LA LGBT GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2014

[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;

lavende...@green.gpus.org; lavender-...@green.gpus.org
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LA LGBT  GREENS/OUT AGAINST WAR  NEWSLETTER  AUGUST 2014  Volume 14  #8

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SAME SEX MARRIAGE:
   More Colorado clerks issued licenses for same sex marriage but were forced to go on hold on July 29 (LAT July 11 A7;July 30 AA2).
   The battle and politics behind the debunking of Jo Becker’s book on same sex marriage Forcing the Spring: Inside the Fight for Marriage, were discussed in Advocate Aug/Sep p26.  In the book, Becker showers credit on the Johnnys-come-latelys of the marriage movement- Chad Griffin, Ted Olson, David Boies,  Rob Reiner, Bruce Cohen, Dustin Lance Black, and the Becker Prop-8 legal team.
   Fox News coverage of marriage equality has been minimal (Advocate Aug/Sep p28).
   Oklahoma’s ban on same sex marriage was confirmed to be unconstitutional (LAT July 19 A10) as was Virginia’s on July 28 (LAT July 29 A7) while N Carolina will not defend its law (LAT July 29 A7).
Other: FILA July 10 p13,15,20;July 24 p10,54
 

LGBT  NEWS
INTERNATIONAL  
    The Pope met with victims of abuse by his priests in Rome on July 7 and pledged that priests who covered up such incidents would also be punished (Time July 21 p10;  LAT July 8 A3).
    A girl who declared free of HIV became detectable again (LAT July 11 A6).
    The British governing body of ballroom dancing has proposed that partners be of different gender (LAT July 12 A4).
    Vicious, the British 2 old queens comedy starring Ian McKellen and Dersk Jacoby received a warm review in Advocate Aug/Sep p17. It is on PBS at 10:30p Sundays.
    The paucity of same sex couples in a HIV study designed to test whether a treated HIV person transmitted HIV to the seronegative sex partner was criticized in Advocate Aug/Sep p29.  Out Aug p42 examined being a “Truvada whore.”
    The Uganda Supreme court invalidated a law that imposed life imprisonment on homosexuals (LAT Aug 2  A4).
    Putin’s anti-LGBT laws were discussed in FILA July 24 p14.

NATIONAL
  Six national LGBT groups have withdrawn their support of the revised ENDA because it allows employer exemptions based on religious beliefs and might be subject to the June 30 Hobby Lobby ruling of the Supreme Court (LAT July 3 A14;July 9 A8,A12;July 13 A21; FILA July 10 p21). The LGBT groups included the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Taskforce; Lambda Legal; There was no religious exemption in Obama’s Executive Order that was signed on July 21 (LAT July 19 A10;July 22 AA2; FILA Aug 6 p12). Discriminating on the basis of religion in the hobby lobby law was discussed in LAT July 23 B1.
   Rosie O’Donnell is back on The View (LAT July 11 D2). 
   Hacker and computer whizz Aaron Swartz’s run-in with the federal government and suicide when 26 were chronicled sympathetically in The Internet’s Own Boy (LAT July 3 D3).
   Transgender workplace protections were discussed in Advocate Aug/Sep p15,51,52, 58,,60, 61, 62, 64.
  A profile of Michael Sam appeared in Out Aug p62, and former NFL coach Tony Dungy was a Grinch when he stated that he would not have selected him (Time Aug 4 p11; FILA July 24 p9).
  The musical We Will Rock You got a lukewarm reception in LAT July 18 D12.
  Transgender Laverne Cox of Orange Is The New Black got a mention in Time July 28 p5 for her Emmy nomination first for a transgender actress.
  The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 1.6% self-identified as Lesbian or Gay, 0.7% bisexual, and 1.1% “something else” or had no response (Time July 28 p12).
   Portia De Rossi, the spouse of Ellen Degeneres,  will join ABC’s Scandal on Sep 25 for its new season (LAT July 25 D2).
   HIV diagnoses dropped 33% in the U.S. over the last decade except in men who have sex with men group –that increased 132% 13-24 yr old (LAT July 27 A17).  Incidence also increased for the male age groups 45-54, and above 54 yrs.
   The influence of Duck Dynasty, the cable #1 reality show that has employed homophobic characters,  is waning (LAT July 30 D1).
   The reasons against wearing condoms in porn films were advanced (LAT Aug 4 A13).
   Openly gay Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented immigrant himself, went to the McAllen, Texas, border to report on the crisis of unaccompanied children escaping violence in Central America. Vargas was arrested at the airport when he tried to leave. “Is it a stunt to get on a plane to leave to try to get out of south Texas?” Vargas asked, adding about his detention, “That’sthe risk undocumented people take every day.” Vargas was
released but must return for a formal deportation hearing.(FILA July 24 p11).

