Michael Hubmans Economic Justice Works

The first two links (below) will give you the big picture. The facebook page has nearly every link with titles. The other link has all the links to every economic justice article.

http://economicjusticelinks.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/michaelcirclewider



Michael “Waterman” “Circlewider” Hubman

http://watercorps.net/  

h   http://righttosharefood.org/     

 

https://twitter.com/#!/Circlewider   My Twitter Account

http://www.CASCI.us/ (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us/ (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us/ (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)


               Blogs

http://economicjusticeblog.blogspot.com/

http://economicjusticelinks.blogspot.com/
http://economicjusticeblog.blogspottp://occupyusaworldnews.blogspot.com/

 http://foodwatersovereignty.blogspot.com/
http://environmentaljusticebloger.blogspot.com/

http://worldeconomicnewsblog.blogspot.com/

Right To Share Food
At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America. We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello; let me introduce myself. My name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and a member of the Right TO Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman

714-746-1203 waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net http://www.righttosharefood.org (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.casci.us/ (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012 PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

                     

This originally appeared at Robert Reich's blog

Republican House Budget chief Paul Ryan still doesn't get it. He blames Tuesday's upset victory of Democrat Kathy Hochul over Republican Jane Corwin to represent New York's 26th congressional district on Democratic scare tactics.

Hochul had focused like a laser on the Republican plan to turn Medicare into vouchers that would funnel the money to private health insurers. Republicans didn't exactly take it lying down. The National Republican Congressional Committee poured over $400,000 into the race, and Karl Rove's American Crossroads provided Corwin an additional $700,000 of support. But the money didn't work. Even in this traditionally Republican district -- represented in the past by such GOP notables as Jack Kemp and William Miller, both of whom would become vice presidential candidates --

Hochul's message hit home.
Ryan calls it "demagoguery," accusing Hochul and her fellow Democrats of trying to "scare seniors into thinking that their current benefits are being affected."

Scare tactics? Seniors have every right to be scared. His plan would eviscerate Medicare by privatizing it with vouchers that would fall further and further behind the rising cost of health insurance. And Ryan and the Republicans offer no means of slowing rising health-care costs. To the contrary, they want to repeal every cost-containment measure enacted in last year's health-reform legislation. The inevitable result: More and more seniors would be priced out of the market for health care.

The Ryan plan has put Republicans in a corner. Some, like Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown and, briefly, presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, are rejecting the plan altogether. Most, though, are holding on and holding their breath. After all, House Republicans approved it -- and voters don't especially like flip-floppers.

Senate Democrats will bring the Ryan plan for a vote Thursday in order to force Senate Republicans on the record. Watch closely.

Some GOP stalwarts say the Party must clarify its message -- a sure sign of panic. Former Republican congressman Rick Lazio says the GOP "must do [a] better job explaining entitlements." It's just possible the public knows exactly what entitlements are -- and is getting a clear message about what Republicans are up to.

All this should give the White House and Democratic budget negotiators more confidence -- and more bargaining leverage -- to put tax cuts on the rich squarely on the table.
And, while they're at it, turn Medicare into a "Medicare-for-all" system that forces doctors and hospitals to shift from costly tests, drugs, and procedures having little effect, to healthy outcomes.

• Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was secretary of labor during the Clinton administration. He is also a blogger and the author of "Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future." More: Robert Reich

                                   Right To Share Food
At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America. We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello; let me introduce myself. My name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and a member of the Right TO Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman

714-746-1203           waterman@watercorps.net        

   http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.casci.us/  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Right To Share Food No. 1

Hello my name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman of the charity Watercorps and organizer with the Right To Share Food Coalition. Right To Share Food was formed in response to the June 2, 2010 take down by government of the Towne Avenue Soup Line, and continued harassment by government of ongoing efforts to feed the poor and homeless population of Skid Row Los Angeles. Prior to the take down of the soup line, volunteers from the World Agape Drop In Center had been feeding the poor and homeless of Eastern Skid Row Los Angeles six days a week at the same location for over five years.

