Truth and Justice Radio
WZBC 90.3 Boston
Sundays 6-10 AM


LOCAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Week of 4 JANUARY 2009

25 Actions to Support Gaza Justice

Speak out on Bush Pardons!

Support Cape Wind Project!


Continuing Events          Announcements
Sun
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
Future
TJR EVENT ARCHIVE

THIS WEEK'S EVENTS


SUNDAY, JAN 4, 2009

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Deadline for bus seat 1-19-09, WashDC

Dorchester People for Peace and Boston Workers' Alliance are jointly chartering a bus to go to DC for the inauguration, spending two nights on the bus so no lodging is needed. The cost is $66 a seat. If you want to go, please send a check ASAP to Dorchester People for Peace, 41A Brent St, Dorchester 02124. We need payment by January 5 at the latest. Be sure to include your address, phone number, and email address so we can reach you as needed.

Anyone wanting to go to carry a peace flag or an antiwar sign, this might be a good moment, lots of press will be there.

Some details: The bus will depart from Roxbury Crossing Monday, January 19 at 10 pm and will arrive in DC about 8 am on Tuesday. It will leave DC Tuesday evening at 8 pm and arrive back in Roxbury at 5:30 am Wednesday.

Young people under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. All seats cost $66 round trip. We welcome donations if you want to sponsor a seat for a no/low- income traveler.

Tickets to the inaugural ceremony are probably all gone. The public is supposed to be able to watch the inaugural ceremony on the National Mall via large video screens. However, nobody knows how jammed traffic and public transit will be, and we won't be responsible for arranging activities in DC.

Please call Becky or Mike with questions: 617-282-3783.

---------- Sunday----------
11AM: DEAN STEVENS, SUZIE GIROUX and COMMUNITY VOICES
"Singing in the New Year!"
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BOSTON
565 Boylston St. (Copley Square), Boston

Please join us on this first Sunday of the New Year and the New Era. We must believe that a new day is upon us and sing our hopes for the days ahead; add voices to our everlasting pledge that, just as this time brings darkness, we can infuse the dark with our light; transform our gloom into hope for good things to come.

---------- Sunday----------

MONDAY, JAN 5, 2009

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6PM: Planning Meeting at the ACLU office

Stopping Homeland Security Funded
Surveillance Cameras in Your Community

Forming a Greater Boston Coalition to Stop the Cameras

The ACLU of Massachusetts office is at 211 Congress St., 3rd floor (corner of Congress and High Streets, close to South Station and Post Office Square).

The new version of surveillance camera-- under the black part is a camera that can turn 360 degrees, pan and zoom, at instructions from someone at the police station. Once you know what they look like, you'll notice them all over... Homeland Security is funding cameras like this all over the county-- The images captured are digital, meaning that they can easily be sent anywhere, including to Homeland Security, very easily, over the net.

Stop Homeland Security funded Cameras from being installed on your community's streets!

Community Existing cameras Planned added cameras
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Boston 44 30
Brookline 0 12
Cambridge 0 8
Chelsea 27 9
Everett 10 3
Quincy 0 8
Revere 7 9
Somerville 0 7
Winthrop 0 9

Come hear Nancy Murray give a short introduction to the full dangers of a national Surveillance State, Fusion Centers, the Homeland Security initiative to fund and place surveillance cameras all over the country, and what we can do about it in the Boston area.

Especially Encouraging activists from each of the affected communities to come, to help develop a strategy to work against the cameras in each community, including those that never had a chance to vote on it, and to give each other support as a Greater Boston Coalition to Stop the Surveillance Cameras!

More info: amyh@texnology.com

---------- Monday ----------

TUESDAY, JAN 6, 2009

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Opening of the 111th CONGRESS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE MARCH OF THE DEAD WILL BE THERE

The Declaration of Peace endorses and encourages your participation in a dramatic nonviolent action as the U.S. Congress convenes in Washington, D.C., next Tuesday.

To make apparent the true nature and impact of war and military occupation, The March of the Dead will proceed silently across D.C. to the halls of Congress on January 6, 2009.

The March of the Dead is organized by the Activist Response Team. See photos (thecriticalvoice.org/M19.html) and an account (thecriticalvoice.org/M19_account.html) from the March 19, 2008 March of the Dead at The Critical Voice website (thecriticalvoice.org).

Read the March of the Dead announcement from the Activist Response Team below, and contact Laurie for more specifics on the action: arrestbush@gmail.com

As you can see we are organizing for the opening of the 111th Congress. We think this will be a very celebrated moment, with lots of national, foreign and local media present that day. We think it is crucial that we be there too, in order to offer an image and message of the stark reality of the consequences of two brutal occupations and the destruction that further escalation will cause.

