There may be information in this issue that is news to you. It may be just a rehashing of what you've already heard. The news is certainly full of reports but so much is happening at once that it's difficult to see the trees in the forest. It does get nauseating.. the Liberals are in lock step

with the corporate agenda. It's well-orchestrated and planned to eliminate so much so k t that people will have more trouble just surviving. As Sandy Cameron shows, it's class war. The

province's most vulnerable citizens are among the main victims of the government's post-election glibness and indifference. The Fraser Institute, that right-wing conglomeration of rich and connected hacks, has put out its own Press Release saying that the heroic "BC Taxpayer" will benefit.

"The public sector employment reductions announ- ced today will send a strong signal that the govem- ment is serious about balancing its books and secur- ing a lower tax burden for all British Cslumbians."

It appears that the provincial government has made every attempt to make the cuts as painless as possi- ble. Over 50 percent of the employment reductions are voluntary in the sense that they take the form of early retirement or attrition. The total number of layoffs was restricted to 4,800 which translates into 1,600 layoffs per year over three years."

The rest of it is an elaborate mixture of numbers and percentages, ignoring the simple fact that all "British Columbians" don't have stock portfolios or tax shelters. Citing 4800 layofi is simply a lie, as the government itself says 1 1,700 jobs are cut.

Following are excerpts from a few articles on welfare, children and Legal Aid. First is a shot list, supplied by Penny Goldsmith at Povnet, of what the changes to income assistance are (putting Lie to the Liberals election bullshit of no changes)

THEY ARE GOING TO DO TO THE WELFARE SYSTEM IN B.C.

* no welfare until you take an employment orientation course, followed by a 3-week job search * you must sign an agreement outlining your job search plan * welfare will be reduced if you violate the job search plan * single parents must work after their youngest child turns 3 * students with BC student loans will no longer be eligible for welfare * children of parents on welfare must attend school or the family will be cut off welfare * those who defkaud the welfare system will be banned for life * those age 19 or over who leave home can't get w e k e for two years after leaving home

* hardship assistance will be eliminated for those who quit work voluntarily * the bus pass subsidy and Provincial Seniors Supplement will no longer be available to low- income seniors * fewer families will be eligible for the child-care subsidy * employable people will only receive welfare for 2 years out of e i e g 5 * the maintenance exemption is gone * the earnings exemption remains only for those on disability benefits * the appeal process will be government controlled

IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THESE CHANGES. CONTACT YOUR MLA:

- -

Penny Goldsmith, Co-ordinator ~ o v ~ e t (pennviczj,knmet.org) 604-876-8638 (ph); 604-685-761 1 (fax) #800-128 1 W. Georgia St., Vancouver, BC V6E 357 http://www.wvnet.org

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Steve Kerstetter is from Ontario and heard the rhetorical bullshit that Harris put out when slashing programs (that led to the current situation of 30,000 homeless people just in Toronto).

Welfare cuts mean more misery for the poor Premier Gordon Campbell established himself as a

fnend of the rich with the lavish cuts in provincial income taxes announced in June, but all he has to offer the poor is more misery. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the cuts to

welfare foreshadowed in the new "service plan" for the Ministry of Human Resources--a complete reversal of a clear pre-election promise not to cut welfare rates. For the 246,000 children, women and men who relied on welfare at last count, the new arrangements touted by the provincial government can only mean extreme hardship and despair. Fighting government deficits on the backs of the

poor is shamelid at best. Financing tax cuts on the backs of poor hds is outright despicable. There were 82,498 children who depended on welfare as of September 2001--fully one-third of all the people on welfare. What public purpose can possibly be served by depriving these children of what they need to grow up safe and healthy'?

Like the government of Mike Hams in Ontario, the BC government is prepared to slash welfare rates that are already far below what any reasonable

1,

person would consider adequate. And like the government of Ralph Klein in Alberta, the Campbell government is prepared to purge the welfare rolls--in part by imposing arbitrary 2-year limits on welfare entitlements for some categories of recipients. Among the changes planned by the Campbell

government are fairly widespread cuts in the support allowance portion of welfare and selected cuts in the shelter allowance portion. The cuts in the support allowance work out to $69.36 a month for a single parent with one child. Single employable people aged 55 to 59 will lose $46.92 a month, and single employable people aged 60 to 64 will lose $97.92. Among employable couples without dependent children receiving welfare, those aged 55 to 59 will lose $93.84 a month, those 60-64 will lose $144.84.

Cindy Carson worhed here at Carnegie in the early 80's. She's now the provincial co-ordinator of First Call, dedicated to the well-being of kids. Attack on our poorest and most vulnerable children!

'The announcement of the Ministry of Human Resources cuts by the provincial government on January 17,2002, will have huge impacts on the health and well-being of children and youth in BC. Parents and their children are being hit from multi- ple directions. This media release is about those cuts impacting children, youth, and families in MHR only. First Call will be releasing comments on other cuts in the near future. Reductions in the income of families with children

I . Single parent families will be cut $70/month! Approximately 60,000 children will be impacted. These families are already in deep poverty. How can we justify taking money from children while pocket- ing our new tax refhds? 2. Single parents will no longer be able to keep $ I OOImonth of Family Maintenance payments. 3. Earnings exemptions have been eliminated. People used to be allowed to keep up to $200/month. Now it is clawed back at 100%. 4. Single parents will have to look for work when their youngest child turns 3 instead of 7 years of age. Approximately 15,000 children will be impacted. This in a climate where the present government

eliminated the legislation that was going towards ensuring access to universal child care. 5. Employable parents, with children older than 3 years, will only receive full benetits for two years out of five and then see their benefits cut by 1 1 %. 6. Eligibility for the Child Care Subsidy will be reduced to a lower income level. Families already have difficulty finding affordable child care.

These reductions in income are staggering. The increased use of food banks is a demonstration of

Some Happy White Men.

how families are unable to meet their current needs on income assistance. A two-parent family with 2 young children in BC needs an additional $91 1 a month just to get by in today's society.

The government is making it harder for families and young people to get employment: 1. Parents and older youth who are studying full time to get their Grade 12 in college based programs will no longer be eligible for income assistance.

Youth are targeted.

1 . Youth will have to prove that they have lived independently for two years before they are eligible for assistance. Youth escaping from abusive family homes need immediate assistance, training, and employment programs specifically targeted to vulnerable and multi-barriered youth-at-risk. 2. They will receive assistance for a maximum of two out of every five years. 3. The model of e-business does not take into account youth who may not have access or skills.

