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The Green-Rainbow Party is rooted in 10 Key values, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice and Equal Opportunity, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Community Based Economics, Feminism, Respect for Diversity, Personal and Global Responsibility, and Future Focus on Sustainability. Our speakers will engage us in a dialogue about the strategic use of voting to make changes in our society.
Merelice is the co-chair of the Massachusetts affiliate of the Green-Rainbow Party. Gary Hicks is a former co-chair. Both are committed organizers in Boston's progressive communities.
Kevin Funk and Steve Fake, authors of the new book Scramble for Africa: Darfur Intervention and the USA, analyze the current humanitarian crisis in Darfur and the activist movements surrounding it, thereby taking on both the US government and the Save Darfur coalition alike. The authors present the basic information on the political and military aspects of the conflict, examine the options, and suggest ways forward, always with a concern for the broader international implications and for the hundreds of thousands of victims.
John Ghazvinian, author of Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil, calls their book: "Explosive, masterful, and impeccably fair. Consider it the thinking person's guide to Darfur."
The authors have been researching and writing about Darfur since early 2006. Their writings have been published in such media as Foreign Policy in Focus, Sudan Tribune, Common Dreams, CounterPunch, ZNet, and Black Commentator.
Wellesley College is hosting a debate among the three candidates for the Fourth Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Barney Frank(Democrat) and challengers Earl Sholley (Republican) and Susan Allen (Independent) have accepted the invitation from Wellesley's Political Science Department.
The debate will take place Sunday, Oct. 26, at 4:30 pm in Tishman Commons, Wang Campus Center, on the Wellesley College campus, 106 Central St., Wellesley, Mass. The event is free and open to the public. The doors will open at 3:30 pm.
The debate will be moderated by Tom Burke, Wellesley College associate professor of political science.
Each candidate will begin with a 2-3 minute opening statement followed by 45 minutes of moderated questions and answers and a 2-3 minute closing statement by each candidate. The order of speaking will be determined randomly.
SORRY, NO CONTACT INFORMATION
4PM: Join City Councilors Chuck Turner & Charles Yancey and community activists & trade unionists in a
PRESS CONFERENCE - RALLY Curley Room, Boston City Hall
National Grid and NStar: Restore Heat and Light to all those who have been cut off NOW!
Governor Patrick: Declare an Economic State of Emergency and issue an executive order to insure that no one goes without heat or light this winter!
Mayor Menino: Declare a State of Emergency in Boston and ensure no one is without heat and light in the city!
National Grid and NStar must open their books and reveal exactly who has been and remains shut off, and restore power to these families immediately!
Governor Patrick should utilize his powers under state law (Chapter 639) to declare a Gubernatorial State of Emergency, and issue an executive order insuring that no one is left in the cold and dark this winter.
This press conference / rally is part of nationally coordinated local protest actions demanding "Bail Out the People, Not the Bankers". Actions will occur in over a dozen cities around the country on October 24- 27 saying:
Local Endorsers (partial list): City Councilor Chuck Turner; City Councilor Charles Yancey; Frantz Mendes, President, USW Local 8751 (Boston School Bus Union); Bishop Filipe Teixeira, OFSJC, Diocese of St. Francis of Assissi, CCA; Tony Hernandez, Organizer, District Council 35, Painters and Allied Trades; New England Human Rights for Haiti; Women's Fightback Network, FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together)
For more information contact: Councilor Turner's office - 617-635-3510
Women's FightBack Network - Boston: 617-522-6626 wfn@iacboston.org
National Office: 212-633-6646
6PM: Litigating International Law: Israel's Settlement
Policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Hauser 102, Harvard Law School
A talk and discussion with Mark Arnold, attorney for the Village Council of Bil'in, and John Reynolds, researcher with al-Haq.
Mark Arnold, a Canadian civil litigator with Gardiner Miller Arnold LLP, is representing the Village Council of the West Bank village of Bil'in its groundbreaking lawsuit in Canada against two Canadian construction companies for their involvement in the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
John Reynolds is a legal researcher with al-Haq, a leading Palestinian human rights NGO based in Ramallah. He is the author of the December 2007 report, "Where Villages Stood: Israel's Continuing Violations of International Law in Occupied Latroun, 1967-2007."
