CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
==================================
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
Forum on Immigrant Rights, 8/14 @ 3 PM
There will be a public educational forum on the
topic of
immigrant rights at 3 PM, Saturday August 14, at the William Way
Center, 1315
Spruce Street in Center City Philadelphia. Cristobal
Cavazos, an
immigrant rights activist from the Chicago area, will discuss the
current state
of the movement for immigrant rights. For more information please
contact
philly.socialistaction@gmail.com or call 267.994.9448.
_____________________________________
Woodstock Festival Peace Event
Date: Sunday, August 15
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00
pm
Location:
Near the
home of Senator Arlen Specter
Street:
West Schoolhouse Lane (at Vaux Street) in Germantown
City State Zip:
Philadelphia, PA 19144 / Phone:
215-843-4256
Notes:
26 peace groups (including Code Pink
Philadelphia) will
hold a Woodstock Festival Peace Event on Sunday, August 15, from 2:00
until
4:00 p.m. near Senator Arlen Specter's home on West Schoolhouse Lane
(at Vaux
Street) in Germantown. The demonstrators will ask Specter (who remains
our
Senator until January 2011) to endorse a bill which will cut off
Pentagon
funding in Afghanistan and Iraq except what is needed for the safe
return of
all U.S. troops. They also want the closure of all Pentagon bases
there.
On this date in
1969, the
Woodstock Music and Arts Festival opened in New York State, with
500,000 in
attendance. This event was as much a cultural protest as it was a music
festival. One result was the media making reference to the “Woodstock
Generation.”
For more information, please contact
nwgreens@yahoo.com
and 215-843-4256.
________________________________________________________________________
Penn for Palestine invites you to a discussion:
"Student Life Under Occupation in Palestine"
with Lubna Alzaroo
Lubna is a junior at Bethlehem University where
she is
majoring in English literature with a minor in translation. She comes
from the
city of Hebron in the West Bank. She has been working on conflict
resolution
and human rights issues since she was 18. She is part of the Student
Ambassador
Program at Bethlehem University, and she participated in the
international
program Building Bridges for Peace for three years. In June 2009 she
co-founded
Students Boycott Apartheid. Last summer she attended Building an
Interfaith
community in Switzerland. This August she will be participating in a
human
rights conference held by the UNESCO and Connecticut University.
when:
August 19, 7
p.m
where: Amy
Kaplan's house.
2534 Aspen Street// RSVP: amkaplan@sas.upenn.edu
__________________________________________________________________________
HELP LAUNCH "THE AUDACITY OF HOPE" - A U.S.
SHIP FOR THE NEXT GAZA FREEDOM FLOTILLA-
BREAK THE SIEGE OF GAZA Fundraiser
Featuring: Ann Wright - Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Survivor -
best known for resigning her position in the State Department in
protest of the
2003 invasion of Iraq. She has traveled to Gaza three times and spent
time in
jail as a result. Remi Kanazi - Palestinian American poet and writer
living in
New York City. co-founder and primary writer for the political website
www.PoeticInjustice.net and the editor of Poets for Palestine. ...Plus
buffet
style dinner
Friday, September 10 6:30 - 8:30pm, Tabernacle
Church
(3700 Chestnut St, Phila, PA 19104)
Your donations
will secure
The Audacity of Hope and a sailing crew, carry human rights activists
to the
shores of Gaza and help rebuild Gaza. Suggested donation: $25 for
adults;
$10 for students, retirees and/or disabled. No one will be turned away
for lack
of funds. All proceeds will benefit the upcoming Gaza flotilla.
Endorsed by: Philadelphia Jews for a Just
peace,
International Action Center, Brandywine Peace Community
____________
Temple University offers great lifelong
learning programs
and volunteer opportunities for alumni who are age 50 and up.
Senior Scholars
- A Temple
University Alumni Association program that invites alumni and their
spouses or
partners to audit up to two Temple undergraduate courses a semester.
TemPALS - A
program that
matches alumni with incoming international students to assist them in
adjusting
to Temple and the area.