The Right To Share Food Extravaganza II (The first one happened on September 30, 2010.) was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 20, 2011. The date for this event was selected to coincide with the vernal equinox and first day of spring. We had no way of knowing that mother nature had arranged for a fast moving cold front and rain storm  to sweep thru the region that very day. This weather event also managed to drench the runners, staff and spectators of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The players at this Right To Share Food Event were Tanya and her group with Gorilla Food Not Bombs. James and his group from World Share (formally World Agape), General Dogon of LA CAN and myself.

My day started in the morning when I visited three groups who were feeding the homeless and the poor on

Gladys Street

and

Towne Avenue

. I stopped by to invite them to our event and to encourage them to join our coalition. I said that it was important to organize to defend their right to share food. All of the feeders were glad to hear that they had friends who were sticking up for them and their right to share food. One lady told me; “You mean you are for us and not against us?”

After my visit with the feeders, I spent the rest of the morning with James at World Share puzzling over the Doppler Radar images on line. Would we get a break in the weather? Not likely. It looked liked our event was scheduled for the middle of the storm.

At one in the afternoon I went to the corner of Sixth and Towne to sit in my car and greet anyone who happened to show up for our event. I sat and watched as sheets of rain fell on the empty street. All of the players were prepared to come out and get drenched. Tanya and her group were cooking James and General Dogon were ready to go. I told them to stay dry and hold up until I called. Then it occurred to me that we should move this event indoors to World Share. I called and cleared it with James. I called Tanya and General Dogon with the change of venue.

I drove around and verbally invited anyone who was still out on the street, mostly on

San Julian Street

and at The Midnight Mission courtyard, to come and enjoy a hot meal and to eat inside.

Tanya arrived with a great vegetarian meal. I told the people who were assembled that today’s meal was special in that we were celebrating our right to share food. Tanya and her group served up rice beans and vegetable soup.

General Dogon spoke about his history as a lifelong resident of Skid Row. He talked about Skid Row Los Angeles being the most heavily policed place in America. He spoke about the human and civil rights work done at LA CAN.

I spoke about the history and development of Right To Share Food. I spoke about the right to share food being a fundamental human right. I said that we believe that our right to share food is protected under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

 For the first time; I publicly advocated for the recall of Councilmember Perry.  I said I had  been avoiding talking about recall until I could secure some backing for such an effort. I said that the recall concept was not going anywhere unless we started talking about it.

I closed by saying that Councilmember Perry thought she was just dumping on some little people when she caused the shutdown of the Towne Avenue Soup Line. She did not know that by causing the take down of the soup line that she was jump starting the right to share food movement.

James thanked every one for coming. We put away the food. James re started the movie that had been paused for the Right To Share Food event.

All in all; We had a good day.

714-746-1203           waterman@watercorps.net        

   http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.casci.us/  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Right To Share Food No. 1

First Published April 2011

Hello my name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman of the charity Watercorps and organizer with the Right To Share Food Coalition. Right To Share Food was formed in response to the June 2, 2010 take down by government of the Towne Avenue Soup Line, and continued harassment by government of ongoing efforts to feed the poor and homeless population of Skid Row Los Angeles. Prior to the take down of the soup line, volunteers from the World Agape Drop In Center had been feeding the poor and homeless of Eastern Skid Row Los Angeles six days a week at the same location for over five years.

The Right To Share Food Extravaganza II (The first one happened on September 30, 2010.) was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 20, 2011. The date for this event was selected to coincide with the vernal equinox and first day of spring. We had no way of knowing that mother nature had arranged for a fast moving cold front and rain storm  to sweep thru the region that very day. This weather event also managed to drench the runners, staff and spectators of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The players at this Right To Share Food Event were Tanya and her group with Gorilla Food Not Bombs. James and his group from World Share (formally World Agape), General Dogon of LA CAN and myself.