This event is sponsored by the HLS Human Rights Program, the Islamic Legal Studies Program, and HLS Justice for Palestine.
Contact: Hilary Rantisi
NOON: Tuesday Seminar: Radical Democracy in the Andes:
Indigenous Peoples Experiences in Local Government
*Location:* CGIS South, 1730 Cambridge Street, S-250,
Cambridge
*Contact:* Monica Tesoriero
Donna Lee Van Cott, Associate Professor of Political
Science, University of Connecticut.
Opportunity for comments and questions to follow
presentation. The Tuesday Seminar is co-sponsored by
the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
In Sickness and in Wealth explores the connections between healthy bodies, healthy bank accounts, and skin color. Four individuals from different walks of life demonstrate how one’s position in society – shaped by social policies and public priorities – affects health. We see how racial inequality imposes an additional risk burden on people of color. Solutions focus not on more pills but on more equitable social policies. In Sickness and in Wealth, 56 minutes long, is the first part of the series Unnatural Causes…Is Inequality Making Us Sick? a four- hour documentary exploring racial and socioeconomic inequities in health. For more information, visit unnaturalcauses.org.
The current public discourse around race assumes that we live in a color-blind society where the American Dream is attainable by all individuals who work hard enough. This deeply flawed discourse obscures the racial disparities in employment, education, criminal justice, housing, health care, etc. and provides a powerful but faulty rationale for leaving our systems and institutions the way they are. The issues presented at the Community Change Brown Bag Discussion Series are concrete examples of the structural racism that affects the lives of all, most acutely communities of color. The 2008 Series places these issues in their social/historical context and gives attendees a truthful discourse, as well as ways to put that discourse into action, in order to challenge institutional and systemic racism.
Free with a Light Dinner Provided at 6pm Movie will be shortly thereafter
Find out what puts Cuba on the map in the quest for global health
!SALUD! looks at the curious case of Cuba, a cash- strapped country with what the BBC calls "one of the world's best health systems." From the shores of Africa to the Americas, !Salud! hits the road with some of the 28,000 Cuban health professionals serving in 68 countries, and explores the hearts and minds of international medical students in Cuba -- now numbering 30,000, including nearly 100 from the USA. Their stories plus testimony from experts around the world bring home the competing agendas that mark the battle for global health and the complex realities confronting the movement to make health care everyone's birth right.
The easiest way to find 6-100 is to enter the Main Entrance at 77 Mass Ave. Go straight ahead, all the way down the infinite corridor, take a right just before you get to the exit Walk down that corridor about 100 yards and 6-120 will be on your right It is also walking distance from the Kendal Square T.
For more information, contact: Mary Jue Xu
MFA Members, Seniors, Students $8; Adults $10
Also on Saturday, November 8, 2008, 2:15 pm
In 2006, six weeks after the war between Israel and Lebanon, a group of American political leaders and journalists visited Lebanon to assess the destruction. Postcards from Lebanon is an eyewitness report of their visit and underlines some of the consequences of war, including the impact of cluster bombs on civilians.
Now, in its second year, the Boston Palestine Film Festival is committed to showcasing the Palestinian narrative through the medium of cinema to audiences in the New England area. The Boston Palestine Film Festival is co-presented by the Museum of Fine Arts Film Department and the Harvard Film Archive. It is funded privately and through a grant from The Jerusalem Fund for education and community development.
Voices Beyond Walls: Youth Videos From Palestine 2006-
2007- showing and discussion.
Lisa Nieves Traveled to Palestine this summer to work
with youth making these short films, depicting their
lives in their own words and images.
This film is sponsored by DOWN (Dinners on Wednesday
Night) and is a potluck. Please feel free to bring
food to share.
::Films::
1. The Necklace - El Oqd / 2007 / 7:42 min: A group
of teenagers living in Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem
reenact the arrest of one of their friends who is 15
years old and being held without trial in an Israeli
prison. The boy's best friend holds onto a necklace,
a symbol of his friend and the hope for his return.
