CONTENTS:

PHILLY & PA AREA ACTION:

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

COMMENTARY:

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PHILLY & PA AREA ACTION:

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM NORTHWEST GREENS.

Always call or email to confirm that the event is still scheduled.

            August 17. Marcus Garvey Peace Event. Born on this date in 1887, this black orator founded a global mass movement based on his Pan-African philosophy. 23 peace groups (including Northwest Greens) will demonstrate from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. near Senator Arlen Specter's home on West Schoolhouse Lane (at Vaux Street) in East Falls. They want Specter to cut off funding for the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home now. For more information, please contact nwgreens@yahoo.com and 215-843-4256.

            September 3, 10, 17, 24.  Every Wednesday, two vigils for peace: #1) at 5:00-6:00 pm (only in fair weather) on Lincoln Drive outside of the Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Drive in West Mount Airy; and #2) at 7:00-8:00 pm (in any and all weather) at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill. More information from 215-843-4256 and nwgreens@yahoo.com .

            September 21. Granny Peace Brigade Peace Event, 22 peace groups will join the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia in a rally from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. near Senator Arlen Specter's home on West Schoolhouse Lane (at Vaux Street) in East Falls. They want Specter to cut off funding for the U.S. occupation of Iraq and to bring the troops home now. For more information, please contact nwgreens@yahoo.com and 215-843-4256.

            October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. Every Wednesday, two vigils for peace: #1) at 5:00-6:00 pm (only in fair weather) on Lincoln Drive outside of the Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Drive in West Mount Airy; and #2) at 7:00-8:00 pm (in any and all weather) at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike in Chestnut Hill. More information from 215-843-4256 and nwgreens@yahoo.com .

            October 4. Parade for Peace. Gather on the Philadelphia side of the Franklin Bridge, then parade over the bridge to a peace rally in Camden, NJ. Organized by UFPJ-DVN, with more information on line at www.ufpj-dvn.org.

            October 10-12. Non-violent conflict intervention training at Swarthmore Friends Meeting, 12 Whittier Place, Swarthmore, PA. For registration, please contact Carol Miller, Nonviolent Peaceforce, at camil888@verizon.net or 267-884-5790.

            November 21 to 23. School of the Americas Protest at Fort Benning, GA. For more information, please contact Daniel at <danyre@verizon.net> or go to <http://www.soaw.org/article.php?id=1671>.

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Upcoming Code PINK events

 

1.    9/1/08  11 AM Penn’s Landing  Code PINK Support and Outreach table at Labor Day Parade ending rally.

 

2.    9/5/08 6 PM 2nd and Market Street.  Code PINK table and sandwich sign stroll at First Friday

 

3.    9/7/08  3 PM Code PINK monthly gathering.  30th Street station south side.  Agenda to include how to present our signed postcards to our Senators, opt-out campaign in the high schools, presidential election season activities, etc.

 

4.    9/29/08  6PM Code PINK sandwich sign stroll in Manayunk.  Meet in front of the parking lot on Main Street (near the ice cream place)

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Moms Against Guns - a quick petition

 

This link lets you sign a petition for stronger gun laws in Pennsylvania.

 http://capwiz.com/momsagainstguns/mailapp/

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COMEY INSTITUTE    FALL 2008        3 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

 

NEGOTIATIONS                      Instructor:  Walt De Truex

 The course will focus on strategies and techniques in negotiations,

with an emphasis on mutually resolving (rather than winning) issues. 

We will explore theories on how negotiators think and react.  We will

also engage in various negotiation simulations and attempt to re-create

on a small scale an actual negotiations.  We will also have guest

speakers who can relate their real world negotiating experiences.

 --

BEGINNING COMPUTER SKILLS                Instructor: Bryan Mercer

This course  will cover Word and Excel and look at power point for

creating presentations and the Internet for a variety of  things

(mainly collaboration and research tools). Where appropriate content

will be geared toward labor issues.

--

HEALTH AND SAFETY                    Instructor:  Barbara Rahke

This class cover four basic areas:

    1) A brief history on the health and safety laws and rights we have

today (ie OSHA, Hazard Communication Standard, etc.) and current

important legislation that could affect those rights in the future

(both good and bad);

   2) How to identify hazards at a work site; resources for information

about those hazards; strategies for dealing with management to correct

hazards (contract language, safety committee; sample letters to

employer for health and safety information, etc.)

