Boston, Common
Truth and Justice Radio
|
|
|
LOCAL EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS |
Democracy Now! Reporters Need Your Help.Support Cindy Sheehan PollOffshore Drilling bill to include Nuclear Subsidies |
|
|
Continuing Events Announcements |
Sun |
Mon |
Tues |
Wed |
Thur |
Fri |
Sat |
Future |
BYOP is a youth-led, adult-supported organization that works for social change and justice in the Boston area. Each year BYOP youth organizers choose a number of campaigns to work on in individual schools as well as on a citywide basis. One of the major campaigns continuing from last year is the campaign for the youth way on the MBTA. This campaign focuses on the rights of young people to have access to affordable and equitable use of the MBTA for school, after school programs, and work.
BYOP has been located on the 5th floor of the Community Church of Boston since summer of 2005.
For advance tickets call 617.931.2000 or visit our event site.
A benefit for artists affected by Hurricane Katrina featuring former Chief Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter followed by elusive comedian Tony Clifton.
Join former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter at 7:00 PM for a discussion about the “War on Terror,” Iran in the crosshairs, the possibility of a new Cold War with Russia, and what it was like to be in St. Paul during the RNC.
After Ritter speaks, the audience is invited to stay for for a very special comeback performance by Tony Clifton and his Katrina Kiss My Ass Orchestra.
This event marks the 25th anniversary of Andy Kaufman’s departure. All proceeds benefit U.S. Tour of Duty and Comic Relief (artists affected by Hurricane Katrina).
SCOTT RITTER, author of Target Iran, Waging Peace and Iraq Confidential, was one of UNSCOM's most senior weapons inspectors in Iraq between 1991 and 1998, after having served for eight years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. As a Marine, he conducted arms inspections in the former Soviet Union, and provided analysis of Iraq's missile capacity to General Schwarzkopf in the 1991 Gulf War. Nation Books is the publisher of "Target Iran," "Iraq Confidential," and "Waging Peace." “The most important thing to know about Scott Ritter is that he was right.” - Seymour Hersh
TONY CLIFTON, the alter ego of late comic genius Andy Kaufman, is back with a vengeance. The hilariously abusive lounge lizard with the tin pipes returns from a long hiatus with a raucous new show. The music, comedy and dance revue features Clifton presiding over a 10-piece band culled from displaced Gulf Coast musicians, along with the Cliftonettes, a bevy of beautiful and sexy dancers/singers.
The Chicago Tribune describes “Tony Clifton and his Katrina Kiss My Ass Orchestra as “a bacchanalia with a horn section that lands somewhere near deep, deep parody, a live taping of a Howard Stern show, an episode of Hee-Haw, political satire, a New Orleans jam session led by a decent group of session musicians, and an evening at Nevada's Moonlite Bunny Ranch where Clifton hangs out.” This show, its star, ripping band, and sexy broads boasts a show that lasts for over three hours.
For the uninitiated, Clifton was discovered by Kaufman in 1969 while performing in a seedy lounge in Las Vegas. Mesmerized, Kaufman engaged Clifton to open for him on several occasions, most notably his historic "Carnegie Hall Concert." In the ‘80s, Clifton appeared numerous times on such shows as David Letterman, Merv Griffin, and Dinah Shore. He was a favorite of Jim Henson and appeared on The Miss Piggy Special. Rodney Dangerfield hired Clifton to open for him at Bill Graham's world famous Fillmore in San Francisco.
After Kaufman's untimely departure, Clifton made a “miraculous” appearance at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles on May 16, 1985 - one year to the day after Kaufman's death. Over the next few years, he disappeared, with only the occasional "sighting" reported. After a brief appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show in 2004, followed by a one night sold-out performance at LA's House of Blues, Clifton has been incommunicado... until now! Kaufman's protégé is back with "The Return of Tony Clifton," making it possible for audiences all across the country to witness this legendary performer in the flesh.
The one and only debate between Ed O'Reilly and John Kerry can be seen Sunday at 10:30 pm on TV 38, WSBK- TV.
O'Reilly suggests: Please take the time to watch the debate! It is well worth your time!
As you know, John Kerry has refused to have any more debates with Ed. After viewing the debate, you will see why more debates are essential to the Democratic Process and also, why John Kerry has refused to partake in more dialogue. John Kerry’s debating career goes all the way back to his high school days in New Hampshire. This was Ed's first debate.
John Kerry continues to use millions of dollars on one way advertising and direct mail as this campaign approaches the Primary on September 16th. O'Reilly says: This is approach is an affront to the voters of Massachusetts.
