CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
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PHILLY AREA ACTION:
Peace Walk Meeting -- Wed., 11/17/10 - 6:30 PM
Please join us for the next Peace Walk planning meeting on Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at Al-Aqsa Islamic Center, 1501 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia (above 3rd & Girard Aves)
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Congragulate PNC on taking the first step towards environmental responsibility
Here the plan for Thursday, November 18:
11-11:45 Celebration/Action Preparation at Friends Center (1515 Cherry Street, Philly). We’ll have a chance to celebrate our victory and do a brief training to prepare for the action at PNC.
Please come dressed for a marathon…sweatpants/running pants, EQAT t-shirt (we’ll have them on hand for $15)
11:45 -noon Walk to EPA (17th & Arch) where we’ll meet up with Swarthmore students who have an action planned
Noon −12:20 EPA Action (puppets and costumes to make street theater about EPA permits for mountaintop removal)
12:20-12:30 Leave EPA and head to PNC Bank HQ (16th & Market) dressed in our EQAT shirts, sweats and jogging clothes.
12:30-1pm Action at PNC & Press conference: We're arriving as marathon runners to congratulate PNC on taking the first step towards environmental responsibility - but we are also there to also to show them that ways to go, and that we are going to be right there with them, every step of the way. We’ll do a victory lap once there!
Our message: “Hey PNC! You’re Just Getting Started – And So Are WE!”
"Carolyn McCoy" <carolyn.mccoy@verizon.net>
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Green Party meeting, 11/30, 7:00 p.m.
The Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP), www.gpop.org, will hold its monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30, in the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration, 6900 Stenton Avenue (at Gorgas Lane) in Mount Airy. There will be no admission charge, but a free-will offering will be collected. For more information, please telephone 215-243-7103 or email gpop@gpop.org. ”
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VITAL VIGIL AND RALLY ON JOB LOSSES!
BENEFITS MUST BE EXTENDED TO THE UNEMPLOYED--AND THEY ARE ABOUT TO RUN OUT! Sponsored by Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP). PUP has a great website (at www.Philaup.org) with lots of ideas! PUP can offer help, and may be able to help YOU! Don't turn off this resource before trying. BRING SIGNS DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR THE UNEMPLOYED!
The vigil is scheduled for 12 noon, November 22 (a week from now). Gather at the Arch Street Methodist Church, corner of Broad and Arch, Philadelphia. Come half an hour early with your signs and we'll hold a similar demo outside, on Broad Street's median strip, then go into the church for testimonials from unemployed persons, PUP & unions, and learn what WE can do, even if we're retired or employed.
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Build Bridges Not Walls… Bubbies & Zaydes(Grandparents)for Peace in the Middle East
Our voices MUST be heard! Plan to join us on Friday at noon at 19th & JFK! Keep the vigil going until there is justice and security for Palestinians and Israelis!
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This Week at Painted Bride Art Center- FAMILY WRITING SERIES
First Person Museum
THIS SATURDAY Nov. 20 | 1pm - 3pm | Free
Join Spells Writing Lab for a writing activity that involves the whole family! After touring the First Person Museum at the Painted Bride, your family will have the opportunity to tell your own stories about your meaningful objects. Please bring an object (or photograph) that has a particularly special meaning for your family and participate in our own Show and Tell and Write activity. You will leave the workshop with a collaborative piece of writing that will make the whole family proud!
FROM PAGE TO SCREEN - The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
A book/film discussion group for middle and high school students
THIS SUNDAY Nov. 21 | 2-4pm | FREE
In partnership with Spells Writing Lab, the Bride presents a unique book and film discussion series for kids and teens featuring The Lightning Thief, the first book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Participants are asked to read the novel during the course of the two-month series and will watch the film during one of the sessions. Guided by Spells workshop leaders, the group will discuss the artistic process involved with bringing the pages of a novel to life on the silver screen and use The Lightning Thief as a jumping off point for their own writing projects. Did the filmmakers do a good job of translating the written word to the screen? That's for you to decide – join the conversation, share your opinion!
