CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL
ACTION:
================================
Monday, September 21, 2009: Important
Anti-Gun
Vigil at Colisimos (between 9th and 10th on Spring Garden St.), 4-6
p.m.,
marking the International Day of Peace. The Granny Peace Brigade
Philadelphia AGREED to sponsor this event.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009: Regular
Monthly
Vigil against the Army Experience Center, 4 to 6 PM, near Franklin
Mills Mall
on the corner of Knights Road and Woodhaven Blvd. More information from
patrickelder@verizon.net or mermaid423@aol.com.
NORTHWEST GREENS ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Always call or email to confirm that the event
is still
scheduled.
September 16, 23, 30. Every Wednesday, a vigil for peace, 7:00-8:00
p.m. (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 20. War on Terror Peace Event, 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 (between Henry Avenue and Gypsy Lane) in
East
Falls. They want Specter to cut off funding for the U.S. occupation of
Iraq and
Afghanistan and to bring the troops home now. On this date in 2001,
President
George Bush II declared a "War on Terror," to a joint session of
Congress. This was later used to justify preemptive wars and human
rights
abuses (including torture) by the U.S. For more information, please
contact nwgreens@yahoo.com
and 215-843-4256.
______________________________________________________________________
September 25. Bail Out People Peace March,
http://bailoutpeople.org/,
Vans to Pittsburgh for G20 ( see below for more
info)
We will definitely have a van going to
Pittsburgh,
leaving Philly sometime the late afternoon/early evening of Thursday,
Sept. 24
and returning the following night. There is still room in the
van! If you
are interested, email gpop@gpop.org. Please forward to other
interested
parties. If you are interested in this, please email
gpop@gpop.org.
Please give
your name, email, address, and likelihood of
participation. If you have
a preference about whether it's overnight or
one long
day, email that
too. And feel free to forward this to
friends and
colleagues.
hillary, GPOP Treasurer
-
Go to Pittsburgh, Young Man, and Defy Your
Empire By
Chris Hedges
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090831_hedges_pittsburgh_g20_defiance/
__________________________
October 7, 14, 21, 28. Every Wednesday, a vigil for peace, 7:00-8:00
p.m. (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 2. First Friday rocks! Remind people that there is a war
(or two)
going on. Philly Code PINK will have its usual table on Second
Street
north of Market Street in Old City Philadelphia. More information from
dzubow@pccy.org.
October 7. End the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan,
demonstration at
5:00 pm, west side of Philadelphia City Hall, Fifteenth and Market
Streets in
center city. More information from Brandywine Peace Community,
brandywine@juno.com and 610-544-1818.
October 8. Northwest Greens monthly meeting, 7:00 pm, in the Weavers
Way
Meeting Room, 555 Carpenter Lane (near Greene Street) in West Mount
Airy. More
information from 215-843-4256 and nwgreens@yahoo.com.
October 10. Peace in Space/Peace on Earth, noon vigil at Lockheed
Martin, Mall
and Goddard Boulevards (behind King of Prussia Mall), Valley Forge, PA.
More
information from Brandywine Peace Community, brandywine@juno.com and
610-544-1818.
October 10. "View from a Grain of Sand," 2:00 p.m., Recreation Room,
Stapeley in Germantown, 6300 Greene Street (at Washington Lane). More
information from Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF),
doryloder@verizon.net and 215-438-5323.
October 10. Beef and Beer for Christine Oliger,
www.friendsofchristine.com,
from 6:00 until 10:00 pm with dancing, music, dancing, raffles and
dancing.
Please reserve your tickets today by sending a check or money order for
$25/person to "Christine Oliger Trust," Chestnut Hill Friends
Meetinghouse, 100 East Mermaid Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118.
More information from 215-843-4256 and
info@friendsofchristine.com.
October 17. March and rally to end the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan
and Iraq,
begins at11:00 a.m., west side of City Hall, 15th and Market Streets.
Endorsed
by Northwest Greens. More information from Philly Against War,
phillyagainstwar@gmail.com and 609-558-1869.
October 18. Stop the Draft Peace Event, 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 (between Henry Avenue and Gypsy Lane) in
East
Falls. They want Specter to cut off funding for the U.S. occupation of
Iraq and
Afghanistan and to bring the troops home now. On this date in 1967
thousands of
young people defied the U.S. occupation of Vietnam by turning in their
draft cards
at induction centers around the nation. For more information, please
contact
nwgreens@yahoo.com and 215-843-4256.