What will happen when a young person can not get a job but does not qualify for welfare? For the first time in the history of Canada we will have a class of people who will not have a social safety net. How will they survive? These policies will force increased numbers of homeless youth on the street.

Refugees are ignored. Refugee claimants will no longer be eligible for help. Refugees are not allowed to work. How will they survive? What will happen to their children?

First Call is concerned that ifthe government implements these changes, the life chances of thousands of children will be impacted. We call on everyone to contact their MLA and the Premier to call for a reversal of cuts to services and supports to children, youth, and their families. Let us remember that when we invest in our children, we build a strong and healthy society. Children cannot wait for the long term benefits promised by government. When we deny our children, even the basics of life, we will end up paying dearly socially, emotionally and economically. Contact: Cindy Carson, Provincial Coordinator of First Call 604-875-3629 (line will be monitored evenings and week-ends as well)

- -- -- - - - .

The Legal Services Society i s Legal Aid. Following is a Press Release from the Native Community Law Offices . . . (NICLOs) are independent agencies contracted

to fulfill the mandate of the Legal Services Society (LSS) of BC as set out in the Legal Services Society Act Currently, LSS receives approximately $8 1.5 million from the Attorney General of BC to carry out its responsibility to ensure fair and equal access to the justice system. The work undertaken by NICLOs is primarily in the area of poverty law as described in s.3(2)(d) of the Act, that is - "a legal problem or situation that threatens the individual's family's physical or mental safety or health, the individual's ability to feed, clothe and provide shelter for himself or herself and the individual's dependents, or the individual's livelihood".

The provincial economy is mired in near conditions and a falling employment rate. with other conditions such as government

, recession Coupled $ cutbacks

in social programs this has resulted in a steady, if not increasing demand for our services. The Attorney General has informed the LSS that

funding for legal aid will be cut by 38.8% over the next 3 year period. The A.G. has directed LSS to only provide legal aid for cases where representation is required by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms or by the courts in: Adult criminal matters Young Offenders Act matters Mental health reviews

- Child protection (Child, Family, & Community Services Act) matters - Immigration and refirgee matters (the ministry plans to work with the federal government to clarifL responsibility for hnding these cases).

We are extremely concerned that the government intends to remove s.3(2)(d) fiom the Act. This will mean that all coverage for poverty law advocacy services and most family law issues will no longer be available to low income British Columbians. The elimination of these essential services for the disadvantaged will create additional pressure on an already over-burdened social service and the legal system in this province. This shortsighted vision of the Liberal Government will assuredly cost the BC taxpayers far more money in the long-term than what will be saved in the short-term. Additionally, the cuts by the Attorney General's ofice to the legal aid system creates a two-tiered legal system whereby only those who can afford to pay will have access to justice-related services.

Who will be denied services after these cuts of 98% to poverty law services? One example is a woman and her children who are locked out of their apart- ment because of a small amount of arrears in rent, due to a delay in the receipt of an Employment insurance cheque. The landlord has removed all of her belongings and refkses to return them unless she pays the arrears. She has nowhere to go. Today an advocate fiom a N/CLO would help her obtain the benefits to which she is entitled and to find shelter for herself and her children. Soon, when these services no longer exist, this distraught woman may

The BC Liberals have cancelled many soclal houslng projects - including Woodwards. Now they are plannlng to get the provlnce out ofsocial housing altogether. Now Is the time toshow them that this Is unacceptable.

@ ~ ~ d r d r ~ l d g I (comer and Hastings) Of Abbott a 3 pm Tuesday Feb, !jth

well face spending the night with her family on the street, unaware of her rights and the options she has.

For firrther information on how the cuts to the legal aid system will adversely affect the most marginali- zed segments of our society contact agencies below

Kent Patenaude, Coordinator Native Community Law Oftices Assoc of BC Tel: (604) 60 1-635 1 ; fax: (604) 685-0784 Marie Irvine, Coordinator BC Association of Community Law Ofices Tel: (604) 60 1-6367; fax: (604) 685-0784

To give perspective to the sound bites that make up Campbell's response to even this small amount of reaction. what follows is part of a column that Bill Tieleman wrote for the Georgia Straight. The tax refund referred to, the $2 billion giveaway that the rich got in June, was just the beginning.

Liberals Give Brokers One More Big Rreak

"In a community where pzthlic services have failed to keep abreast ofprivate consumption, things are very different. Here, in an atmosphere qfprivate opulence and public squalor, the private goods have full swa,v.

--- John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society

In a year in which the government faces the largest deficit in B.C. history and is planning the biggest cuts to public services ever made by any provincial administration, one would think no source of public revenue would go untapped.

But not when it comes to the B.C. Liberal govern- ment having to make the choice of either paying off stockbroker friends, insiders, and political supporters with $12 million or giving that same finding to services for children with disabilities or people on welfare or housing for the homeless.

That stunning Liberal cabinet decision--to give B.C. securities dealers and companies a $1 2.2 million fee- reduction gift--was detailed in an lmost unreported December 10 announcement by the B.C. Securities Commission. The commission received cabinet a p p roval to cut the fees it charges dealers and public companies for one year, a reduction that follows a 15-percent fee cut earlier in the year that saved stockbrokers an extra $4 million. The fee cut, begin- ning January 7, 2002, is in sharp contrast to the former provincial government's 1999 decision to request that the commission transfer $12 million from its sizable surplus to help pay for public services.

"This initiative is yet another example of how we can revitalize economic growth in British Columbia by reducing some of the costs of doing business."

Reducing them and how--or should that be Howe, as in Howe Street, home to some of the sleaziest stock scams ever perpetrated on unsuspecting in- vestors. The fee a public company or mutual find pays for filing its annual financial statement drops from $600 to $75, and the minimum prospectus- filing fee goes from $2,500 to $400 for public companies and from $1,500 to $900 for mutual finds. And the registration fee for a securities-dealer salesperson falls fiom $250 to only $75.

It's easy to see who will benetit fiom the fee cuts. "The new fee reduction will return to industry surp- us revenues accumulated through the unexpectedly high fee collections generated by the strong market

PROVINCIAL DAY OF ACTIONS AGAINST THE CUTS 7 FRIDAY, FEB. 7

JOIN THE DO W T O WN EAST SIDE COMMUNITY A T CARNEGIE 9:00 MAKE POSTERS AND HEAR

THE RAGING GRANNIES 1O:OO 12:00 SPEAKERS & SPEAK OUT

12:OO ACTIONS

PROVINCIAL CUTS: WHAT DO THEY DO TO OUR LIVES? WHAT DO THEY DO TO OUR COMMUNITY?

