SLLU Membership Meeting_4Jan09
[attendants: Red Roecastle, Zoe Parness, Sandree Aurbierre, Ernest Newman, Imper Fegte, Demo Ho, RGuilherme Zapedzki, Wanessa Gazov, Jamadagni Lefavre, Alexjo Magic, Deruub Pastorelli, Green Hawks, Canbu Braveheart, Smoke Wijaya]
AGENDA:
-proposals for SLLU projects around economic/financial crisis;
No proposals were submitted prior to the meeting, but several proposals came up:
Red will write up a proposal around a discussion/educational series of events; RGuilherme will write up proposal around idea of a webbased socialist store, or “donation ebay company” like.
Both proposals will be send to the group (by Red and RGuilherme) before next meeting to be able to be discussed and decided on by group.
-proposal: RL affiliation Wall for SLLU members at Unity Station;
[from chatlog]
“proposal....designated wall, where members can place a one prim object with their texture and notecards and stuff from their RL affiliation/party/org ... we ask people to propose an org before a meeting, and it will be discussed by that meeting. just decide on fixed size of one prim, ask for texture, notecards and stuff maybe .. and let that place here on Unity Station after it has gone through these meetings. ? Yes or No? “
*This proposal passed unanimously*
The open membership meetings on sundays will be the “committee” that checks RL affiliations with SLLU aims and principles.
-proposal around writing letters/texts by SLLU about Obama (presidency);
[from chatlog]
“PROPOSAL: We will ask SLLU members through invitation and drop box (Zoe wil get rez rights and posting rights, Zoe starts with making notecard to invite people to write article) for articles on/about Obama/US .. and we publish this on our webiste/forum for discussion (possibly a seperate page), and possibly follow them up with inworld discussions (public events) ? Yes or no? “
*Proposal passed*
[contact Zoe Parness if you are willing to contribute with setting up, or when you have article already]
-reportback on plans for feminist space;
[report send prior to meeting by Ledoof Constantineau. Contact Ledoof for more info or to submit your ideas.]
“Members have been contacted and a meeting will be arranged early in the new year.
Some feedback on what to do with the space, hoping for more ideas - and building volunteers - at initial meeting.
Temporary build is in space at the moment (feminist record and book library) to give us somewhere to meet and plan in meantime.
We've had some suggestions for good website/article links. Currently working on adding these to the library.
SLLU have paid for weekly classified ad for the land.
Ideas and new members welcome.”
-discuss sllu 2nd party end jan, begin febr 09;
Decided on date and start time: Party at Saturday 7th, start time at 11 AM SLT.
We will find this week ourselves artists/DJs and bring this to next week meeting, to decide on line up. Idea has been raised to have speakers as well (could easily be inserted in between music acts). Another idea has been to raise some social issues at the same time.
NEXT MEETING: Sunday, 11th of Januari, 2 PM SLT at the Unity Station
3 days ago
10 comments:
I thought I'd take this opportunity to ask again if anyone knew of a persuasive published analysis of the current global financial crisis? Especially on the issue of whether it was just part of the normal cycle or something more significant?
Imper Fegte
Dear Linden Labs,
I am writing in response to your recent decision to impose a lengthy three-day suspension upon my avatar, for the charge of "intolerance".
I assume your decision was based upon a vigil held in the Waterhead welcoming area at around 10:30pm PST, on January the 5th. The "incident" in question involved myself and one other avatar peacefully holding pro-palestinian placards and flags which raised various slogans of a similar theme, among them being "Free Palestine!" and "Israel, USA: How many kids have you killed today?".
I suspect the latter slogan provoked a profound sense of nationalistic anger among the avatar who sent the Abuse Report, whose name I have forgotten.
However, our signs were not intended to offend, nor were they at all ethnically inflammatory. Our small demonstration - and I can call it a demonstration since I have been suspended not for "disturbing the peace" but for the ridiculous charge of "intolerance" - was unapologetically in response to Israel's recent military attacks in Gaza, in which 500 Palestinians have been massacred in cold blood, and the crippling economic blockade of Gaza. Needless to say, the humanitarian disaster, daily mass hunger, impoverishment, death and brutality inflicted upon Palestinians warrant the outright condemnation of the actions of Israel and the US. Hundreds of thousands of people across the world have taken to the streets recently, in a global show of anger and outrage at the war crimes of the US and Israel in Gaza, and in a inspiring show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
I wholeheatedly agree with your zero-tolerance of "The use of derogatory or demeaning language in reference to racial, ethnic, or social groups.." Israel is, however, neither an ethnic group, a religion, or a social group. It is a heavily militarised state, a nuclear power backed by the US. Opposing Israel, an expansionist state built upon the systematic disposession and genocide of palestinian land and people, is not in any way anti-Semitic - and to conflate the two is a gross trivialization of the nature of anti-jewish racism.