CALIFORNIA
   Former Assembly Speaker and 1^st such LGBT holder John Perez launched a limited 16 county recount on July 6 for the State Controller race (LAT July 7 AA3;July 9 A12;July 11 A1).  Some 481 votes separated him from 2nd place Dem colleague Betty Yee.  Recounts are per county with each bill footed by the applicant. A hand recount in LA County could cost Perez $1 million. He eventually conceded the 2^nd place to Dem Betty Yee on July 18 (LAT July 19 AA1). She will face Republican Ashley Swearengin.

LOS ANGELES
    The LA County Supervisor’s race in the 3rd District between Sheila Kuehl and Bobby Shriver was close but the latter was endorsed by We Ho councilman John Duran on July 8 (LAT July 7 A11;July 9 AA1;July 14 AA1;July 23 AA6;Aug 1 AA3;  FILA July 10 p24).
  Outfest was profiled as was the Greg Louganis documentary (LAT July 10 D3; July 19 D2;  LA Weekly July11 p30,49; FILA July 10 p39-53;July 24 p13).
  The alternative night scene was covered in LA Weekly July11 p68;July 25 p57;Aug 1 p63.
  An exhibition of the photos of closeted Gay Minor White (1908-1976) is at the Getty.  White believed that every photo reflected the photographer and his/her attitudes.
   Michael Egan who accused film director Bryan Singer of molestation in the late 1990s is being abandoned by his lawyer team (LAT July 30 B3).
 
LGBT PASSINGS
  Frank Robinson, 87, died on June 30 in a San Francisco hospice.  He was a writer of thrillers (The Power of 1956; The Glass Inferno of 1974;     ) , science fiction (The Dark Beyond the Stars of 1991) , columnist (Playboy Advisor 1969-1973),  Chicago Gay Pride 1971, and a speech-writer, the latter most notably for 1978-slain San Francisco Gay Supervisor Harvey Milk (famously his You Got to Have Hope speech). He came to San Francisco in 1973 from Chicago.  He served in World War II and Korean Wars as a radar technician.  Between the Wars he graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin. He later had a journalism degree from Northwestern U.  He had a short role in the film Milk as himself.
 
   Pim de  Kuijer, 32,  activist and lobbyist for STOP AIDS NOW in The Netherlands,  was a Malaysia Airline passenger killed on July 17 by the missile attack over the east part of the Ukraine.  He was enroute for the 20^th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne Australia. He was also a former European Commission diplomat, and worked as an election observer in Kosovo, Egypt and Ukraine. He was also a political intern of former Dutch lawmaker Lousewies van der Laan. STOP AIDS NOW is geared to prevent HIV transmission and entry to developing countries.
  
    Martine de Schutter, a Dutch victim of the July 17 missile attack on Malaysia Airlines 17 over the Ukraine, was a program manager for the coalition Bridging the Gaps, an organization that focused on treatment access and services for LGBT, sex workers and people who use drugs. During her career, de Schutter had successfully lobbied to get important but marginalized populations included in the current EU HIV policy. She worked 10 years in Argentina, Bolivia & the United States) and did shorter-term missions to many countries in Latin America and Eastern Europe.

    Lucie van Mens, 59, championed the female condom. At the time of her death in Malaysia Airlines 17 on July 17, she was a Director of Program Development and Support for the Female Health Company, a female condom manufacturer based in Chicago. She started researching HIV/AIDS and STIs back in 1995. Van Mens also worked as a coordinator for Universal Access to Female Condoms, a partnership that included Oxfam Novib, Rutgers WPF and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the organization STOP AIDS NOW!  She had worked in HIV health advocacy since 1995.  She earned her MA in Social History from Erasmus University, Rotterdam.  She earned MBA certificates in Finance, Marketing, Logistics and Organization and a PhD in Organization and Management Studies from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.  She spent the earlier portion her career in the field of education. Her partner was Gerd de Rycker.

