161 Stovepipe Alley
Monroe, ME 04951
(207) 525-7776
rosc@psouth.net

Dear Friends of ROSC,

Thanks to about 325 of you, ROSC has received about $24,000 so far during 2007 toward our goal of $25,000. We still welcome donations or a sign of life for 2007, and, for those who need it, those donations are tax deductible. If you haven't yet donationed in 2007, there's still time. All donations make a real difference, whether $3 or $3,000. In addition, Breath & Shadow has received over just over $6,000 in donations this year, surpassing the goal of $5,000.
Besides your individual support, which is what REALLY keeps us going, ROSC also welcome donations of stock and of property such as vehicles (which are given to activists for their work).
ROSC has a new mailing address, our street address of 161 Stovepipe Alley, Monroe, ME 04951. We also have a new email: rosc@psouth.net.
Welcome to new people on our mailing list. We hope you will support ROSC and become involved in our work.

Larry Dansinger

ROSC board members: Hillary Lister, Annie Lunt, Norm Meldrum, Jim Loomis, and jesse leah vear. Other staff are Karen Tucker and Sue Rudalevige (AVP), Rob Pfeiffer (MDMC), and Norm Meldrum, Sharon Wachsler, & Chris Kuell (AbilityMaine).

What's New?

No Class, through work by Sonia Acevedo, Sally Brotherton, Sky Hall, and Larry Dansinger, had a strong presence at the Maine Symposium on Poverty and Economic Security on Nov. 5. Along with many more low income people, it was clear that traditional anti-poverty measures are not enough to end poverty and that people will have to listen to poor people more. Followup work on a legislative bill to create a Maine Council on Poverty and Economic Security and possibly a poor people's congress are planned. Contact Larry for details on these plans.

Larry Dansinger has begun doing weekly 5-minute feature commentaries titled "Outside the Box" on WERU FM Community Radio (89.9 or on the web) at 6:30 AM on Tuesday mornings, with discussions on issues such as civilian-based defense, population control, gender equality, opening up immigration to end illegality, nonviolent revolutions, and numerous other issues promoted by ROSC. He will continue to do these for the forseeable future. You can access them through www.weru.org (click on "audio archives) if you can't listen on Tuesday mornings or are outside the signal area.

What's Ongoing

• The 14th annucal Changing Maine Gathering is set for February 9 on the topic, "Talking about Diversity, Oppression Maine," organized by Cultivating Multicultural Alliances (CMA);
• The Maine War Tax Resistance Resource Center is taking leadership in promoting a 2008 War Tax Boycott to demonstrate the strong opposition to continued billions being spent on the occupation of Iraq. Workshops in Bangor and Portland are planned for early in 2008;
• AbilityMaine.org continues to function despite serious illnesses to both primary organizers and web facilitators, Sharon and Norm. Check it out on the web;
• The sixth Changing Maine Directory has begun to go up on the web at www.changingmaine.org, although most information for the directory still needs to be collected. The directory is hoped to be ready in the spring;
• Larry Dansinger has begun coordinating long range strategic planning for grassroots Out of Iraq groups.One is set for Jan. 5-6 in Portland.
• Planning for the eighth annual Youth Activism Gathering will begin in January, with the event likely in April or May in central Maine.

Connected Projects

• ROSC continues as a member of MaineShare, with Larry Dansinger as its representative;
• Larry has used his "Outside the Box" features to talk with Family Planning about promoting birth control choices for men more actively;
• Larry continues as an active member of the Peace and Justice Group of Waldo County, which sponsors weekly vigils, monthly films and programs, and other projects;
• Larry continues to help coordinate the new Cooperative Maine group, which meets again by phone in January. Ethan Miller has begun surveying co-ops throughout the state;
• ROSC continues as a fiscal sponsor for various grassroots nonprofits, including POWER, People's Free Space/Foglight, CAPIT, NWTRCC, Save Passamaquoddy Bay, BACORD (Bangor Area Citizens Organized for Responsible Development), and the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine.