CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
EVENTS OCCURRING EVERY WEEK:
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS & INTERNSHIPS
COMMENTARY:

===========

PHILLY AREA ACTION:

Minimum Wage Is Going Up! Rally Reminder-Thurs Noon- First time in Ten Years


RALLY To Mark the First Increase in the Minimum Wage in 10 years
        Gallery Mall, 10th and Market Sts. Philadelphia, PA
        Thursday December 28 at 12 Noon

Speakers will include Governor Ed Rendell, and
Philadelphia AFL-CIO President Pat Eiding, Reverend Randy Barge of Calvin Presbyterian, Rep. Mark Cohen, Alida Padilla of Congreso, John Dodds of Philadelphia Unemployment Project, low wage worker Kevin Spicer.

We want to make sure that all low wage workers and their employers know that the minimum wage goes up Jan. 1. Call PUP at 215-557-0822 if you do not get $6.25/hour starting on Jan. 1. On Jan. 1, 2007 the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage will be increased to $6.25. It goes up to $7.15 on July 1, 2007.
        - Raise the Minimum Wage Coalition c/o Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP)
                1201 Chestnut St. Phila., PA 19107 215-557-0822 www.philaup.org     
______________________________________________________


DEL VAL VETS SCHEDULE from Thurs, Dec 28th thru Jan 27th

* "GROUND TRUTH" showing.  THURSDAY, Dec 28th @ 7pm
        @ 1501 Cherry St, AFSC Bldg
    This "Ground Truth" will have at least 6 Iraq Veterans Against the War folks on the panel.    They deserve a full house, in attendance!
&
* January 27th DC Demo & March
  10 different bus schedules posted by tomorrow, on our www.VFP144.org    

~ Dec 29th  CELESTE & SHERWOOD's "Final Friday" of each month...
    Every month since September, we've been able to do the "honk to end the war" rally in front of the RECRUITERs' OFFICE @ Broad and Cherry, @ 5p.m., on the LAST FRIDAY of each month, with our DEDICATED super activist GOLD STAR MOM, Celeste Zappala.  We'll be there THIS Friday, too

THE DAY AFTER 3,000
    Somewhere between Dec 30th, and Jan 3, we will record, and mourn our 3,000th KIA, in OIC
In Philadelphia, the DAY AFTER THE 3000TH U.S. TROOP DEATH
IS REPORTED,at 5PM, people will gather at the west side of Phila. City Hall, 15th & Market Streets, for a solemn sundown candlelight  vigil with bell-tolling for all the war dead and reading of many of their  names - U.S. and Iraqi.

~ Jan 15~  MLK DAY. ~ CHOICE of 2 EVENTS
1-
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php?calid=18559  Support the folks ( Brandywine & Quakers ) who get locked up,  doing non-violent civil disobedience ( basically trespassing ) at Lockheed-Martin on the 15th, MLK Day
                THE ABOVE IS WHAT I'd LIKE TO SUPPORT...  How 'bout y'all?

~ Jan 17th& 18
    Grannies Go to Washington - Lobby with our Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Contact: ldurso@mtholyoke.edu

~~ Del Val Vets, and Associates, Y'ALL THE BEST!/ KEEP WORKING to STOP WAR, & END MILITARISM !
        Be Well, RAISE HELL !  Bill Perry 215-945-3350- Delaware Valley Veterans For America
        Disabled American Veteran, VVAW, VFP, VFW, VVA
_______________________________________________________________________________________


Northwest Greens will meet on January 9

We helped to defeat the Trump/Street Casino. Now, you can help us defeat two
river-front casinos. Join Northwest Greens. Our monthly meeting is at 7:00
pm on Tuesday, January 9, in the Weavers' Way Meeting Room, 610 Carpenter
Lane (near Greene Street) in West Mount Airy. More information from
215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
___

Northwest Peace & Justice, January 16

If you want to tell Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq, please help
us organize for the peace march in Washington, DC. Northwest Peace and
Justice Movement will meet at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, in the Parish
Center behind Saint Vincent's Church, 109 East Price Street in Germantown.
Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information: 215-843-4256 or
<nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
__

Khe Sanh Peace Event, January 21

        On January 21, 1968, the U.S. Third Marine Amphibious Force came under
siege at Khe Sanh Combat Base in Vietnam. The defense of Khe Sanh involved
half of all U.S. troops in Vietnam. Casualties among U.S. ground forces came
to 205 killed in action, 1,668 wounded, and 25 missing by the end of the
battle on March 31. As is now the case in Iraq, Monday-morning quarterbacks
still ask, "Was Khe Sanh worth it?"

