The Threat to Our Democracy: Preserving Our Civil and Labor Rights

Speakers include:

1. Kim Alexander of the Claifornia Voter Foundation

2. Sanjeev Berry of the American Civil Liberties Union

3. United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 373-R Vallejo and Southern California Strikers

4. Ralph Schoenman of Pacifica Radio's "Taking Aim" Program

These seemingly separate issues are tied together by a common thread of corporate manipulation and profit-lust illustrated by the recent actions of Diebold, the Justice Department, the Miami Police, and Safeway. For example:

Solano County Supervisor John Silva said in the Sunday November 30, 2003 Vallejo Times Herald that, "he is disturbed by press account of Diebold machines using software that hadn't been certified and the leader of the company pledging his commitment to deliver votes for President Bush in Ohio's 2004 primary."

During the last 2 weeks of November of this year, tens of thousands of union members, students and trade activists gathered in Miami to protest the Free Trade Area of America's which will further export American jobs overseas based upon starvation wages, child labor and 14 hour days, undermining international labor standards. Leo Gerrard, the International President of the United Steelworkers of America wrote a public letter on November 24, 2003 detailing the human and civil rights abuses suffered by his members at the hands of the Miami Police during the AFL-CIO permitted rallies and marches. Mr. Gerrard writes:

"It is condemnable enough that a massive police state was created to prevent American citizens from directly petitioning FTAA negotiators for redress of their grievances, for there can be no doubt that using massive armed force to deny us the right to publicly and peacefully confront them put the full powers of the state in the service of the multinational corporations and financiers who singularly benefit from the expansion of so-called 'free trade'."

The Guardian of London reported on November 29th, 2003 that the UFCW "Benefits battle could be one of the most critical strikes in American labor History." Ellen Andreder, a UFCW spokeswoman in southern California said, "the companies have enjoyed a 91% increase in profits in the past five years....we have come too far to go back to the days of Carnegie and Rockefeller when the more you exploited your workers, the more successful you were."

The December 2003 edition of Cigar Aficionado Magazine, a lifestyle magazine for wealthy men, interviewed retired General Tommy Franks, former supreme commander of all American armed forces, (Central Command), who said he doubts the constitution will survive another "terrorist" attack using weapons of mass destruction. He is the first high-ranking official to openly speculate that the constitution could be scrapped in favor of a military form of government.

Although the ramifications of these separate events are rarely linked on mainstream news, their linkage is undeniable. What materializes is a direct assault on citizens and workers freedom, democracy and material well-being. We must be responsible and at least hear from the experts on matters of such importance and then decide which way forward.

This is a one of a kind event in the SF Bay Area and I hope you can attend. Please note that this invitation has been sent to the Solano County Board of Supervisors, the City Councils of Benicia, Vallejo, Suisun City, Fairfield, Rio Dell, Vacaville and Dixon, American Canyon and Napa as well as the Central Labor Councils of Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Yolo/Sacramento Counties.