Say No to SugarHouse Land Grab!

SugarHouse Casino has invoked a hundred year old law in an attempt to
get from the City what it has been unable to get from the State:
permission to build its slots parlor on state-owned riverfront land.
The City Commerce Dept. is expected to make a decision tomorrow,
Thursday, November 15 on SugarHouse's request.

I hope you will attend the public hearing tomorrow (see below for more
info). If that is not possible, please take five minutes to write the
Mayor here:
http://www.hallwatch.org/faxbank/commerce

About half of SugarHouse's project, 11 acres, would have to be built
on state-owned land. With the help of the City SugarHouse is
attempting to bypass the customary procedure for obtaining state
riparian lands. Normally developers must ask the state legislature to
pass a special law selling or leasing them the riverfront land they seek.

This is wrong.

Mayor Street should respect the will of the people as expressed by
their election of Michael Nutter to be their mayor starting January 9,
2008. Mayor Street should not be making important decisions the
consequences of which Mayor Nutter will have to deal with for years to come.

Meeting Info:

What: City hearing to decide whether to give SugarHouse Casino
permission to build on state-owned riverfront land.
Who: The City Commerce Dept. will be holding the hearing.
When: Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 2 pm
Where: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Rm. 114
____________________________________________________________


Mishkan Shalom's Israel Committee welcomes Dr. Alice Rothchil

Sunday, November 18 at 1 PM
Chapel of Mishkan Shalom synagogue at 4101 Freeland Avenue in the
Roxborough section of Philadelphia.

Dr. Alice Rothchild has been invited to discuss and engage us in
conversation about her new book, Broken Promises, Broken Dreams, Stories
of Jewish and Palestinian Trauma and Resilience.
As a peace activist, physician, and Jewish woman, Dr. Alice Rothchild’s
work in Israel and in the Occupied Territories sparks important
conversations within the American Jewish community. Focusing on the
public health and human rights impact of the occupation, Dr. Rothchild
invites American Jews to wrestle with our relationship to the policies
of the US and Israeli government that contribute to the ongoing
suffering of the Palestinian people. Dr. Rothchild encourages American
Jews to “support our Israeli cousins and their Palestinian neighbors by
honoring the needs of both peoples for secure, flourishing homelands.”
Dr. Rothchild serves on the steering committee for Visions of Peace with
Justice in Israel/Palestine and recently served on a medical delegation
to Israel and the Occupied Territories with the Jewish American Medical
Project, now known as the Health & Human Rights Project of Jewish Voice
for Peace. A Boston-based physician, she is an advocate for peace,
social justice, and human rights has sought to build alliances between
Israelis and Palestinians in opposition to Israeli policies of occupation.
_____________________________________________________________


A GATHERING for PEACE on the STREETS of PHILADELPHIA & BEYOND
Sunday, November 18, 2007, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Al-Aqsa Islamic Center, 1501 Germantown Ave. (near 3rd and Jefferson Sts.)

Hosted by:Mothers In Charge (a violence prevention program)
and the Philadelphia Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation
Testimonies/ Artistic Performances/ Gun Control Discussion
Mentoring and Outreach to faith-based communities
Food and Fellowship after the program
Please RSVP to: Mothers In Charge - 215.235.SAVE
www.mothersincharge.org or to
The Interfaith Peace Walk: 215-854-8038
www.interfaithpeacewalk.org
___________________________________________


"Three Innocents and a Spirit" A Haitian Historical Drama

Sunday, 18th November, 3:00 PM at La Rose Social Club
5531 Germantown Ave & Schoolhouse Lane , Philadelphia , Pa 19144/
Tel:215 844 5818
Tickets are $10.00 to support the Memory Village Project
*Three Innocents and a Spirit* (700 years of history in less than an
hour) features three performers depicting the interactions of the
peoples from Africa, Europe and the Americas from before the time of
Christopher Columbus, and the cultural crises that have developed as a
result. The cast will then engage in a post-production discussion,
creating an open forum to heal the wounds of racism.
_____________________________________________________


A Celebration of Geothermal Deep-Standing-Column Wells

Thursday, December 6, 2007- 2:00 – 3:00 pm OR 5:30 – 7:00 pm
(Presentation and reception
Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street- Philadelphia , PA 19102

We are inviting our friends, donors, and interested people in the
community to celebrate with us, to learn more about the comprehensive
green renovation of Friends Center—Turning Quaker Gray into Quaker
Green—and to find out about the environmental and economic benefits of
geothermal wells.
In January, Friends Center will begin drilling Pennsylvania ’s first
deep-standing-column wells for geothermal exchange. Geothermal heating
and cooling systems require zero on-site combustion of fossil fuels and
produce zero carbon emissions, are highly efficient, and have the lowest
life cycle costs. The introduction of deep-standing-column wells makes
geoexchange feasible in the dense urban core where there is limited
space for the well field. This innovation can have a significant impact
on greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.

