CONTENTS:
PHILLY & PA AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
COMMENTARY:
==========
PHILLY & PA AREA ACTION
ELEVEN GRANDMOTHERS TO STAND TRIAL FOR ANTI-WAR
EFFORTS
At 8:30 AM on Friday, Dec. 1, 11 grandmothers will go
on trial at Municipal Court, 1401 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
The grannies, all members of GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE PHILADELPHIA, were
charged with "defiant trespass" on June 28, 2006, when we refused to
leave the North Broad Street military recruiting center, insisting that
they be taken to fight in Iraq instead of their grandchildren.
"We've lived our lives," we said. "Our grandchildren have their
lives ahead of them and we don't want them to get killed in Iraq."
Join us grannies--at 8:30 AM on Friday, Dec. 1,
In front of Community Court, at 1401 Arch Street
and show your support for our efforts to put an end to the war in
Iraq. For further
info go to: www.GrannyPeaceBrigadePhiladelphia.org
BRING
SIGNS OF SUPPORT ! BRING CAMERAS!
_______________________________________________
Philly CodePink Events!
Nov. 17 @ 7:30 PM at LAVA, 4134 Lancaster Ave http://lavazone.org/node/46 for more info
& directions. They will be showing the Film "El Enemigo
Comun" followed by a discussion on solidarity with the people of
Oaxaca. (Massacres in this Mexican state by a militaristic
government)
Nov. 21 @ 10:30 AM: The "Phila. DECLARE PEACE 14" will have a
Status Hearing in Phila. Municipal Court, at the Criminal Justice
Center, 1301 Filbert St., Room #404, Phila., PA. The Fourteen
Declaration of Peace activists are charged with: Defiant Trespass,
Criminal Trespass, and Criminal Conspiracy. http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php?calid=18616
Nov. 24: 11AM: Black Friday @ Gallery Market East (9th & Market
Sts.)
Join Philly CodePink to distribute the "real price of war" tags to area
shops and help with petition signatures. Contact Z at
ZplusKOD@aol.com for more information.
5-6 PM: Grannies join Military Families Against the War Vigil
Broad and Cherry Streets from 5 to 6 PM.
Next Philly CodePink Meeting- December 10th @ 3PM
Currently meeting at 30th Street Station at the table and chairs
section along the south side of the station. Contact Z at:
ZplusKOD@aol.com
___________________________________________________________
TODAY! Mantra Open Mic: Friday, November
17, 7:30 p.m.
Not just any other open mic. It's the Mantra. A journey through poetics
and consciousness, the third season hopes to bring together Philly's
local artists, activists, and overall good people to share their
powerful voices and cultivate a collective vision for justice. Hosted
by MANTRA's creator, Rodney Camarce, artist, poet, and community
activist. Please show up early to sign up for the open mic!
The Asian Arts Initiative is
grounded in the belief that the arts can provide an important political
and cultural voice for the Asian American community in Philadelphia. We
serve as a community arts center where artists and everyday people are
developing means to express our diverse experiences as Asian Americans.
1315 Cherry Street, 2nd
Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215)557-0455 |
info@asianartsinitiative.org <http://asianartsinitiative.org>
_______________________________
Betrayed: Violence Against Women
With Marjorie Agosín, Samantha Barrow, and Sonia Sanchez
Saturday, November 18, 2006,
1pm
Broad Street Ministry, 320
S. Broad Street - Free & Open to Everyone
___________________________________________________________
PA Women & Influence free Conference
Nov 18, 2006 / 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Temple Main Campus Student Center, 13th Street and Montgomery
Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Price: Free - Breakfast and Lunch will be provided
Contact: Michelle Carbonell, 215-985-3322/
mcarbonell@womensway.org
Event Description:
Women & Influence 2006 is a FREE half-day conference focusing on the
challenges facing low wage women & families in America. The
conference
will feature keynote remarks by Donna Cooper, Secretary of Policy and
Planning for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a panel discussion
with Blondell Reynolds Brown, Carol Goertzel & Jean Hunt and
interactive lunchtime discussions
Parking available:Liacouras
Garage, located on 15th Street between Montgomery Avenue and
Cecil B. Moore Avenue, at a cost of $10.00.
The Student Center is also accessible by the Broad Street subway
stopping
at the Cecil B. Moore Station and by SEPTA Regional High Speed
Lines stopping at the Temple University Station.
______________
PEACE PRESENCE : 2PM Nov.19th at Senator
Arlen Specter's home
School House Lane &
(4111) Timber Lane in East Falls.
2:00 pm "every" third Sunday.
________________________________________________________
WHAT: RALLY FOR JUSTICE FOR SCOTLAND YARD
SECURITY OFFICERS
WHERE: THOMAS PAINE PLAZA, MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUILDING, 15TH AND JFK
WHEN: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2006, 12 NOON
FOR MORE INFO PHONE: Jeff Hornstein, 267-250-6480
ScotlandYard Security Service
provides security services at the Municipal
Services Building, One Parkway, and City Hall. ScotlandYard
officers make
as little as $9.01 an hour for keeping our City's most important
buildings
safe and secure.
These men and women have been
trying to improve their working conditions and
their lives by exercising their legal right to join a union. In
response,
Scotlandyard has made unlawful threats of reprisal for union support.
________________________________
Protest at the Mexican Consulate for
the Teachers & People of Oaxaca!
November 20th meet us at 4pm at 5th and Market.
Flyers are up at http://defenestrator.org - download, copy
and distribute!!
___________________________________________________________________________
Pennsylvania women and their children need your
help!
Toxic mercury pollution from power plants threatens the health of women
and their babies. More than 600,000 women of childbearing age
nationwide have amounts of mercury in their blood over the level set as
safe by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of
Sciences. Unsafe levels of mercury in mothers' blood and breast milk
can lead to learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, problems
with coordination, lowered IQs and even mental retardation.
But Pennsylvania's mercury cleanup plan is in danger. Some legislators,
taking the lead of industry, have mounted a campaign to kill the plan.
Unfortunately, many of those legislators are Democrats, who have kept
their names as co-sponsors of a bill to kill the rule, swimming against
the tide and refusing to stand behind Governor Rendell's plan.
Please act now to contact Senate Minority Leader Robert Mellow and
Speaker of the House John Perzel ask them to protect babies and support
our state's plan. Visit http://pennfuture.org/mercury/
_____________________________________
TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES CRAFTS SALE AT WOODS-TOWN
MEETING: Nov. 30 - Dec. 3 - The meetinghouse is at 104 N
Main St, Woodstown NJ. Since 1946, "Ten Thousand Villages" has
supported the work of many artisans from developing nations, providing
fair trade money for their handmade crafts. Handmade
ceramics, textiles, beautiful baskets, jewelry and wonderful musical
instruments from diverse cultures around the world. For more
information visit www.tenthousandvillages.com or
www.woodstownfriends.org.
=====================================
NATIONAL ACTION & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE: Massive March on
Washington, D.C., on Sat., January 27,
Please forward widely! TELL THE NEW CONGRESS: Act NOW to
Bring the Troops Home!
Join United for Peace and Justice in a Call on Congress to take
immediate action to end the war.
1) Make a donation right now to support the January
27 mobilization and help give us the funds we need to make this a truly
massive outpouring for
peace. http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post
it on blogs and websites -- do everything you can to help us get the
word out about January 27th.
3) Make sure your organization endorses the January
27th mobilization. Click here to add your endorsement: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/j27endorse
4) Start making plans to bring people from your
congressional district to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a
form on our website, where
you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people coming
to DC from your area, so you can meet up,
coordinate transportation, housing, etc.
5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details
in the coming weeks
Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
today -- http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
-
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
____________________________________________
SABEEL'S 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE STATEMENT
Sabeel's 6th International Conference was held November 2-9, 2006 under
the theme of the FORGOTTEN FAITHFUL - a Window into the Life and
Witness of Christians in the Holy Land. Meetings were held in
various venues starting in Jerusalem and including Bethlehem, Jericho,
Ramallah, and Nazareth. It was a truly ecumenical
experience. The cumulative number of international and local
participants in the different settings was more than 500 including from
29 countries.
Sabeel calls on you and all our friends:
1. To establish bonds of fellowship with
Palestinian Christians and to stand in solidarity with all
Palestinians in their struggle for liberation.