November 4, 11, 18, 25. Every Wednesday, a vigil for peace, 7:00-8:00
p.m. (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.
November 28. Heal the War-Torn Economy, Thanksgiving demonstration for
justice,
noon at Lockheed Martin, Mall and Goddard Boulevards (behind King of
Prussia
Mall), Valley Forge, PA. More information from Brandywine Peace
Community,
brandywine@juno.com and 610-544-1818.
______________________________________________________________
"The Private Health Insurance Industry: An
Insider
Speaks Out:
A TOWN HALL MEETING WITH WENDELL POTTER, Former
Chief of
Corporate Communications, CIGNA
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 11AM to 1PM
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Parkway
Central Library
, 1901 Vine Street
Montgomery Auditorium, Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by:
Physicians
for a National Health Program, Philadelphia PSR, Health Care for All
Philadelphia, Health Care 4 All PA, www.OpEdNews.com, Health Care for
America
NOW!, National Physicians Alliance.
Free and Open to the Public
For more information, contact Henry D'Silva
(267)
679-0617 or Marc Stier (215) 880-6142
______________________________________________________________
The Communist Party of Eastern Pennsylvania
&
Delaware presents
SOCIALISM ; People Before Profits -a 3 part
Educational
Series on Socialism
Session 1: September 17, 2009 at 7 PM
Socialism in Cuba- A presentation on a recent
trip
Session 2: October 1, 2009 at 7 PM
Socialism around the world:
The History of Worldwide Struggle-
Panelist/Group
Discussion
Session 3: October 21, 2009 at 7 PM
Socialism in the USA How do we get there?
What will
it look like?
All session will be held at the
W.E.B. DuBois Center, 4515 Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia,
PA
For more information and reservations, please
call
215-222-8895
or email us at rperna@cpusa.org
Donations: $5 per seesion/$10 for all 3 (No one
turned
away for lack of funds)
light refreshments will be served
_________________________________
Tackling True Reform: Why Philadelphia Must
Innovate:
From: Committee of Seventy
[mailto:lpillsbury@seventy.org]
Tackling True Reform: Why Philadelphia Must
Innovate
Short-term solutions to the city’s budget
crisis
– like hiking the sales tax or delaying pension payments – will not
be enough to bring about true recovery. In “Tackling True Reform:
Why Philadelphia Must Innovate,” we challenge Philadelphia leaders to
take on the genuinely hard work of creating a more effective
government.
We believe Philadelphia can emerge from the Great
Recession
with a government that functions far more effectively and less
expensively and
the solid foundation for a more prosperous, vibrant city.This report is
part of
our on going commitment to promoting innovative thinking about
government
reform. The full report can be found on our website www.seventy.org.
We invite you to read and share the report. We
want to
hear from you! Write us with your thoughts on creating a government
that works
for Philadelphians.
____________________________________________________________________
“THE KEY IS JUSTICE; THE TIME IS NOW”
AMERICAN JEWS FOR A JUST PEACE
2009 ANNUAL MEETING, PHILADELPHIA, PA
Conference Dates: Friday, October 16 through
Sunday,
October 18, 2009
Conference Location:The Carriage House, campus,
University of Pennsylvania
3907 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
Jeff Halper’s Keynote Address, "New Strategies
for an Old Conflict: Israel/Palestine 2010"
Friday Night, October 16 at 7:30
Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall, University of
Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce Street, Phila, PA
On Friday evening the public is invited to
attend the
opening talk, by Jeff Halper, Director of the Israeli Committee against
House
Demolitions (ICAHD), working partner and ally of American Jews for a
Just
Peace. The conference will consist of two days of substantive
workshops,
including the ongoing participation of Jeff Halper and other noted
activists
throughout the weekend. Workshops will be moderated by members of
American Jews for Just Peace and invited guests, including: Adam
Horwitz
(Mondoweiss), Hannah Mermelstein (co-founder Birthright Unplugged
and
Students Boycott Apartheid).
________________________________________
[sustain] boycott stickers are in!
SUSTAIN has ordered 1000 of the attached
"Boycott
Israeli Apartheid" stickers. They are 3x5 and suitable for indoor and
outdoor. The stickers cost about $150, so any donation you could
make
toward the cost would be most helpful.
If you would like a stack, please email
katezaidan@gmail.com with:
1. How many
2. How much, if anything, you are able to
contribute
3. When and where is a good time to drop them
off.