The more people we can encourage to participate, the more powerful will be THE MARCH OF THE DEAD. Please join us if you can, and pass this on to others.

If you or anyone has questions please call me at (917) 915-6115 and I would be glad to talk. Hope all is well with you as the year comes to an end and in the new year. Best, Laurie

We carry the names of those killed during the illegal U.S. invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. To demand that this Congress END THE TERROR OF WAR, Get Out of Iraq, Get Out of Afghanistan, Stay Out of Iran, Pakistan, Syria ... We need you to take part in THE MARCH OF THE DEAD. Make it a presence on Capitol Hill that can't be ignored. contact: A.R.T.(activist response team) at arrestbush@gmail.com for more details. THIS is a VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT.
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WEDNESDAY, JAN 7, 2009

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7PM: "5 Factories"
Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Telephone: 617.267.6272

On January 19, 2005 Venezuelan President Ugo Chavez signed the decree of expropriation of Venepal, the paper company based in Moron, and announced that it was going to be run by the workers themselves. Later on that year, another factory was expropriated, the CNV, a valve making factory in Los Teques, also to be run with the participation of the workers. More or less at the same time, Carlos Lanz was appointed as the director of Alcasa, a state-owned aluminium smelter in the state of Bolivar, and started to introduce workers' control.

These measures opened a very important debate within the Venezuelan workers' movement about workers' control and participation. Now a new film by Dario Azzellini and Oliver Ressler, "5 factories," documents the opinions of Venezuelan workers directly involved in this debate.

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THURSDAY, JAN 8, 2009

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3:45PM STUDENTS FOR GLOBAL HEALTH and
the DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL MEDICINE AT HMS
Present: Film Screening of ¡Salud!

Followed by Q&A with Arachu Castro, PhD, MPH,
Assistant Professor of Social Medicine, Department of
Global Health and Social Medicine
TMEC Amphitheatre
2nd Floor, Harvard Medical School,
260 Longwood

Film Synopsis:
A timely examination of human values and the health issues that affect us all, ¡Salud! looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash-strapped country with what the BBC calls 'one of the world's best health systems.' From the shores of Africa to the Americas, ¡Salud! hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health?and the complex realities confronting the movement to make healthcare everyone's birth right.

Against the alarming backdrop of the global health crisis and deteriorating public health systems in even the richest nations, ¡Salud! tells the little-known story of Cuba: a poor country overcoming its lack of resources to provide universal health care and help other developing nations do the same. A feature documentary, ¡Salud! is directed by Academy Award nominee Connie Field and co-produced by Gail Reed. The film spans three continents to look at the philosophy and health professionals placing Cuba on the map in the worldwide movement to make health care a global birthright. Today, Cubans are among the world's healthiest people, despite the island's poverty. Cuba's volunteer corps now posts 28,000 health professionals in 68 countries; and Cuban medical schools will graduate an unprecedented 100,000 new doctors from developing countries over the next decade.

The film's cameras reach into The Gambia, rural South Africa, coastal villages of Honduras and river settlements in the Amazon, where a Cuban is often the first doctor a poor community has ever seen. In some nations they staff entire health systems. In all, they take with them the experience and philosophy of their own community-oriented, preventive and universal health care model fundamentally at odds with a global wave of healthcare privatization.

¡Salud! questions what propels Cuban doctors to serve where most others won't, and grapples with the tensions their presence sometimes provokes.

---------- Thursday ----------
0108 Thu 1900pm (Chomsky film, Ashland PubLib)
7PM: "After the Election": Noam Chomsky Speaks
Friends of Ashland Library
Documentary Film & Discussion Series
Community Room
66 Front Street, Ashland, MA
Free and open to the public.

As always, Chomsky answers questions about the future with 'It's up to people like you,' expressing his belief in and hope for the participation of ordinary people in politics.

Shown at 7:00 pm in the Library's Community Room, Ashland Public Library, 66 Front Street, Ashland, MA, free and open to the public. Viewers are invited to stay for discussion.

This is Noam Chomsky's most recent talk, recorded on November 19, 2008 at the Arlington Street Church in Boston. In his first public words since the presidential election, Chomsky offers his views on the meaning of the election and what to expect. He answers such questions as: In what sense was the election "historic"? What does it mean that the election was not a landslide in spite of the lowest approval ratings ever recorded for the current administration? The press refers to Obama's "army"; is it an army of independent-minded activists or obedient followers?

The 30-minute talk is followed by 25-minutes of questions and answers. As always, Chomsky answers questions about the future with 'It's up to people like you,' expressing his belief in and hope for the participation of ordinary people in politics.

The Documentary Film & Discussion Series meets every 2nd Thursday and 4th Tuesday of the month for an in- depth look at important topics of our day. The discussions are often lively and thought-provoking.