    3)  Overview of workers compensation and third party law suits

involving serious injuries;

   4)  Using the computer to search for information; navigating the

OSHA web page, NIOSH web page and other sources.

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

Thomas Paine Cronin, Director, Comey Institute of Industrial Relations

Saint Joseph's University, 215 Merion Place, Phila. PA 19131

 

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NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

 

Tell CA legislators it has to end. A sixth farm worker just died of heat stroke

 

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/heatdeath15/5gggwsr175nk638?

      If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for

the United Farm Workers at:

http://www.ufwaction.org/ufw/join.html?r=X7qGZP9qZmaWE&

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[UFPJ] Things are Heating up in Afghanistan

 

Things are Heating up in Afghanistan: It’s time for the Peace Movement to Speak Up! 

The UFPJ Working Group on Afghanistan urges all member groups to organize internal and public discussions on Afghanistan; to pose questions to candidates; and to raise critical issues about the ongoing U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. To help move this forward, we have put together a number of critical questions for discussion as well as resources for use in your work. Click here for the resources list:

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=116

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Iran: No to whippings and executions of worker activists

 

On May Day this year in Iran, two brave women - Sousan Razani and

Shiva Kheirabadi - participated in open celebrations of the

international workers' holiday.

      The regime considers this to be a crime and the women were arrested.

They have just been sentenced to 15 lashes apiece, as well as four

months in prison.

      They're not alone. In a new and ferocious wave of repression directed

against worker activists, a Kurdish teacher (Farzad Kamangar) has been

sentenced to death. Three men (Abdullah Khani, Seyed Qaleb Hosseini,

and Khaled Hosseini) have been sentenced to 120 lashes between them,

as well as prison sentences. Afshin Shams has been arrested and

awaits trial.

      Meanwhile, Mansour Osanloo, leader of the Tehran bus workers, has

languished in jail since July 2007.

      Enough is enough.

The Iranian regime must now receive a loud and clear message from the

international labour movement that we have not forgotten our sisters

and brothers in Iran. Thousands of us must raise our voices.

You can help send that message by going to LabourStart's new campaign

page here:

http://www.labourstart.org/iran

 

We have also launched a cause on Facebook for those of you using that

social network:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/110025

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Conference Announcement and Invitation

We invite women who represent organizations based in Canada, the United States or Mexico with a major focus upon empowerment and leadership of women on a national or international scale

to come together 7-11 November 2008 in Putaluma, California, to explore organizational collaboration. What might we be able to create together that we cannot create alone?

The event is planned by a core group of women representing several diverse womens organizations. More than 15 organizations have been involved in the planning process.

The co-creators of this event have come together around the following shared intentions and assumptions:

•     We have witnessed a spirit-filled activism that is calling women to a new way of thinking and being.

•     We have witnessed a growing desire among organizations to collaborate, recognizing that theyare ready toeffectively   create something together that they cannot do alone.

•     We have witnessed that inspirationfortangible new projects and initiatives emerges organically when women come together to dialoguearound a shared intention.

For more details about the Conference and for registration and scholarship information (including important dates) please visit the web site

http://www.constellationsofhope.com

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Did you know that Congress has signed away our right to privacy?

 

It’s true! By making FISA law, the President and Congress have made it legal for US agencies to spy on our text messages, email, and phone calls to people outside the US, without any cause, reason or warrant. Does that sound like a right to privacy to you? Help the ACLU overturn FISA by sharing your message of support now!

http://www.aclu.org/fisaaction

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I agree & signed onto the following. Please consider doing the same.

marlena

**

Subject: Howard Dean & Mike Duncan need to hear this!

 

CODEPINK: Women for Peace

During the upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the eyes of the country will be focused on the political future of our nation. Let's not get caught up in the razzle-dazzle of corporate-funded convention shows, but recognize that real democracy means people organizing, from the streets to community forums to electoral politics, in a continuum of pressure from the bottom up. Both parties have led us down the path of militarism and neglected our basic needs, impoverishing our communities and endangering our security.

 

Now is the time to stand up for true peace and security--to demand that our government reverse military quagmires in the name of the war on terrorism; liberate us from the oil companies' polluting agenda and begin a serious offensive for conservation, efficiency and renewable energy; promote good jobs at living wages instead of pursuing cheap labor abroad; and transfer war funds to health care, clean energy and anti-poverty efforts at home and abroad.