Thanks so
much! Kate
, 267-455-9279
___________________________________________________
Take Action: The Respect for Marriage Act
Introduced to
Repeal DOMA
Great news for all those who believe in full
equality
under the
law for same-sex couples. Today Rep. Jerrold
Nadler, with
91
additional co-sponsors from the United States
House of
Representatives, introduced legislation to
repeal the
Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA) in its entirety.
Four Congessman
from
Pennsylvania signed-on to co-sponsor The
Respect for Marriage Act of 2009: U.S.
Representatives
Robert
Brady (D - 1st Dist.), Chaka Fattah (D - 2nd
Dist.), Joe
Sestak
(D - 7th Dist.), and Michael Doyle (D - 14th
Dist.) The
Respect
for Marriage Act would repeal the Defense of
Marriage Act
(DOMA), which singles out lawfully married
same-sex
couples for
discriminatory treatment under federal law,
denying them
more
than 1,100 federal protections and
responsibilities that
would
otherwise apply to them once legally married
like all
other spouses.
Among the 1,100
federal
protections and responsibilities denied
to legally married same-sex couples are the
ability to:
file
joint taxes; receive spousal, mother's and
father's, or
surviving spouse benefits under Social
Security; take
unpaid
leave to care for a sick or injured spouse;
receive
employer-provided family health benefits
without paying
an
additional tax that different-sex spouses do
not pay;
receive
the same family health and retirement/pension
benefits as
fellow
married employees; and be protected by the safe
harbor
provisions in bankruptcy law, Medicaid rules
and other
federal
statutes that secure some resources and the
family home
when
debts of one spouse threaten to leave both
financially
responsible spouses destitute.
The Respect for
Marriage
Act does not obligate any person,
religious organization, locality, or state to
celebrate
or
license a marriage between two persons of the
same sex.
The
First Amendment protects the right of churches
and
religious
bodies to determine the qualifications for
religious
marriage,
and the Respect for Marriage Act cannot and
will not
upset that
centuries-old protection.
Since DOMA was signed in 1996, six states?
Massachusetts,
Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, and
Vermont have
moved
to recognize same-sex marriages. According to
Rep.
Jerrold
Nadler, prime sponsor of this legislation, the
Act
repeals DOMA
in its entirety, and ensures that same-sex
couples living
in
states where their marriage is not recognized
can go to
another
state to marry and qualify for federal benefits
when they
return home.
Take Action and
ask YOUR
Congressman or Congresswoman to support
and co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act of
2009
today!
Please consider supporting the work of Equality
Advocates
Pennsylvania! If you're interested in hosting a
house
party in
any part of Pennsylvania, just contact Jake at
jkaskey@equalitypa.org, and please consider
contributing
to
Equality Advocates by making a tax-deductible
donation
today:
http://www.equalitypa.org/contribute/contribute_form.php?donation_type=one-time&donation_method=paypal
Visit the web address below to tell your
friends about
this.
http://eqfed.org/campaign/respectformarriage2009_clone_2/forward/wxbiw6g2fjjji6dj?
We encourage you to take action by October 11,
2010
Repeal DOMA! Support The Respect for Marriage
Act of 2009
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can
take action
on this
alert by going to the following URL:
http://eqfed.org/campaign/respectformarriage2009_clone_2/wxbiw6g2fjjji6dj?
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
Your Congressperson
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically
inserted here],
When DOMA was enacted in 1996, it rejected the
right of
states
to ban marriage discrimination of same-sex
couples. As
more and
more states affirm marriage equality, DOMA
prevents
legally
married couples from fully protecting their
families,
caring for
their loved ones, and being full and equal
members of our
society.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people
have
families and
want to provide those families with security,
just like
every
American. But same-sex couples don't have the
same rights
or
obligations under federal law that other
couples and
families have.
It is time to repeal the Defense of Marriage
Act. Please
take a
courageous stand for equality by cosponsoring
The Respect
for
Marriage Act of 2009.
