Bill Boyne's blog

Racism in Rochester

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:31:37 -0600

Racism is a threat to the Rochester community and corrective action is needed.

That is the view of Victor O. Lewis, an internationally known speaker on racial issues who conducted a two-day program in Rochester last weekend.

Lewis addressed an audience of 190 people Friday night and conducted an all-day training session on Saturday. Both were held at Willow Creek Middle School.

Plans for the sessions were developed earlier this year by members of Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester after they started an Anti-Racism Study Dialogue Circle. They chose Lewis as a speaker because of his extensive experience in the field.

A World-wide Shortage of Water

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:06:20 -0600

This is the second of two columns about basic world problems that require fundamental changes in the way we live.

The first topic was population control. This column is about a serious world-wide shortage of water).

A World-wide Shortage of Water

Lester R. Brown, head of the Earth Policy Institute, has called for action to overcome a world-wide shortage of water.

In his book, “Plan B 3.0 --- Mobilizing to Save Civilization”, Brown cites countries all over the world where underground water supplies are declining. Countries affected include China, India and the United States.

Basic World Problems - Population

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:33:28 -0500

This is the first of two columns about basic world problems that require fundamental changes in the way we live. The first is about controlling population.

The second column, which will appear next week, is about the serious world-wide shortage of water.

The future of the world depends on one key issue:
population.

We can worry about the oil shortage, global warming, the food supply and many other topics. However, if we do not learn to control the world’s population, there is no feasible way to maintain life on earth.

That is the compelling message of David Paxson, president of the non-profit organization World Population Balance.

Think Green Sustainability Fair

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:12:20 -0500

Audiance listening to Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer at the 2008 Think Green Fair.

Despite the dangerous threats of climate change, war and a deteriorating economy, it is possible to create a positive future for the world.

That is the view of Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, who spoke at an environmental conference at the Rochester Civic Center on Saturday. Nelson-Pallmeyer is the director of peace and justice studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Humane Immigration Law Needed

Mon, 28 May 2007 13:18:41 -0500

It is time for a humane and workable solution to the problem of illegal immigrants in the United States.

It is not a simple problem. There are almost 12 million undocumented immigrants in this category, most of them from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Some critics have argued that these immigrants should be sent back to their home countries, but a massive deportation of that kind would not be feasible, either for the immigrants and their families nor for the U.S. communities that depend on their labor.

When illegal immigrants in California were deported, workers could not be found to harvest the crops and, as a result, fruits and vegetables rotted in the fields. In addition, children of the immigrants who were born in this country are citizens and that would create severe problems if the parents were deported.

Some U.S. Agencies Ignore Laws

Sat, 05 May 2007 13:50:10 -0500

The next president of the United States will face an appalling task.

He or she will have to discover --- and then reverse --- Bush administration policies that have systematically degraded public health and the environment in the service of commercial interests.

One conspicuous example of this trend was reported in the New York Times recently. It involved a number of workers who became ill at a popcorn plant in the Missouri town of Jasper. State health authorities first consulted scientists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health whose task it is to investigate the causes of health problems in the workplace.

Organic Landscaping Featured

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:07:22 -0500

Anyone interested in learning about organic care of lawns and athletic fields should attend two meetings scheduled in Rochester on Wednesday, March 21.

The first meeting will be on the subject “Athletic Fields and Municipal Turf: A Natural Approach --- Choices and Challenges”. It will be at the Rochester Government Center from 10 a.m. to noon.

The second meeting will be entitled “Simple Steps to Organic Lawn Care” and it will be at the Quarry Hill Nature Center, 701 Silver Creek Road NE, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The speaker at both meetings will be Chip Osborne, a professional horticulturalist who has been a leader in the campaign to regulate the use of pesticides on public lands in Marblehead, Mass. He is co-chair of MPAC--Marblehead Pesticide Awareness Committee and is a special adviser to Beyond Pesticides, an environmental group based in Washington, D.C.

NAACP Sees Progress

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:39:08 -0600

The year 2007 has become a turning point for African-Americans, according to The Crisis, the magazine published by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

In its first issue of the year, the magazine cites significant political gains by black Americans as a new and powerful phenomenon. It notes the election of Deval Patrick as governor of Massachusetts, a state where blacks make up only 7 percent of the population.

