Truth and Justice Radio
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Comcast: the poster child for Net NeurtalitiyComcast has given us a glimpse of a world without Net
Neutrality, and it's a chilling sight.
____________back to topStop Mukasey!Mukasey, Bush's proposed replacement for Gonzalez, stated in writing Wed 10-31-07 (after a week of study) that he will not admit at this time that water- boarding is torture. But not to worry - he says after he is in office he will definitely give it more study and will outlaw water-boarding if it turns out that it is torture. Some members of the Senate Judiciary are already wavering since receiving this information today. It is urgent to call members ASAP to insist that the Committee not affirm him or send his name to the full Senate for a vote. They need to hear our support by receiving our calls. Toll Free: 800-828-0498 866-220-0044 866-340-9281
Senate Judiciary Committee Members - Democrats
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Kevin Knobloch is president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, based in Cambridge, where he oversees all of the organization's research, public education and legislative programs. He is knowledgeable about a wide range of environmental & arms control issues, including natural resource & clean energy economics, advanced technology vehicles, nuclear weapons, forest conservation, global warming, renewable energy and corporate responsibility.
Kevin was director of conservation programs for the Appalachian Mountain Club in Boston and worked for six years on Capitol Hill in key legislative positions. He was also an award-winning newspaper journalist, writing for several Massachusetts publications. He serves currently on the boards of a few regional environmental organizations.
Presented by The Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA (GHRC), the Guatemala Solidarity Committee of Boston, and Amnesty International Group 133 of Somerville
Ruth del Valle Cóbar is the co-founder of the Movimiento Nacional por los Derechos Humanos (National Movement for Human Rights), a network for dozens of human rights institutions, and she spearheads the Unidad de Protección a Defensores y Defensoras de los Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Defenders Protection Unit). Due to her efforts, she has been threatened and her office was raided and looted in February of this year.
A discussion will follow, led by Ruth and Marty Jordan of GHRC.
For more information, please contact
René at 617-696-2116 or
Kelly at 617-666-7284.
The US Campaign is joining the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Amnesty International, and other organizations on Monday, November 5 in a global day of action against cluster bombs. Take action by calling your Members of Congress and urging them to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.594/H.R.1755).
During its war on Lebanon last summer, Israel dropped 130,000 cluster bombs containing 1.2 million cluster bomblets in 498 locations in villages throughout the south of the country. Unexploded cluster bomblets subsequently have injured and killed civilians.
Massachusetts voters: Call "Senator" John Kerry on November 5, the Global Day of Action on Cluster Bombs (Ted Kennedy has already signed on).
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers) The oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, DC.
245 Second Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
202-547-6000
800-630-1330
This is another opportunity to hear Ruth's story if you couldn't make it to Davis Square Somerville on the previous evening.
Ruth has worked to promote human rights, raise awareness about the increasing attacks against human rights defenders and organizations, and improve the rule of law and democratic institutions in Guatemala.
Contact: Kit Barron
Attempting to fulfill a religious obligation, the Count of a sugar mill in Cuba at the end of the eighteenth century decides to recreate the Last Supper, playing Jesus Christ himself and randomly selecting twelve slaves as his disciples. Tensions break out between Don Manuel, a cruel, hardened overseer who believes that slaves have nothing to do with God and that letting slaves eat at the master's table is a ridiculous and dangerous practice, and the priest of the mill who believes Christians have a duty to educate and convert the slaves. Among the twelve slaves picked is Sebastian, a stubborn and determined slave who has had his ear cut off and fed to dogs after his most recent escape attempt. The Count makes sure Sebastian is seated at the table and gives him the role of Judas for his inability to embrace life at the mill as Judas failed to embrace Christ. The master and slaves get drunk, and the master makes several promises during the dinner that he either forgets or refuses to keep, among them the promise that the slaves will not have to work Good Friday. The slaves are forced to work, however, causing a revolt that will lead to the beheading of all the slaves at the dinner except Sebastian, who may have strange powers no one thought possible. _The Last Supper_ is a chilling look at the western view of slavery through the centuries, showing a world in which whites and blacks do not understand the consequences of their actions.
Mr. Gelbspan is featured in the film along with the Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen and Lexington native Bill McKibben.
"Everything's Cool", written and directed by Daniel Gold and Judith Helfand, follows the struggle of dedicated global warming messengers. It chronicles their efforts, while the skeptics push from the other side to inject doubt about global warming. The film is described as a "toxic comedy." The film raises the important questions many of us have about how the U.S. is dealing with climate change and whether our leaders are listening to the science.