Without DOMA, religious institutions, states,
or
localities are
still free to choose which marriages they'll
recognize
and
celebrate. But without DOMA, loving same-sex
couples will
be
able to fully nurture and support their
families. Without
DOMA,
America is a fairer place.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
__________________________________
The 40th Anniversary Season Begins NOW
As the Painted Bride embarks on its 40th
Anniversary Season,
we’re firmly grounded at the intersection of Culture and
Creativity. This season’s line-up continues our strong tradition
of
showcasing world-class and groundbreaking work from around the globe,
with
Cynthia Olvier’s Rigidigim De Bamba De:Ruptured Calypso, a raw
exploration of the Caribbean Diaspora through dance, myth, history,
spokenword,
and calypso. All tickets are ON SALE NOW via paintedbride.org.
Big Things Happening This Fall! ON THE
VINE *NEW
SERIES* Season Kick-Off Party!
Saturn Never Sleeps
Saturday, September 26, 8pm | Tickets: $20
King Britt and Rucyl Mills curate a journey
through
musical and visual space with Saturn Never Sleeps, a new monthly Bride
event
that stretches the limitations of genre, rhythm and concept.
Atypical ; New Artist Showcase Series
Sunday, October 25, 7pm | Tickets: $10
In the new series Atypical, we’re working with
co-curators who have their fingers on the pulse of the next big thing
in
Philadelphia’s artists, and putting them on the Bride’s stage.
Three performances will be showcased at each event.
JAZZ ON VINE
Arturo Stable Quintet
Saturday, October 17, 8pm
Tickets: $20 | 20% Off for Crush Card Holders
The winds of change are blowing through Latin
jazz,
signaling the arrival of the next generation of innovators. In the
vanguard of
the movement’s young trendsetters is Arturo Stable and his
genre-bending
quintet.
New York Hieroglyphics Orchestra
Saturday, November 14, 8pm
Tickets: $25 | 20% Off for Crush Card Holders
Before the term “world music” was
commonplace, Peter Apfelbaum’s Grammy-nominated, Bay-area Hieroglyphics
Ensemble became renowned for its adroit fusing of African, Indian and
Middle
Eastern rhythms with avant-garde jazz.
WORLD MUSIC
Masters of North & South Indian Music
Ustad Shahid Parvez - Sitar and Maestro
Shashank - South
Indian Flute
Saturday, October 3, 7pm
Tickets: $25 | 20% off for Crush Card holders
This evening’s concert features an
adventuresome
collaboration between two of India’s most accomplished
instrumentalists;
Carnatic master flutist, Shashank and Hindustani master sitarist, Ustad
Shahid
Parvez.
Tabla Ecstasy: Composed by Pandit Divyang Vakil
Saturday, October 24, 7pm
Tickets: $25 | 20% off for Crush Card holders
Tabla Guru Pandit Divyang Vakil is renowned for
his
composing brilliance and teaching excellence. With thousands of
compositions to
his name, his works represent a contemporary adaptation of the tabla
tradition.
Tabla Ecstasy is his latest masterpiece showcasing pure tabla playing.
DANCE WITH THE BRIDE
Cynthia Oliver /Coco Dance Theatre
Rigidigidim De Bamba De: Ruptured Calypso
Thursday-Saturday, October 8-10, 8pm
Tickets: $25 | 20% off for Crush Card holders
Rigidigidim’s international cast of artists
layer
myth, history, the spokenword, and calypso dancing to deliver calypso’s
subversive truth telling, innuendoand rawness to raucous and downright
unrespectable levels.
ARTIST ACCESS: Danco on Danco
Thursday, October 22, 8pm
Friday, October 24, 8pm
Tickets: $25 | 20% off for Crush Card holders
Over the last 40 years, The Philadelphia Dance
Company
(PHILADANCO) has featured dancers and the apprentice company D/2 in
'Danco on
'Danco.
Dignity Transforms: Semilla Arts Initiative
September 4 – October 16th
First Friday Receptions: September 4 and
October 2
In Spanish, the word “semilla” means seed.
And the Semilla Arts Initiative are seeds for change in their North
Philadelphia barrio. Their artistic collaborations with community
members are a
means of cultural preservation as well as individual and community
empowerment.
I’ll Teach Your Grandma to Grow Gills: An
installation of paintings by Ashley Payne
September 4 – October 16th
First Friday Receptions: September 4 and
October 2
I'll Teach Your Grandma To Grow Gills presents
a
selection of new work by Philadelphia based artist Ashley Payne with a
process-oriented approach and invoke a sense of improvisation and
surreal
inventiveness.