The film highlights the issue of Palestinian child
prisoners in Israeli jails but emphasizes that
friendship extends beyond all borders and barriers.
2. Victory- Nasr / 2007 / 7:36: Each of the players
on a Palestinian basketball team explains why he or
she wants to "win for Palestine." They recall their
experiences living under occupation but resolve to
work together to win the game.
3. Nablus Tragedy- Masat Nablus / 2006 / 6:50 min:
Two girls from Balata camp, Nablus bring the viewer
through their city. The narrator, Sondoz, explains
how Israeli incursions and Palestinians' inability to
maintain their city have destroyed the landscape. The
audience never sees the faces of the girls as they
walk; they imitate the famous Palestinian cartoon
figure, Hanthala, who is always depicted with his back
to the audience, in resignation of all that occurs
around him.
4. Wishing to be a Bird- Ana Asfour / 2006 / 1:42
min: The short film describes a young girl's
experience of catching a bird with her friends- and
coming to identify with the bird. Using a combination
of drawings, still photographs, and narrative, the
film uses the symbol of the bird to express the dream
of being free to see a world full of both happiness
and sadness.
5. Dreams of Jerusalem- Ahlam el Quds / 2007 / 8:00
min: Three best friends perform an act of resistance
to fulfill their deep longing to visit Jerusalem- Holy
City of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths. In
reality, they are not allowed to enter Jerusalem
because they are Palestinian. The film features the
girls' paintings of Jerusalem hung on Israel's
separation wall. This narrative is set to a famous
song about Jerusalem by Fayrouz (the Lebanese artist).
6. Theater of Stones- Masrah el Hejra / 2007 / 5:55
min: A school boy in the Jenin refugee camp recounts
his life with a friend, interspersed with scenes of
actual footage of an Israeli military incursion into
Jenin. The film contextualizes stone-throwing as a
form of resistance among young boys. The last scene
takes place in the Freedom Theater, a youth arts
center in the camp started by an Israeli woman. The
film juxtaposes the reality of life under occupation
with theater, leaving the viewer to decouple the act
of resistance from performance.
7. Memories of Nakba- Zikrayat el Nakba / 2006 / 3:28
min: Using drawings and real archival photos, the
film explores the Nakba or "Catastrophe" in 1948, the
year Israel became a state and thousands of
Palestinians were removed from their homes.
8. Hope of Freedom- Amal el Horaya / 2007 / 8:30 min:
A Palestinan grandmother tells her grandson about her
experience of the Nakba in an intimate interview. The
children from Aida camp, Bethlehem reenact her account
and become transplanted into their history, weaving
together past, present, fiction and nonfiction.
9. Palestinian Mother- Um Filistine / 2007 / 5:39
min: The story illustrates a comical situation where
three brothers individually try to entice their mother
to vote for their own political party (Hamas, Fateh
and PFLP) in the upcoming Palestinian elections. The
film humorously explores the subject of sectarian
divisions fragmenting Palestinian society in recent
times, and a mother's insistence on the strength of
Palestinian unity despite it all.
10. Return Our Happiness, AeedouLana Saadateena,
2007, 8:47 min: The film tells a story of a birthday
party set against the tensions and restrictions of
everyday life in occupied territory. Although the
friends try to celebrate like children anywhere, their
party is inevitably disrupted by circumstances beyond
their control.
4PM: To Whom Does Iraq Belong? A View from Europe
GUDRUN HARRER
Senior editor, Der Standard, Vienna, Austria; lecturer
in modern Arab history, Vienna University and
Diplomatic Academy; former special envoy of the
Austrian Presidency of the EU to Iraq.
Thursday, October 30, 2008 4:00–6:00 p.m.
WCFIA/CMES Middle East Seminar
Lenore G. Martin, Sara Roy, and Herbert C. Kelman, Co-
chairs
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
1737 Cambridge Street
Bowie-Vernon Room (K-262)
Jointly sponsored by the Weatherhead Center for
International Affairs and the Middle East Forum of the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
elawler@wcfia.harvard.edu
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
Information on upcoming sessions is available on our
website.
