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


LOCAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Week of 1 FEBRUARY 2009

25 Actions to Support Gaza Justice

Contact Local DAs to prosecute Bush/Cheney


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

THIS WEEK'S EVENTS


SUNDAY, FEB 1, 2009

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11AM: MEGHAN O. MAHONEY
"All the Sports World's a Stage and
All the Athletes MORE than Merely Players!"
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BOSTON
565 Boylston St. (Copley Square), Boston

Meghan Mahoney serves as manager of operations at Sport in Society--a Northeastern University Center-- where she is responsible for ensuring productive, efficient internal activities and external advocacy. Previously, she spent a year researching the international development of women's ice hockey in Denmark, New Zealand & South Africa. Meghan was a four- year varsity ice hockey player and team captain at the College of the Holy Cross, where she graduated in 2005.

Paraphrasing Shakespeare, she observes that sport is perhaps a more closely watched and revered stage than any other. As pure an escape as the general audience wishes sport to be, athletes are intrinsically connected to the larger world in both their daily lives and their place on this great stage. What happens when athletes not only recognize this connection, but use their positions to draw attention to the stark realities that exist within sport and in the greater community? What would it take for tonight's winning quarterback, say, to use his spotlight to speak up for human rights? What is his responsibility to do so, and how would we react if he did?

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

MONDAY, FEB 2, 2009

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No Events to Post at this Time.

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

TUESDAY, FEB 3, 2009

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Justice for Jason: National CALL-IN DAY FEB. 3 Raise Your Voice Against Racism

February 3rd 2009 marks ONE YEAR that Jason Vassell has been victim of a racist hate crime and a horrific racist prosecution. As the prosecution continues its violent attack on Jason's life, we are calling on people throughout the region to join us for a DAY OF SHAME.

MARCH WITH US ON TUESDAY FEB 3 FOR THE DAY OF SHAME for details click here.
Meet us outside Mackimmie Dorm (Southwest) UMASS at 11:30AM

CAN'T MARCH? JOIN US IN A CALL-IN DAY TO THE DA'S OFFICE or do BOTH (for details click here).

---------- Tuesday ----------
6PM: Film Series: Caramel (Lebanon, 2007)
Outreach Center at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
Wiener Auditorium, Taubman Building, Ground Floor
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
15 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA

The film will be shown on Tuesday, February 3rd from 6:15 to 8:00 pm. Complimentary pizza and soft drinks will be available starting at 6:00 pm..

Film Description: "Caramel" is a story that reveals tensions between duty and desire through the lens of five Lebanese women making sense of their daily lives as they negotiate social issues of age, sexuality, and responsibility.

---------- Tuesday ----------

WEDNESDAY, FEB 4, 2009

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Last day to get MA legislators to co-sponsor
the Cape Care Community Health Trust bill

Cape Care is a five year effort to create a community owned health care system for all Cape (Barnstable County) residents. Our web site, , is full of information about the history and details of this project, which can be a model for the wider effort to fashion a single payer health care system that controls costs and provides access to everyone.

Last fall the model plan was turned into an enabling bill, the Cape Care Community Health Trust, which has just been filed in the new two-year session of the Massachusetts legislature. Wednesday, February 4, is the last day for state representatives and senators to co-sponsor the bill (which has the above title but has not yet been assigned a number). The more off-Cape support we get from legislators early on, the greater our chances of a favorable hearing in the Joint Health Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Richard Moore and a House chair.

The bill was filed by Representative Matt Patrick, and both representatives and senators can sign on by calling his office: 617-722-2090.

If you are asked about the relationship between Cape Care and the so-called MA Connector, the answer is simple: we are not in conflict or competition, but as long as the Connector (Chapter 58) is in force, the Cape Care Community Health Trust would be a provider.

The Cape Care Coalition is a member of Mass-Care, the statewide single payer coalition that has filed a bill for a number of years. We are supporting each other's efforts. Let me know if you have questions and/or have a reaction from your legislators to report.

Thanks for any support you can give to Cape Care, and all good wishes in your work.

from Mary Zepernick of POCLAD

POCLAD (Program On Corporations, Law, And Democracy) is a collective, currently 11 people, who translate POCLAD's information and analysis into work in our respective communities and organizations. Today's work focus is "Cape Care."