Greetings from the Welcome House: Conceived and
curated
by Marianne Bernstein
November 4-December 18
First Friday Receptions: November 6 and
December 4
In October, a group of artists will each spend
a day
living in a glass cube in Philadelphia's Love Park, recording their
experiences
and creating new work based on their interactions with passersby. This
gallery
exhibition features selections resulting from this unique experiment.
=================================
NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
Afghanistan - A Petition to Take Action Against
the War
http://gopetition.com/online/30533.html
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Friday, September 25, 2009: People's
March on the
G20 Summit, Noon to 5:00 PM in Pittsburgh.
People's March on G20 Summit
Friday September 25, 2009, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Notes:
Thousands to March to the G20 Summit to Bring
the
Peoples’ Demands: Money for Human Needs, Not for Wars and Occupations
–- Environmental Justice for the Earth and its Inhabitant –- Jobs
and Health Care for All
WHAT: Permitted rally and “Peoples’
March” to G20 Summit
WHO: Thomas Merton Center Antiwar Committee and
40+
endorsing groups (including Northwest Greens and Philly Against War)
WHEN: Friday, September 25, 2009, 12:00pm - 5pm
(opening
rally starts at 12:00pm)
WHERE: The plans for Friday are:
• 12:00 pm – Opening Rally at the corner of
Fifth and Craft Avenues in Oakland.
• 2:00pm – Protestors will march down Fifth
Avenue to the City County Building Downtown for a speak-out.
• 3:00pm – They will march down Grant St. to
the Federal Building for another speak-out.
• 3:30pm – They will march down 10th St. to a
block from the G20 and then conclude the march.
More information from Philly Against War,
phillyagainstwar@gmail.com and 609-558-1869.
______________________________________________________________________
Gaza Freedom March - more info - new statement,
posters,
new endorsers!
Who is coming. We have more than 100 marchers
registered
from around the world -- and we are still more than three months out!
(Note
that we are encouraging everyone to register now, since flights at the
end and
beginning of the year fill quickly.) So far the following countries are
represented: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, France,
Germany,
Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain,
Syria,
Tunesia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen.
Among the
wonderful marchers is Duraid Lahham, one of the most well-known actors
in the
Arab world. We are delighted that he and his wife will participate in
the
march.
Some great new materials. The accomplished Canadian artist Michael
Thompson has
designed some wonderful posters/graphics for the march You can see all
his new
designs plus a flyer you can download at:
http://www.gazafreedommarch.org/article.php?id=5027
.
Look at our new Frequently Asked Questions
<http://www.gazafreedommarch.org/article.php?id=5061> We have
hopefully
addressed a lot of your questions/concerns. Let us know if you have
more.
Want to join our
team and
help? Whether or not you can join the march, there are LOTS of ways you
can
help. Check out our committees
<http://www.gazafreedommarch.org/article.php?id=5034> and
contact
the committee head. Or write us at info@gazafreedommarch.org with your
suggestions or offerings.
***************************************************
Endorse the Gaza Freedom March! Sign the Pledge!
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/9750/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2055
******************
Donate, donate, donate. Our greatest need now
is funds.
The vast majority of this work is being done by volunteers, but we need
to pay
people’s expenses. We have a group leaving for Gaza on September 15 to
help lay the groundwork for the march. And we need to raise funds for
our
partners in Gaza who are making great sacrifices to help organize the
march.
You can make secured donations online here
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/t/9750/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=5136
or send a check to Gaza Freedom March, 2010 Linden Ave, Venice, CA
90291. Thank
for your generosity.
We are excited
by the
momentum, and grateful for your support. Let’s show the Palestinians of
Gaza that we are with them and determined to lift this inhumane siege.
________________________________________________________________________
CALL FOR: THE SEVENTH WEEK AGAINST THE
APARTHEID WALL,
NOVEMBER 9 – 16 2009.
The Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall
Campaign,
its popular committees and member organizations call on activists to
launch a
week of global mobilization against the walls of apartheid in the West
Bank and
Gaza from November 9 to 16 2009
We call on all organizations, networks,
institutions,
unions and concerned media to mobilize during the 7th Week against the
Apartheid Wall and to:
• Protest the overarching Israeli policy of
ghettoization behind a system of walls that targets the Palestinian
people,
whether in Gaza or the West Bank, isolating them from each other and
the
Palestinians inside the Green Line.
• Protest the criminal repression of the people
resisting these walls.
- Protest the inhumane siege on Gaza imposed to
force its
people to surrender their dignity and struggle.