6:30PM: Video Showing - CUBA: AN AFRICAN ODYSSEY**, Part II
This is a fundraiser for Cuban survivors and
reconstruction after the 2008 Hurricanes. Dinner will
be provided.
Light Dinner at 6:30 Movie at 7:00
It was the Cold War’s least publicized face, that of
Africa, when Soviet designs triggered a power struggle
with the United States and European powers over an
unstable continent emerging from centuries of
colonialism. How Cuba became involved in the complex
puzzle of African liberation is the subject of this
fascinating French documentary tracing Cuban efforts
from the early days of Che Guevara in the Belgian
Congo to the 1990’s. Part II features the real reason
South Africa stopped fighting and started negotiating
with the ANC and Nelson Mandela.
Community Church of Boston
565 Boylston St. (Copley Sq)
Info: 617-536-1330 or tillyruth@aol.com
july26.org
6:30PM: Ford Hall Forum
JAMES CARROLL: "CONSTANTINE'S SWORD"
Thursday, October 30
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
C. Walsh Theater, Suffolk University
Special Event: Screening and Discussion
James Carroll: "Constantine's Sword"
Why are intolerance, violence and war so deeply
ingrained in religion? Constantine's Sword, the latest
film by Oscar-nominated documentarian Oren Jacoby,
follows James Carroll, Distinguished Scholar-in-
Residence at Suffolk University, Boston
Globecolumnist, and author of the forthcoming book
Practicing Catholic, in his search for answers to this
question. Looking to his own past and that of his
religion, Carroll addresses the darker side of
Christianity and explores the consequences of the
religion's influence on United States foreign policy.
In what ways can religion inspire us to be better
people? How can it lead us astray? And where do we, as
a society, draw the lines between our religion and
public life? James Carroll joins us to screen the film
and address the blessings and perils of religion.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Equal time will be provided for the speakers' remarks
and questions from the audience.
6:40PM: Pro-Palestine activists will be protesting the premier of Alan Dershowitz's new movie 'A Case for Israel, Democracy's Outpost' on Thursday Oct 30 at 6:40 PM outside the Regal Fenway Stadium 13 Cinema, 201 Brookline Avenue, Boston (The movie is scheduled to be shown at 7:30). Please join us.
Alan Dershowitz is a famous lawyer and Harvard Law School professor who is notorious for his racist pro- Israel activism and for his dishonesty.
Dershowitz led the opposition against a divestment- from-Israel campaign at Harvard and MIT in 2002. Also in 2002, Dershowitz published an editorial in the Jerusalem Post saying that, as a tactic to stop Palestinian resistance against Zionist occupation and ethnic cleansing, the Zionist regime should destroy entire Palestinian villages.
After liberal author/professor Norman Finkelstein pointed out that Dershowitz's book "The Case for Israel" is plagiarized as well as being wrong about the history of Palestine, Dershowitz retaliated against Finkelstein by getting Finkelstein's appearance at the Harvard Book Store cancelled and eventually by using his influence to get DePaul University to deny tenure to Finkelstein.
Dershowitz is also notorious for calling for government agencies in the "United States" to be allowed to torture suspects. He suggested that sticking needles under people's fingernails would be a good method.
The current Dershowitz movie shares the title of his discredited book. Dershowitz will be present at the premiere to lead a "discussion", i.e., a racist pep- rally against Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs. The premiere is being sponsored by the Israeli government (by the Israeli Consul General to New England, and by the Jewish National Fund), by CJP/JCRC (the billionaire funded Boston-area Zionist pro-war umbrella group), by CAMERA, the American Jewish Committee, the David Project, Hebrew College, and Christians & Jews United for Israel. The premiere of this propaganda movie is a big event for all the major Zionist groups operating in Boston.
(The film showing is already sold out.)