WHAT DO THEY DO TO THE PROVINCE? WHAT DO THEY DO TO DEMOCRACY?

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL THE BREAKING THE SILENCE CAMPAIGN: 682-3269 #8319 OR END LEGISLATED POVERTY: 879-1209

conditions of the late 1990s," said Securities Comm- ission chair Doug Hyndman in the same statement.

It's hard not to wonder what sort of effective lobby- ing insider Liberal stockbrokers did to get such a sizable giveaway fiom a government that de-listed supplementary medical services like physiotherapy for 75 percent of British Columbians to save money the very same month.

Some of the clear winners in this stock play presu- mably include Peter M. Brown's Cannacord Capital. which contributed $170,000 to the Liberals between 1996 and 2001 ; Brown personally donated an additional $42,000 during the same period. Other Liberal insiders with an interest in reduced securities fees would include RRC Dominion Securities and its head, Larry Blain. RBC contributed $82,487 fiom

1996 to 200 1, while Blain kicked in another $1 2,750 himself. Another winner might be GoepelMcDermid Inc. (now Raymond James Ltd.). It contributed $153,000 from 1996 to 2000. "It's ridiculous that at this time the Liberals would

reduce fimding for ingle moms on income assistance and for education while giving away money to the richest people on Howe Street," MacPhail said in an interview with the Georgia Straight. MacPhail, who was finance minister in 1999 when the Securities Commission surplus was redirected to help pay for public services, says the previous fees were not out of line and the fee reduction is unnecessary.

The NDP has issued a tally sheet of cuts made and services eliminated. It runs for six pages. Politics in BC is always described as a "blood sport"

New Sunrise

You can have a bit but you can't have it all got a seaview window; no fiidge no stove no food but I sure can stare out that window tugs and trains, ships and planes moving o fast, picture's never the same

Thought the Devil had me again addicted but by the Mercy of the Lord I came up just sick fiom the attempted suicide following a friend who nearly died somehow without Papa at my side sun wouldn't shine

Papa survived. I did too. Monday morning We're all still here alive awash with all our imperfections in this new sunrise

Al

Pc.011lc in the world slruggling lo live on S I or. less e w o l dus -

1,200,000.000

Pcople with inadequate incomes drsnitc doinrr eshaustin~ work -

alcohol and pills there's my night and knowing there'll be no dreams of loving i'll be in a coma by then it's a confidential legal matter i am most sincere to escape disgrace insofar that i am possessed and having no sentimental value the state will be destroyed in my hometown share my destiny into death the most difficult decisions confront mortal man history has its place in time by a whisker in hope of conquering the world

charles fortin

VOLUNTEER EVENTS Volunteer Committee Meeting

Tuesday (not Wednedsay) February 12 @ 2pm in Classroom # 12 . . .part of the discussion will include

Volunteer Program Review 2002 All Volunteers will have an oppor- tunity to conlrihue to this process.

NOTICE T O ALL VOLUNTEERS

The February Volunteer Dinner will be

TUESDAY 1 (not Wednesdav as usual) I r February 12. 2002 @ 4:00pm ( in the 1-heatre)

Hone to see vou all there!!

Children who die each day of hzrnger - 33,613

Minutes of silence to acknowledge this fact - 0

.- -.--

I don't waste your time loving me 1

i'm going to die at war trying to live forever they say is certain death so don't hold your breath when you see me get high if you want to come along you'll be fiee until the pigs come and get me so let's explore in the light of day because for us there's no other way

' . ., --. .- ..* , . . ..., my fall has long been awaited so i had to fake it i'm not just dreaming so stop your screaming you'll like what you see don't say your prayers you'll only be deceived there is no danger in sight all we have to do is try do i have to say it?

charles fortin

Psych 1 0 1 Gamy Gust

Scene: A university classroom in the year 2098.

Prof: Good morning. Today we will review a bit of history with old videotapes. Specifically, interviews from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the year 2002. The interviewer, David Suzuki, talked to dozens of television viewers who were addicted to "Situation Comedies."

Suzuki to interviewee 14: It's been said that the average American TV viewer will watch a situation comedy, and if he or she hears lots of laughter in the background, he or she will think that this must be a great, finny show. Are you aware that this background laughter is merely a tape of laughter?

#14: Huh! Well, I guess it was the laughter that attracted me in the first place, but then 1 got interested in certain characters. Are you sure the laughter was a tape?

Suzuki: Yes. In most cases, the laughter was called "canned laughter," and was programmed by the editor at certain levels of intensity. However, earlier shows in the nineteen hundreds were recorded before a live audience with real laughter. One such show was "All In The Family," but they could only pull it off because they used talented actors and well-seasoned writers.. .. Now, would you say that the average sit-com actor or actress possesses such a talent as to command million dollar salaries?

#14:Hummm, Well, all I know is I pay for my cablevision and I get the channels. The money they make doesn't affect me too much.

Suzuki to interviewee 37: What attracts you most of all to situation comedies on TV?

4 #37: Ah, there's been no good sit-coms since Lucile Ball in I LOVE LUCY. The only sit-com actress I like now is Pamela Anderson in VIP.

Suzuki to interviewee 37: Yes, well thank you very much, Madame.

Suzuki to interviewee 43: If given a chance to watch either a rerun of Seinfeld or Hockey Night In Canada, what would you choose?

U43: Hockey Night In Canada, of course! Unless Friends was on.

Suzuki: Why would you choose Friends over HNC?

U43: Well, it depends on what teams are playing, but when I watch friends I feel good just thinking about how it would really feel to have so much friends. But you should talk to my friend Ron; he wouldn't miss a hockey game on TV for the world!. . . . and tell him to give me a call sometime. Suzuki to Ron: Sir, why would you choose the violence and mayhem of hockey over the average situation comedy on TV.

Ron: - than

that twenty seconds ifeel like puking.

crap for more It's a bunch of

phony bull turd.

Suzuki: But what's the attraction of watching grown men chasing a piece of rubber around on ice, stopping every once in awhile to fight?

