Patricia Kullberg hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
How to Grow a Movement for Peace in the Middle East: Students at Portland State university are among the thousands of campus activists across the country mobilizing against US complicity in Israel's war on Gaza. On Monday April 29, Students United for Palestinian Rights (SUPER) held a protest and teach-in at PSU on the main floor of the School of Business in opposition to the School's close ties to Boeing, a major military defense supplier for Israel. Professor José Padin, who teaches in the Sociology Department at PSU, was among the faculty who spoke at the teach-in. He talked about the importance of thinking through tactics and of inclusiveness in building a strong social movement. Jan Haaken asks Padin to expand on those points in light of the occupation of the PSU library by other groups over subsequent days. Jan and José discuss what is happening nationally at campus protests and what activists might learn from earlier anti-war campaigns.
The Tank Farm, a Disaster-in-Waiting: The Critical Energy Infrastructure hub, otherwise known as the tank farm, is a six mile stretch on the banks of the Willamette river where 90% of Oregon’s fuel is stored on seismically unstable land. A major earthquake is predicted to unleash fires, explosions, and toxic spills at the hub that would vastly exceed the scope of the Deep Water Horizon disaster. On April 16 a press conference was held to present an open letter from 75 community based organizations to state officials and legislators, demanding action to mitigate this potential catastrophe. The conference was moderated by Nikki Mandel and featured a panel of experts and activists, which included Michael Pouncil from the Portland Harbor Community Advisory group, Nancy Hiser, from the Linnton Neighborhood Association, Chris Voss, Director of Emergency Management at Multnomah County, Patricia Kullberg, from Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Jay Wilson, former chair of the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission. This segment includes a recording of the press conference, lightly edited for length and clarity. For more information see Multnomah County’s report: CEI Hub Seismic Risk Analysis.
- KBOO