Questions: contact Temple Senior Scholars at
215-204-2167
or srscholars@temple.edu.
____________________________________________________________________________________
With the coming of Ramadan, we look forward to
another
Philadelphia Day of Dignity!
Sunday,
August 22nd 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
2125
Chestnut St.
Please join us in our fourth year as we deliver
hot
lunches and offer
brand new clothing and winter supplies to those
in need.
Thank you for
your steady
support! We look forward to hearing from you.
To volunteer or donate: PHICARUSA@gmail.com
LOCAL SUPPORTERS:
Philadelphia CAIR, Jesus Christ Church of
Latter Day
Saints
First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, Fixing
Philly,
Islamic CREUEF USA
Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace, United
Muslim
Foundation
__________________________________________________________
Annual Labor Day Picnic
Rally for Jobs – October 2 in Washington
Support the 2010 Fund Drive People’s World
Monday, September 6, 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Home of Diane Mohney
5519 Morris Street
Philadelphia
(215) 848-9343
$5 Donation: Includes one platter
Additional Food & Drink for Sale
People’s World, 4515 Baltimore Ave., Phila., PA
19143/Rookie Perna [rperna@cpusa.org]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Save the date: Help Afghan women, Wed.
September 22 -
please forward widely
Deborah Zubow [DeborahZ@pccy.org]
Weds. September 22, 2010 you can help Afghan
women human
rights workers who are targeted for harassment, injury and death.
That
night make a reservation and eat at the Kabul restaurant, 106 Chestnut
Street. The owner of the Kabul restaurant, Mr. Wali has
generously agreed
to donate 20% of his proceeds on that day to The Afghan Women’s
Survival
Fund through Philly Code PINK.
Simply by going
out to eat
you can contribute to the survival of Afghan women and empower them in
their
own struggle for justice! The Afghan Women’s Survival Fund helps women
who are threatened with violence and targeted because they dare to
speak out
for human rights in Afghanistan. The Fund provides
• shelter
• secret local and international transport,
• cell phones linked to partners in a rescue
network
• emergency medical care
• clothing and other personal effects for women
who
are forced to flee without notice
The Fund saves the lives of these women. It
emboldens the
Afghan movement for human rights providing activists with a safety
net. The Fund also makes it possible for Afghan women human
rights
workers to continue their work for justice from underground or from
exile.
_______________________________________________________________________
Please Save These Dates in OCTOBER/ John Grant
:grantphoto@comcast.net
October will be a big month for Veterans For
Peace in
Philadelphia. School is back in session and the (?)honeymoon(?) period
in Afghanistan
will be over, putting the war on the front burner for public
discussion. So
please put these three October events on your calendars and save the
dates.
Saturday, October 2/ Community
Picnic-Fundraiser
(Optional Bike Ride through Fairmount Park) In
memory of
beloved VFP31 member Bob Hennel
1948-2010.
Saturday,
October 2, 11 AM into the afternoon
Lemon
Hill Pavilion, Fairmount Park
The Fundraiser benefits Healing Ajax
Named for a tragic Greek hero who distinguished
himself
in battle only to commit suicide upon his return home,
Healing Ajax runs a series of peer support
groups for
returning war veterans that addresses the growing public health crisis
of
psychological and emotional wounds suffered by vets during their
service.
It is a project of the locally based non-profit, Resources for Human
Development. Check out: www.healingajax.org; www.rhd.org
Look forward to a fun picnic and celebrating
Bob life
with you - while supporting local vets.
For information, questions or to get involved,
please
contact:
Sue Ellen Klein (seklein4@gmail.com) or Frank
Corcoran,
(heartsandmindsfc@yahoo.com)
Co-sponsors: Veterans for Peace Chapter 31
& Veterans
of Foreign Wars 598, Darby
Saturday, October 9/ Chapter 31 Annual
Banquet
Saturday, October 9th, beginning at 6 PM
Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion Banquet
entrance:
2111 Sansom Street
6-7 PM Refreshments: Beer, wine and soft drinks
available
7-8 PM Dinner from Day By Day Catering///8-9 PM
Speakers
and awards
Featured Speaker: Sigal R. Ben-Porath
Dr. Ben-Porath's field is Philosophy, but she
teaches in
the Education Department at the University of Pennsylvania.