        From 2:00 until 4:00 pm on Sunday, January 21, 2007, twenty peace groups
will demonstrate near the home of Senator Arlen Specter on Schoolhouse Lane
(between Henry Avenue and Gypsy Lane) in East Falls. They will ask Specter
to author a bill like HB 4232 which will cut off all Pentagon funding in
Iraq, except money needed for an orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops. More
information from 215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
___________________

EVENTS OCCURRING EVERY WEEK:

Thursday

6:00-8:00 p.m. Workshop: "Build Your Own Computer"
Nonprofit Technology Resources, 1524 Brandywine St., Philadelphia, Pa
$25 per session  To register, call 215-564-6686.

7:00-9:00 p.m. International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia Weekly Meeting
4601 Market St., 5th floor, Philadelphia, PA For info, call 215-476-5416.

Friday

12:00p.m./noon. Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the Middle East
S. 15th Street above Locust - the volatile situation in Israel/Palestine continues 
For info, email phillyjewishpeace.org

4:30 p.m. Anti-war leafleting and picket
Market & 11th Sts., Philadelphia, PA For info, email pawf@critpath.org

5:00 p.m. Vigil--Women in Black
Swarthmore Train Station, Park Ave. & Chester Rd., Swarthmore, PA
For info, wibswarthmore@hotmail.com.

6:00-8:00 p.m. Mt. Airy Community Computer Center Open Access (& Tues.)
Offers free computer access to the community
Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church lower level, 17 East Mt. Pleasant Ave., Philadelphia, PA
For info, call 215-247-0870.

Saturday

noon-1:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
Rte. 38 & Cherry Hill Mall Dr., Cherry Hill, NJ  Info, greatercamdenunitycoalition@yahoo.com

1:00-2:00 p.m. Protest at Ferber Furs
1708 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA For info, email phillyar@yahoogroups.com.

Tuesday

5:30-7:00 p.m. Speak Out of Turn Poetry Workshop
Aspace, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale fee $7-10. For info, call 215-435-6621.

7:30 p.m. Books Through Bars Packing Cafe
The A Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Help pack books to send to prisoners. Email info@booksthroughbars.org

Wednesday

4:30-5:30 p.m. Peace Vigil Federal Building, 601 Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by House of Grace Catholic Worker For info, email brandywine@juno.com .

5:00 p.m. Vigil for Peace
Outside Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Dr., Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.

6:00 p.m.  Movement Class taught by Sophia Hoffer-Perkins
A-space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale donations  For info, call 215-727-0882.

7:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
Germantown Ave. & Bethlehem Pike, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.every

======================================================

Peace with Justice for the New Year!

The following song with Israeli and Arab children, together with President Clinton. <
http://www.liel.net/Liel-ClintonVideo2.wmv>

======================================================


NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

 Goodyear Workers Thank You :
peoplepower@aflcio.org

With your support, more than 15,000 striking United Steelworkers members and more than 30,000 Goodyear retirees and surviving spouses now have a tentative agreement with Goodyear. The workers have been on strike for nearly three months in a fight on behalf of all of us for good U.S. jobs with good benefits promised by the company.
        Your support and generous contributions have made this possible. In the past week, you contributed more than $45,562 and joined union and community activists for leafleting actions at Goodyear outlets across the country. USW President Leo Gerard extends these words of thanks:
        "Thank you again." In solidarity, Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
 Click here:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/87qvCGM15uuE/
_____________________________________________________________________


 Dr. Bob Edgar on CBS Early Show Thursday - Reclaiming our Moral Values

        Tune in:  Thursday, 7-9 AM Eastern on most CBS television stations (varies in some cities -     check your local listings)
Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches and former six-term Congressman will appear Thursday morning on the CBS Early Show to discuss reclaiming the moral values of the faithful majority from the religious right - which is the subtitle of his new book, "Middle Church."   Dr. Edgar is also a founder of FaithfulAmerica.org.
Learn more about Dr. Edgar and his important new book here:  www.middlechurch.net.
________________________________________________________________________________________


   GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE: TO DESCEND ON THE SENATE TO DEMAND A TROOP WITHDRAWAL NOW

The Granny Peace Brigade, the legendary group of senior women who were arrested and jailed when they tried to enlist in the military at New York City's Times Square Recruiting Center in October 2005 to replace America's grandchildren, will descend on the new Senate Thursday, January 18, 2007.  They will be joined by grandmothers from all over the United States, and will visit all 100 Senators or their staff members to demand an immediate end of the occupation of Iraq.