     The World Health Organization also confirmed that longtime spokesman Glenn Thomas, 49,   had died on the Malaysia Airlines 17 on July 17 on his way to the AIDS conference. He was a former BBC journalist who was a press officer for the World Health Organization. He is survived by his lover, Claudio.  He was based in Geneva, Switzerland.

    Journalist Worley Rodehaver, 73, died in Cincinnati on July 23. He was at the Chillicothe Gazette 1962-72, and worked at Chillicothe WBEX-AM in the 60s and early 70s. He was the publisher of several community newsletters and publications, including the Greater Cincinnati GLBT News, Cincinnati CityBeat, METRO Neighbors, The Appalachian Connection and others. He lived in the Cincinnati area since the 1970s. He was the Grand Marshall of the Cincinnati Pride parade in 2008. He was also a cofounder of Integrity Cincinnati, that city’s Episcopal LGBT group.

  Nicolas Nicoletti, 73, who died on July 24, graduated at UC Berkeley in 1962 with a degree in Business administration, served in the US army 1963-65, and then worked at RCA, Capitol Records, ABC, and HBO, followed by being a financial operations consultant for the entertainment industry.. He was a Board Member of AID for AIDS and LA Shanti.
 
Other: A Doonesbury character (Andy) came out as Gay (LAT July 11 D19;July 12 D9;July 14 D8;. ).
 
 
GREEN PARTY NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
   Climate change continued to be on many people’s minds (LAT July 14 A8,A11;July 30 AA3).
   Joko Widodo won a close election by 6% margin on July 9 for Indonesian President over former general Prawobo Subianto (Time Aug 4 p15;   LAT July 23 AA2;July 24 A3,A15). 

NATIONAL
   The Federal deficit is still about $0.366 trillion, still unacceptable, as the  Republicans and Democrats continued to fight, and as unemployment was 6.2% in July  (Time July 28 p38;  LAT July 16 B4;July 20 A21;July 21 A15;July 30 A1;July 31 A7;Aug 1 AA1;Aug 3 A22;Aug 5 A15).  Immigration reform remained stalled influx of the influx of children from South of the border (Time July 21 p11;July 28 p18;Aug 4 p11;   LAT July 3 A1(2); July 7 A6;July 8 A6,A10,AA1, AA2;July 9 A1(2),AA4(photo);July 10 A1,A15(cartoon), AA1;July 11 A6,A17 (also cartoon); July 12 A1(2),A10;July 13 A1,A13(cartoon);July 16 AA1;July 17 AA1;July 18 A17; July 20 A1;July 21 A15(cartoon);July 22 A6;July 24 AA1;July 25 AA2;July 26 A1;July 27 A2,A12, A19;July 29 A6;July 30 AA1;July 31 A9;Aug 1 A15(cartoon),AA3; Aug 2 AA1;Aug 3 A10;Aug 4 A6;   FILA July 10 p20).
  Divergent state and federal laws over pot continued to wreak havoc (Time July 21 pp37-39; LAT July 8 A6;July 9 A1,A8;July 11 B1;July 13 A1(2),A18;June 15 AA1;July 17 A13(cartoon);      July 22 A1;July 27 A1;July 28 A6;)Aug 1 A12,A14;Aug 2 A1;Aug 5 A15)..
  ObamaCare, now embraced by 8 million new insurers, continued to have travails (Time Aug 4 p19;Aug 18 p20;  LAT July 3 AA1; July 8 A7;July 11 B1;July 23 A1,A14,A15;July 25 A21, AA2;July 28 A13;July 29 B1;July 30 AA1;Aug 1 A1,A14).
  Single Payer was endorsed by Michael Hiltzik in LAT July 9 B1 on the basis of the Hobby Lobby decision.
  Assisted suicide and end-of life protocols were discussed in LAT July 3 A19.
  Canada crude oil transport on the east coast, the same oil that would flow through Keystone Pipelines in the West and Midwest,  Aug put at risk by the refusal of South Portland Maine to ban the export of crude oil from its harbor, bringing pressure from oil companies to bear on it (LAT July 23 A11).
  There was another botched execution (LAT July 24 AA1,AA4;July 25 A1,A20;Aug 3 A19).
  Fracking and recycling well-head materials continued to be controversial (LAT July 27 A1;Aug 1 A14).
  Gun control was stalled (LAT July 28 AA2).
  The Libertarian Party was noted in Time Aug 18 p11 because it is contesting 9 of the 12 Senate elections.