2. To commit themselves to active prayer,
education, and advocacy on behalf of the Palestinian
people
3. To campaign for truth and justice with
the energy and consistency of an ever-flowing stream
4. To work without ceasing to bring
healing and reconciliation to all people with God's joy and
peace in their hearts, especially to the people of the
land where the first message of peace was
proclaimed.
Sister Elaine Kelley,
Administrative Officer, Friends of Sabeel-North America
PO Box 9186, Portland,
Oregon 97207, Phone: (503) 653-6625
* Websites: www.fosna.org (U.S.)/ www.sabeel.ca (Canada)/
www.sabeel.org (Jerusalem)http:
________________________________________________________________________________
Support Students Sitting In at Purdue
University!
Today at noon, 15 students from Purdue University entered their
President's office, refusing to leave until Purdue University
adopts a policy that would ensure that its licensed clothing is
no longer produced in sweatshops. These students are still
there, and they need our support. Please call and email the
President of Purdue University, Martin Jischke, and tell him
that Purdue needs to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program and
refrain from taking any disciplinary action against the 15 students.
President Martin Jischke 765-494-9708
Phone Script-
Hello, my name is _________ and I am extremely disappointed to
find out that Purdue University's apparel is still made in
sweatshops. I support the students of Purdue University and
would urge you to adopt the Designated Suppliers Program and
refrain from taking any form of disciplinary action against
students for exercising their right to protest.
Take action at:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/purduesitin/g7ugbi4p7e7wxm?
____________________________________________________________
Make the Election Matter
Together, we can make sure that the newly elected Congress acts
immediately to:
* Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
* Restore workers' freedom to form unions: Pass the Employee
Free Choice Act and reverse the National Labor Relations Board's
recent ruling that allows employers to deny workers' union
rights by classifying them as "supervisors."
* Overturn the ban prohibiting Medicare from negotiating with
drug companies for more affordable prescription drugs.
* Stop sending our best jobs overseas. Reward companies that
create jobs at home, instead of giving tax dollars to companies that
export our jobs.
* Reverse the cuts in student loans made by the Republican Congress.
* And begin serious work on urgent, longer-term priorities to
provide affordable health care for all, retirement security,
fair trade policies, world-class public education, energy
independence, reasonable and fair immigration reform--and to
bring our troops home rapidly.
An America that rewards
work, respects workers and builds strong
communities and better lives for working families now is within our
reach.
Please sign up now at the
link : http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/PostElectionPledge/553ggi4y73tkxb?
________________________________________
Petition to Stop Stoning Forever in Iran
To: His Excellency Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Cc: Mr. Golam-Ali Haddad-Adel, The Iranian Parliament Leader
We are extremely concerned that "stoning to death" is still practiced
as a punishment within the Iranian legal system. As the head of the
Judiciary, you ordered a ban on the practice of stoning in December
2002. However, the practice of stoning has not stopped. In
May 2006, a woman and a man, Mahboobeh M. and Abbas H, were stoned in
Mashhad.
Prior to the stoning, they
were treated as if they were lifeless corpses; their bodies were washed
in the mortuary according to the Islamic rituals for washing the dead
and they were wrapped in "kafan", the white shroud that should cover
the body of a dead Muslim. Then Mahboubeh and Abbas were buried up to
their shoulders and waists, respectively. The two then became the
target for a crowd that had volunteered to gradually kill them by
throwing stones. The stones, based on Article 104 of the Islamic Penal
Code of Iran were not too small to not hurt them, and not too large to
kill quickly, but the size to guarantee an extremely painful
death. The stoning was also a show of absolute hatred and
humiliation by the crowd that put them to death.
It is most disturbing to see
that at least eleven more people, including 9 women:
are currently awaiting execution by stoning and there may be more cases
in other prisons that we are unaware of. we are asking you to use your
power and authority in cooperation with parliament to modify the
Iranian penal code in order to ensure that your order to ban stoning
becomes law and the Iranian legal system will never ever again practice
"stoning to death" as a punishment for any crime.
To sign this petition, please click on the link below:
http://www.meydaan.com/English/petition.aspx?cid=46&pid=9
.. Marie Boroli
____________________________________________________________________
Travel to Kenya with MADRE and the World
Social Forum January 13-20, 2007
(OPTIONAL: Stay for the World Social Forum in Nairobi, January 20-25!)
