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>.
________________________
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)
____________________________
Moms Against Guns - a quick petition
This link lets you sign a petition for stronger gun laws
in Pennsylvania.
http://capwiz.com/momsagainstguns/mailapp/
__________________________________________
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
==============================
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&
__________________________________________
[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
______________________________________
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
_____________________________________
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
_____________________________________
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
______________________________
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
_________
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."
===========================================
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.
==========
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
--
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
--
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/>