Outline of SDS Talk, Peter Bohmer, April 21, 2007

Thanks for inviting me. I will talk for about an hour about lessons of SDS for current SDS and related organizing, and am looking forward to a good discussion afterwards. As mentioned in my intro, I was active in New Left and SDS, continue to be activist for and a student of radical social change, and I am inspired by those like the people here, you–who are working for a society organized around economic and social justice for all. Let me start with some history of SDS, will include a little of my own in it. . 1. What was SDS- a central group of New Left. In the old left, big issue…

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Outline of Talk at SDS NW Regional Convention, April 2007

Slightly edited version of talk by Peter Bohmer, at Anti-War, Support Ehren Watada Rally at gates of Ft. Lewis, Monday, February 5. 2007

Thanks for coming. It is an impressive turnout. The Vietnamese resistance to the U.S. occupation in Vietnam together with the growing resistance inside and outside the U.S. military, forced the U.S. to withdraw from Vietnam. We can and will do the same in Iraq, hopefully sooner than later. The Bush administration has given many reasons for its invasion and occupation of Iraq: first: regime change, which actually began under Clinton; then Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) including building of nuclear weapons, and Iraq government support for 9/11 and Al Qaeda. Since April, 2003, the U.S. claimed the purpose of the war and occupation was bringing democracy to Iraq, then rebuilding it; then stopping a Civil War inside Iraq and a bloodbath if we withdrew; and now stopping a regional war and Middle East instability; and/or stopping Iran expansionism…

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Rally to Free Ehren Watada, Feb. 2007 near Ft. Lewis

Let Us Wage a War Against Poverty Not Against the Poor!! by Peter Bohmer, given at the OMJP Community Forum at the Olympia Center, December 6, 2006

The anti-homeless sidewalk ordinances passed last Tuesday, November28th are one more pinprick in the war against the poor, against homeless and street people. It is part of the ongoing attempt to criminalize the poor rather than to determine causes and solutions to poverty, racism, homophobia, the lack of affordable housing and the lack of meaningful work at livable wages. The city government in Olympia and many of its residents just like San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Seattle are very liberal when it comes to opposing Bush and the war in Iraq, in denouncing the Nazis, and preaching tolerance but unfortunately, this does not extend to doing what is necessary to end poverty and homelessness in Olympia. The city council, with a few exceptions, like TJ Johnson, represents the homeowners and the businesses owners, not those with the least power and resources. We need to make it clear by our words and actions that we want a city council, a school board…

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Housing and Homelsssness Panel Fall 2006, Olympia

Olympia Community Again Kicks Neo-Nazis Out of Town, April 2^nd , 2006. By Peter Bohmer

Introduction and Context:

On Sunday, April 2^nd, a counter-demonstration, led by the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace (OMJP), ran the neo-Nazi, National Socialist Movement (NSM) out of our town The NSM has targeted Olympia, Washington as a major location for demonstrating their white-supremacist and anti-Jewish message and as a place where they hope to recruit disaffected white youth. They first attempted to rally in Olympia on January 22^nd of this year. We found out 24 hours before their scheduled rally of their plans. On the 22^nd, the nine of them who appeared were surrounded by 200 community members who verbally but not physically challenged their message of racial hate. They left after about an hour, returning to the Seattle area…

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Talk at an anti-Nazi Rally, April 2006