tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24042219623183859682024-02-08T07:16:48.113-05:00UB Lawyers Guild<b>What does the UB Lawyers Guild do?</b><br>
We host speakers, films, trainings, and networking opportunities. We have relationships with non-profit organizations, activists and lawyers, including the city chapter of the NLG.<br>
<br>
<b>Who can join?</b><br>
Any student, faculty or staff member at UB Law can attend UBLG meetings, make decisions and attend events.
The UBLG is non-hierarchical and consensus-based.<br>
<br>
<u>ublginfo@gmail.com</u>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-15461863547717097402010-01-21T12:47:00.002-05:002010-01-21T13:24:28.887-05:00ObituaryRequiescat in pace, United States of America. Born July 4, 1776, died January 21, 2010.<br /><br />Severely weakened after a long battle with corporate greed, the United States was finally dealt its death blow by the Supreme Court today in their decision in <span style="font-style: italic;">Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission</span>. The case overturns a longstanding precedent decision, <span style="font-style: italic;">Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce</span>, which had allowed states to ban corporations from using money from their company coffers to support or oppose candidates through independent expenditures. The Court ruled, in effect, that money does not enable speech, it <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> speech in and of itself, and as such, to deny corporations the right to spend money as they see fit abridges on their First Amendment rights.<br /><br />That the decision today grants individual rights to entities that are not individual natural persons is both asinine and profoundly sickening. When wealthy corporations are given the right to spend as much money as they wish in order to influence elections, this necessarily comes at the expense of ordinary citizens' rights, since you and I do not, presumably, have several billion dollars in liquid assets to throw around. If the Supreme Court of the United States is willing to so severely abridge the rights of American citizens, and moreover, if it makes no effort to hide this fact, then the American Experiment is over.<br /><br />The United States is survived by thousands of wealthy corporations which will assume its duties of governance now that the major barrier to their outright purchasing of legislators is gone. A Mass of Christian Burial (since, y'know, this was a Christian country) will be offered at 11:00 Sunday on the steps of the former U.S. Capitol building, which will be renamed the "Coca-Cola Capidrome" in a short ceremony to follow.<br /><br />---<br /><br />The National Lawyers' Guild, founded in 1937 in the depths of the Great Depression, stated in its founding document that its mission <span class="textstyle1">shall be "to function as an effective political and social force in the service of the People, <span style="font-style: italic;">to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests.</span></span>" Being as this decision will almost certainly limit the Guild's ability "to function as an <span style="font-style: italic;">effective</span> political and social force" on account of its (comparatively) limited resources, I suggest amending the statement with a few words from Malcom X:<br /><br />"[Our mission] shall be to function as an effective political and social force in the service of the People, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-18237404607931465842009-11-02T22:27:00.002-05:002009-11-02T22:29:45.250-05:00Guild contact emailHey All,<br /><br />The general contact info for the blog (and the Guild) is ublginfo@gmail.com (not ublg@gmail.com). A city chapter member tried contacting the campus chapter, to no avail. Can someone who knows how to change it change it?<br /><br />Thanks, and hope to see y'all at the Scorpio Ball (10:30 p.m. Saturday Nov.7th 700 Main St.).<br /><br />Anna<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Annahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06288258498125515923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-67177836538597746112009-10-29T00:36:00.002-04:002009-10-29T00:39:18.630-04:00WEBSITEParty People!<br /><br />Hit up <a href="http://www.ublawyersguild.org/">http://www.ublawyersguild.org/</a><br /><br />It ain't pretty yet, but it gets the job done. Register for the Forum if you dare.<br /><br />Happy Halloween weekend!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-32567736002643146052009-09-29T21:09:00.001-04:002009-09-29T21:09:37.986-04:00Funny MoneyWho says progressivity (is that a word, by the way?) and business don't mix? Ithaca, N.Y. certainly doesn't. In fact, quite the opposite; they've gone and created their own money! Well, more accurately, they've had their own money for almost twenty years.<br /><br />Ithaca HOURS, as they're called, are worth $10 per HOUR, which is roughly the living wage in Tompkins County. The system is premised on the assumption that anybody's time is just as valuable as anybody else's, but there's nothing to prevent professionals from charging several HOURS per hour of work. (In fact, several Ithacan lawyers accept HOURS for their services!)