Maine Currents 3/22/17

What’s Been Happening in Augusta While Attention Has Been on DC?

We listen in on some of the public hearings held by the state legislature this week.

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Segment 1: Monday the Committee on Taxation considered several bills that would overturn the results of Question 2 on Maine’s ballot last November, which was approved by voters. By passing Question 2, voters approved a 3 percent surcharge on household income over $200,000 a year, with the revenue earmarked to fund public education.

Segment 2: LD 882, “An Act Prohibiting Public Entities from Contracting with, and Investing in, Companies That Boycott the State of Israel”. The bill targets the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement that successfully applied financial pressure to help end apartheid in South Africa –and has in recent years been focused on the government of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians. FMI: legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280063780

Segment 3: LD 914, “An Act To Establish Indigenous People’s Day”- a bill that would replace Columbus Day with an Indigenous People’s holiday statewide
FMI: legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_128th/billtexts/HP064201.asp

For information about the legislature, including contact info: legislature.maine.gov/

Maine Currents- independent local news, views and culture, every Wednesday at 4pm on WERU-FM and weru.org

WERU News Report 2/11/14

Host: Amy Browne
Producer: Carolyn Coe

Issue: Palestinian call for boycott– BDS movement for Palestinian human rights

Key Discussion Points:

a) Students for Justice in Palestine, a Bowdoin College student club, promotes on-campus dialogue by collecting petition signatures in solidarity with the American Studies Association’s decision to boycott Israeli academic and cultural institutions.

b) Some Israelis speak out in support of the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure their own country, Israel, to end its oppressive policies.

c) The demand for human rights for Palestinians is linked to other social justice issues.

Guests:
Sinead Lamel, Bowdoin College student, member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)

Zohran Mamdani, Bowdoin College student, member of SJP

Yonatan Shapira, Israeli refusenik, active with Boycott from Within

FMI:
1-Bowdoin President Barry Mills’ statement re. the American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli academic and cultural institutions: http://www.bowdoin.edu/president/speeches/index.shtml
2-Sinead Lamel and Zohran Mamdani’s Bangor Daily News editorial: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/01/08/opinion/bowdoin-should-join-academic-boycott-of-israeli-institutions/
3-To read/sign Bowdoin petition in solidarity with the American Studies Association:
http://bit.ly/KDdbUr
4-(Bowdoin) Students for Justice in Palestine on Twitter: @ Bowdoin SJP
5-Boycott from Within: http://www.boycottisrael.info/

WERU News Report 8/15/12

Producer/Host: Amy Browne
Contributor: Matt Murphy

Program Topics: Occupy Maine/Occupy Wall Street; Mainers Report Back From Palestine

*Occupy Maine statewide meeting will be held at Burdock Gathering in Starks on 8/19/12
*Mainers who recently returned from Palestine spoke about their experiences recently
*Efforts underway to organize a group in Maine to join the international BDS (boycott, divest, sanctions) movement for human rights

-Interview with David Smith, Occupy Waldo County
-Recorded audio from Palestine presentation: Sally Bowden-Schaible

FMI:
https://www.facebook.com/OccupyMaine
https://www.facebook.com/OccupyWallSt
http://www.burdockgathering.org
http://hamdiabu.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/LAMDI.PhotoGraPhy