The grandmothers are very disturbed over the seeming retreat of the newly elected Senate and House even before they take office from the task of ending the war, by far the greatest concern of the public.  They sense it has been moved to the back burner even though the new Congress was elected to make it the highest priority.  The grannies feel it is urgent to put pressure on the elected representatives now before they make compromises that will pervert what the people elected them to do -- solve the crisis in Iraq -- and quickly.

Many individuals and groups from all over the country are jumping on board this mission, including the Bay Area (California) Grandmothers Against the War and the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia.  The Philadelphia group was formed this past summer when the New York Brigade visited Philly as part of their peace trek from New York to Washington.  Inspired by the Times Square action, the Philadelphia grandmothers were arrested when they attempted to enlist in the military near their city's City Hall.  The New York women served as witnesses to that action, and the sister group came into being.

Many other states are already represented, and it is planned to enlist people from all 50 states so that each Senator will be visited by an actual constituent.  Even Hawaii will be represented.  Former Army Reserves colonel and Foreign Service officer, Ann Wright, who resigned her post rather than continue as part of the Bush administration policies, is a Hawaii resident and will be part of the Descent on the Senate.

The grandmothers will arrive in Washington on January 17 and try to enter a session of a foreign policy committee meeting scheduled for that day.  They will then convene at the Stewart Mott House, 122 Maryland Ave., N.W., for a dinner and meet-and-greet from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Speakers are expected for that event and will be announced.

On the morning of January 18, they will hold a press conference at 9 a.m., place and guests to be announced shortly, and at 10:30 a.m. they will fan out through the halls of the Senate to visit the Senators.  Each state will create its own scenario for their visits.  Some will bring flowers, some will bring literature backing their views about ending the occupation, some will... who knows what?

America's grandmothers have from the beginning been in the forefront of the struggle to end the immoral, illegal and catastrophic war in Iraq, and will not stop until the last troop is brought home.  As the New York Granny Peace Brigade's oldest jailbird, 91-year-old Marie Runyon, says:  "We've got to tell them to get the hell out of Iraq where we have no business being!"
For More Info Contact: Joan at 917-441-0651 or joanwile@grandmothersagainstthewar.org
_______________________________


BIG OPENINGS FOR ANTIWAR MOVEMENT

The antiwar movement has a window of opportunity to reach sectors that have remained passive regarding Iraq until now. The movement can claim a peace mandate from the election, which has been universally interpreted as repudiation of continuing the occupation of Iraq. The immediate protest focal point is the January 27-29 action in Washington, DC (Go to
http://www.unitedforpeace.org for details.) The next crucial moment to exert pressure will be 4th anniversary of the war in March. Along the way, the movement can take steps to build an infrastructure of political muscle that can be exercised in every community and congressional district from now through 2008 and beyond.

The result is a big public fight within the policy-making elite. Their battle is fought out in the Op-Ed columns of major newspapers, on TV news and talk shows, and via endless leaks of inside information. Both the Bush and Baker-Hamilton factions consider the stakes extremely high, and the fight is not always polite. For example, here's conservative pundit Joe Scarborough speaking on MSNBC Dec. 20: "It didn't matter that only 12% of Americans support this President's effort to send more troops to Iraq. But when all of his generals abandon him, when the Joint Chiefs abandon him, the admirals abandon him, when John Abizaid abandons him, when Colin Powell abandons him, everybody abandons him, he's standing alone! He just doesn't seem to have any credibility. This is extraordinarily disturbing to me, as a guy who supported this war and supported this president twice."