<br /><br />Paul Glover, the system's founder, explained that the idea for the currency came about because "we watched Federal dollars come to town, shake a few hands, then leave to buy rainforest lumber and fight wars." (Quoted from <a href="http://www.sustainabilityinstitute.org/dhm_archive/index.php?display_article=vn544ithacaed">here</a>.)<br /><br />Today, over 1200 individuals and businesses in the city accept HOURS. I've personally paid for movie tickets and groceries with them when I was an undergraduate at Ithaca College, and there are a <a href="http://www.ithacahours.org/directory.php">multitude</a> of other things they're good for as well. The HOURS system has significantly benefited local businesses and has really promoted a sense of community in the city.<br /><br />This is a great example of what can happen when people decide to really work together for the benefit of their community, and there's absolutely no reason why a similar system couldn't work in Buffalo! Maybe we could call our local currency "Bills".<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><div class="flockcredit" style="text-align: right; color: #CCC; font-size: x-small;">Blogged with the <a href="http://www.flock.com/blogged-with-flock" style="color: #999; font-weight: bold;" target="_new" title="Flock Browser">Flock Browser</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-60000349930712141122009-09-28T17:49:00.001-04:002009-09-28T18:13:57.700-04:00An update to the G20 postAfter the sanctioned march that took place earlier in the day, the police force became increasingly violent towards onlookers who were primarily Pitt college students (as opposed to individuals who were present to protest). The G20 had already ended and there was not any apparent violence taking place on the Pitt campus. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09270/1001203-482.stm This news story gives a very good description of the situation took place. I encourage you to check it out, as Legal Observers aren't really supposed to act as or communicate with members of the media. I will simply say that this article is accurate from what I experienced that night.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Jenna Piaseckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08013807001343226079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-19214355063225921952009-09-27T16:14:00.002-04:002009-09-27T16:18:40.268-04:00G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">The G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, PA took place between September 24 and 25, 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>President Barack Obama chaired the event, hosting leaders from 18 various countries throughout the world as well as the European Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They discussed topics concerning the current global economic crisis, along with the newly discovered fact that Iran has secretly been building a nuclear facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The nations concluded that Iran’s facility needs to be inspected immediately in order to maintain<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the nuclear peace plan that has been in effect between the nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">While this conference was taking place, there were masses of protesters who spoke out against injustices currently going on throughout the world and the changes that they believe need to take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The protesters discussed a variety of issues including environmental injustice, killings taking place in China, the unfair medical situation for the poor, and the abuse of Corporate America on the rest of the American citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was a large military and police presence throughout the city of Pittsburgh to control the protesters and make sure that they were not doing anything illegal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In controlling the crowds, however, some of the actions taken by the police and military personnel can be considered unsanctioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is why the Legal Observers are present at these protests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Legal Observer’s job is to uphold the protesters’ First Amendment Right to freedom of speech, and to make sure that the police and military do not infringe upon this right to free speech.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By seeing the Legal Observers taking detailed notes at all of the events involving the police, as well as taking multiple pictures of them, the police are deterred from using force and violence to silence the protesters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in">A group of Legal Observers from the Buffalo Lawyer’s Guild Chapter went to Pittsburgh, PA on September 25, 2009 and marched with the protesters in one of the largest protests since the Vietnam War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were about three thousand protesters in the march, with an additional one thousand police and military personnel present throughout the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many of the police officers had been called in from various states, including Chicago and Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>About half of the police and military