---------- Wednesday ----------
7PM: "Train on the Brain" the ultimate railroad movie. (2000) 50mins.
Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Avenue
Boston's South End
Telephone: 617.267.6272

"Alison Murray is a young Canadian who decided to ride the rails across America living as a hobo. By the time her journey was over, she had crossed the continent twice. This is the story of her travels through the huge, wide-open spaces and little Norman Rockwell towns and her vivid encounters with 'the elite of society's basement'. It captures both the sense of carefree drift and the abysmal discomfort involved. Riding a boxcar is 'like being in a sauna that was in a blender' -to say nothing of the filth, the exhaustion and hunger, and the constant anxiety about being thrown off the trains and beaten up by the police."

thehellhound.com

---------- Wednesday ----------
7:30PM: INVISIBLE HISTORY: AFGHANISTAN's UNTOLD STORY
Cambridge Forum
First Parish In Cambridge
3 Church Street Cambridge, MA 02138
617-495-2727
FREE and Open to the Public

On February 4 at Cambridge Forum, Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould, authors of INVISIBLE HISTORY: AFGHANISTAN'S UNTOLD STORY address Afghan policy choices facing President Obama.

When Americans needed to know accurately the complex history of Afghanistan, traced back over 10,000 years, why were we given exactly the opposite in incorrect, simplistic, pro US "Cold War" images in Dan Rather's TV reports and the film, Charles Wilson's War? What should the U.S. government have told citizens before 9/11 but kept secret? How can President Obama create a new policy without repeating past mistakes of Britain, the USSR and the Bush Administration, that builds lasting good will toward the U.S.?

Widely considered America's leading journalists interpreting Afghanistan, Paul Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould, a husband-wife team, were the first US television crew granted visas to enter Afghanistan in the spring of 1981. They arrived in the heated Cold War era, but the people they found did not fit the pre-conceived, stereotyped Cold War bias desired by their employer, CBS. In 1983, they produced, a landmark PBS documentary, Afghanistan Between Three Worlds. In the 80s and 90s, they continued writing about Afghanistan: a script with Oliver Stone, reports for ABC's Nightline and a book about human rights and women, Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future.

Book signing courtesy of Harvard Book Store follows the program.

Cambridge Forum is taped and edited for public radio broadcast. Edited CDs are available to the public by contacting 617-495-2727. Select forums can be viewed in their entirety on demand by visiting our website.

---------- Wednesday ----------

THURSDAY, FEB 4, 2009

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4-6PM: Pious Patriots: Religious Minorities
and Secular Citizens in Egypt and Ethiopia
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
1737 Cambridge Street, Cambridge
Bowie-Vernon Room (K-262)

WCFIA/CMES
(Weatherhead Center for International Affairs and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University)

Middle East Seminar
Lenore G. Martin, Sara Roy, and Herbert C. Kelman, Co- chairs

Presents

BRUCE B. LAWRENCE
Marcus Humanities Professor of Islamic Studies and
Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center, Duke University

For more information about this event, please contact Elizabeth Lawler at 617-495-3816.

---------- Thursday ----------
0205 Thu 1800pm (sit-down strike forum, SEIU Hall)
6PM: Resistance and Recovery
1199/SEIU United Health Care Workers East Union Hall
150 Mt. Vernon St.
(Beside Bayside Expo Center) Boston
UMASS/JFK T Stop

Public Forum: victory celebration and call to action with the UE Sit-Down Strikers from Republic Windows and Doors in Chicago.

Republic Windows gave workers only 3 days notice that their jobs were vanishing, along with earned vacation and health benefits.

As union members, these workers had the option to resist. And they did.

For six days and nights, they occupied their plant, sparking nationwide support rallies, leading to a settlement and a plan to reopen their plant making eco- friendly windows.

This fight is just the beginning.

As millions more face job loss, workers and communities can take direct action to resist, while we mobilize for a recovery that puts workers before Wall Street, creates good jobs, the right to organize, health care and an economy that works for everyone.

For info: 617-524-8778
Mass Jobs with Justice.