Moreover, the act of pinning the blame for the atrocities in Gaza squarely at the feet of the governments of the US and Israel, where it should rightfully lie, should not be confused with a hatred of the ordinary people living in those countries. Sizable demonstrations of the kind mentioned above have taken place across Israel and the US over the past week, condemning the criminal acts of both states.
Not only is it incorrect to describe opposition towards the brutality of the state of Israel as "racist" or "anti-Semitic", it is in fact an insult upon the millions of victims of actual systemic racism and the countless number of people of Jewish descent who - like anyone else with a shred of human decency - stand with the Palestinian people against the Israeli state, to equate their religion with the blind worship of a truly racist and apartheid state.
Some of the most prominent anti-zionists, those of the likes of Noam Chomsky and Normal Finklestein, are jewish. Conversely, George Bush and Gordon Brown are two important zionists, neither of whom are jewish. The distinction between zionism and judaism can not be stressed enough - one is a racist ideology based upon the establishment of a colonial settler state at the expense of another people, the other is a religion.
I respectfully request that my avatar be unsuspended for the above reasons, for speaking out in defence of a marginalised and oppressed people within the world of Second Life is not a crime.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Red Roecastle
Imper,
These are a few articles from the IS tradition, though most marxist or radical left journals would also have an analysis arguing that the crisis is systemic to capitalism:
"Capitalism’s worst crisis since the 1930s" by Joel Geier:
http://isreview.org/issues/62/feat-geier-crisis.shtml
"A crisis of capital" by Eduardo Lucita
http://isreview.org/issues/62/rep-lucita.shtml
"A crisis for the centre of the system" - Andrew Kilmore
http://isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=482&issue=120
Sol Larsen hasn't been banned too, as she?
- Red
Sol is still in SL, Red.
Imper - my RL political party has been one of the leaders in left comment on the crisis in the UK. If you read this article (by a member of my RL SSP branch) and then click on the "economic crisis" link at the top of the page, you will read Raphie de Santos take. Raphie has been touring around various left meetings all over the UK.
http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/economic-crisis/greed-beyond-irresponsible.html
Plot,
Has Sol talked to you about the "Justice for Palestine Coalition" united front we set up along with members of SlAnarchy and theIslamOnline.net group?
Considering the SLLU and IslamOnline are the two most active SL groups standing alongside the Palestinian struggle in solidarity, we thought it would be worthwhile to work together on this question, to better plan and discuss our work and build a cohered network of activists.
We already have our own space in Tabuks Ford, where we've planned a demonstration for this weekend.
We are proposing formal affiliation to the JFPC from the SLLU, and encourage all members who support the palestinian struggle to join. Would it be possible to add this to Sunday's general meeting agenda?
----
PROPOSAL: groups to be affiliated to the JFPC:
- SlAnarchy
- SL International Socialists
- IslamOnline.net
- SL Left Unity
- "unaligned" - various shades of anarchism....
----
PS. Has anyone told you about the huge rally we had in SL Israel, a couple of days ago? We managed to "occupy" the land (quite fittingly, i say) for a total of 20 hours, eventually forcing them to shut the sim down for a few hours. It's a shame you couldn't be there :(
I'll send you pics when they let me back on SL.
PPS. A few members from all the groups listed above made the decision to form a united front during a post-rally debrief.
- Red
Comrades, i'm missing SLLU :( Three days seems like an eternity!
What's happening?
Plot, do you support our proposal to formally affiliate to the JFPC?
Also, have SLAnarchy - re that vile group notice from Gilles Kuhn - done anything dodgy in regards to the coalition yet?
- Red ... getting a bit worried
Also, can someone post a notice about the all-weekend rally?
==================
STOP THE KILLINGS, STOP THE WAR! CONDEMN ISRAEL'S GENOCIDAL ATTACKS ON GAZA!
All Weekend demonstration, January 10th/11th, in Tabuks Ford. Come and voice your opposition to the slaughter, and show solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Rally Organised by the Justice for Palestine Coalition.
==================
Red - I am against the suggestion that SLLU "affiliate" with this little group a few people have decided to create. It may be well meaning, but it is ultimately wrong. SL is not "Holland", "Scotland" or "Australia" - it is SL - and because of that, people need not create "Palestinian supporters groups" - they can instead, join other groups set up by the Palestinian diaspora and show their solidarity that way. this group is very much looking like "well meaning western lefties" who are going to fight over "points of principles" and ultimately do the opposite of what it says it is setting out to do.
I would also add, that of course, if any rl leftist Palestinian solidarity group wanted to use SLLU's facilities, I would have nothing against that.
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