Mr. Gelbspan will answer questions following the film. Lexington GWAC members will be on hand to sign people up to their new program, "The Lexington Low Carbon Diet." Books will be available as well as pledge cards. If only 200 families pledge to reduce 5,000 pounds of carbon, Lexington will eliminate one million pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere!
Here's a new idea worth passing on to all here in the US. How about joining in a general, national strike on what is traditionally election day, November 6, to express our collective resistance to the unconscionable desecration of the values and principles which we as decent human beings expect our government to represent in its actions here and abroad?
Source: article by Garret Keizer in the October 2007 issue of Harper's Magazine.
Contacts:
Gwendolyn Atwood
Chris Gruener
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET ONE OF THE HIGH-LEVEL SUPERGENIUSES WHO DESIGNED OUR RECENT HEALTH CARE "REFORM" A LA MITT ROMNEY, DEVIL PATRICK, AND HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES.
You are invited to a special Soap Box program with MIT professor and economist Jonathan Gruber who was instrumental in developing the Massachusetts Health Care reform law of 2006 This event is an opportunity to learn more about the ambitious health reform law which mandated that all Massachusetts citizens have health insurance coverage. Because key details of implementation were omitted from the legislation, the "Connector Board" which Professor Gruber is a member of, was charged with working out a range of important issues. Learn about the process, how decisions were made and how the reform affects you.
Co-sponsored by the MIT Museum
RSVP: A free box lunch is available to the first 50 people to register. Contact Katie Porter at kporter@mit.edu or 617-253-5927
"A documentary about Doe vs. UNOCAL, the first lawsuit of its kind. Fifteen indigenous Burmese people battle head to head with two corporate giants in the U.S. courts."
We are hosting a free human rights film series this fall, with the goal to provide opportunities for local residents to learn more about some of today's most pressing and relevant human rights issues. Each film will also include a facilitated discussion and outlets for action.
Panel discussion with:
Aye Aye San, Human Rights Activist/Former Political Prisoner from Burma
Mark McDowell, Canadian Diplomat to Burma, Thailand, and Laos, 2003-2007
Shanti Maung, Student Activist, Harvard Burma Action Group
Tyler Giannini, Co-founder, EarthRights International/ Clinical Director, Harvard Law School Human Rights Program
Contacts:
Nate Stell any time at 978-273-8791
Kelly Turley
Sponsored by BU Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Boston Youth and Student Anti-War Network (BAWN).
Admission is free and the event is open to the public, but reservations are recommended. There are only 730 seats available, so email to reserve yours NOW! Be sure to include your first and last name.
In Kenya and Uganda, poor healthcare, disease and economic disparity have created an overwhelming shortage of wheelchairs, with more than 200,000 in demand yearly. In both countries there only exist 5 production shops, where 250 wheelchairs are built yearly. Of these, a staggering 1% are given to women. Mama Wahunzi, literally meaning "women blacksmiths" in Swahili, is an inspiring documentary about three disabled East African women who countered conventional wisdom and expectation by learning how to build wheelchairs for themselves and their community.
Governor Patrick's Office will be holding a Public Hearing on CORI Reform this Wednesday at the State House. This hearing is open to community.
[TJR co-producer Stan's comments: CORI stands for "Criminal Offender Record Information." You are an "offender" if you engage in most kinds of nonviolent action or dissent. Thus, FBI-maintained CORI was used to block activist Ann Wright's entry into Canada last week, effective for one year.]
[Also, be prepared for an abusive search just to enter the hearing room.]
CORI Reform [why not reversal] needs your support.
Boston Workers Alliance's two Main Demands?
1) Pass "anti-discrimination" protections for job seekers with CORI. Prevent blanket "no-CORI" policies, and only allow employers to check criminal records if they have decided that they want to hire the applicant for a job.
2) Shorten the waiting period to seal a CORI to 3 years for a misdemeanor and 7 years for a felony. The current law allows employers to check offenses that are 10-15 years in the past.
Boston Workers Alliance Email Contact
(617) 427-8108
51 Roxbury St. Roxbury, MA 02119
The Boston Lawyer Chapter and the New England School of Law Student Chapter of the American Constitution Society present the second installment in a two-part discussion series on the effect of the "war on terror" upon our nation's civil liberties:
In his recently updated 2006 book, State of War, James Risen reveals the secret history of the CIA and U.S. intelligence post-9/11.
Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP here.
The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) claims to be one of the nation's leading progressive legal organizations.
ACS Email Contact
202-393-6181
Dinner will be served.
MIT Western Hemisphere Project
Mexico Solidarity Network
This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs--from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists"--along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today.
Contact:
David Whitty
The Sixth Massachusetts Climate Action Network (MCAN)
Annual Climate Action Conference
has many bigshot speakers and
workshops.
DEADLINE FOR LOWER PRICE REGISTRATION: Fri Nov 9
Cost: $45 for members; $60 for nonmembers registering
before November 10, and $75 after.
The cost to register will increase after November 9, so make your reservation now. This event is your best local source of activist training, networking opportunities, and motivation. We will have three workshop tracks with 24 total sessions.
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
P.O. Box 51536
Boston MA 02205
Popcorn, pretzels, and cold drinks are provided. Bring a friend, and/or bring your lunch.
Michael Moore on the state of America's health care: "If you want to stay healthy in America, don't get sick." "This might hurt a little." This documentary exposing the U.S. health care system has received outstanding reviews and was a runaway bestseller when introduced in commercial theaters last summer.
Sister Jenny Russian
Venezuelan Nun, Activist and President of the Latin
American Foundation for Human Rights and Social
Development
AND
Ms. Lisa Sullivan
Latin America Staff for School of the Americas Watch
and Former Maryknoll Lay Missionery for 20 Years in
Venezuela
Sister Jenny is a Venezuelan nun, living and working in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Caracas and a leader in the nationwide, ecumenical movement there. Lisa has lived and worked in Venezuela for 25 years, most of that time as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner and more recently as Latin American staff for the School of the Americas Watch.
The Mexico Solidarity Network presents the Immigrant Rights and the Other Campaign Tour featuring speakers from The Consejo Nacional Urbano Campesino (National Urban Rural Council) from Tlaxcala, Mexico and immigrant rights organizer Mario Canek from Chicago and Mexico City to discuss immigration dynamics and community based organizing in the Zapatista's Other Campaign.
Issues to be discussed in the tour:
* The struggle for the recognition of immigrant
workers' rights
* The transnational (both sides of the border)
struggle for autonomy.
* The work in organizing from below and to the left
* The struggle to exercise self determination as a
means to citizenship.
Event is free and open to the public, but donations are gladly accepted. Handmade clothing and crafts made by Chiapas autonomous indigenous women's collectives will be available for sale.
OUR TIME IS NOW:
The Gifts and Challenges of Belonging in a
Multicultural Church and Society
Spend a Morning with Arturo Chavez, a national speaker, workshop facilitator, community organizer and activist.
8:30 am through lunchtime
Registration $20.00 … or what you can afford …
Students free but must pre-register for lunch.
Contact:
Judy Rich or Kay Pfeiffer
508-653-0893
Join author Anne Elizabeth Moore as she reads from and hosts discussion of her new book, Unmarketable: Brandalism, Copyfighting, Mocketing, and the Erosion of Integrity (The New Press).
What happens when the very tools that the artists and activists have used to build word of mouth are co- opted by corporate America? What happens to cultural resistance when it becomes just another marketing platform?
Unmarketable examines the corrosive effects of corporate infiltration of the underground. Activist and author Anne Elizabeth Moore takes a critical look at the savvy advertising agencies, corporate marketing teams, and branding experts who use DIY techniques to reach a youth market -- and at members of the underground who have helped forward corporate agendas through their own artistic, and occasionally activist, projects.
Covering everything from Adbusters to Tylenol's indie- star-studded Ouch! campaign, Unmarketable is a lively, funny, and much-needed look at what's happening to the underground and what it means for activism, commerce, and integrity in a world dominated by corporations.
The MBTA on October 10th started broadcasting
continuous [corporate] radio ads and "music" at South
Station, North Station and Airport Station with a plan
to expand the continuous radio broadcast system-wide
after Thanksgiving. This will adversely monopolize
this historic First Amendment public space:
1. Curtail and Interfere with Conversations of all
MBTA patrons
2. Curtail and Interfere with Reading of all MBTA
patrons
3. Target ads to all School Children who use the MBTA
4. Eliminate Subway Musician Performances
We, the undersigned, support the diversity of
expression of patrons and artists in the subway. We
petition Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority Board of Directors to stop
the T-Radio broadcast.
