Sign up ASAP for late July trip to Venezuela
The Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of NY invites you
to join us in July for a 10-day trip to Venezuela
examining advances in food sovereignty and other
initiatives for social change.
When: July 27 to August 5 2009
Start and end in Caracas; visits to the states of
Cojedes, Portuguesa, and Aragua
Cost for Activities: $700. This will cover all
lodging, all transportation, and some meals for the
duration of the trip. Additional expenses during the
trip will be minimal. (BUT airfare is additional.)
Check out this article in the Monthly Review about one
of our past trips to Venezuela:
monthlyreview.org/mrzine/magdoff040208.html
Anyone interested should email cbalbertolovera@gmail.com
as soon as possible. Space is limited.
THIS WEEK'S EVENTS
SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009
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11AM: Annual Ethel & Julius Rosenberg Commemoration
SUSAN MORTIMER & BARBARA DOUGAN
"Making Families Pay: The Unseen Cost of Incarceration"
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BOSTON
565 Boylston St.
(Copley Square), Boston
Susan Mortimer, CCB member and anti-prison activist, was a founder of the
Statewide Harm Reduction Coalition. Her political analysis is informed by
real-life experience; she is the sister of a prisoner with multiple
disabilities. She works to hold bureaucrats and medical staff accountable.
Susan will address the social, economic and human costs to the families of
loved ones imprisoned in Massachusetts prisons.
Barbara Dougan is Mass. Project Director for Families Against Mandatory
Minimums (FAMM), a national non-profit that seeks to reform sentencing on
the state and federal level. Although its primary focus is on drug
sentencing, FAMM opposes all mandatory minimums which prevent individualized
justice (sentences that fit the crime). An attorney, she is also co-chair of
the Greater Boston Civil Rights Coalition and the Mass.Chapter of the
National Lawyers Guild
---------- Sunday ----------
4PM: "Simplifying My Life"
Boston Vegetarian Society's
Sunday Seminar (FREE) and optional Vegan Buffet Dinner ($9.50+tax+tip)
"Simplifying My Life"
This month's speaker event will be a real treat,
combining information and inspiration and live music.
Join with us to hear one person's attempt to
transition to a lifestyle that might be closer to a
sustainable way to live - dealing with food, heat,
electricity, transportation, entertainment, family
life, and activism: told through stories, pictures,
and songs.
Our speaker, Newell Hendricks, now retired, spent most
of his adult life as an opera composer. For the past
12 years he has become increasingly involved in Latin
American solidarity work. With this exposure to the
culture of the Global South, he has attempted to
become more intentional about his already simple life
style (musicians don't earn much money).
MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2009
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7PM: WHY IS EVERYONE TALKING ABOUT
A "SINGLE PAYER HEALTH PLAN"?
Somerville Public Library - Main Branch
79 Highland Avenue, Somerville
(Wheelchair Accessible)
Come to a community forum on what "Single Payer"
really means and how it will keep us all healthier and
stimulate the economy!
Dr. Rachel Nardin, Neurologist and President of the MA
chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan
(PNHP) will present on the pending single payer
legislation.
The presentation will be followed by a Question &
Answer session.
RSVP: Not required, but appreciated!
Sponsors: Somerville/Medford United for Justice with
Peace, Somerville Teachers Association, Jobs with
Justice Health Care Action Committee, Mass-Care
Questions? 617-776-4704 or kcloud@rcn.com
---------- Monday ----------
TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009
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4PM: Join the Picket Line to demand that Wells Fargo:
Use the bailout funds as intended
and Restore our jobs and homes.
1 Boston Place, Boston
Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the U.S.,
received a $25 billion bailout from taxpayers to save
jobs and businesses and put our nation on the road to
economic recovery. Wells Fargo is blocking that
recovery, cutting off credit to Quad City Die Casting,
a well-run, viable family-owned manufacturer that has
operated in Moline, IL, for 60 years. Unless Wells
Fargo restores financing, the plant will close July
1st destroying 100 good paying union jobs.
Besides putting manufacturing jobs in jeopardy, the
City of Baltimore has sued the bank, alleging that
Wells Fargo targeted African American communities into
subprime loans even when the customers' incomes and
credit qualified them for safer prime loans. Baltimore
officials say more than half the homes foreclosed by
Wells Fargo now stand vacant.