---------- Thursday ----------
7PM: "Children of Shatila" (47 minutes)
Unveiling Palestine Film Series
243 Broadway, Cambridge MA
corner of Broadway and Windsor, entrance on Windsor

More than 350,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, 15,000 of them in the refugee camp of Shatila in Beirut. Through the eyes of two children who live in this camp*, Issa* and *Farah*, this documentary explores the determination to keep family and dreams thriving in a landscape that has been sculpted by war, poverty, grief and displacement.

Issa, a little boy who lives with his grandfather, sustained severe injuries when he was hit by a speeding car and has trouble learning in school. Farah lives with her parents and two sisters. The children's memories and history are shaped by the violence that surrounds them. Both have lost family in massacres by Israel and attacks that followed the 1948 Diaspora and in Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. An aunt was decapitated, an uncle shot --- every family and friend they know has lost someone to Israel's violence.

The filmmaker gives Issa and Farah a small video camera to film their lives and learn how they see their own world. Both children start asking their elders how they felt about leaving Palestine. When queried about what he wants to tell the new generation of Palestinians, an old man asks that Palestine must never be forgotten. "Promise me that," he tells the children.

The children inspire viewers with their ability to keep their hearts and minds open. Farah tells a nursery class, "Imagining is the main thing, even if you only draw a bird." And Issa has a wonderful dream where he is a prince.

Please join us for a stimulating night out; bring your friends! Free film, free refreshments, & free door prizes. [donations are accepted]

[NOTE: beginning Jan 2009, most of our screenings will be on the 2nd Thursday of the month.]

---------- Thursday ----------

FRIDAY, JAN 9, 2009

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No events to post at this time.

---------- Friday ----------

SATURDAY, JAN 10, 2009

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No events to post at this time.

---------- Saturday ----------

FUTURE EVENTS

SUNDAY, JAN 11, 2009

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START of 100 Days Campaign To Close Guantanamo
Join us in Washington DC starting Sun 1-11-09.
Various actions continue through 4-30-09.

Witness Against Torture and supporting organizations


THURSDAY, JAN 29, 2009

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START of World Social Forum, Brazil

The 9th World Social Forum it taking place in Belem, Brazil. Dates January 29 - February 1.



ANNOUNCEMENTS

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25 actions you can do for justice in Gaza

From the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People (via our correspondent Mazin Qumsiyeh):

So far hundreds of civilians have been killed in Gaza. Five sisters in one family, four other children in another home, two children on a cart drawn by a donkey. Universities, colleges, police stations, roads, apartment buildings were all targeted. The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian areas issued a statement that "The Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip represent s evere and massive violations of international humanitarian law as defined in the Geneva Conventions, both in regard to the obligations of an Occupying Power and in the requirements of the laws of war."

Twenty-five things to do to bring peace with justice:

1) First get the facts and then disseminate them.
Here are some basic background information


2) Contact local media. Write letters to editors (usually 100-150 words) and longer op-eds (usually 600- 800 words) for local newspapers. But also write to news departments in both print, audio, and visual media about their coverage. In the US you can find media listings in your country using search engines like google.

3) Contact elected and other political leaders in your country to urge them to apply pressure to end the attacks. In the US, Contact the State Department at 202.647.5291, the White House 202-456-1111 the Egyptian Embassy 202.895.5400, embassy@egyptembassy.net and the Obama Transition Team 202-540-3000 (then press 2 to speak with a staff member).

4) Organize and join demonstrations in front of Israeli and Egyptian embassies or when not doable in front of your parliament, office of elected officials, and any other visible place (and do media work for it).

5) Hold a teach-in, seminar, public dialogue, documentary film viewing etc. this is straightforward: you need to decide venue, nature, if any speakers, and do some publicity (the internet helps).

6) Pass out fliers with facts and figures about Palestine and Gaza in your community (make sure also to mention its relevance to the audience: e.g, US taxpayers paying for the carnage, increase in world instability and economic uncertainty).

7) Put a Palestinian flag at your window.

8) Wear a Palestinian head scarf (Koufiya).

9) Wear Black arm bands (this helps start conversations with people).

10) Send direct aid to Gaza through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

11) Initiate boycotts, divestments and sanctions at all levels and including asking leaders to expel the Israeli ambassadors (an ambassador of an apartheid and rogue state). See Palestinian call.

12) Work towards bringing Israeli leaders before war crime courts (actions along those lines in courts have stopped Israeli leaders from traveling abroad to some countries like Britain where they may face charges).

13) Calling upon all Israelis to demonstrate in front of their war ministry and to more directly challenge their government.