My day started in the morning when I visited three groups who were feeding the homeless and the poor on Gladys Street and Towne Avenue. I stopped by to invite them to our event and to encourage them to join our coalition. I said that it was important to organize to defend their right to share food. All of the feeders were glad to hear that they had friends who were sticking up for them and their right to share food. One lady told me; “You mean you are for us and not against us?”

After my visit with the feeders, I spent the rest of the morning with James at World Share puzzling over the Doppler Radar images on line. Would we get a break in the weather? Not likely. It looked liked our event was scheduled for the middle of the storm.

At one in the afternoon I went to the corner of Sixth and Towne to sit in my car and greet anyone who happened to show up for our event. I sat and watched as sheets of rain fell on the empty street. All of the players were prepared to come out and get drenched. Tanya and her group were cooking James and General Dogon were ready to go. I told them to stay dry and hold up until I called. Then it occurred to me that we should move this event indoors to World Share. I called and cleared it with James. I called Tanya and General Dogon with the change of venue.

I drove around and verbally invited anyone who was still out on the street, mostly on San Julian Street and at The Midnight Mission courtyard, to come and enjoy a hot meal and to eat inside.

Tanya arrived with a great vegetarian meal. I told the people who were assembled that today’s meal was special in that we were celebrating our right to share food. Tanya and her group served up rice beans and vegetable soup.

General Dogon spoke about his history as a lifelong resident of Skid Row. He talked about Skid Row Los Angeles being the most heavily policed place in America. He spoke about the human and civil rights work done at LA CAN.

I spoke about the history and development of Right To Share Food. I spoke about the right to share food being a fundamental human right. I said that we believe that our right to share food is protected under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

 For the first time; I publicly advocated for the recall of Councilmember Perry.  I said I had  been avoiding talking about recall until I could secure some backing for such an effort. I said that the recall concept was not going anywhere unless we started talking about it.

I closed by saying that Councilmember Perry thought she was just dumping on some little people when she caused the shutdown of the Towne Avenue Soup Line. She did not know that by causing the take down of the soup line that she was jump starting the right to share food movement.

James thanked every one for coming. We put away the food. James re started the movie that had been paused for the Right To Share Food event.

All in all; We had a good day.

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/

.

714-746-1203           waterman@watercorps.net        

   http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com



Position Paper                                  

Right To Share Food                                           First Published September 2011

At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America . We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Michael "Waterman" Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and member of Right To Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman 

714-746-1203

e-mail waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/

TO GET TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE ARTICLES YOU CAN EITHER SCROLL THROUGH THE REPEATING RIGHT TO SHARE FOOD ARTICLES OR USE THE BLOG ARCHIVE.

Right To Share Food Position Paper

Position Paper                                  

Right To Share Food                                     First Published September 2010

At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America . We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Michael "Waterman" Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and member of Right To Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman 

714-746-1203

e-mail waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/

.

                                  

Right To Share Food No.1

First Published April 2011

Hello,

My name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman of the charity Watercorps and organizer with the Right To Share Food Coalition. Right To Share Food was formed in response to the June 2, 2010 take down by government of the Towne Avenue Soup Line, and continued harassment by government of ongoing efforts to feed the poor and homeless population of Skid Row Los Angeles. Prior to the take down of the soup line, volunteers from the World Agape Drop In Center had been feeding the poor and homeless of Eastern Skid Row Los Angeles six days a week at the same location for over five years.

The Right To Share Food Extravaganza II (The first one happened on September 30, 2010.) was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 20, 2011. The date for this event was selected to coincide with the vernal equinox and first day of spring. We had no way of knowing that mother nature had arranged for a fast moving cold front and rain storm  to sweep through the region that very day. This weather event also managed to drench the runners, staff and spectators of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The players at this Right To Share Food Event were Tanya and her group with Gorilla Food Not Bombs, James and his group from World Share (formally World Agape), General Dogon of LA CAN and myself.