personnel purposefully hid their badge and identification numbers under their uniforms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This was likely so that they couldn’t be as easily identified if they were to infringe upon some of the protester’s rights by arresting them for stating their views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The police tried to appear intimidating by getting in the prepared position to fire their guns and lifting their tear gas canisters in preparation to fire on the crowd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Several of the policemen, who had police dogs for the purpose of crowd control, had their dogs un-muzzled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is normally not done until the police are ready to release the dogs upon the crowd for being violent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On several of the streets there was already crime scene tape up as if the police were expecting a violent showdown to occur between them and the protesters in these locations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Besides minor incidents of the police shoving some of the protesters off of the sidewalk to keep them in the street, however, there were no arrests or police reactions to the crowd by firing tear gas or rubber bullets while we were marching with the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They did have large busses ready to make mass arrests at some of the intersections, but none of them were used while we were present at the protest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was definitely an interesting and rewarding experience, and many of the protesters came up to the Legal Observers and thanked us for protecting their rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Ashlee Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13566980860866536053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-2078870843704766332009-07-30T20:15:00.003-04:002009-07-30T20:18:11.510-04:00Strike for Justice!!!<span style="font-weight:bold;">Who: </span> The Coalition for Economic Justice and you!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What:</span> Strike for Justice!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Why:</span> To raise money for CEJ<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where:</span> Kenmore Lanes<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When:</span> August 8, 2009 - 7pm!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How:</span> Sign up alone $15 or with a team of four $50<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-17449359309996535712009-07-14T11:26:00.002-04:002009-07-14T13:43:48.996-04:00Spring (actually summer) CleaningHappy summer, y'all! You may have noticed a couple small changes to the layout of this blog, most notably that the SBA resolution regarding the relocation of the Law School has disappeared from the front page. Rest assured, no actual content has been lost; I simply turned it into a normal blog post. In fact, it should appear directly below this one. Eventually it will migrate into the archives, but it will remain available for your reading pleasure.<br /><br />In other news, the Guild's online home will most likely be getting an upgrade at the beginning of the 2009-10 school year. Exactly what features it has will depend on whether we can get off-campus hosting, but I don't anticipate that being a problem. Among the cooler planned features will be a discussion board, on which both law students and members of the Buffalo (and indeed, the world) community can discuss the law, society, culture, and whatever else suits your fancy. Look for a link here when it's up and running!<br /><br />All that being said, if you're still reading this, get off the computer and go outside! You'll have plenty of time to sit and read our blog when you're snowed in during the winter!<br /><br />Peace and Justice,<br />Paul "PFG" Fusco-Gessick '11<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-44400570733481128312009-07-14T11:25:00.001-04:002009-07-14T11:26:39.765-04:00SBA Law School Location ResolutionWHEREAS the UB 2020 plan requires a massive expansion of the University at Buffalo, necessitating a relocation of various schools and departments within the university.<br /><br />WHEREAS the students of the University at Buffalo Law School desire active participation in decisions made about the future location of the law school, as well as other student amenities such as housing, transportation, and safety.<br /><br />WHEREAS creating a modern and well-sited campus will attract a wider range of students and new faculty to the University at Buffalo Law School, thereby raising the profile of the school and impacting how the school is ranked among other law schools.<br /><br />WHEREAS affordable housing, safety, and access to goods and services play a prominent role in the quality of life for law students.<br /><br />WHEREAS connection with the larger community enhances the educational experience for students through clinical opportunities, internships, externships, community services, as well as other networking opportunities.<br /><br />WHEREAS the university and the community in which it is situated have a reciprocal relationship, each benefiting from and drawing upon the resources of the other.