Supported by The Lomax Family Foundation. These programs are funded in part by PECO.
*For more information and to register for any programs in our educational series, please contact Lisa Nelson-Haynes at 215-925-9914, ext. 21 or lisa@paintedbride.org.
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NATIONAL and INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
afl/cio petition on unemployment
I have some scary news. Millions of America's unemployed job-seekers
will be cut off from federal jobless benefits starting Nov. 30 unless
Congress takes urgent action to renew and extend those benefits through
2011.
I just signed an emergency petition, and the deadline for signatures is
Monday. Can you add your name, too? Just click here:
http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=894
Thanks!
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From: SOA Watch [mailto:info@soaw.org]
Subject: Meet Us at the Gates!
Nov.19-21: Memoria y Resistencia
Twenty Years of Convergence at the Gates of Ft. Benning
It's that time again! Only 4 days until thousands from across the hemisphere and beyond join together with one common goal of shutting down the School of Americas. As we reach the 20th anniversary of converging at the gates of Ft. Benning, we acknowledge the strength of the School of Americas Watch movement is due to the many of you who work year round to change the system that creates injustice and militarization across the globe.
This year, like many others before, we come together in memoria y resistencia at the gates of Ft. Benning in Georgia to let our voices be heard loud and clear: SOMOS UNA SOLA AMERICA.
Before we come together for a weekend of celebration and solidarity with workshops, speakers, musicians and more, it is important that we remember why we strategically gather at the gates of Fort Benning.
We gather to resist the growing U.S. militarization of the Americas and to affirm the promotion of a culture of peace. We come to insist that the doors of this School of Assassins close and that doors of peace in the Americas open. As we perceive that the SOA has “jumped the gates” and is multiplying in U.S. military bases, troops, ships and fleets in the Americas, we come to say: NO MAS. We come to build bridges with our compatriots of this UNA SOLA AMERICA.
Many who have entered these gates with dignity have returned to their countries to commit atrocities that are beyond any adjective with may choose, becoming stripped of their very own dignity. The legacy of destruction of the SOA continues today.
• The majority of those responsible for the gravest abuses of human rights in Latin America are graduates of the School of the Americas.
• 65,000 troops have been trained at the School of America’s to view their own communities as enemies when they stand up for their rights.
• Teachers, union leaders, artists, students and others working for social justice and the affirmation of their nation's sovereignty have been targeted as terrorists, threatened and killed.
• U.S. military presence in Latin America has multiplied in recent years, including the leasing of numerous military and naval bases by the US and NATO in numerous countries of the Americas, the relaunching of the Fourth Naval Fleet in the Atlantic and the militarization of "humanitarian" aid/ and emergency relief.
• Coup d'etats are not a thing of the past. In this past decade, three coup attempts in Latin American have been led by SOA graduates, including the 2009 coup in Honduras that ushered in a repressive government supported by the U.S.
The neoliberal policies that continue to create, this phenomenom of militarization is affecting all of our communities.
Stand up for justice: SOAW.org/take-action/november-vigil Join us in Georgia this week!
Please review www.soaw.org before heading down to Georgia for everything you need to know.
Contact us: Our mailing address is: SOA Watch, PO Box 4566, Washington, D.C. 20017, USA
Our telephone: (202) 234 3440
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IMPORTANT LEGISLATION THAT THE DEMS CAN PASS NOW:
Let's Pass Some Laws Before the Republicans Head Into Town (after all, that's what they'd do)
An open letter to Congressional Democrats By Michael Moore
Welcome back to our nation's capital for your one final session of the 111th Congress. Come January, the Republicans will take over the House while the Democrats will retain control of the Senate. But Dems -- here's something I don't understand: Why do you look all sullen and depressed? Clearly you're not aware of one very important fact: YOU ARE STILL COMPLETELY, TOTALLY, LEGALLY IN CHARGE! When (and if, mostly if) you wake up to the reality that you can do whatever you want for the next seven weeks, you will realize that you have two clear options:
1. You can continue your "Sit Quietly and Hope No One Hits Me" strategy and thus lay the groundwork for an even bigger ass-kicking two years from now;
Or...