“The United States Senate seat from Massachusetts can not be bought and this campaign has, from day one, been a referendum on democracy. It is truly shameful that John Kerry has ducked debates” Ed O’Reilly said, yesterday.
Cable TV subscribers, please note that Channel 38 will probably be carried under a different channel number depending upon your cable TV company.
We urge activists and groups in the U.S. to help promote the new film by Mohammed Alatar--Jerusalem: The East Side Story . Mohammed will be on tour in the U.S. this fall.
The film, according to film critic Sam Bahour, "squeezes nearly one hundred years of history into an hour or so of cinema. It mainly exposes the past forty years of Israeli military occupation policies in Jerusalem and their devastating impact on the city and its peoples" See a full review of the film by Sam Bahour at The Electronic Intifada .
Alatar is also the director of The Iron Wall "which depicts the Israeli strategy of creating facts on the ground -- facts that are rapidly precluding a negotiated peace between Palestinians and Israelis".
Alatar is currently on tour in Europe and will be available for showings of Jerusalem: The East Side Story in the U.S. from October 21 through December 15, 2008.
Financial expectations: Mohammed will pay his own way to the U.S. Groups that want to sponsor a film showing are asked to pay for domestic flights, ground transportation and lodging. [NOTE: The cost of domestic air travel will be evenly divided among all the groups in the U.S. sponsoring a visit-perhaps as low as $250 if enough groups in major cities of the U.S. get involved]. Mohammed's preference is to stay in a hotel or motel ("nothing fancy"). An honorarium would be much appreciated, Mohammed says, "to help us make a living and keep making films."
To schedule a visit by Mohammed Alatar and a film
showing in your city:
Contact tour manager and distributor Debby Mayer
Send a copy of your email to Mohammed Alatar
For ideas on using the films in your city/community, read:Film as Resource by Brenda Bentz
Please join the Guatemala Solidarity Committee of Boston, as we host a speaking tour of human rights advocate and bishop, Alvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala.
Digging Guatemala: Gold Mines and Indigenous Community in Guatemala
Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini will join with Greater Boston's Guatemalan community and allies to celebrate the life and death of his friend, Bishop Juan Gerardi, ten years after Bishop Gerardi's assassination. Following the country's 36-year internal armed conflict, Bishop Gerardi led the Catholic Church's Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI) project. After thousands of interviews with survivors, Bishop Gerardi and his colleagues found that the vast majority of atrocities and crimes during the internal armed conflict were committed by Guatemala's army and security forces. Two days after the release of the REMHI report, Guatemala: Nunca más, Bishop Gerardi was found bludgeoned to death.
Bishop Ramazzini, also called Bishop of the Poor and Excluded, will celebrate a Mass together with Bishop Hennessey and priests of Latin American parishes of the Boston area. After the mass, there will be a free social and cultural event with Guatemalan food and music.
For more information, please contact the Guatemala
Solidarity Committee of Boston:
Rene Van Rompay
617-696-2116
Please join the Guatemala Solidarity Committee of Boston, as we host a speaking tour of human rights advocate and bishop, Alvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala.
Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini will join with Greater Boston's Guatemalan community and allies to celebrate the life and death of his friend, Bishop Juan Gerardi, ten years after Bishop Gerardi's assassination. Following the country's 36-year internal armed conflict, Bishop Gerardi led the Catholic Church's Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI) project. After thousands of interviews with survivors, Bishop Gerardi and his colleagues found that the vast majority of atrocities and crimes during the internal armed conflict were committed by Guatemala's army and security forces. Two days after the release of the REMHI report, Guatemala: Nunca más, Bishop Gerardi was found bludgeoned to death.
Bishop Ramazzini, also called Bishop of the Poor and Excluded, will celebrate a Mass together with Bishop Hennessey and priests of Latin American parishes of the Boston area. After the mass, there will be a free social and cultural event with Guatemalan food and music.
For more information, please contact the Guatemala
Solidarity Committee of Boston:
Rene Van Rompay
617-696-2116
This event is an ACLU of Massachusetts conversation
with:
- Eric Alterman, The Nation
- Ellen Hume, MIT Center for Future Civic Media
- Callie Crossley, Program Manager for the Nieman
Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
- Emcee: Barry Nolan, veteran TV journalist
Among the questions to be discussed:
- WHO is demanding real answers about civil liberties
in this election year?
- WHAT can we hope for from investigative reporting
given the increasing risks faced by whistleblowers?
