Well, first of all, I would like to tell my colleague, brother, President-Elect Fernando Lugo, welcome to the Axis of Evil.

-- President Evo Morales: [translated] when asked about the election of former Bishop Fernando Lugo in Paraguay

Activist San Diego contacts: Martin (619-226-1116), Tanja (858-459-4650), Activist Update: ASDUpdate@activistsandiego.org

WANT TO ADD TO THE ACTIVIST UPDATE? Email ASDUpdate@activistsandiego.org
Please submit your event listings at least 1 week prior to the event.

Activist San Diego Monthly Meeting Second Monday of the month, 7pm NEW LOCATION - Joyce Beers Community Center, 1090 Vermont, one block north of University, next to Trader Joe's Hillcrest Shopping Center 619-528-8383. Everyone welcome Please join us

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*Earth Day 2008*

Happy B-Earth Day ASD! Nine years ago on this very day Activist San Diego was launched with the purpose of growing the left-progressive movement in the border region. Our tactic was to use the Internet as a grassroots organizing tool to educate, communicate and mobilize the community of conscience. We were sure there were tens of thousands of progressives who simply were not informed about activities in our midst.

At Earth Day 2008 in Balboa Park we were gratified as we met hundreds more of you who wanted to know how to connect with peace and justice organizing. But we also realized how many socially aware people there are who are not engaged is the struggle for social change. ASD wants your help to reach thousands more to get us all connected, enraged and engaged. The earth can not wait. The hungry can not wait. Iraqis can wait. The disenfranchised can not wait.

Please join us at the onset of our 10th year to fulfill our vision of a powerful and consequential progressive movement, which can change the political and cultural landscape of this region. Donate and more importantly call us at 619-528-8383 to help us figure a way forward together. See you on the first Friday for our Activist Film Series and on the second Monday at our Membership meeting. PEACE!

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DONATED CARS HELP MOVE ACTIVISM FORWARD! Please donate your car and other items. As a bonus you get progressive satisfaction and a healthy tax deduction! Call us at 619-528-8383

For all of the above we will need your help and financial support. If you would like to make a donation, please click on the button to the right.

Or, we can also accept donations mailed to: Activist San Diego 4246 Wightman St San Diego, CA 92105-2618

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Although tyranny... may successfully rule over foreign peoples, it can stay in power only if it destroys first of all the national institutions of its own people.

~Hannah Areddt

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American taxpayers have unwittingly helped finance a polygamist sect that is now the focus of a massive child abuse investigation in West Texas, with a business tied to the group receiving a nearly $1 million loan from the federal government and $1.2 million in military contracts.

-- Polygamist sect gets millions from U. S. government 12 Apr 2008

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FRIDAY MAY 2, 7:30PM: The Prince Myshkins are back? With a bag of songs that will wake up America! An evening of hilarious and thought-provoking songs of social justice with CHARLIE KING and THE PRINCE MYSHKINS. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church - 4190 Front Street, Hillcrest, San Diego. $10-$20 - Donation requested / no one will be turned away. More Info

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FRIDAY, MAY 2, 7:30PM: Activist San Diego’s Monthly Film Series. Come for the film, stay for the stimulating discussions. The End of Suburbia. The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream is a documentary film concerning peak oil and its implications on the suburban lifestyle. Rational & Entertaining! Joyce Beers Community Center 1090 Vermont, one block north of University, next to Trader Joe's Hillcrest Shopping Center. * please park in Ralph’s underground parking. Wheelchair Accessible. Free/ Donations accepted. More Info

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FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 7:30PM: The War on Democracy. John Pilger's first major film for the cinema - in a career that has produced more than 55 television documentaries. Set in Latin America and the US, it explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. Archival footage demonstrates how democracy has been wiped out in country after country in Latin America since the 1950's. Joyce Beers Community Center 1090 Vermont, one block north of University, next to Trader Joe's Hillcrest Shopping Center. * please park in Ralph’s underground parking. Wheelchair Accessible. Free/ Donations accepted. More Info

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MONDAY, APRIL 21, 4:30PM: Free Leonard Peltier and Sami al-Arian. And Justice For All? An event looking at the past and current polices of our so called justice system, and those who had to pay for it. A 4 speaker presentation at Palomar College in front of the cafeteria with “Army of None” author David Solnit, Dr. Zahi Damuni, Ed Gomez and Marjorie Cohn will dissect the Bush Administration policies in how they have defied the law and the case of war crimes against them. More Info