My day started in the morning when I visited three groups who were feeding the homeless and the poor on Gladys Street and Towne Avenue . I invited them to our event, and encouraged them to join our coalition. I said that it was important to organize to defend their right to share food. All of the feeders were glad to hear that they had friends who were sticking up for them and their right to share food. One lady told me; “you mean you are for us and not against us?”

After my visit with the feeders, I spent the rest of the morning with James at World Share puzzling over the Doppler Radar images on line. Would we get a break in the weather? Not likely. It looked like our event was scheduled for the middle of the storm.

At one in the afternoon, I went to the corner of Sixth and Towne to sit in my car and greet anyone who happened to show up for our event. I sat and watched as sheets of rain fell on the empty street. All of the players were prepared to come out and get drenched. Tanya and her group were cooking James and General Dogon were ready to go. I told them to stay dry and hold up until I called. Then it occurred to me that we should move this event indoors to World Share. I called and cleared it with James. I called Tanya and General Dogon with the change of venue.

I drove around and verbally invited anyone who was still out on the street, mostly on San Julian Street and at The Midnight Mission courtyard, to come and enjoy a hot meal and to eat inside.

Tanya arrived with a great vegetarian meal. I told the people who were assembled that today’s meal was special in that we were celebrating our right to share food. Tanya and her group served up rice beans and vegetable soup.

General Dogon spoke about his history as a lifelong resident of Skid Row. He talked about Skid Row Los Angeles being the most heavily policed place in America . He spoke about the human and civil rights work done at LA CAN.

I spoke about the history and development of Right To Share Food. I spoke about the right to share food being a fundamental human right. I said that we believe that our right to share food is protected under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

 For the first time; I publicly advocated for the recall of Councilmember Perry.  I said I had  been avoiding talking about recall until I could secure some backing for such an effort. I said that the recall concept was not going anywhere unless we started talking about it.

I closed by saying that Councilmember Perry thought she was just dumping on some little people when she caused the shutdown of the Towne Avenue Soup Line. She did not know that by causing the take down of the soup line that she was jump starting the right to share food movement.

James thanked every one for coming. We put away the food. James re started the movie that had been paused for the Right To Share Food event.

All in all; we had a good day.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman

e-mail waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/


TO GET TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE ARTICLES YOU CAN EITHER SCROLL THROUGH THE REPEATING RIGHT TO SHARE FOOD ARTICLES OR USE THE BLOG ARCHIVE.

                                    

Why the Right-Wing Bullies Will Hold The Nation Hostage Again and Again

 By Robert Reich
First Published April 10, 2011
When I was a small boy I was bullied more than most, mainly because I was a foot shorter than everyone else. They demanded the cupcake my mother had packed in my lunchbox, or, they said, they'd beat me up. After a close call in the boy's room, I paid up. Weeks later, they demanded half my sandwich as well. I gave in to that one, too. But I could see what was coming next. They'd demand everything else. Somewhere along the line I decided I'd have a take a stand. The fight wasn't pleasant. But the bullies stopped their bullying.

I hope the president decides he has to take a stand, and the sooner the better. Last December he caved in to Republican demands that the Bush tax cut be extended to wealthier Americans for two more years, at a cost of more than $60 billion. That was only the beginning -- the equivalent of my cupcake.

Last night he gave away more than half the sandwich -- $39 billion less than was budgeted for 2010, $79 billion less than he originally requested. Non-defense discretionary spending -- basically, everything from roads and bridges to schools and innumerable programs for the poor -- has been slashed.

The right-wing bullies are emboldened. They will hold the nation hostage again and again.

In a few weeks the debt ceiling has to be raised. After that, next year's budget has to be decided on. House Budget Chair Paul Ryan has already put forward proposals to turn Medicare into vouchers that funnel money to private insurance companies, turn Medicaid and Food Stamps into block grants that give states discretion to shift them to the non-poor, and give even more big tax cuts to the rich.