- WHEN will the Fourth Estate assume the role of "last
line of defense" for democracy when Congress fails to
exercise a check against the executive's power grab?
- WHERE can we find the best media coverage of key
constitutional issues?
- WHY does the "war on terror" framework continue to
hamper an independent media's willingness to take
risks seven years after 9/11?
- HOW do we take advantage of opportunities offered by
new media to keep
the government responsive to the people?
Please join the Guatemala Solidarity Committee of Boston, as we host a speaking tour of human rights advocate and bishop, Alvaro Ramazzini of San Marcos, Guatemala.
Digging Guatemala: Gold Mines and Indigenous Community in Guatemala
Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini will join with Greater Boston's Guatemalan community and allies to celebrate the life and death of his friend, Bishop Juan Gerardi, ten years after Bishop Gerardi's assassination. Following the country's 36-year internal armed conflict, Bishop Gerardi led the Catholic Church's Recovery of Historical Memory (REMHI) project. After thousands of interviews with survivors, Bishop Gerardi and his colleagues found that the vast majority of atrocities and crimes during the internal armed conflict were committed by Guatemala's army and security forces. Two days after the release of the REMHI report, Guatemala: Nunca más, Bishop Gerardi was found bludgeoned to death.
Bishop Ramazzini, also called Bishop of the Poor and Excluded, will celebrate a Mass together with Bishop Hennessey and priests of Latin American parishes of the Boston area. After the mass, there will be a free social and cultural event with Guatemalan food and music.
For more information, please contact the Guatemala
Solidarity Committee of Boston:
Rene Van Rompay
617-696-2116
This is it. In the mainstream media, the Gang of 20 energy bill is all about offshore oil drilling. And, to be sure, there’s lots of that in the bill, which is expected to come up in the Senate late next week. But the bill would also be the biggest giveaway to the nuclear power industry ever.
Unlimited loan guarantees for construction of new atomic reactors. That’s right, unlimited. As much money—hundreds of billions of dollars--as everyone in the nuclear industry wants, when it wants, for as long as it wants.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how that would absolutely destroy our ability to effectively address the climate crisis and what a disaster that would be for our economy, for our nation, for our planet.
How do these Senators think they can get away with this? Because they’re not hearing from enough of us, often enough. They think this is a popular stand. We all need to stand up now and be counted.
That’s why Nuclear Information and Resource Service, NIRS, Physicians for Social Responsibility and other national groups are putting out the word for a National Call-In Day to the Senate on Wednesday, September 17. We need at least 10,000 phone calls to the Senate on Wednesday. We need the phones there to be ringing non-stop from dawn to dusk. Will you help?
Please call both of your Senators that day with a very simple message: Take taxpayer loan guarantees for nuclear power out of the Gang of 20 energy bill. (note: the bill does not yet have a number. It’s called the New Energy Reform Act of 2008, but everyone will know what you are talking about if you just say “Gang of 20 energy bill.”)
If you want to e-mail your Senators, please do (you can do so from this link; NIRS’ new e-mail-from-our- Alerts set-up still has some bugs, so we can’t quite offer that yet). But also call! It is important to keep those phones ringing all day long!
Call even if you think your Senator(s) are hopeless. Everyone walking in the halls of the Senate should hear phones ringing everywhere, all day long.
We can’t let the nuclear industry get away with this. All that can stop it now are your actions. If we all just sit back and wait for someone else to take action, we will lose. If we all make those two calls—one to each Senator, and ask each of our friends and colleagues to make those two calls, we can show the Senate what the American people really think. And we can win.
Please take five minutes to make two phone calls Wednesday. And please drop us an e-mail and let us know you called (we’ll be looking for 10,000 e-mails in our inbox by Thursday morning!).
You can read a Physicians for Social Responsibility analysis of the nuclear provisions in the Gang of 20 energy bill. The bill includes not just loan guarantees, but also more “risk insurance” for new nukes, construction of a reprocessing plant, and much more.
Mes de Independencia?/ Independence Month? Series:
ISEDUC (Salvadoran Initiative of the Education and Culture)presents a film and discussion.
"Voces Inocentes" - "Innocent Voices" (2004) is one of those films that simply blows you away with its incredibly moving story, great acting, directing, and cinematography. The movie is based on a true story, under age Salvadoran kids are forced to join the army; so they have to hide from the soldiers, in this case a kid have to be the man of the house after his father leaves the family and moves to the USA to help his family, he is told that the army is trained by the US forces and his uncle is a "guerrillero" the movie is about his survival in a small town where the daily attacks by the army takes place.