<br /><br />WHEREAS the University at Buffalo has committed to achieving "climate neutrality." The law school recognizes that a large proportion of carbon emissions are the result of students commuting to the North Campus and supports endeavors for greener transportation as well as denser land uses requiring less travel.<br /><br />WHEREAS the UB 2020 "one university, three campuses" plan necessitates connecting the North, South, and Downtown campus with an adequate transportation network. A negotiated agreement with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to make transportation easy and affordable will maintain and facilitate interdisciplinary work and dual degree programs.<br /><br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO LAW SCHOOL to support student involvement in determining the future location of the law school.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-73451952813426213942009-05-20T11:48:00.001-04:002009-05-20T11:50:55.022-04:00Build American/Buy American RallyDate: Wednesday, May 20, 2009<br />Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm<br />Location: DELPHI FACILITY IN LOCKPORT, 200 Upper Mountain Road<br />City/Town: Lockport, NY<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-53593105348754584902009-05-12T12:02:00.003-04:002009-05-12T12:08:05.604-04:00Big Ups!Congratulations to UBLG'er Sean Mulligan '11, who was awarded a Thomas and Barbara Wolfe Human Rights Fellowship for this summer. Sean will be working with the International Food Policy Institute in DC and Uganda.<br /><br />The Guild expects lots of pictures and interesting stories when he returns in the fall. Best of luck, Sean!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08864922721788641144noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-81853070585325986742009-04-26T18:02:00.003-04:002009-04-26T18:03:58.409-04:00You can be active with the activists, or sleep-in with the sleepers...This weekend the Guild had an overnight retreat in Lewiston, NY.<br /><br />It was a pretty good time. We planned for next year, played games, and ate lots of snacks that Max generously brought for us.<br /><br />If you haven't heard the Billy Bragg song quoted in the title of this post, you really should.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-33826656725876360312009-04-09T10:20:00.000-04:002009-04-09T10:21:14.154-04:00Event TonightTonight at 6pm in Room 106 of O'Brian Hall, the<br />Buffalo Human Rights Center and the UB Lawyers Guild are sponsoring<br />an event titled, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Does Slavery Still Exist?</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Human Trafficking in<br />Western NY. </span><br /><br />Human trafficking, especially on the agricultural side<br />is one of America's largest problems, but is barely discussed in<br />the media. We will be discussing the history of human trafficking<br />in the US, current issues of human trafficking, and how human<br />trafficking affects Western NY, particularly in the agriculutral<br />arena. The event will feature speakers from Farmworker Legal<br />Services and International Institute's Human Trafficking<br />Department. We will also be showing a film at the beginning of the<br />event to introduce the audience to human trafficking. Food will be<br />provided, we hope to see you there!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-24960414818465533632009-03-04T10:26:00.003-05:002009-03-05T10:17:43.320-05:00Fair Share Tax ReformNY State is in a financial crisis. The money has to come from somewhere - either the middle class and poor or the wealthy. We've already seen the state raise revenue for the general fund by seizing the SUNY tuition increase money - money that students with little or no income have borrowed and will be paying back for decades. UB Law students each made an $841.50 contribution to NY this semester alone.<br /><br />Households making $20,000 per year and households making $1million per year are paying taxes at the same rate. $20,000 per year in the equivalent of a $9.61/hr - that's not a living wage in Buffalo (let alone downstate) even if your employer is providing health insurance. We basically have a flat income tax in NY, which is outrageously regressive. This has happened piecemeal over the last 40 years as the wealthy have seen their tax rates cut again and again.<br /><br />That is why we need Fair Share Tax Reform. There is a rally Thursday, March 5.<br /><br />Time: 4-5:30<br />Location: True Bethel Baptist Church (Buffalo, NY) <br /> 907 East Ferry Street<br /> Buffalo, NY 14211 <br /><br />Join union members, community groups, non-profit organizations and more to speak out against the dangerous budget proposals now being considered in Albany.