Occupy Central Vermont

Come out this Thursday!

Join the global March Against Monsanto, with 330 marches planned in 41 countries!

Meet at Montpelier High School this Saturday at 11 am. March to the Statehouse where you can enjoy non-GMO food (free).

Why do we march?

◦    Research studies have shown that Monsanto’s genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects.
◦    In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives; this partly explains the lack of government-lead research on the long-term effects of GMO products.
◦    Recently, the U.S. Congress and president passed the nicknamed “Monsanto Protection Act” that, among other things, prohibits our courts from halting the sale of Monsanto’s genetically-modified seeds.
◦    For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and their genetic makeup.
◦    Monsanto’s GMO seeds are harmful to the environment; for example they are harmful to many beneficial insects, and have greatly increased the use of chemical herbicides in agriculture.

More info. at http://www.march-against-monsanto.com.

Go to http://www.occupycentralvt.org/may-day-2013 for some photos from Marie.

Come to hear Melina Laboucan-Massimo speak about tar sands. Tuesday April 16th.

Sorry for the delay, but here they are, submitted by Jay:

OCVT GA Notes – 3-2-2013

Occupy Central Vermont General Assembly This Saturday 4/6!

Kellogg-Hubbard Library — East Montpelier Room (basement)
Saturday, April 6th, 3 to 5 pm

 
I. Introductions

II. Reports

A. TD Bank – Dell, John
B. GMOs – Sue
C. People’s Café – David
D. Tar Sands – Marie, Brian
D. Greece – Brian

III. Ongoing Projects

A. People’s Café
B. Labor/Anti-Corporate

IV. New Projects

A. Tax Day?
B. May Day?
C. Summer — Back Outside? Pop-Ups?

V. Outreach/Connectivity

A. Locally – Hardwick, Northeast Kingdom
B. Nationally/Internationally – Marie

VI. Announcements

A. Will Miller Lecture – Michael Klare (April 11)
B. Medea Benjamin (April 15)

This Thursday 3/14, 6-8 pm at Bagitos in Montpelier, the monthly People’s Café sponsored by Occupy Central Vermont is a happening.  Come for an evening of music, poetry and discussion.  This month’s speakers include Laura Ziegler and Michael Sabourin on the subject of forced drugging and tasers in Vermont.  Mental Health Liberation!  Also, discussion of actions against TD Bank as an investor in Tar Sands oil.

Come for some rousing music by Andy Plante and readings of poetry by Diane de Prima. All are welcome to perform and  to join the first Best Rant! contest.  Surprise musical and literary guests.

People’s Cafe is now a monthly event.  Next month on April 30th.

Please join us for our monthly assembly for Occupy Central Vermont:

Location: Kellogg-Hubbard, Hayes Room 3-5 PM, March 2nd

Introductions (5 minutes)

Reports from activities/actions and Working Groups

Tar Sands W.G.: rally in DC; showing of “The Tipping Point”; other? (10 min.) – Marie
GMO Working Group (5 min.) – Sue
Public Service Board hearings (5 min.) – Jay
People’s Cafe: Feb. 14 report, and plans for Mar. 14 (5 minutes) – David
Umbrella W.G. (5 min.) – Stephen

Discussion

Review procedures re. discussions and proposals (10 – 15 min.)
Needs/Requests for support from any working groups (Time TBA)
Moving Forward (30 – 45 minutes)

Last month, after a lengthy and wide-ranging discussion, we decided:
•   to choose a concrete focus for the coming month (theme: Healthy Planet; focuses: Tar Sands & GMO’s);
•   and we decided to create some issue-oriented working groups (Tar Sands; GMO’s; Umbrella)

How do we feel about this as an approach? ( . . . for now? . . . for how long?)
What more do we want do look at, for our group?
•  specific issues? (e.g., climate; Idle No More; bank bailout; debt; Robin Hood tax; NEK development; industrial wind; Goddard biomass; Walmart; renewable energy . . .)
•  education/discussion for ourselves and/or outreach
•  criteria for selecting up-coming campaign(s), and tactics
•  idea for an OCVT blog on our website – articles & discussion to synthesize our vision
•  creative actions around the principle of “building community on a healthy planet” – MoM & PoP: Movement of Movements & Projects of the People
•  other unifying principles?

Summary of where we stand today

Next GA – who will facilitate?
Announcements (5 minutes)

Download the minutes from the Feb. 2nd OCVT Assembly here:

OCVT GA minutes 2-2-2013

Please join us for our monthly general assembly for Occupy Central Vermont!

Location: Kellogg-Hubbard, Hayes Room 3-5PM, February 2nd

Introduction (5 minutes)

Reports:
People’s Cafe (5 minutes) – David
What is a Movement? forum (5 minutes) – Margaret
VWC Put People First launch event (5 minutes) – Jeremy

Discussion:
Tar Sands (past & future actions) (10 minutes) – Marie/Sue
State Bank (10 minutes) – Margaret

Moving Forward (60 minutes):

Tying all of the issues together
Relations to other Occupy groups & other movements, like:

350-Vermont
Idle No More
VT Workers’ Center

Focus on specific issues?

Bank bailout
Robin Hood Tax
NEK Development
Industrial wind
Goddard biomass
Wal-Mart
Renewable energy
GMOs

How to grow? educate? engage? mobilize?
Challenging corporations, capitalism, class conflict, & environmental damage
Concrete proposals

Announcements (5 minutes)

What is a Movement?

Reflections on contemporary social movements

*What we’ve learned

*What’s unfinished business?

*How can our movements flow together?

Reflecting on the Labor, Civil Rights, Peace, Women’s, Environmental, Indigenous, Gay, and Occupy movements

Saturday, January 26th in the Hayes Room in the rear of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, 3-5 PM. Please download and post the flyer – just click on the image above.

Be the change we want to see!