---------- Thursday ----------
6:30PM: Bikes Not Bombs with
the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa

Speaks on Economic Justice and Urban Transportation
Boston Public Library
700 Boylston St
Boston MA 02116

Did you ever wonder how the urban space could be redesigned to be equitable and accessible for all people, whether walking, biking, using public transportation, or driving?  Come see an inspiring presentation by Enrique Peñalosa, an internationally reknowned speaker who transformed Bogotá, Colombia into a model of transportation justice during his term as mayor.  

Livable Streets and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) are bringing Peñalosa (an avid biker!) to Boston for four days of activities.  Bikes Not Bombs is proud to host his presentation on transforming cities into more equitable and happier places to live. You are invited to come hear the talk and ask questions afterwards!

This event is free and open to the public.  RSVP is encouraged but not required.  (To RSVP, drop a line to mail@bikesnotbombs.org). Make sure you see Peñalosa, either here or at other venues!

Enrique Peñalosa completed his three-year term as Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia on December 31, 2000. While mayor, he promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks. After organizing a Car-Free Day in 2000, he was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award and rewarded by a referendum vote endorsing an annual car-free day.

Peñalosa also led efforts to improve Bogotá's marginal neighborhoods through citizen involvement; planted more than 100,000 trees; created a new, highly successful bus-based transit system; and turned a deteriorated downtown avenue into a dynamic pedestrian public space. He helped transform the city's attitude from one of negative hopelessness to one of pride and hope, developing a model for urban improvement based on the equal rights of all people to transportation, education, and public spaces.  

Watch StreetFilms of Enrique Peñalosa and Bogotá: at  with more films linked from there!

Arik GrierOutreach Coordinator, Office Manager Bikes Not Bombs 617-522-0222

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

FRIDAY, FEB 5, 2009

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No Events to Post at this Time.
---------- Friday ----------

SATURDAY, FEB 6, 2009

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10A-2P: Health Care Reform in 2009:
The Massachusetts Model vs. Single Payer
Understanding the Issues and Learning to Educate Others
Harvard Medical School
Tosteson Medical Education Center, Rm 227
260 Longwood Ave. Boston MA

Featured speakers:

Benjamin Day
Executive Director, Mass-Care

David Himmelstein, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS
Chief of the Division of Social and Community Medicine, Cambridge Hospital

Deborah Richter, MD
Family Practice, VT
Former president, Physicians for a National Health Program

Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine, HMS

Lunch provided

An application for approval for CME credit for this program is currently pending

Questions or to RSVP, please contact:
Dr. Rachel Nardin
617-667-4382

---------- Saturday ----------
3:30-5PM: Bikes Not Bombs with
the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa

Speaks on Economic Justice and Urban Transportation
284 Amory St, Jamaica Plain, MA

Did you ever wonder how the urban space could be redesigned to be equitable and accessible for all people, whether walking, biking, using public transportation, or driving?  Come see an inspiring presentation by Enrique Peñalosa, an internationally reknowned speaker who transformed Bogotá, Colombia into a model of transportation justice during his term as mayor.  

Livable Streets and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) are bringing Peñalosa (an avid biker!) to Boston for four days of activities.  Bikes Not Bombs is proud to host his presentation on transforming cities into more equitable and happier places to live. You are invited to come hear the talk and ask questions afterwards!

This event is free and open to the public.  RSVP is encouraged but not required.  (To RSVP, drop a line to mail@bikesnotbombs.org). Make sure you see Peñalosa, either here or at other venues!

Enrique Peñalosa completed his three-year term as Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia on December 31, 2000. While mayor, he promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks. After organizing a Car-Free Day in 2000, he was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award and rewarded by a referendum vote endorsing an annual car-free day.

Peñalosa also led efforts to improve Bogotá's marginal neighborhoods through citizen involvement; planted more than 100,000 trees; created a new, highly successful bus-based transit system; and turned a deteriorated downtown avenue into a dynamic pedestrian public space. He helped transform the city's attitude from one of negative hopelessness to one of pride and hope, developing a model for urban improvement based on the equal rights of all people to transportation, education, and public spaces.  

Watch StreetFilms of Enrique Peñalosa and Bogotá: at  with more films linked from there!