Contact: davidrolde@comcast.net
11:45AM: YouthFutures: Using Research and Cell Phone Technology
to Help Palestinian Students Find Jobs
with Jacob Korenblum, Co-Founder of Souktel, a non-
profit organization in the West Bank
Friday, October 31, 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Perkins Room, 4th floor of Rubenstein,
Harvard Kennedy School
Lunch will be served.
Sponsored by the Middle East Initiative and the Center
for International Development
Please RSVP to Jennifer Gala at
cid_events@ksg.harvard.edu
Sojourner Truth, Alice Paul, Frederick Douglass,
Medgar Evers, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B.
Anthony, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Harriet
Tubman and Rosa Parks invite you to join them at a
showing of three superb films about voting rights in
the USA - past and present. Host committee still in
formation.
OPTIONAL: Come as your favorite suffragist or civil
rights person. Come and see all three films, two
films, or only one. Come before, during or after your
other Halloween parties or welcoming trick or treaters
at your home. Please, come. Our democracy is at stake
in this coming election as many will be voting on
hackable electronic voting machines (both
touchscreens/DRE’s and optical scans) and as the votes
of people of color, low income people, students and
elders continues to be suppressed.
FILMS:
5:15 PM "Iron Jawed Angels: Lead, Follow, or Get Out
of the Way" with Hillary Swank, Frances OConnor, Julia
Ormond and Angelica Huston. “Taking a fresh and
contemporary look at a pivotal event in American
history, IRON JAWED ANGELS tells the true story of how
defiant and brilliant young activists like Alice Paul.
and Lucy Burns. took the women’s suffrage movement by
storm, putting their lives at risk to help American
women win the right to vote….” The first wave of
suffragists, the Silent Sentinels, protest in front of
the White House. Watch Alice Paul be tortured in
prison and a feeding tube forced down her throat. We
need to remember our foremothers and what they did to
get the vote for all of us.
7:00 "American Blackout" with Cynthia McKinney, John
Conyers, John Lewis and the late great Stephanie Tubbs-
Jones. “Your outrage is waiting…Whatever you think you
know about our election systems or Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney, this film will make you further
question why the news media fails to accurately inform
the public….” See the suppression of the vote of
people of color. This is about the 2004 election.
8:30 "Hacking Democracy" with Bev Harris and Kathleen
Wynne. “Electronic voting machines count about 87% of
the votes cast in America today. But are they
reliable? Are they safe from tampering? From a
current congressional hearing to persistent media
reports that suggest misuses of data and even outright
fraud, concerns over the integrity of electronic
voting are growing by the day. And if the voting
process is not secure, neither is America’s democracy.
The timely, cautionary HACKING DEMOCRACY exposes
gaping holes in the security of America’s electronic
voting system....” In this film you will see
electronic voting machines hacked before your very
eyes.
SUGGESTED DONATION $20.00 More if you can, less if you
can’t. No one will be turned away.
Questions:
sheila@handcountedpaperballots.org, 617-932-1424
The Film Festival is a benefit for the Center for Hand-
Counted Paper Ballots.
7:30PM: Fr. John Dear, SJ Book-Signing Reception
Sponsored by Pax Christi Massachusetts
and St. Paul's Committee on Contemporary Spiritual-and-
Public Concerns (CSPC)
Harvard Catholic Student Center,
DiGiovanni Hall, St. Paul Parish, Cambridge, MA
29 Mount Auburn Street at Arrow Street (617-491-8400)
T station: Harvard Square
7:00 Doors open
7:30 Welcome by Jerome D. MARYON, Esq., President
CSPC Committee, and by Dr. Patrick WHELAN, Co-
Coordinator Pax Christi Massachusetts.
Introduction of guest author by Dr. Paul FARMER, co-
founder of Partners In Health
Reading and Reflection by Fr. John DEAR, S.J. on his
new autobiography - A Persistent Peace: One Man's
Struggle for a Nonviolent World
8:30 Reception, sale of books, and book-signing by the
author (Book purchase: cash, or check to Pax Christi
MA)
9AM: Boston Vegetarian Food Festival!
