LA LGBT GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2012

[shane que hee]

LOS ANGELES LGBT GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR, 923 Levering Avenue Unit 102, Los Angeles CA 90024. Editor:Shane Que Hee. Phone: (310)208-1624; lgbtg...@hotmail.com; oa...@hotmail.com 

Other: www.cagreens.org/lacounty; www.gp.org; www.losanglesgreens.org; www.campusgreens.org; www.cagreens.org; www.greens.org; www.lavendergreens.org; lave...@cagreens.org;  lavende...@green.gpus.org; lavender-...@green.gpus.org
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LA  LGBT  GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR  NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER  2012  Volume 12#9

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     SUPPORT AN OCCUPY XXXX NEAR YOU!!
 
NO ON 8/SAME SEX MARRIAGE:
    The campaign committee for Prop 8 may be fined for 18 counts of improper reporting and handling of its political contributions over $5,000 and for an anonymous gift of $10,000 (LAT Aug 7 AA3).

     The draft platform plank on same-sex marriage for the Democratic Party National Committee for voting at the Charlotte DNC reads: "We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference. We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act."  About time! Now where are those enacted laws? (FILA Aug 8 p20).
   Tasmania became the 1^st state of Australia to adopt a same sex marriage law on Aug 11 (FILA Aug 22 p20).
More: Time Aug 13 p9;Aug 20 p62; FILA Aug 8 p20;Aug 22 p20,26;
 
 
LGBT NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
    Kino Classics has released some films of the late British Director Derek Jarman (1942-94-died of AIDS) ­Sebastiane (1976-his 1^st), The Tempest (1979), and The Last of England (1987­about Thatcher’s England) (LAT Aug 5 D8).
    The 19^TH International AIDS Conference in Washington DC that wrapped up on July 27 received coverage (FILA Aug 8 p18,24).
 
NATIONAL
  Protests for and against Chick-a-fil broke out on Aug 1 after former Republican Presidential candidate and now radio show host Mike Huckabee proclaimed Aug 1 Chick-fil-A appreciation day in the wake of the fast food chain’s President Dan Cathy opposing same sex marriage in mid-July and donating millions to oppose it (Time Aug 13 p62;  LAT Aug 2 B1;Aug 3 D14;Aug 4 A1;Aug 5 A27;Aug 9 A17;Aug 16 A8,D12(comic strip LA Cucaracha);Aug 17 A20;Aug 21 A11;  Daily Bruin Aug 13 p4; FILA Aug 8 p20,22,64;Aug 22 p20;  The Fight Aug p14,46;Rage Monthly Aug p10).  Former Green Party Presidential candidate and now Peace & Freedom Presidential candidate Roseanne Barr opposed Chick-a-fil.  Rival fast food chain Wendys ordered a North Carolina franchisee to take down its signs of solidarity with Chick-fil-A. In Los Angeles, LGBT nightspot The Abbey unveiled its Chick-for-Gay sandwich. At the Hollywood site at Sunset/ Highland, members of the Stonewall Democratic Club and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protested in a kiss-in on Aug 3, National Same-Sex Kiss Day, for which 14,000 signed up for on Facebook. The fast-food chain will establish an outlet in March 2013 in Westwood where Burger King is currently located on Westwood/Le Conte until Nov (Daily Bruin Aug 6 p1). A Chick-fil-A opponent shot the security guard of the Family Research Council on Aug 15 (Aug 16 A8; Aug 17 A20;Aug 21 A11; FILA Aug 22 p20).     We urge a boycott and active protest against the chain as well as kiss-ins.
   A review of the corporate attitude to LGBTs appeared in LAT Aug 4 A1 in connection with the Chick-fil-A protests.
   The passing of Gore Vidal, 86, on July 31 at age 86 elicited many tributes and aspersions (Time Aug 13 p28; LAT Aug 2 D1,D5(2);Aug 5 E8;Aug 12 D2;Aug 14 A2; FILA Aug 8 p20; The Fight Aug p42).
   The Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire welcomed the pro-same sex marriage successor of Gene Robinson, who was ordained in 2003 as the 1^st openly Gay bishop in the Anglican Church
(LAT Aug 4 A11).
    The refusal of the Boy Scouts to allow openly LGBT Boy Scouts continued to draw comments (Time Aug 13 p64;LAT Aug 5 A1;  FILA Aug 8 p20; The Fight Aug p12,40).
    Linda Hirshman’s Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution , a set of interviews about the U.S. LGBT movement, was reviewed positively in LAT Aug 12 E4.
    Hip hop’s positively changed attitude to LGBT rights was discussed in LAT Aug 19 A1.
    A History of ACT-UP by Jim Hubbard, a film documentary, was discussed in Poz Sep p12. He also helped to provide key material for United in Anger: a History of ACT-UP with Sarah Schulman and How To Survive a Plague by David France.
    Whether AIDS activists should birddog Nov 2012 election candidates about AIDS was discussed in Poz Sep p40.
    Out Sep 32 discussed Roseanne Barr’s runs for President from her headline in Out Feb 1996, her growing up with a Gay brother, and her July 18 withdrawal from the Green Party Presidential nomination as the nominee of its Black Caucus. There was no mention of the Peace & Freedom Presidential nomination.
     The boyfriend of Gay CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was photographed kissing another man (Time Aug 27 p58).
    Balladeer Rufus Wainwright, 39, and Jorn Weisbrodt, artistic director of the Luminato festival, tied the knot on Aug 23 on Long Island after being engaged since 2010 (LAT Aug 25 D2).
   Comedienne and personality Rosie O’Donnell survived a heart attack (Time Sep 3 p5).
  The Roman Catholic Church priest molestation scandal continued (LAT Aug 26 A27).
   The Philip DeFranco news show on YouTube was discussed in LAT Aug 28 B1.
   KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, its NBC affiliate, has banned the showing of The New Normal by Ryan Murphy, a comedy series about a Los Angeles male Gay couple’s attempts to have children with a surrogate female mother (LAT Aug 28 D4). The affiliate is controlled by the Mormon Church. GLAAD also weighed in.
   GLAAD praised the CW TV Network for its positive LGBT content (LAT Aug 31 D2). Showtime, ABC Family, TNT, and HBO received favorable ratings.
   Anderson Cooper’s predicament in being the host of CNN’s60 Minutes, having his own CNN show, and having a Warner Brothers show Anderson Live was explored in LAT Aug 31D19. Cooper and Rachel Maddow were pictured in LAT Sep 1 D1.
  Time’s Joel Stein did a take on LGBT groups, Log Cabin and GOProud as Homocon, at the Republican Convention (Time Sep 10 p62).
  Barney Frank was interviewed in his snippy fashion in Time Sep10 p64.
 
