There are reports from many activist organizations that indicate both snail mail
and e-mail are continually late, often arriving after the planned meeting or rally.
A good alternative is to have a calendar on the web so those wanting to participate
in the political process may do so without Cointelpro interference....

This page is updated continually, so be sure to click the RELOAD button
on your browser.
 

Saturday (Jan 6)  at 10 a.m
Join the flyer brigade!
You're invited to join us for some good ol' fashioned flyering brigades
to hand out fliers urging folks of Austin to stop the Phase II toll roads.
CAMPO (our area transportation committee) will be voting on placing
tolls on roads we've already paid for -- read the details below this initial
message from the Austin Toll Party.
Location:  University Hills Library, 4721 Loyola Ln.
If you don't make it to the meeting (we'll be there from 10 to
10:40), you can meet us at or near the Exxon at the intersection of
Loyola and 183.  Feel free to call Richard Reeves (or myself) on our
cell phones -- Richard's is 673-7360.  Thanks y'all!

More info: Linda Curtis
Independent Texans
http://indytexans.org
P. O. Box 14294
Austin, TX 78761
512-535-0989
512-657-2089 cell
ljcurtis@indytexans.org

KNOCKOUT PUNCH BEING PREPPED! WE NEED YOU!
We have updated www.AustinTollParty.comthis week.
We have a full campaign planned over the coming
weeks to educate Central Texans about the double
tax and allow the public to speak out via AustinTollParty.com.
A new hilarious Online Video that will help educate many
- will debut next week. We are working with Independent
Texans and would love any support from any other groups.
Fliers are being printed now and we are gearing up
to have teams of people hand out the fliers at
intersections next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Saturday, January 13, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Conference, "Faith-Based Advocacy for Social Justice: Building Skills
and Relationships"
Texas Impact is hosting a conference to assist congregations in
starting or strengthening social justice programs. A $10 donation is
requested to cover lunch. Visit http://www.texasimpact.org for more
details and to register.
Location: University Presbyterian Church, 2203 San Antonio Street
Free parking in the University Co-op parking garage across the street.
Further information: 512-472-3903 or gkopas@msn.com.

Tuesday, January 16, 7:00 p.m.
St. Andrews Video Night, "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes"
        "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes" provides a riveting examination of
manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture. Director Byron
Hurt -- former college quarterback, longtime hip-hop fan, and gender
violence prevention educator -- conceived the documentary as a
"loving critique" of a number of disturbing trends in the world of
rap music. He pays tribute to hip-hop while challenging the rap music
industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive, deeply
conservative stereotypes of manhood. The documentary features
revealing interviews about masculinity and sexism with rappers such
as Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Talib Kweli, Jadakiss, and Busta
Rhymes, as well as hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. This film has won
critical acclaim for its fearless engagement with issues of race,
gender violence, and the corporate exploitation of youth culture.
Location: St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 14311 Wells Port Drive,
west of I-35 off Wells Branch Parkway.

Wednesday, January 17, 8:00 p.m.
Report on Conference on Media Reform
Esther Cervantes and Robert Jensen, Report Back from the National
Conference on Media Reform
Esther Cervantes, from Dollars and Sense magazine, and Robert Jensen,
UT journalism professor, will give a report after returning from the
National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis, Tennessee, where
activists, media makers, educators, journalists, policymakers, and
concerned citizens gathered for a weekend of sharing ideas and
strategies for winning the fight for better media.
Location: MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop.

Thursday, January 18, 7:00 p.m.
Reading, "Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace"
Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace, edited by Maxine Hong Kingston,
is a collection of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry spanning five
wars. Contributors Doug Zachary (former Director of the Austin Peace
and Justice Coalition) and Sharon Kufeldt (national Vice President of
Veterans For Peace) will read their pieces and lead a discussion
which will focus on misogyny, family violence, and war, and on the
current issues of Lt Ehren Watada and Suzzane Swift.
Location: Bookwoman (12th and Lamar).

Thursday, January 18, 8:00 p.m.
"Tales of Ants and Economics in the Americas"
With three giant illustrated portable murals, a six foot tall fabric
storybook, and an engaging narrative, the Beehive Collective -
www.beehivecollective.org - takes audiences on an interactive visual
tour of the connections between colonization, militarization, and
resource extraction in the Americas.
Location: MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop.

Friday, January 19, 5 - 7 p.m.
CODEPINK Austin Third Anniversary Happy Hour
Join CODEPINK Austin in a celebration of three years of being unruly
for peace and social justice.
Location: Opal Divine's, 700 W. 6th St.

