US Social Forum Live/Free Speech TV

LIVE COVERAGE FROM FREE SPEECH TV             Photo by Orin Langelle

First Nations Dancers, Navajo 'Longest Walk' song and George Martin, Ojibwe, opened US Social Forum in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon.
Watch live coverage above from Free Speech TV.
http://www.freespeech.org/

UPDATE: Freedom Caravan Arrives in Detroit
http://peoplesworld.org/freedom-caravan-arrives-in-detroit/
.
UPDATE: Indigenous Alliance Without Borders at US Social Forum
By Jose Matus, Yaqui, director
The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) invited the Alainza Indigena Sin Fronteras to participate in the United States Social Forum in Detroit, June 22 - 26, 2010. There is an estimated 20,000 people from all over the country and internationally that have come together to share their work, information and build networks and coalitions of solidarity in promoting human rights, economic justice and environmental justice.
The Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras will be networking with other indigenous and non-indigenous organiztions in promoting the work of Alianza Indigena. The Alianza Indigena is scheduled to conduct workshops on Southern Indigenous Border Justice & Anti-Immigrant Legislation and impact on Indigenous Peoples. Will participate in the US Social Forum March of Solidarity in Downtown Detroit - Indigenous Peoples will lead the March
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLDS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES -AUGUST 9 : Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras and Nuestra Voz will co-sponsor a Community Event on Monday, August 9, 2010 for The International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples! Mark Your Calendar - Save the Date - Details Soon to Follow.

UPDATE: Briefing by Bolivian Ambassador Pablo Solon 'Cochabamba to Cancun'
Dear friends,
As some of you will be attending the US Social Forum in Detroit, MI, we will like to invite you at a briefing where Ambassador Pablo Solon will do an update on the negotiations on climate change.
It will also be a great opportunity to gather people who went to the People's World Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba and those who couldn't go but are interest in the subject.
The information for the event is as follows:
WHAT: Briefing by Ambassador Solon "From Cochabamba to Cancun"
WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 12:00pm
WHERE: Detroit, MI Cobo Hall, room TBD (email will follow with the room number)
Please share this information with others! Hope to see you all there!
Mariana Grundy
Embassy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia

Imprisoning People of Color Linked to Racist Arizona Governor Brewer

.
Private prison profiteers in Arizona linked to Arizona Gov. Brewer by way of Highground Consulting

Imprisoning migrants and other people of color means jobs for Arizona and profits for private prison profiteers CCA and GEO (formerly Wackenhut)

http://inthesetimes.com/article/6085/ties_that_bind_arizona_politicians_and_the_private_prison_industry

This article is permanently archived at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/main/article/6085

(Go to link to view a graphic showing all the connections)

Ties That Bind: Arizona Politicians and the Private Prison Industry

A revolving cast of lobbyists and legislators blur the line between public service and corporate profis.

By Beau Hodai June 21, 2010

Over the past several years private-prison companies Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the Geo Group, through their work as members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and through their ties to the Arizona Legislature and the office of Gov. Jan Brewer, have had ample opportunity--and obvious intent--to ensure the passage of S.B. 1070.

According to Sen. Russell Pearce and Brewer's spokesman Paul Senseman, the S.B. 1070 went through a lengthy edit and review process that took place predominantly within the Arizona Legislature and the offices of the Maricopa County Attorney and Gov. Brewer.

A little over a week after Pearce introduced S.B. 1070 on the floor of the Arizona Senate, CCA enlisted Highground Consulting, one of the most influential lobbying firms in Phoenix, to represent its interests in the state. Lobby disclosure forms filed with the Arizona Secretary of State indicate that Maricopa County also employed Highground during the time of the bill's formation. Highground's owner and principal, Charles "Chuck" Coughlin, is a top advisor and the current campaign manager of Gov. Brewer.

State lobby reports show that Brewer's current spokesman, Senseman, previously worked as CCA's chief lobbyist in Arizona as an employee of Policy Development Group, another influential Phoenix consulting firm. His wife, Kathryn Senseman, is still employed by Policy Development Group and still lobbies the legislature on behalf of CCA.

In other words, in 2005 and 2006, as Arizona legislators--many of them ALEC members--were drafting provisions of what would eventually become the "Breathing While Brown" law, Brewer's director of communications, Senseman, was lobbying them on behalf of CCA.

