“While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” ― Eugene V. Debs

Dear family, friends, colleagues, and comrades,

It is with our deepest sorrow that we inform you of the death of our beloved Rick Kissell on February 10, 2019 at the age of 63 from complications following surgery. A celebration of his life will take place on Wednesday, February 20, 4-7 PM, with the eulogy beginning at 5 PM, at the Bruskiewitz Funeral Home, 5355 W Forest Home Ave, Milwaukee. We request you bring your thoughts, prayers, and fondest memories of Rick over the years. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Peace Action-Wisconsin, 1001 E Keefe Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53212 or Voces de la Frontera, 1027 S 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204.

Rick was an intelligent, passionate, and caring person filled with purpose and a great sense of humor. His generosity, respect for all, and quick wit will be deeply missed. A graduate of South Milwaukee High School and a former student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he was a pioneer in court interpreter services in the Milwaukee Area and dedicated three decades to his chosen profession. He was active in setting guidelines and training to improve interpreting and translation throughout the Wisconsin Court System. He was also very activein the peace, socialist, civil liberties, immigrant, civil rights, and labor movements. An avid reader, Rick loved discussing leftist politics, educating others on Milwaukee’s socialist heritage, communicating on his ham radio, enjoying live guitar concerts with his wife, and sharing donated books and documentaries with libraries and jails.

He is survived by his loving wife of 29 years Anna Maria “Annie” Espinoza, children René and Paul, stepson Lucas Alvarez, cousin James (Evelyn) Spice, aunt Virginia (the late William) Thomas, along with cousins, extended family, and friends.

“Signing off, WB9GYT.”

René: (414) 687-8457 or kisspinoza@gmail.com

__________________

Angela Walker, 2/14/19

When I was legislative director for ATU Local 998, I met a fellow who was an absolute treasury of information on Milwaukee’s socialist history. I believe my former union endorsed him in his bid for County Treasurer. This fellow, whose wit and plain speaking endeared him to me, convinced me to run against then-Sheriff David Clarke in 2014, which I would have never considered, had he not suggested it. He’s the reason a whole lot of y’all know me now, and his suggestion and support changed the course of my life.

My mentor and friend, Rick Kissell, passed from this life last Sunday. With his passing, an intelligent and fiercely justice-oriented spirit left this plane. May your family be wrapped in love, support and comfort, my friend. And may your fiery spirit be surrounded by light and joy. Journey well.

__________________

Latin American Solidarity Committee, 2/14/19

Today we mourn the loss of a good friend and activist who did a lot for us at LASC. Rick was a gifted interpreter and gave us many hours of his time interpreting for us when we had guest speakers from Latin America. He had a strong commitment to social justice. For that and many other reasons he will be missed. His death was a shock and he leaves behind a wife, a daughter and a son, and many friends. Rick Kissell, presente!

Contacts re the Yale event:

Felipe Hernández.

Felipe.dhernandez@gmail.com

Anneke Dunbar-Gronke

onnieg@gmail.com

Nye Fort

nylefort@gmail.com

(NOTE: Media coverage of what to some has been a surprising appeal by Krasner of Tucker’s decision, and grassroots protests of Krasner’s move, has been extensive)

Suzanne Ross, International Spokesperson, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

UNDER PRESSURE, YALE REBLAW CONF RESCINDS KEYNOTE OFFER TO PHILLY D.A. LARRY KRASNER: Instead Invites Political Prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal

Organizers of the Rebellious Lawyering (RebLaw) conference at Yale Law School rescinded a speaking invitation to Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner (see attached). The celebrated “progressive” DA was scheduled be one of the keynote speakers at the 25 year-old conference on the weekend of Feb. 15-16, 2019. But earlier this week a coalition of Harvard law students and lawyers wrote to conference organizers saying that Philadelphia prosecutors could not be counted in the tradition of rebellious lawyers. Their impassioned letter condemned DA Krasner’s decision to appeal a recent court order that granted Mumia Abu-Jamal the right to re-appeal his conviction. The letter also challenged the notion that a prosecutor could hold that title.

In their letter to RebLaw, they said, “The so-called progressive Larry Krasner is hell-bent on keeping [Mumia’s case] out of the appellate process. Larry Krasner was voted into office by the Black, working-class people of Philadelphia, but in the hour of truth he has upheld the rulings of racist judges [in this case] and is doing the bidding of one of the country’s most corrupt and homicidal police forces.”

The signers added: “Prosecutors, those managers of the oppressive state, regardless of the rhetoric they may espouse during a campaign, should not be invited to speak at a conference for Rebellious Lawyering.”

Harvard Law student signator Anneke Dunbar-Gronke noted “Krasner will go down in history as the well-meaning, “progressive” DA who opposed justice in the case of the Nelson Mandela of our time.”

Another Harvard Law student signator Felipe Hernández concluded, “The lesson here is that in the mind of a progressive DA, justice is doled out selectively and only when there is no real political risk involved. Thankfully the conference participants will hear from Mumia, an actual jailhouse lawyer—and pinnacle of rebellious lawyering.”

More info: Mobilization4Mumia

https://bit.ly/2N4kR3g

As another government shutdown looms, talk of a general strike has once again begun picking up steam. While the idea was discussed during the longest-ever government shutdown, it’s on some folks’ minds again as the temporary funding bill that reopened the government is set to expire on February 15. While The New York Times has reported that, on February 11, lawmakers reached a deal “in principle” by agreeing to provide over $1.3 billion for the construction of border fencing, there is a general strike already in the works for February 16.

“Imagine the power of working people standing together to demand that our government work for us,” the group General Strike 2019 writes on its website. “If the shutdown continues, we call on all Americans to join us on February 16th at our nation’s airports to show what workers united can achieve.”