Saturday, January 20, 7:00 p.m.
Panel, "The Other Jewish Voice: Speaking for Palestine and a Return
to Jewish Values"
The Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights hosts a panel of
Jewish writers and thinkers who oppose the Israeli occupation of
Palestine.
Panelists include Batya Hecker, PhD candidate at UT-Austin, member
of the Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights; Paul Lewis,
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of the Incarnate Word;
Charlotte McCann, Publisher of the Texas Observer, member of
Congregation Agudas Achim; Dianne Monroe, San Antonio writer, arts
educator, photographer, and playwright of "Otherwise Occupied;"
Judith Norman, Philosophy Professor at Trinity University, member of
Jewish Voice for Peace; Chuck Vorspan, Remodelling Contractor, co-
founder Austin Muslim Jewish Community Council, member of Brit Tzedek
v'Shalom; and Susanna Sharpe, musician, editor, mother of two. The
moderator is Gale Spear, Child Development Professor at Austin
Community College and member of Women In Black.
Location: University Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 2203 San
Antonio Street.
Parking available across the street at UT Co-op garage, top floor.
Validate ticket at the church.
Information: ICPRAustin@aol.com

Jan 20-21, 9-5
SAXET Gun Show!

Location:  NEW Crockett Center, 10601 N. Lamar, Austin, TX, 512-451-3083
 (Between Rundburg Lane/Braker Lane, West of IH35, East of Lamar).

Sunday, January 21, 3:00 p.m.
Reading and discussion, "Enemy Nations, Emerging Voices"
"Enemy Nations, Emerging Voices" is a reading from two new
anthologies that introduce the literature and culture of so-called
enemy nations: Literature from the 'Axis of Evil', the first
anthology of Words Without Borders, and Let Me Tell You Where I've
Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora. The reading and
discussion features anthology editors Persis Karim and Samantha
Schnee, and contributors Zara Houshmand and Mohammad Ghanoonparvar.
Location: BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd.
Information: zh@mindspring.com.

Sunday, January 21, 11 am to 5 pm
The Road to Texas Independence:
Without the Corridor & Tolls!
Paul Burka, Senior Editor of the Texas Monthly magazine, has agreed
to speak at the conference on Toll Roads.
Mr. Burka, is a  highly respected political analyst, recently wrote about the
problem of non-compete agreements in tollway contracts, and the testimony
by Texas Transportation Institute analysts that TxDOT overestimated it's
funding gap by $30 billion.

 A new day in Texas politics is upon us!  Will Texas House Speaker
Tom Craddick be reelected?  He's definitely in hot water (that's
getting hotter) as our state reps are furious that Craddick has been
twisting arms to get them to vote against the wishes of their
constituents.  Is this an echo from you all at last summer's Corridor
hearings???  These and more developments will be highlighted at The
Road to Texas Independence Conference, so make your reservations.
(It's free to attend, but you must have a reservation).

Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel (formerly Red Lion)
6121 North I-35 (northeast corner of Highway 290 and I-35)
Austin, Texas 78752,  Room Salon D
Free But Res.REQUIRED.
COST:  Free (you must, however, reserve a seat by sending an email to
ljcurtis@indytexans.org, or by calling 512-535-0989)
ROOMS:  $69 per night (call 512-535-0989 or email
ljcurtis@indytexans.org for room reservations)

Monday, January 22, 8:00 p.m.
KOOP Radio monthly video night at MonkeyWrench Books, "Jesus Camp"
"Jesus Camp" (2006) follows a group of young children to Pastor Becky
Fischer's "Kids on Fire Summer Camp," where kids are taught to become
dedicated Christian soldiers in God's Army and are schooled in how to
take back America for Christ.
Location: MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop.

Monday, Jan 22, 6pm
CAMPO Public Feedback
Austin Toll Party Urgent: CAMPO Public Feedback on Phase II,6PM @10100 Burnet Rd.
 Bldg.#137, Commons Bldg Pickle UT Campus Austin Tx. Info. Sal@AustinTollParty.com

Monday, Jan 22
   Citizens Lobby Day
Let your representatives and senators
know your concerns.
Location:  State Capitol, 11th and Congress

Monday, Jan 22, 26:45pm 
Freedom School,
on Civil Liberties
Location:  Brave New Bookstore, 1904 Guadalupe
 6:45-10:00, Every Monday

Tue, Jan 23, 7:00pm
Vote Rescue and Black Box Voting-, 7-9PM, at
Location:  BraveNewBookstore.com
 See www.VoteRescue.org  or  www.BlackBoxVoting.com

Jan 26, 7pm
Austin Citizens for 911 Truth
Speaker George Humphrey
Location: Universal Unitarian Church

Saturday, January 27, 3:00 p.m.
March and Rally Against the War in Iraq
In solidarity with national demonstrations in Washington, local
antiwar groups will host a march and rally calling for an immediate
end to the occupation of Iraq. Participants will gather at 3 p.m. at
Austin City Hall for a 3:30 march to the State Capitol, where there
will be a rally with speakers and music.