There will also be Republican votes to defund the new health care law.

"Americans of different beliefs came together," the president announced after agreement was reached. It was the "largest spending cut in our history." He sounded triumphant. In fact, he's encouraging the bullies onward.

All the while, he and the Democratic leadership in Congress refuse to refute the Republicans' big lie -- that spending cuts will lead to more jobs. In fact, spending cuts now will lead to fewer jobs. They'll slow down an already-anemic recovery. That will cause immense and unnecessary suffering for millions of Americans.

The president continues to legitimize the Republican claim that too much government spending caused the economy to tank, and that by cutting back spending we'll get the economy going again.

Even before the bullies began hammering him his deficit commission already recommended $3 of spending cuts for every dollar of tax increase. Then the President froze non-defense domestic spending and froze federal pay. And he continues to draw the false analogy between a family's budget and the national budget.

He is losing the war of ideas because he won't tell the American public the truth: That we need more government spending now -- not less -- in order to get out of the gravitational pull of the Great Recession.
That we got into the Great Recession because Wall Street went bonkers and government failed to do its job at regulating financial markets. And that much of the current deficit comes from the necessary response to that financial crisis.
That the only ways to deal with the long-term budget problem is to demand that the rich pay their fair share of taxes, and to slow down soaring health-care costs.

And that, at a deeper level, the increasingly lopsided distribution of income and wealth has robbed the vast working middle class of the purchasing power they need to keep the economy going at full capacity.

"We preserved the investments we need to win the future," he said last night. That's not true. The budget he just approved will cut Pell grants to poor kids, while states continue massive cutbacks in school spending -- firing tens of thousands of teachers and raising fees at public universities. The budget he approved is cruel to the nation's working class and poor.

It is impossible to fight bullies merely by saying they're going too far.

Robert Reich is the author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and America's Future, now in bookstores. This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.

Right To Share Food No. 1
First Published April 2011
Hello,

My name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman of the charity Watercorps and organizer with the Right To Share Food Coalition. Right To Share Food was formed in response to the June 2, 2010 take down by government of the Towne Avenue Soup Line, and continued harassment by government of ongoing efforts to feed the poor and homeless population of Skid Row Los Angeles. Prior to the take down of the soup line, volunteers from the World Agape Drop In Center had been feeding the poor and homeless of Eastern Skid Row Los Angeles six days a week at the same location for over five years.

The Right To Share Food Extravaganza II (The first one happened on September 30, 2010.) was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 20, 2011. The date for this event was selected to coincide with the vernal equinox and first day of spring. We had no way of knowing that mother nature had arranged for a fast moving cold front and rain storm  to sweep through the region that very day. This weather event also managed to drench the runners, staff and spectators of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The players at this Right To Share Food Event were Tanya and her group with Gorilla Food Not Bombs, James and his group from World Share (formally World Agape), General Dogon of LA CAN and myself.

My day started in the morning when I visited three groups who were feeding the homeless and the poor on Gladys Street and Towne Avenue . I invited them to our event, and encouraged them to join our coalition. I said that it was important to organize to defend their right to share food. All of the feeders were glad to hear that they had friends who were sticking up for them and their right to share food. One lady told me; “you mean you are for us and not against us?”

After my visit with the feeders, I spent the rest of the morning with James at World Share puzzling over the Doppler Radar images on line. Would we get a break in the weather? Not likely. It looked like our event was scheduled for the middle of the storm.

At one in the afternoon, I went to the corner of Sixth and Towne to sit in my car and greet anyone who happened to show up for our event. I sat and watched as sheets of rain fell on the empty street. All of the players were prepared to come out and get drenched. Tanya and her group were cooking James and General Dogon were ready to go. I told them to stay dry and hold up until I called. Then it occurred to me that we should move this event indoors to World Share. I called and cleared it with James. I called Tanya and General Dogon with the change of venue.

