Northern California CCDS

Health Care "Reform"--Obama's mortal error

By Betty Brown

This is being written as the big health care policy debate continues in Washington. It is also written from the perspective of a retired School Public Health Nurse actively engaged in the grassroots campaign for the California Universal Health Care Act (SB 810). This act has been consistently endorsed by No. CA CCDS as it is a single-payer or “Medicare for All” approach to health care reform.

The national debate has provided an opening for serious health care reform discussion, but it has taken intense grassroots lobbying efforts including threats of health professionals picketing to get single payer advocates acknowledged by the Obama Administration.

Van Jones Victimized by New Red Scare

By Jonathan Nack

In response to the red-baiting and smear attacks against ACORN and Van Jones, the CCDS organized an educational event on Nov. 5, 2009 at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley.
Two members of Oakland ACORN, Martha Daniels and Annie McKinzie, who have both been evicted from their homes, spoke movingly how they are working with ACORN to organize community resistance to evictions. They vowed to defend ACORN against right-wing attacks and
continue their organizing.

CCDS members Jonathan Nack and Marty Price spoke, respectively,about the redbaiting attacks on Van Jones (which caused him to resign his position as Pres. Obama’s “Green Jobs Czar”) and the way to respond to such attacks against our leaders, organizations, and movements.

The article that follows is a fuller exploration of this subject.