Truth and Justice Radio
|
|
|
LOCAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS |
25 Actions to Support Gaza JusticeContact Local District Attorneys to prosecute Bush/Cheney |
|
|
Continuing Events Announcements |
Sun |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thur |
Fri |
Sat |
Future |
TJR EVENT ARCHIVE |
Due to the storms in December we did not have the opportunity to reflect on the story of Saturnalia and thus the de-sexualizing of the winter season was left without discussion. As Hallmark floods us with false romance around Valentines Day we will discuss the history of sex radicals from Emma Goldman to Alexander Berkman. The Right Wing churches spew lies and misinformation about human sexuality from the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, we must create an alternative to that. This Sunday we will speak honestly and openly about human sexuality, its role in the Left and its necessity for holistic fulfillment.
Join us in front of the Venezuelan Consulate (545 Boylston ST., Boston) this Sunday, February 15th at 11:00am to show our support for President Chavez. The importance of maintaining his leadership can not be understated. The few governorships that were won by the opposition on the last elections proved to us that the neoliberals will undermind, if not reverse, the progress the Bolivarian process has made thus far.
Wear your favorite red shirt. Bring signs that read, YES, or YES WE CAN, or SI SE PUEDE.
It is important for the media to hear both sides of the story.
On February 15th, 2009, the Venezuelan people get another opportunity to decide what road will take them into the future. Voting Yes, will alter the Constitution so that those elected officials, the President, Governors, Mayors, NA Deputies, that have performed their duties well, will be allowed to be re- elected. Voting NO, will maintain the term limits, presently set at two terms.
Many european countries don't have term limits: France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, etc.. And many elected officials in the US don't have term limits, such as Mayors, Congressmen, Senators, etc...
The list of successes of the Chavez administration is
long. If you are interested in a detail report visit
the following link.
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4182
Jorge Marin CB-Martin Luther King, Jr. Boston, MA The Bolivarian Circles in the USA seek to inform the american public of what is really going on in Venezuela. We respect the laws of the US and we aim to improve the relations between our two countries.
Contact: Jorge Marin
Adapted from the memoirs of a former revolutionary turned journalist and politician, this film focuses on a small band of militants seeking retribution for the atrocities of Brazil's military junta that came to power by way of a coup in 1964. In a counterattack to the dictatorship's freezing of civil liberties, censorship of the press, and oppression of the political opposition, the militants kidnapped the United States Ambassador in their attempt to grab international headlines and win the release of imprisoned left-wing sympathizers.
Free and open to the public. Film is in Portuguese with English subtitles.
Contact:
Marcio Siwi
Noam Chomsky Prof. Emeritus of Linguistics at MIT, author, lecturer and leading critic of US foreign policy
Leila Farsakh Author, teacher of political science at UMB, recipient of Cambridge Peace Commission Peace and Justice Award
Shachaf Polakow Anarchists Against The Wall (AATW)
Nancy Murray, moderator President, Gaza Mental Health Foundation, member of BCPR and US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Donations will be requested to support the legal costs for both Palestinian and Israeli activists who are arrested and charged in the course of the struggle.
For the past five years members of the Israeli-based organization, Anarchists Against the Wall, have worked alongside the non-violent Palestinian popular movement, to fight expansion of the Israeli wall, and recently to oppose the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. In December 2008, AATW and the Bilin Village Committee were jointly awarded the prestigious Carl von Ossietzky Medal, by the Berlin-based International League of Human Rights, named after the Nobel Peace Prize winner who died in a Nazi concentration camp. This forum is an opportunity to learn about AATW's efforts and to hear what local activists view as opportunities for principled resistance within the US and internationally.
Endorsers: American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee- Boston Chapter (ADC), American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Jews for a Just Peace (AJJP), Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights (BCPR), Cambridge Bethlehem People to People Project (CBPPP), Friends of Sabeel, New England, Grassroots International, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine, Unitarian Universalist for Justice in the Middle East, Visions of Peace with Justice in Israel/Palestine (VOPJ)
As a longtime labor and community organizer, Kim Fellner has spent her life fighting corporate abuse. But when fellow demonstrators at the 1999 "Battle of Seattle" smashed in the window of a Starbucks store, she couldn't escape the feeling that something was wrong with the picture. How had a coffee company with a liberal reputation come to engender such hostility? Fellner decided to find out.
