earned the wrath of industrial polluters everywhere. She has been arrested 50 times and has participated in disruptions of U.S. Senate hearings and corporate shareholder gatherings in Houston, Taipei, and London. Wilson was Mother Jones magazine's "Hell-Raiser of the Month," and was one of Grist's "13 Badass Greens." She was a founder of CodePink, the Texas Jail Project, and Injured Workers United. Diane Wilson is the author of Diary of an Eco-Outlaw: An Unreasonable Woman Breaks the Law for Mother Earth, and An Unreasonable Woman: The True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas. She was featured in the award-winning PBS documentary, Texas Gold, and received a Dobie Paisano Writing Fellowship for 2010. Host and Producer: Thorne Dreyer; Engineer and Co-Producer: Tracey Schulz Video Produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. Video Production by ZGraphix. http://ZGraphix.org http://austin.indymedia.org

University of Texas Professor Robert Jensen spoke at the First Unitarian Universalist Church Public Affairs Forum. In his talk, Jensen examines how nation, race, and gender affect our understanding of ourselves, with a focus on the unjust systems of power and privilege in which they are embedded. In each case he argues against the dominant culture's ideology and for a radical politics that takes seriously not only political but ecological realities. Time: Sunday, May 15, 2011. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, Austin, TX 78756 A ZGraphix production. Video produced by Jeff Zavala. http://zgraphix.org

Coleen Rowley, one of three whistleblowers chosen as persons of the year for 2002 by Time Magazine, will speak about her experiences in the FBI and broader issues of official surveillance and massive data collection. When Coleen Rowley was an FBI agent in Minneapolis, her office got a lead just three weeks before 9/11 that a known extremist had paid $8.000 for lessons to fly a Boeing 747. Her office arrested him, but, her superiors would not allow a full investigation. In a May, 2002 memo to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Rowley brought some of the pre 9-11 lapses to light, calling his defense of the agency a "rush to judgment to protect the FBI at all costs." Several weeks later Rowley testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee about problems facing the FBI and the intelligence community, and her memo to Mueller in connection with the Joint Intelligence Committee's Inquiry led to a two-year Department of Justice Inspector General investigation. This event is a benefit for Under the Hood Outreach Center and Café - http://underthehoodcafe.org Location: 5604 Manor, 5604 Manor Road, Austin, Texas http://5604manor.org A ZGraphix production. http://zgraphix.org Produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. http://austin.indymedia.org  

April 9, 2010--Jean Daniel, founder and editor-in-chief of the left wing newsweekly Le Nouvel Observateur, a longtime friend of Camus, gives the keynote address at CAMUS NOW, a 3-day event marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Camus. Here's an excerpt. The conference was organized byThe Center for French Civilization and Culture, NYU, directors Tom Bishop and Denis Hollier. See also Daniel's editorial on Terror and Innocence in Le Nouvel Observateur. See earlier post on this blog with excerpts from a talk by Yves Hersant [EHESS] on Camus and humanism. For detailed info on the 12 participants, go to: http://french.as.nyu.edu/page/center or write center.french@nyu.edu.