You are also invited to join us for other events on that day:
11:30 am - 7:00 pm Open House & Displays
11:30 am - 3:45 pm Tours to Vegetated Roof
12 noon - 1: 30 p m Technical Lecture on Deep Standing Column Geoexchange
(Space limited for this lecture, RSVP to Adrien Finckel
greeninfo@friendscentercorp.org)
Co-sponsored by Delaware Valley Green Building Council,
AIA Philadelphia Chapter of, Clean Air Council, City of Philadelphia
RSVP: Adrien Finckel, Friends Center- 215-241-7098
greeninfo@friendscentercorp.org

________________________


FIX The Open Records Bill

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is expected to vote on HB-443
during Thanksgiving week. This is the Open Records bill we have been
working on all year. Unfortunately, it is far from satisfactory. The
state Senate also may take up a similar bill, SB-1, during the same time
frame. We need your help to fix this legislation.

The Open Records bill, as it stands now, is merely pretend reform for
Pennsylvania.
Among some of the worst offenses:
* The independent Office of Public Records bill would not have oversight
over the legislature, state attorney general, auditor general or treasurer.
* The governor, not the Ethics Commission, would appoint the director of
the oversight office - creating potential conflicts of interest.
* Agencies would be permitted to outsource research, which would be
exempt from public disclosure.
* Penalties for public officials who violate the law would be paid by
tax dollars instead of the guilty party.

Pennsylvania needs a strong Open Records law. Write a letter to the
editor in support of real reform!
===============================


NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

Urge your Representatives to Co-Sponsor "The New Diplomatic Offensive
for Iraq Act"H.R. 3797

H.R. 3797, the "New Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq Act" would require the
president to develop and institute a regional diplomatic plan for the
Middle East modeled on the diplomatic recommendations of the Iraq Study
Group. The bill is the vehicle most likely at present to gain House
support for the inclusive regional diplomacy recommended by the Iraq
Study Group as essential to facilitate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and
stabilize Iraq and the region in the aftermath of U.S. withdrawal.
The New Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq Act:
* Requires the president to develop and implement a regional diplomatic
plan in conjunction with the UN Security Council to 1) curtail the civil
war, 2) prevent the spread of violence to neighboring countries, 3)
prevent the establishment of terrorist safe havens, 4) prevent regional
conflict, 5) prevent genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other crimes
against humanity, and 6) promote national reconciliation inside Iraq.
*States that it is U.S. policy to 1) engage in sustained diplomacy on
Iraq with regional states , 2) continue and expand U.S. bilateral talks
with Iraq's neighbors on issues of mutual interest, 3) support the goals
of the International Compact for Iraq, and 4) encourage increased
involvement by international organizations to help stabilize Iraq.
* Requires the president to report to Congress every 90 days on progress
in key areas, including 1) achieving the goals of the plan, 2) bilateral
discussions with Iraq's neighbors, and 3) efforts to address other
critical regional issues and conflicts that significantly affect Iraq.
* Directs the president to appoint a special presidential envoy for Iraq
regional security to carry out the diplomatic plan.
*Directs the president to seek a new UN Security Council resolution
providing for 1) new support for stability and reconstruction in Iraq,
2) renewed UN efforts to promote political reconciliation, and 3) an
increased UN role as U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq.
* The New Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq Act is likely to be marked up by
the House Foreign Affairs Committee and brought to the floor of the
House for a vote as a stand alone bill if the bill gains sufficient
support , including sufficient bipartisan support. Sponsors of the Iraq
Study Group Implementation Act of 2007 (H.R. 2574), who failed to obtain
a vote on that bill despite repeated attempts, now see the New
Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq Act as the best chance to put Congress on
the record in support of the diplomatic recommendations of the Iraq
Study Group.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________