13th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival will fill the Reggie Lewis Center with foods, products, and services that promote plant-based living and help make it fun, delicious, and easy, as well as meaningful and satisfying.
Look at our smashing roster of top national speakers from CA, NY, MA, MD, DC, Toronto, and British Columbia, who will converge at food fest and share their expertise: bostonveg.org/foodfest/speakers.html
7PM: The Liberation Poetry Collective presents:
Beyond November: The Struggle Continues
An Evening of Poetry and Song
Date : Saturday November 1st, 2008
Time : 7:00-10:00 PM
Location : The Democracy Center
45 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA
(Near Harvard Square)
READERS AND PRESENTERS
Aldo Tambellini
Brenda Walcott
Neil Calender
Jill Netchinsky
Gary Hicks
Tontongi
Askia Touré
SPECIAL GUESTS
Everett Hoagland
Marc Goldfinger
Somerville's Youth Poetry Group "Books of Hope" (to be
introduced by Soul Brown)
MUSIC
Idi
Donation : $ 7
Proceeds will go to the New England Haiti Relief Fund
for Hurricane victims in Haiti.
The Collective's Anthology Poets Against the Killing
Fields will be available for sale. Food and
refreshment will be served.
For information, call: 617-492-1749 or 617-331-2269 or
the Democracy Center at (617) 492-8855
Over and over again elections are stolen by those in power and "the people" are unable to rise up and demand accountability. People in Roxbury and people in Beacon Hill are supposedly being represented by the same people in governmental decisions. With each bill, act, and executive order that gets passed we watch our ability to control our lives disapate. In a global context the G8, WTO, IMF, and others have more control over our lives as those in elected power represent the interests of government. James will look at a broad historical and global perspective to remind us that, "voting just encourages them."
James Herod is a long-time activist/organizer in anarchist communities and author of Getting Free: Creating an Association of Democratic Autonomous Neighborhoods as well as a number of other papers on anarchist revolutionary praxis.
TELL THE GEORGIA GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE, PARDONS AND PAROLE BOARD, BUSH, OBAMA, MCCAIN, CONGRESS AND THE MEDIA: STOP THE EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS.
Online Form: Troy Davis Petition Link
Your messages will go to hundreds of public officials, including the Governor of Georgia, the entire Georgia legislature, each member of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, the full Georgia Congressional delegation, as well as President Bush, Senators Obama and McCain, Congressional leaders, U.N. Secretary- General Ban, and national and local media representatives.
The new feature documentary STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote is available online - FREE to view, FREE to download!
"STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote does for American democracy what An Inconvenient Truth did for global warming."
Why is this film a "must see"? Inaccurate vote counts, illegal purging, improbable machine errors, and more have led millions of people to believe that recent national elections were stolen. Look at the evidence in this film and decide for yourself.
Will the 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION be stolen?
Watch STEALING AMERICA Vote by Vote by OSCAR- nominated, EMMY-winning filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman Narrated by Peter Coyote.
With the election less than a month away, now is the time to make sure that every vote is cast and counted!
In 2000 and 2004, the right-wing machine went national with voter intimidation, misinformation, and other manuevers to steal elections. Possible illegal attempts to remove or block registration are underway right now in six states. Now is the time for the antiwar movement to join election activists in communities to protect the vote. Check with local chapters of NAACP, ADC, AFL-CIO, and the ACLU for efforts already underway (see contact info below).
Resources:
Vote Early. And encourage others to do so! Thirty states allow early voting; check if yours is one here. Early voting flags registration problems, which can then be addressed before November 4th. In addition, your time can be freed up to help get people to the polls and to be a poll monitor on Election Day.
Register. In some states, there is still time for people to register to be able to vote in this election. Check the deadline in your state here.
Poll Monitor. Staffing the polls allows you to be a resource for voters needing assistance and to deal with problems when they occur. Volunteer here or here to be poll monitor in your respective area.
Join election protection efforts in swing states. Help staff election protection phones: 1-866-OUR-VOTE and, in Spanish, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA. Or sign up here.