CALIFORNIA
Current Green Party Candidates for Nov Elections

Jason "Shake" Alexander, Mayor, Oakland (one seat)
www.oaklandgreens.org/local-candidates

Michael Parker, Mayor, Richmond (one seat)
www.mikeparkerforrichmond.net

Gayle Mclaughlin, City Council, Richmond (three seats)
www.mayorgayle.net

Jane Rands, City Council, Fullerton (two seats)
www.janerands.com

Jack Wagner, City Council, Sonoma (three seats)
www.votejack.org

Michael Feinstein, City Council, Santa Monica (three seats)
www.feinstein.org

Jonathan Mann, City Council, Santa Monica (three seats)

Chrystal Coleman, City Council, Vista (two seats)
www.chrystalcolemanforvista.com

Amy Martenson, Board of Trustees, District 2 Napa Valley College (one seat)
www.electamymartenson.com

Ruscal Cayangyang, Board of Trustees, Vallejo Unified School District (three seats)

 Rebecca Renfro, Rent Stablization Board, Berkeley (five seats)

 John Selawsky, Rent Stablization Board, Berkeley (five seats)

\Jesse Townley, Rent Stablization Board, Berkeley (five seats), incumbent

(Note - there are eight potential candidates in Berkeley for the Rent Stablization Board going through this endorsement process, so depending upon who gets endorsed may determine which of these Greens ultimately ends up running http://berkeleytenantsconvention.net/?page_id=38)


General: California News
  June unemployment was 7.4% (LAT July 19 B1;Aug 3 A1)
  California Highway Patrol officer violence was a hot topic with a civil suit being brought by the victim on July 17 (LAT July 7 AA1;July 8 A1;July 10 A14; July 18 AA3).
   Drought and water control in California were hot topics (Time July 28 p12;Aug 4 p18;  LAT July 8 A1;July 10 AA3; July 11 A16;July 12 A1;July 13 A32;July 16 AA1,B2;July 20 A30;July 21 A2, AA1;July 23 AA3;July 24 AA4;July 26 A1;July 27 A1; July 30 B1;Aug 5 A14,A15(cartoon))..
   California government agency corruption surfaced and included CALPIRG (LAT July 12 B1).
   Dan Schnur in LAT July 13 A23 made the point that 20% of registered-to-vote Californians were no-party preference. Most of these favor a many different positions both conservative and liberal, but hate the unbending postuires of partisan politics.
   A federal court declared California’s death penalty unconstitutional because its endemic delays were cruel and unusual punishment (Time July 28 p12;   LAT July 17 A1,A12;July 19 A2;July 28 A2;July 31 A17).    
   Inmates won class action status in a suit over race-based treatment in prisons (LAT July 24 AA3).
   What to do with the mentally ill in jails was wondered at in LAT July 25 A20.
   Bullet train funding continued to be slow (LAT Aug 1 AA1).