HR 1585 Authorizes Plans For Martial Law

HR 1585 is the 2008 Defense Authorization Bill is an evil piece of
legislation that actually gives authorization to the U.S. military to
plan a future merger with the police that will be used during a
catastrophic emergency.
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense to design a plan for a
martial law apparatus. There is no question that the U.S. government is
seeking to ratchet up the militarized police state as they anticipate
massive resistance to the coming collapse of our economy and war with
Iran. This bill is yet another step in the direction for the
implementation of a militarized police state in this country.
SEC. 1615. DETERMINATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CIVIL SUPPORT
REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Determination of Requirements - The Secretary of Defense shall
determine the military-unique capabilities needed to be provided by the
Department of Defense to support civil authorities in an incident of
national significance or a catastrophic incident.
So in another words, the Secretary of Defense is going to determine what
military capabilities will be provided to support civil authorities
during a catastrophic emergency. If the military is providing support to
civil authorities, that is essentially describing an unholy marriage of
police and the military. In no uncertain terms, this bill authorizes the
Department of Defense to draw up plans for martial law which will be
enforced through a combination of the military and the police. In
addition, the Secretary of Defense is to develop a plan that will
sustain this martial law apparatus for five years as shown below in
section (b).
* The bottom line is that this bill authorizes the U.S. military to plan
the integration of the military with civil authorities so they have a
full fledged martial law apparatus to use in the event of any sort of
catastrophic national emergency. One thing is for sure, these people
would not be wasting their time putting this stuff down on paper unless
they have plans to use it.
* Source: Rogue Government
<http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=4922> - Lee Rogers,
From::leslieinspirit@yahoo.com

* 15 WHO VOTED NAY
Baldwin
Blumenauer
Ehlers
Ellison
Filner
Frank (MA)
* Kucinich
Lee
Lewis (GA)
McDermott
Paul
Payne
Stark
Welch (VT)
Woolsey
==========

TWO FILMS:

* REDACTED - a cinematic rallying cry from one of film's greatest
provocateurs, Brian De Palma

REDACTED radically engages viewers in the way images and information are
disseminated in a time of war. A profound meditation on the way
information is packaged, distributed and received in an era with
infinite channels of communication, REDACTED exposes the extreme
disconnect between the manipulation of images and information and the
truth, especially timely as opposition to the Iraq War continues to mount.
Centered around a small group of American soldiers stationed at a
checkpoint in Iraq, REDACTED utilises multiple points of view, balancing
the experiences of these young men under duress and the media with those
of the local Iraqi people caught in between, illuminating how each have
been deeply affected by the Iraq war and the implications of redacting
or editing on all of us.
-----------------------

" Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains " A new documentary

In the film, Carter repeatedly and unequivocally states what Palestinian
and Israeli peace advocates view as undeniable: to achieve
Israeli-Palestinian peace, with all its benefits for the world, Israel
must end its illegal and oppressive occupation of the West Bank. That is
a prerequisite that neither President Bush nor congressional leaders of
both parties can approach for fear of being labeled anti-Israeli or even
anti-Semitic (as Carter has been). "

The unusual documentary is mainly an account of Carter's travels
promoting his 21st book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid ." Normally,
nothing would seem more boring than presentation of a book tour. But
Jonathan Demme, the Academy Award-winning director of "The Silence of
the Lambs," has produced a beautiful, fascinating film, whose two hours
sped by.
The film is more assertive than the book, which tends to be prolix in
recounting Carter's experiences with Israel. It was the word "apartheid"
in the title that spawned instant accusations of anti-Semitism against
the former president and led 14 members of the Carter Center's board of
counselors to resign. Not until Page 215, near the end of the slim book,
did Carter make it clear that the "policy now being followed" on the
West Bank is "a system of apartheid with two peoples occupying the same
land but completely separated from each other, with Israelis totally
dominant and suppressing violence by depriving Palestinians of their
basic rights."
In the movie, Carter repeatedly declares that Israel must end its
occupation of Palestine for peace to have a chance. The hecklers at his
appearances and confused interviewers only provoke a stubborn Carter,
who says chopping up the West Bank is actually worse than apartheid,
just as Palestinian peace-seekers told me this year in Jerusalem.
It raises questions that must at least be asked for the contemplated
conference at Annapolis to have any chance.
==================================================


