CONTENTS:
PHILLY ACTION:
Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the Middle East
INTERFAITH CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
-----------------------------
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
RESPONSES NEEDED:Working for Single Payer Healthcare
Close the SOA/WHINSEC! Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia -- November 17-19, 2006
Midterm Elections: GX Says 'No More Politics as Usual!
Olive Harvest Delegation - November 4-18, 2006
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation- National Conference
Tell Congress to Fix Health Care
Help protest San Francisco restaurant event promoting Krug-Mondavi wine
----------------------
COMMENTARY:
Philadelphians Support Jewish Banner-Hangers/Jewish Group Calls on Media to Report Jewish Opposition to Israeli Policy
Building Peace with Iraqis & Lebanese/ CODEPINK Women for Peace
Chicago Pastor on Why He is Allowing Mexican Mother to Stay in Church to Avoid Deportation (and more)

=============
PHILLY ACTION:

Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the Middle East


Join us every Friday @ Noon on S. 15th Street above Locust/ phillyjewishpeace.org
___________________________________________________________________________________

INTERFAITH CALENDAR OF EVENTS.. Compiled by Lance Laver for the Philadelphia Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation

Interfaith Peace Prayer Service: Praying for Peace in the Middle East
Thursday, August 24, 2006,
7:00 PM, Rosemont College SHCJ Chapel, 1400 Montgomery Avenue, Rosemont, PA
People from all faiths and ethnic backgrounds gather to pray in community for the Middle East and for peace.  The service will include prayers from an imam, rabbi and pastor, as well as short prayers, poems and songs by interfaith participants. 
Please wear something white to symbolize hope.
For more information, contact Jennifer Ayoub (610-527-3988), National Student Organizer, Student Peace Alliance for U.S. Department of Peace.

Next Peace Walk planning meeting:
Wednesday, September 6, 2006, Al-Aqsa Islamic Society,
1501 Germantown Avenue (at 3rd & Jefferson St.), Philadelphia, 7:00 PM
All are welcome to attend.  The agenda will include discussion of the Sacred Season 2006 event in October (see below).
        The working title is: Why We Walk  Peace In Every Step (thought Id add a little Thich Nhat Hahn to the mix :-)

Combatants for Peace program
Friday, September 15, 2006, Mishkan Shalom
, 4101 Freeland Avenue (at Shurs Lane), Roxborough, 8:15 PMfollowing Shabbat services (7:00 PM).
Combatants for Peace (C4P) is a group of ~150 Israeli ex-fighters and Palestinian ex-militants who used to be enemies and now believe that violence is not the path to a peaceful solution in the Middle East.
 We are a group of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who were actively involved in the cycle of violence in our area.  The Israelis served as combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinians were involved in acts of violence in the name of Palestinian liberations. 

* Brandywine Peace Community Actions:
September 21. Declaration of Peace candlelight vigil (location to be
announced) at 7:30 pm with walk to Federal Building, 600 Arch Street in Old
City. More information from <brandywine@juno.com> and 610-544-1818.

September 22. Declaration of Peace civil disobedience at Senator Richard
Santorum's office,
One South Penn Square (across the street from City Hall)
in Old City. More information from <brandywine@juno.com> and 610-544-1818.

September 23. Declaration of Peace civil disobedience at Senator Arlen
Specter's office,
600 Arch Street in Old City. More information from
<brandywine@juno.com> and 610-544-1818.

Sacred Season 2006 event:
Sunday, October 8, 2006, Philadelphia (location to be confirmed), 3:00  8:00 PM.
This program (as last years event at Arch Street Meeting House and Independence Mall) commemorates the confluence of major sacred days in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions.
===============================

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

Fighting the Good Fight for Healthcare!
  Read this letter from Michael Moore's Producer

 Thanks again to everyone for doing your impressive organizing work and being in touch with your ideas for moving us forward to a national healthcare system - SOOOON.  I know Michael Moore 's film is going to help us.
                                                  Marilyn  Clement, Ex Dir of Healthcare NOW.- marilyncle@earthlink.net
From: Meghan O'Hara [mailto:meghan@michaelmoore.com]
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 4:16 PM

RESPONSES NEEDED:Working for Single Payer Healthcare,

Thanks To All of you again for  all of the help that Healthcare - Now has already given us!  Here is a quicklist of some of the cases we are looking for.  At the moment (having already filmed all over the country) we are trying to focus on the northeast, mid-west and LA.but having said that, if you have the perfect candidate - we will go to them!

If you know of any cases in the area that fit any of the qualifications below, we would love to hear about them:
1) Anyone currently being denied treatment and in need of help: someone who has insurance would be ideal.  Michael wants to intervene in their fight against a hospital or HMO and get this person the help they deserve - to make the point that he can't do that for everyone - and nor should he have to.
2) Someone decimated by a Catholic Hospital's aggressive billing practices: Michael would prefer the more dramatic the better for this one.not just someone who has declared bankruptcy - but someone who lost their home etc
3) Someone dying b/c they can't afford a drug would also be great - there is an easy target (the drug maker) for Michael to go to and demand that they supply the drug - and demand that they try and justify the cost.
4) I don't know if your organization would have heard of this but, but we are also looking at the crazy things people have to do to keep or get their health insurance, (we have the case of a fugitive, on the lam for 30 years, who turned himself in b/c he needed healthcare), we are looking for people working 3 jobs, or staying in jobs they hate, b/c it provides them benefits, there is a case of a woman caught embezzling from her job to pay for her mother's care.things like that.

Thank you again for lending us a much needed hand!  All of my numbers are listed below I'll look forward to talking with you soon!
 Meghan O'Hara ,  Producer, SICKO ,    212-399-2498 ext 232 ,   646-469-4151
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________


A Call To Action: Close the SOA/WHINSEC! Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia -- November 17-19, 2006
Intern or Volunteer at SOA Watch in Washington, D.C/soaw@mail.democracyinaction.org]/ www.SOAW.org/ 202-234-3440 Aug 22, 2006

With former SOA graduates being unmasked in Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, Honduras, and Peru for their crimes against humanity, and with the blatant similarities between the interrogation methods and torture methods used at Abu Ghraib and those described in human rights abuse cases in Latin America, the SOA/WHINSEC must be held accountable!
The SOA/WHINSEC does not represent the values of most Americans. Torture, deceit, political corruption, mass assassination and unlawful incarceration are inhuman and unacceptable, yet our government seems bent on convincing us otherwise by justifying those actions as a "struggle for freedom and democracy" or simply denying their very existence.
The SOA/WHINSEC is funded by American tax dollars, and it is in our power to shut it down.
"This institution [School of the Americas/WHINSEC] costs us millions of dollars a year and identifies us with tyranny and oppression." - Representative Joseph Kennedy

What You Can Do:
1.- Make a Call to Action
Tell your friends and family about the November Vigil and invite them to take part and make their voices heard! Spread the word by forwarding this email.
2.- Order Palm Cards
These practical pocket size cards are a great way of promoting the November Vigil and inspiring people to participate. You can distribute these mini announcements at churches, synagogues, mosques, coffee houses, union halls, your student activity centers, demonstrations, house parties, office, or anywhere a group of people is gathered. With your help we will get the palm cards far and wide and grow attendance at the Vigil.
Please email us at info(at)soaw(dot)org with your mailing address and let us know how many you can distribute in your community. Cards come in packs of 150, but order as many as you know you can distribute. Please send a $5 donation per pack of a 150 to cover the cost of printing and shipping. If a donation is not possible, we will still ship you palm cards.
Please send your order and donation to SOA Watch ~ PO Box 4566 ~ Washington, DC, 20017.
View the palm cards and find out more about using them in your community.
3.-Order or Download the November Organizing Packet
A great tool available for you and your group is available for free on the SOA Watch website. The NOVEMBER ORGANIZING PACKET contains information about what to expect at Ft. Benning, logistical information to assist your trip planning, media, legislative, fundraising and outreach tips and resources, and flyers you can reproduce and use in your community.
4.-Make a Donation
SOA Watch is a completely independent non-profit organization; our funding comes from the grassroots and the sales of our resource materials. Please support the growing costs of the vigil by donating now! Every dollar is needed and helps us to cover our $45,000 of expenses -- from event meeting spaces to tables to port-a-potties to media and legal offices.
Interns and Volunteers for SOA Watch

