Few, if any workers under union contracts in Oregon are paid the minimum wage. Organized labor’s role in raising the minimum wage demonstrates a commitment to boosting standards for all workers, not just union members. Like the bumper sticker says: “The weekend: brought to you by the labor movement.”

Yet another reason to support the Employee Free Choice Act — the right of workers to organize is a plus for workers even in workplaces that don’t choose to unionize. The more organized workers are, the better off all workers are.

I’ve been thinking about unions since re-reading Fast Food Nation last month (after seeing Food Inc), where Eric Schlosser talks in detail about the effects of union-busting on the food industry: specifically fast food workers and the slaughterhouse workers. I had to put down the book a few times as he talked about the deaths of workers in slaugherhouses and the changes to the meatpacking industry as it has switched to a mostly non-union workforce since the 1980s.

On so many levels, it’s true: workers need unions, and every worker, whether or not they want to be in a union, can support the right to organize for all workers. Take a minute to sign onto the “Million Member” campaign to show Congress that Americans support union choices for all workers.

Thanks also, Gabi, for posting this LA Times article about the death of Neda Agha-Soltan, who was killed on the street in Tehran on Saturday. I have seen the video (which is as disturbing as it sounds) but did not know her name or story. My thoughts are with her family and all the grieving families in Tehran. I’ll be at Pioneer Courthouse Square tomorrow evening wearing something green.

There were a couple folks taking pictures of the vigil with a camera (as opposed to me taking pictures with my phone). There are some photos of the vigil up on Flickr.

It’s important for people in Iran to know that the world is watching, and I have participated in Amnesty’s call to the Iranian government for restraint. (I’m sure that the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn’t read his own email, but someone does.) Even if you can’t make it to a vigil, it is a way you can be in solidarity with the Iranian people.

Of course, I wasn’t actually sure why I was even supposed to email the Ayatollah Khomenei. I will confess to not always understanding all that I have heard on NPR about the Iranian election so far, or what I have read on Twitter. I found this Time Magazine who’s who in the struggle within Iran helpful. Of course, Time doesn’t mention the protesters, but it does help to distinguish the political leaders and political bodies from each other. I also found this commentary by Hamid Dabashi helpful (thanks for posting it to your blog, Gabi).

And, look! A vigil the same night at University of Washington — I found these beautiful photos from the Seattle vigil on Flickr. As President Obama has said, the world is watching.

First, some context for the relationship between the U.S. and the Muslim world:

I’ve come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition.  Instead, they overlap, and share common principles — principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings….

…As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam.  It was Islam — at places like Al-Azhar — that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. …

…I also know that Islam has always been a part of America’s story.  The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco.  In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, “The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims.”  And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. …

… That experience guides my conviction that partnership between America and Islam must be based on what Islam is, not what it isn’t.  And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.

But that same principle must apply to Muslim perceptions of America.  (Applause.)  Just as Muslims do not fit a crude stereotype, America is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. …

Then, on the struggle around Israel and Palestine:

… America’s strong bonds with Israel are well known.  This bond is unbreakable.  It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. …

Threatening Israel with destruction — or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews — is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve. On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people — Muslims and Christians — have suffered in pursuit of a homeland.  For more than 60 years they’ve endured the pain of dislocation. …

… The obligations — the obligations that the parties have agreed to under the road map are clear.  For peace to come, it is time for them — and all of us — to live up to our responsibilities.

And he goes on from there: to talk about nuclear weapons, democracy, religious freedom, the status of women, and the importance of economic opportunity for all.  This speech is lo-ong, but riveting. His closing:

It’s easier to start wars than to end them.  It’s easier to blame others than to look inward.  It’s easier to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share.  But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path.  There’s one rule that lies at the heart of every religion — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  (Applause.)  This truth transcends nations and peoples — a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian or Muslim or Jew.  It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the hearts of billions around the world.  It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today. …

I hope someone turns this into a song as good as his “Yes, We Can” song, so we can keep this first and foremost in our minds: that we were made to live in peace with each other. Now we all have to take the next steps to make sure that our country moves in line with these ideals.

If you want to watch it:

The original series broke ground on the topic of race, which I was blissfully unaware of as I sat next to my big brother watching the series in the 1970s. Gene Roddenberry’s “western in space” balanced the familiar and the unfamiliar in just the right mix for this little girl.

The familiar:  ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys,’ guns, a ship run like a naval vessel (except with photon torpedos!), the red-shirt crewman to let us know danger was lurking (by dying in the first two minutes after you see them).

The unfamiliar: a multiracial bridge crew that included a Russian (we were fervent anti-communists in my family, so this was a big deal) and a guy with pointy ears from some other race. A different race, not as in, from Asia or Africa, but a completely different race! This Spock guy could knock you unconscious by pinching you, he had a mind like a computer… and he could read your mind if he touched you!

Star Trek made certain that Spock was fascinating, which brought us kids back to what is true but was obscured by racism in our everyday lives: that people different from us can be interesting to get to know.

In Spock, Star Trek gave us lessons about racism without talking about racism.  The multiracial bridge crew taught us that in the future, racism as we know it now will be a relic: there was a black woman on TV who was not a maid.  Star Trek offered us more than the familiar when it came to race.

When Roddenberry ‘rebooted’ the series in 1987, it was with the “Next Generation” (STNG to us Trekkies), and it too, found a way to balance the familiar and unfamiliar. A Klingon was now on the bridge crew, to re-invoke the theme that enemies eventually become allies. Given how race had changed, STNG now had multiple Black recurring characters.