Travel with MADRE to Nicaragua! January 5-12, 2008

Climate Change: The Eye of the Storm
Visit the communities of MADRE's sister organizations affected by this
year's Hurricane Felix.
• Travel to Nicaragua to visit the unique autonomous communities on the
North Atlantic Coast. Learn about the
devastating impact of Hurricane Felix and solutions that are being
crafted by the Indigenous Peoples within these same communities.
• Explore organic gardens and other food-sovereignty projects in the
Indigenous communities of Waspam and Puerto Cabezas.
• Meet with local women leaders and activists who are working to protect
their communities from future climate disasters and create long-term
sustainable solutions to our global environmental crisis.
• And enjoy the spectacular Nicaraguan city of Managua!
- Estimated Cost: $1365 per person (double-occupancy; does not include
international airfare)
Deadline for registration and final payment: December 3, 2007
For more information, please visit:
http://www.madre.org/travel/voyages/nicaraguadel.html
Or, contact us with any questions at (212)627-0444 or travel@madre.org.
===============


GRANTS & AWARDS:

Echoing Green fellowships for social change / VISIONARIES WANTED

* Do you have an incredible, new idea that could change your community,
country, or world?
* Are you an entrepreneur who won't rest until your idea has been
brought to life? Or a leader who has recently started an organization to
do just that?
If so, apply for an Echoing Green Fellowship. You could receive up to
$90,000 in seed funding and support to launch a new organization that
turns your innovative idea for social change into action.
Follow in the footsteps of the founders of Teach For America, City Year,
and over 400 other social change organizations and apply online
(<https://apply.echoinggreen.org>https://apply.echoinggreen.org) by
December 3, 2007.
Watch the video:
<http://www.echoinggreen.org/video>http://www.echoinggreen.org/video
Find out whether you qualify:
http://www.echoinggreen.org/shouldyouapply>http://www.echoinggreen.org/shouldyouapply
Questions? Contact us at
<mailto:apply@echoinggreen.org>apply@echoinggreen.org
------------------------------------------

Philadelphia Sustainability Awards (Dec 7)

Does someone you know deserve recognition for making the Philadelphia
region more sustainable? Nominate them (or yourself!) today for the 2008
Philadelphia Sustainability Awards! Nomination deadline: December 7,
2007. Visit
<http://www.philadelphiasustainabilityawards.org>http://www.philadelphiasustainabilityawards.org

for details.

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

A LETTER FROM IRAN: Free Women Activists in Iran, Simin Royanian <
ciwhr@yahoo.com >

My dear friends and comrads,

the issues of womens' rights in Iran is very complex.
there are many organizations outside Iran encouraging
these negative campaigns to increase pressure on Iran
at a time that the women in Iran are making great
progress in achieving their rights according to their
own strategic and tactial necessity.Nothing will stop
and reverse womens' movement In Iran worse than war or
any other intervention by westerners in Iran.

Please do not fall for the propaganda of Iranians
outside the country whose only interest is
interference from outside Iran to overthrow the
Iranian government. these people are for "regime
change". At this time any propaganda by these outside
agitators only serves the interest of those neocons
who are looking for an excuse to bomb Iran.

Please uphold the priciple of self determination for
the Iranian women who live in Iran. they are very
strong and know better than some of us sitting here
with no idea of their lives and needs and priorities,
to decide what we do.

I just returned from a four day tour in Atlanta
arranged by Friends committee there, there were three
of us, one , an american who visited Iran in July, I
was in iran this summer and the other Iranian was
there last month. We are all long time activists for
peace , against foreign interventin in iran and
activist against capital punishment.

We had 6 speaches at highschools, colleges and
churches, pleading with Americans to use all their
resources to stop the Bush administration from bombing
iran, or interfering in the internal affairs of Iran.

There are many Iranian women organizations in Iran
from all walks of life and idealogies, from islamic
and secular positions. there are women's newpapers
that are in iran and report on these in farsi.

If you want to I can translate one of these recent
warticles published in a women's magazine from Iran
that I subscribe to. One journalist has interviewed
reopresentatives of these Iranian women's
organizations in Iran. Of course it takes time, but I
should give it priority and do it.

Believe me, Iranian women are not just "victims". they
are like women here, some are victims because of their
economic conditions, mostly . But most are very
educated, active and feminist.