SOA Watch is looking for a few good people to work as interns and volunteers in our Washington, DC office. We are a small and fun-loving staff and offer internship and volunteer opportunities in organizing; research; database and correspondence management; accounting and clerical work; web development; and other flexible opportunites.
        To apply for an internship, please send a cover letter and resume to Aisha Brown at SOA Watch, P.O. Box 4566,   Washington, D.C. 20017 or email abrown(at)soaw(dot)org.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Midterm Elections: GX Says 'No More Politics as Usual!  Global Exchange: action@globalexchange.org

The recent victory of Connecticut Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont over 18-year incumbent Joe Lieberman was a clarion call to all progressives that now is the moment to start pushing vigorously to advance a social justice agenda during the 2006 election season.  With the current public discontent over the war, rising oil prices, and the influence of money in politics, the midterm elections provide a significant window to push for real change. As a nonprofit organization, Global Exchange cannot endorse candidates.

Take Action During the 2006 Election Season!
Build a voting block for peace: Sign the Voters for Peace Pledge http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/gx/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=307

Separate Oil and State: Ask your Senators and Representatives to stand up to the oil companies and refuse all oil and gas contributions. www.globalexchange.org/war_peace_democracy/oil/Separation.html

Curb the Political Power of Corporations: GX California members, now is the time to make real change in our state. Volunteer to help pass Proposition 89, the Clean Money and Fair Elections Act. Contact Nell Greenberg at nell@globalexchange.org

*This election season, Global Exchange are leading the Separation of Oil and State campaign, a campaign to pressure candidates to refuse oil company campaign contributions. In concert with this national effort, Global Exchange has delivered Separation of Oil and State pledge requests to all California candidates running for a seat in the House or Senate. Through constituent pressure and some creative direct action, we have received signed pledges from six California political candidates, including Gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides. Click here (http://www.globalexchange.org/war_peace_democracy/oil/Separation.html) to find out what you can do!
______________________________________________________________________


Olive Harvest Delegation - November 4-18, 2006

Join the American Friends Service Committee and Interfaith
Peace-Builders this fall and travel to Israel/Palestine.
This
delegation provides an excellent opportunity to participate in the
Palestinian olive harvest--generally a time of great community
activism, where people of all ages from Palestine, Israeli peace and
justice groups, and international groups join farmers as they reap
their harvest.

In many cases, it's international support that makes the harvest
possible. In addition to expressing solidarity, participants in the
delegation will learn about obstacles to the harvest, and get a chance
to meet those working for peace in Israel and Palestine.

Learn more about the Olive Harvest Delegation, follow the link below: 
http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=NzOe4DbxK6rucNhsdfwsRg..

------------------------------------------------------------

Take Action to End the Violence in Gaza

While the world's attention has been fixed on Lebanon, Israel
has continued its two-month siege on Gaza following the capture of
Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit on June 25. So far, Israel's attack on
the civilian infrastructure of Gaza has left 860,000 people without
power or water. These acts of collective punishment fall hardest on
those most vulnerable: the children, the elderly, the sick.

Ask the White House, State Department, and Congress to resolve the
conflict in Gaza.  Follow the link below for talking points and to find
phone numbers:

http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=vxsgilkHYrxwVEZHexjo_Q..

American Friends Service Committee
http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=GJ-I1weOZ1thHDtgSr6vaA..