‘CALIFORNIA
  The celebration of Pride Lite on Aug 11 in Balboa Park in San Diego caused “several thousands” in damage to the Botanical Building and its surrounds (LAT Aug 14 AA3).
  Pride festivals were celebrated in Oakland Black Pride on Aug    , Santa Ana on Aug 11, San Jose on Aug 18/19.
  Legislation to ban anti-LGBT conversion therapy for minors passed in the state Senate and is currently before the Legislative Assembly (LAT Aug 27 A11;Sep 1 A2).
   
LOS ANGELES
   Councilman Bill Rosendahl, 67, began treatment for pelvic cancer on Aug 1 (LAT Aug 2 AA3; FILA Aug 8 p26)
   The transgender Queen USA beauty pageant sponsored by the Imperial Court of Los Angeles and Hollywood at Circus Disco in Hollywood on July 29 caught the attention of LAT Aug 4 A2.
   Openly Gay actor and producer Zachary Quinto was mentioned in his roles in the Hollyshorts Film Festival on Aug 9-16 (LAT Aug 9 D4).  Actor Jonathan Groff, 27, lover of Zachary Quinto and currently appearing in Red at the Mark Taper Forum (FILA Aug 22 p64) was interviewed in LAT Aug 19 D3 and Out Sep p68.
   The alternative night scene was discussed (LAT Aug 31A2; LA Weekly Aug 10 p76;Aug 17  p76;Aug 24 p74; Aug  31 p76).  
   Medical  professionals were suggested to inspect straight porn movie sets during filming (LAT Aug 17 AA4).  A syphilis outbreak caused self-policing (LAT Aug 21 AA3).
  The movie comedy Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same was described as a “weirdly ingratiating trifle” and a ”memorable curio” (LAT Aug 17 D14).
  The documentary film about Bishop Gene Robinson Love Free was called “diffuse” (LAT Aug 24 D10).
   The estate of Ira Levin has forced cancelation of the revival of his play Deathtrap at the LA  Gay and Lesbian Center because the Spring 2011 production was “too nude and too Gay” according to the sensationalistic headline in LAT Aug 28 D1.
   A new LGBT restaurant Superba Snack Bar has opened at 533 Rose Avenue in Venice (FILA Aug 22 p56).
 Other: Time Sep  10 p50;
 