In Atlanta every young Iranian woman I met who had
recently come to this county to go to college, mostly
for graduate work, were thanking me for my work and
were concerned about the possibility of American
intervention in Iran. These are women who have grown
up in Iran under this government. They are not signing
petitions against the government, they are trying to
work to prevent western intervention. A young woman
who came here two years ago and is in geduate school
told me she had not met any iranian peace activist yet
and she wanted to do something. she was thing of
calling for a march against war on Iran. Our speaking
tour brought her out and her mother from Iran was
visiting and she thanked me to. And she was introduced
to the activists in Atlanta so that they can work together now.

The only iranians here who are not working for peace
but work vehemently against Iran, are the ones who
have been outside Iran for long time and have no real
direct attachment or feeling for the people. they are
also with a specific political agenda.
Three groups of Iranians outside Iran do these
agitations: the Monarchists, the Mojahedin peoples
gurilla(MEK) who are hated by all Iranins becuse they
cooperated with Saddam Huessein during 8 years war
with Iran. They ar also hated by the kurds in Iraq and
Iraq because of their helping Saddam when he used
chenical weapons. the MEK has many front organizations
calling thmeselvs various "Democratic" organizations.
The third group are the "socilists" and various
leftists who are not at all talking about opposition
to western interference, but are carrying their 27 ear
grudge against the islamic Republic, because they won,
and us, the left, lost.

The majority of iranians outside Iran who are usually
not one of these groups, are against any intervention
by the west. But they are not the activist
organizations who are supposrted by the western media
or money. they are living their evry day lives and
praying that intervention does not happen, and come to
talks like mine and thank me profusely for doing the work of peace.

Do you know that iran's family plan, which provides
free birth control and other family planning services
to the poor won the UN award for the best famly
planning about 7 or 8 years ago, do you know that
iran's Aids prevention program, which distributes
needles and free condums to those at risk, won the UN
award for best aids prevention program in the third
word, last year?
do you know that Iranian women are active in avery
area of life and hold jobs as bus, truck and taxi
drivers, that 60 persent of college students are
female and 30 % of doctors are women?

do you know that there are family planning posters and
aid prevention posters all over Iran?
do you know that sex change operations in Iran for
those who can not afford it, are paid for by the
government?

There is capital punishment n Iran, as there is in
most counties of the world including the USA. I have
not seen those who advocate against it for Iran from
abroad being active in the capital punishment
abolishment movement. i know because I am active and I
go ti vigils and I never see an Iranian.
I read all the writings of these outside agitators and
never see one mention of such issue.

i speak with these people directly. many of them are
for regime change in Iran at any price.

these are very hard times for the people in Iran. When
i was there this summer, they were asking me whether I
believed the US would bomb Iran.
Even though I had gone thee because my sister's cancer
had spread, I had a very joyful time when I spent time
with the young people. You can not imagine the
vibrancy among the youth. With my young relatives I
would go to coffee shops full of young men and women
and at every table there were discussions about the
government, their rights, the possibility of war, the
gasolin rashing, unemployment, discussions about what
they should do, we would be there until the cafe would
close and many of them would gather aronf me and we
would have discusssions. i would ask them questions to
learn about them.

Once I went to a cofee shop in the morning to have
coffee and the young man (about 32) who was running it
began talking to me and we found out we were both left
and he told me a lot about what is going on among the
left in addition to telling me that he was one of the
students who had been arrested in the big student
demos several years ago and had been in Jail and was
now running this cccafe. He has a masters degree and
we talked all morning. We cried ogether for the faith
of some of our friend who have been executed in the earlier years.
We exchaged em's.
In taxis the drivers begin talking about the economic
difficulties and so on.
Iran is not like here, nobody throws you out because
you are talking loudly against the govrnment. Even one
pro-monarchy woman and an anti-monarchy but secular
man who was visiting from US were having aheated
discussion on an Iran air plane. Nobody intervened, or
tried to silence them or throw them out.

It is not like here that everybody is in their shell.
There is a tremendous internal dialogue and action going on.

Iran society is a flourishing and forward moving
society. If there is outside interference, it will
make the conditions worse. Many activists in Iran ask
that the westerners do not agitate, the more the
government receives atigations from outside, the more
the anti-government actions in iran can be viewed as
directed by weterners, and it may lead to
restrictions.
At a time when the western governments are puting
sanctions on the people of Iran, as they did with the
people of Iraq, at a time when the US government has a
lan in place for military attack against the people of
Iran, at a time when three US naval ships are sitting
in persian gulf threatening Iran, Please work for
peace, use your voices to work against the negative
steryotype that this government is promoting.