- Protest the repression of the communities
struggling
against the Wall in the West Bank. The current wave of violence has
reached
alarming highs, and education and awareness raising around this issue
is
critical. Stop the Wall and Addameer have published Repression allowed,
resistance denied, an extensive report on the repression of the
grassroots
movement against the Wall.
• Continue BDS efforts. Launch campaigns
against
companies building the Wall and complicit in the siege of Gaza. BDS
campaigns
have already made important inroads, especially against transportation
giant
Veolia’s project in Jerusalem and settlement builder Lev Leviev.
Campaigns are being built up against those involved in the construction
of the
Wall, such as CRH which is involved in supplying concrete and Elbit
Systems,
which equips the Wall with sensors and other hi-tech equipment while at
the
same time producing the drones that kill Palestinians in Gaza.
• Put the Wall back on the agenda. Pressure
your
government representatives to follow their obligation to ensure the
walls in
Palestine are torn down and the siege on Gaza is ended. Governments
have to
respect the ICJ decision and not to aid the construction and
maintenance of the
Wall. They have to stop their complicity through silence in the siege
on Gaza.
On November 9
1989 –
exactly 20 years ago – the Berlin Wall fell. The event was celebrated
as
a victory of the ‘Free World’. Today, however, the same powers back
the construction of walls which are destroying Palestine.
Five years ago –
the
International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall is illegal and has
required
that it be torn down and all laws and orders related to it be reversed.
The
Court has reminded the international community of its obligation not to
render
any aid or assistance to the Wall and to ensure the implementation of
international law. To date, the international community has not
promoted any
tangible move towards the ruling’s implementation.
The hypocrisy must end – justice has to prevail.
Gaza has been imprisoned by walls and razor
wire for 15
years. The wall and its no-go zone confiscate almost 25% of the prime
agricultural land of the starving Strip. About 15% of Gaza’s farmers
are
barred from working their farmlands, while tens of water wells and
about 50% of
livestock shelters and other related industry in the east part of the
Gaza
strip have been destroyed. Many farmers have been killed while tending
to their
land or have been displaced and forced into overcrowded urban centers.
In the West
Bank, the
Apartheid Wall carves out today’s Bantustans. It curves around
settlements, which continue to grow despite disingenuous talks of a
“settlement freeze.” So far its path has isolated 78 Palestinian
villages, trapping them between walls, settlements and/or the Green
Line while
stealing land, water and other resources from hundreds more. Jerusalem
remains
isolated by the Wall and settlements, and an increasing number of
Palestinians
have found their homes demolished or taken over by settlers.
In response, the
international community has put a veil of silence over these crimes –
yet
another Nakba for the Palestinian people.
In spite of
this,
Palestine resistance to the Wall has grown. Protests have been a weekly
undertaking in a number of West Bank villages. In an attempt to uproot
what
they have termed “a dangerous phenomenon”, Occupation forces have
employed increasing violent means against protesting communities, in
particular
youth. In barely more than a year, 6 have been shot and killed by
soldiers,
hundreds have been injured and dozens arrested in the villages
struggling
against the Wall.
Gaza has seen
much worse.
In response to their resilience under siege, the people of Gaza have
faced an
overwhelming military onslaught. More then 1,500 were killed as a
result and
thousands more injured this past winter when Occupation forces laid
waste to
the small costal territory.
In their
struggle, the
Palestinian people shall not stand alone.
Unite against apartheid!
Thank you for you continued support,
Iyad Burnat- Head of Popular Commitee in Bilin
co-founder of Friends of Freedom and
Justice -
Bilin
Email- bel3in@yahoo.com
Mobile- (00972) (0) 547847942 Office- (00972) (2) 2489129
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a
villager
at home, http://qumsiyeh.org
_________________________________________________________
17,000 Physicians for a national health
program:
Uninsured figures show mandate-based health reforms don't work ; From:
Physicians for a National Health Program [mailto:info@pnhp.org]
Uninsured figures show mandate-based health
reforms don't
work
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Quentin Young,
M.D., (312) 782-6006 David Himmelstein, M.D. Steffie Woolhandler,
M.D.,
M.P.H. Don McCanne, M.D. Mark Almberg, PNHP, (312) 782-6006,
mark@pnhp.org New uninsured figures show Massachusetts, touted as model
for
national reform, is failing to cover the uninsured. 17,000-member
organization
of physicians says latest numbers understate the problem and show
urgent need
for single-payer health reform.