I drove around and verbally invited anyone who was still out on the street, mostly on San Julian Street and at The Midnight Mission courtyard, to come and enjoy a hot meal and to eat inside.

Tanya arrived with a great vegetarian meal. I told the people who were assembled that today’s meal was special in that we were celebrating our right to share food. Tanya and her group served up rice beans and vegetable soup.

General Dogon spoke about his history as a lifelong resident of Skid Row. He talked about Skid Row Los Angeles being the most heavily policed place in America . He spoke about the human and civil rights work done at LA CAN.

I spoke about the history and development of Right To Share Food. I spoke about the right to share food being a fundamental human right. I said that we believe that our right to share food is protected under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

 For the first time; I publicly advocated for the recall of Councilmember Perry.  I said I had  been avoiding talking about recall until I could secure some backing for such an effort. I said that the recall concept was not going anywhere unless we started talking about it.

I closed by saying that Councilmember Perry thought she was just dumping on some little people when she caused the shutdown of the Towne Avenue Soup Line. She did not know that by causing the take down of the soup line that she was jump starting the right to share food movement.

James thanked every one for coming. We put away the food. James re started the movie that had been paused for the Right To Share Food event.

All in all; we had a good day.

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/

Michael "Waterman" Hubman 

TO GET TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE ARTICLES YOU CAN EITHER SCROLL THROUGH THE REPEATING RIGHT TO SHARE FOOD ARTICLES OR USE THE BLOG ARCHIVE.

Please read the following Right To Share Food Position Paper.

                                    

Right To Share Food Position Paper

First Published September 2011
 
At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America . We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Michael "Waterman" Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and member of Right To Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman 

714-746-1203       

e-mail
waterman@watercorps.net 

http://www.watercorps.net          

http://www.righttosharefood.org         

(aka) http://www.rtsf.us



 
http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012  

PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

 

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/
  
PLEASE READ FOLLOWING ECONOMIC JUSTICE ARTICLE.

Paul Ryan in Your Pockets: Government by People Who Hate You by Dean Baker

Dean Baker

Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research

GET UPDATES FROM Dean Baker

 Paul Ryan in Your Pockets: Government by People Who Hate You

The Huffington Post

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan put out a budget proposal last week that will leave the vast majority of future retirees without decent health care by ending Medicare as we know it. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, most middle-income retirees would have to pay almost half of their income to purchase a Medicare equivalent insurance package by 2030. They would be paying much more than half of their income in later years.

This sort of broadside against the living standards of the middle class might have been expected to draw an outraged response in a nation that exalts the lifestyle and values of the middle class. Instead the punditry rallied around Mr. Ryan's plan to deal with the problem of run-away entitlement spending, crediting it for being "serious" even if they did not embrace all the details.

If there is any doubt that our political system is controlled by an elite who is completely removed from the bulk of the population, this response to the Ryan plan ended it. There is nothing at all serious about the Ryan plan. It is naked attempt to redistribute yet more money to the country's rich at the expense of everyone else.
The proposal to end Medicare relies on market efficiencies to get health care costs under control, as though we had not tried this before. Has Representative Ryan never heard of Medicare Advantage or Medicare Plus Choice? Doesn't he know that we already have the opportunity to see the effectiveness of private insurers in containing health care costs in the vast non-Medicare insurance market?

Based on this extensive experience, we know that the private insurance market does not control costs. This is why CBO calculated that Ryan's plan would hugely raise the cost of health care for seniors. If every senior got a Medicare equivalent policy under Representative Ryan's plan (which most will not be able to afford), the added cost of his system would be more than $20 trillion over the next 75 years.

This comes to more than $60,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. That would be money out of the pocket of ordinary workers and retirees that will go to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, highly paid medical specialists and other health care providers.

When it comes to redistributing money upward, the bar for intellectual coherence is set very low. Pundits from across the political spectrum had a hard time containing their enthusiasm for Ryan's plan even if few were willing to embrace it in its entirety. And, if there was not enough substance over which to get excited, then there were always the 37 footnotes which Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer trumpeted last week.