When such things are being said on mainstream TV there are big openings for the grassroots antiwar movement. And every day's news from Iraq further undermines both Bush's stay-until-victory and Baker-Hamilton's we've-lost-but-stay-anyway formulas. "Violence in Iraq Reaches New High" declared an official Pentagon report released Dec. 18: "There were an average of 959 insurgent and sectarian attacks every week over the last three months, the highest level ever recorded... This was a jump of nearly 160 a week compared the previous three months. Civilian casualties reached an all-time high of more than 90 a day... the majority of attacks were directed at American forces..."
___________

[UFPJ] As 3,000th U.S. troop death approaches, some ways to bear witness

Make a public statement on the 3,000th U.S. death with a vigil or other event in your community. Under the slogan, "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar," the American Friends Service Committee, which sits on UFPJ's National Steering Committee, is coordinating events all around the country the day after the 3,000th death occurs. Learn more at
http://www.afsc.org/3000. More than 100 events have already been listed and they welcome more listings. Resources and event ideas can be found at http://afsc.org/3000/resources.htm

Ask people to wear black armbands or pin-on ribbons. The black (for mourning) background with the number 3,000 in white, could be a powerful statement of sorrow and of protest in the days after that grim milestone is reached. A sample of how what this can look like is in the attachment. The idea is to not only have activists wearing ribbons and/or armbands but to distribute these in large quantities to everyday folks--in shopping districts, on campuses, in front of government buildings, at busy mass transit stops, wherever there are people in motion. Many will be moved to have an armband or ribbon pinned on them. As they go about their daily routines, they will bear witness to the anger more and more people feel. This kind of easy-to-do activity can help bring people who agree with us but who have taken no action to stop the war into motion. Often, that small first step -- voting in a local referendum around the war, signing a postcard to a member of Congress, or wearing a black ribbon -- will help people think about what they can do to help end the occupation.

Flood your local radio talk shows with calls and write letters to the editor. The mainstream might give major coverage to the 3,000 U.S. death and our voices should be heard. Be sure to always talk about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed in this outrageous war.
                                                                -- Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, UFPJ
___________________________________________________________________________________________


Peace Mom to President:
Try something that will work, It's Time For A Peace Surge - Not A Troop Surge!!!


Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan announces new campaign calling for a "Peace Surge" -- While President Bush meets with the NSA to come up with a new plan for Iraq after admitting the U.S. war in Iraq has not been a success.

        What: Vigil in observance of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and press conference featuring peace activist and Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan and Allen Northcut from the organization Waco Friends of Peace. Ms. Sheehan intends to announce a new campaign from the organization GOLD STAR Families for Peace, which she co-founded. The campaign calls for a "Peace Surge" and more pressure on the U.S. government to brings the troops home. Mr. Northcut will discuss the recent study from John Hopkins University citing the deaths of at least 650,000 Iraqis due to the U.S. invasion on Iraq. Following the press conference a protest will be held at the checkpoint to President Bush's ranch.
       
        Where: Camp Casey - 7440 Lone Star Parkway, Crawford, Texas.
        When: Thursday December 28, 2006 at 9AM
        Who: Sponsored by GOLD STAR Families for Peace.
        Why: "Until our troops are home, I will be at the President's door demanding an end to the U.S. terror in Iraq. It's heart breaking that six more U.S. troops were reported dead on Christmas day, for their families Christmas will always be a day of mourning instead of celebration. What we need right now is an end to the violence, not a call for more violence with a plan to increase U.S. troops in Iraq, which exactly what Bush intends to do at the NSA meeting he is holding in Crawford." says peace activist Cindy Sheehan, "His claim that 'he's working on it and all will be revealed in the coming weeks, when he's comfortable with a plan' isn't good enough, in the mean time how many more innocent troops & Iraqis will be killed?"
        Interviews available with Cindy Sheehan.
        For Immediate Release: Contact: Dede Miller dede4peace@gsfp.org (In Crawford)
____________________________________________________________________________


 'Corrie' canceled in Canada  /  Play has potential to offend Jewish community
It's curtains for "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" in Canada, RICHARD OUZOUNIAN From Variety,
Dec. 22:       
http://www.rachelswords.org/2006/12/24/rachel-corrie-play-censored-in-toronto