Ron: Aw, come on Dave, they don't fight all the time. - And when that 'piece of rubber' goes in the net, it's acceptable to anybody who's in the house if I yell my guts out. It's therapy!

Suzuki: They say that laughter is also therapy. But it's quite interesting that you feel such passion for this TVzport. What first attracted you to hockey? What do you like most about it, and what do you like least about it? Ron: What attracted me to hockey?! Huh, well, you gotta understand, Dave, that when we first got a TV in Vancouver, there were only two channels; channel two and channel twelve, and every Saturday at five o'clock they showed Hockey Night In Canada on channel two. My dad looked forward to the hockey game, and now I do too. What I like most about it is when there's a close game with a one-goal difference, and there's only ten minutes in the third period. That's when I feel aroused.. .. I can escape for a while from life.

Suzuki: And what you like least?

Ron: Dave, in the old days, they had a wall around the ice with glass on the top. That wall used to be clean and white, but now they got those damn advertisements on then, and it pisses me right off! It distracts me from the play; all that Fido and Sprint bullshit. You didn't have

all that crap in the old days, you could watch the bloody puck every second, but now ... it's like a constant commercial. I tell you, things were better when they only had six teams and white walls. And most of all, how they name hockey arenas after corporate murderers like General Motors, as in "General Motors Place!" No wonder attendance is down.

Suzuki to interviewee # 99: What is the best sit-com for you on TV?

&There's really nothing I care for about half-hour comedy shows. The only thing I get a laugh from once in awhile is America's Funniest Videos. But the hosts talk too much.. . ..

Prof: Well, men and women, there you have it; a glimpse from the past. Your assignment is to analyze this presentation, and come to a determination of how television, sit-coms especially, from the past, had an impact on today's society.

GOLDFISH HEAVEN

1 often wonder of pecking birds Lady bugs, and squashed rats, Drowned cats, Octobers bee, and the goldfish the cat got

or the one that boiled to death on a careless sunny ledge,

their innocent guileless lives no less precious than ours

Surely would be the biggest sin to deny these innocents the best reward

A Heaven just like ours with lots of crumbs and aphids,

bionic rats, resuscitated cats, summer long a shielded goldfish bowl both from sun and cats.

G

Number of c.ris/itlg " legal" p r i v a ~ e military compnnies (mercenaries) - 5

Number of these companies that Vice- President Dick Cheney owns - 1

Amount of money chen;ils cotnpun,. made from "keeping the peace" in

Somalia - %250,000,000 Concerning Mental Health

We have a problem concerning work in our society, especially when it's free if we get the rate of our program. We want to work, but if you get nothing and you can't survive what is the use of living.

Don't spoil our programs. Stop now! We get so little money.

Doris Leslie

Think City The winds of government were blowing outside

and the sound bites were putting people offtheir food - "This is good for"

Inside were almost 200 people attending the Think City Conference. Like a bubble, with the idea to share ideas about how Greater Vancouver could be. Mike Harcourt, admitting to being a "recovering politician", and Judy Rebick, rabble-rouser extraordinaire, were opening speakers on Friday night. Mike talked about all the things that go into the artiticiality of urban pressure and Judy talked of participatory democracy, and gave an incredible example of a city in Brazil that did as a last resort. The lightness of the evening was sharp contrast to the anger and coming storm in BC Saturday was a day-long event at Roundhouse

Community Centre and perhaps twenty people addressed people in 5 different 'panels'. Many aspects of urban life, from transport to economic development to environmenrtal issues to community involvement to public dreams to claiming space to

parks and entertainment to poverty and homeless- ness and drugs and on and on.. . It was supported by the Social Planning and Research Council (SPARC), Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE), Tenants' Rights Action Coalition (TRAC), Farm FolklCity Folk, Small Potatoes, Check Your Head, Public Dreams, and several more groups. The outcome is a shared solidarity in the struggle

ahead. It was like a breath of fiesh air.

Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a big, ripe banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt

with the same result -all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs,

he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys

and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The first newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most ofthe monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating ofthe newest monkey. After replacing all the original monkeys, none of

the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done around here. And that, my friend, is how a government/company policy begins.

Agenda: 1 1 :30am - Theatre Opens & Refieshrnents 12:OOpm - Gathering and welcoming prayer;

drumming; words fiom family & friends 1 :00pm - Encircling Main & Hastings

Performance by Downtown Eastside Women's Centre's Still Movement Group

1 : 15pm - March through the DTES offering of prayers, tobacco & roses

2:OOpm - Rally in front of the Vancouver Police Station

2:30pm - Candlelight memorial at Oppenheirner Park

3:OOpm - Feast at the Japanese Language Hall

For more informafion about the Women's Memorial March, call Crabtree Corner at (604) 689-2808 or Breaking the Silence Campaign at (604) 682-3269, box 831 9.

February 14'~, 2002 Women's Memorial March

"Their Spirits Live Within Us"

llth Women's Memorial March in the Downtown

Eastside

Thursday, February 14*, 2002

beginning at 12:OO noon

at Carnegie Community Centre Main & Hastings

Honouring the lives and memories of the women in : the Downtown Eastside who have died violently and I

the women who are still missing. I

A Herstory of the March:

The Women's Memorial March is part of a long herstory of organizing and rallying against violence against women in the DTES. Women, men and children in the Downtown Eastside gather on February 1 4Ih to honour all the women in our community who have died and to remember the women who are still missing. Valentine's Day was chosen because it is a day that is universally recognized as a celebration of LOVE. On this day we remember our sisters, mothers, partners, daughters, nieces, aunties, granddaughters, cousins, grandmothers and friends who have been taken fiom us through acts of violence. The Women's Memorial March is an expression of love, not just for those who have passed on to the spirit world, but also for those who are living.

in the Downtown Eastside

The Women's Memorial March is about: 9 Cherishing the memory and the unique, valuable lives of the women who have died or who are still missing. Q Supporting the family and friends of the women

who have died or disappeared. 9 Joining spiritual healing and political resistance in

all our actions. $2 Engaging in collective action to strengthen the campaign to end violence against all women in the DTES. 9 Mobilizing the community to confiont and end poverty, racism, homophobia, and all other forms of oppression. Q Making local agencies, organizations, institutions and government accountable for ending violence against women and demanding that they support women on our own terms. 9 Refking the stigmas imposed on women in the DTES around prostitution, poverty, homelessness and addictions. 9 Publicly condemning violence against women,

whenever and wherever it occurs. 9 Demanding legislative changes and governments

that work for women in the DTES. 9 Strongly opposing war and actively working towards global peace and justice and an equitable sharing of the world's wealth, starting right here in the Downtown Eastside..