Visit with inspiring Indigenous Samburu and Maasai women and youth
working to make human rights a reality for themselves and their
communities.
TRIP DETAILS
DATES: January 13-20, 2007
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels in Nairobi, Samburuland, and Lake Nakuru
ESTIMATED COST*: $2120 per person (double-occupancy)
COST INCLUDES: Accommodations; breakfast daily; lunch and dinner in
Samburuland and Lake Nakuru; celebration meal on final day; ground
transportation for all planned activities; experienced guides;
translators; and a memorable program including visits to communities,
meetings with human rights activists, and safari.
ADDITIONAL COST TO STAY FOR THE WSF: $725 (Includes: WSF registration,
accommodations, and breakfast daily. For more information on the
2007 WSF, please visit http://madre.org/travel/voyages/KenyaDel07.html)
......*Does not include international airfare*......
TO JOIN MADRE'S KENYA DELEGATION
Because space on these trips is limited, please send us a deposit of
$200 ($100 of which is non-refundable) as soon as possible to save your
place, along with a completed registration form (available as a pdf at http://www.madre.org/travel/voyages/KenyaDel07.pdf).
To register with a credit card by phone, please call
212.627.0444. Reservations will be on a first-come, first-serve
basis, so hurry! Full payment is due on December 13, 2006.
NOTE: If you would like
MADRE to arrange your travel from New York City, your airfare may be
due sooner (we will let you know when we need to purchase
tickets in order to guarantee the lowest price).
For more detailed information about the trip and the communities and
sister organizations we will be visiting, please visit MADRE's website (http://www.madre.org/travel/voyages/KenyaDel07.html)
or contact Irene Schneeweis at 212-627-0444 or travel@madre.org
___________________________________________________________
The greatest struggle for women's lives in
Darfur. Please act today!
Women and girls are struggling for their lives in Darfur. They must
find a way to survive in cramped refugee camps, where food is scarce,
sexual assault is common, and medical help is almost
non-existent. Tell President Bush to send international aid to
Western Sudan before one more woman suffers from the horrors of war.
It's been over two months
since the government of Sudan agreed to send help to those suffering in
Darfur. But they have yet to follow through on this promise. This is
our chance to reach millions of women who need help today. The UN
Security Council has already authorized a peacekeeping force, but they
are not able to reach Darfur until the Sudanese government lets them
enter the country. That's why it's so important that our leaders ramp
up the pressure and demand that the peacekeepers are
admitted!
Speak up for the women and girls who have no voice: http://go.care2.com/e/R1UU/AKNB/LQpK
..Care2.com, Inc., http://www.care2.com
________________________________________________________________________________
Jimmy Carter on Apartheid in Palestine
Simon & Schuster is scheduled to release President Jimmy
Carter's latest book,
tentatively entitled "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid". The US Campaign
urges all
to take action around President Carter's book release to increase
awareness in
the United States of Israel's apartheid policies toward Palestinians.
TAKE ACTION:
1. Organize or participate in an event during the US Campaign-endorsed
Fourth Annual International Week of Action against the Apartheid Wall,
called for by Stop the Wall: The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid
Wall
Campaign. Click here for an action alert and suggested ideas.
2. Contact your local bookstore and ask them to stock this book. Ask
your
friends, colleagues, and family to purchase the book and host a book
club to
discuss the issues raised in President Carter's book and what you can do
change the situation.
3. President Carter's book is likely to generate significant media
attention
and debate. Call your local talk radio programs and write a
letter-to-the-editor to your local paper affirming that Israel's
policies
toward Palestinians are apartheid. Click here for contact information
for
your local media. ttp://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
4. Democratic Party leaders such as Reps. Nancy Pelosi and John Conyers
and
DNC Chair Howard Dean have criticized President Carter for using the
term
"apartheid" to describe Israel's policies. Pelosi denied that Israel
"institutionalizes ethnically based oppression" and Dean "fundamentally
disagree[s] and do[es] not support his [Carter's] analysis of Israel
and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Conyers even called on Carter to change
the
title of his book. Send a message to your Members of Congress and the
Democratic Party stating that you support President Carter's use of the
term
"apartheid" to describe Israel's policies. Click here for contact
information for your elected officials.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
__________
ECONO-WASH:
Once I figured out I was wasting more than 2,000 gallons of water per
year by allowing it to run while I was washing my hands, I changed the
way I do it. Now, I simply put a dot of liquid soap on my hand, turn on
the water for a second to wet the other hand, turn the water off and
take my time washing -- concentrating on washing for a full 20 seconds,
the time experts say is required to kill germs. Then I rinse as
usual.
