Phil Mattera from Good Jobs First was a presenter at our "Dialogue on the Future of Corporate Campaigns"

As an interim result of the Medicare bill signed into law this month by President Bush, the 40 million participants in the federal retiree health program will soon be able to sign up for discount drug cards. Many of those cards will be issued by companies currently under investigation for fraud, anti-competitive practices and other violations of federal and state law. Those same companies are expected to play a major role when the full provisions of the Medicare drug benefit go into effect in 2006.

Read the entrie article.

Pedro Rodriquez was a participant in our "Comparative Dialogue on Organizing in India"

Sometimes people call it a new Underground Railroad, though actually there's nothing underground about it.

It's an overland route, heading north - all the way to Canada.

Its travelers include a determined group of Philadelphia-area senior citizens, who say the rising cost of prescription drugs is forcing them to cross the border into the Great White North, where they can buy sorely needed medicine for half or even one-third the price.

Read the entire article.

Lisa Fithian was a presenter at our "Dialogue on New Constituency Based Strategy and Tactics"

On a rain-soaked October night in Miami, the police have commandeered downtown. It is midnight, and patrol cars cordon off the streets of run-down delis and dollar stores. Dozens of black-clad officers maneuver and bullhorn in the distance, practicing their tactics. ''We're expecting about 70,000 to 100,000 protesters to come down here in November,'' says a beat cop, guarding a corner from his squad car. ''Our guys are doing exercises all around.'' A few blocks over, at a red light, Lisa Fithian pulls her compact rental car behind a squadron of city police cruisers. Hers is one of the few civilian cars in this area, certainly the only one carrying an advance guard of that human wave heading for Miami. While most people have been ushered out of the downtown area, the 42-year-old Fithian wants to go into it, to do reconnaissance with three fellow activists. Weeks from now, she will be marching in these streets, and the police will no longer be practicing. Since it is difficult to find our way about, Fithian decides, boldly, to follow the cruisers. ''You know,'' she says, ''it's kind of nice to tail the cops for once.''

Read the entire article.

"Reviving Unions"

This is a terrifying time for workers. Our jobs, rights, and security are threatened by apparently unstoppable economic forces. Unions -- traditionally the primary weapon at workers' disposal -- feel increasingly powerless to challenge corporate power and its political allies. For a generation, we have been losing membership, influence, self-confidence, and strategic direction. This slide is reflected in diminished power and a sense of futility -- a sense that our best hope now is to slow the rate of decline.

Read the entire article at http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR21.2/lerner.html.

"Camp Ruckus" by Ben Winters

I have been to the revolution, and I have good news: It tastes fantastic. To clarify: I have been to "action camp," a week-long holiday for the dissenting set, sponsored by the Ruckus Society, those modern masters of nonviolent civil disobedience noted lately for their prominent role in the protests against the WTO in Seattle, the IMF in D.C. and at the party conventions last summer. Three or four times a year Ruckus picks a fairly isolated locale, stakes some tents and digs in for a week's worth of training/community building. In mid-March, I journeyed to Peace River campground in Arcadia, Florida, to join Ruckus and invited guests--88 activists, mostly of college age, 55 logistical and training staff, plus the delegation from camp co-sponsor Rainforest Action Network (RAN)--for the latest throwdown.

Read the entire article at http://www.inthesetimes.com/web2511/winters2511.html.

198 Methods of Nonviolent Action

Practitioners of nonviolent struggle have an entire arsenal of "nonviolent weapons" at their disposal. Listed below are 198 of them, classified into three broad categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and nonviolent intervention. A description and historical examples of each can be found in volume two of The Politics of Nonviolent Action by Gene Sharp.

Go to the Albert Einstein Institution's page to see the whole list of 198 methods.



Home Page Dialogues Articles People Board of Directors History Contact Us Links Mailing List	Phil Mattera from Good Jobs First was a presenter at our "Dialogue on the Future of Corporate Campaigns" As an interim result of the Medicare bill signed into law this month by President Bush, the 40 million participants in the federal retiree health program will soon be able to sign up for discount drug cards. Many of those cards will be issued by companies currently under investigation for fraud, anti-competitive practices and other violations of federal and state law. Those same companies are expected to play a major role when the full provisions of the Medicare drug benefit go into effect in 2006. Read the entrie article. Pedro Rodriquez was a participant in our "Comparative Dialogue on Organizing in India" Sometimes people call it a new Underground Railroad, though actually there's nothing underground about it. It's an overland route, heading north - all the way to Canada. Its travelers include a determined group of Philadelphia-area senior citizens, who say the rising cost of prescription drugs is forcing them to cross the border into the Great White North, where they can buy sorely needed medicine for half or even one-third the price. Read the entire article. Lisa Fithian was a presenter at our "Dialogue on New Constituency Based Strategy and Tactics" On a rain-soaked October night in Miami, the police have commandeered downtown. It is midnight, and patrol cars cordon off the streets of run-down delis and dollar stores. Dozens of black-clad officers maneuver and bullhorn in the distance, practicing their tactics. ''We're expecting about 70,000 to 100,000 protesters to come down here in November,'' says a beat cop, guarding a corner from his squad car. ''Our guys are doing exercises all around.'' A few blocks over, at a red light, Lisa Fithian pulls her compact rental car behind a squadron of city police cruisers. Hers is one of the few civilian cars in this area, certainly the only one carrying an advance guard of that human wave heading for Miami. While most people have been ushered out of the downtown area, the 42-year-old Fithian wants to go into it, to do reconnaissance with three fellow activists. Weeks from now, she will be marching in these streets, and the police will no longer be practicing. Since it is difficult to find our way about, Fithian decides, boldly, to follow the cruisers. ''You know,'' she says, ''it's kind of nice to tail the cops for once.'' Read the entire article. "Reviving Unions" This is a terrifying time for workers. Our jobs, rights, and security are threatened by apparently unstoppable economic forces. Unions -- traditionally the primary weapon at workers' disposal -- feel increasingly powerless to challenge corporate power and its political allies. For a generation, we have been losing membership, influence, self-confidence, and strategic direction. This slide is reflected in diminished power and a sense of futility -- a sense that our best hope now is to slow the rate of decline. Read the entire article at http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR21.2/lerner.html. "Camp Ruckus" by Ben Winters I have been to the revolution, and I have good news: It tastes fantastic. To clarify: I have been to "action camp," a week-long holiday for the dissenting set, sponsored by the Ruckus Society, those modern masters of nonviolent civil disobedience noted lately for their prominent role in the protests against the WTO in Seattle, the IMF in D.C. and at the party conventions last summer. Three or four times a year Ruckus picks a fairly isolated locale, stakes some tents and digs in for a week's worth of training/community building. In mid-March, I journeyed to Peace River campground in Arcadia, Florida, to join Ruckus and invited guests--88 activists, mostly of college age, 55 logistical and training staff, plus the delegation from camp co-sponsor Rainforest Action Network (RAN)--for the latest throwdown. Read the entire article at http://www.inthesetimes.com/web2511/winters2511.html. 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action Practitioners of nonviolent struggle have an entire arsenal of "nonviolent weapons" at their disposal. Listed below are 198 of them, classified into three broad categories: nonviolent protest and persuasion, noncooperation (social, economic, and political), and nonviolent intervention. A description and historical examples of each can be found in volume two of The Politics of Nonviolent Action by Gene Sharp. Go to the Albert Einstein Institution's page to see the whole list of 198 methods.

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