The February 1 4Ih Women's Memorial March is organized and led by women because women, especially Aboriginal women, face physical, mental, emotional and spiritual violence on a daily basis. We invite the whole community to join us in the spirit of the march. We ask that men share their grief and show their support by respecting the structure of the march.

- Comments? Concerns?

Contact

t lenny wd Woi Ching

Kwon, MLA

1070-1641 Commtrclal Dr., VSL 3Y3 Phone: ns-0790 Fax: ns-088%

Office hours: Tuesday-Frlday gam-qpm

IT'S A GHOST'S & I lie here inside the bloodless body

I used to call my own I wait here to see who shows up

to send me on my way. The body's eyes are closed

but I can see and feel and move I watch a purple petal's slow decent

towards the open box. Each turn of the velvet beauty blood blue reds, floating downward course,

can I run back and forth, fiom down to up, on fascinating bends and turns the petal takes, galaxy upon galaxy resides in the purple flight

and endless paths go reaching out fiom textures of our beings

in this airless place of in between.

Michelle

Death Rides With Gordon Campbell

"in a civilized country, Perkins, everyone disbelieves in slavery, everyone disbelieves in slavery and wants

Giving huge tax cuts to corporations and the wealthiest people in the province, and then cutting essential services. is what Gordon Campbell's ne* liberal government is doing in British Columbia. This avaricious, big business agenda has never worked, and never will work. It undermines the social cohesion of a country, and when they tried it in New Zealand the suicide rate for young people increased dramatically. Campbell's corporate agenda destroys public insti-

tutions that regulate private power. It destroys laws that check maximum profit, and abolishes social programs that give ordinary citizens a measure of security, and therefore a measure of power. Through cuts to pharmacare. medicare. welfare, family services and other social programs, it increases poverty and puts lives at risk. "Poverty kills more people in Canada than cancer." (2)

In 1995, Joan Fraser wrote about a study involving both ordinary Canadians and the wealthiest people in the country. The study found a wide gap between the two groups. Among the concerns of ordinary people were personal and economic security, a healthy pop- ulation, a clean environment, human rights and equality. The wealthy group was more concerned with competition, deficit cutting and minimal government. From a list of 22 possibilities, ordinary Canadians ranked the business elite's first choice, "competitiveness", 20th. and the elite's third choice,

"minimal government", last.(3) This study shows that the eminent Canadian educa-

tor, Dr. Ursula Franklin, was right when she said, "We are occupied the way the Norwegians and French were occupied by the Nazis during World War Two, but this time by an army of marketeers." (4) We, in British Columbia, have been taken over by an ideologically driven business elite with a vision of private power free of social and political control. We now face a full-scale class war.

For 200 years the business class has extolled some of the most distastefid human qualities - greed, domination and aggression - as virtues, and has institutionalized them in a laissez-faire, free market economic system that has led to an avariciously insane global casino economy. Life has been reduced to buying and selling, and this economic perversion of the richness of our lives together has produced a dehumanized human species - homo economicus - who lives in mathematical abstractions completely separated from real life. Market relations are monetary relations, and that's all they are. Like King Midas, the business class would turn the world into gold and like King Midas, its touch is deadly (5) *

Gordon Campbell's provincial government has said that its cuts to government and social programs are necessary in order to restore business confidence in British Columbia. Business confidence really means business blackmail: 'ifyou don't cut your taxes to corporations and the wealthy, if you don't downsize government and slash social programs, if you don't

I am a marginalized worker in the sense that is the truth available to low-income people. Welfare in many cases only pays rent. Those not on welfare get only the lowest pay for their labour. Go out and try dig up even one month's rent with work available to poor people.

I've been living on $3000 and less a year for ten years. Some will pay a good and charitable dollar for an odd job while others, like a vulture, will see an opportunity to try squeezing a dollar's worth of work for a dime.

Point is the welfare system is a responsibility of society because it's too expensive for the poor o have a roof Society as a whole has never taken of the poor; individuals have. Trying to reform welfare

force wages down and reduce environmental standards, then we will take our money elsewhere.' This business dynamic of competitive impoverish- ment is blackmail, and its logical conclusion is slavery for working people. Such a violent, acquis- itive philosophy would be hateful to most people, including people in business, if they ever had a chance to think about it. and could rise above the constant big business propaganda of the corporate- owned and profit-driven media. A street person in Victoria by the name of Art wrote a poem about the self-serving propaganda of those who use their wealth and power to get even richer, it goes like this:

"Life sucks - who cares about me or you? The streets are my escape from the reality of the bullshit that is around me.

Open your eyes for Christ's sake. That's what He wants you to do. Just open your eyes. The bullshit Is up to our necks." (6)

Sandy Cameron

is not seeing that our culture has lost its sense of sharing a portion with those less fortunate Try to scrape up honest nickels and dimes on the

street.. . Mr.Prernier, the streets are clean and the nickels or pennies aren't there.

Mike Bohnert PS: "Human Resources Minister Murray Coel l wants two years to prove his reform of the welfare system will put people back to work, not out on the street." We won't need two years. The problem with our education system is that we become aware of our oppression. $6 an hour jobs - no one wants to become a slave. An alternative is to build housing, provide jobs and educate all in hands on work This is sustainable it7when it's allowed.

( I ) spoken by lielano. Captain of an American warship, in Benito Cereno. a play by Hobert Lowell. based on a story by Herman Melville. (2) brief to the Ontario Social Assistance Review Committee. by the Ontario Medical Association, January 9, 198?. (3) Fraser, Joan, "Economics Focus Of Canada's Elite", Edmonton Journal. July 23, 1995. (4) Franklin Ursula, "Canada under the occupation or an m y of marketeers', the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' Monitor. JulyIAugust, 1997, p.22. (5) Taking Another Look At Class, by Sandy Cameron, published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), B.C. Office & the Carnegie Community Centre Association. Available from the CCPA. B.C. Office. #1400.

~7 - --. 207 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, B.c.,'v~B lH7;: tel. 604- 801-5121. (6) poem by Art in Out in The O ~ e n - street poetry; photos by Bob Ballantyne, Northstone Press.