She interviewed global justice and union activists, baristas, independent coffee shop owners, coffee farmers and a dozen Starbucks executives, including CEO Howard Schultz. Along the way, she encountered some unexpected insights, not just about the Green Mermaid, but about how we, on the left, choose our fights and frame our issues.
Wrestling with Starbucks: Conscience, Capital, Cappuccino invites us to reflect on how we define and practice our values in the global economy from the vantage point of our morning brew-and presents a refreshingly different look at the company that changed the way the world drinks coffee.
Join members and supporters of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World, or "Wobblies") for an evening of dinner and discussion. Find out more about the IWW, its activities and how you can participate.
Get to know the IWW, the One Big Union.
This month's discussion topic: Workers' response to the international financial crisis
$5 suggested donation
Contact: wbumpus62@comcast.net
Featuring: film "The Visitor" (2007) depicting the realities of intercultural friendships and deportation.
Meet old members, new members, friends and collaborators to find out who we are, and how you can be involved. The Boston Interpreters Collective invites you to meet collective members, learn about becoming a member, eat some food and enjoy "The Visitor" (2007).
"Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale (Jenkins) is sleepwalking through his life. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. As the friendship between the two men deepens, the differences in culture, age and temperament fall away.
"After being stopped by police in the subway, Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation. As his situation turns desperate, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. And it's through these new found connections with these virtual strangers that Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life and insight into deportation's horrors."
This event is free but donations will be happily accepted.
This is a fundraiser for two students from the Edward Said National Conservatory to study at Berklee.
Berklee welcomes world-renowned nay and flute virtuoso Bassam Saba and his ensemble to the college's First Annual Middle Eastern Festival. The festival aims to showcase different styles and genres of Middle Eastern music and artists, and to bring together students from different musical and cultural backgrounds in experiencing this music.
Berklee welcomes world-renowned nay and flute virtuoso Bassam Saba and his ensemble for a residency as part of the college's First Annual Middle Eastern Festival. Saba will work with Berklee students on February 17 and 18, and perform with them during the first set of this night's concert. The second set will feature the Bassam Saba Ensemble. The festival aims to showcase different styles and genres of Middle Eastern music and artists, and to bring together students from different musical and cultural backgrounds in experiencing this music.
This event is sponsored by the Ensemble Department and the Office for Cultural Diversity, and was founded and directed by Berklee Voice faculty member Christiane Karam.
Tickets: $10 general public, discount with Berklee ID
Purchase tickets at Berklee Performance Center box office or online through Ticketmaster
JOSHUA LANDIS
Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies and Co-
director, Center for Middle East Studies, University
of Oklahoma
Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs and the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies, Harvard University
Contact:
Elizabeth Lawler at 617-495-3816 or
This talk will be based on his book "Hollow Land,"
which is a study of the architecture of occupation in
Israel-Palestine.
Speaker:
Eyal Weizman is an architect based in London. He
studies architecture at the Architectural Association
in London and completed his PhD at the London
Consortium, Birkbeck College. He is the director of
the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths
College, University of London. Before this role,
Weizman was a professor of architecture at the Academy
of Fine Arts in Vienna. Since 2008, he has been a
member of B'Tselem managing board. Weizman has
taught, lectured, curated and organized conferences in
many institutions worldwide. His books include
"Hollow Land" (2007), "A Civilian Occupation" (2003),
the series Territories 1, 2, and 3, Yellow Rhythms and
many articles in journals magazines and edited books.
Weizman is the recipient of the James Stirling
Memorial Lecture Prize for 2006-2007.
Commentator:
Salim Tamari is director of the Institute of Jerusalem
Studies and a professor of sociology at Birzeit
University. He edits Hawliyyat al Quds and Jerusalem
Quarterly and is also the author of several works on
urban culture, political sociology, biography and
social history, and the social history of the Eastern
Mediterranean.
Sponsored by:
MIT's Center for International Studies
Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Jerusalem 2050
Bustani Lecture Series
We will pray for protection of immigrants; empowerment of faith communities; and moral courage from our members of Congress.
We need your help to make this prayer a faithful and effective witness for justice.
InterFaithImmigration.org
Mass Justice with Jobs
We are joined by Bolivian activists as part of their Dignity and Defiance Tour across the U.S. We'll learn about the changes under Bolivian President Evo Morales and hear powerful eyewitness accounts of Bolivia's decade-long rebellion against globalization imposed from abroad.