Arik GrierOutreach Coordinator, Office Manager Bikes Not Bombs 617-522-0222


FUTURE EVENTS

SUNDAY, FEB 8, 2009

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

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Contact local District Attorneys to prosecute Bush/Cheney

The Best Way To Light A Fire For Federal Prosecutions of Bush And Cheney Is To Get Collateral State Actions Going.

We have completed compiling a database of the current contact information for every state district attorney, for EVERY county in the country. And we have put it all together into an easy one click lookup function to help organize contacting your nearest state prosecutor, to call on THEM to step up to the plate, to stand up for justice and accountability, by prosecuting George Bush and Dick Cheney for their crimes.

In particular, renowned former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi has laid out a compelling case for charging both Bush and Cheney with the premediated murder of American service men and women, for starting a war with Iraq on patently false pretenses. By using this new lookup page you can instantly get the mailing address, phone, fax, and in many cases also the email of your local prosecutor. This action is SO critical we have dedicated our entire main site homepage to it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are not asking anyone to file a formal criminal complaint yourself. Common sense tells us that state prosecutors will only act, in the exercise of their OWN discretion, if they believe there is a non-frivolous case to bring. But by speaking out, we can let them know there is community support for them to do so.

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Sign up to be a "Hang Up On Motorola" Organizer

Israel's recent war on the occupied Gaza Strip brought death and destruction to Palestinians, and a windfall for war profiteers. Around the world, people are standing up and saying "No more" by boycotting and divesting from corporations that profit from Israel's human rights abuses. The people of Stockholm have severed their contract with the transit/waste removal corporation Veolia due to Veolia's involvement with Israel's settlements, and British Telecom company FreedomCall has ceased their cooperation with Israeli counterpart MobileMax due to the war on Gaza.

Join this growing global movement for boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning (BDS) those who support Israel's military occupation of Palestinian territories by becoming an organizer for our Hang Up On Motorola campaign. Motorola makes a lot more than cell phones - they also make at least four products that directly support Israel's occupation of and assaults on Palestinians. This is why we've created a tool-kit for boycotting Motorola until its products are no longer used by Israel to abuse Palestinian human rights.

Why Motorola?.

Bomb Fuses: Motorola Israel sells fuses that the Israeli Air Force uses in its MK-80 series of bombs. On July 30, 2006, during its war on Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force dropped an MK-84 bomb on an apartment building in Qana, Lebanon, killing at least 28 civilians.

Communication Devices for Occupation: Motorola's $100 million "Mountain Rose" communication system enhances the efficiency of Israeli occupying forces. Patterns of human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories include, but are not limited to, the killing and injuring of civilians, torture, extra-judicial assassinations, deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, acts of collective punishment, and economic warfare.

Surveillance Devices for Israel's Illegal Wall: Motorola supplies the "Wide Area Surveillance System" (WAAS) to monitor and maintain Israel's illegal wall, constructed in violation of the July 2004 International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion. This wall is perhaps the strongest symbol of Israeli Apartheid, carving the West Bank into Bantustans. Surveillance Devices for Israel's Illegal

Settlements: Motorola has made $93 million providing radar detection devices and thermal cameras for 47 illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. Israel's confiscation of Palestinian land, its illegal settlements, illegal wall, and continued occupation would not be possible without Motorola's compliance.

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No Tax Cuts For Stimulus Action Page

Haven't We Learned Yet That Tax Cuts Do LITTLE To Stimulate The Economy?

The whole reason we are in the economic perilous straits we are in right now, is the lunatic Republican fixation on tax cuts, which all competent economists agree are the WORST way to boost the economy. People need real jobs with real wages, and until they get them they will not have any taxes to cut. And until people have jobs, and are making money again, the economy does not have a prayer.

But even so, president Obama tried in a bipartisan way to build lots of tax cuts into the package for the Republicans to try to placate them, hundreds of billions of dollars worth. And what did the Republicans in the House do? They just spit in his face. Not ONE Republican voted for the bill, not one!! All of the tax cuts need to come out, all of them, and be put into infrastructure building jobs instead. And then we'll have a bill that actually works for America.

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LET'S STOP THE NUCLEAR PORK IN THE STIMULUS PACKAGE!
Call your Congressperson and Senator today.

