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Fellow Travelers' Advisory from Anne Feeney - APRIL 2006, VOLUME TWO, # 1

IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:

Mini-tour with Jack Erdie
March 30 - Lexington, KY
March 31 - Carbondale, IL
April 1 - Cincinnati, OH
April 2 - Cincinnati, OH

then... Indianapolis; Shippensburg, PA; Las Vegas, NV (UMWA Convention!); Indiana, PA; Toronto, ON; San Diego, CA; Olympia, WA; Vancouver, WA; Madison, WI; Haledon, NJ

and coming up soon - the amazing left coast tour with Dave Lippman! - I could use some help with the empty dates, folks. And if I'm waiting to hear from you, write!!!

Welcome
New CD
Boilermakers in Monthly Review
Bob Blue
I Wish I'd Said That....
Your Fabulous Letters to Chavez
Tour Dates

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Hi there hellraisers!

I can't believe this is the thirteenth monthly newsletter... I hope you're enjoying them ... I sure love hearing back from you.

I have put my Florida tour stories into the "Breaking News" link on my website. I'll just say that it was absolutely wonderful. Terrific audiences, great reunions with dear old friends and many wonderful new friends too!

And this is the busiest most amazing April ever!
I'll be traveling from Toronto to San Diego, and from Portland, OR to Newark, with stops in Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Madison, Olympia and many other destinations... details are on my Tour Dates Calendar

I wish every month were like this... colleges, festivals, conventions, activist conferences. I'm so excited to be invited to the United Mineworkers' Convention in Las Vegas. My granddad organized for the UMWA and I've had a lot of fun and inspiration over the years working with the UMWA. I'm also looking forward to the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union Convention in Toronto.

And I wish that all of you could come with me to see the fantastic work being done day in and day out across the country to resist this evil empire. The 33% approval rating is at least in part due to our efforts...

Some of you may have caught the national news story about the FBI spying on Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center.


I wasn't at all surprised that the FBI was spying on us. They've probably been spying on us since we founded the center in 1972. It was disconcerting to learn that they had actually infiltrated us and had an inside informant reporting to them on our "seditious" activities -- FLASH! FLASH! the FBI infiltrator/informant uncovered the information that the "Merton Center is a left-leaning organization committed to pacifism." Our tax dollars at work.

I hope to see you soon.
Love and solidarity

Anne

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NEW CD

I'm looking for a studio in Pittsburgh to record some of the songs y'all have been asking for... I'll keep you posted. I'm hoping to have it finished before April 15th.


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BOILERMAKERS 484

There's a great article in Monthly Review about the Celanese Lockout of Boilermakers' 484 in Meredosia, IL. Their unemployment benefits have been exhausted and these workers could really use your donations.

Boilermakers Local 484
Solidarity/Defense Fund
P.O. Box258
300 Main Street
Meredosia, IL 62665

or donate securely online

Later on this month I'll be in Madison, WI performing with a band that features locked out members of this local ....

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BOB BLUE

My dear friend and mentor Bob Blue finally succumbed to MS on St Patrick's morning. He is the composer of "Courage (Diane)" - the song about the junior high girl who has been singled out for bullying (on "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?"). Back in 1991 I also recorded his wonderful "Dear Mr. President" - a song about the arms race and/or sticker collections. For the past 20 years I have watched Bob gracefully deal with one heartbreaking setback and debilitating limitation after another from the ravages of MS. Throughout it all, he remained unbelievably optimistic, funny, productive and joyful. He once quipped that his body was an allegory for what's the matter with the United States. Bob said, "What MS does is ridiculously beef up the body's defense system at the expense of all the rest of the body's needs. Eventually this over-funded defense system destroys its host."

Check out Bob Blue's website

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I WISH I'D SAID THAT....

Many of you have probably seen this, but I loved it enough to pass on to you....

On the Bible and the Constitution

On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage in Maryland, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at AU, was requested to testify.

At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman.
What do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."


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FAMILY NEWS

My daughter Amy Berlin had a choice role in the Portland production of "The Vagina Monologues" -- This terrific show by Eve Ensler has raised millions of dollars for women's centers and shelters since its inception -- as well as raising awareness of domestic violence.

My son Dan Berlin and his fiance Monique Murad were in Pasadena looking for locations for their mid-June 2007 wedding.

My Aunt Claire O'Connor is going to be a great-grandmother again. Kelly Grefenstette and Charles Warren are expecting.

Come on, cousins! send me your news!


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CHAVEZ LETTERS

Thanks to everyone who took me up on my invitation to write letters last month to Hugo Chavez on the AFI website... Here are a couple of my favorites....


Dear President Chavez,

Just a note to let you know that I WILL be shopping at Citgo. The American Family Institute says that you have "vowed to take down our government" but I can read - this isn't what you said at all. I agree that ending American
Imperialism is a good idea, and I agree that our President George W. Bush (however unwittingly) has done more to promote terrorism than anyone in this century. He is a disgrace to the United States.

I salute your courage and your generosity.

Sincerely,

Brice F
Croton-on-Hudson, NY




Presidente Hugo Chavez

Your Excellency,

Keep up the good work, the work you are doing for your country and your people. Continue using your vast oil revenues to support much needed social programs for your hitherto deprived poor. You and I know that that indeed is Christ's work - "He who does this for the least of My brethren has done it for Me".

It's about time that His natural resources are being dispersed to all of His people and just not to the super rich - they who need no help.

God almighty Hugo, just what in the hell is that right wing religious fundamentalist whacko Pat Robertson talking about? He sure doesn't know a great deal about true Christian values. He defends and serves only the interests of his right wing Republican cronies and the rich. Hopefully, the gullible are finding him out and will reject his brand of pharisaicism.

Pat F
Covington, KY
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