-- Lenora R., Florida
============
COMMENTARY:
1ST: Bush video
- Hilarious!!!!!
On April 29, 2006 at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, Bush
invited a Bush impersonator named Steve Bridges to share the dais with
him. The premise was the impersonator was Bush's conscience,
interpreting Bush's words with what he really meant.
Click: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1921276117304287501&q=genre:comedy
_______________________________________________________
THE INSURANCE COMPANIES' PLAN FOR COVERING THE
UNINSURED
In a plan revealed November 13th, less than a week after the historic
election of a new Congress, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
called for more hundreds of billions of dollars to be provided by the
federal government to pay for the uninsured - and to pay for them in
ways that would continue to line their own pockets. They call it
"Hope for Millions."
Here are some of the questions that were not addressed. Why would
the insurance companies who are raking in hundreds of billions of
dollars in excess profits and basically standing in the way of a
national non-profit healthcare program for all create a new plan to
cover the uninsured? Why haven't they done it before? What
do they stand to gain? What do they stand to lose?
The follow-up story should
explore the fact that a national healthcare program is the number one
domestic priority of the voters. According to some statistics,
83% of the people want such a program and recognize that we are the
only industrialized country in the world that doesn't have such a
program. People expect Congress to take decisive action to
provide a national healthcare system.
Most of the people want such a program because the healthcare crisis
isn't primarily about the uninsured. We are all close to being
uninsured, and even when we are insured we face the growing costs of
insurance policies, the co-pays and deductibles, the potential of
losing our job, and worst of all, the fact that insurance companies
cancel insurance policies when people get really sick.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Reporters ought to talk with Congressman John Conyers whose bill, the
United States National Health Insurance Act, H.R. 676, was introduced
during the last Congress and has 78 co-sponsors on it.
There is a growing constituency of millions of people who understand
and support this bill. It would provide comprehensive, quality
healthcare for all residents of the United States including payment for
all physicians and hospital costs, dental, optical, mental health,
prescription drugs for all and long-term care, among other
benefits. You would never receive another healthcare bill.
There would be no co-pays, deductibles, or denials. There would
never be any more bankruptcies caused by healthcare costs.
It would be good for reporters to check out Conyers' bill and see how
it would be financed by all of us, employers and employees,
paying a small premium based on our income, and that all of us except
5%, the ultra rich, would be spending less money than we are now paying
for healthcare.
The cost of high-priced
insurance companies would be eliminated because we wouldn't need
them. They don't provide any healthcare at all.
This would save almost $300 billion each year. Insurance
companies just take the money, make a huge profit, and pay out a
reduced amount, too little for the healthcare of the people. They
are money-managers, not healthcare professionals. They even
invest our money in tobacco and other detrimental corporations. They
control the doctors, the Congress, and our healthcare at the
moment. They want to keep that control. So they are
scurrying about to try to get their own survival plan firmly entrenched
in Congress.
President Bush's Health Savings Accounts and ownership plans are also
promoted in the AHIP plan. These would provide money to managers
and put more money into Wall Street. The affluent who would then
get tax breaks for saving money for future healthcare needs. Because of
their tax-breaks, government money sorely needed for a healthy society
would be used to further enrich the money managers. People would
be urged to pay as much as possible out of pocket into the system
before accessing their Health Savings Accounts.
The uninsured must be
covered. It is a mandate. But the rest of us need a good
healthcare system too. It could be so simple and so beneficial if we
went for a single payer national non-profit healthcare system instead
of more money to the insurance companies.
If you would like more information, please check our
website: www.healthcare-now.org.
Marilyn Clement, National Coordinator, Healthcare-NOW
Co-Chairs: Leo Gerard, President of the United Steelworkers (largest
industrial union in North America) Jim Winkler, General Secretary
of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society
Dr. Quentin Young, National Coordinator of Physicians for a National
Health Program
____________________________________________________________________________________
* Father of kidnapped IDF soldier to visit
injured Palestinians, Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent www.haaretz.com.