Possible, Of Course Hear my train a-comin'" remember Hendrix My ex had a nightmare once Where I walked right into the path of a fl-eight train I knew then how deeply she loved me how one hour she professed love so deep it hurt and one hour later throwing salt shakers taking out the vacuum cleaner pipe to show her emotions

When I walked into my latest room I recognized right away from a vision I once had how I would OD sitting in the window A seaside seedy hotel end to my time

Possibilities is all I know It's just as possible I change fate thru a trick of will and strength never tapped A miracle rebirth, maybe I used to meditate in the acupuncture room on an old Sioux grandfather under a pinion pine Determined in my mind I would be him Old,serene, a part of nature blending into the earth

Al Loewen

Up on the Corner, Down on the Street

Hangin' on the comer, looking for a pill Some kind of pain only Percodan can kill Saw my mother stumblin' up the block sez 'Sonny Boy, got 10 bucks for a rock?' Yeah, I might know a man who knows how to fix you up with some dynamite blow Just take this .38 and go down to 855 Man be waiting.. take you for a ride.. Just wait and jump into his car Take you downtown to some h c y bar Just before you get there, shoot him in the head Grab his wallet 'fore the light leaves red Run up and meet me on the comer of the street Corner of Waste n Worry where creatures meet I'll be waiting with a fiiend I know Sell ya an avalanche of Peruvian snow Hard life as you prolly know

here on Desolation Row.

Zim Bobway

The Shakedown confusion, illusion, fusion, conclusion, collusion, in the mix you slide down the path, into the abyss & down you may fall. Are you sad, are you real, are you down or upbeat..even glad? Avoid taking dives, stay alive, voice appeals, hit the bricks but curb your feelings and snuff your innermost fears Simmer down hunker down and fiercely hold your ground - bide your time 'cause what goes around comes around - and you shall be free again. Force the elites to back off n see their corporate crumble like a sugar cube on a rainy day and observe the despotic drones of Howe St fold like cheap tents. Contrite, contrary, convoluted, corrupt, they will most certainly collide with themselves on a self-made bed of shattered lies, twisted and broken pacts of deceit. Like the princess who kisses a frog for want and desperate need but reignites her spirit into a beautiful glow, pick a partner, take a side, make your move, you won't get no jive. Be alive and contrive to grasp the brass ring you've always longed for. Do it now ifyou please, other-wise you'll get squeezed.

Robyn L.

CAMPBELL

Reactionary Liberal Apologist, Follows Bennett the Crook and Zalm the Fanatic Tied together by political incompetence. Leader of disgruntled, shared scions of rich and advantaged families who kar empowerment. Rides in the political soup on a bleached steed of partisan hyperbole Frightening a gullible public that only he can 'save' fiom ruin But history's governments have failed Leaders infatuated with themselves Soon the public shall understand These same slogans are available on Library shelves. Good government is a radical departure fiom previous political crawls. .. Progress demands Justice Can you see or hear the misery An omen of failure, the unalterable deadline that you cross if you are unable to respond to the people's demand for moral justice.

- A. Kostynuik

A Place of Grace Neighbourhood women, some of whom also

volunteer at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, have so far brought 3 incarnations of a good idea to fruition. Cheque-issue day is or can be a traumatic event for

many women in this community. There is the safety concern, there is the pressure for those dealing with addictions to buy and use, there is the stresss of peer pressure to spend and have little in a few days. The idea has been to get a safe place - the Sunrise

Cafk at Hastings & Carrall- open and available to women in the area on cheque-day and the following day. It has been there from 8am to 8pm each of the 2 days in November, December and January.

Women play cards, watch movies, share nutritious food and reinforce each others' commitments to dealing with stuff

It has functioned solely on donations and good. If you want to help or get more information, contact Joyce Rock at 255-7945.

DOWNTOWN STD CLINIC - 219 Main; Monday to Friday, loam - 6pm EAS'I'SIDE NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main; 8:3Uam - 8pm every day YOUTH NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN - 3 Routes: ACTIVITIES City - 5:45pm - 1 1 :45pni SOCIETY Overnipht - 12:30am - 8:30am

2001 DONATIONS L ibby D.369 Downtown Eastside - 5:30pm - I:30am Sam R.-$30 Nancy W.-$4 Eve E.-$75 Margaret D.325 Shyamala G.-$30 Pam C.-$20 Val A.$20 W m B-$20 l laro ld D.-$20 Pam-$70 Ma ry C-$30 Rolf A.-$75 Bruce 3.434 Peggy -$45 Kettle -$20 Sonya S.-$120 BCTF-$20 Nancy 1 [.-$I9 B i l l (3.-$130 WCS K . 6 l - l THE NEWSI,ETTEW IS A PIIBI.ICATION OF TItE DEYAS-$150 Raycam470 LSS-$230 CARNEGIE (:OhlhlUNI'TY CENTRE ASW)CIATION.

John S-$34 Paddy -$60 Sarah E.420 Arficlcs represent the views of individual

Rockingguys -$30 Anonymous -$283 contributors and not of the Association.

The Edge -5200 Celeste W.-$22 JO'S Mom -$25 Charles F.-$10 Submission Deadline Mcnnonite CC 3 6 0 Rosemary 2.-$60

Welfare problems; Landlord disputes; Housing problems;

ome to the Dera office at 425 Carrall Street or hone us a t 682 - 0931

Libby I 'Rights

Libby Davies, our Member of Parliament for Vanc- ouver East. has drafted a Private Member's Bill to provide adequate and affordable housing for all Canadians. It is called Bill C-416, or the Housing Bill of Rights, and it had its first reading in the House of Commons, Ottawa, on Nov. 28,2001. The purpose of Libby's Housing Bill of Rights is to

respect the dignity and worth of all women, children and men in Canada by protecting their human rights through the provision of adequate, accessible and affordable housing. Affordable housing for all can be established through a National Housing Strategy, and Libby's Bill states that fiom January I, 2003, adequate, affordable housing must be a legally enforceable right in Canada. At the beginning of Bill C-416, Libby reminds us

that adequate housing is a hndamental human right according to paragraph 25(1) of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which Canada signed in 1948. Over the past 20 years, corporate interests, and the political parties that represent them, have been undermining the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Libby quotes paragraph 25(1) of the Declaration:

"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him- self and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widow- hood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control."

These are our rights as human beings in the world. They were expressed in the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights that was drafted after World War Two. Pass it on.