See the Faces of Hope Campaign at
http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=g37HnFL8MNNxifMf4Luj4g..
___________________________________________________________


End the Occupation conference-  in 10 Days--Register Today
5th Annual National Organizers Conference- Dearborn, MI, September 1-3

UPCOMING CONFERENCE DEADLINES
Wednesday, August 23: Deadline for reserving a room at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn at the special conference rate.  For more information about booking the hotel, click here:http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1249

Wednesday, August 23, 5PM Eastern: Deadline for member organizations in good standing to submit business proposals. To see the proposal guidelines and to submit a proposal, click here: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/modinput4.php?modin=96

Wednesday, July 30, Noon Eastern: Deadline for on-line registration.  Please help us to get an accurate head-count for printing and catering so that we dont waste resources and money.  If you are planning on coming to the conference, please register and make payment arrangements today on-line by clicking here: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/modinput4.php?modin=93   

For more conference details, click here: http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?list=type&type=161
_________________________________


Tell Congress to Fix Health Care

Earlier this year, the Citizens' Health Care Working Group was established by Congress to engage U.S. citizens in public debate about shaping a health care system that would "provide every American with the ability to obtain quality, affordable, health care."  The Working Group developed a survey and held community hearings in selected cities.  UCC congregations responded with over 1,500 surveys that were compiled and sent to Washington as a collective voice from the United Church of Christ.  A final report of what UCC congregations said about health care for all will be released in the fall.

The Working Group has collected over 25,000 surveys and has made some interim recommendations for public comment.  The six interim recommendations are:

Guarantee financial protection against very high health care costs;
Support integrated community health networks;
Promote efforts to improve quality of care and efficiency;
Fundamentally restructure the way that palliative care, hospice care and other end-of-life services are financed and provided, so that people living with advanced incurable conditions have increased access to these services in the environment they choose;
It should be public policy that all Americans have affordable health care;
Define a "core" benefit package for all Americans.
These interim recommendations do not reflect the growing support for a national health plan, financed by taxpayers, in which everyone would get health insurance and for a system of comprehensive benefits from which no one can be excluded.  The time for public comment ends on August 31, 2006, and final recommendations will be sent to the Congress and the President at the end of September, to be followed by congressional hearings in early 2007.

It is critical that the members of the Citizens' Health Care Working Group hear from you before Aug. 31 that these recommendations are NOT strong enough to address the current health care crisis.  Click http://www.ucctakeaction.org/chcwg to send a message to the Working Group, with copies to Senators Wyden and Hatch, telling them that Congress needs to act in a timely manner to provide comprehensive, affordable, universal health care.

For more information about the Working Group, or to read the full text of the recommendations, go to http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/recommendations/recsover.php
To read a one-page summary of these recommendations, click http://www.ucctakeaction.org/uhcanfacts.

If your computer has trouble linking to the links above, please copy and paste the address into your browser.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Help protest San Francisco restaurant event promoting Krug-Mondavi wine

Send an e-mail to support fired Charles Krug-Mondavi workers and
their supporters who will form a "human billboard" by Fior d'
Italia, America's oldest Italian restaurant. On Thursday, Aug.
31 at 6:30 pm, the restaurant sponsors a dinner featuring the
wines of Krug-Mondavi. Vineyard co-owner Pete Mondavi Jr will
attend this event as the restaurant's special guest.

Please let Fior d' Italia know you are boycotting all
Krug-Mondavi wine products until Krug-Mondavi rehires the union
workers it fired and engages in good faith bargaining with the United Farm Workers.
CLICK: http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/krug82206/5gggws4h7wkee5?