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TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 7:30PM: BIOJUSTICE Movie Nights! The Future of Food @ The City Heights Free Skool 4246 Wightman St, on the corner of Van Dyke and Wightman in City Heights. THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U. S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. The Biotech Industry Organization is meeting in San Diego, June 17-20, 2008 for their annual convention. Biotech brings up so many issues in our community: health care, sustainability, food, war, gentrification, global inequity. What can we do in response that is creative, tactical and inclusive? Upcoming planning meetings: Thurs, April 17th, 7:30pm, Sat May 3rd , 3pm @ City Heights Free Skool. More Info

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THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 6PM: Take Back the Night - San Diego. Join the Women's Resource Center in taking back the night on the San Diego State University Campus at the free speech steps- we will have people speaking about their expereinces , a march and a speak out for those who refuse to be silent any more. Free Speech Steps (Aztec Center) San Diego State University 5500 Campanile Drive. More Info

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SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 11AM: Californians for Equal Parenting Picnic. All Parents And Kids Welcome! Mission bay park. Free Food * Sodas Games * Prizes. More Info

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SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 4PM: Common Ground Theatre Presents Awaiting Judgment at the Bayview Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Center. Awaiting Judgment© depicts 20th Century theological giants, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in adjoining cells (at an undisclosed location and in an out-of-sync time period) discussing their faith journeys and the challenges that they had encountered. The two examine one another's actions and explore the decisions that led to their martyrdom. The exchange provides a prophetic, relevant and inspirational message that has resonated with audiences around the country. Written by Rev. Art Cribbs, former pastor of Christian Fellowship Congregational Church (San Diego), Awaiting Judgment© was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King's prophetic sermon at Riverside Church in New York, April 4, 1967. The sermon challenged America to re-think its foreign policies and aggressive actions against the people of Vietnam – a message that is as poignant today as it was 40 years ago. More Info

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MONDAY, APRIL 28, 7PM: Ann Wright at Price Center Ballroom. The UCSD Women’s Center California Cultures in Comparative Perspective and the Cross-Cultural Center present: Ann Wright: Peace Activist and retired U. S. State Department Official. “Dissent: Voices of Conscience” Price Center Ballroom. With Guest Panelists: Marjorie Cohn, president of the National Lawyers Guild and professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and Timothy Kahlor, spokesperson for Military Families Speak Out (MFSO). More Info

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ONGOING EVENTS
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“ENOUGH” PEACE AND IMPEACHMENT VIGILS ~ EVERY WEEK UNTIL THE IRAQ WAR ENDS. More Info

EVERY SUNDAY 3PM: Free Vegan Food at the North Park Community Park with San Diego Food Not Bombs. The North Park Community Park is located at the intersection of Oregon and Polk in North Park. More Info

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TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 7:30AM: BIOJUSTICE Movie Nights! Strange Culture @ Groundwork Books 0323, UCSD New Student Center. The conflict between policies that support national security and those that protect civil liberties are embodied in the bizarre, terrifying story of Steve Kurtz, an artist, activist and State University of New York at Buffalo professor for whom a personal tragedy led to a Kafkaesque nightmare courtesy of the War on Terror. The Biotech Industry Organization is meeting in San Diego, June 17-20, 2008 for their annual convention. Biotech brings up so many issues in our community: health care, sustainability, food, war, gentrification, global inequity. What can we do in response that is creative, tactical and inclusive? Upcoming planning meetings: Thurs, April 17th, 7:30pm, Sat May 3rd , 3pm @ City Heights Free Skool. More Info

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FRIDAY MAY 2, 7:30PM: The Prince Myshkins are back? With a bag of songs that will wake up America! An evening of hilarious and thought-provoking songs of social justice with CHARLIE KING and THE PRINCE MYSHKINS. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church - 4190 Front Street, Hillcrest, San Diego. $10-$20 - Donation requested / no one will be turned away. More Info

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FRIDAY, MAY 2, 7:30PM: Activist San Diego’s Monthly Film Series. Come for the film, stay for the stimulating discussions. The End of Suburbia. The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream is a documentary film concerning peak oil and its implications on the suburban lifestyle. Rational & Entertaining! Joyce Beers Community Center 1090 Vermont, one block north of University, next to Trader Joe's Hillcrest Shopping Center. * please park in Ralph’s underground parking. Wheelchair Accessible. Free/ Donations accepted. More Info