A discussion after the movie, facilitated by Jeannette Huezo and Carlos Rosales, co-founders of the Salvadoran Initiative for Education and Culture (ISEDUC).
The discussion will be around the legacy of the war, youth, women, and economic impact.
6:30pm : Climate Change: Incineration or Zero Waste?
MIT, Bldg 56 (Whitaker) Rm. 154; by car or by MBTA
(Kendall Square
Station)
Free, refreshments served.
This will be a slide presentation by authors of the
Stop Trashing the Climate report, Dave Ciplet from
Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives, and
Brenda Platt, from the Institute for Local Self-
Reliance. Right now the DEP is drafting a new Solid
Waste Master Plan and is weighing waste-to-energy v.
waste reduction.
Additional information: The Mass Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) is considering lifting
the state moratorium on more incinerator capacity,
which would open the door for harmful second-
generation incineration technologies promoted now in
Massachusetts: gasification, pyrolysis, and plasma.
Contrary to waste industry greenwashing, these facts
are supported by studies: (1). Recycling recovers far
more energy than waste-to-energy technology, and saves
material resources as well. (2) Incinerators release
dioxins and furans - among the most dangerous
compounds for human health. (3) Incinerators emit more
climate-changing CO2 per megawatt hour than coal-
fired, natural-gas- fired, or oil-fired power plants.
(4) Waste reduction creates many more jobs than waste-
to-energy. DEP is also considering Zero Waste
strategies: waste reduction, reuse, full recycling,
composting, and producer responsibility. Please let
officials know you want to retain the incineration
moratorium and support a strong wast! e reduction
target and plan, funded in part by disposal
surcharges.
Sponsored by the Massachusetts Sierra Club and MIT
Recycling.
For more information, contact
Lynne.Pledger@sierraclub.org.
4-6PM: WCFIA/CMES
Middle East Seminar
Lenore G. Martin, Sara Roy, and Herbert C. Kelman, Co-
chairs
Presents
TODD PITTINSKY
Associate Professor, JFK School of Government, and
Research Director, Center for Public Leadership,
Harvard University
On
Coexistence in Israel: Report on a National Study of
Jewish-Arab Relations
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
1737 Cambridge Street
Bowie-Vernon Room (N262)
Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs and the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies, Harvard University
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs is
located at 1737 Cambridge Street, 2nd Floor,
Cambridge, MA 02138. For more information about this
event, please contact Elizabeth Lawler at 617-495-3816
or elawler@wcfia.harvard.edu
*"I COME FROM THERE": Celebrating the Life and Poetry
of Mahmoud Darwish*
Thursday, September 18, 7.30-9.30 pm
Thompson Room, Barker Center, Harvard University
A bilingual reading by students, faculty, and
community members featuring an introduction by Sinan
Antoon, Assistant Professor of Arabic Literature, NYU
For over four decades, Mahmoud Darwish was the pre-
eminent Palestinian poet, a leading figure both in
Arabic letters and on the world literary stage..
Mahmoud Darwish passed away on 9 August, leaving
behind dozens of works translated into over 20
languages. Please join us in marking the end of the
customary 40-day mourning period ("*arba'in*") with a
celebration of his life and work.
Admission open to all. Refreshments will be served.
*Sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies
and the GSAS Alliance for Justice in the Middle East.*
For more details, contact Diana Allan
(dallan@fas.harvard.edu)
or Hedayat Heikal (hheikal@law.harvard.edu).
Friday September 19th from 5pm - 11pm
Boston City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA
Celebrating the life and work of
Jim Harney in solidarity with immigrants.
Candlelight Vigil and Community Celebration.
Let's Welcome Jim Harney as he stages the most
important walk of his life. Join us for an evening of
music, memories, community and solidarity.
Jim Harney, a 68-year-old who is battling terminal
cancer, has traveled for decades around the Americas
documenting the lives of poor peasants and migrant
workers through photography and story-telling. He is
an artist-in-residence for Posibilidad, a nonprofit
organization in Bangor, Maine, that aims to engage the
public in discussion about marginalized groups in
society.
About 6 months ago Jim, was diagnosed with terminal
cancer. Told that he only had 6 months or so to live,
he decided to take a walk. So for the last two months
he has been walking, every day, to complete a journey
from Maine to Connecticut, hoping to highlight the
plight of undocumented workers in North America.