 

Click here (http://www.codepinkalert.org/article.php?id=4330) to read our detailed CODEPINK Platform for Peace and Security, and send it to DNC Chairperson Howard Dean (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/6781/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25342) and RNC Chairperson Mike Duncan (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/6781/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25343) to show them the true desires and needs of the American people in clear, thorough language. Please also send our Platform to at least five of your friends and colleagues (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/6781/tellafriend.jsp?tell_a_friend_KEY=3179) and ask them to pass it along to the DNC and RNC chairs, as well.

 

A Fox News reporter recently stated, "George Bush will eventually go back to Texas, but CODEPINK is here to stay." (http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=2163108&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/%20) We will continue to be vocal advocates for the peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world we want to live in, no matter who is President next year. No single leader is a messiah; only we can lead us toward the future we desire, and we need to keep the power and voice of the people alive.

 

Thank you for adding to our collective voice and supporting our platform with your own strength and heart.

Alicia, Anne, Dana, Deidra, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jean, Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Nancy, Rae, Tighe

and Marlena

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Barack Care Vs. John Care: Healthcare Under the Next President by Dean Baker.

truthout Perspective - June 30, 2008

http://www.truthout.org/article/barack-care-versus-john-care

 

      " In terms of health care policy, this is by

      far the sharpest difference between

      presidential nominees the country has ever

      seen. Hopefully, people will be aware of these

      distinctions when they cast their votes in November."

 

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POEM: STAND-OFF AT GATE 927, by Bruce Taub

 

It is a beautiful sunny morning

At apartheid gate 927

The Israeli soldiers are listening to rock music They are in their 20s They have automatic weapons Uniforms, walkie talkies Humvees, tanks

F16 fighter jets, a nuclear arsenal

We are Palestinian farmers

With donkeys and tractors

With seed

Fertilizer

And lunch in plastic bags

We are four Americans over fifty

With cameras, cell phones, and bottled water We are Bedouin with sheep and goats and identity cards We dismount from our donkeys and tractors And wait Wait long enough to see the falcon hunting To see the wild dog with the stolen chicken Wait to be admitted through the small gate To the turnstile Then into the concrete bunker To wait at the counter To show our passes To be released into a holding area To go back through the sliding gate To get back on our donkeys and tractors To pass through the big gate Opened only certain hours Of certain days To get onto our land Our own land On the other side of this abominable fence That separates us from our fields From our trees and fruit From our grass, our rocks, our graves On the other side of this fence That separates us from our brothers and sisters We stand in the sun two hours On the side of this fence That separates us from our livelihoods On the side of the fence That separates us

 

Bruce Taub is an American attorney and peace activist. He has been to Palestine four times in the last two years helping with the olive harvest and olive tree planting on Palestinian village lands captured by Israel during the construction of the apartheid barrier wall.

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COMMENTARY:

 

Analysis: Lee Sustar, HOW IMPERIAL RIVALRIES STOKED WAR IN GEORGIA

Missing from the mainstream account of the Russia-Georgia war is the role of U.S. imperialism, which has sought to incorporate Georgia into NATO.

http://socialistworker.org/2008/08/12/stoked-war-in-georgia

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Wal-Mart Warns of Democratic Win, By ANN ZIMMERMAN and KRIS MAHER, The Wall Street Journal

<http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121755649066303381.html>

      Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is mobilizing its store managers

and department supervisors around the country to warn

that if Democrats win power in November, they'll likely

change federal law to make it easier for workers to

unionize companies -- including Wal-Mart.

--

Brazil Grows as Larger Economies Struggle, By Alexei Barrionuevo, The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/world/americas/31brazil.html?hp

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Monique's latest video on IMPEACHMENT a MUST SEE!

Dear Speaker Pelosi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7JNK_-zAXI

--

Massachusetts: Wrong Model for Health Care Reform,By Sandy Eaton, Labor Notes

http://labornotes.org/node/1851

      In Health Care Reform, Massachusetts Shows How Not To

Do It, Leaving the bloated insurance industry in place

perpetuates the pain and cost of the current healthcare system.

--

As China proves, Olympic panel can't separate sports and politics by Pierre Tristam

http://www.news-journalonline.com/ColEssays.htm

--

Israeli and Palestinian Trade Unions Reach Historic Agreement

<http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/08/07/israeli-and-palestinian-trade-unions-reach-historic-agreement/>