In principle the country's elite should be laying low right now. After all, their greed and ineptitude has given us the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. But after getting the Wall Street banks back on their feet with trillions of dollars of government subsidized loans, the elite are once again making a full-frontal assault on the living standards of the middle-class. Last week it was Medicare, but they promise to be back to attack Social Security in the not-too distant future.

The ostensible rationale for this attack is the country's huge budget deficit. This is garbage. As all the pundits know, the country has a huge deficit today because the Wall Street boys drove the economy off a cliff. If the government deficit was not propping up the economy we would be looking at 11 or 12 percent unemployment, rather than 8.8 percent. Spending creates jobs and at this point it is not coming from private sector, so the government must fill the hole.

Over the longer term the projections of huge deficits are driven by the projected explosion in health care costs. President Obama's health care reform took steps toward constraining these costs, although probably not enough. Remarkably, Ryan's plan abandons these cost-control measures, virtually guaranteeing that quality health care becomes unaffordable for all but a small elite.

And the pundits call Ryan's plan "serious." Yes, it is very serious. It is a serious plan for taking tens of trillions of dollars from low-income and middle-income people and giving them away as tax breaks to the rich and to the health care industry. It is about as serious as a robber with a gun pointed at your head.

Position Paper                                  

Right To Share Food                                           First Published September 2011

At Right To Share Food, we believe that sharing food with our brothers and sisters is a fundamental human right. We believe that sharing food is a constitutionally protected activity, guaranteed under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of The Constitution of the United States of America . We believe that sharing food outside and in public is an equally protected activity. Our goal is to promote cooperation among people in order to exercise and defend this right.

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Michael "Waterman" Hubman. I am the founder and the facilitator of Right To Share Food and member of Right To Share Food Coalition. Since 2007 I have been lobbying on behalf of the human and civil rights of homeless people. I operate Watercorps, a charity that gives bulk drinking water to the homeless people living on the streets of Skid Row Los Angeles.

You might ask; why do we feel the need to organize and lobby to protect and exercise our right to share food? The answer is, that it is a common occurrence in contemporary society, for those who are morally and spiritually motivated, to want to help others who find themselves in a state of need. This state of need is often manifested by poverty, homelessness and destitution. Those who desire to come to the aid of their less fortunate brothers and sisters, commonly express this aid by sharing food.

Conflict occurs when government, most often municipalities, attempt to effect social engineering by restricting or forbidding the sharing of food on public property, the commons and even private property. I liken this kind of social engineering by cities to wildlife management. The problem is, we are talking about our human brothers and sisters, and not unwanted pigeons or other pesky wild life. Why?

I can’t speak for these municipal wild life managers. I can only guess. My guess as to why the sovereign would act in such a selfish and mean spirited manner is greed. Poverty and homelessness are commonly viewed by some who are not similarly afflicted as messy and unsightly. The sight of homeless and poor people lining up to receive a charitable meal makes it hard to convince oneself and others that all is well in their area of interest. When poverty and homelessness are not sufficiently hidden and dispersed, it tends to raise concerns among some who would worry about depressed commerce and property values.

When homeless people gather in public, especially in numbers, they often generate a response by government to harass them with the goal of dispersing them. The dispersing of the homeless to make them less visible robs them of community and society and denies them their right to associate. Harassing the people who want to share food and aid the homeless and poor is just another tactic to disperse them and deny them the right to associate and assemble.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman 

714-746-1203

e-mail waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/

.

                                  

Right To Share Food No.1

First Published April 2011

Hello,

My name is Michael “Waterman” Hubman of the charity Watercorps and organizer with the Right To Share Food Coalition. Right To Share Food was formed in response to the June 2, 2010 take down by government of the Towne Avenue Soup Line, and continued harassment by government of ongoing efforts to feed the poor and homeless population of Skid Row Los Angeles. Prior to the take down of the soup line, volunteers from the World Agape Drop In Center had been feeding the poor and homeless of Eastern Skid Row Los Angeles six days a week at the same location for over five years.