===========
COMMENTARY:

* Philadelphians Support Jewish Banner-Hangers/ Jewish Group Calls on Media to Report Jewish Opposition to Israeli Policy


PHILADELPHIA  - Local peace group Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace announced its support today for a second group of local Jews who hung banners on three prominent local bridges today, telling rush-hour drivers that "U.S. Jews Say: Israel, Stop Killing Civilians," "U.S. Jews Stand Against Israel's War Crimes," and "U.S. Jews Say: End U.S. Military $ to Israel."
The banner-hangers identified themselves in a press statement as Philadelphia Jews, working in coordination with Jews in New York, San Francisco, and Boston.  Their demonstration was in "opposition to recent aggression by the Israeli and U.S. governments in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank."

"Based on Philadelphia's major newspaper, television and radio coverage of the Middle East, Philadelphians would believe that the Jews of Philadelphia solidly support Israel's policies," said Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace member ______.  "The message of the banner-droppers is that this is not the case.  We, too, as members of a national peace group with over 15,000 Jewish supporters, oppose Israel's war on Lebanon.  We oppose Israel's continuing occupation of Palestinian territories, which has most recently led to the killing of hundreds of civilians in Gaza and cycles of political, social and economic distress in Gaza and the West Bank.
 
"Hundreds of Jews in Philadelphia have demonstrated their opposition to automatic Jewish support for Israel - counter-demonstrating at the official Jewish community rally held at Love Park on July 24, at a vigil held each Friday for the past 6 years in front of the Israeli Embassy in center city, and today on our city's bridges. "We oppose uncritical U.S. political and financial support for Israel's actions, and we call on the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, Channels 3, 6, 10 and Fox News, and radio stations KYW and WHYY to name Jewish community support for Israel as what it is - the voice of many Jews - and to reflect in its coverage the voices of many other Philadelphia Jew who refuse to be characterized as silently supporting policies which violate our sense of what is right."

Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace was founded in January, 2006 in response to media representation of Jews as single-minded in support for Israel.  The group opposes those U.S. policies which support Israel's continued occupation of the Palestinian lands.  Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace is a chapter of the national group, Jewish Voice For Peace.
                                                                        Contact:  Rebecca Subar ,  rebeccasubar@yahoo.com   215-843-4494
PS: See photos from all of yesterday's die-ins, lock-downs, & banner drops at http://jewishconscience.blogspot.com/
____________________________________________________________________________


* Building Peace with Iraqis & Lebanese/ CODEPINK Women for Peace

When CODEPINK launched our hunger strike, called Troops Home Fast (http://www.troopshomefast.org) on July 4, our goal was to push forward a peace process in Iraq that included the withdrawal of US troops. Our efforts were rewarded when Iraqi Parliamentarians, expressing sympathy for the hunger strikers, invited us to Amman, Jordan, to break our 30-day fast and discuss how we could work together to promote a comprehensive Reconciliation Plan.

On Wednesday, August 2, a 14-person delegation, including "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan, former Colonel Ann Wright, Iraq war veteran Geoffrey Millard, writer/politician Tom Hayden, Iraqi analyst Raed Jarrar and CODEPINK co-founders Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans, Gael Murphy and Diane Wilson, traveled to Jordan to meet with official representatives of the largest Shiite coalition, the minority Sunni bloc, the secular parliamentary coalition, the Muslim Scholars Association and torture victims from Abu Ghraib. The Iraqis were delighted to find Americans who, like them, were passionate about ending the occupation and the violence that has wracked their country. "We have found a voice inside the U.S. that backs us," Salman al-Jumaili, speaker of the largest Sunni Parliamentary coalition, told reporters at our closing press conference (click here for AP story: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080606G.shtml)

The common thread among this diverse group of Iraqis and Americans was a desire to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, ensure no permanent bases in Iraq, and secure a U.S. commitment to pay for rebuilding Iraq. Other issues that emerged in two-days of intensive talks include the need to dismantle militias, provide amnesty for prisoners and the various armed groups, compensate victims of the violence, revise the Constitution and preserve the unity of Iraq, and reverse US-imposed de-Baathification and economic policies. We left this historic meeting with a commitment to make sure that the voices of these Iraqi parliamentarians are heard here in the US, and we will bring a group of them to the U.S. in the Fall.