LGBT PASSINGS:
Author Rosemary Keefe(Curb), 72, died on May 24 from complications of a lung transplant, leaving her partner of nearly 20 years Doris Burkemper. She became famous for being co-editor of the anthology Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence of 1985.  Her 2^nd book, Amazon All-Stars: Thirteen Lesbian Plays came out in 1997. She came out as a Lesbian in 1973 after a 8-year stint as a nun, a  teacher of high school biology, and a marriage of 4 years. She obtained an MA and a PhD from the University of Arkansas. She was a professor of English and founder/ director of the Women’s Studies Program at Rollins College, FL. She was also professor of English and dean of faculties at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.  She retired in 2006 to Corrales, New Mexico.  Gay male porn star Eric Rhodes, 30, died on June 15 of a heart attack. He started at Falcon (now Raging Stallion) Studios in 2004 and appeared in over 48 porn films and directed in 9 others.  He was a heavy steroid and drug user and suffered from depression. British porn star Nathan Price died on July 2 in London of a drug overdose.  Gary Goyer, 55, of West Hollywood died of cancer on July 18, leaving his long-time partner Joe Czarnecki. He was a hair stylist in Beverly Hills for 30 years. Gay porn star Nelson Troy, still in his 20s, died while high on methamphetamine after being hit by a car in Mexico on July 23.  He was a former security guard for RAGE and a go-go boy for Here Lounge in Los Angeles before he went into the porn industry in 2009 for Channel 1 Releasing. He had a drug problem. He was HIV positive in 2009.  He did 4 porn films. Gay male porn star Adam Faust, 38, died of a drug overdose in New York on Aug 2.  He began in the porn industry in 2004. His specialty was as a fisting top. Barbarita (Marlon Javier Jiménez Alemán), 21, a transgender woman in San Pedro Sula, Honduras was murdered on Aug 2.  Four persons who claimed to be officers from the National Agency of Criminal Investigation (Dirección Nacional de Investigación Criminal), arrested her on Aug 1 and took her away for questioning.  She was found with bullet wounds and had signs of torture..  Film producer and distributor David Newlon, 50, died in Palm Springs on Aug 3. He was President of the Los Angeles Tennis Association 2007-8 as well as 3 years as Publicity Director and 2 years as Secretary. Hr was a member since 1989.  His production company was in financial difficulties. Singer Charvela Vargas, 93, died of multiple organ failure in Cuernavaca, Mexico on Aug 5.  She became famous after 1961 for her interpretation of songs of the ranchera variety as well as boleros and corridos, and for her persistently wearing trousers, packing a pistol, and knocking back tequila.  She was rediscovered in the 1990s by film director Pedro Almodovar, and she came out in 2000.  An affair was rumored between her and Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera’s model and paramour.  She allowed feminine pronouns to stand when she sang songs by male composers. She influenced Concha Buika, Tania Libertad, Lila Downs, and Eugenia Leon.  Jack Fertig (aka Sister Boom Boom), 57, died of liver cancer in San Francisco on Aug 5, leaving his lover Elias Trevino.  She was a Radical Faerie and one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence which she joined in 1980 as Sister Rose of the Bloody Stains of the Sacred Robes of Jesus.  She ran for SF Supervisor in 1982 under “Nun of the Above” with a poster of her riding a broomstick a la The Wicked Witch of the West.  She ran for SF mayor in 1983.  She exorcized Jerry Falwell and Phyllis Schafly on Union Square just before the 1984 Democratic Convention. She left the Sisters in 1985, converted to Islam in 2003,  . Writer Mark O’Donnell, 58, collapsed and died in his Manhattan apartment complex on Aug 6.  He won the Tony in 2003 for best book of a musical for Hairspray, and was also nominated in 2008 for CryBaby,both inspired by the original John Waters films.  He also wrote plays (That’s It Folks, Fables for Friends, and The Nice and the Nasty), novels (Getting Over Homer and Let Nothing You Dismay),and adaptations (Private Fittings).  Publicity Agent to the stars over 4 decades Dale Olson, 78, died on Aug 9 of liver cancer in Burbank, leaving his spouse Eugene Harbin.  He promoted Rock Hudson in 1985 as the latter died of AIDS, and devised successful Oscar campaigns for Maggie Smith (1969), Shirley MacLaine (1983), and Robert Duvall (1983).  He worked for a newspaper chain in Portland Ore in the late 40s-early 50s, and moved to Hollywood in 1951 where he joined the Mattachine Society then headed by Harry Hay, and was its 1^st national Secretary. He wrote for Box-office magazine and Daily Variety before he became publicity director for the Mirisch film production company.  He married Harbin in 2008.He was Trustee of the Actors Fundand Chair of the Actors Nursing Home Committee. Humorist David Rakoff, 47, died in New York City on Aug 9 after a 2-year fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma  He won the 2011 Thurber Prize for Half Empty (a collection of essays), wrote other books like Fraud (2001), was a public radio reporter on This American Life, and wrote essays for such magazines as GQ, Slate, and the New York Times.  As an actor he appeared in several stage plays of Amy and David Sedaris, and acted in and did the screenplay for the short film The New Tenants that received the Academy Award in 2009.  His final work Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die; Cherish, Perish is to be published in 2013.  Actor Ron Palilo, 63, died on Aug 14 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla, leaving his long-time partner, Joseph Gramm. He became a star in Welcome Back Kotter in the 70s, a show that also starred John Travolta. Designer Michael Kinsler, 51, died of pancreatic cancer on Aug 17 in Los Angeles, leaving his husband, Howard Rosner.  He founded the Bet Haverim, the LGBT congregation of Atlanta. He was the creative director for Gibson and Cambridge, Silversmiths.  Feminist thinker and activist Shulamith Firestone, 67, died probably on or about Aug 21, with her body being found in her apartment on Aug 28. She was a leading thinker of second-wave feminism and co-founder of the New York Radical Women group. She was the author of the groundbreaking 1970 book, The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution. She left politics in the early 1970s and later fell into obscurity.  She suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. She also painted.
 