LOS ANGELES
   The County Sheriff’s office was tarnished again by the convictions of  6  sheriff’s deputies on obstruction of justice and investigation on July 2  and higher-ups are not scot-free yet, all in the atmosphere of an election year (LAT July 3 A1,A18,AA3;July 13 A21;July 21 A15;July 24 A1, AA1;Aug 3 A21;Aug 4 A1;Aug 5 A15).
   LAPD Chief Beck is still in the running for another term (LAT July 7 A1; Aug 3 A21,A25;  ).
   Local corruption trials and arrests continued (LAT July 7 AA1;July 9 AA1;July 10 AA1;July 12 AA1,AA3;July 15 AA3;July 16 AA4; July 18 AA2;July 19 AA5;July 22 AA4;July 23 AA1;   July 24 A1,A14;July 27 A19,A25;July 28 AA6;July 31 AA1;Aug 2 AA3). For example: former politico Richard Alarcon and his wife were found guilty of voter fraud and felony perjury on July 23 about where he lived;  Ex-Bell City councilmen George Mirabel, George Cole  and Victor Bello were sentenced to prison terms as was ex-mayor Oscar Hernandrz on July 31.
   The homeless were still controversial mainly because of their low priority for help (LAT July 3 AA1;July 10 A14;July 16 A1;LA Weekly July 25 p13.Aug 1 p13,14).
  Cams and audio were urged for a person to keep track of cops (LAT July 10 A15;   ).
    Increased assaults drove the rise of crime in Los Angeles for the 1^st increase in the 1^st half of the year for a decade (LAT July 10 AA1).
   Vernon’s Exide 2ndary lead smelter has been approved to reopen after new technologies are installed to measure air emissions (LAT July 11 AA1).
   Valley light rail on the route of the current Orange Line is being discussed as is a direct light rail link to LAX via the Crenshaw Line amongst other transit topics (LAT July 3 A18(cartoon); July 12 AA1;July 28 A1)
   Palmdale continues to keep its at-large balloting system that is in violation of the Voting Rights Act (LAT July 13 A25;July 22 A12). Bellflower is another city at test for retaining its at-large voting (LAT July 16 AA3).
   LA activists want a $15 minimum wage initiative and have begun collecting signatures for it (LAT June 15 AA1;July 17 A12).
   Obama on his July 24 visit to the city caused the usual traffic problems and attracted antiwar protestors
   Mayor Garcetti continued in his quest to be a populist mayor (LAT July 27 A1;July 30 A13 (cartoon);July 31 A17).
   Homicides in San Bernadino have increased over last year with 31 so far (LAT July 30 AA3).
   Gangs are still problems (LAT July 31 AA3).
   EPA fined Allenco Energy $99,000 for failing to prevent toxic fumes in South Los Angeles at its oilfield near USC and for not cataloging these threats (LAT Aug 1 AA2).
 
 
OUT AGAINST WAR
    Madelynn Lee Taylor,74, who served in the  Navy from 1958-1964,  sued over the refusal of a military cemetery in Idaho to allow her to be buried next to her female mate, Jean Francis Mixner, who she married in California in 2008 before Mixner’s death in April 2012 (LAT July 8 AA2).
   Chelsea Manning will be able to receive treatment for her transsexual desires (FILA July 24 p10).
   LAT July 24 A14 called for the end of discrimination against transgenders in the US military.

   Passions ran high at the Westwood Federal Building on July 12 and July 13, with 4 arrests made on July 14 when adherents to the Palestinians faced off against some 2,500 Israel proponents on opposite sides of Wilshire Blvd, with also a federal agent firing his gun (LAT July 14 AA2(photo);July 15 AA1; Daily Bruin July 14 p1;July 21 p1;Aug 4 p3). Four Pro-Palestinians were in a truck with a Palestinian flag but one Pro-Israel activist grabbed the flag and trampled on it, causing the 4 men to leave the truck and start assaulting the Pro-Israel activists with the sticks of their signs. One was hit in the arm but no one was hospitalized. The shot was fired as the 4 left escaped in their truck, but they were quickly apprehended by police.   In the July 20 protest, over 1,000 marched from the Westwood Federal Bdlg to the Israeli Consulate. Bill Kaiser participated in the July 24 Die-in at City Hall and also in the Aug 2 march to the Israeli Consulate from the Westwood Federal Building at which 2 arrests were made including ANSWER organizer Waylette Thomas.  Thousands marched for the last protest with the Out Against War banner reading: STOP GAZA MASSACRE; END THE OCCUPATION.

  Bill Kaiser participated in July 4 Hobby Lobby protest in Burbank that featured some 30 people, and that swelled to 100 for the formal protest on July 5. Bill sounded off about the anti-LGBT implications of the Hobby Lobby decision, and was quoted.

  Shane Que Hee and Bill Kaiser had a table for Out Against War/Courage To Resist at the Unurban Café on July 26 at the opening of the exhibition of John Johnson’s paintings. Johnson was the publisher of Changelinks who died in April. There were some 100 or more people there including Veterans for Peace and the Changelinks Collective.  Greg Foisie organized the shindig--way to go!