She is an Israeli who spent some time as a
soldier in the
Israeli Defense Forces. She and her family came to the US
just after the 9/11 attacks. Before that, she
lived in
Israel during the violent Intifatah. She has written a book titled
Citizenship Under Fire: Democratic Education In
Times Of
Conflict.
VFP31 will award the annual Eugene Bloomfield
Peace and
Justice Award to a deserving young person.
Tickets: $40 each or $70 for a couple
For information or to make a reservation, call
John Grant
at 610-832-7028 or email at grantphoto@comcast.net
Saturday, October 30/ Town Meeting for
Jobs Not
Wars
Saturday, October 30th, from 9 AM to 3 PM
Community College of Philadelphia, Bonnell
Hall,
Auditorium BG-10
17th St between Spring Garden and Callowhill
Streets
Confirmed Speakers:
Rep. Chaka Fattah, US congressman, 2nd district
Mike Prokosch, community organizer and
co-author of
The Global Activist’s Manual: Local Ways to
Change
the World
Jerry Mondesire, President Philadelphia NAACP
Gwen Snyder, Exec. Director, Jobs With Justice
An Iraq combat veteran will speak firsthand on
war &
jobs
John Dodds, Director, Philadelphia Unemployment
Project
Plus others to be announced
There will be Q&A opportunities and
workshop reports,
All focused on ending our wars and addressing
real needs
at home
Come listen and speak your mind in frank and
respectful
dialogue
For questions, to co-sponsor or to get
involved, please
contact:
Thomas Paine Cronin, Retired labor leader &
Director
of Comey Labor Studies Program
215-353-1885;
tompainecronin@comcast.net
John Grant, Member Veterans For Peace &
writer on
www.thiscantbehappening.net
610-832-7028; grantphoto@comcast.net
====================================
NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
Important re Travel to Cuba--Urgent Action!!
Two simple
things you can do! PLEASE CIRCULATE !!!
Rumor has it that Pres. Obama is
considering easing
Cuba travel restrictions.
Read the full story here:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/06/2134353/us-said-to-be-near-easing-restrictions.html
If the rumor (leak) is actually a trial
balloon,,,,, we
need to let Obama know
that we approve of this important first step.
Here's
what you can do!
1. Call the White House Comment Line
202-456-1111 and
leave words
of encouragement, like: PLEASE let me travel to
Cuba!!!
Short and sweet...remember those answering the
phone are
only score keepers.
2. Leave a the same comment at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact [Simple
and user-friendly.]
Peace, Arnie Matlin for GVCP
Modified from: Karen Lee Wald ,
Cuba-Inside-Out@googlegroups.com
__________________________________________________________
Peace Movement Adopts New Comprehensive
Strategy By David
Swanson
http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/54305
700 leading peace activists from around the
United States
met and strategized in Albany, N.Y. (
http://nationalpeaceconference.org
). They discussed, debated, and voted for a comprehensive new
plan for
the coming months. The plan includes a new focus and some
promising proposals
for building a coalition that includes the labor movement, civil rights
groups,
students, and other sectors of the activist world that have an interest
in
ending wars and/or shifting our financial resources from wars to where
they're
actually needed. The full plan, including a preface, is available
online.
The plan includes endorsements and commitments
to
participate in events planned for Detroit on August 28th, and
Washington, D.C.,
on August 28th and October 2nd, as well as a national day of actions
led by
students on October 7th, and a week of anti-war actions around the
country
marking the start of Year 10 in Afghanistan on October 7-16.
Dates to put
on your calendar now for 2011 include mid-March nationally coordinated
teach-ins to mark the eighth year of the Iraq War and to prepare for
bi-coastal
spring demonstrations the following month, New York City, San Francisco
and Los
Angeles mobilizations on April 9, 2011, and blocking of ports on May
Day.