 
GREEN PARTY NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
    European economic problems continued as unemployment remained at 11.3% in July (Time Aug 13 p9(2);Aug 20 p7,11;   LAT Aug 3 A3;Aug 15 B4;Aug 23A3;Aug 29 A3;Sep 1 B2).
    Climate change continued to be fiercely disputed (LAT Aug 2 A13;Aug 29 A7).
    Fallout continued on the election of the new Mexican President as the losing candidates disputed the vote counting but Pena Nieto was declared President on Aug 31 (LAT Aug 3 A4;Aug 14 A1;Sep 1 A4).
    The aftermath of Fukushima on March 11 2011 continued with protests of 200,000 in Japan against nuclear contested power on July 29 (Time Aug 13 p13); flotsom and jetsom continuing to arrive on the North American coast (LAT Aug 4 A11;Aug 15 AA2; Adelante Aug p59); and mutations in butterflies (LAT Aug 17 A7).
     Curiosity landed on Mars on Aug 5 to assess what could be exploited (Time Aug 20 p20;Sep 10 p51; LAT Aug 6 A1;Aug 7 A1,AA1;Aug 8 AA1;Aug 11 AA1;Aug 23 A1(photo),A12).
     The City of Hiroshima called for scrapping of nuclear arsenals on Hiroshima Day Aug 5 on the 67th anniversary of the dropping of the 1^st atom bomb on a city and post-Fukushima (LAT Aug 6 AA2;Aug 7 A2 (photo)).
    French drivers are fuming over its new breathalyzer law that took effect on July 1 requiring them to have a personal test kit or face a fine(LAT Aug 26A1).
 
 NATIONAL. 
    On Aug 5 in Los Angeles, the Peace & Freedom Party (formed in 1968) nominated Roseanne Barr for president after 2 ballots and Cindy Sheehan for vice president after one ballot.  At the convention, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (Peta Lindsay/Yari Osorio) withdrew their candidates to support Barr/Sheehan. Rocky Anderson/Luis Rodriguez of the Justice Party  withdrew earlier in the week. The Freedom Socialist Party (openly Gay Stephen Durham/ Christina Lopez) and the Socialist Party USA (Stewart Alexander/Alex Mendoza) candidates still placed their names forward but lost. Both Barr and Sheehan appeared at the Convention, and did TV interviews. Apart from California, the P&F Party has ballot status in Florida.  Efforts are ongoing to achieve ballot status in Colorado and Hawaii. Barr also made a splash at her Celebrity Roast on Aug 12 –she was previously roasted in 1993 (LAT Aug 11 D1).
   The budget continued to be nagged by partisan differences as unemployment in July rose to 8.3% (Time Aug 20 p26;  LAT Aug 2 A6;Aug 3 B1;Aug 4 A1,AA1,B1;Aug 11 A2).
   Partisanship in Congress continued (LAT Aug 3 A7,AA2)
   The Presidential campaign of the duopoly continued, with Paul Ryan, 42, being named as the Vice Presidential candidate on the Romney Republican ticket on Aug 11  and staging of the shortened Republican Convention in Tampa Bay on Aug 27-30 (Time Aug 13 p12,33, 34-45; Aug 20 p7; Aug 20 p12,19;Aug 27 p9(2),14,16,21,24;Sep 3 p5,10,14,16,19,20-46,62;Sep 10 p7(2),12,20,23,24-47,51;    ; LAT Aug 2 A1,A2,A12,A13;Aug 3 A12;Aug 4 AA1;Aug 5 A1;Aug 6 A5,A8,AA2; Aug 7 A6, A13 (also cartoon);Aug 8 A10;Aug 9 A1,A6,A16; Aug 10 A8(2),A17 (plus cartoon);Aug 11 A1,A10; Aug 12 A1(2),A12,A13,A21, A22,Aug 13 A5,A6, AA2;Aug 14 A1,A6,A8,A9,B1,D1, Aug 15 A6,A12,AA2,B1;Aug 16 A1, A7;Aug 17 A14,A16, A23 (also cartoon),AA2,Aug 18 A1,A14, A15,AA1;Aug 19 A1,A12,A19, A20,E1,E2; Aug 20 A5,Aug 21 A5,A6,A11(cartoon), AA1,B1; Aug 22 A1,A7,A10,A15(2), AA2,B1;Aug 23 A1,A8,A17(3), AA2;Aug 24 A12,A16, A17(also cartoon);Aug 25 A8,D1(2);Aug 26 A1,A10(2),A15,A21,A22, S23,P1,P3,LAT Parade Magazine front cover,p6;Aug 27 A1,A5,A6,A7,A11(cartoon),D1(2);Aug 28 A1,A6,A8(4), A11 (+ cartoon) ,Aug 29 A1,A14,A17(3),U Supplement;Aug 30 A15,U Supplement;Aug 31 A19 (+ cartoon);U Supplement;Sep 1 A1(2),A8,A16,A22,D1(2),E8; Jewish J Aug 17 p6,12;Rage Monthly Aug p28; FILA Aug 22 p22).
    Fallout from the Supreme Court approval of ObamaCare continued (LAT Aug 7 A13;Aug 9 B2;Aug 17 A23;Aug 18 A1,AA3).
    George Zimmerman, slayer of Trayvon Martin on Feb 26, will not face trial until after the November election and will claim self-defense (LAT Aug 9 A15;Aug 10 AA2;Sep 1 A12).
    A suit against the FBI for spying on Orange County Muslims was dismissed because of “national security” reasons by a federal judge on Aug 14 (LAT Aug 15AA1).
   There is an uncontrolled outbreak of West Nile Disease in and near Dallas Texas that has already killed 21 with 693 infections (LAT Aug 17 AA2;Aug 22 A6). LA County has 5 infections (LAT Aug 24 AA5). A Hanta Virus outbreak, derived from flees on mice,  is also occurring in Yosemite Natioinal Park(LAT Sep 1 AA1).
    Oil pipeline building in the contiguous U.S. received attention as did drilling in Alaska (LAT Aug 18 B1;Aug 24 A8;Sep 1 AA5).
   The U.S. Nuclear Safety Commission is investigating health effects near nuclear reactor electrical plants that include San Onofre and Diablo Canyon in California (LAT Aug 19 A25). There may have been a toxic leak at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington State (LAT Aug 22 AA2).
 