<br />For more info, call 716-855-1522 ext.1, or 716-748-5363<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-77540524952735106262008-12-28T19:49:00.004-05:002009-01-27T12:33:37.249-05:00Law Union Conference<span style="font-weight:bold;">What:</span> Annual Conference<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where:</span> University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When:</span> February 27 - February 28<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Who:</span> The Law Union of Ontario (the Canadian NLG)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How much:</span> $15CAD<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How to get there:</span> megabus.com or carpooling<br />Where will I stay: The Law Union said they could find us free housing<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14758941668690586647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-17103436459673497562008-11-12T13:41:00.001-05:002008-11-12T13:44:15.414-05:00The Forgotten CityThe UB Lawyer’s Guild is proud to present<br />the award-winning Buffalo documentary: <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />“THE FORGOTTEN CITY”</span><br /><br />A searching discussion of race, violence, crime, and socioeconomics in Buffalo.<br /><br />Wednesday Nov. 19, 6-8 PM<br />Room 106, O’Brian Hall<br /><br />To be followed by a discussion of the film led<br />by Prof. Carl Nightingale of the Department<br />of American Studies and the Baldy Center,<br />and Buffalo civil activist Jim Anderson.<br /><br />Pizza & pop will be provided.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-69035838458603460902008-11-12T13:38:00.000-05:002008-11-12T13:41:16.619-05:00Bake SaleThe UB Lawyers Guild is changing the world one pastry at a time.<br /><br />The UB Lawyers Guild Bake Sale<br /><br />Tuesday November 18<br />in the O’Brian Lobby<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-90978327474785059642008-11-10T11:56:00.002-05:002008-11-10T11:59:39.871-05:00County Budget Press Conference<div style="margin: 1ex; font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:100%;" ><b>The Governor and Legislative Leaders Must Include New Revenues and Better Budget Balancing Solutions as They Seek to Address the State’s Fiscal Woes </b></span> <ul><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>WHAT: </b>In coordination with groups across NYS, the <b>Partnership for the Public Good (PPG)</b> will call upon Governor Paterson and legislative leaders to formulate a comprehensive approach to budget balancing and fair taxation that enhances New York’s economic future and does not disproportionately impact low-income New Yorkers. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">PPG is particularly concerned that the Governor’s proposed cuts will be felt on top of the service cuts being advocated by County Executive Chris Collins in his 2009 budget. They will gather to also call upon the County Legislature and Executive to restore funding to vital programs such as the arts and the parks, provide funding to settle union contracts, and seek new solutions to revenue generation. <br /></span></p></ul> <ul><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>WHEN:</b>4:30pm November 12, 2008<br /></span> </p></ul> <ul><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>WHERE: </b>Steps of Erie County Legislature, 92 Franklin St </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size:100%;"><b>WHO: </b>Representatives from the PPG’s over 40 non-profit, academic, and serviceorganization partners, as well as union representatives and religious leaders.<br /><br /><br /></span></p></ul> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-48517707494493579142008-10-27T14:24:00.006-04:002008-10-27T14:29:59.223-04:00Rebellious Lawyers Conference & Law Union ConferenceThe Law Union of Ontario (basically the Canadian Lawyer's Guild only not<br />national) is having their annual conference on February 27-28.<br /><p>The location is being finalized still. If folks want to go, start thinking<br />about it now. If people can commit early enough (in the next 6 weeks or so)<br />we can get dirt cheap bus tickets to Toronto ($1 or so) which will be way<br />cheaper than driving or parking. They'll provide us with free housing. I<br />don't think the schedule is settled but this is last year's if people want<br />to take a look. Last year was $10CAD for students for all the panels.<br /></p><p>The Rebellious Lawyers Conference is the weekend before at Yale. We can get<br />free housing there, too. It's early in the semester, so folks may try to do<br />both, but I imagine most people won't. Just something to think about.<br /></p><p>I'll keep people posted on more Law Union stuff. I think this could be a<br />great relationship for us to develop. I met some of the folks at NLG<br />conference in Detroit and they're pretty awesome.<br /></p> Yours,<br /> Rebecca Hoffman<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-69813374826726472832008-10-27T14:24:00.004-04:002008-10-27T14:28:22.578-04:00UB Lawyers Guild NewsletterThe UB Lawyers Guild has put together a short newsletter that will be mailed out in the next week to those on our mailing list. A digital version will be posted on our google group, http://groups.google.com/group/university-at-buffalo-lawyers-guild-announcements. If you'd like to be added to either our "announcements" group or our daily business group, please email ublg@googlegroups.com.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-78034492764483668032008-10-22T08:35:00.000-04:002008-10-22T08:36:14.971-04:00The UBLG @ the NLG Conference<div>On October 9th ten National Lawyers Guild members tore themselves away from their studies at the University at Buffalo to attend the annual NLG conference, which this year was held in Detroit. The group consisted of seven 1Ls, two 2Ls and one 3L. A ten-strong contingent from any school was considered respectable, let alone from such a recently-revived student chapter as Buffalo’s. How was it? In short, a great success. Given the number and variety of things that could have gone wrong but didn’t, the success speaks not only to the caliber and cohesiveness of the members, but also to the incredible support and inspiration provided to us from the NLG.