Sponsors: United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers
of America (UE) and Massachusetts Jobs With Justice
For more information, contact Jennifer Doe at (617)
524-8778, or jennifer@massjwj.net
---------- Tuesday ----------
6:30PM: Roundtable discussion on building the antiwar movement
Encuentro 5
33 Harrison Ave, Chinatown, MA 02111
info@encuentro5.org or call 617-482-6300
6:30 PM - Pizza and Refreshments
7:00 PM - Discussion
We invite antiwar activists to consider how we can
build a united movement that supports the various
campaigns and actions of our local organizations. Join
us in a discussion of strategy for building the
antiwar movement locally, regionally, and nationally.
Everyone is welcome to come!
Sponsor:
National Assembly Organizing Committee of Boston
For more information please call: 617-230-9382
stopthewars.org
natassembly.org
---------- Tuesday ----------
7PM: Ridgeley Fuller - The Children of Gaza
Waltham Public Library,
735 Main St, Waltham, MA 02451 (781) 314-3425
Ridgely will be sharing her stories, photos and
reflections about her recent trip to Gaza as a member
of a humanitarian delegation invited by the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA).
Ridgeley's delegation focussed on aiding the children
of Gaza who have suffered through 22 days of war and 2
years of blockaded borders. Waltham Concerned Citizens
is sponsoring the event. For more information call
Gene at 781-899-6230.
Peter Metz (Newton Dialogues on Peace and War)
617-964-8447
newtondialogues.org
walthamconcernedcitizens.org
---------- Tuesday ----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2009
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6:45-9PM: Peacemakers Report From Palestine/Israel
Morse Institute Library
14 East Central Street, Natick
Sponsored by Pax Christi Metrowest
International peace activists, Scott Schaeffer-Duffy
and Brenna Cussen, talk about their recent trip to the
Middle East as part of a Catholic Worker Peace Team.
Scott Schaeffer-Duffy is founder and co-director with
his wife, award-winning journalist Claire Schaeffer-
Duffy, of the Catholic Worker Community in Worcester.
Catholic Workers spend their lives doing works of
mercy and taking actions of protest and resistance to
war and social injustice. Scott and Claire founded
their House over twenty years ago, and are the parents
of four children.
Brenna Cussen, a fellow Catholic Worker, has traveled
to Israel, and to the West Bank where she lived for
three months as part of the Michigan Peacemakers Team,
as well as to Darfur, Sudan. She has written for and
has edited the Catholic Peace Fellowship Newsletter.
She holds a Master's Degree in Peace Studies.
Pax Christi USA commits itself to peace education and
promotes the gospel imperative of peacemaking as a
priority in the Catholic Church in the U.S. as well as
internationally. Through the efforts of all its
members and in cooperation with other groups, Pax
Christi USA works toward a more peaceful, just, and
sustainable world.
"Violence ends where love begins."
Co-sponsors of this event:
The Peace Abbey,
Metrowest Peace Action,
St. Theresa's Social Justice Committee.
Questions? Contact:
Judith Rich, judithrich@hotmail.com 508-653-0893,
or Faith Madzar, fmadzar@gmail.com, 508-655-0268
---------- Wednesday ----------
7PM: 9/11: Blueprint For Truth -- The Architecture of
Destruction
Regent Theatre
7 Medford St, Arlington, MA 02474
(781) 643-4488
Admission is $10
Presented by The Boston 911 Truth Committee
A discussion will follow the film.
Produced by Architects and Engineers for 911 Truth
(www.ae911Truth.org), this powerful documentary film
presents new scientific evidence of
explosive/controlled demolition in the 2001 attacks
upon World Trade Centers 1, 2 and 7.
The "war on terror" is a fraud, based on a false
explanation of the events of 9/11. Exposing the
fraud is the key to ending the ongoing wars. Please
come to this film and see Richard Gage, an outstanding
San Francisco architect explain the clear evidence for
a controlled demolition and help support the NYC voter
initiative for a NYC commission to investigate the
events of 911.
All net proceeds will benefit NYCCAN - The New York
City Coalition for Accountability Now. NYC CAN is non-
partisan organization comprised of 9/11 Families,
First Responders, Survivors and concerned citizens
committed to bringing about an independent, impartial
investigation into the events of September 11. (see
www.NYCCAN.org for details)
The money is urgently needed to help fund an ongoing
voter initiative to empower an independent New York
City commission to investigate the September 11
attacks.