14) Do outreach: to neighbors and friends directly. Via Internet to a lot of others (you can join and post information to various listservs/groups).

15) Start your own activist group or join other local groups (simple search in your city with the word Palestine could identify candidate groups that have previously worked on issues of Palestine). Many have also been successful in at bringing coalitions from different constituencies in their local areas to work together (human rights group, social and civil activists, religious activists, etc).

16) Develop a campaign of sit-ins at government offices or other places where decision makers aggregate.

17) Do a group fast for peace one day and hold it in a public place.

18) Visit Palestine (e.g. with Siraj Center for Holy Land Studies).

19) Support human rights and other groups working on the ground in Palestine.

20) Make large signs and display them at street corners and wherever people congregate.

21) Contact local churches, mosques, synagogues, and other houses of worship and ask them to take a moral stand and act. Call on your mosque to dedicate this Friday for Gaza actions.

22) Sign petitions for Gaza, e.g. Gaza: Stop the Bloodshed Petition.

23) Write and call people in Gaza.

24) Work with other groups that do not share your political views (factionalism and excessive divisions within activist communities allowed those who advocate war to succeed).

25) Dedicate a certain time for activism for peace every day (1 hour) and think of more actions than what is listed above.

For support and contacts of people in Gaza or to volunteer, please contact the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People, via gaza@imemc.org, or call 989-607-9480 (from the US and Canada) or 972 2277 2018 (from other places).

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Sign the Gaza Petition Online Now!

As of Friday morning, more than 360,000 petitions have been sent. Please add your voice to the thousands who are demanding: Stop the massacre in Gaza!

Please help get the word out - pass this message along, post it on local bulleting boards & Indymedia.

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Weigh in for Bush/Cheney convictions
SPECIAL PROSECUTOR QUESTION NUMBER ONE NOW
ON THE OBAMA TRANSITION SITE

The question ThePen told you about asking about a special prosecutor for the gravest crimes of the Bush/Cheney administration is now NUMBER ONE on the official Obama site. And as of last check they are still open for voting. So if you have not voted already, the easiest way to find the question is
...

1. Sign in at change.gov/openforquestions and remember you have to set up a login for yourself at that site to vote

2. Click on "Additional Issues" under "Pick a Topic" on the left

3. The special prosecutor question started by "Bob Fertik" should be the one leading the top of that section (and now leading all questions over all topics with 16,000 votes).

4. Look right for the checkbox, mouseover it so it goes from white to dark, then click to cast your vote

Please cast your vote as soon as possible, as the voting may close at any time.

What this means is that Obama will now have to ANSWER this question on his official site, just as if he had accepted this question at a real press conference.

THEN GET YOUR NEW CONVICT DICK & W CAP TO DEMONSTRATE WITH

As we in the White House accountability movement look forward, whether it's impeachment, federal prosecution, or state by state prosecutions as a last resort, the key word is "Convict". And that is why we have introduced a new cap to wear to continue to carry the ball with that says "CONVICT DICK & W" in red, white and blue. If you want to be one of the first to get one of these new caps please submit the page below.

New Convict Dick & W Cap

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The Lucy Parsons Center is proud to demonstrate that an all-volunteer, collectively-run radical bookstore and community center can survive in the capitalist United States, but the majority of our income comes from book sales and most of that goes straight to pay our landlord and bills.

That's why we need you! Without support from our community, we could not continue to function.

As the year draws to a close we are asking you to pledge to support the Lucy Parsons Center in 2009. We want 100 new monthly supporters kicking in $5 a month to help ensure our ability to offer radical books, talks, workshops, movies, meeting spaces, and whatever else you want to see happen as we work to build the better world.

100 supporters sounds like a lot and we are challenging ourselves to meet this goal. On the other hand, $5 a month isn't that much. It's the price of a beer with tip, less than a falafel, and come January less than the priority mail postage you'd have to pay to order the books you can ONLY find at the LPC over the internet.

Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Telephone: (617) 267-6272
Email: lucyparsons@tao.ca

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Funds Needed for Sabeel Jerusalem Volunteer Tina Whitehead has been working at Sabeel in Jerusalem for over a year. But her funding has run out and she is now home in Pittsburgh. We are making this special appeal to you to raise $5,000 by mid-January-for airfare and living expenses for five months-to enable Tina to return to Sabeel.

Read Tina's Christmas letter (excerpted below) and PLEASE make a tax-deductible donation to Friends of Sabeel with a note in the check memo that the donation is "for Tina Whitehead's work."

If you would like to talk to Tina to learn more about her important work in the Holy Land, please call or email: (412) 820-0254; tinawhitehead2@hotmail.com

Make your check to Friends of Sabeel and mail to: PO Box 9186, Portland, Oregon 97207. Or call our office to donate with a Visa or MasterCard: 503.653-6625. THANK YOU!