Official estimates released this morning by the
Census
Bureau showing a marginal increase in the number of Americans without
health
insurance in 2008 - now estimated at 46.3 million, up from 45.7 million
in 2007
- masks the true dimensions of the problem, a national doctors' group
said.
Significantly, in Massachusetts, where an
individual-mandate health reform law, much like what President Obama is
proposing on a national scale, was passed in 2006, at least 352,000
people, or
5.5 percent of the population, remained uninsured in 2008. That number
was
actually (but non-significantly) higher than the number of uninsured in
2007, before
strict enforcement of the individual and employer mandates
Census officials cited a drop of 1.1 million in
the
number of persons who were covered by employer-based insurance,
continuing an
8-year trend. Whereas 64 percent of Americans had employer-based
coverage in
1999, only 58.5 percent had such coverage in 2008.
Dr. Quentin Young, national coordinator of
PNHP, said had
it not been for a leap of approximately 4.4 million people newly
covered by
government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, the overall uninsured
rate
would have set a new record.
Young said the "tragic and painful persistence"
of tens of millions of uninsured persons in the country is "completely
unacceptable" and underscores the urgency of enacting a
Medicare-for-all
program.
"The only way to solve this problem is to
insure
everyone," he said. "And the only way to insure everyone is to enact
single-payer national health insurance, an improved Medicare for all.
Even
President Obama has acknowledged this fact."
Young noted that Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y.,
is
introducing an amendment to the House leadership's health reform bill,
H.R.
3200, which would essentially delete its present language and
substitute the
language of Rep. John Conyers' single-payer bill, H.R. 676. "It's not
too
late for Congress to do the right thing," Young said.
State-by-state data on the uninsured from
2005-2009 can
be found here:
http://www.pnhp.org/uninsured2008/Uninsured-by-State-2005-2008.pdf
For more information on Massachusetts, see:
http://www.pnhp.org/change/Why-MA-style-Reform-Wont-Work.pdf
Physicians for a
National
Health Program (www.pnhp.org), a research and educational organization
of over
17,000 physicians, supports a single-payer national health insurance
program.
To contact a physician-spokesperson in your area,
visit www.pnhp.org/stateactions or call (312)
782-6006.
Physicians for a National Health Program
29 E Madison Suite 602, Chicago, IL 60602,
Phone (312)
782-6006 | Fax: (312) 782-6007
www.pnhp.org | info@pnhp.org
______________________________
Michael Moore Premiers "Capitalism, A Love
Story" At AFL-CIO Convention & Urges Support For National March For
Single Payer : http://blip.tv/file/2603612
Filmmaker Michael Moore premiered his new movie
"Capitalism, A Love Story" at the 2009 AFL-CIO Convention in
Pittsburgh PA on 9/14/2009. He also urged that AFL-CIO call a national
protest
day in Wash. DC to fight for healthcare and the unemployed. He &
many other
delegates at the convention are also pushing for the AFL-CIO to call
for single
payer at its national convention.
____________________________________________________________
*
http://socialistworker.org/2009/09/11/mad-as-hell-doctors
> Mad As Hell Doctors head out
> Paul Dean and Steve Leigh report from
Portland and
Seattle on the kickoff of the Mad As Hell Doctors cross-country tour to
demand
genuine health care reform.
* FAST TIMES AT RECRUITMENT HIGH By Andy Kroll
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan invited the
Pentagon
into Chicago's
schools. Will he promote military schools
nationwide? ** Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/08/fast-times-recruitment-high
When Arne Duncan
stepped
down as the head of the Chicago Public Schools to
become the secretary of education in January,
the school
district he left
behind had little to brag about. While
Duncan
served as its chief executive
officer, CPS received mostly average or below
average
rankings in "The
Nation's Report Card," a Department of
Education assessment
of the country's
largest urban school districts. Its high
school
graduation rates lingered
at around 50 percent, well short of the
national average
of 70 percent. And
since 2004, CPS has failed as a district to
meet No Child
Left Behind's
"adequate yearly progress" standards. In
one area, however, Chicago's
schools stood out: In large part to
Duncan's
efforts, they were -- and
remain -- the most militarized in America.
______________________________________________
* Naomi Klein Boycotts Life As Normal in Israel
By Cecilie Surasky, AlterNet
Posted on September 1, 2009, Printed on
September 1, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/142341/
===
A 1918 statement by the President of the US
that remains
valid-