now that the writers' strike has ended, we can finally catch you up on what
we've been doing for the last few months. our lack of capitalization in this
email is our attempt to show our contempt for capitalism in general. we hope
you enjoy.
send your love to:
RNC - WC
P.O. Box 4514
St. Paul, MN 55104-9998
topix below on which 2 ruminate:
- Leap Day fundraisers
- Unconventional Action-MN consulta march 1-2
- report from 3rd Minnesota Town Hall meeting
- historic "St. Paul Principles" agreed on by key twin cities groups
- report from feb 9-10 nat'l organizing conference
- national wc tours: ne and olympia reports
- your tax refund: feds to fund rnc welcoming committee
- wc tours to go local
- rnc in the news: critical mass hearing
- pRe-NC 5.3
______________________________________________________________________
Take a Leap of Action Day
friday, february 29th has been designated "take a leap of action day", and
the rnc welcoming committee is hoping our allies will use this day outside
of time as an opportunity to hold an event and raise money for us for you.
have a house party, get your friend's band to do a benefit show, send us
your wages for the day: it all helps! the welcoming committee would be
happy to publicize your event on our announcements list and get you some
of our lit to distribute if you want, so send us the relevant information.
we love u!
also see:
http://www.nornc.org/2008/01/09/february-29-take-a-flying-leap/#more-303
Unconventional Action–MN consulta march 1-2
on march 1st and 2nd, anti-authoritarians will gather in Minneapolis to
create a new network of resistance: UA-MN. the new network's purpose will
be to complement the convention resistance plans of local organizers in
the Twin Cities and Denver. the weekend's events will center on a sunday
regional strategy session: "UA-MN: where do we go from here?" interested
folks will be gathering on the morning of sat, march 1st. see the
detailed schedule at:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=302016735&blogID=358357801
further info:http://www.myspace.com/unconventionalmn
e-mail:
burnthroughfear@riseup.net
report from 3rd Minnesota Town Hall meeting
in january, with the group "protest rnc 2008", the welcoming
committee co-hosted the third in a series of "Minnesota Town Hall"
organizing meetings. the meeting was attended by over 80 area activists
and neighborhood residents. the event included a "listening session" and
groups planning rnc resistance heard neighbors' concerns about the
impending national convention.
historic "St. Paul Principles" agreed on by key twin cities groups
key groups have signed onto what is being dubbed the "St. Paul Principles"
of unity for organizing resistance to the 2008 rnc. the principles allow
for stronger unity to confront the rnc and help to ensure respect for the
sept 1 permitted march by people planning non-permitted activities.
signers of the "St. Paul Principles" ask participants in the large sept 1
march to adhere to the principles below and do nothing to sew divisions
among the many activists coming to the twin cities to protest the 2008
rnc:
1. our solidarity will be based on respect for a diversity of tactics and
the plans of other groups.
2. the actions and tactics used will be organized to maintain a separation
of time or space.
3. any debates or criticisms will stay internal to the movement, avoiding
any public or media denunciations of fellow activists and events.
4. we oppose any state repression of dissent, including surveillance,
infiltration, disruption and violence. we agree not to assist law
enforcement actions against activists and others.
the rnc welcoming committee, the coalition to march on the rnc and stop
the war, the anti-war committee, sds-u of mn, communities united against
police brutality and the welfare rights committee were among the first to
sign on to these principles. as other groups sign on to these principles,
we build an effective, unified and radical front.
report from feb 9-10 nat'l organizing conference in Minneapolis
around 100 people attended the feb 9 and 10 national organizing conference
centered around the large march on the rnc planned for monday, sept 1 and
resistance to the rnc in general. attendees of the conference included
like-minded folks from Madison and Chicago as well as national antiwar
coalition members from ANSWER and UFPJ. it was the first time in some
time that the two coalitions sat in the same room
(see
http://www.startribune.com/business/15481531.html). the conference
was not dominated by the national coalitions.
the rnc welcoming committee tabled, did its slide presentation, and took
many questions from a generally supportive and receptive group. more than
45 people attended the welcoming committee small group session including
national organizers and locals not normally involved in radical
organizing: it was the most popular session of the conference.
points of unity, dubbed "the St. Paul Principles" (see previous story),
were generally adhered to throughout the conference.