CALIFORNIA
    The San Francisco Ethics Commission found former Green Party member and San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was found guilty of misconduct by abusing his wife and imprisoning her on Dec 31 2011, but did not vote to fire him in a wacky hearing (LAT Aug 17 AA5).
    Budget problems continued with unemployment still at 10.7% in July (LAT Aug 2 A1;Aug 3 A3;Aug 6 AA1;Aug 8 AA3;Aug 9 B1;Aug 12 A25;Aug 16 AA1;Aug 17 AA1(2);Aug 18 B1,B2, B3;Aug 19 A1;Aug 21 AA1;Aug 23 A17(cartoon);Aug 27 A1,A2;Aug 28 AA3;Aug 29 A1;Aug 30 A1,A2;Aug 31 A1,A18;AA1,AA4;Sep 1 AA1,AA4; LA Weekly Aug 3 p14;Aug10 p11).
    The No on 37 campaign (GMOs) to oppose labeling GMO containing foods has raised $25 million (LAT Aug 14 B2;Aug 22 B1).  Monsanto contributed $4.2 million;DuPont $4.03 million; Pepsico $1.7 million; BASF Plant Science $1.6 million; Bayer Crop Science $1.6 million; Dow Associates $1.2 million; Nestle USA $1.2 million;Coca Cola N America $1.2 million;Conagra Foods $1.1 million; The highest donation to support Prop 37 to label GMO foods is Mercola.com Health Resources $800,000.  Total donations for the Yes campaign are $3 million.
    Corruption woes continued (LAT Aug 17 AA1;Aug 26 A25; LA Weekly Aug 3 p14).
    Panhandlers continue to test the tolerance of city dwellers (LAT Aug 6A1;Aug 8 A12).
    Water from the Sacramento delta continued to be a focus as well as in Mammoth (LAT Aug 2 AA4;Aug 6 A13;Aug 8 A12;  LA Weekly Aug  24 p12).
    The polluted Stringfellow Acid Pits in Riverside County have to be cleaned up and paid for by insurance companies ruled the California Supreme Court on Aug 9 (LAT Aug 10 AA3).  The cleanup may cost $7,000,000.
    Packed state prisons face a financial crunch (LAT Aug 13 A1;Aug 14 A10;Aug 16 A15 (cartoon);Aug 18 AA1;Aug 31 A18).
    The dangers of diesel emissions were discussed (LAT Aug 13 A11).
    San Onofre is still offline in spite of bills to consumers still containing its tax contribution (LAT Aug 14 AA1;Aug 23 A1;Aug 29 B1).
    Two bills (AB 972 and AB 591) against fracking were rejected by the California legislature (LAT Aug 17 AA5).
    California’s medical marijuana and federal laws continued their turbulent association (LAT Aug 22 AA1(photo);Aug 24 AA5;  Soft Secrets Aug 10 p30).
    Hate crimes (64, 19 being against African Americans and 8 against Jews) in Orange County rose by 14% in 2011, including those against LGBTs­at least 3  (LAT Aug 31 AA3).
 
LOS ANGELES
    Layoffs, budget cuts, school curriculum compressions, and bankrupcies continued (LAT Aug 2 AA1,AA4;Aug 5 A26;Aug 6 A13,AA1;Aug 7 AA3(2);Aug 9 AA3;Aug 11 AA1;Aug 13 AA1 (2);Aug 18 A2;Aug 22 A2,AA1,AA3;Aug 29 AA3(2)).

    Water wars continued (LAT Aug 2 AA4;Aug 6 A13;Aug 10 AA4).

     Investigations into suspected corruption continued (LAT Aug 3 A1,AA1;Aug 7 AA3;Aug 12 A21;  LA Weekly Aug 10 p15;Aug 17 p13;Aug 29 AA1;Aug 30 A1,AA3;Aug 31 B1).

     Jail reform continued to be slow (LAT Aug 4 AA1;Aug 5 A29;Aug 9 A16;Aug 25 AA1(2); Aug 28 A1).

     Proposed Walmarts elicited protests (LAT Aug 6 AA1;Aug 13 A11;Aug 14 A10;Aug 15 AA3).

     LA transit problems continued although the environmental impact report for the Purple Line was approved on Aug 10 (LAT Aug 7 AA1;Aug 8 AA3;Aug 27 A8;Aug 28 AA3;  West Hollywood Ind Aug 19 p5).