 

 

 
 
 
WAR NEWS
INTERNATIONAL
   The declaration of an Islamist state of Iraq and Syria caused diplomatic consternation with prime minister Netanyahu of Israel calling for a Kurdish State, some Sunnis for a Sunni state, and Shiites for a Shiite state, with the insurgents stopped at Badi, some 50 miles north of Baghdad (Time Aug 4 p15;   LAT July 3 A3; July 8 A1,A11;July 10 A1,A5;July 11 A3;July 12 A4; July 13 A3;July 14 A4;July 16 AA2;July 20 A1,A3,A7;July 21 A3;July 22 A5;July 24 A5; July 26 A3,A4;Aug 4 A4;Aug 5 A3).
   Dissent over the June 14 Presidential election result with a threat of 2 parallel governments in Afghanistan continued as fighting occurred but Sec State Kerry finally forced candidate accord  on July 12 with the future cabinet to be a coalition one (Time July 21 p10; July 28 p9;Aug 4 p15;   LAT July 7 A4;July 8 A3;July 9 A2; July 10 A3;July 12 A3;July 13 A7,A13;July 16 A3;July 25 AA2;July 26 A4;July 30 A3;Aug 2 A3).
   Drone strikes in Pakistan continued (LAT July 11 AA2;July 16 A2;July 17 A3;July 18 AA2; July 31 A1).
   The civil war in Syria continued as Bashar Assad was inaugurated for his 3rd term as President (LAT July 11 A3;July 18 A3;July 26 A3;July 30 A1;Aug 3 A8;Aug 4 A3;Aug 5 A5).
   Violence continued in Egypt as sentencing from the Arab Spring time continued (LAT July 3 A2; July 12 A4;July 17 A4;July 20 A3).
  Violence continued in Tunisia (LAT July 18 A3).
   Libya continued to experience shootings and deaths as the U.S. evacuated its embassy on July 26 , and as an Islamic emirate was declared in Benghazi on July 31 (Time Aug 18 p8;  LAT July 22 A5;July 26 A4;July 29 AA2;July 30 AA2;Aug 1 A3;Aug 2 A3;Aug 3 A3).
   Iran and the U.S. are still wide apart on Iran’s nuclear capabilities (LAT July 3 A5;July 11 AA2;July 13 A3;July 14 A3,A4;July 15 AA2;July 16 A7;July 18 A16;July 19 AA2;July 21 A3;July 22 A4;July 24 A4;Aug 5 A5).
   Israel and the Palestinian State continued to be at odds as Hamas in Gaza and Israel exchanged rocket attacks on July 20 and Egypt put forward a ceasefire plan, but only a 12-hr truce on July 26 and a 72-h trace on Aug 4 were possible in spite of other unsuccessful truces (Time July 21 p8;July 28 p5,8;Aug 4 p11, 12-13,14,24;Aug 18 p5,8;  LAT July 3 A3;July 7 A1;July 8 A2;July 9 A3;July 10 A3; July 11 A1;July 12 A1 ;July 13 A1;July 14 A1;July 15 A3, A13(2);July 16 A3,A6,A15;July 16 AA1;July 17 A5,A12, A13;July 18 A1;July 19 A1;July 20 A1,A22;July 21 A1,A14;July 22 A1,A5,A12(plus cartoon); July 23 A1(2); July 24 A1,A6;July 25 A1;July 26 A1,A6;July 27 A1;July 28 A1,A4;July 29 A1, A4,A13 (plus cartoon);July 30 A3;July 31 A1(2),A3;Aug 1 A1,A3,A15(2;Aug 2 A1; Aug 3 A3;Aug 4 A1,AA2;Aug 5 A3,A5).  As of July 17 in the latest spate of fighting, two Israelis had been killed by 2,500 Hamas rocket attacks whereas 260 Palestinians, mostly civilians, had been killed by Israeli air strikes.  Israel invaded Gaza on July 17.  The kill tallies as of Aug 4 were: 1,700 Palestinians (mostly civilians); Israelis, 60 (plus 3 civilians).
   Ukraine and its separatists continued to fight under Russia’s not entirely disinterested eye as the Russian separatists downed a commercial Boeing 737 that included over 6 AIDS researchers and activists that included the internationally known Joep Lange, clinical virologist and head  of  the Department of Global Health at the Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam. and his companion Jacqueline van  Tongeren (Time July 28 p9;Aug 4 p11,15,25,26-35;Aug 11 p8;   LAT July 3 A5;July 8 A3;July 12 A3; July 14 A4;July 15 AA2;July 16 A7;July 17 AA2; July 18 A1,A5;July 19 A1(2),A4; July 20 A1,A21; July 21 A1;July 22 A3;July 23 A1,A8,A15; July 24 A4,A5;July 26 A3;July 27 A6;July 28 A3;July 29 A1(2);July 30 A3,A13;July 31 A5; Aug 1 A1,A4;Aug 3 A9,A22;Aug 4 A4; FILA Aug 6 p16).
  Cyberwar was discussed in Time July 21 pp18-25.
  Obama’s foreign policies were chewed at in LAT July 25 A21.July 30 A13(2)
  The European Court of Human Rights on July 24 opened the door to the accountability of “extraordinary rendition” in its rejection of “black sites” for unhindered torture facilitated by any state (here Poland for the CIA)  (LAT July 27 A21). 