Congress will be debating war appropriations again, and the Senate - as the Republicans have routinely demonstrated - has the power to filibuster any appropriations it doesn't like. A filibuster in the Senate would effectively force an end to the war. So if each of us does our part in exposing the filibuster option, then we can apply tremendous pressure on our senators, the likes of which they haven't felt in decades!
Petition to sign.
"We do not support construction of new nuclear
reactors as a means of addressing the climate crisis.
Available renewable energy and energy efficiency
technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner
strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than
nuclear power."
See and hear Walter, Joe, Abbey, random pedestrians (One even honked.) and a supporting cast of spontaneous volunteers all explaining the Honk Experience. (You can hear them when the cars aren't honking anyway.) No honks were added.
This took five hours in the cutting room. It's derived from thirty minutes of source shot over a two hour period on July 30th.
Cuencavision the local Spanish cable TV that carries some TV from Cuba. It includes Cubavision news from 1 to 1:30 PM weekdays and News from Telesur at Noon. The current schedule is viewable as a pdf file by clicking on the "Media Kit Cuencavision" link. Telesur is a major initative by several Latin American countries to provide an alternative to the US dominated media.
Cuencavision a local low power Spanish TV station in Boston is picking up Telesur and Cubavison TV and rebroadcasting them during the day. Cuencavision is carried on Cablevision in Boston and Brookline on Channel 26. It can also be received directly on Ch 58 in a limited area of its Albany Street, Boston, Transmission Site.
Dennis Kucinich is determined to force the impeachment issue, by bringing it as a privileged resolution before Thanksgiving 2007.
We need hundreds of additional volunteers right now to help get these posters up, to really give the impeachment movement maximum visibility. We'll be picking up the full 25,000 11x17 posters this Tuesday, and start shipping priority mail the same day. So please, if you are anywhere near a college campus email us and we'll put you in contact with other volunteers in your area. If you've already volunteered, start organizing some other activist friends to join the Impeach Team.
TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBERS FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD
07/07/07: Many of you have written to ask us when we were going to call for the impeachment of Bush as well as Cheney. Of course we have done Bush impeachment action pages before, and were focusing on Cheney on the premise that he was not only the least popular, but also the most guilty. But now Bush has thrown himself in the middle of the worst of the Cheney scandals, and so we have launched a new action page calling for the impeachment of them both.
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
We are happy to report that a new shipment of olive oil has arrived. The most recent harvest was excellent and per case prices are less than they were last year.
As with our previous shipments, 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 cooperatives. This shipment comes from the Mazare' Al Nubani/ Ramallah and the Kufr Thulth, Jayous and Azzoun cooperatives. The labels are printed in the West Bank and the oil is bottled at the PARC bottling facility in Aram. PARC is a member of the International Fair Trade Association, and is the only Palestinian organization that has received the Palestine Standards Institution certification for its olive oil.
OLIVE BRANCH OLIVE OIL DONATIONS
As with past shipments, a percentage of the proceeds of olive oil sales is donated back to organizations working directly with Palestinians. Past recipients include:
Palestinian Medical Relief Society Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Birthright Unplugged American Friends Service Committee-Middle East Crisis Fund American Near East Refugee Aid Olive Harvest Coalition Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees Ibdaa Cultural Center International Solidarity Movement US OMEN Ta’ayush
THE IMPORTANCE OF OLIVE OIL TO THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY
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. Olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, hold a deep significance in the culture and economy of the Holy Land. As the political and economic situation in Palestine continues to deteriorate, with increased restrictions on the mobility of people, goods and services, 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.
PARC assists at every stage of the olive oil production process, from helping farmers to reclaim rocky land, conserve water and implement sensible environmental practices (like re-cropping, dry-land farming and recycling of waste materials) to setting up regional labs for farmers to test their olive oil. PARC strictly monitors the quality of the oil, testing and re-testing it at its main laboratory to ensure that it meets all specifications. Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. PARC is currently working with international agricultural organizations to obtain organic certification for its olive oil, which should be finalized in the next few months. Because both light and heat are known enemies of olive oil, Olive Branch Olive Oil comes in a dark green glass bottle that is optimal for storage.
Available in 750ml bottles, by the case (12 bottles, $145), or more.
For ordering and other info, please email us at palestinebostonoliveoil@yahoo.com or call Susie at 781-648-6307.
We provide posters, literature, info on impeachment, answer questions, tee shirts,
gather signatures on petitions for impeachment to be sent to Congress and our Mass. legislators.
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.
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.