Libby also points out in her Housing Bill of Rights that Canada signed the international-Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1976. This Covenant is a legally binding document, committing Canada to economic, social and cultural rights inclu- ding the right to adequate housing as outlined in paragraph 1 1 (I ) of the Covenant. This paragraph says that all the countries that signed the Covenant, and that includes Canada, "recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions." Pass it on. ffiends. We are talking human rights. Libby is asking the Government of Canada to honour its international commitments. This is not a joke. When Canada refuses to honour its international commitments, it is breaking International law. It is acting in a criminal manner, but there is no international police officer to throw the offending politicians in the slammer.

Libby tells us that the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has been extremely critical of Canada's failure to make pro- gress on the provision of adequate housing for all Canadians. It wrote in a report in December, 1998:

'The Committee is gravely concerned that such a wealthy country as Canada has allowed the problem of homelessness and inadequate housing to grow to such proportions that the mayors of Canada's 10 largest cities have now declared homelessness a national disaster.' Such a statement by a UN Committee to a rich country like Canada is very embarrassing. They went on to say, "The Committee recommends

that federal, provincial and territorial governments (of Canada) address homelessness and inadequate housing as a national emergency by reinstating or increasing ... social housing programs for those in need, improving and properly enforcing anti- discrimination legislation in the field of housing, increasing shelter allowances and social assistance rates to realistic levels, providing adequate support services for persons with disabilities, improving protection of security of tenure for tenants and improving protection of affordable rental housing

stock fiom conversion to other uses. The Committee urges the State Party (Canada) to implement a national strategy for the reduction of homelessness and poverty." To receive a letter of censure like this fiom a United Nations Committee brings great shame to Canada, a country that has the 9th richest economy in the world.

More on Libby's Housing bill of Rights in further articles. Libby doesn't know when her bill C-416 will be debated in the House of Commons, or even if it will ever be debated. Bills by private Members of Parliament are chosen for debate by pulling numbers out of a hat! Libby will keep pushing for affordable housing, though. Decent. affordable housing is a human right. For a copy of Libby's Housing Bill of Rights (C-416), or a copy of her report called "Housing & Homelessness: An Un-natural Disaster!", call 604-775-5800.

By SANDY CAMERON

CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOC.

ELECTION NOTICE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7,2002

7:00 pm Carnegie Hall An election will be held for two seats on the

Board of Directors of the Association: Eligibility To be eligible for election as a director, you must: 1. Live or work (paid or unpaid) in the area 2. Be an active member ofthe Centre 3. Be a member of the Society for a minimum of 60 days immediately prior to the election; 4. Be over 1 6 years of age Members' Voting

You must have a valid membership at least 14 days immediately prior to the election.

GOING BACK

Stab me in the back while I build our fire, you can't stop my burning desire. I look up at the stars and scream into the night, as my loneliness sends me spinning out of sight. Think of the time we spend calling each other friend is it real or is it just pretend? You look at me and you can't understand is he an animal or is he a man? 1 look at you and I wonder too, if 1 want to be associated with the things you do. Take a scalp, take a fur, kill your neighbour, cut a flower. Just who distributed all the power? You think that what you do is right, turning darkness into light. As time expands and explodes with Godly might, it turns out we're all just specks of light. When the fire goes out and things aren't right, you find yourself alone in the night. miles from nowhere and nowhere to go, look at the ember which still faintly glows. With hope and perseverance you'll surely find, somewhere in the darkness, the fuel to rekindle the ember to warmth, and light, and peace of mind. Forever.

Elmo Winneiabaegoe

: George Nicholas is the newly-elected President ) of the Carnegie Seniors. As anyone can tell from - / looking at this guy, he's just t& serious for words I

GUILTY From west to east I travelled that far Seeking for my luck, my star Inside the church I went

Now I realize that was true We're sinners, to repent we should do The dark side of life we toss it aside To gain happiness.

and listened to the sermon, so good. After all it's a lesson to all of us

At times the pastor raised his arm Pointing within the crowd and he said guilty you surely are I thought he was pointing at me.

That our wrongdoing we must cut and extend to everyone our love To attain peace worldwide We all need peace not war God Bless Canada.

Ruth Matenotja Barnett -

"'THE RIGHT THING T O DO" The pompous morality in the public statements on

black Thursday were not lost to many families. For instance, when did words such as "the right thing to do" become justification for trauma. and heartbreak, loss ofjob and shelter? For so many it's not easy to accept.. Don't forgive or forget the insensitivity of a chief public "servant".

SAM RODDAN

THE VOTERS TOOK A GAMBLE

The voters took a gamble They ended up with 'Ram Bull ' Now a lot of us will suffer From his plan that's tougher

I heard a mother sob When they took away her job She doesn't have a clue As to what she's going to do.

It appears that he has wealth And doesn't care about our health Our teeth are going to pot They just pull them as they rot.

It seems Robin Hood was right When he gave the rich a fight Too bad that we can't sue For these cruelties anew.

Taxes cut for the well-to-do Awhl cuts for me and you Our dollar drops more and more The world sees how we treat our poor

I can't get out any more To doctor, dentist, or the store He took all that away from me When he raised my bus pass fee

Sick and old, I cannot fight PLEASE GOD help us in our plight Only a rogue and a boor Would pick on the sick and the poor.

C.N. Dunn-Harding

A handy guide to differences between terrorists and the US government: By Daniel Solnit

ERRORISTS: ~pposed leader is the spoiled son of a powerfhl politician, from extremely wealthy oil family S GOVERNMENT: hpposed leader is the spoiled son of a powerhl politician, from extremely wealthy oil family

ERRORISTS: zider has declared a holy war (Jihad) against his 'enemies': believes any nation not with him is against him; :lieves god is on his side, and that any means are justified. S GOVERNMENT: ader has declared a holy war ('Crusade') against his 'enemies'; believes any nation not with him is against m; believes god is on his side, and that any means are justified.

ERRORISTS: lpported by extreme findamentalist religious leaders who preach hatred, intolerance, subjugation ofwomen. ~d persecution of non-believers

US GOVERNMENT: Supported by extreme findamentalist religious leaders who preach hatred, intolerance, subjugation ofwornen, am id persecution of non-be1 ievers.

TERRORISTS: Leadership was not elected by a majority ofthe people in a free and fair democratic election US GOVERNMENT: Leadership was not elected by a majority of the people in a fiee and fair democratic election

TERRORISTS: Kills thousands of innocent civilians, some of them children, in cold blooded bombings US GOVERNMENT: Kills (tens of) thousands of innocent civilians, some ofthem children, in cold blooded bombings.