Christmas 2008

Dear Friends,

I am now home, having spent the past 5+ months volunteering with Sabeel in Jerusalem.

I will be home for a month and ask for your prayers as I make plans to return in January for another 5 months.

...

I also advocate for peace with justice by speaking to the tragic conditions that exist for the people of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. Even though this is receiving more media attention, I find that people are stunned when they see the reality of the situation. And not only stunned, but wanting to respond in a way that brings peace and justice.

...

In His service, Tina Whitehead

Friends of Sabeel--North America
Voice of the Palestinian Christians
PO Box 9186, Portland, OR 97207
Enail: friends@fosna.org

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Speak Out Against The Planned Bush Blanket Pardons BEFORE They Can Happen

Action Page To Stop The Bush Pardons: Impeach Now Action Page!

Pay no attention to the handful of Christmas pardons granted by Bush. This is mere political window dressing to distract from the bumper crop of blanket absolutions, including one for himself, scheduled to be released just before midnight on Jan 19th. Cheney would not so arrogantly be bragging on TV about how he authorized torture if it were not so.

But there is a resolution in Congress, H.Res. 1531, preemptively condemning any such move if we can just get enough members of Congress to sponsor it (already 10 so far). Many of you have submitted a action page on this already. Please do it again, especially if your representative did not "hear" you the first time.

Each action page you submit is another lump of coal in Cheney's stocking. Some have speculated on the possibility of post inauguration impeachment, especially considering the fact that many insiders are waiting until then to spill the beans. Maybe they don't want to get bumped off in a suspicious plane crash like Mike Connell. But a self pardon at the very last minute would certainly be grounds for some kind of action, perhaps even impeachment, if and only if Congress would react and take action immediately.

So we will still continue to distribute the impeachment message items until the very last minute as well. If you did not get one of the original navy blue "IMPEACH CHENEY?" caps, which was the original "question" hat, we still have some of those which you can get from the return page of the action page above. And of course we have the orange "IMPEACH BOTH!!!" caps (the "answer" hat). If you wear one and a friend wears the other that is especially effective. Or you can request a copy of the Impeachment Play DVD, either from that same return page, or here is the link directly for all three.

Impeachment Caps and DVDs

In any case we need to get ready to raise a renewed hue and cry when the expected happens on January 19th. How hard could it be to get members of Congress to simply raise their hand and declare that a presidential self pardon, let alone pardon of his criminal co-conspirators, is maybe not such a good idea? If we are to draw the line anywhere, this is where is must be drawn.

And let us look forward to the day when we will have real representatives in Washington, for a change, because we never stopped speaking out.

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Cape Wind Project

From Lexington Global Warming Action Coailtion LGWAC

In an 11th hour, blatant, political move that is similar to the one Ted Stevens tried to pull in 2005, on December 12, Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN) launched an effort to derail Cape Wind (proposed windfarm of 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound off Massachusetts).

Oberstar sent a letter to Commandant Thad Allen of the Coast Guard "requesting" an extraordinary and unprecedented review of the Coast Guard's OK as regards navigation hazards.

Oberstar's letter comes at the request of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, a group backed and fronted by Bill Koch, CEO of Oxbow. Oxbow's primary businesses are the mining and marketing of energy and commodities such as coal, petroleum coke, oil production, and composite pipe manufacturing. The Alliance's central mission is to stop Cape Wind, no matter what it takes, and has spent well over $15 million dollars, primarily on lawsuits, lobbying efforts and deliberate public relations campaigns promoting fearmongering and misinformation.

So we need you to help resist this maneuvering, and here's how.

ACTIONS:

1. Call Chairman Oberstar's offices
Washington DC: (202) 225-6211
Duluth, MN: (218) 727-7474
Tell him he should withdraw his request to the Coast Guard Commandant.

2. Call the Coast Guard's public affairs office:
Telephone: (202) 372-4620
Tell them you support their efforts and to stand up to Oberstar's bullying and that the American people
support Cape Wind and clean renewable energy.

3. Hit up Commandant Thad Allen on his Facebook page

Tell him you support him and will join him in standing up to Oberstar's bullying and that the American people support Cape Wind and clean renewable energy. Please call right away.

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Challenge KeyBank via Web

KeyBank: Stop Using Taxpayer Bailout Money to Finance Oak Harbor's Workers Rights Violations!

KeyBank was approved for $2.5 billion as part of the national bailout. But instead of using the money to give relief to those hardest hit in the current economy, KeyBank is using their bailout money to increase corporate profits by buying other banks and underwriting Oak Harbor Freight Lines, a company that has cancelled its retirees health care and violated US and international labor laws affecting hundreds of striking Teamsters in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Last week, Jobs with Justice Coalitions in Portland and Seattle protested at KeyBank branches as part of the People's Bailout National Week of Action. More actions are planned this week in six cities throughout the country. Tell KeyBank: We won't back down until we see justice!