Here is the full list of actions agreed upon:
1.The Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the United
Auto Workers
(UAW) have invited peace organizations to endorse and participate in a
campaign
for Jobs, Justice, and Peace. We endorse this campaign and
plan to
be a part of it. On August 28, 2010, in Detroit, we will march on
the
anniversary of that day in 1963 when Walter Reuther, president of UAW,
Martin
Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders joined with hundreds
of
thousands of Americans for the March on Washington. In Detroit,
prior to
the March on Washington, 125,000 marchers participated in the Freedom
Walk led
by Dr. King. At the march, King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech
for the first time before sharing it with the world in Washington. This
year, a
massive march has been called for October 2 in Washington. We
will begin
to build momentum again in Detroit on August 28th. We also
endorse the
August 28, 2010 Reclaim the Dream Rally and March called by Rev.
Al
Sharpton and the National Action Network to begin at 11 a.m.. at Dunbar
High
School, 1301 New Jersey Avenue Northwest.
2.Endorse, promote and mobilize for the
Saturday, October
2nd "One Nation" march on Washington, DC initiated by 1199SEIU and
the NAACP, now being promoted by a growing coalition, which includes
the
AFL-CIO and U.S. Labor Against the War, and civil rights, peace and
other
social justice forces in support of the demand for jobs, redirection of
national resources from militarism and war to meeting human needs,
fully
funding vital social programs, and addressing the fiscal crisis of
state and
local governments. Organize and build an antiwar contingent to
participate in the march. Launch a full-scale campaign to get
endorsements for
the October 2 march on Washington commencing with the final plenary
session of
this conference.
3.Endorse the call issued by a range of student
groups
for Thursday, October 7, as a national day of action to defend
education from
the horrendous budget cuts that are laying off teachers, closing
schools,
raising tuition and limiting access to education, especially for
working and
low income people. Demand "Money for Education, not U.S. Occupations"
and otherwise link the cuts in spending for education to the
astronomical costs
of U.S. wars and occupations.
4.Devote October 7-16 to organizing local and
regional
protests to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the invasion and
occupation of
Afghanistan through demonstrations, marches, rallies, vigils,
teach-ins,
cultural events and other actions to demand an immediate end to the
wars and
occupations in both Iraq and Afghanistan and complete withdrawal of all
military forces and private security contractors and other
mercenaries.
The nature and scheduling of these events will reflect the needs of
local sponsors
and should be designed to attract broad co-sponsorship and diverse
participation of antiwar forces with other social justice organizations
and
progressive constituencies.
5.Support and build Remember Fallujah Week
November
15-19.
6.Join the new and existing broad-based
campaigns to fund
human needs and cut the military budget. Join with organizations
representing the fight against cutbacks (especially labor and community
groups)
to build coalitions at the city/town, state and national level.
Draft resolutions
for city councils, town and village meetings and voter referendum
ballot
questions linking astronomical war spending to denial of essential
public
services at home. (Model resolutions and ballot questions will be
circulated for consideration of local groups.) Obtain endorsements of
elected
officials, town and city councils, state parties and legislatures, and
labor
bodies. Work the legislative process to make military spending an
issue. Oppose
specific military funding programs and bills, and couple them with
human needs
funding issues. Use lobbying and other forms of protest, including
civil
disobedience campaigns, to focus attention on the
issue.
7.Mid-March, 2011 nationally coordinated
teach-ins to
mark the eighth year of the Iraq War and to prepare for bi-coastal
spring
demonstrations the following month.
8.Bi-Coastal mass spring mobilizations in New
York City,
San Francisco and Los Angeles on April 9, 2011. These will be
accompanied by
distinct and separate non-violent direct actions on the same day. A
prime
component of these mobilizations will be major efforts to include broad
new
forces from youth to veterans to trade unionists to civil and human
rights
groups to the Arab, Muslim and other oppressed communities, to
environmental
organizations, social justice and faith-based groups. Veterans and
military
families will be key to these mobilizations with special efforts to
organize
this community to be the lead contingent. Launch a full-scale campaign
to get
endorsements for these actions commencing with the final plenary
session of
this conference.