STNG was explicit in its view that we would learn to get along, or perish. It offered mild rebukes to the original series, with more profound roles for women (up to a point), and a captain who preferred to talk before firing the photon torpedos. STNG mirrored the timing of my own life, as I left home in 1987 and left behind some of the conservative ideas I had about war, peace, and cooperation. I was an adult just in time to appreciate that I was watching a moral tale with cool special effects.

STNG needed scarier villains, and tougher topics to take on, and wound up with the genocidal Borg, who brought us fear, homicidal nano-probes and mass destruction for many seasons. Then came the episode, “I, Borg” in which the Enterprise has an opportunity to destroy the entire Borg race, and are forced to acknowledge that they would, in turn, be committing genocide. You can try watching just that episode, and maybe you’ll get it, but some of it would be lost on you if you haven’t seen all the evil that the Borg do. They’re the enemy! Then comes a moment when we get to know a single Borg, and our certainty about what is the right thing to do dissolves.

The Star Trek franchise, at moments like that, is science fiction at its best: offering just enough of the familiar for us feel like we know what we would do. Then the perspective shifts just enough to force us to question what we think and believe and eliminates the easy answers we thought we had.

But the 2009 film has rebooted by jettisoning Star Trek’s chance to take on anything tough. It takes all the hard-earned prestige of the series and spends it all on pretty effects and cool outfits (excuse me, extraordinary effects and outstanding outfits). Forget tough looks at race or genocide.  Okay, sure at first Spock and Kirk don’t get along, and by the end of the film, they do. But it’s a personality conflict, and not even a particularly deep one. If this were an episode of “Moonlighting” I would expect more tension then the whole, “you cheated on my test” conflict they begin with.

There is the same multiracial bridge crew that was radical in the 60s, but now is a cultural status quo. There is no conversation about race that is even vaguely unfamiliar.

Genocide comes up, but hardly as a moral issue. 6 billion Vulcans are killed by a Romulan villain, but there is only screentime for Spock’s immediate family. Genocide is a prop in this movie, and the Vulcan people have become the infamous “red-shirt” characters from the original series, who die to let us know that someone who really counts is at-risk (in this case, Earth).

And what should happen after this genocide? “Let’s go get that m—-f—r” guides the day.  As the viewer, we get to wallow in our righteous anger at the villains, and that’s  about it.

This movie is like a light and fluffy cupcake topped with two inches of buttercream frosting. I savored details like the new bridge design, the nuanced acting, and those cool parachutes. I am sure I will see it again, and enjoy it.

But some part of me feels like I’ve let Gene Roddenberry down, for loving this movie’s bling instead of being loyal to the heart of what he did for so long: teach me to question myself if I want to become something new and better.

As one person who has been changed by Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future, I can’t help but feel like it’s a sad day when I enjoy a Star Trek movie where the future is pretty much like the present, but with better effects.

The resolution attempts to create false links between Iran and our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but will possibly wind up depriving people of food (for example, Oregon farmers sell wheat to Iran) and curtail legitimate businesses when we’re all already facing hard economic times.

Senate Bill 633 passed the Senate 27-3, but I’m proud that my Senator,  State Senator Margaret Carter, did the right thing and voted against it along with Senators Burdick and Metsger. (To see the vote results, you can run a search for SB 633 on the Oregon Legislature’s bill search page).

We have to make sure that this horrible bill doesn’t pass the Oregon House.  Rather than continuing to demonize the Iranian people, we should be looking for ways to decrease tensions in the region.  I’ve already emailed my rep, the great Representative Chip Shields, earlier today.

This could totally sneak in under the radar and will cause hardship for many ordinary people in Oregon and Iran. Take five and send a message to your Representative today before this bill is sitting on the Governor’s desk.  (Not sure who to email?  Let the Oregon Legislative website help you find your Rep)

May Day 2009 in Salem

May Day 2009 in Portland

Avaaz, as usual, has offered an opportunity to take action. Sign a petition Avaaz will submit to the summit leaders. From Avaaz:

The world is in economic meltdown, and leaders are meeting at the crucial G20 London Summit next week to decide what to do. It’s time to tell them they can’t continue with business as usual — they have to fix the system and build a more sustainable future.

Demand the G20 put people first — sign the emergency petition below and our worldwide call will be carried to the streets by tens of thousands of people marching through central London, wearing green hard hats and carrying banners and flags to symbolise green jobs and a sustainable recovery. Then, next week, we’ll deliver the petition directly to summit officials and leaders.

Not that anyone should need more motivation to take action, but I’ll point out two incentives:

1. When you go to the petition page, they have a super-cool animation of little green people gathering to show progress on the petition (I confess to being fascinated by little trinkets like that)
2. When you submit the petition, you get to take an Avaaz survey where they lay out different approaches to the global financial crisis and you get to vote.  I found it informative and it helped me think about, well, what I think about what we should be doing and why.

They always have interesting informative action options, so if you have not signed up for Avaaz, I highly recommend it.

PDX Peace marching against the war

This weekend Oregon is marking the sixth anniversary of the invasion on Iraq with activities for the whole family. Take your pick:

Big peace march in Salem, Sunday, March 15,  1 PM learn more at PDX Peace website

Democracy Bailout! A lobby day at the Capitol, Monday, March 16, 8:30 AM to 1 PM learn more at the ROP  website

Although I know that not everyone can just take off for Salem on a weekday, hope to see you at these events!

Colbert Does Wyoming (Colbert taunts the U.S. Representative from Wyoming)

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/221062/march-09-2009/better-know-a-district—wyoming-s-at-large—cynthia-lummis

Colbert Takes on the “Rand Illusion” A brilliant segment on the right-wing call to look out for yourself in these difficult times

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/221330/march-11-2009/intro—03-11-09