You can take action on this alert here via the web

JWJ encourages you to take action by January 15, 2009.

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Opportunities to Assist Cuba!

The damage from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike persist in Cuba. Tens of thousands homes need to be rebuilt, while building supplies remain limited due to the US Embargo. The following contacts can be used to assist Cuba in its continued reconstruction.

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The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) in Jerusalem has been informed that its request for re-funding has been rejected, in high probability because of pressure brought to bear by right-wing Israeli neo-cons who have campaigned obsessively against our funding while threatening publicly to close us down.

Tax-deductible donations needed.

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Sign this online petition to the International Criminal Court telling them to reject Ocampo's proposed indictment of President Bashir.

As you all probably know, a few weeks ago Luis Moreno- Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recommended that the ICC should indict Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for war crimes including attempted "genocide".

This threat to prosecute President Bashir is outrageous for a lot of reasons.

Ocampo attacked Bashir to divert attention from his own sex scandal.

Bashir is respected and popular in Darfur and throughout Sudan and has not committed these crimes. People from the entire political spectrum in Sudan, including Bashir's political opponents, are denouncing the prosecution as a foreign attack against Sudanese sovereignty.

Bashir is an important person in the peace process and process of reconciliation of factions in Darfur and South Sudan and other parts of Sudan. So an indictment and arrest warrant against Bashir is a threat to peace in Darfur and throughout Sudan. ...

For more details: David Rolde

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Sign petition against US missile offense in Poland

In a few days, the US government will likely sign an agreement with the Czech Republic government allowing the US to place a radar satellite system in that country. The satellite system is part of the US "missile defense" installations designed to be placed in Poland.

We can join our voices in support of the Czech people to say "no" to a US radar system in their country.

Please add your voice to support this effort by signing the petition.

Understanding that this empire-building strategy by the US could lead to a new arms race which threatens the Czech people, the majority of whom oppose this project. The opposition which began with a few activist voices now includes over 70 percent of the population who oppose any US military presence in the Czech Republic.

Even thought the Czech President may sign the agreement, it has to be ratified by the Czech Parliament. And the situation is far from clear, because the government has a very small mandate - not even have a majority. They were only able to pass a confidence vote after seven months of negotiations, and thanks to some two members of parliament that didn't vote against them. So they have a very weak mandate, and it is far from clear how the vote will go.

The Czech people have asked for support from around the world to bolster their campaign. They are looking for a million signatures on their petition to take to the parliament to defeat the agreement.

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Open Media Boston on line

To everyone in the Boston area progressive community, After months of development and testing by a few dozen folks, Open Media Boston, the new progressive news, views and arts web portal, has just launched and is now ready for your participation.

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We have quietly been working away at TecsChange in Roxbury to refurbish computers. We recently sent one of our bigger shipments of 15 computers to a series of radio stations in Oaxaca, Mexico.

We work most Thurday evenings and Saturday afternoons
(1pm to at least 4 PM, usually longer)

We have one day a week where daytime volunteers come in. Presently it's Mondays but it might change soon.

Please call if you are interested.
TecsChange Office
617-442-4456

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STOP RESTRICTIVE SENATE BILL, S 1959

S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" must be stopped at all costs. (It's already been approved by the House of Representatives by a HUGE majority.)

Pick up your phone and contact our US Senators' offices to instruct them to vote "NO" on S.1959, titled "To establish the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism, and for other purposes".

If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court.

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Comcast: the poster child for Net Neutralitiy

Comcast has given us a glimpse of a world without Net Neutrality, and it's a chilling sight.

An investigation by the Associated Press caught the cable giant secretly inspecting online communications and crippling users' ability to share information with one another.

On 11-1-07, Free Press filed a legal complaint demanding that the FCC take action to protect the free flow of information on the Internet. By joining our complaint, you can help stop Comcast and other gatekeepers.

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Help Support Pro Bono Attorneys for Guantanamo Prisoners

Doris Tennant and Ellen Lubell (of Newton) are representing a Guantanamo prisoner pro bono, so they are providing their time at no charge. However, their costs, including their own travel and that of a translator, translator fees, and Freedom of Information Act requests, are running at least $20,000 for this year, and will likely continue at that same pace or more. Most of the other attorneys who are representing Guantanamo detainees are members of large law firms that can cover these types of expenses, but in their case the two of them are the firm.