9.Select a week prior to or after the April
actions for
local lobbying of elected officials at a time when Congress is not in
session.
Lobbying to take multiple forms from meeting with local officials to
protests
at their offices and homes.
10.Recalling that the West Coast Longshore
Workers Union
shut down the ports for May Day 2008, and noting the recent successful
actions
in Oakland to block the unloading of an Israeli ship in solidarity with
Palestine, the National Peace Conference will join with immigrant
rights and
union organizers to plan for May Day actions that include picket lines
at the
ports in San Francisco and Los Angeles. A large portion of war
materiel
is shipped from West Coast ports. These areas are home to large
number of
immigrants, many of whom work as truck drivers. A picket line,
with
veterans in the forefront, provides an opportunity to unite broader
sections of
the people in action. It also generates the possibility of
impacting the
war by blocking shipments of war materiel, and provides further
consideration
for continuing direct actions of this kind.
11.National tours. Organize over a series of
months
nationally-coordinated tours of prominent speakers and local activists
that
link the demands for immediate withdrawal to the demands for funding
social
programs, as outlined above.
12.Pressure on Iran from the US, Israel and
other
quarters continues to rise and the threat of a catastrophic
military
attack on Iran, as well as the ratcheting up of punitive
sanctions that
primarily impact the people of Iran, are of grave concern. All
peace
activists and organizations should be organizing for a peaceful
and just
solution to the concern over Iran's nuclear program, including,
but not
limited to, supporting a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in the Middle
East
(which would of course deal with Israel's nuclear arsenal) and
insisting
that diplomacy, not war or threat of war, is the only acceptable
option.
13.In the event of an imminent U.S. government
attack on
Iran or such an attack, or a U.S.-backed Israeli attack against Iran,
or any
other major international crisis triggered by U.S. military action, a
continuations committee approved by the conference will mount rapid,
broad and
nationally coordinated protests by antiwar and social justice
activists.
14.In the event of U.S.-backed military action
by Israel
against Palestinians, aid activists attempting to end the blockade of
Gaza, or
attacks on other countries such as Lebanon, Syria, or Iran, a
continuations
committee approved by the conference will condemn such attacks and
support
widespread protest actions.
15.Support actions to end the Israeli
occupation and
repression of Palestinians and the blockade of Gaza.
16.Support actions aimed at dismantling the
Cold War
nuclear, biological, radiological and chemical weapons and delivery
systems.
Support actions aimed at stopping the nuclear renaissance of this
Administration, which has proposed to spend $80 billion over the next
10 years
to build three new nuclear bomb making factories and "well over" $100
billion over the same period to modernize nuclear weapons delivery
systems. We must support actions aimed at dismantling nuclear,
biological, radiological and chemical weapons and delivery
systems. We
must oppose the re-opening of the Iranian mining industry, new nuclear
power
plants, and extraction of other fossil fuels that the military
consumes.
17.Work in solidarity with GIs, veterans, and
military
families to support their campaigns and calls for action. Demand
support
for the troops when they return home and support efforts to counter
military
recruitment.
18.Take actions against war profiteers,
including oil and
energy companies, weapons manufacturers, and engineering firms, whose
contractors are working to insure U.S. economic control of Iraq's and
Afghanistan's resources.
19.Support actions, educational efforts and
lobbying
campaigns to promote a transition to a sustainable peace economy.
20.Develop and implement a multi-pronged
national media
campaign which includes the following: the honing of a message which
will
capture our message: "End the Wars and Occupations, Bring the
Dollars Home"; a fundraising campaign which would enable the creation
and
national placement and broadcast of professionally developed print ads
as
public service radio and television spots which communicate this
imperative to
the public as a whole (which would involve coordinated outreach to some
major
funders); outreach to sympathetic media artists to enable the creation
of these
pieces; an intentional, aggressive, coordinated campaign to garner
interviews
on as many targeted national news venues as possible which would
feature
movement voices speaking to the honed our nationally coordinated
message; a
plan to place on message op-ed pieces in papers around the country on a
nationally coordinated schedule.