Please come, bring a friend, and give generously to
support a new investigation and the uncovering of 9/11
Truth.
For more details contact Chris Gruener at:
chris.gruener@verizon.net
or 617-965-6552
---------- Wednesday ----------
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2009
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2-7PM: Torture Accountability Action Day
at Harvard Square T-Stop
"The Pit" ("free speech" area adjacent to main
entrance to Harvard Sq. red line T-Stop)
Guest speakers expected include:
3:00 - Faisal Fahad, brother of a detained peace
activist
freefahad.com/
4:00 - Tausif Paracha, whose uncle has been detained
in Guantanamo since 2003
freeparachas.org/
5:00 Shahid Buttar, Executive Director of Bill of
Rights Defense Committee (BORDC)
bordc.org/
Wear Orange armbands or orange jumpsuits
Susan C. Paine Serpa
Facilitator, Northeast Impeachment Coalition
Coordinator, National Accountability
617-599-5195
neimpeach@gmail.com
warcriminalwatch.org
---------- Thursday ----------
Doris Tennant and Ellen Lubell are two Newton lawyers
who have been working pro-bono in defense of a young
Algerian man imprisoned at Guantanamo' for over 7
years without charges or a trial. They have spoken
before about the situation at Guantanamo' - the last
time being shortly after the Supreme Court decision
denying the Bush administration's claim that the
prisoners were not entitled to "habeas corpus"
protection. President Obama's recent statements appear
to be inconsistent with this ruling. Mss. Tennant and
Lubell are now ready to bring us up to date with the
latest information about what has and has not changed
since this historic decision and since the dramatic
changes in policy that Barack Obama announced shortly
after he came into office.
Co-sponsored by Newton Dialogues on Peace and War and
Social Workers for Peace and Justice
Peter Metz
Newton Dialogues on Peace and War
617-964-8447
---------- Thursday ----------
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2009
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The Beehive Collective come to Jamaica Plain with
their giant, portable murals that are used as a tool
for popular analysis, education and organizing! The
bees create collaborative, hand-illustrated posters of
dizzying intricacy which are patchwork quilts of
personal stories, historical and policy narrative, and
bottom-up resistance.
In anticipation of the much-awaited "Globalization in
the Western Hemisphere" triptych, we will explore the
detailed and powerful messages from the Beehive
Collective's "Plan Columbia", "The True Cost of Coal"
and "Mesoamerica Resiste".
This trilogy is an engaging venture through a larger
than life versions of the Collective's graphics using
banners that dwarf the presenters and a six foot tall
fabric flip-book. In a format they've dubbed "picture
lecture," the bees take participants through their own
story before the plunge into their graphic trilogy:
the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Plan Colombia,
and nigh-complete Mesoamerica Resiste works are
presented in sequence. The Beehive Collective heavily
encourages audience participation.
The Beehive's innovative, arts-based education
strategy provokes discussion, raises hard questions,
and offers a hopeful story in an era of too much bad
news. Presentations consist of high energy,
interactive, graphic-based picture-lectures that speak
to the overwhelming and complex picture of
globalization, militarization, and resource
extraction, as well as the small-scale changes and
actions we can undertake to build another world.
---------- Friday ----------
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009
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No events to post at this time.
---------- Saturday ----------
OTHER EVENTS
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2009
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7:30PM: CINDY SHEEHAN, Gold Star Mother
Regent Theater, 7 Medford Street, Arlington, MA
Just a few steps from the bus stop on Mass. Ave in
Arlington Center
FREE Admission (donations welcome)
Cindy will be discussing her new Internet Book...
Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class
and the Case for Revolution.
Seating is limited so first come, first served
Cindy Sheehan began her anti-war activism after her
eldest son, Casey, was killed in Iraq on 04/04/04.
She rose to international prominence when she camped
on the literal doorstop of George Bush's Crawford
Ranch in August, 2005. Five Cape Codders joined her
action in Texas. In addition to being nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005, she has received dozens
of peace awards from all over the work. She has also
published three books: Not One More Mother's Child;
Dear President Bush; and Peace Mom: A Mother's
Journey Through Heartache to Activism.
Cindy recently published an Internet Booklet titled:
Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class
and the Case for Revolution. She is currently on tour
with this book to spark the dialogue and activism we
need to separate ourselves from the oppressive Robber
Class Systems.