        CanStage, the country's largest not-for-profit theater, has changed its opinion and decided not to present the show as part of its 2007-2008 season.   The play, about the 23-year-old American activist who died under the wheels of an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, was originally produced at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2005.   When James Nicola programmed it this year for the N.Y. Theatre Workshop, pressure from Jewish board members caused him to cancel the show. It was eventually produced Off-Broadway, where it ran from Oct. 15 to Dec. 17.
        Jack Rose, from the CanStage board - while admitting he has neither read nor seen the script - said that "my view was it would provoke a negative reaction in the Jewish community."
And philanthropist Bluma Appel, after whom CanStage's flagship theater is named, concurred. "I told them I would react very badly to a play that was offensive to Jews."   Bragg denies he was lobbied by the board in any way and insisted that "I pick the plays. No one on our board has ever told me what we can and can't do."
        From the Toronto Star Dec. 24. The alternate version being told among CanStage insiders: Members of Bragg's board were alarmed by negative response from influential supporters of the theatre, especially in Toronto's Jewish community, who were canvassed for their opinion. Many were dismayed and openly critical when confronted with the prospect of the city's flagship not-for-profit theatre producing a play that could be construed as anti-Semitic propaganda, especially during a frightening period when Israel's existence is threatened by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.

        Contacts for the CanStage Theater in Toronto:
        Audience Relations, Company Information,
        House Programs, Media Requests
        Valorie Block ,  Publicity and Communications Manager
        T 416.367.8243 x259 ,  vblock@canstage.com

        Customer Service
        Carla Arnold ,  Customer Service Manager and Privacy Officer
        T 416.367.8243 x229 ,  carnold@canstage.com

~ For more info, actions you can take to spread Rachel's words, and updates on efforts to bring the play "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" around the world, visit
http://www.rachelswords.org
Please consider a financial donation to the effort. You can donate online securely at http://www.rachelswords.org/donate
_____________________________________________________________________________________


Calling all Progressive Organizations: Give Yourself The Gift Of PAPER BALLOTS

Thanks to your thousands of messages of protest, this last week Harry Reid quickly reversed himself and clarified that Bush's proposal for a troop "surge" in Iraq was OFF the table.  We will continue to press for bringing the troops home now, and we recognize that if only enough of us speak out at the same time it WILL happen.
        In the meantime, we helped the Velvet Revolution web site launch an action page demanding actual paper ballots in all elections.  That is also definitely on our holiday wish list, and they are putting together an impressive team of election reform advocates to make it happen.        ACTION PAGE:
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php

Please join more than 30 leading non-partisan Election Integrity organizations who have signed the following letter demanding that Congress enact legislation requiring a paper ballot for every vote cast. Problems throughout the 2006 primary and general elections have made it clear that only a paper ballot -- not a "paper trail", nor a "paper record" -- will begin to help re-establish confidence in our tattered electoral system.
        Please fill out the form below to email the letter to your own Congress Members. We'll take it from there. It's time for American Citizens to take our democracy back. This is an important first step as Congress considers new Election Reform legislation.
                ACTION PAGE:
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php

Respectfully yours, The Undersigned
Demos:  Dolores Huerta Foundation, National Voting Rights Institute, TrueMajorityAction, VelvetRevolution.us, VoterAction.org, VotersUnite.org.
        - Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours.
        - To be added to the list go to
http://www.peaceteam.net/in.htm
_________________________________________________________________________________

* En Espanol: New stations broadcasting "Los Titulares de Hoy" (Democracy Now!'s daily
news summary in Spanish) *

        Radio Uno 93.7 in Tacna, Peru is broadcasting the Spanish Headlines at 8 pm
M-F.
http://www.radiouno.com.pe/
----------------------------------
Democracy Now!'s daily news summaries are now available in Spanish:

        To subscribe to these "Titulares de Hoy" by email, send a blank message
to: boletin-sub@list.democracynow.org
Http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/27/1736249

==============================

TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS & INTENSHIPS:

Teacher Fellowship at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Feb 1) for Summer 2007

Pennsylvania 6-12 grade history or social studies educators are welcome to apply for this four-week research opportunity. Receive $2000 while engaging in hands-on historical research and curriculum development at HSP on one of the following topics:

Japanese Internment / Ethnic Images in Advertising / Philadelphia's Chinatown
Women's Suffrage / The Lighthouse (settlement house)

For additional information, go to
http://www.hsp.org and click on "Education." There you will find a detailed description of the fellowship, application process, and background information on the research topics.
________________________________


* Winter/Spring 2007 Internships *

Democracy Now! is accepting applications for internship positions for the
winter/spring semester in New York City. Please email admin@democracynow.org
for more information.