Legal Assistance on November 4th. Voters have the right to complain on Election Day if they are not allowed to cast their ballot for the candidates of their choice. If they call 1-866-OUR-VOTE or, in Spanish, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA, they will get legal assistance.
Write letters to the editors now, giving the numbers listed above to call if voters have problems. State that stolen elections will not be tolerated. Tell your Congressperson and Senator that you take this threat to our vote seriously. Let them know that you expect them to object to the vote count in any state where there are clear examples of election fraud.
If you have helped register new voters, ask them to confirm their registration before Election Day. Most of this can be done online. Be sure everyone has the number to call if they encounter problems on Election Day. Remind people how important it is to call when problems occur, ideally before leaving the polling station!
Consider seeking or providing civil disobedience training for election protection volunteers. If there is conflict, it is important to be able to respond in a way that does not fuel the right-wing's desire to discredit our efforts. Thousands of people were involved in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience to secure the right to vote for all. Check here for more information on nonviolent civil disobedience training, resources, and networking.
Participate in local gatherings on November 5th to review and evaluate the process to make improvements for even better election protection during the 2010 election cycle.
For additional information and tips visit:
ACLU
AFL-CIO voter protection campaign
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Election Defense Alliance
Election Protection - massive national effort by civil
rights lawyers
Just Vote 2008
NAACP
Native Vote
No More Stolen Elections
Poll workers for Democracy
Steal Back Your Vote - a comic book piece to help
Video the Vote
Take A Free Impeachment Play DVD As The Pen's Way Of Saying Thanks To You
Although most are preoccupied with the general election right now, impeachment is STILL on the table in OUR hearts and minds, and just after Nov. 4th we are on it again full bore.
The entry of a donation amount is NOT required for the form submission to go through. You can even watch the entire play from end to end on line at this same page.
Impeachment Play DVD and Video .
From Carol Wolman, Green Party candidate for Congress
(California District 1):
As the election approaches, my campaign is going well.
Although no Green has ever been elected to Congress, I
have a chance because of the terrible mess the two
major parties have made of the economy. People are
scared and disgusted, and want major changes.
My pitch is that Greens in Congress will help move the
next president in the right direction, toward a
sustainable environmental/energy policy and an
economic policy that strengthens the middle and
working classes. Stopping all present and future wars
is a high priority. We need to be cooperating with
other countries to solve global problems, not fighting
with them.
To get this message to the voters one more time, I
need $500 to buy 30 second TV spots on major stations
throughout my huge district. The spot is ready, and
each showing costs $10-$25, so $500 will cover the
area well.
My opponent, incumbent Blue Dog Mike Thompson, has
consistently voted for developers, banks, credit card
companies, and the war machine. He pretends to be
progressive in this very progressive district, but
when his vote counts, he's to the right of Pelosi.
Mike has raised $1.5 million for this campaign, I've
raised about $5000.
I appreciate your help and support.
Donations may be made by credit card on line.
or sent to:
Carol Wolman for Congress
c/o James F. Houle
7130 Black Bart Trail
Redwood Valley, CA 95470
Maximum allowed by the Federal Elections Commission is
$2300 per person. If over $49, please send your
address, occupation and employer to jfh@rwwifi.net,
as required by FEC rules.
Peace, Carol Wolman, MD
Green Candidate for Congress, CA District 1
Coordinator, New Broom Coalition
Chair- Impeach Bush-Cheney
A quick note about why Cuba turned down US aid offer: US aid was conditioned on accepting an inspection by a USAID team. Spain, Brazil, and many other countries have offered aid without any conditions; only the US plays politics with human suffering. And all the aid that the US had to offer is $100,000 (initially) when much smaller countries like Timor Leste have offered $500,000 and without any conditions. The Cuban government rejected the aid as hypocritical and asked that Cuba is allowed to buy food and construction materials using credits offered by private business willing to do so, like any other country does (The Bush administration introduced a legislation that requires that Cuba buys from US business only with cash).
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.
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
Also sign on to a Simple Statement On Nuclear Power and Climate Change .
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.
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:
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
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.