On the heels of these meetings in Jordan, a part of our delegation traveled on to Lebanon while the fighting was still raging. After a harrowing ride from Syria over freshly bombed roads and bridges, we were greeted in Beirut to the booms of Israeli bombardments. We visited the devastated neighborhoods of Southern Beirut. We provided aid to traumatized children in improvised refugee camps. We heard from angry Lebanese residents who condemned the Bush administration for providing Israel with the green light -- and the weapons -- to kill over 1,000 civilians and destroy their airport, ports, bridges, roads, factories, and worst of all, entire towns and residential neighborhoods.

Now that there is a ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese need help returning home. While our government has given Israel billions for bombs and guns that have killed and maimed over 1,000 Lebanese, it has pledged a mere $50 million for rebuilding. We -- US Citizens -- should push our government to provide more funds. Now more than ever we should show the Lebanese people that we care about peace not only by continuing to oppose our military policies in the Middle East but also by supporting and joining their peace efforts. With your help we can send delegations of US women peace activists to Lebanon, we can help fund a peace walk to the Lebanese-Israeli border and we can support efforts to clear unexploded cluster bombs in southern Lebanon. We have made wonderful new friends among the Lebanese peace groups. Let's show them we want peace as badly as they do. (Click here to donate now: https://secure.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizations/codepink/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=1733&t=F.dwt)

If we in the US show the same compassion for all victims -- be they Israelis, Iraqis or Lebanese -- and put our efforts into negotiations instead of war, we would have a greater chance of ending the violence that is consuming the Middle East as well as the blowback that threatens the security of Americans.

With hope for peace,
Allison, Anedra, Dana, Erin, Farida, Gael, Jodie, Katie, Laura, Medea, Meredith, Nancy, Rae, Samantha and Tiffany

P.S.S. CODEPINK Austin and the CODEPINK gals from Camp Casey let Rove know what they thought of him on Saturday night. He felt the heat and Tiffany Burns found herself in prison stripes for a night and day until Willie Nelson posted her bail. Check out the story: http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=1177.
_______________________________________________________________________________

* Grieving Relatives of Qana Massacre Emerge From the Rubble to Bury Their Dead *
Residents in southern Lebanon emerged from shelters over the weekend for a
grim task: to bury their dead. The largest funeral took place in Qana where
an Israeli airstrike on the town on July 30th killed 29 people - the
majority of them women and children. We speak with longtime peace activist
Kathy Kelly who attended the Qana funeral as well as a Michigan man who lost
over 20 members of his family in the Israeli attack on the town.
Listen/Watch/Readhttp://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/22/1421207

*  On Monday, President Bush admitted that the Iraq war is "straining the
psyche of our country." But he vowed to stay the course. A reporter
questioned him about why he opposed withdrawing US troops from Iraq. In his
answer, Bush admitted that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and had "nothing" to do with 9/11.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/22/1421212

* "I Fear God Much More Than I Fear Homeland Security" - Chicago Pastor on
Why He is Allowing Mexican Mother to Stay in Church to Avoid Deportation *

A Mexican woman has taken refuge inside a Chicago church in an attempt to
defy a government deportation order. Elvira Arellano has been living in the
Adalberto United Methodist Church since last Tuesday -- the day she was
supposed to surrender to authorities. We go to Chicago to speak with
Arellano from inside the church as well as the Rev. Walter Coleman, the pastor of the church.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/22/1421217

City Asked To Un-"Democrat" Lieberman
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-03.htm

Veteran Protests against Iraq War
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-01.htm

John Buell | Labor and Local Sweat-Free Procurement Initiatives
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0822-26.htm

Earthjustice: Report Highlights Need for Alternatives to US-Backed Aerial Spraying in Colombia
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0822-06.htm

American Civil Liberties Union: ACLU of Washington Defends Free Speech Rights of Lt. Ehren Watada
http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0822-07.htm