As you probably know by now, the economic stimulus package approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee includes up to $50 Billion in new taxpayer loan guarantees that can be used for construction of new nuclear reactors and "clean coal" plants (an oxymoron if there ever was one...). We need to tell the Senate that we're not willing to risk our money on nuclear power, that we don't want more radioactive waste in our communities, and that we do want Congress to support safer, cleaner and cheaper energy resources like solar, wind and energy efficiency.

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

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URGENT! Leonard Peltier's Safety in Jeopardy!

[Excerpted from message recd 1-21-09]

Leonard was severely beaten upon his arrival at the Canaan Federal Penitentiary. When he went into population after his transfer, some inmates assaulted him. The severity of his injuries is that he suffered numerous blows to his head and body, receiving a large bump on his head, possibly a concussion, and numerous bruises. Also, one of his fingers is swollen and discolored and he has pain in his chest and ribcage. There was blood everywhere from his injuries.

...Since Leonard is up for parole soon, this could be a conspiracy to discredit a model prisoner. He was placed in solitary confinement and only given one meal, this is generally done when you won't name your attackers; incidentally being only given one meal seriously jeopardizes his health because of his diabetes. Prison officials refuse to release any info to the family, but they need to hear from his supporters to protect his safety, as does President Obama. His attorneys are trying to get calls into him now.

Requesting help ... details on website.

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Film: "Occupation 101"
A "Must See" That Untangles the Web of Lies

The truth is buried about Israel's occupation of Palestine through sophisticated repetition of irrelevant rhetoric, distorted shuffling of time and placement of people's histories and other devious ways of keeping many afraid to form an opinion or act on outrage.

Well, here's a good cure for that - pick up a copy of Occupation 101 and you won't have to worry about being on any fences in regards to this issue. This highly informative video documentary will keep your mind attentive and clear all cobwebs in the brain by getting to the root cause of violence from the occupier and resistance from the occupied, all embellished with current examples and very pertinent comparisons to Apartheid South Africa.

A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict - 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.

The film covers a wide range of topics -- which include -- the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.

Tripoli Productions, DVD, NTSC all regions, 1.5 hour plus bonus features.
leftbooks.com

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Calls for vigorous action on the Gaza genocide.
Calls for vigorous action on bailout plans.
Calls for vigorous action on Iraq pullout.
Etc.

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Tell US reps to stop supporting Israel's attacks

Your member of Congress needs to know you support an end to Israel's continued blockade and attacks on Gaza.

The newly-elected Congress has been sworn in and has a chance to urge a comprehensive agreement in Gaza. They alone can end the injustice, including Israel's continued collective punishment of the Palestianian's in Gaza with their blockade.

Call your Congressperson and Senator today! There is a lot of work to do as the vote in the US Senate unanimously supported Israel's recent attack in Gaza, while only five members of he US House voted against support of the attack on Gaza (Dennis Kucinich, Maxine Waters, Ron Paul, Gwem Moore, Nick Rahall).

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Write to prisoners, AIUSA

From our activist friend Sandy Coy, who runs a weekly vigil Thursday afternoons in Wayland:

I am writing to ask activists, as well as my family and others who are not political activists, to join me in a simple action to launch what the whole world hopes will be a fresh start in a better direction. I feel I must write after reading a book today that one of my children gave me for Christmas, "Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak."

Most of the detainees do not know these poems were saved, declassified (much of their writing still has not been), translated and published. But it has happened, through the persistent work of many volunteer legal advocates. In these poems, the goodness of many souls and their hope in God and their fellow men for justice comes through. Some of the poems moved me to tears of both sorrow and shame.

But tears for them or anyone unjustly imprisoned will do no good. Doing something as simple as writing a brief card can actually help people who are being unjustly imprisoned.

How? When prisoners receive volumes of international mail, their jailers know they have lost the cover of anonymity. This leads to better treatment for the prisoner and ultimately their release, just to get the public spotlight to go away.

So, here's what I am asking of myself, my family and of you, which shouldn't take more than a few minutes:

Write out one or more cards for selected prisoners of conscience from any of 12 countries (one is a Guantanamo detainee) identified by Amnesty International.

This card to a prisoner of conscience is probably going to mean more than any other card we sent this year.

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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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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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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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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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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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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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Radio and TV Connections

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Truth and Justice Radio Local Events Archive

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Contact the webmaster with comments and/or questions.