In the United States, many of us experience the benefits of globalization and carry only a vague understanding of the impact that it has on less powerful countries. Thus, it becomes our responsibility to listen to the stories that come from the communities that are the most effected by our global lifestyle. "Dignity and Defiance," a new collection of stories from Bolivia, delivers just that.
Based on extensive interviews and first-hand accounts, "Dignity and Defiance" is a powerful eyewitness account of Bolivia's decade-long rebellion against globalization imposed from abroad. It weaves together stories of regular people striving to make their lives better along with vivid accounts of the political struggles that have made Bolivia international front- page news. Sometimes the struggle manifests through popular rebellion and democracy carried to the streets. Other times it is about individuals making difficult choices for how to deal with a globalizing world.
n coordination with the First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist, the JAMAICA PLAIN FORUM is a free and public series that will feature speakers, discussions and events that celebrate members of our local, national and global community. This project is funded, in part, by the Fund for UU Social Responsibility.
Join the Socialist Party for a presentation and discussion of the roots of war in the capitalist system, and how to fight it -- from Iraq and Afghanistan to Palestine and around the world.
Part of the Iraq Moratorium project, a movement uniting people and groups who act on the third Friday of every month to end the war in Iraq.
NANCY MURRAY, Director of Education for the ACLU of Massachusetts will speak on "Restoring the Limits of Governmental Power: Why it Must be Done and How it CAN be Done", a discussion about the threats to our civil liberties brought about by the USA Patriot Act, warrantless spying by the National Security Agency, and the Military Commissions Act as well as various public and secret Executive Orders of President Bush.
Although the new Obama administration has quickly reversed some of the Executive Orders signed by President Bush, there is still much to be done to undo the damage of the legislation passed during the post 911 hysteria granting the executive branch extraordinary and dangerous powers, as well as to craft new legislation making it harder for a future administration to arbitrarily arrogate similar powers during a crisis.
The Eliot Church is located in Newton Corner at the intersection of Center and Church Streets.
Just in case you were wondering - the Vigil in Newton Center continues (every Thursday, 5pm-6pm at the intersection of Center St. and Beacon St.) We have plenty of signs (although you are welcome to bring new signs of your own devising) but we do not bring extra clothing to share - so DO bundle up in a lot of layers, wear a hat, and/or ear-warmers, warm socks, and winter boots. Consider bringing cough drops. All are welcome to come join us. If the weather is too brutal, we will not stay for the full hour - but if you cannot be there at 5:00pm you are still welcome to come and lift our spirits as late as 5:55pm. Remember, the days ARE getting longer.
Tell the Obama Administration and Congress: End the Bush Administration's Frame Ups Designed to Politically Assassinate Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner and Other Progressive elected Leaders
Sign online petition at www.iacboston.org/chuckturnerpetition.html
View youtube video of Ramsey Clark press conference defending Chuck Turner at: www.youtube.com/user/IACBoston
For more info and to donate to Chuck's defense, go to www.supportchuckturner.com
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation How You Can Sustain the US Campaign
To generate more momentum and bring us closer to our goal, we need sustained support. That's why we're asking you to join our Olive Branch Club and make a regular monthly tax-deductible contribution of $5-$200 per month.
IMEMC (Internal Middle East Media Center) seeks urgent funding and/or logistical support to maintain its operations.
One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. it is simply too painful to acknowledge ~ even to ourselves ~ that we've been so credulous: Carl Sagan
Here is a must see hour-long BBC film that effectively makes the case that the "war on terror" is a blatant scam to keep people fearful, politicians powerful and provide an effective smokescreen for the implementation of the New World Order. A must see video.
After watching this film you will always cringe when you hear the phrase "The War on Terror " and recognize it as both a bamboozle and scam perpetrated by the prince of darkness himself, Richard Perle, as well as Tony Blair and the Cheney/Bush crime syndicate in order to accomplish their global neocon objectives.
From U.S. Rep John Conyers: A Serious Reformer Needed for Surgeon General
Earlier this month I raised concerns about the trial balloon floated for Surgeon General, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
The doctor is a health commentator for CNN who dispenses medical advice with a breezy style appropriately suited to the brief two-minute segments of television. While he has earned praise for his television persona, there are undeniable drawbacks that would limit his effectiveness as an advocate for the comprehensive health care reform this country urgently needs.