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The content of the panels and workshops was varied and balanced – perhaps surprisingly so in a world made ever more complicated by globalization. The competing interests of undocumented immigrants shared time with the champions of organized labor; panels specific to Michigan such as the high instance of rape of women inmates across the state appeared back to back with global concerns in Palestine; threats to civil liberties were presented in tandem with environmental injustices. Each student initially gravitated towards the issues that brought him or her to law school, but over the course of three days, no one came away without branching out and learning something completely new.<br /></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>For the 2- and 3Ls who are poised on the verge of practicing law, the conference was a happy reminder of the meaningful roles that lawyers play in social change, social justice. Anna Falicov, the most senior of the group, thought the conference was inspiring and refreshing for these reasons. Rebecca Hoffman, a 2L and an active member of the Working Families Party of Buffalo thoroughly enjoyed hearing labor union leader discuss immigration, the rights of undocumented workers, and the need to unite along class lines. Demian Fernandez, another continuing 2L whose goal is to work towards greater American corporate accountability outside of our borders, took away some much needed guidance from the conference. He reflected that the human perspective – and perhaps more to the point, the human-rights perspective – is largely absent from the law school curriculum. He speaks for many in the group in that he feels more energized and focused after hearing what is actually being done in the field to further social justice everywhere.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>For the 1Ls the experience was less of a reinforcement and more of an instance of first impression – a first time seeing such a concentration of people in whom we see manifestations of our fledging social justice aspirations. More concretely, it underscored for us the ‘national’ nature of the NLG. Unlike the other student groups at UB, the conference underscored the fact that the NLG is something that we can be a part of for the rest of our lives, reaping the benefits of the network, and furthering its cause long after we leave law school.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The impressions from the conference and the impressions from Detroit itself cannot be clearly separated in anyone’s mind. The whole group was housed for free in one place thanks to the generosity of a friend of the guild chapter of Detroit – a boon for organizational and bonding purposes. By traversing the city ourselves in order to get to and from the downtown, getting lost a couple times, and being rerouted by Sunday’s marathon, we got to see a substantial cross-section of what was once one of the richest cities in the U.S. turned poorest. Evidence of past wealth starkly contrasted with the multitude of empty lots, abandoned buildings, and homeless people camped out in fields. Granted, coming from the second poorest (financially disadvantaged?) city in the U.S. no single scene was anything new. The extent of the decline, however, seemed more pervasive than in Buffalo since Detroit is larger and more sprawled.<br />‘Poor’ in the context of Detroit cannot be applied to the city’s cultural offerings nor to its pride. Mike Raleigh, a 1L and native of Buffalo, found the conviction of those who choose to live in the city a heartening characteristic Detroiters share with Buffalonians. He met many like-minded people. Melissa Wischerath, a fellow 1L and also a Buffalo native, felt the people of Detroit among the friendliest ever. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div>When we were not at the conference center we were walking in Greektown, listening to live jazz at the longest running jazz club in the country, going ‘feather bowling’ (a Detroit past-time rooted in its Belgian immigrant past), riding the People Mover (the closest thing to the Simpson’s monorail we will ever see), admiring the shiny 1950’s GM sports cars on display, dancing the night away at a pub across from the old Lions’ stadium, eating late-night greasy goodness at Detroit’s famous heartburn heaven ‘Coney Island’, doing U-turns in a 12-passenger van, and coming home from a party only to find the party has beaten you there.<br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I am a 1L. For me the weekend confirmed in my mind that I’ve found an amazing group of people to share my law school experience with. I became excited about the potential we have for the future with so many new recruits. But most importantly, I could have been overwhelmed by the number of fronts the NLG presented in the continuing struggle for equality in the eyes of the law, but I wasn’t – I was convinced that individuals can make a difference. That is, individuals <em>united</em>.