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

Iraq is about Politics, Not Sectarianism


 - December 21, 2006 
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

( Here is a good, concise analysis from Iraqi Ra'ed Jarrar from his blog "Ra'ed in the Middle."  It was also published on Yahoo.com. Ra'ed is the son of a Shi`a mother and a Sunni father, which is really quite a common family structure in Iraq. In fact, although children generally take their religion from the father, the children in this family are themselves mixed among Shi`a, Sunni, and secular.)

A few weeks ago, the Washington Post reported that the administration was considering what some call an "80% solution" to solve the problems in Iraq. In essence, the solution would be designed to work with the Shia Iraqis who make up 60% of the population and the Kurds who make up 20%. It would exclude the Iraqi Sunni Arabs that make up the remaining 20% of the population.
        However, this won't work. There are new, mixed Iraqi coalitions emerging, which makes the Iraqi political map more complicated and mixed than this solution provides for.

Background of the issue:
The approach of the United States in dealing with Iraqis is, and has been, based on such sectarian and ethnic divisions. The Governing Council, created by Paul Bremer in July 2003, whose 25 members were chosen by the U.S.-led coalition to represent their sects. This was the first time in Iraq's contemporary history where leaders of the country were selected based on them having been identified as members of a particular sectarian group. The Governing Council was a failure - at least in part because of the sectarian makeup and, as one member said of it, the Council's propensity to "sit in the council while the country is burning and argue over procedure.'
        Furthermore, the U.S administration -- followed by the mainstream media -- did their best to portray the growing Iraqi-Iraqi conflict as a sectarian or religious one with roots that pre-dated the occupation even though many Iraqi analysts and politicians disagreed with that perception and believe the current conflict is based on political, not religious, motives.

The real problem:
As new coalitions emerge inside the Iraqi government, it seems that the background of "sectarian conflict" put forth by the U.S. is collapsing completely. A number of Shia groups such as the Al-Sadr movement and the Al-Fadila party are working with Sunni, Kurdish and secular parties both within and outside the Iraqi government and are attempting to establish a nat! ional fr ont that is against the occupation and is for unity in Iraq.
        While these pro-unity groups coalesce, the Bush administration is lending its support to another pro-occupation coalition that may include Al-Hakim of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution In Iraq (SCIRI), the two main Kurdish parties, and the Islamic party which is a Sunni party led by the Iraqi vice president, Tariq Al-Hashimi.

Conclusion:
The newly formed coalitions prove sectarianism is not at the root of the conflict in Iraq. Sectarian and religious differences are not splitting the country. Thus, it's clear that the "80% solution" will have no impact and will not work, nor will any other sectarian-based response.
        The main issue that is splitting Iraqis is the presence of the occupation, and that's why more than 87% of the Iraqi people, and a majority of the country's politicians, believe that the first step in dealing with the Iraqi-Iraqi conflict is pulling out the U.S. and coalition troops and ending the occupation.
______________________


Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In America's War? More Than 655,000
http://tinyurl.com/usq4x

Number of U.S. Military Personnel Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In Bush's War  2987
http://icasualties.org/oif/

The War in Iraq Costs
$353,301,970,914

See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
===

* Troop 'surge' in Iraq would be another mistake BY W. PATRICK LANG and RAY MCGOVERN
        Robert Gates' report to the White House on his discussions in Iraq this past week is likely to provide the missing ingredient for the troop ''surge'' into Iraq favored by the ''decider'' team of Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush. 
http://tinyurl.com/yzg62p

* Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2006 By Juan Cole
        Myth number one is that the United States "can still win" in Iraq. Of course, the truth of this statement, frequently still made by William Kristol and other Neoconservatives, depends on what "winning" means. But if it means the establishment of a stable, pro-American, anti-Iranian government with an effective and even-handed army and police force in the near or even medium term, then the assertion is frankly ridiculous. 
http://tinyurl.com/ydkn83

* Military considers recruiting foreigners/Expedited citizenship would be an incentive By Bryan Bender
        The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks -- including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer -- according to Pentagon officials.  
http://tinyurl.com/yaw5kx

