We receive a lot of exchange publications at the Free Press, and we've never made good use of them in the past. So here's our try at gleaning interesting bits from each, and bringing you news of the world that you might not see elsewhere. Let us know what you think, and also how you like the cartoon(s) on this page.



Northwest


HODDERSEN RUNS FOR STATE REP
Freedom Socialist Party member Guerry Hoddersen has announced her candidacy for state representative for south Seattle's 37th district on a pro-labor, pro-civil rights, and anti-poverty platform. For more information contact (206) 722-2453


National


SELF-RELIANCE IS GOOD FOR SPORTS
The Green Bay Packers are a model of success, comparative thrift, and public ownership. In the 1996-97 season, the Packers won the Super Bowl with the leagues fifth smallest team payroll, reports a publication on pro sports by the New Rules Project, a think-tank promoting local self reliance. The Packers are publicly owned, but instead of using public money to build new monster stadiums, the team has self-financed two upgrades to their stadium, which was built in 1957. The publication also discusses pro baseball teams, and notes that the public subsidies given to baseball stadiums in various cities far outweigh the actual values of the teams. For example, the Seattle Mariners team was appraised at $80 million in 1995, the same year that some $340 million in public subsidy was committed to build a new stadium for the team.

FOOD STAMPS RESTORED
Some 900,000 legal immigrants were cut off from receiving food stamps due to the 1996 welfare reform laws. In June, Congress restored the assistance to about 250,000 of these immigrants, mostly refugees and asylees. The restoration will take effect in November. (WAIRJ News)

SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH
Health Care for All California, an organization in favor of a single-payer health syste, has hired a lobbyist and found a sponsor for a single-payer bill in the California state legislature. The organization hopes to at least convince the legislature this year to order a cost/financing analysis. A spokesperson for the group points out that membership has surged in the wake of the highly visible proposed legislation. (Wa-SPAN News)


International


NORTHERN IRELAND
Sinn Fein has warned that the Northern Ireland peace agreement could collapse if the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) is not disbanded by the end of 1999. The Party also laid down the prospect of republicans and former prisoners joining the ranks of a new Northern Ireland Police Service to replace the RUC, which a Sinn Fein leader has termed a partisan "unionist militia" which is unaccountable to the nationalist community. Officers of RUC have been indicted on a number of charges, including torture of detainees. (Irish Northern Aid)

INDONESIAN MINE
A Louisiana State Appeals Court has ruled that indigenous people in Indonesia can bring suit against the company Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold based in that state. A 1995 Australian study documented a six-month reign of terror around two Freeport mines in Indonesia, which included operations by Indonesian military, the deaths of at least 37 Irianese civilians, as well as torture and forced confessions. The company subsidizes the military, and is building new bases for land and naval forces on Irian Jaya. The company has taken over large amounts of land in Irian Jaya, sparking conflict with the traditional land owners. Environmental damage caused by the mines is also great, including acid mine drainage, which leeches heavy metals into local water supplies. The Seattle Mennonite Church, which was donated stock in the company, sponsored a shareholders' resolution at the company annual meeting in 1996 for addressing human rights and environmental concerns. The resolution received 2.5 percent of the vote.


cartoon by Matt Wuerker

INDIAN CO-OPS
Cooperatives in India have emerged in an effort to counter private sector exploitation of farmers. Co-ops are advantageous because they are locally based, and closely overlap with local social groups and existing community networks. Dairy farmers, whose product is very perishable, especially appreciate an assured selling mechanism for their milk. Farmers are less likely to have security when they are individuals dealing with large external buying companies. The cooperative members collectively own central processing plants for milk, cattlefeed manufacturing plants and breeding farms, reports the Grassroots Economic Organizing Newsletter, a Pennsylvania-based publication that tracks international news and developments related to co-ops. The April/May issue also reports that case studies of 27 successful European worker co-ops are available on the web at .




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Contents this page were published in the July/August, 1998 edition of the Washington Free Press.
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