The Right To Share Food Extravaganza II (The first one happened on September 30, 2010.) was scheduled to take place on Sunday March 20, 2011. The date for this event was selected to coincide with the vernal equinox and first day of spring. We had no way of knowing that mother nature had arranged for a fast moving cold front and rain storm  to sweep through the region that very day. This weather event also managed to drench the runners, staff and spectators of the Los Angeles Marathon.

The players at this Right To Share Food Event were Tanya and her group with Gorilla Food Not Bombs, James and his group from World Share (formally World Agape), General Dogon of LA CAN and myself.

My day started in the morning when I visited three groups who were feeding the homeless and the poor on Gladys Street and Towne Avenue . I invited them to our event, and encouraged them to join our coalition. I said that it was important to organize to defend their right to share food. All of the feeders were glad to hear that they had friends who were sticking up for them and their right to share food. One lady told me; “you mean you are for us and not against us?”

After my visit with the feeders, I spent the rest of the morning with James at World Share puzzling over the Doppler Radar images on line. Would we get a break in the weather? Not likely. It looked like our event was scheduled for the middle of the storm.

At one in the afternoon, I went to the corner of Sixth and Towne to sit in my car and greet anyone who happened to show up for our event. I sat and watched as sheets of rain fell on the empty street. All of the players were prepared to come out and get drenched. Tanya and her group were cooking James and General Dogon were ready to go. I told them to stay dry and hold up until I called. Then it occurred to me that we should move this event indoors to World Share. I called and cleared it with James. I called Tanya and General Dogon with the change of venue.

I drove around and verbally invited anyone who was still out on the street, mostly on San Julian Street and at The Midnight Mission courtyard, to come and enjoy a hot meal and to eat inside.

Tanya arrived with a great vegetarian meal. I told the people who were assembled that today’s meal was special in that we were celebrating our right to share food. Tanya and her group served up rice beans and vegetable soup.

General Dogon spoke about his history as a lifelong resident of Skid Row. He talked about Skid Row Los Angeles being the most heavily policed place in America . He spoke about the human and civil rights work done at LA CAN.

I spoke about the history and development of Right To Share Food. I spoke about the right to share food being a fundamental human right. I said that we believe that our right to share food is protected under the freedom of association clause of the first amendment of the constitution.

 For the first time; I publicly advocated for the recall of Councilmember Perry.  I said I had  been avoiding talking about recall until I could secure some backing for such an effort. I said that the recall concept was not going anywhere unless we started talking about it.

I closed by saying that Councilmember Perry thought she was just dumping on some little people when she caused the shutdown of the Towne Avenue Soup Line. She did not know that by causing the take down of the soup line that she was jump starting the right to share food movement.

James thanked every one for coming. We put away the food. James re started the movie that had been paused for the Right To Share Food event.

All in all; we had a good day.

Michael “Waterman” Hubman

e-mail waterman@watercorps.net

http://www.watercorps.net          http://www.righttosharefood.org          (aka) http://www.rtsf.us

http://www.CASCI.us  (Coalition for the Abolition of Safer Cities Initiative)
http://www.MEANESTCITY.us  (This is a link to the 191 Pg. human rights report.)
http://www.PLEJ.us  (Peoples Lobby for Economic Justice)

Please Mail us a check.
Michael Hubman / Watercorps 620 E. First St. Los Angeles CA 90012   PayPal michaelcirclewider@yahoo.com

Photo: Right To Share Food Extravaganza I / September 30, 2010

A good day in the sun; Food Not Bombs activists serve up a hot vegetarian meal to hungry Skid Row Los Angeles residents.

Photo: Dan Blumel / LA Activist 

Please read the article.

http://www.laactivist.com/2010/10/04/defending-the-right-to-share-food-skid-row%e2%80%99s-community-picnic/