<br /><br />Sara Korol.<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-54498481101097930142008-10-15T12:10:00.003-04:002008-10-15T12:13:48.479-04:00PPG Forum: Poverty, Housing, Economic Development<span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Partnership for the Public Good, Tuesday Forums</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Poverty, Housing, Economic Development</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Free and Open to the Public</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Tuesday, October 21, 2008; 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Cornell University ILR</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">237 Main Street, Ste. 1200</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Buffalo NY 14203-2719</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Seating is limited.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">To guarantee a space, please register by sending</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">an e-mail to Katie Chadwick at klc27@cornell.edu</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Join us in a town-hall style meeting with New York State candidates from Erie County.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Panelists will focus the discussion on the topics of poverty, housing and economic development.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Moderator: Bill O’Connell, Esq.; Homeless Alliance</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Panelists: Aaron Bartley, Esq.; PUSH Buffalo</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">Mark Dunlea, Hunger Action Network</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:130%;">The Partnership for the Public Good is a new project of the Coalition for Economic Justice (CEJ). CEJ has joined with more than forty other community focused groups and businesses around common principles of revitalization and a common platform for progress in 2008. To learn more about PPG and sign on to be a supporter, visit http://ppgbuffalo.wikispaces.com.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-18408128932742353132008-09-22T09:09:00.003-04:002008-09-22T09:22:42.691-04:00NLG Convention 2008<span style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" > <strong><span>The NLG 2008 Conference is right around the corner, starting 10/15 and ending 10/19. If you are interested in attending, visit nlg.org to reserve a place (and to receive a better rate, first become a member). If you'll need housing in Detroit, let post on the GoogleGroup as soon as possible, as housing is limited and there are deadlines. There are some terrific workshops and </span></strong></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >there are a number of excellent major panels this year, featuring many amazing speakers.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_labor.php" target="_blank">Labor Renewal: Fighting for the Future of Work</a><br />The panel will examine developing strategies within the labor movement that are generating opportunities for labor renewal, explore initiatives within AFL-CIO and Change To Win unions and discuss opportunities for building broader worker solidarity in the United States in the face of ongoing national and global attacks against organized labor. Invited speakers include Bill Fletcher, Cindy Estrada, and Sandy Pope. </li> <br /><br /><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_prison.php" target="_blank">Alternatives to Prison Proliferation</a><br />The development of the prison-industrial complex and the racism, classism, and other problems associated with it have been a major issue for the National Lawyers Guild and other progressive organizations. What are the alternatives to putting people in prison? This panel will feature three speakers on the following subjects: drug courts as an alternative, harm reduction, and strategies to shift spending to public services.</li><br /><br /><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_palestine.php" target="_blank">Legal and Political Strategies to Support the Liberation of Palestine</a><br />The nature of support for Palestine, and the movement to condemn Zionism as a form of racism, has been at the center of many NLG discussions. This panel seeks to build on that work, particularly in light of the 60 year anniversary of the Nakba, and propose concrete legal strategies for dismantling the Zionist occupation and ending the genocide. In addition, many NLG members are looking for concrete ways to support Palestine solidarity work. This panel helps provide strategies, such as legal support for a comprehensive boycott of Israel, expelling Israel from the United Nations and other measures in the international arena, litigating against Israel and Israeli officials for genocide, use of Israel’s human rights violations to aid asylum seekers in the U.S., addressing movement building in the U.S., dealing with internalized Zionism and prioritizing the voices of Palestinians, litigation in Israel’s courts by Palestinian organizations.