The TV Doctor has close ties to the pharmaceutical and health care industries and for not disclosing the sources of his speaking fees which command up to $50,000 per appearance.
His strong criticisms of reform beg the question whether his cozy relationships with the health care industry would compromise his ability to lead the U.S. Public Health Service and serve as a vocal advocate for change.
Please Act Now. Demand a Serious Reformer for Surgeon General.
Too many questions linger about the qualifications of Sanjay Gupta for him to lead our Public Health Service. Thank you again for your commitment to a better democracy.
Your Friend,
John Conyers, Jr.
If you could help end modern-day slavery in Florida's fields with an email, would you?
Click here to take action today!
Even as we continue putting the pieces together for a major campaign calling on food service providers to take responsibility for farmworker exploitation, the latest case of slavery in Florida's fields - and Florida Governor Charlie Crist's deafening silence in response - compels us to take action in a different way today.
Please visit the SFA site (sfalliance.org) today and read the below message from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to find out more about this important action alert and to take action now.
Obama's nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, the chief operating officer of the Pentagon, is a lobbyist for Raytheon.
William Lynn, is due $1.5 million in payouts for his work lobbying for the defense industry. This revolving door has to stop. We need to break the military-industrial complex and stop having defense contractors and their lobbyists working on the inside of the Pentagon.
Please take two steps:
Write the Armed Services Committee and tell them to reject the nomination. The message - no defense contractor lobbyists inside the Pentagon.
Write President Obama and urge him to withdraw the nomination and replace it with an independent voice who will look critically on the bloated military budget.
Our task is bigger than ending the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - it is to challenge the military- industrial complex that has resulted in a military budget as big as the whole world combined. The nomination of William Lynn is an opportunity to say no to lobbyists inside the Pentagon.
Kevin B. Zeese, Executive Director
Voters For Peace
From Progressive Democrats of America:
"Healthcare, NOT Warfare"
And from Truth & Justice Radio:
"Single Payer, NOT extending Medicare"
Conversion to Single Payer should be included in the
"stimulus" package as it would increase health care
jobs, lower costs for employers, and cost a tiny
fraction of the $700-900 billion stimulus package.
It is estimated that 60% of home foreclosures are due
to a health care crisis on the part of a home owner.
[COMMENT FROM STAN: One person at PDA has bought
somebody's claim that the best way to do this is to
incrementally extend Medicare to all ages (i.e.,
descend the age requirement slowly). It comforts him
that this idea is showing some support in Congress and
the Executive branch. This is frightening. We know
that extending Medicare is NOT the best way. For many
reasons, we need 100% Single Payer, NOT more Medicare.
Medicare, with its thicket of substantial exclusions,
deductibles, copays, gaps, limits, provider
writedowns, privatization scams, and regressive
financing scheme, would be the WRONG way to go.
Congressmembers supporting Medicare extension should
be regarded as dangerous.]
PDA asks that we read the article
linked here.
PDA board member Norman Solomon points out in another
article (
We say "Healthcare NOT Warfare" and ask you to join
our campaign. The time has come to redirect
unnecessary and wasteful military spending to meeting
human needs.
PDA's suggested petition
asks to prioritize "Healthcare NOT Warfare."
In 2008, dozens of local and state parties passed
resolutions supporting single-payer healthcare, and
rejecting the occupation of Iraq. With our allies,
PDA successfully amended the 2008 Democratic Party
Platform to include "guaranteed health care for every
man, woman, and child" and "everybody in, nobody left
out." We hope to pass more resolutions to support
"Healthcare NOT Warfare" at the local and state
Democratic conventions, and in cities, counties, and
states across the country.
Do you know about the Fusion Center?
It knows about you.
Please take a moment to ask your state legislators to co-sponsor Senator Harriette Chandler's new bill -- An Act Regarding the Commonwealth Fusion Center and Other Intelligence Data Centers -- filed on behalf of the ACLU of Massachusetts.
So what is the Fusion Center anyway?
In the aftermath of 9/11, then-Governor Mitt Romney enlisted Massachusetts in a national plan to centralize and expand the government's ability to collect and retain detailed information on ordinary Americans, for the professed purpose of preventing terrorism.
Without public debate, Romney established the Commonwealth Fusion Center, a multi-agency data-mining hub which enables federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to comb through information about Massachusetts residents and engage in domestic intelligence collection beyond the bounds of ordinary criminal investigations.