In Iran, they do not kill women, they have capital
punishment( which I already talke about). women as men
are executed for murder. However, iranians are as
capable as westerners to fight for their rights.

PLease think of the effect of your actions. If you
have any time to do anything for the women of Iran,
please use your time and energy to stop the
possibility of Amrican attack on Iran, raise your
voices against the congress here which votes 80
million dollars to be given for regime change in iran.
these little monies are given to so called" exiles" to
promote negative propaganda against Iran.

I know that this woman is from Britain, but the same
kind of stuff are going on in Europe.

Please do not sign or pass petitions around until you
know more about Iran and the whole story.

Please look at: www.campaigniran.org/casmii

http://women4peace.org.

Please first do no harm.
In Solidarity,
Simin Royanian

==========

COMMENTARY:

* US Judge Blocks Second Court Martial for Iraq War Objector-AFP

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a second court martial
for a US military officer who openly refused to go to war in Iraq.
Judge Benjamin Settle issued a preliminary injunction saying a second
court martial for First Lieutenant Ehren Watada might violate his
constitutional rights to avoid legal double jeopardy, or being tried for
the same crime twice.
Watada's first court martial ended in a mistrial in February.
The officer's attorney Ken Kagan called the decision an "enormous
victory, but it is not yet over."
The burden now appeared to be on government prosecutors to persuade the
judge to lift the injunction and go ahead with the court martial, Kagan
said in an e-mail.
The ruling from a federal court in Tacoma, Washington made it less
likely Watada would face a second court martial, he said.
Watanda, who has accused President George W. Bush of betraying the
public trust, refused to deploy with his unit to Iraq because he argued
the war was illegal and immoral. He said taking part would make him a
"party to war crimes."
Although the US military says a soldier must respect the chain of
command and cannot choose which war to fight in, Watada has said that
under the US constitution he has the right to refuse an illegal order.
Watada requested he be transferred to another unit and proposed that he
be deployed to Afghanistan. But he was turned down.
He is the first US military officer to openly refuse to deploy to Iraq.
Just days before his second court martial was to begin, Watada's lawyers
filed a motion for an emergency stay in civilian court.
Watada is stationed at Fort Lewis, in the northwestern state of
Washington. He has been on administrative duty since refusing to deploy.
Watada's service period ended in December 2006, but the pending trial
has prevented him from being discharged.
___________________________________________________________________________

* Students Call Protest Punishment Too Harsh, Crystal Yednak, New York Times

A school superintendent’s decision to suspend, and perhaps expel, about
two dozen students who took part in a protest against the Iraq war at a
suburban high school drew criticism Tuesday from the students and their
parents, who demanded that their children be allowed to return to classes.
In a statement issued after the protest on Thursday at Morton West High
School in Berwyn, a working-class suburb just west of Chicago, the
district superintendent, Ben Nowakowski, said the school’s reaction had
to do only with the interruption of the school day, not with the
students expressing themselves.
The administration “did not say that the students could not protest,”
Dr. Nowakowski’s statement said. “Rather, we asked that the students
simply move their protest to an area of the school that would not
disrupt the ability of the other 3,400-plus students at Morton West to
proceed with their normal school day.”
Dr. Nowakowski did not return repeated calls seeking comment Tuesday.
But several students said the protesters, whose numbers had dwindled to
about 25, obeyed the administration’s request to move from a
high-traffic area in the cafeteria to a less-crowded hall near the
principal’s office. There, they intertwined arms, sang along to an
acoustic guitar and talked about how the war was affecting the world,
said Matt Heffernan, a junior who took part.
“We agreed to move to another side of the building,” Matt said. “We also
made a deal that if we moved there, there would be no disciplinary
action taken upon us.”
Matt said the group had been told that the most severe punishment would
be a Saturday detention for cutting class that day.
Police officers were on the scene, and Berwyn’s police chief, William
Kushner, said no arrests were made. “It was all very peaceful and
orderly,” he said.
But at the end of the school day, Matt said, Dr. Nowakowski gave the
remaining protesters disciplinary notices stating that they had engaged
in mob action, that they were suspended for 10 days and that they faced
expulsion.
“I was shocked,” said Matt, 16. “We had the sit-in. So I had mixed
feelings of confidence — of a job well done — and fright, because my
whole educational future is at risk.”
School officials also sent a letter to the parents of all the school’s
students calling the protest “gross disobedience” and reminding parents
that any disruption to the educational process could lead to expulsion.
On Tuesday, a group of parents went to the school to demand that their
children be allowed return to classes. At most, the parents said, the
protesters’ behavior amounted to loitering, which should be punishable
by detention or a meeting with a guidance counselor.
The parents have also asked that the district provide the students with
some way to express themselves about issues like the war.
“Who’s the next group to go off to war?” said Adam Szwarek, whose
16-year-old son, Adam, faces expulsion. “These kids. The kids do a
peaceful sit-in and they’re threatened with expulsion, yet the
military’s running around the school trying to recruit.”
Parents also complained that deans, teachers and coaches singled out
certain athletes and honor students and persuaded them to drop out of
the protest.
Rita Maniotis, president of the school’s parent-teacher organization,
said the school called her husband to say that their daughter, Barbara,
a junior, was participating in the protest and that he should come to
get her. He did so, and she was suspended for five days. But other
parents were not called and not able to intervene, Ms. Maniotis said.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to the punishment doled out,” she said.
The executive director of the A.C.L.U. of Illinois, Colleen K. Connell,
said she could not comment on the case because her organization was
investigating to determine whether it will take it up. In general,
public school students have constitutional rights, she said, but they
can be limited in a school setting.
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* CITIZEN DIPLOMACY OF WOMEN: the new cycle begins
On 31 October 2000, the UN Security Council adopted unanimously
Resolution 1325 (2000) urging "Member States to ensure increased
representation of women at all decision-making levels in national,
regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the
prevention, management and resolution of conflicts." Resolution 1325 on
Women, Peace and Security was the first time that the UN Security
Council acknowledged that women play a key role in promoting sustainable
peace and stressed the participation of women in peace processes from
the prevention of conflict, to negotiations, to post-war reconstruction
and reconciliation......
http://towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/1168/1/