See more information about Jim's Walk by clicking
here:
http://www.posibilidad.org/
Deadline for registration: Sat Sept 20, 2008
YOU ARE INVITED TO WOMEN'S PEACE TABLES
Women strategizing together to prevent wars
September 27, 2008 10:00am to 3:00 pm
Cathedral Church of St. Paul , Boston , MA
Universal human rights can only be fully actualized in
a context of peace and security, and sustainable peace
and security can only be fully realized by the
establishment of a just society which, by definition,
protects individual human rights. Gender equality, as
a fundamental human right, is a core prerequisite for
a just and peaceful society
You are invited to join us in a facilitated peace
table discussion, where we will collectively envision
a bold set of policies for the role of women in
preventing future wars and in protecting human rights.
In the spirit of U.N. Security Council Resolution
1325, this national project seeks to expand and follow
through on the Platform for Action set forth at the
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The
Platform for Action calls for the enhancement and
empowerment of women in the social, economic and
political realms while promoting and protecting their
rights. Our goal is to develop a locally rooted and
nationally coordinated policy agenda reflecting the
concerns and hopes of women across the U.S. Women s
Peace Tables are taking place here and across the
country, where women can come together and hammer out
their own priorities and blueprints for governing our
country
EVERY WOMAN A PEACE WOMAN
Saturday, September 27, 2008
10:00am to 3:00pm
10:00: Continental Breakfast & Registration
***Program Begins promptly at 10:30***
At: Cathedral Church of St. Paul , 138 Tremont St. ,
Boston , MA
Sproat Hall (follow walkway to door at side of church
and then follow signs)
Please Bring your own lunch
No charge for the workshop. Donations will be
gratefully accepted to defray workshop costs.
Registration is due by September 20, 2008
Register by contacting Libby by e-mail:
ebg17e@msn.com or phone: 1-617-969-6384
Please give her your name, e-mail and/or phone number
and your Organization s name.
Sponsored by WILPF
For leaflets about this event:
elisabeth_leonard@verizon.net
Jobs With Justice
Kickball kickboss Tournament
Saturday, September 20, 2008
2-6PM
Jamaica Pond Park
Join fellow labor and community activists for an
afternoon of fun in support for your favorite workers’
rights coalition. Put together a team of 8-12 players
or come out and watch. Either way- it’s a great way to
help a good cause. Entry fee is $25 per person and the
proceeds will help Jobs With Justice’s ongoing
campaigns in support of justice for working people and
the right to organize. KICKING BOSS AND TAKING NAMES!
RSVP teams to:
Massachusetts Jobs With Justice
617-524-8778 or
jwj@massjwj.net
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. They also work to prevent the misuses of testing practices that impede those goals. FairTest places special emphasis on eliminating the racial, class, gender & cultural barriers to equal opportunity posed by standardized tests and preventing their damage to the quality of education.
Jesse Mermell is executive director of FairTest and former executive director of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus (MWPC), a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded to increase the number of women in elected and appointed position in Mass. It provides hands-on assistance to women who are at the forefront of Mass politics; during Mermell's tenure, MWPC-endorsed candidates for elective office enjoyed a win rate of over 90%! An activist in the Mass Democratic Party, she is a member the Brookline Board of Selectmen and the board of directors of the Planned Parenthood League of Mass Advocacy Fund.
On the afternoon of Sept 21 (at 2:30 PM) BAZA will be protesting against the CJUI (Christians & Jews United for Israel) third annual Genesis Awards at Temple Emeth at Putterham Circle (South Brookline).
BAZA protested the first and second annual incarnations of this event. The protest was mentioned in the Jewish Advocate. CJUI is another one of Charles Jacobs' groups. Jacobs founded or heads many Zionist pro-war anti-Muslim groups including CAMERA, The David Project, the American Anti-Slavery Group, and the Sudan Campaign. Jacobs is also associated with Benador Associates and is on the board of advisors of the (Neocon thinktank) Foundation for Defense of Democracies. This year Jacobs and CJUI will be presenting an award to Alan Dershowitz. Please come protest.
Contact: David Rolde.
CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
THE MIDDLE EAST FORUM:
Roger Owen and Sara Roy, Co-Chairs
38 Kirkland Street
First floor Reception Lounge
Cambridge , MA
Wednesday, September 24, 4-6 PM:
Ending the Myth: Reexamining the Origins of U.S.
Policy Toward Israel and the Palestinians 1947-1949
Irene Gendzier, Professor, Department of Political
Science, Boston University
Refreshments.