For driving directions or information on public
transportation to the Regent Theater please go to
regenttheater.com
(Note: Regent Theater claims to be a politically
neutral institution that does not take sides.)
Currently thru July 13th, 2009
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DUNCAN CAMPBELL'S "BERNADETTE"
List Center, MIT
Wiesner Building, 20 Ames Street, Cambridge
Open Tue., Wed., Fri., Sat., and Sun. 12-6PM. Open Thursdays 12-8PM. Closed on Mondays.
FROM THE FILM COLLECTION: DUNCAN CAMPBELL'S "BERNADETTE," a documentary (showing in the Bakalar Gallery) that examines media representations of historical figures through a portrait of Bernadette Devlin, the Irish Republican activist who was just 21 when she was elected to Parliament.
Duncan Campbell’s film Bernadette presents an unconventional yet insightful portrait of Irish dissident and political activist Bernadette Devlin. In 1969, at the age of 21, Devlin became the youngest member of the House of Parliament. Devlin’s brilliant oratory, her fierce political independence, and her efforts at promoting class solidarity beyond sectarian divisions made her a leading figure in the Irish Republican movement. Campbell’s film utilizes archival material, found footage, animation, and scripted voice-over to upend the formal conventions of documentary filmmaking. The film serves as an exploration of recent history and subversively critiques and questions the methods by which historical figures are represented by the media.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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DONATE to SUPPORT 2 PALESTINIAN STUDENTS
at the Berkley School of Music
Please help the two Palestinians students attending
Berklee College to finish their studies. No amount is
too small. Details below. Every dollar you send will
be matched by a generous donor.
In Fall 2007, Tawassul and the American Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee (ADC-MA), brought the
Lebanese Arab composer, oud-master and UNESCO Artist
for Peace, Marcel Khalife to perform at the Berklee
Performance Center in Boston. The Student Music
Initiative was created after the concert and with the
proceeds we brought a Palestinian music student from
the Edward Said National Conservatory in Ramallah to
attend a 5-week course of study at the Berklee College
of Music in the summer of 2008.
In the course of the year planning for this concert,
we met with James McCoy Director, Community and
Governmental Affairs, Jason Camelio, Associate
Director of International Programs, and Greg Badolato,
Assistant Vice President for International Programs,
who offered the performance hall as a grant to
Tawassul and who also pledged their support to
bringing Palestinian students to the college. We were
happy to hear that in the Fall of 2008, the Berklee
College of Music admitted two students from Palestine
to the four year degree program. They are the first
Palestinians to attend the Berklee College of Music!
The two students are: Ali Amr, an accomplished Qanoon
player, age 17, and a graduate of the Edward Said
National Conservatory, and Tarek Rantissi, age 25, a
brilliant percussion player who performed in
international concerts with world famous musicians. We
have had the fortune recently to listen to Tarek and
Ali perform with the Berklee Middle East Ensemble,
directed by Berklee professor Christiane Karam, and at
the Palestinian Cultural Center for Peace in Boston.
We are really proud of the accomplishments of Ali and
Tarek, touched by how they were received by our
community, and by the support of the Berklee College
of Music. Therefore, we decided to embark on a more
ambitious program to raise funds to help Tarek and Ali
continue their studies for the next three years.
The total tuition per student is $32,000. Berklee
College has given each student a $12,000 annual
scholarship. That leaves us to fund-raise for a total
of $40,000 per year for the two students.
The good news is that we found a donor who is willing
to match dollar for dollar and up to $20,000 for every
cent that we can raise. Therefore, we have to raise
$20,000 each year to keep Tareq and Ali in their
program!
We are counting on your support to make this happen.
Please be generous!
Please send a donation to support the Student Music
Initiative. Checks can be made out and mailed to:
MECCS/ TAWASSUL
PO Box 382425
Cambridge, MA 02238
If you're a US taxpayer, your donation will be fully
tax-deductible.
Please note Student Music Initiative in the memo of
your check.
We request your pledge to help as soon as possible as
the deadline for the matching funds has been set for
June 1, 2009 so that the students can confirm their
attendance at Berklee for next year on time.