Elizabeth Holtzman | Beyond Mukasey's Confirmation
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111407R.shtml
Writing for Truthout, Elizabeth Holtzman says, "Though it failed to send
his nomination the way of Robert Bork, attorney general nominee Michael
Mukasey's evasiveness on the definition of torture has done something
historic. It has made it unmistakably clear to mainstream observers that
the president may be criminally liable for violating anti-torture laws.
Criminal liability of this White House will have wider repercussions
than Mr. Mukasey's confirmation. It will reverberate through his tenure
as attorney general, and beyond the end of the Bush administration."

Le Monde | Descent Into Hell
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111407S.shtml
A Le Monde editorial says, "The war continues in Somalia - to general
indifference. For the second time in ten months, the Ethiopian Army is
riposting attacks by insurgents allied to the Islamic Tribunals in
Mogadishu. The fighting is characterized by heavy bombardment,
destruction of homes and habitations, civilian losses and population
flight. In two weeks, 173,000 people have left the Somali capital,
according to the UNHRC. During a previous battle, in April, the European
Union representative in Kenya wondered whether the 'disproportionate use
of force in densely populated areas was not a "war crime." '"

Senate Dem Leaders Float Plan for Forced Filibuster
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111407T.shtml
The Hill's Manu Raju and Mike Soraghan report: "Senate Democrats might
force Republicans to wage a filibuster if the GOP wants to block the
latest Iraq withdrawal bill, aides and senators said Tuesday."

The New York Times | Where's That Energy Bill?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/111407EA.shtml
According to an editorial in The New York Times, "Two months ago,
Washington was filled with hope that Congress would produce an energy
bill that would begin to address the two great challenges of oil
dependency and climate change. Each chamber had approved respectable if
incomplete measures that could be combined in one outstanding bill. Then
the bills disappeared into the back rooms as Democratic leaders tried to
negotiate a final product."


Bush Vetoes Health, Education Measure
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/111407B.shtml
Reporting for Reuters, Caren Bohan writes: "President George W. Bush on
Tuesday vetoed a measure to fund education, job training and health
programs, marking the sixth veto of his presidency and the latest salvo
in a fight with Congressional Democrats over domestic spending."

Barbara Ehrenreich | Writers Strike, Silence Falls
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/111407LB.shtml
Writing for The Nation, Barbara Ehrenreich says, "In solidarity with the
striking screenwriters, there will be no laugh lines in this blog, no
stunning metaphors, and not many adjectives. Also, in solidarity with
the striking Broadway stagehands, no theatrics, special effects or
sing-along refrains."



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