</li><br /><br /><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_transgender.php" target="_blank">Transgender Constituency Panel</a><br />This panel will focus on the different legal and non-legal tactics that are being used around the country to help ensure that all people are able to have their legal documents reflect their gender identity. Depending on what state a person resides in or is born in, this can be accomplished through a court order, a legal change on a birth certificate or other measures. Most of these measures require some form of a surgical standard to allow for a legal change in gender. Lawyers, legal workers and organizers have been working in different ways to try and change standards that often create barriers for people to legally change their gender. From campaigns to change surgical standards required for gender changes on birth certificate to court room battles to obtain court orders changing a person’s gender, different strategies are being utilized all over the country to accomplish common goals. This panel will explore the successes and setbacks that have occurred as well as the pros and cons of the different tactics that lawyers, organizers and legal workers have used when assisting people and working to change policies around the legalization of gender. </li><br /><br /><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_displacement.php" target="_blank">Displacement and Occupation of Our Inner Cities: Understanding Post-Fascist Amerikkka</a><br />People living in inner-cities areas are being squeezed out. With “white flight” in reverse, poor people and people of color are forced out of desirable downtown city-areas. This panel will explore the ways that city and county governments are working with private developers, business interests, and the police to achieve these ends. The panel will also explore the legal tools attorneys and activists are using to combat these forces.</li><br /><br /><li><a href="http://nlg.org/convention/panel_middleeastern.php" target="_blank">Hearing from the Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern Communities of Metro Detroit</a><br />Metro Detroit has the largest Arab, Muslim and Middle Eastern population in the U.S. The 2008 NLG convention in Detroit provides a unique opportunity for Guild members to learn about the issues of concern to these communities and how we can support activists working to address those problems. Since 9/11 Middle Easterners have been heavily targeted by law enforcement agencies at all levels. These largely ineffective efforts have had devastating effects on these communities including secret detentions, disrupted families, frustration of religious obligations (e.g. annual contribution to Islamic charity) and weakening of social bonds. Speakers include activist lawyer Nabih Ayad, ADC National Board Member and the MI Advisory Board Chairman, Shahid Buttar of Muslim Advocates and the Pakistan Justice Coalition and others.</li></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-34537389562245387612008-09-17T15:24:00.000-04:002008-09-17T15:25:38.757-04:00Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for 'The Vagina Monologues', wrote the following about Sarah Palin<div dir="ltr">Drill, Drill, Drill<br />I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.<br /><br />I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.<br /><br />But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.<br /><br />I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.<br /><br />Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.'<br /><br />Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.<br /><br />She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.<br /><br />Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.<br /><br />Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.<br /><br />Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.<br /><br />I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S., but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.<br /><br />If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.<br /><br />Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?<br /><br />Eve Ensler<br />September 5, 2008 </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2404221962318385968.post-54821505911090679452008-04-18T17:21:00.006-04:002008-04-18T17:46:35.945-04:00Resolution to the ResolutionThe referendum is in. You can find the results to the right of the screen.<br /><br />The votes indicate that location was not the deciding factor in students attending UB, but students would have preferred a city location to an Amherst one, and would have much preferred a BNMC location over other city locations. So according to students, they would have been roughly equally likely to attend UB regardless of location, but surmise that they would have had more benefit and enjoyment from their law school experience at a Downtown location.<br /><br />Law school need not be a cold, institutional experience. It can and should be a vibrant and independent experience providing both academic and practical knowledge, and can and should interrelate with the larger legal community which would, in theory, benefit the school and community alike. The response from the student body was a resounding approval of these ideals.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript">
_uacct = "UA-4101527-1";
urchinTracker();
</script></div>UB Lawyers Guildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162078915283970304noreply@blogger.com1