* As Hundreds Die in an Oil Pipeline Explosion in Lagos, A Look At the Fight
Over Nigeria's Natural Resources *

        Sandy Cioffi, the director of the film "Sweet Crude," joins us in New York
just hours after she returned from Nigeria. She talks about how the popular
resistance movement in the Niger Delta continues to fight multinational oil
companies for control of the country's natural wealth.
Listen/Watch/Read  
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1518254

* Thousands March on Day of Solidarity With Oaxaca *
        In southern Mexico¹s Oaxaca City, supporters of the People¹s Popular
Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) again took to the streets Friday to demand the
resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, the release of political prisoners and the
withdrawal of federal police. Democracy Now! producer Elizabeth Press files
a report from the streets of Oaxaca.
Listen/Watch/Read  
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1518257

* FCC Sides with Verizon & Wireless and Votes to Strip Local Communities of
Control Over Cable Franchising *

        Anthony Riddle, of the Alliance for Community Media, joins us in the
Firehouse to talk about last week's 3-2 vote. The FCC's two Democratic
commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein voted against the measure.
Listen/Watch/Read 
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519200

* Barbara Ehrenreich on Poverty, War and Feminism¹s Place in the World*
        We play an excerpt of a recent address by Barbara Ehrenreich, best-selling
author of ³Nickel and Dimed: Surviving in Low-Wage America.² Throughout her
three decades of journalism and activism, Ehrenreich has been one of the
most consistent chroniclers of class in America. [rush transcript included]
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/27/1649215

* Ann Wright | Five Years of Infamy: Close Guantanamo!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306A.shtml
        "On January 11, 2002, the first detainees from Afghanistan arrived at the prison in the US Naval Base, Guantanamo, Cuba. In the succeeding five years, Guantanamo has symbolized to the world the Bush administration's abandonment of international and domestic law, and the development of a policy of inhumane treatment and use of torture. These claims have been linked to military and CIA operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and in an unknown number of secret prisons. More than 775 detainees have been held in Guantanamo since January 11, 2002. After five years, no Guantanamo detainee has been convicted of a criminal offense," says Colonel Ann Wright (Retired).
   
* UN Imposes First Sanctions on Iran's Nuclear Program
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306E.shtml
        The United Nations Security Council voted 15 to 0 to impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program for the first time, including a ban on acquisition of materials and technology that might be used to build an atomic bomb. The measure demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment and heavy-water projects that the US and its European allies have said may lead to the development of nuclear weapons.
 
* Generals: More Troops Needed in Iraq 
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306B.shtml
        Top US military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend a "surge" of fresh American combat forces, eliminating one of the last remaining hurdles to proposals being considered by President Bush for a troop increase, a defense official familiar with the plan said Friday. The approval of a troop increase plan by top Iraq commanders, including General George W. Casey Jr. and Lt. General Raymond T. Odierno, comes days before Bush unveils a new course for the troubled US involvement in Iraq.

* Venezuela's Black Vote by Roy Levy Williams - Amsterdam News - Dec 20, 2006
<
http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=11722&sID=12>
        Venezuelans went to the polls in record numbers this month to overwhelmingly vote for President Hugo Chavez. More than 80 percent of registered voters in Venezuelans voted in what the U.S State Department called a "democratic process" and an international delegation of monitors confirmed as "a free and fair election." As one of the NAACP's official monitors, what I believe
to be a lesser known story is the power of the Black vote in that election.

* Sandinistas to Eradicate Illiteracy, December 21, 2006, Prensa Latina, Managua
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=565180EE-B036-4F77-B058-09F0D0A0F9B2)&language=EN
        The Sandinista government goal will be to eradicate illiteracy in Nicaragua, and for this purpose will use the Cuban teaching method Yo Si Puedo, announced here future Education Minister Miguel de Castilla Wednesday.


-------------
Bottom line
-- I am quite comfortable that impeachment is off the table. Impeachment did not bring down Nixon. Hearings and investigations did. I am fine with all the people advocating for hearings. Their pressure will motivate the Conyers and Waxmans in congress to do their investigations, knowing they are on the same page as the griping impeachment advocates. I am confident that Pelosi, Conyers, Waxman and enough other members of congress want Bush out as much as we do. They just know that there's a better way and their executing that strategy.     ...Rob Kall