For more information, please contact
Sara Roy.
This is an update on the charges against Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Sharif and Nicole were violently arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Amy was arrested requesting their release.
The Ramsey County Attorney has issued the following statement:
“Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were arrested for probable cause riot and later released pending further investigation. The St. Paul Police Department has stated those cases will not be presented to the County Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible felony charges. Instead, the Police Department will submit the cases to the St. Paul City Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible non-felony charges.”
While the felony charges have been dropped, Sharif and Nicole still face misdemeanor charges. Sharif and Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films were also issued a citation for unlawful assembly after being arrested for covering a separate protest on the final day of the RNC.
The St. Paul police have issued a citation to Amy Goodman charging her with misdemeanor obstruction of a legal process and interference with a peace officer. She was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful detention of Sharif and Nicole on the first day of the convention.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has hired two former Republican federal prosecutors – former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger and former assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Luger – to review the city’s security plan for the RNC. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “the independent review will not be a fact-finding mission to explore allegations of police wrongdoing or violations of people’s rights, Heffelfinger said.”
Contact St. Paul City Attorney and Mayor by all means possible to demand that all charges be dismissed immediately.
St. Paul City Attorney John Choi
(cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org) (651) 266-8710
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman
(cc: dropthecharges at democracynow.org)
(651) 266-8510
During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested, law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, as was a photographer for the Associated Press.
In early August, 10 senators (five Democrats and five Republicans) released a “compromise” energy plan to allow for some offshore oil drilling. The group has been dubbed the Gang of 10. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated he is likely to allow a vote on an energy bill in September. However, the Gang of 10 have not yet put their compromise into legislative form, so there is no bill number or exact language. While the Gang of 10’s plan has been widely reported on, few have noticed that their plan includes $80+ to $160+ Billion in new subsidies for the nuclear power industry.
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she too is likely to allow a vote on some sort of energy bill in September. Again, no specific bill language has yet been announced. However, a group of predominately Republican House members have introduced what they call the “All of the Above” energy bill (HR 6384) which would include about $120 billion in new nuclear subsidies.
NIRS has suggested citizen lobbying to stop this
horrible nonsense.
Email contact: nirsnet@nirs.org
phone: 301-270-6477
From our friends at Jobs With Justice...
Healthcare plan? Hand sanitizer.
Employee benefits package? Soda in the break room.
Welcome to a workplace that's seriously out of-whack.
Watch this video then sign our petition!
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/711dbOp1OuH4/
Let's face it. Something's out of whack when CEOs rake
in hundreds of times what their employees earn, while
workers get the boot just for talking about unions.
It could almost be a bad joke if it weren't such a
serious problem. That's why we teamed up with the
award-winning producers at Brave New Films to make
this video, hope you take a minute to sign our
petition after you watch.
On Nov. 4th, you will be asked to vote on eliminating the state income tax ("Question One"). In light of that, we are asking you to choose what should be cut in the case that this reckless initiative passes. Please take a moment to give us your opinion!
I would cut….
Vaccinations for children (they are too healthy already!)
Meals for the elderly (can't they cook for themselves?!)
Wage and hour enforcement (Let's trust bosses to obey the law!)
Water purification (I like to drink my water leaded!)
Road maintenance (pothole avoidance and bridge collapses make the commute interesting!)
School funding (We is learning our kids too good now!)
Caring for the developmentally disabled (Survival of the fittest!)
EMTs (cut down on hospital waiting times!)
Public Universities (All our kids should be going to Harvard anyways!)
Snow Removal, (car sledding is fun for the whole family!)
None of the Above- Cutting our Income Tax is going to make a bad situation worse!
Fact sheet downloadable from votenowquestionone.com
A universal single-payer health plan has again been introduced in Congress by Rep. Conyers (D-MI), this time with the support of 90 other members, numerous unions, and independent groups.
HR676.org, PO Box 882122, Port Saint Lucie FL 34988
800-680-9310
info@HR676.org
We all know Cindy Sheehancan win, but how do we prove it to the rest of the world?
With the general election a mere two months off, two things are clear in the Congressional race in San Francisco, where Cindy Sheehan is bravely challenging Nancy Pelosi there.
1) Sheehan has very broad support in the district, otherwise she would not have achieved the amazing feat already of collecting and getting verified over 10,000 nominating signatures from her S.F. constituents to put her on the ballot as an independent, and
2) The corporate media will go out of its way to ignore the race unless we put it right in their face.