“Led by courageous aviation workers, whose lives and livelihoods are endangered if the shutdown continues, we will come together and demand that Washington stop playing political games with our safety and security,” the message continues. “Together, we have the power to end this nightmare for millions of Americans and demand a government that works for all of us.” The impacts of the government shutdown have been intense for many.

https://bit.ly/2E9KSLL

https://www.newsghana.com.gh/

The leaders of the 18th century separatist movement from England were not motivated by a genuine desire for freedom and equality

If the so-called American Revolution of 1776 was truly committed to breaking with monarchical and autocratic rule from the United Kingdom then why did slavery grow at a rapid rate after the achievement of independence of the former 13 colonies in North America?

This is an important political question since even in the 21st century there are repeated references by elected officials in both houses of Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court to the “Founding Fathers” and “Framers of the Constitution.” What is not mentioned by these career politicians and lifetime jurists is that many of the authors of the U.S. Constitution were large-scale slave owners themselves.

These wealthy landowners and slave masters did not see any reason to liberate the more than 700,000 Africans living in the former colonies by the conclusion of the 1780s. The existence of slavery was quite profitable and with the discovery of the cotton gin in 1793, the expansion of involuntary servitude across the South and extending further west empowered the planters to the point where as a result of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 they were able to dominate the House of Representatives through a provision declaring that enslaved Africans could be counted as three-fifths of a person…

African woman tortured by John Kimber who was acquitted of murder by British courts in 1792

Milwaukee Area Labor Council‎Movie Night with Young Workers Committee

633 S Hawley Rd., Milwaukee, 6-9 P.M.

We will be showing “At the River I Stand,” at 6 pm and have a discussion after.

The film is a short documentary that recounts the two months leading to Martin Luther King Jr.’s death in 1968, coinciding with the 65-day strike of 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers.

Free and open to all. Wheelchair accessible

Madison Action Day 2019

On Tuesday, March 26th 2019, over 1,000 people from across the state of Wisconsin, all a part of WISDOM, will gather at the State Capitol to advocate and educate representatives about issues in the proposed state budget! We will be having several buses leaving from all over the state to go to the Capitol! Please save the date. There will be more details to come on how to GET ON THE BUS!

• Green Bay WI Buses leaving from West Side Moravian Church (1707 S Oneida St) at 6am. For more info: http://www.joshua4justice.org/madison-action-day-2019/
• Fox Valley buses leaving from First Congregational UCC (724 E South River St, Appleton) at 6:30am and from Oshkosh Park & Ride at 7:15am. For more info: https://esther-foxvalley.org/date/2019/03/26/madison-action-day-2019

Demonstration Protesting GM Plant Closings Feb 20, 2019 1PM

The State of Michigan Building (W Grand Blvd. between Cass Ave. and Second Ave.), 1 P.M.

Protest GM plant closings and demand Gov. Whitner fight to make GM pay back billions of dollars in Mega tax credits it was given to keep plants open and workers on the job. On Wednesday Feb. 20, 2019 at 1 PM we will gather to protest this outrage. Please join us with your voices and signs.

https://bit.ly/2GBRLHv

According to the Economic Debates Unit of the Latin American Geopolitical Strategic Center (Celag), which issued a report this February 8 about the financial blockade against Venezuela by the United States, it estimates losses of about 350 billion dollars in the production of goods and services between 2013 and 2017 due to the sanctions of Congress and the White House.

The document indicates that the blocking measures for the international debt markets are mainly responsible for the current economic situation, as other independent researchers and analysts have been pointing out.

According to Celag, Venezuela could have a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth greater than that of Argentina if the State headed by Nicolás Maduro had had access to international financing similar to that of Mauricio Macri in his first three years in office: “The country lost in that quinquennium (2013-2017) between 1.6 and 1.1 in Gross Domestic Products “.

DEFEND ILHAN OMAR

By Jerry Goldberg

As an activist from a Jewish background, I completely defend Ilhan Omar’s remarks pointing to the role of AIPAC, the Zionist lobby in Washington, of paying politicians (both Republicans and Democrats) to attack those who stand up in defense of Palestine and especially who want to criminalize those who advocate the boycott and divestment movement from Zionist Israel.

Attacking Zionism and its US lobby AIPAC (American Israel Political Action Committee) is not in any way anti-semitic. Judaism and Zionism are not the same. Zionism in its modern incarnation since Theodore Herzl, is a racist, pro-colonial ideology, that was embraced by imperialism beginning with the Balfour declaration in 1917, when it coincided with western imperialism’s desire to have a garrison state and outpost in the Middle East to guarantee the robbery of Arab oil and resources. That is why Israel is always on the wrong side of every progressive struggle worldwide, even embracing apartheid South African with its Nazi leaders.

Jews never embraced Zionism and had no interest in migrating into Palestine, until they were essentially forced into Palestine when the United States closed its borders to Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. The imperialists conveniently and cynically saw the opportunity to use Jewish refugees with no where else to go as their shock troops in their war against the Palestinian people to create the illegal state of Israel. And U.S. imperialism funds Israel to this day as its military outpost in the Middle East.

It is unfortunate that main stream Jewish leaders embrace Zionism and have brainwashed too many Jewish youth and others in the US into equating the racist Zionist ideology with the Jewish religion. Many of these so-called leaders turned their backs on defense of the Black liberation movement in the US when its leaders understood the connection of the Palestinian struggle to the struggle for liberation of oppressed people in the US and worldwide.

However, as an activist for 50 years, I am encouraged that the real role of Israel as a racist, imperialist outpost is now understood by more and more activists, including young progressive Jewish activists.

I fully defend Ilhan Omar and all those who stand up for the liberation of all oppressed people. I have every confidence that Israel’s days as an apartheid state are limited, and a free Palestine that embraces all its people will ultimately emerge victorious.