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SUNDAY, MAY 4TH: Cinco de Mayo Celebration with San Diego’s top Chicano bands. The Centro Cultural de la Raza will host a Celebration with the premiere of the Chingazo Revue… a collaborative effort of three legendary Chicano bands. Directed by renowned latin jazz musician Bill Caballero, the Chingazo Revue features the talents of Chicano icon Chunky Sanchez and Los Alacranes, political messenger Quino and a little sabor and baile with Agua Dulce. Also, performances by the Ballet Folkorico en Aztlan performance group and children’s academy. Performing dances from the region of Puebla. More Info

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TUESDAY, MAY 6, 7PM: Dr. David Ray Griffin. 9/11 Contradictions An Open Message to Congress and the Press. San Diego State University room ENS 280. More Info

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SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2PM: The new award-winning play, Heartland, by La Jolla playwrights Anita Simons and Lauren Simon, will have a staged reading at Long Beach Playhouse. This is a major triumph because the audience reaction and review by attending critics will determine if they will produce a full production in their next season. More Info

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FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 7:30PM: The War on Democracy. John Pilger's first major film for the cinema - in a career that has produced more than 55 television documentaries. Set in Latin America and the US, it explores the historic and current relationship of Washington with countries such as Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile. Archival footage demonstrates how democracy has been wiped out in country after country in Latin America since the 1950's. Joyce Beers Community Center 1090 Vermont, one block north of University, next to Trader Joe's Hillcrest Shopping Center. * please park in Ralph’s underground parking. Wheelchair Accessible. Free/ Donations accepted. More Info

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FRIDAY MAY 2, 7:30PM: The Prince Myshkins are back? With a bag of songs that will wake up America! An evening of hilarious and thought-provoking songs of social justice with CHARLIE KING and THE PRINCE MYSHKINS. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church - 4190 Front Street, Hillcrest, San Diego. $10-$20 - Donation requested / no one will be turned away. More Info

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MONDAY, MAY 5, 9:30AM: BARRIO BAROQUE @ SD Mesa College. BARRIO BAROQUE Rats, Rants, & Other Turf Wars of the Naked Tongue. A book discussion and spoken word performance featuring the literary talents of SDSU Professor William “Memo” Nericcio Tex{t}-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the “Mexican” in America and Former Taco Shop Poet Tomás Riley mahcic: selected poems. Room H-117/118, Mesa College 7250 Mesa College Drive San Diego. FREE and open to the public! More Info

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MONDAY, MAY 5, 7PM: fronteraVERSE: poetsCONFRONTINGborders. FREE! @ Casa Familar’s THE FRONT 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd San Ysidro, Califas. With deaths at the border continuing, stepped up raids on workplaces and homes, and harassment by vigilante groups like the Minutemen, now more than ever people need to speak up. Come to The Front on Cinco de Mayo to hear what the poets have to say. More Info

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ONGOING EVENTS
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Announcements / Workshops

THURSDAY, MAY 1st: International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has announced that it will shut down West Coast ports to demand an immediate end to the war and occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan and the withdrawal of U. S. troops from the Middle East. This is the first time in decades that an American union has decided to undertake industrial action against a U. S. war. It is doubly important that this mobilization of labor's power is to take place on May Day, the international workers day, which is not honored in the U. S. More Info

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IFCO/Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba. In June/July 2008 14 different routes of the Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba will be on the road visiting more than 120 US and Canadian cities, (including San Diego). We will travel in school buses, trucks, and cars to Cuba via Mexico with medical and educational supplies collected from groups across the US and Canada as a collective challenge to the inhuman and immoral US blockade and travel ban. This year’s caravan will also host our second Hiphop Without Borders Exchange We will take many hiphop artists to participate in an international hiphop festival, as well as carrying turntables, keyboards and other musical equipment to support Cuban hiphop. More Info

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SDCPJ HIGH SCHOOL LEAFLETING PROJECT. The SD Coalition for peace and justice high school leafleting project is still looking for volunteers. Please reply to this e-mailsjagitator@ucsd.edu if you can join us with this special outreach to Latino students as they are heavily targeted by military recruiters. Help deny the military what they need most - young men and women to send to war or call me at 619-237-8870. More Info

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MISCELLANEOUS
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Peace Flags. Excellent for display or for Peace Rallies. Call 858.459.4650 or email TanjaWinter@ActivistSanDiego.org

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The Guerrero Azteca Project ~ www.guerreroazteca.org

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The GI Rights Hotline ~ girights.objector.org

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PEACE SYMBOL TURNS 50 THIS YEAR! ~ www.happybirthdaypeace.com

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