USALONE believes what Cindy really needs now is a serious POLL in her district, which we believe would show how strong she is running, even winning, right now. Please make a donation if you can to help finance engaging a major polling company to do this.
In one month, the Free Gaza Movement will sail on a mission of civil resistance: breaking into the prison that is Gaza.
We are students and teachers, human rights observers and aid workers, lawyers, medics, activists - parents and grandparents. We are Americans and Europeans, Israelis and Palestinians, Australians, South Africans, and more. We are of all ages and backgrounds. Collectively, we have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank. Because of our human rights work, the state of Israel has banned many of us from re-entering Palestinian areas. Because of the ongoing blockade, the rest of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza at all. Despite deteriorating conditions, the great need for international assistance, and the invitations of our Palestinian partners - the Israeli Government will not allow us into Gaza to help. Will you help?
We must break the siege of Gaza. Conditions there are already catastrophic. We have to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of Gaza and deeply pressure Israel and the international community to lift the blockade and end the Occupation. As people of conscience our actions must be commensurate with the crisis.
We've tried to enter Palestine by land. We've tried to arrive by air. Now we're getting serious. We're taking a ship. Please look into your hearts and ask yourselves if the collective punishment and virtual imprisonment of one and a half million human beings can ever be justified. If your answer’s “no,” then we want your help this August when we break into Gaza and try to break out of this siege.
If you’d like more information, or if you can donate money or medical supplies (such as hearing aids), please visit their website at FreeGaza.org.
Boston Palestine Film Festival
Asking for contributions now.
Festival is October 4 thru 12, 2008.
2007: With over 40 films, BPFF brought authentic
Palestinian perspectives, experiences and culture to
venues as prestigious and diverse as the Museum of
Fine Arts, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Kendall Square
Cinema, Harvard Film Archive, Harvard University and
Boston College. BPFF featured several US premieres
and included appearances by many noted international
filmmakers. Please visit BPFF online to view the
substantial coverage we received in the Boston Globe,
the Boston Phoenix and on WBUR, a local affiliate of
National Public Radio—to name just a few media
outlets.
2008: This year’s festival is every bit as exciting
and compelling as last year’s. We are now finalizing
our 2008 program for this coming fall, October 4th-
12th. We hope that we can count on your support to
build on the achievements of last year,
Carlos Arredondo has traveled thousands of miles with his pick up truck decorated as a memorial to his son Alex who died in Iraq . I remember when I first heard about his action as a distraught father who set himself on fire when he heard the news of his son's death. An article about Carlos appears in the Nation. Since then, as a member of Military Families Speak Out, I have come to know and love Carlos and his wife Melida as two dedicated activists for peace. You can read about Carlos' actions for peace on Democracy Now!.
Carlos and Melida would have certainly had every right to sit back and mourn the death of their son. Instead they have taken every opportunity and often at great personal expense to remind people of the true cost of war. They have traveled to every demonstration, vigil, poltiical rally, memorial and meeting with politicians to tell their story of loss, and the deep concern they feel for others who have suffered or daily face the possible loss of a family member to this endless occupation of Iraq.
Many of you have met Carlos or heard of him. You have seen his hopefulness in the face of grief. Now it's time for all of us to help put his (OUR) truck back on the road where it belongs. $20 collected from one hundred people should do it! If the travel weary truck cannot be repaired one more time, the money will go to the down payment on a new or newer truck.
Please make out checks to Carlos Arredondo and send them to me so I can present them in a lump sum
Sarah Fuhro, 8 Abbott Road Natick, Ma 01760
Sign petition against US missile offense in Poland
In a few days, the US government will likely sign an agreement with the Czech Republic government allowing the US to place a radar satellite system in that country. The satellite system is part of the US "missile defense" installations designed to be placed in Poland.
We can join our voices in support of the Czech people to say "no" to a US radar system in their country.
Please add your voice to support this effort by signing the petition.
Understanding that this empire-building strategy by the US could lead to a new arms race which threatens the Czech people, the majority of whom oppose this project. The opposition which began with a few activist voices now includes over 70 percent of the population who oppose any US military presence in the Czech Republic.
Even thought the Czech President may sign the agreement, it has to be ratified by the Czech Parliament. And the situation is far from clear, because the government has a very small mandate - not even have a majority. They were only able to pass a confidence vote after seven months of negotiations, and thanks to some two members of parliament that didn't vote against them. So they have a very weak mandate, and it is far from clear how the vote will go.
The Czech people have asked for support from around the world to bolster their campaign. They are looking for a million signatures on their petition to take to the parliament to defeat the agreement.