21.We call for the equal participation of women
in all
aspects of the antiwar movement. We propose nonviolent direct
actions
either in Congressional offices or other appropriate and strategic
locations,
possibly defense contractors, Federal Buildings, or military bases in
the
U.S. These actions would be local and coordinated nationally,
i.e., the
same day for everyone (times may vary). The actions would
probably result
in arrests for sitting in after offices close. Entering certain
facilities could also result in arrests. Participants would be
prepared
for that possible outcome before joining the action. Nonviolence
training
would be offered locally, with lists of trainers being made
available.
The message/demand would be a vote, a congressional action to end the
wars:
Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Close U.S. bases. Costs of war
and
financial issues related to social needs neglected because of war
spending
would need to be studied and statements regarding same be prepared
before the
actions. Press release would encourage coverage because of the
actions
being local and nationally coordinated.
22.We will convene one or more committees or
conferences
for the purpose of identifying and arranging boycotts, sit-ins, and
other
actions that directly interfere with the immoral aspects of the
violence and
wars that we protest.
23.The United National Antiwar Conference calls
for
building and expanding the movement for peace by consciously and
continually
linking it with the urgent necessity to create jobs and fund social
needs. We
call for support from the antiwar movement to tie the wars and the
funding for
the wars to the urgent domestic issues through leaflets, signs, banners
and
active participation in the growing number of mass actions demanding
jobs,
health care, housing, education and immigrant rights such as:
All the other mass actions listed above leading
up to the
bi-coastal actions on April 9, 2011.
24.The continuations committee elected at this
conference
shall reach out to other peace and social justice groups holding
protests in
the fall of 2010 and the spring of 2011, where such groups' demands and
tactics
are not inconsistent with those adopted at the UNAC conference, on
behalf of
exploring ways to maximize unity within the peace and social justice
movements
this fall and next spring.
---
David Swanson is the author of "Daybreak:
Undoing
the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union"
http://davidswanson.org
http://warisacrime.org
http://facebook.com/pages/David-Swanson/297768373319
http://twitter.com/davidcnswanson
http://youtube.com/afterdowningstreet
_____________________________________
Tell the FDA and the White House to stand up
for human
health by limiting excessive antibiotic use in animal feed. Clicking on
the
link below will automatically sign your name to a petition calling for
common
sense policies that eliminate the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in
livestock feed.
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/say_no_to_antibiotics_in_your_food/201?akid=175.73462.MSGDLV&t=7
Top dishwasher detergents with low phosphates.
Find out which new, low-phosphate brands are
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Get the details by visiting the link below.
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===
* Ten Years Too Long in Afghanistan By Rep.
Barbara Lee,
Huffington Post, August 4, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-barbara-lee/ten-years-too-long-in-afg_b_671098.html
Soon the war in
Afghanistan will enter its tenth year. Already the longest war in our
nation's
history, one thing remains clear -- there is no end in sight.
* Oliver Stone Tells the Real Story of the
Leftist Latin
American Leaders Transforming the Continent By Daniela Perdomo,
http://www.alternet.org/story/147493/
===
What Eisenhower Could Teach Obama, Part I
Melvin A. Goodman, Consortium News: "Fifty
years
ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told his senior advisers in the
Oval Office
of the White House, 'God help this country when someone sits in this
chair who
doesn't know the military as well as I do.' Several months later, he
issued his
famous warning about the military-industrial complex."
===
What is abundantly clear is that the US, whose
embassy in
Baghdad is now the size of Vatican City, has no intention of letting go
of Iraq
any time soon. One reason for that can be found in the dozen 20-year
contracts
to run Iraq's biggest oil fields that were handed out last year to
foreign
companies, including three of the Anglo-American oil majors that
exploited
Iraqi oil under British control before 1958.
...Seamus
Milne