more reading:
http://wcco.com/local/republican.convention.protest.2.650198.html
national wc tours: northeast and olympia reports
the rnc welcoming committee tour to the northeast was a huge success. the
roving wc toursters traveled over 5,000 miles and spoke with over 20
groups. discussions focused on ways that big mobilizations can complement
local organizing and how, together, we can crash the convention this sept.
in smaller towns, we learned that lack of a local protest scene has made
people more focused on amazing plans to implement in St. Paul. we
collected a lot of new thoughts and ideas about how to advance, enhance,
and complement the three-tiered strategy that resulted from last
september's pReNC.
we were also able to learn from organizers in the northeast, especially in
DC, Boston and New York, who have accumulated a lot of experience in mass
mobilization with direct action during the past 5 years. now in
development is a framework for a massive national legal network. regional
clusters are working to organize and bring in new skills into their areas.
the welcoming committee toursters want to thank northeast organizers for
all the great conversations and support. we are inspired by the work going
on in the northeast! communications during the tour are already helping
us frame our planning for the pReNC 5.3.
the northwest dnc/rnc resistance conference held in Olympia, WA was
attended by nearly 100 folks from Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Bellingham
and Spokane. there were about 70 attending the rnc wc presentation, which
was well received. attendees plan to come and assist in crashing the
convention in sept with several planning to test their crashing skills in
Denver prior to St. Paul.
workshops in Olympia were geared towards the conventions and tactics that
could be used around the conventions. activists with recent experience
testing out tactics were particularly helpful and instructional.
activists are excited about the twin cities united community protest
front; however, there is concern about police weaponry. the welcoming
committee is returning for a more extensive tour of the northwest...
expect a report in an upcoming newsletter.
your tax refund: feds to fund rnc welcoming committee
as you know, our good ol' georgie bush got an economic stimulus to put off
the crashing economy a bit longer. the stimulus gives one-time tax
rebates, up to $600, to qualified taxpayers. the wishes of the corporate
controlled government is to put money in the hands of the consumers who
would then go on to spend this cash on stuff that they may not need. isn't
it time to be putting this money to good use? for the first time in
years, you will have the choice in deciding where our nation's large stack
of bills goes to. the rnc welcoming committee is putting a national
call-out to all of you refund-eligible people who are sick and tired of
fueling this capitalist country. instead of a shopping spree, why not
DONATE your refund to an intrepid activist group which seeks to assist you
in your revolutionary dreams? after all, revolution is gonna take some
cash. if we make the decision to donate our refunds to a good, democratic
cause, we will not only be screwing with our country's fascist policy
makers, we will also be helping create a massive sum of money for
resources that could be used to stimulate REAL change.
wc tours to go local:
as members of the welcoming committee travel to all corners of the nation,
spreading seeds of rnc resistance as we go, we hear resounding support and
a sense of commitment to come to the twin cities and crash the convention.
overjoyed to see what is already being planned nationally, we are also
mindful that it is the seeds that we sow locally that are ultimately the
most fertile and likely to bear the sweetest fruits.
with this mindfulness, we are tickled pink to announce welcoming committee
resolve to visit and share our plans with you who reside within roughly 4
hours of the twin cities. with a prepared presentation, we will arrive
and be ready to hear your plans, listen to your questions and learn how we
can support each other. we are working hard to find practical ways to
make all of our rnc resistance dreams come true.
unfortunately, realizing our dreams requires money; and, that's where you
can help! if your organization, school or church has funds available or
is willing to raise funds to aid in our common struggle, contact
tour@riseup.net and let's make a date. together we can build a better world!
critical mass hearing and rnc in the news:
1. critical mass support site:
http://cmsupport.wordpress.com/
2. article:
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2008/01/28/72165195
pReNC 5.3:
5.3 as in: save may 3rd on your calendar. the rnc welcoming committee
will be hosting an all-day strategizing event. the idea is to create the
first rnc 08 spokes-council session for like-minded representatives of
affinity groups around the country. we expect a discussion of plans for
the quickly approaching rnc.
though an invite is not required, we will need to know who is coming in
advance so we can complete the necessary security checks to protect all of
us and our hard work. keep checking our website in the next few weeks for
house and ride boards, various activities being planned around the weekend
and how you can become involved. hope to see many of you in may!
love'n an ark key,
THE rnc welcoming committee