NATIONAL/STATE/LOCAL
   The NSA tracked prominent U.S. Muslims according to Edward Snowden’s data (Time July 21 p11;  LAT July 10 A6;July 11 A16;July 23 A14).  Snowden applied for another year of asylum in Russia (LAT July 10 AA2;Aug 2 A3). On July 10, based on Snowden’s revelations, Germany expelled the top U.S. spy (Time July 21 p5; LAT July 11 A3;July 15 A12;July 20 A22). There was still dissension over the NSA and CIA spying on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also precipitated by Snowden’s data (LAT July 11 A7,A17;Aug 1 A1;Aug 4 A13(cartoon)).
    The Benghazi suspected terrorist mastermind was denied bail in Washington DC (LAT July 3 A10).
   Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, the US serviceman exchanged for 5 Guantanamo prisoners of the Taliban,  was cleared to return to duty on July 14 in Washington DC, and would take up his duties in San Antonio (Time July 28 p17;  LAT July 15 A8).
   At the trial of Al Qaeda’s aide to Osama Bin Laden as one of Guantanamo Bay prisoner trials, it was ruled that charges of material support for terrorism and of conspiracy to commit terrorism 1^st formulated in 2006 did not apply to 2001. (LAT July 15  A10).
    Dual drone use is becoming more popular (LAT July 28 A13).
 
 

OCCUPY
NATIONAL
   The biggest settlements with banks over their malfeasances before and during the recent recession are: JP Morgan Chase $13 billion in 2013, and Citigroup $7 billion on July 14 (LAT July 15 B1).
   Morgan Stanley settled for $275 million with a federal regulator a claim that it misled investors of more than $2.5 billion of bonds backed by home loans in 2007 (LAT July 25 B4).
   The “too big to fail” syndrome was examined along with “too eager to borrow” as means to control the economy  (LAT July 27 A20).  Dodd­Frank as a tool to control unscrupulous corporations was examined also (LAT July 27 B1).
  Bank of America must pay $1.3 billion for civil fraud over its Countrywide acquisition in 2008  (LAT July 31 B1).
 
 

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:
ANTIWAR VIGILS: Fridays 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, 7:30-9:30a to 6:00-7:00 p at Santa Monica Pier (North Side)
OCCUPY LOS ANGELES GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, Mon, Wed, Fri 7:30-10:30p; Sat 4p-7p, Pershing Square. www.occupylosangeles.org
OCCUPY VENICE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES, https://www.facebook.com/OccupyVeniceCA
HELP CHELSEA MANNING: Sign the Chelsea Manning Presidential pardon at http://pardon.privatemanning.org
Write a letter for clemency for Chelsea Manning.  Directions and information are at http://www.privatemanning.org/featured/write-a-letter-supporting-pvt-mannings-request-for-clemency .   The letters must be printed, signed, then scanned (so that they have the signature) in pdf format, and e mailed to nat...@privatemanning.org . 
 
We also recommend general support of Trayvon Martin and anti-Syria and -Irsq War related actions.
 
Mon Aug 25-Mon Sep 1 2014  International Radical Faerie Gathering and International Issues for Queer People Globally Symposium (3 days) on the State of Queer Rights Around the Globe: Saratoga Springs Community Retreat Center, Saratoga Springs, Northern California.  NOTAFLOF Registration required. More info:www.globalfaeriegathering.org, Terry@satoga springs.com or Terrypcavavagh@gmail.c