If you would like to make a contribution to help them defray costs, it would be much appreciated. Please make your check payable to "Tennant Lubell Detainee Fund." Your contribution will NOT be tax-deductible, but they promise to put it to good use to help provide fundamental legal rights to a man who remains in indefinite detention.

Doris Tennant, Esq.
Tennant Lubell, LLC
288 Walnut Street, Suite 500
Newton, MA 02460
617-969-9610, X 101
Fax: 617-969-9611

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EXTRA-VIRGIN FAIR TRADE OLIVE OIL FROM PALESTINE

Just a friendly reminder that the holidays are coming and what better gift to give than a bottle of fairly traded extra-virgin olive oil from Palestine. We have plenty of oil available and should be able to fill all orders for the holidays. Think about buying a case of oil and instead of bringing a bottle of wine to your next dinner party, bring a bottle of olive oil instead!

We now ship anywhere in the continental US; please see our website for details . Olive Branch Olive Oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) , a non-profit, non-governmental organization in the West Bank. PARC is a member of the International Fair Trade Association, and is the only Palestinian organization that has received the Palestine Standards Institution certification for its olive oil.

Olive oil is the backbone of the Palestinian agricultural economy. Eighty percent of cultivated land in Palestine is planted with olive trees, and the olive harvest provides between 25 to 50 percent of a farming family's annual income. As the political and economic situation in Palestine worsens, olive oil has become a matter of basic survival for many Palestinian families. Buying this oil is a constructive and tangible way to help alleviate poverty and build peace.

Olive Branch Olive Oil is extra-virgin and comes in 750 ml (25 ounce) green glass bottles. Produced from the first pressing of the olives, extra- virgin olive oil contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil. Unopened bottles of olive oil are generally good for up to two years, and should be kept in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight. Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays.

Olive Branch Olive Oil is an outgrowth of a 2003 effort by Middle East peace activists in the Boston area to support Palestinian farmers. Since then, it has evolved into an ongoing volunteer project to create a U.S. market for Palestinian olive oil. Our goal is to make a tangible difference in the lives of the farmers and their families.

Any funds that are raised above and beyond the cost of the oil, importing fees and administrative and marketing costs are re-invested in purchasing more oil. Out of that amount, 15% is donated directly to worthy projects in Palestine. Past donation recipients include:

Gush Shalom Emergency Relief Convoy
Badil
Palestinian Children's Relief Fund
Gaza Community Mental Health Program
Zochrot
Palestinian Medical Relief Committees
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions
Birthright Unplugged
American Friends Svc. Comm. Middle East Crisis Fund
American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA)
Olive Harvest Coalition
Union of Palestinian Women's Committees
Ibdaa Cultural Center
Grassroots International
Taayoush

How to Order
On our website with PAYPAL
or send a check to P.O. Box 1064, Arlington, MA 02474.

Each case contains twelve (12) 750ml bottles.

Prices for local pick-up in Arlington or Cambridge:
Case price $170/case
Bulk price for 7+ cases: $150/case
Bulk price for 10+ cases: $145/case

Case price shipped within continental US: $195/case
3 Bottles shipped within continental US: $65/3 bottles

For more information.



CONTINUING EVENTS

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EVERY SUNDAY

10-11:30 AM: "Radio with a View"
WMBR 88.1 Cambridge

---------- Every Sunday----------

12-1pm Amherst Peace Vigil

Town Common, Amherst
For more, contact Mark Watkins
---------- Every Sunday----------
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1:30pm Cambridge Peace Vigil

Mass. Ave., and Garden St., next to Cambridge Common.
---------- Every Monday ----------

11:45AM-12:15PM: Vigil for Gaza

Memorial Church in Harvard Yard

Harvard's Palestine Solidarity Committee will be holding a vigil for Gaza from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm on the steps of Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. All who care for Palestine are invited to attend. Please wear black and spread the word widely.

---------- Every Monday ----------

6:30PM: Stop The Wars Coalition meetings

Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave, Chinatown, MA 02111
info@encuentro5.org or call 617-482-6300

These are the meetings where we decide on events and discuss strategies to end the war. Anyone is welcome -- from seasoned activists to beginners and we look forward to building a dialogue with anyone opposed to the war. Our main tenent is that we are independent of both the Democratic and the Republican Party, such that we can build an anti-war movement that survives elections and continues to oppose the war, regardless of which candidate is in office.

---------- Every Tuesday----------
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Tuesday Weekly Anti-War Vigil 5:30-6:30pm Copley Square

---------- Every Wednesday----------

NOON-12:30 PM: Harvard-Cambridge Walk for Peace

Starts at John Harvard Statue, Harvard Yard.
Every Wednesday. All are welcome.

Meet briefly at the statue to exchange thoughts,
then walk silently around the Yard and nearby streets,
returning to the statue by 12:30pm.

