A couple weeks ago, right after Sarah Palin delivered a speech at Anchorage’s convention center, a group of community organizers led a grassroots effort to convey their disapproval of Palin. The “Alaska Women Reject Palin” rally was held outside the Loussac Library, the subject being that Sarah Palin is a poor representative of Alaskan women and men. A group of friends originally concocted the idea, spreading news of their proposed gathering via flyers and notices in the newspaper. To their great surprise, hundreds of people showed up in support, sporting homemade signs. An organizer walked the crowd with a counter and claimed up to 1400 or 1500 people (and a little less than a hundred counter-protestors) came to protest Palin.

The news was poorly covered in states other than Alaska.

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Today at 7pm in Schneebeck concert hall of the University of Puget Sound, scholars Tzvi Adelman and Muhammad Abu Samra will examine the Israel/Palestine conflict.

Find out more info here: http://www.ups.edu/x29604.xml

Tickets are free but currently sold out. However, there will likely be seats available or room to stand in the back.

If any Melonites or UPSers are planning on attending this presentation, I’d be very interested to hear about it.

Reports from inside Bolivia right now are tumultuous given the circumstances.

As the BBC and various other US/UK media outlets have reported, separatists in Bolivia have taken over their government buildings and gas pipelines in support of autonomous control of the gas field regions. The majority of analyses tend to focus on isolated incidents, like the take-over of several airports near Santa Cruz, and firefights in the countryside. The larger picture is that separatists are seeking to recast the question of power in regional terms and in the rhetoric of a struggle against centralism and dictatorship, while the indigenous indios are trying to maintain socialist unity and prevent what they see as a fascist takeover.

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Just posted yesterday, this week’s Indymedia Presents shows the second video in a series by one of our Pepperspray producers, Patricia Boiko. The first program examined the genocide in Rwanda, and how people heal from a horror like that.

This piece looks at the Abatwa people, better known in the US as the Pygmies. The Abatwa, who are the indigenous people of the region, have suffered unspeakably and unnoticed by all except themselves.

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The Indymedia Newsreal is one of the television shows I help produce and it was in full effect for August. Sorry I wasn’t able to post this any time sooner. This episode has some really good shows.

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After writing and showing my narrative to my dad, he decided to contribute a piece as well. Below you’ll find my piece, followed by my father’s.

When the first plane hit I was struggling with an Advanced Geometry test. Our principal, Mr. Lorenz, announced over the intercom that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. A sophomore in high school, I didn’t really understanding the significance of that first plane, and my teacher insisting that we finish our test without turning on the TV to watch the day unfold, added to my suspicion that a plane hitting the World Trade Center wasn’t significant.

It wasn’t until after failing my test and seeing the images of a smoking tower on the classroom television of my second period history class did I realize that something more important was going on. There wasn’t much discussion as Mr. Richied’s students started to fill their seats, eyes wide on the live footage of blackness billowing out of one of the twin towers. It was apparent our planned history lesson would be forgone for the day, as history was in the making.

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On September 11th, 2001, two airplanes hit the World Trade Center buildings in New York, a third plane hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania killing a total of at least 2,974 people. Not since Pearl Harbor had America witnessed an attack on its soil, never before had it experienced such direct detrimental damage, and never would it be the same.

Over the next few days leading up to the seventh anniversary of 9/11, contributors from The Melon will be posting narratives recounting their experiences. We ask you to join us in remembering those who lost their lives, honoring the families and friends who lost loved ones and thanking those heroes who fell, and those who worked tirelessly, sacrificing their health to clear rubble and save lives.

Conspiracy still happening, but this time its not international economics, but Fundamentalist American Jesus-Love

Jeff Sharlet writes a scary and extremely interesting book detailing the powerful Christian organization1 The Family and their ties to American men and women of power. Sharlet also uses his book to detail the history of fundamentalism and the rise of in the past 50 years. Sharlet is also a writer for Harpers, Rolling Stone, and created The Reveler.

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How this is not being covered by every major news outlet I don’t know, but thankfully the Guardian and Al Jazeera English are offering some coverage.

According to these sources, US-led forces inadvertently killed 76 civilians in an air-strike in Western Afghanistan on Wednesday. That’s 76 civilians in one air-strike. What’s more, the coalition forces are denying that civilians have been killed at all, but Afghan Interior Ministry, the provincial governor and the police chief have confirmed that not only have 76 civilians been killed, but most of them were women and children.

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My friend Erik Connell recently posted a great account of his 13 months working for the Peace Corps in Swaziland on Facebook. With his permission, I’ve re-posted his amazing piece on The Melon for your reading pleasure:

Sanibonani bekunene,

That means hello everyone in SiSwati, the local language in Swaziland. Technically it means hello people of the right hand, but hey, that’s how they greet there.

I’m back home now, after spending 13 months there. I resigned due to health concerns combined with the fact that I was not doing as much as I had hoped in the program. It was a tough decision, but I think it was for the best.

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