Brewer's "chief policy advisor," Richard Bark--a man Senseman and Pearce both say was directly involved in the drafting of S.B. 1070--remains listed with the Office of the Secretary of State as an active lobbyist for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). CCA is a "board level" member of the ACCI and is the top employer in Pinal County, located just south of Maricopa County, where it operates five detention facilities for both state prisoners and immigrant detainees.

Geo Group employs consulting firm Public Policy Partners, which, like Highground, also provides consultation and lobbying services to Maricopa County.

While Public Policy Partners (PPP), an Arizona-based firm, has more than 30 Arizona clients, it only has two clients at the federal level: Geo Group (based in Florida) and Ron Sachs Communications, a Florida-based public-relations firm that, promotes prison privatization. PPP, as a firm, also appears to be an advocate for expanded use of private prisons. Federal lobbying records show PPP owner, John Kaites, lobbying on behalf of the firm on issues of "private correctional detention management."

CCA has also shown special interest in Arizona through recent hiring decisions. In 2007, CCA hired on Brad Regens as "Vice President of State Partnership Relations" for the purpose of cultivating new contracts in Arizona and California. In the two years immediately prior to his employment at CCA, Regens had worked in the Arizona House as director of fiscal policy. Before his appointment as director of fiscal policy, Regens had spent nine years working in the state legislature in various roles, including assistant director of the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

Following its hiring of Regens, CCA elected former U.S. Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) to its board of directors.

ALSO SEE: Phoenix New Times: Arizona Racist Legislator Russell Pearce, sponsor of SB 1070, linked to Neo-Nazis:
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/related/to/Russell+Pearce

IEN: Demand Environmental & Climate Justice Now!

Naomi Klein: Gulf oil spill: A hole in the world

Gulf oil spill: A hole in the world
The Deepwater Horizon disaster is not just an industrial accident – it is a violent wound inflicted on the Earth itself. In this special report from the Gulf coast, a leading author and activist shows how it lays bare the hubris at the heart of capitalism
Naomi Klein The Guardian, Saturday 19 June 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jun/19/naomi-klein-gulf-oil-spill

Chief Arvol Looking Horse: The Oil Spill and Bleeding of Grandmother Earth


Chief Arvol Looking Horse: A Great Urgency

To All World Religious and Spiritual Leaders

My Relatives,

Time has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I

ask you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the Spirit

of your Nations in prayer.

We, from the heart of Turtle Island, have a great message for the World; we

are guided to speak from all the White Animals showing their sacred color,

which have been signs for us to pray for the sacred life of all things. As

I am sending this message to you, many Animal Nations are being threatened,

those that swim, those that crawl, those that fly, and the plant Nations,

eventually all will be affect from the oil disaster in the Gulf.

The dangers we are faced with at this time are not of spirit. The

catastrophe that has happened with the oil spill which looks like the

bleeding of Grandmother Earth, is made by human mistakes, mistakes that we

cannot afford to continue to make.

I asked, as Spiritual Leaders, that we join together, united in prayer with

the whole of our Global Communities. My concern is these serious issues will

continue to worsen, as a domino effect that our Ancestors have warned us of

in their Prophecies.

I know in my heart there are millions of people that feel our united prayers

for the sake of our Grandmother Earth are long overdue. I believe we as

Spiritual people must gather ourselves and focus our thoughts and prayers to

allow the healing of the many wounds that have been inflicted on the Earth.

As we honor the Cycle of Life, let us call for Prayer circles globally to

assist in healing Grandmother Earth (our Unc'I Maka).

We ask for prayers that the oil spill, this bleeding, will stop. That the

winds stay calm to assist in the work. Pray for the people to be guided in

repairing this mistake, and that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we

make the choice to change the destructive path we are on.

As we pray, we will fully understand that we are all connected. And that

what we create can have lasting effects on all life.

So let us unite spiritually, All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along

with this immediate effort, I also ask to please remember June 21st, World

Peace and Prayer Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural

site, a temple, a church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us

make a prayer for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our

children¹s future and well-being, and the generations to come.

Onipikte (that we shall live),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse

19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

(www.Wolakota.org)