     Race caused friction in Los Angeles City Council redistricting discussions (LAT Aug 8AA1).

     Police killings and gang problems were alleged to be linked (LAT Aug 8 AA1;Aug 9 AA3; Aug 11  AA1).

     The hazards of metal recycling were discussed in LAT Aug 12 A1;Aug 22 A1.

     The homeless continued to be a focus (LAT Aug 16A1).

    Gang control was a priority (LAT Aug 17 AA4).

    A petition is circulating to repeal the Los Angeles pot dispensary ban at the March 2013 election (LAT Aug 18 AA1;Aug 30 AA4;  Daily Bruin Aug 20 p1).

    West Hollywood banned single-use plastic bags at its check-out stores (LAT Aug 21 AA3).

    Big boxstores like WalMart generated heat (LAT Aug 22 AA3;Aug 27 AA4).

   The LAPD assault of a Venice skateboarder, 20, going against traffic flow in Venice on Aug 18 caused headlines (L,AT Aug 22 AA3). Other allegations of LAPF assault or causing unprovoked death surfaced (LAT Aug 28 AA1;Aug 31AA1;Sep 1 A1).

    The LA City Council rejected limits on their fundraising and a shortened election season (LAT Aug 23 AA1).

    Zev Yaroslavsky announced on Aug 23 that he will not run for mayor of Los Angeles (LAT Aug 24 A1,A16;Aug 27 A11).

 

OUT AGAINST WAR
    The Los Angeles action to Free Bradley Manning of Aug 16, endorsed by both Out Against War and LA LGBT Greens, the same day Ecuador gave asylum to Julian Assange, started with some 30 at Syd  Kronenthal Park in Culver City near the end of the Expo Line, and decamped to Motor/Venice near Obama’s California Election headquarters where some 25 chalked, waved signs, held a giant Free Bradley Manning banner, and listened to speeches.  At 8p the group decamped again to the British Consulate on Wilshire.  It was led by ANSWER people and attended by many Vets.  Other Bradley Manning actions on the same day of Aug 16 occurred in Oakland (6 arrests where the Obama office was occupied and activists actually attacked by Obama staffers), Portland (6 arrests), and Seattle.  Julian Assange on Aug 19 in London called for the U.S. government to release “hero Bradley Manning­one of the world’s foremost political prisoners”; to ”renounce its witchhunt against Wikileaks”; and to end the “war on whistle-blowers” (LAT Aug 20 A3).  The Aug precourt-martial hearing for Bradley Manning began on Aug 27. Army Col. Denise Lind, the judge handling the case, declared on Aug 30 that Pfc. Bradley Manning’s formal court martial is now scheduled to take place between Feb 4 and March 15. The 24-year-old Manning faces a possible life sentence if convicted of leaking hundreds of thousands of documents, including cables and war logs, to the secret-spilling website Wikileaks. Lawyers discussed various evidentiary issues during a three-day pretrial hearing that concluded Aug 30 in Fort Meade, Md. Both sides are scheduled to return to court in October for another hearing. Manning is held in Fort Leavenworth Kansas between hearings. Another action outside Obama’s Campaign Headquarters is scheduled for Thur Sep 6 5-8p at Motor/.Venice. BE THERE WITH FRIENDS/BANNERS!
    Out Against War endorsed the Aug 26 march for Women’s rights on Women’s Equality Day to celebrate the ratification of the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 (LAT Aug 27 AA6(photo)).  Bill Kaiser thought there was an interesting diverse crowd featuring several hundred women and their allies taking over the streets of Hollywood under a banner that read “Defend women’s rights! We won’t go back! We will fight back!”    The march from Hollywood/Vine ended at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and featured many speakers.  He stated:
  ”There were a few hundred at best but both women and men and different speakers from some small unions and ethnic groups (no church people) but young women too. The parade route was mostly through blocked off and deserted Sun streets but there were big crowds of tourists on Hollywood Blvd which was good and lots of TV coverage-- also good. The visual is so good in front of Dolby Theatre I wished there were a few thousand instead which would have been more impressive.”
  Open Lesbian Colonel Tammy Smith, who has served for 26 years, was promoted to Brigader General, the 1^st openly LGBT U.S. general, on Aug 10 (Time Aug 27 p9; LAT Aug 12 A8; FILA Aug 22 p20).  The general’s star was pinned on her by her wife Tracey Hepner as well as her father.
   One officer alleged to have driven Pvt Danny Chen (called Dragon Lady in derision) to suicide by mistreatment and taunting was given a 6-month sentence on Aug 13  as well as demotion and a dishonorable discharge (LAT Aug 14 AA2).      
    Republicans were concerned at the military’s decision to allow LGBT military march in the San Diego LGBT Parade in uniform (The Fight Aug p12).
 