Patrick is a Harvard Law School graduate, has been a member of a major law firm and served as an assistant U.S. attorney general. He is the second African American to be elected governor of a state, after

Stop the $35 billion Funding

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:55:04 -0600

Everyone who took part in the long fight to block the DM & E railroad expansion project should take satisfaction in achieving that result.

Frustrating a powerful federal bureaucracy is an extraordinary accomplishment. It required a prolonged and diligent effort by the community and that effort eventually received significant support from some members of Congress.

One further step is needed. We should not forget that the proposed $2.3 billion loan to the DM&E was made possible only because Congress had previously approved $35 billion in funding for the Federal Railroad Administration for unspecified future projects.

Top Priority: Withdraw Troops

Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:20:25 -0600

George W. Bush will leave the presidency in 2008, but it will take many years for the United States to recover from the disastrous results of his service.

His latest blunder was to sign an executive order to allow military commissions to begin trying suspected terrorists. According to one published report, the commissions “would be permitted to sentence defendants to imprisonment or even death on the basis of hearsay or even coerced testimony.”

That is an example of the perverted sense of justice which has been introduced by President Bush. It follows the disgraceful and unjustifiable policy of “extraordinary rendition”. That policy directs U.S. intelligence agents to enter a foreign country, kidnap suspects and then send them to a foreign country where they can be questioned and tortured.

No New Troops for Iraq

Sat, 13 Jan 2007 14:16:13 -0600

“A persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary. “

That is the Merriam Webster Dictionary definition of a delusion.If you substitute the word “political” for “psychotic”, the definition applies precisely to President Bush’s argument that sending 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq will enable the U.S, to achieve victory in Iraq.

That is a delusion for these reasons:

1. The Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has stated clearly that he wants U.S. troop strength reduced rather than increased.

Good News on Global Warming

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:01:55 -0600

There’s plenty of bad news about global warming, but one bit of good news has popped up recently.

It was a report by the Reuters news agency that a few far-sighted Wall Street investors, insurance executives and pension managers are beginning to see global climate change as an urgent economic issue.

This issue surfaced at a recent conference of the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) at the University of Chicago. Richard Sandor, head of the Chicago Climate Exchange, was quoted as saying that every institutional investor should “push companies to evaluate and estimate their climate risk.”

Internet Freedom Threatened

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:14:31 -0600

Many people are not aware that the independence of the Internet --- a democratic, free and open communication system --- is threatened by big telephone and communication companies.

The companies’ goal is to gain preferential uses of broadband networks to increase their profits and to have the power to limit access to ordinary users.

Fortunately, advocates of Internet freedom have --- temporarily at least --- won the first battle in what could be a long-term struggle. The victory resulted from a decision by the Federal Communications Commission
In a case involving the communications giant AT&T.

Congress Should Examine DM & E Loan

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:32:38 -0600

Rep. Tim Walz deserves credit for seeking a congressional investigation into the proposed $2.3 billion loan to the DM & E railroad.

The newly elected First District representative joined with Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., in seeking the congressional oversight hearings on the controversial proposal. In a letter to the House Committee on Government Reform, they said that the proposed loan is “one of the worst examples we have seen of government waste” and that the DM & E “appears to be a poor credit risk.“

Rochester interests have made a compelling case against the railroad expansion based on safety concerns. They have pointed out the railroad’s poor safety record and have cited the threats posed by trains speeding past the Mayo Clinic and through the heart of the city.

U.S. Needs Immigration Reform

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 12:30:54 -0600

The recent raid by federal agents on Swift & Co. packing plants in Minnesota and elsewhere demonstrated conclusively everything that is wrong with U.S. immigration laws.

The raids were directed at illegal immigrants who hold most of the jobs at the packing plants. The workers --- mostly from Mexico --- are accused of using false identities in order to qualify for employment.

Here are the results:

--- 1,282 workers were arrested, including 230 at the Worthington plant in Minnesota.

--- Hundreds of other workers are expected to flee in order to avoid arrest.

--- Some children were left alone when both parents were arrested.