Sunday, January 28
"America Freedom to Fascism" by Arron Russo
Location:  Spider House
 www.PNACitizen@gmail.com

Sunday, January 28, 6 - 8 p.m.
Last Sunday
After two Last Sunday events that looked at a broad array of issues,
the January 28 gathering is going to focus on a specific social-
political-economic problem in the United States: Race and racism/
white supremacy and white privilege, with guest artist/analysts
Sharon Bridgforth and Omi Osun Olomo. The event also will feature
more great music by Austin singer/songwriter Slaid Cleaves, along
with some of the regular features of Last Sunday (Robert Jensen and
Jim Rigby).
Sharon Bridgforth, the author of the bull-jean stories and love
conjure/blues, writes jazz-blues prayer/poems/performance stories.
Her work, which has been widely anthologized and produced, has been
supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, National
Performance Network, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Bridgforth, who
is the Anchor Artist for The Austin Project, has developed an
innovative style of teaching creative writing that she calls "Finding
Voice," using the personal to articulate and examine the socio-
political realities of their lives. In Bridgforth's own words: "My
work assumes that art and life are not separate, that making art is a
communal process. My work speaks to a Black experience but is about
building, nurturing, and celebrating humanity, liberation and dignity
of all people globally."
Omi Osun Olomo is one of the rare academics who excels at teaching,
research, and administration -- all the while engaged in the life of
the community. Her performances, including the captivating "sista
docta" one-woman show, have made her a sought-after speaker and
performer. That piece comes out of her experiences as an African
American woman at predominantly white universities. She was a
Fulbright Fellow in Nigeria, where she taught at Obafemi Awolowo
University and led "Theatre for Social Change" workshops for the
Forum on Governance and Democracy. At the University of Texas, Olomo
is a theatre professor and associate director of the Center for
African and African American Studies, which sponsors the Austin
Project, a collaborative venture among women-of-color artists,
scholars and activists, and their allies.
Robert Jensen, author of The Heart of Whiteness, will throw a few
words into the mix, and Jim Rigby will explore the often-ignored
radical roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. Because we don't want to
look at race in isolation, the three discussion groups that emerged
after the December event (empire and war, economic justice,
ecological crises) will reconvene, with encouragement to explore the
racial aspects to these issues.
Musical guest Slaid Cleaves will bring his soulful songwriting and
singing to Last Sunday for the first time. Cleaves' music reflects
the eccentric mix of his Yankee upbringing and long residence in
Texas. First registering on the national folk scene by winning the
Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk competition in 1992, Cleaves broke
out with his 2000 release "Broke Down," followed by 2004's
"Wishbones," an exploration of life's darker corners where still a
ray of hope somehow shines. His most recent CD is "Unsung."
More information about Last Sunday is at http://
thirdcoastactivist.org/lastsunday.html
Location: Saengerrunde Hall, 1607 San Jacinto, next door to Scholz
Garten.

Monday, January 29, 7:30 p.m.
Debate: The Death Penalty
Recent events around the death penalty -- moratoriums in Florida,
California, and Maryland, as well as a panel's suggestion that New
Jersey abolish the practice -- indicate a rupture in political
support for the death sentence in the United States. The Austin
Chapter of Campaign to End the Death Penalty and Young Conservatives
of Texas will host a debate on the topic.
Location: UT Campus, Jester A121A.

Tuesday, January 30
 7:00 to 10:00 PM
The Truth Seekers will present the "Texas Restoration Project",
a Special DVD Presentation that includes an introduction to
"Four Decades of Education", by David Barton of Wallbuilders;
 a look at "Vouchers" to correct our school system to old standards.
 Location:  Brave New Books, 1904 Guadalupe,
just North of MLK in the Chase Bldg., Austin, Texas
 Parking Garage behind DOLBY Theater-$2.50/Hr.
 Contact (512) 577-5394

Wednesday, January 31, 7:00 p.m.
Third Coast Film Night at Alamo Drafthouse, "Little Birds"
        After the U.S. armed forces entered Iraq in April 2003, Japanese
director Watai Takeharu remained in Iraq to continue shooting
portraits of Iraqi citizens in the war-ravaged country. In Baghdad,
Samawa, Falluja, and at Abu Ghraib, Watai listened to the voices of
the Iraqi people, and succeeded in catching glimpses of the truth
about the Iraq War rarely found in the mainstream media. From over
123 hours of footage from his one-and-a-half-year-long research in
Iraq, he made this grim, eye-opening film, Little Birds.
        Reviewing the film on ElectronicIraq.net, Gregory Elich writes:
"American documentaries tend to be more interested in telling us
about Americans in Iraq and informing us of what we already know.
Watai, however, has a more empathetic approach, forcing us to
acknowledge what the war has done to the Iraqi people. As a result,
we discover far more about the war and the disaster it has wrought on
the society. The filmmaker had confidence enough in his material to
forgo music and narration, and indeed, none was needed. Little Birds
is a film of such power that it leaves its audience speechless at the
end."
Director Watai Takeharu will be at the film screening and take
questions from the audience afterward.
Location: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown, 4th and Colorado.
Tickets - $7 general / $5.50 student, senior - are available at the
event or online at drafthouse.com.

Jan   2007
Dec  2006
Nov  2006
Oct   2006
Sep   2006
Aug  2006
Jul    2006
Jun   2006
May 2006
Apr   2006
Mar  2006
Feb   2006