Ellen Augustine and Barry Hermanson are Californian residents who have started a campaign to alert fellow citizens to the gross overspending of the US military budget.

Their campaign, called Not My Priorities, centers on educating people through a simple pie chart about the discrepancy in spending on the Pentagon versus all other areas in the national budget.

Hermanson, who founded the campaign was a Green Party candidate for congress in California's 12th Congressional District. Augustine also ran for the US congress, and founded four non-profit organisations. This is an inspiring interview with two people who believe Americans can harness their democratic process, and really make a difference.

As recent events in Iran have shown, technology has given ordinary people the power to inform neighbors down the street and strangers halfway around the world about important events regardless of government censorship or corporate media indifference. "Community media" - citizen-operated print, broadcast and digital technologies - is filling the information needs of a growing number of Americans.

This morning on Locus Focus, guest host Trillium Shannon speaks with members of the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC), about the history of solidarity work, current events and trends in Latin America, and how local communities are responding.

Jennifer Kemp speaks with activist and author Judith Arcana about reproductive rights in the United States, before Roe v. Wade and now.  Also, hear Judith read some of her poetry!