WAR: INTERNATIONAL
   Al Qaeda was alleged to still be mounting guerrila suicide attacks in such diverse places as Yemen, Somalia, Bahrain, Ethiopia, Libya (LAT Aug 6 AA2;Aug 9 A4;Aug19A8;Aug 20 A3;Aug 21 A3;Aug 22A3;Aug 24A4;Aug 30 A6;Aug 31 AA1).
   Deaths continued in Iraq particularly as Turkey carried out lethal attacks on Kurds near the border (Time Sep 10 p54; LAT Aug 6 A4;Aug 12 A6;Aug 16 A4;Aug 17 A10;Aug 21 A4;Aug 27 A4).
   Deaths continued in Afghanistan as Pres Karzai encountered problems with the Afghan parliament (Time Sep  10 p10; LAT Aug 5 A3;Aug 9 A3;Aug 10 AA2;Aug 11 A4;Aug 12 A3;Aug 13 A3;Aug 14 AA2;Aug 15 A3;Aug 16 A15;Aug 17 A3;Aug 18 A1,A8;Aug 20 A1;Aug 21 A4;Aug 22 A3; Aug 24 A3;Aug 26 A3;Aug 27 A3;Aug 28 A3,A5;Aug 29 A6;Aug 30 AA2 (2);Aug 31 A6,A19;Sep 1 A3).
   Drone flights, deaths and corruption continued in Pakistan (LAT Aug 9 AA2;Aug 16 AA2;Aug 17 A11;Aug 19 A8;Aug 21A3;Aug 25 A6;Aug 29 A6).
   Syria continued to have civil war as Obama openly supplied the rebels and as fighting intensified in Aleppo and as clashes occurred along the borders with Turkey and Jordan (Time Aug 13 p13;Aug 20 p11;Aug 27 p13;Sep3 p5;Sep10 p11;  LAT Aug 2 A3,AA2; Aug 3 A1;Aug 4 A1,A3; Aug 5 A3,A4;Aug 7 A3;Aug 8 AA2;Aug 9 A3,A17;Aug 10 A1;Aug 11 A5;Aug 12 A4;Aug 13 A4;Aug 14 A1,A5; Aug 15 A4;Aug 16 A3;Aug 17 A10,A23;Aug 18 A3;Aug 19 A1,A3,A8;Aug 20 AA2;Aug 21 A3;Aug 22 A1,A4;Aug 23 A1,A4;Aug 24 A3;Aug 25 A4;Aug 26 A1,A6;Aug 27 A1;Aug 28 A3;Aug 29 A6;Aug 30 A4;Aug 31 A3).
   The  new Egyptian government took office on Aug 2 and the new President purged the army on Aug 12 and started courting his neighbor states (Time Aug 20 p10;Aug 27 p9,12;  LAT Aug 3 A3;Aug 7 A1;Aug 10 A3, AA2;Aug 12 A3;Aug 14 A3;Aug 15 A4;Aug 19 A3;Aug 24 A4,A17;   Aug 27 A11;Aug 28 A4;Aug 29 A4).
   Deaths continued in Yemen (LAT Aug 6 AA2;Aug 8 A4;Aug 9 A4;Aug 19 A8).
   Libya elected an interim President until a new constitution is approved in 2013 as it was decided that Gaddafi’s son will be put on trial and as measures against Sufis increased (LAT Aug 10 AA2;Aug 21 AA2;Aug 27 A4).
   Militant Islam appears on the rise in Tunisia (LAT Aug 31A1).
   Iran was the subject of hurried conferences of U.S. and Israeli officials on Aug 1 as sanctions started to bite, missiles were tested, as Iran and Egypt also conferred, and Netanyahu threatened to attack Iran with the resultant anti-Israel rhetoric of the Iranian President  (Time Aug 13 p12; Sep 10 p11; LAT Aug 2 A4;Aug 5 A4;Aug 6 A3;Aug 9 A3;Aug 16 A4;Aug 17 A6;Aug 18 A4; Aug 24 A4;Aug 27 A3;Aug 28 A11;Aug 30 A3;Aug 31 A4(2)).
   Killings continued in the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and Gaza as Israel tried to cope with a political crisis and the Palestinians readied for another bid at recognition in the U.N. (Time Aug 13 p46;   LAT Aug 3 A3;Aug 5 A8;Aug 6 A3;Aug 7 A4;Aug 13 A4;Aug 22 A3;Aug 25 A5; Aug 28 A3;  Jewish J Aug 17 p7,10). An Israeli court on Aug 28 ruled that the Rachel Corrie death by bulldozer in 2003 was an accident (LAT Aug 29 A3).
   The punk Russian female trio Pussy Riot who criticized President to be  Putin at a concert in Feb was sentenced to 2 years in prison on Aug 17 for ”hooliganism” with 2 members seeking asylum on Aug 26 (LAT Aug 18 A1,D1;Aug 19 A8;Aug 22 A14;Aug 29 D1;  W Hollywood Ind Aug 19 p9).
   Wikileaks runner Julian Assange, 41, still holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London since June 19 and seeking asylum in Ecuador, was defended by the Ecuadorean foreign minister who accused Britain of wanting to storm the embassy (LAT Aug 16 AA2).  Ecuador formally granted Assange asylum on Aug 16 and on Aug 19 Assange made a speech that extolled Bradley Manning (Time Sep 3 p9; LAT Aug 17 A3;Aug 20 A3).
 
WAR NATIONAL/STATE/
   Drone use by police, firefighters, the military at home, and aerospace engineers was explored (LAT Aug 5 A16;Aug 8 B1;Aug 9 B1;Aug13A1;Aug 31 AA4).
 
 
OCCUPY
    The Mexican Occupy Yo Soy 132 is active in protests about vote rigging in the recent Mexican election (LAT Aug 14 A1,A5(photo)).
 
OCCUPY U.S. 
OCCUPY NATIONAL:
   Wall Street greed, past and present, continued to be discussed (LAT Aug 3 A1).
   The role of the Federal Reserve Bank (“The Fed”) came under scrutiny (Time Aug 13 p30).
   The dangers of money market funds were enumerated in LAT Aug 12 B1.
   Goldman Sachs and its CEO Lloyd Blankfein won dismissal on Aug 14 of an investor suit that alleged they knew that processes did not comply with underwriting standards (LAT Aug 15 B2).
   Wells Fargo’s brokerage firm settled on Aug 14 for $6.58 million SEC charges that it failed to inform investors of the risks of the mortgage securities it sold in 2007 (LAT Aug 15 B6).
   The SEC rejected regulation of mutual funds on Aug 22 (LAT Aug 23 AA2).
   Twenty-five of the U.S. highest-paid CEOs pocketed more pay than the federal income taxes on their companies in 2011 (LAT Aug 28 B1). The litmus test for company selection in the survey by the Institute for Policy Studies was each company had to have more than $1 billion in pretax income.  Most of these companies also received bailout funds from the U.S. government thus rewarding risky ventures. These companies had tax breaks of $14.4 billion/year..  The report recommended capping CEO pay that can be deducted,limit overseas tax havens, and to abolish the capital gains tax perk.
 
OCCUPY CALIFORNIA EXCEPT LOS ANGELES 
  Reaction to the Anaheim shootings of two Latinos was spearheaded by Occupy Orange County who also commented on the Council’s redistricting plans and its at-large elections (LAT Aug 3 AA3;Aug 9 AA1;Aug 10 A16,AA4;Aug 18 AA3(photo);Aug 20 A11)

OCCUPY LOS ANGELES
   Another clash like that on July 12 between Occupy and the LAPD re pavement chalk drawing during Art Walks was thought to be imminent (LAT Aug 9 A1,AA3,D1). Occupy LA called for an international day of chalking on Aug 9 with its Los Angeles activities to be confined to Pershing Square. Allies such as Cindy Sheehan., Code Pink, and Occupy Oakland participated as chalktivists. No arrests occurred during the chalking at Pershing Square with some 150 Occupiers, and the ArtWalk was undisturbed (LAT Aug 10 AA1). However, 2 were arrested at the Square earlier on.
   After Occupy’s eviction from City Hall Park in 2011, Occupy Skid Row arose on Towne Avenue to spearhead its new focus on the rights of the some 1,214 downtown homeless and creeping gentrification downtown (LAT Aug 9 A1). The LAPD crackdown on the encampment during the summer of 2012 led to arrests and confiscations of unattended belongings and tents, and the abandonment of the camp on Aug 1.  Occupy’s ally, the Los Angeles Community Action network, criticized the crackdown. So far this year the downtown has been the scene of 2,200 arrests.
 

LAVENDER GREENS MISSION STATEMENT(June 24 2003): 
The National Lavender Green Caucus (NLGC) is the Green Party's advocacy group on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (GLBTIQ) issues. NLGC works for the elimination of heterosexism and all its manifestations such as homophobia, violence, prejudice, and injustice against GLBTIQ communities. NLGC also works for the elimination of racism and sexism and all their manifestations in GLBTIQ communities and in society as a whole, and our work is centered in ten key values and four pillars of the Green Party of the United States. The caucus recognizes that freedom and social justice for GLBTIQ individuals will only come with the liberation of all people, and we actively view ourselves as a part of a broader movement for social justice.


EVENTS:
FRIDAY ANTIWAR VIGILS: 5-7p at Vista Theater at Sunset Bl./Hollywood Bl./Hillhurst Av./Virgil Av. junction; Echo Park, intersection of Glendale/Alvarado, S of the #2 freeway entrance; 5-6p at Pico/La Cienega; 6.30-7.30p at Mar Vista Park at Palms/McLaughlin.
ARLINGTON WEST MEMORIAL AT SANTA MONICA PIER BEACH: Sundays until Troops Come Home, 7:30-9:30 a or 6:00-7:00 p at Santa Monica Pier (North Side)
OUT AGAINST WAR VIGILS:
OCCUPY LOS ANGELES GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, Mon, Wed, Fri 7:30p, Sat 4p. Pershing Square. www.occupylosangeles.org; occupiedlosangelestimes @gmail.com.
OCCUPY VENICE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, Mon, Thurs 7p: 1358 Abbot Kinney Blvd
 
Thurs Sep 6 5-8p:  Obama: Free Bradley Manning. Venice Blvd/Motor Ave outside the OBAMA California Campaign Headquarters.. An action to free Bradley Manning and to assure Obama that LGBT support is not unconditional.  Bring friends, signs, banners, noise makers, literature,color. SPONSORED BYOUT AGAINST WAR/LA LGBT GREENS/FREE BRADLEY MANNING CAMPAIGN