RED TAILS

The new movie, RED TAILS,  about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, premieres this weekend. Executive Producer, George Lucas, has put his heart, soul and lots of his own money into bringing this important story to the screen. As an independent filmmaker working on the fringes of Hollywood, Lucas has brought us a variety of films. Time and again, he has proven himself as a master craftsmen with a unique artistic voice that is truly American. His characters are distinctly drawn. In the case of RED TAILS, he depicts black men inhabiting a world of pre-Civil Rights victories, distinguishing themselves in the major battle of their time--World War II.

Director Anthony Hemingway brings a cool hand and a brilliant understanding of the dynamics between black men. He portrays black men with a range of emotions. He elicited strong performances from the actors with deft confidence and assurance.  His impressive handeling of the of the fight sequences in conjunction with the gnomes at Industrial Light & Magic was outstanding. The realistic battle clips in which the Red Tails showed off their aerial acrobatic skills caused one woman  in the audience where we screened the film to say: "I almost tore a hole in my hand during the combat, I was so nervous."




Major General Lucius, Ret

RED TAILS SITE
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SITE

Chapel at Tuskegee University   
Photo ©2012 Frederick Douglass Perry, All Rights Reserved

SEIU Local 1000 Fights Wage Cuts Unviels Multy Pronged Response

Sacramento, CA
Representing more than 95,000 of the states 200,000 public employees SEIU Local 1000 California''s largest public employee union vowed to Fight Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's cutbacks on many fronts:
- Filing a lawsuit
- Rolling out a massive media campaign
and much -M O R E-

SEIU is urging their members and supporters to contact the governor's office. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Email Form. Main phone number 916-445-2841
Use this link for statewide contact information

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See Also: Union sues to reverse state layoffs
LA Times
Labor union challenges Schwarzenegger layoff order
Associated Press
SEIU files suit to block pay cut for state workers
Sacramento Business Journal

Impact of Budget Delay on Paychecks . New California Web Site

Photograph Copyright David Bacon

08/01/2008 - Sacramento, CA
In an effort to explain the the impact of his recent move to cut California State Employee minimum wages and to lay off temporary workers to meet budget shortfalls governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has posted a new web site: DPA Impact of Budget Delay on Paychecks

From the site:
"July 31, 2008 - The Governor today issued an Executive Order terminating the services of many temporary state employees. The Order also directs DPA and the Department of Finance to work with the State Controller to comply with a California Supreme Court ruling to pay minimum wage to certain state employees in the absence of a budget.

Does this Executive Order affect me?

"Your Personnel Office will issue you a notice terminating your services if you are one of the temporary employees affected by this Order. You should talk with your personnel office if you have questions about your employment status.

"Regarding minimum wage payments, employees who are covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act would be subject to the minimum wage requirements of the Supreme Court's ruling. We will provide more updates on this page at a later date.

"Please be assured that these actions in no way reflect your value to the State and the importance of the work you do. We greatly appreciate your public service and sincerely regret that budget circumstances and legal requirements compel us to take these steps"

... That last paragraph sounds a little disingenuous to me, but I guess I have picked up a little of the cynicism of the day.

- More -

See also The LA Times Report Schwarzenegger makes layoffs, orders pay cuts for California state workers

Stop Arnold from Slashing CA State Workers' Wages

Produced by:
CourageCampaign
pssst! This video!

Imagine trying to pay your bills on $6.55 an hour. Now imagine what will happen to over 200,000 vital service workers forced to live on poverty-level wages.

On Monday, July 28, the Courage Campaign delivered the signatures of 28,016 outraged Californians to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But it's not over. Arnold is still threatening to slash worker pay.

So take action today: www.couragecampaign.org

See: The History of the California minimum Wage

See: Fraying At the Edges From Calitics

Workers Protest California Wage Cuts

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - 30JULY08 - Union members protest the decision by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut the wages of hundreds of thousands of state workers to the Federal minimum wage of $6.75/hour, because the state legislature has not passed a budget. Workers accuse the governor of using their jobs and wages as a means of blackmailing the Democratic legislature into agreeing to Republican budget cuts. The workers, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, left their national convention and marched through downtown San Francisco to protest the wage-cutting order.

Copyright David Bacon





See also from Calitics: Senate To Arnold: Say That To Our Face