Please contact with any questions you have on this
initiative:
Hilary Rantisi Hilary_Rantisi@ksg.harvard.edu
Naila Jirmanus nailajirmanus@aol.com
Salma Abu Ayyash salmaandrea@comcast.net (Tawassul)
Omar Baddar omar_baddar@yahoo.com (Palestine Cultural
Center for Peace)
Farrah Haydar (Center for Arabic Culture)
Merrie Nejimi (ADC-MA) and Marwan El-Masri
marwanelmasri@yahoo.com (Palestinian House)
tawassul.org
adcma.org
palestinianculturalcenterforpeace.org
cacboston.org
____________
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Support Special Prosecutor to Investigate US Torture
The big fuss this week was President Obama's total
turnaround on releasing the new torture pictures.
Despite stating that they were "not particularly
sensational", in the next breath he argued that
releasing them would put our troops at greater risk,
two statements which when combined make no logical
sense.
So we say give the pictures to a special prosecutor,
who can then show them to a grand jury. That's who
really needs to see them. Obama said long ago, "Make
me do it." We don't need more pictures to do that, we
KNOW what they did, we just need to keep speaking out
about it.
We need to each of us continue to speak out for a
special prosecutor once a week from now on, until
Obama and Holder finally get the message that no
matter how many people THEY don't torture, there is no
accountability for the past, and no deterrent for the
war criminals of the future, without prosecutions NOW.
The torture started long before they commissioned
legally preposterous opinions to say the OLD torture
was suddenly now new and OK, from sycophant lawyers
one of whom (Bybee) was rewarded for his collaboration
with an lifetime seat on the appeals court.
Which is why it is all so very interesting that Cheney
has been all over the corporate media lately doing the
equivalent of a Limbaugh torture teaching tour. Why is
Dick Cheney now taking such a PERSONAL interest in
trying to retroactively sell a policy of torture to
the American people?
The answer of course is that torture was HIS program,
it was his initiative. He was the driving force in
charge of it, and he's the one who made it happen.
Listen to Cheney's answer on Meet To Press to the
question of whether Bush knew everything about the
program that he did. Listen to Cheney mumble out of
the side of this mouth that Bush "knew a great deal"
and "basically authorized it", and you can picture
Cheney doing everything but forge Bush's signature on
it, not that the little decider is himself any less
responsible.
Special Prosecutor Action Page:
peaceteam.net/action/pnum984.php
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Boycott of Israeli Products and Services
(1) IDENTIFYING RETAIL PRODUCTS MADE IN ISRAEL
Examine the UPC ("Universal Product Code") section of the product's label. (This is a bar code with 10-12 numeric digits at bottom.) If the FIRST THREE DIGITS are 729, the product is made in Israel. (The "7" will appear to left of the leftmost bar in the bar code.)
HTTP://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.php
(2) LIST OF COMPANIES WITH CONNECTIONS TO ISRAEL:
26 prominent companies with links to info
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html#list
(3) BRANDS & LABELS TO BOYCOTT:
123 prominent brands and labels with links to info
http://www.inminds.co.uk/boycott-brands.html
____________
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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.
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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.
____________
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Support Single Payer Healthcare, HR 676 and S703
HR 676 currently has 75 Cosponsors. More cosponsors are needed to move this legislation forward in the House.
A goal of 170 Cosponsors is cited by Dr Margaret Flowers,
a supporter of single payer healthcare, and one of the activists arrested at the recent Senate Finance Committee
hearings.
Please contact your Representative in the House to cosponsor HR 676. To see the current list of cosponsors,
go to Thomas, and enter the bill number in the search window, and select search by
bill number. The search produces a table of links, with a Cosponsor link in the second row of the second column.
____________
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Ask Your State Senator to Support Fusion Center Oversight Bill
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
____________
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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.
____________
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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
____________
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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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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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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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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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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 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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We have quietly been working away at TecsChange in Chinatown 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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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.
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EVERY SUNDAY
---------- 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 ----------
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----------
Saturday Anti-War Vigils
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- 11-11:30am Weston, Old Boston Post Rd at School St
Traffic island with flowerpot, Contact person: Mary Shaw
- 11-11:45am Quincy City Hall
- Noon-1pm Natick Center (Rt 27 & 135)
- Noon-1pm Sudbury Town Hall
- Noon-1pm Coolidge Corner, Brookline Peace Works
- 12:30 PM Needham Center on the Green
- 1-2pm Park Street T station
---------- 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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