---------- Every Thursday----------

5-6 PM: Antiwar Vigil in Newton
Corner of Beacon and Center Streets, Newton Center
Organizer: Newton Dialogues on Peace and War

---------- Every Thursday----------
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5:30-6PM: Wayland Anti-War Vigil (weekly)

Southeast corner of Rt 27 and 30 (nearest to Brooks Pharmacy).
Come for all or part. Bring a candle, lantern, or flashlight.
Organizer: Sandy Coy.

---------- Every Thursday----------

5-6 PM: Veterans for Peace vigil
West Side Rotary, Augusta, Maine

---------- Every Thursday ----------
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9 PM: 911 Researchers Conference Call

Join the Boston Tea Party Conference call,
Participant call in: 402-756-9100; Access code: 680903#

---------- Every Friday----------

7-9 AM: Socialist Alternative Radio in Boston

Socialist Alternative Radio, 91.5 FM Boston listen anytime on the Web at WMFO.org. A democratic socialist, working-class view of politics and culture, including solidarity announcements, interviews, music, and more.
Write to us at BostonSAradio@aol.com.

---------- Every Friday----------
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Noon-1PM in front of JFK Federal Building, Boston.

Join a Friday fast and/or protest in solidarity with illegal detentions. The fast began in 2005 when Nobel Peace Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Adolpho Esquivel, (Argentina), along with others around the world, chose this method to seek the release of our unjustly detained and tortured brothers and sisters.

In Boston, local activists Susan McLucas and Phoebe Knopf have joined the Friday fast and will protest every Friday in front of the JFK Building from noon to one. The action, which is rooted in nonviolence, includes speakers, music, hand-outs and petitions to create public pressure to stop all illegal detentions and to try those responsible for the illegal treatment of thousands of detainees, most of whom are Arab and Muslim men. Susan and Phoebe will be wearing orange jumpsuits.

---------- Every Friday----------
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12:30 PM: Women in Black Vigil
Lithgow Library, Augusta, Maine

---------- Every Friday----------

4:30-6 PM: Protest AIPAC - every Friday

Kennedy Sch of Govnt
79 JFK St, Harvard Sq, Cambridge
Organized by AntiWar League
---------- Every Friday----------

6-8PM: *Chillin Against the Villins*
DeMilitarized Zone*
Corner of Mass ave and Boylston st!!!

On this day, Friday and from there on!, we hereby declare the establishment of a new DeMilitarized Zone where all those who wish can congregate to denigrate and repudiate the war machine and celebrate the growth of the new movement from coast to coast willing to oppose the war and opression in this country and around the world. Bring your signs, and minds, let's chalk, talk, play music, paint art with caring and sharing and declaring that we are "chilling *against* the villins" in this zone to show our independence!!!!!

We declare our solidarity with the people of the Middle East who share the misfortune of living on top of the largest oil reserves on the planet which is the reason behind the current war on Iraq. We declare our condemnation of those who support this criminal war commanded by criminals who promote a criminal ideology with criminal intent and crimes against humanity. We repudiate with prejudice the general assault on our rights: abuses, excuses, jailings, raids, lies, spies, xenophobia, torture, extraordinary rendition, and the general police state system that says we must stand together and support this generalized oppression. We are no longer the silent generation but are now willing to Stand Apart and against the mass murdering villins who are doin the real killin. Join us in the DMZ!!


Chillin against the villin's!!!

Our *DMZ* and our Independence.

---------- Every Saturday----------

11am-1pm on WZBC: Sounds of Dissent with John Grebe

Saturday Anti-War Vigils

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---------- 1st & 3rd Saturday----------
11A-NOON:
1st Saturday of Month
Corner of Main & Moody Streets, by the Common.
Parking: On-street or the lot on Center St.

3rd Saturday of Month
Corner of Moody and Pine Streets, by Watch City Brewery.
Parking: On-street or Embassy Theatre lot on Pine Street

Useful Links (alphabetized)

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TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBERS
FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD

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    dial up, then ask for a particular Senator or Representative
  • 800-426-8073
  • 888-355-3588
  • 800-828-0498
  • 866-340-9281
  • 866-340-9279

Radio and TV Connections

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    On sister station WMFO 91.5 (Tufts University Radio)
  • "No-U-Turn Radio" (Tuesdays 8-10am, Dean Wallace)
  • "Free of Form" (Fridays 8-10PM)
    On sister station WMBR 88.1 Cambridge...
  • "Radio with a View" (Sun 10-11:30am, Dave Goodman & Marc Stern)
  • "What’s Left" (Sundays 11:30am-1pm, Linda Pinkow & Will Taggart)

Truth and Justice Radio Local Events Archive

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Contact the webmaster with comments and/or questions.