Sign petition on McCain/Obama statements to AIPAC
FROM Jewish Voice for Peace...
We are deeply concerned by statements that both Senator McCain and Senator Obama made at the AIPAC Conference. Please sign our petition calling on Senators Obama and McCain to moderate their stances in the interests of a peaceful future:
In particular:
1) Senator Obama declared that Jerusalem "must remain undivided." We believe the future status of Jerusalem must be negotiated.
2) Both Senators McCain and Obama promised enormous sums of unconditional military aid to Israel. We believe the U.S. must hold Israel accountable for using U.S. weapons against civilians.
3) Both Senators McCain and Obama continued to demand the exclusion of Hamas from the negotiating table. We believe peace agreement cannot be achieved without Hamas at the table.
Global Exchange Delegations to Venezuela. Here are planned events in 2008:
Democracy, Development, and Regional Integration- A New Vision for the Americas
August 09 - 19, 2008
Labor, Land Reform, and Agriculture
September 06 - 16, 2008
Health and Healing
October 04 - 14, 2008
Popular Democracy : Observing the 2008 Regional Elections
November 15 - 25, 2008
Democracy, Development, and Regional Integration- A New Vision for the Americas
December 05 - 15, 2008
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
Mass. House Bill #4477, if passed, would finally make it illegal for drivers of motor vehicles in Massachusetts to use hand-held phones while driving (as in NY and elsewhere). This bill recently passed the House and now is languishing in the Senate and may not come to the floor for a vote unless you phone or send a message to your friends in various towns and cities to have them urge their state senators (617-722- 5551) to vote for this bill.
According to Senate Assistant Majority Leader Marian Walsh, what needs to happen is for senators to get many phone calls from their constituents in favor of this bill. Passing House #4477 is a matter of public safety. Please call your senator and what would make a significant difference is for you to contact your friends throughout Massachusetts so House Bill #4477 becomes law.
U.S. war provocation against Iran: Another Tonkin
Gulf? Take Action NOW to Stop War on Iran!
The Bush Administration has initiated an extremely dangerous war provocation just off Iran's coast, in the Strait of Hormuz. With Bush on his way to the Middle East to mobilize a collection of oil-rich U.S. client states against Iran, the U.S. government is working overtime to create a phony public-relations incident to heighten tensions in the region and threaten a new war.
S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" must be stopped at all costs. (It's already been approved by the House of Representatives by a HUGE majority.)
Pick up your phone and contact our US Senators' offices to instruct them to vote "NO" on S.1959, titled "To establish the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism, and for other purposes".
If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court.
And what greater hero do we have than Dennis Kucinich, still standing strong as ever on every issue that matters. Here is his own leadership statement opposing telecom immunity.
And yet, even now, powerful corporations are pouring money into Dennis's district, to try to buy his seat out from under him by threatening him in his own primary. They are running malicious attack ads in heavy rotation. Please consider making a donation to Dennis now, to help him fight back.
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
Action Alert: The Alliance for Democracy warns us to oppose Holt bill (HR 811). We call for a ban on the use of Direct Recording Electronic voting equipment (DREs) and to require the use of paper ballots.
AFD urgently calls upon all citizens to call their Representatives to demand amendments to rectify the defects in HR 811, specifically to ban the use of DRE voting machines and require the use of paper ballots in all elections in the United States.
1. DRE systems must be banned.
2. All voting must be by voter marks on a paper ballot.
3. All recounts must be by hand counting of paper ballots.
4. All elections must have a statistically significant verification.
5. All recounts at every level of government must be by hand counting.
6. All software must be subject to public disclosure.
7. No connections to the Internet should be allowed.
8. All election records should be available to the public.
Go to for on-line information and a link to a printable flier.
A call for all people of conscience
to donate to its Lebanon Palestine Emergency Relief Fund.
All donations will be used to help Palestinian and
Lebanese victims of the latest Israeli aggression.
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail link
This oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), a non-profit, non-governmental organization in the West Bank. PARC works with 15 different small farming cooperatives. 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. PARC recently received the top BIOL award for excellence in olive oil in a competition in Puglia, Italy which included 300 participants from Italy and abroad.
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 continues to deteriorate, 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.
We hope that you will continue to support us in this endeavor, as it is more important than ever to help sustain the Palestinian economy. On our most recent trip to the region in June 2008, we found that conditions are worse than ever, with unrelenting, tightening restrictions on movement making life incredibly difficult.
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.