TERRORISTS: Operates through clandestine organization (a1 Qaeda) with agents in many countries; uses bombing. assassination, other terrorist tactics. US GOVERNMENT: Operates through clandestine organization (CIA) with agents in many countries; uses bombing. assassination other terrorist tactics

TERRORISTS: Using war as pretext to clamp down on dissent and undermine civil liberties US GOVERNMENT: Using war as pretext to clamp down on dissent and undermine civil liberties

TERRORISTS: Weapon of choice: a threedollar box cutter US GOVERNMENT: Weapon of choice: a billion-dollar B! bomber

In The shadow of the Vampire.

Awhile back, a fiend of mine that I call Brian #3, (only because I have known the other two longer,) and I were sharing a few drinks together at our local watering hole. Misery loves company and alcohol being the handmaiden to memory that it's always been, this precipitated an in-depth discussion of what in family dysfunction terms is called "The absence of the King" My friend informed me that in his experience, he had always observed that the people who suffered most in life, regardless if they were male or female, were always the ones who felt that their fathers had betrayed them, in one way or another. He also told me that he had never met so many as were living on the lower East side of Van- couver. I said I h e w that there had to be a reason why we here.

I asked him if he had ever heard of the phrase "Psychic Vampire". He hadn't. i explained that I first came across the term about a decade ago. It must be remembered that it has only really been in the last few decades that we have really began exploring family pyschodynamics, dyshnctional ism and the parameters of child abuse, both subtle and gross. Simply put, a psychic vampire is a family

Hey snowman ! @I .'O I What's happening 7

Main By Rick Nordal

talks. I have human emotions and I feel pain when I hmt myseU I

member, usually a parent, (although it can manifest itself in spouses, siblings and even off-spring, alth- ough this is somewhat rarer.) whose personality, inherently or over a long period of time, becomes so toxic, abusive, belligerent or stressfbl to be around, that it finally dawns on the remaining family memb- er or members that this person is literally sucking the life-force right out of them in order to replenish their own life-energy. Consequently, it is the vampires "victims" who end up feeling drained and exhausted, confUsed and guilty for no reason. My father was one of these insidious soul-suckers. Problem is, for many of us, this process of spiritually corrosive erosion is so subtle, that by the time we finally and truly understand what's going on, it is oflen too late. 4

Just how seriously toxic can this phenomenon be? It was said of the author and concentration camp survivor Primo Levi that his eventual suicide had more to do with the interminable care of his elderly and invalid mother, than any of his experiences at Auchwitz. Apparently, she was more onerous to his spirit than anything he endured at the death camps. The psychic vampire. In the long run, he has spawn- ed as much misery as all the wars ofhistory combin- ed, I am sure of it. Generations upon chains of generations of waste, alcoholism, substance abuse, child and spousal abuse, mental illness, depression and affective disorders, and on and on it goes. Maybe the "Dimestore Dostoevsky", Jim Thompson illustrated it best through the characters of one of his novels:

"Do you think any of us, even one of us could have made it?'she asked.

"I'm sure we all could have," he replied. "But we would have had to get away very early. Far away where the poisons inside us could not be restored and refreshed on a daily basis." The psychic vampire.. is there one in your hmily?

Martin A McDermid.

Kettle Tax Clinic The Kettle is hosting its second annual income tax

clinic for people with low incomes. The clinic will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays, February 7th to March 28th. at 1725 Venables Street. Clinic hours are from I pm. to 5 pm., on a first

come, first served basis. Taxes will be done by accountants who are volunteering their time. When you come to the clinic, please bring all your

income statements, and information about your family members, any assets you have disposed of or expenses you have.

If you have questions, please call the Kettle Advocacv Service at 253-0669.

Accountability Day - February 7th' 2002 - People's Opposition invites you to take part

in Accountability Day on February 7th, 2002. Across the province, citizens will let their MLA know that these cuts are too deep. The Liberals hav~ gone against their word and their election promises, and it's time to hold them accountable to us, their constituents. MLA ofices will be visited, or have protests, all day February 7th, 2002.

At the same time, People's Opposition will host a press conference at 1 1 am in Vancouver at the End Legislated Poverty office. Press confkrence panel- ists include Jean Swanson (founder of ELP and the author of Poor Bashing: The Politics of ficlwion), Mary-Woo Sims (former BC Human Rights Chief Commissioner and human rights advocate), and Marcus Oppenheimer (Aboriginal Political Action Committee). Spread the word. There's power in numbers. Nov

is the time to let your voices be heard en masse. Tt budget will be announced on February 19th. There' still time to influence what the budget looks like. Let your MLA know what services and programs ar important in your community. You can make a difference.

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF HOSTING AN OLYMPIC GAMES?

A Citizen's Forum 7pm, February stk

Sunrise Hotel (comer of Hastings and Carrall)

Comments, questions, things necessary for all.

For more info contact: End Legislated Poverty 604-879- 1209, ask for Marsha or Leslie

G. Campbell is wanted for sucking the HOPE out of people. -- our people are being punished for being a senior, disabled person, a women and a child. Those who are already homeless will never have a chance to say I had a home - and to those who suffer from an addiction will die because Gordon Campbell took away their HOPE - Our children's only chance of a happy home was

quashed January 17,2002 - person's who are disabled are being told put your suffering aside as your disability is no longer visible - to the 11,700 government services we no longer need you, cause we need to payfor the raises we gave ourselves and ourfiiends a few months ago. Those effected do NOT deserve this kind of abuse by anyone. The is ONLY the beginning. Silence and death are FINAL!

Margaret

COVER STORY: When asked about the cuts, Mayor Owen just said "No

Pain, No Gain." Hundreds of thousands of people are being hurt for some imagined 'gain'.

In the minds and lives of the very well-to-do, the concept of pain has to do with nerve-endings only, while "Blessed are the Rich" only shows that they are the only people not hammered by their political minions (surprised?).

Justification is at the center of the whole scheme - people not independently wealthy or part of this fascist takeover -the victims- are seen as somehow genetically predisposed: "You must be inferior be- cause you are vulnerable.. Fallen women are harlots ..Beggars are tramps are thieves have bad blood sins of the father losers ne'er-dewells ..... doomed to eternal damnation.. . . (take your pick) Read on.