Take action now! Find and contact your legislators. Urge them to support Senator Chandler's bill to provide oversight of the Commonwealth Fusion Center.
Historically, unregulated database-driven policing has led to broad surveillance of completely lawful activities, including protected First Amendment activity -- and it's happening again in Massachusetts in 2009.
The Fusion Center operates today with virtually no independent oversight, without adequate privacy protections, and without necessary protections for constitutional rights. With your help, we can -- and must -- shine a light on the Fusion Center's operations and insist that any intelligence operations in Massachusetts be conducted in keeping with established civil liberties principles.
The ACLU of Massachusetts Legislative Team
The Employee Free Choice Act is critical to our economic recovery. Good union jobs helped build America's middle class. This legislation will rekindle the American Dream by leveling the playing field and empowering workers to form unions and bargain for a better life.
That's why greedy CEOs are terrified of this bill. One top executive has called it "the demise of a civilization." And they're fighting with underhanded tactics, misleading ads, shady front groups and, of course, big budgets.
But we can win if enough of us get involved. Members of Congress have a weeklong break this month, and we've planned hundreds of lobby meetings at their home offices. Imagine those workers handing over our petition and being able to say, "Two million people support the Employee Free Choice Act."
a href=http://freechoiceact.org>Move us closer to 2 million signatures--it just takes one minute.
Disgrace for Democracy, Israel is detaining right now 40% of the Palestinian MPs who represent the people
Disgrace for Democracy: 51 Palestinian MPs and Ministers are Detained in Israeli prisons along with 11.870 Palestinian citizens
A serious crime and new political slap in the face for democracy is committed by the Zionist system against representatives of the Palestinian people by the abduction of the Palestinian ministers and MPs. The latest of which was the arrest of MP Ahmed al-Haj from the city of Nablus on 16/12/2007. Al-Haj is over Seventy-years old.
Earlier on the 10th MP Dr. Maryiam Saleh Minister for Women in the Palestinian government has been abducted too. Dr Mariyam is a member in the Legislative Council from Ramallah governorate.
The Minister of Palestinian Prisoner is in prison since many years... for the fifth time.
There are more than 11,870 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, 117 of them are mothers. Some give birth while chained, and their children are forced to live in the cells where they do not live their childhood or play or go out.
I don't have to tell you about lack of healthy conditions, or medical negligence. Some prisoners are denied warm clothes sent to them by their families. They are held in 30 different prisons, and detention centers. 1189 prisoners are schools, collage, and universities students of both genders, 330 of the detained are children. Not only the students were detained, but their teachers too, there are 107 Palestinian teachers in Israeli prisons. 1150 Palestinian prisoners suffer acute illnesses.
A large number of the detained are denied visits by family members.
Thousands of Palestinian detainees in the Negev desert prison and other detention camps such as Ofer prison near the town of Ramallah, Hawara, Qadumim, Megiddo, Nafha, Beer Sheva, Ashkelon and other prisons are shivering from the cold under waves of rain and snowfall coming from northern regions of the world especially that some are detained inside tents made of cloth surrounded by walls open to the cruel cold of the desert, living in wet tents caused by snow falls and rain, sleeping on boards made of wood which gets soaked wet.
Soon, April 17th is the International day of prisoners. I hope you can join in denouncing what the Israeli government is doing to those prisoners, and demand their release to join their families.
Do not rely on journalism to get the news, journalists were the first to be attacked and harassed so that you do not know what was going on.
The records documented 1147 aggressive attacks on journalists by the Israelis. Only between 28th of September 2000, and 31st of March 2007.
Please sign the petition and buy those prisoners some happiness.
We are hoping to get at least 11.000 signitures, one for each prisoner, and present this petition to International Human Rights bodies like Amnesty International, and United Nations. Please Circulate this petition to all the people you can get the message through to them. It is about time we show solidarity for each other on human level.
Sponsored by:
Iqbal Tamimi Creator of Palestinian Mothers Network
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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).
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.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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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)
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.
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.
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.
Meet briefly at the statue to exchange thoughts,
then walk silently around the Yard and nearby streets,
returning to the statue by 12:30pm.
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.
Join the Boston Tea Party Conference call,
Participant call in: 402-756-9100; Access code: 680903#
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.
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.
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.