12/2 ISO Meeting: Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives -- 12/9 The First Battle in Seattle, the 1919 General Strike

[Ethan Boyles]

 

Welcome to the ISO's weekly email newsletter

There will be NO ISO MEETING This Wednesday, 11/25, as we will break for Thanksgiving.

Audio and Video recordings from the Northwest Socialist Conference are available at http://www.seattleiso.org - check them out!

Upcoming Events (more info below)
11/27-12/5 --Seattle Plus 10, Events for the 10th anniversary of the WTO protests
12/2 - Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives
12/5 - Rally at Fort Hood to support GI resisters Travis Bishop and Leo Church
12/9 - The First Battle in Seattle the 1919 General Strike

Seattle Plus 10 -- 10th anniversary of the WTO protests
The ISO is an endorser of the Seattle Plus 10 events to reclaim the spirit of Seattle 99! Join us for a Week of Action (Nov 27 – Dec 5).Check out all the events -- from Amy Goodman to the Yes Men and a weekend of workshops at the Peoples summit -- at http://seattleplus10.org/

12/5 Rally at Fort Lewis to SUPPORT GI RESISTERS TRAVIS BISHOP AND LEO CHURCH
The Seattle ISO will be going down to Coffee Strong and Ft Lewis to support GI resisters and Restore Constitutional Rights at the Fort Lewis Brig. More info on the GIs and the rally is here  If you are interested in driving down with the ISO contact us at in...@seattle.iso.org.

Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives
Wed Dec 2nd 7-9pm, UW School for Social Work Room B14

We will have a two part meeting this week -- A political discussion of the Stupak amendment and Abortion rights followed by an organizational discussion about organizing on the UW campus in the Winter Quarter.

1. Stupak: Playing Politics with Women's Lives (1 hour)

There was a lot of back-patting after the House of Representatives narrowly passed a health care reform law November 7. In the spirit of bipartisan compromise, even the fact that the bill included an amendment shredding poor women's access to abortion -- the broadest restrictions on funding for abortion since the Hyde Amendment passed in 1976 -- was a point of pride for some Democratic politicians.

Join us for a discussion of why abortions rights are central to women's liberation, the Stupak Amendment and it ramifications, and what type of movement it will take to not only defeat this latest attack but win free abortion on demand for all who need it. 

Check out recent Articles on Abortion Rights from 

• Playing politics with women's lives
• Abortion should be health care
• A new way to attack abortion
• A crisis in abortion funding
  
• The anti-choice deception
• Fight the right and stand up for choice
• Keeping Dr. Emily's open
  

and From the International Socialist Review
Two Articles by Sharon Smith on Abortion Rights and the need for a new movement

• A shorter article from July/Aug 2009 Defending abortion rights
  and a longer analysis Sept/Oct 2005 Abortion rights under attack

2. UW Organizing for Winter Quarter (40 mins)

For the second section of the meeting we will be brainstorming and discussing our campus activism for the upcoming Winter Quarter. Bring ideas for what we should be involved in on campus and join in the discussion!


The following Week:

A People's History of Seattle Series:
The First Battle in Seattle
1919 Seattle General Strike 

Wed Dec 9 - UW School for Social Work Room B14
corner of 15th N.E. and N.E. 41st

Everyone knows that November 30 marks the 10th anniversary of the "Battle in Seattle" protests against the WTO. 40,000 plus trade unionists, environmentalists, anarchists, socialists and other protesters united to shut down the WTO.

Fewer know about the first "Battle in Seattle" -- the 1919 Seattle General Strike. For five days in February over 100,000 workers not only struck, but they ran the city without the bosses or the governments approval. Mass kitchens fed over 30,000 a day. Limited laundry services and garbage collection for hospitals and milk deliveries for families were provided. For a brief time Seattle workers showed the power an organized working class has.  Join us for a discussion on the lessons to be learned from both the 10th anniversary of the WTO protests and the 90th anniversary of the General Strike!