2. You can actually use the power you hold for the next seven weeks and have the Senate pass the legislation that the House has already passed!
Wake up, Democrats! You are in an awesome position right now. The House of Representatives, in this current session of Congress, has already passed an astounding 420 bills since January of 2009 -- 420 bills that are just sitting there on the Senate leader's desk. The Senate has refused to take up these House bills because they've been afraid of a Republican filibuster. Well, Dems, here's the truth: You can pass all of these bills and turn them into law RIGHT NOW, TODAY, by simply calling for a majority vote of 50 Senators (plus Vice President/President of the Senate Joe Biden). Yes, you will need to change the filibuster rules. So do it. You have the votes! And yes, the Republicans will scream bloody murder -- so let them! Make them. Let America see them in all their hateful, spiteful ways -- it will act as a beautiful coming attraction trailer for all the world to see. Let all of America watch the Republicans as they try to derail democracy by holding up a bunch of bills that nearly every American I know would want to see as the law of the land. Many of these bills are so safe, so innocuous, I have a hard time understanding what the heck the problem was in the first place. Like the bill that's already passed the House to name a post office after Jimmy Stewart. I know, I know, the idea of a post office named after Jimmy Stewart is really, really, incredibly controversial and divisive and somebody on the other side of the aisle might yell at you. Be brave, Democrats!
There's a whole slew of these bills the House has passed. Some are no-brainers; others are absolutely necessary. You can pass them in the next seven weeks. And because you Dems seem to have a problem with properly naming your bills and communicating effectively with the average American, I have helpfully renamed them for you so they sound like what they actually are -- things people would really want. Here's a partial list of the bills the House has already passed and are now just in need of approval by the U.S. Senate:
• The "Give Mom a Raise Act," officially known as the "Paycheck Fairness Act," which addresses pay gaps between men and women. Now, who out there still believes women should be paid less than men? I REALLY want to see Republicans try to stop this one.
• The "Don't Amputate Our Feet Act," aka the "Eliminating Disparities in Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act of 2009." Which Republican will stand to speak out in favor of diabetes?
• The "Pay Up, BP Act," aka the "Audit the BP Fund Act," which makes sure BP is paying people hurt by the Gulf oil spill as quickly as possible -- and makes BP pay the cost of keeping track of where the money’s going.
• The "Stop Foreigners From Hitting Grandma Act," aka the "Elder Abuse Victims Act." This doesn't really have anything to do with foreigners, but our fellow Americans seem to automatically dislike people from other countries, so this should help just in case the Republicans think an "elders abuse victims act" doesn't sound patriotic enough.
• The "Let's Try Not to Destroy Planet Earth Act" (aka Cap and Trade, a lousy half-way measure to begin with, but about the best you can expect from you Democrats these days).
• The "National Bombing Prevention Act" (it's actually already called that, which is hard to improve on).
And while those of you in the Senate are taking care of all that, the House can come up with a better version of Michelle Obama’s “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act” to improve child nutrition. The Senate has already passed this bill. (The House should fix it so that it isn't paid for by cutting food stamps to poor people. Yes, you, a Democratic Senate, did that.)
Then there are also things that neither the House or Senate has dealt with. These would take more work during the next two months, but that's what highly-caffeinated "energy" drinks are for.
Yours, Michael Moore
P.S. Be sure to let the Democrats in Congress know right now you expect action from them during this next month. You can call your Senators and Representative at (202) 224-3121 or find their direct number and email at Congress.org.
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Urgent Call to Action: Release Leonard Peltier!
At this time, we want as much pressure exerted on the White House
as possible. The message? Release Leonard Peltier!
We prefer that you call or write. Letters and phone calls are
taken far more seriously by the White House.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500
You can Fax your letter, if you like: 202-456-2461.
Comment line: 202-456-1111 or -1112. If you have trouble getting
through, call the main switchboard (202-456-1414) and ask to be
connected to the comment line. Lines may be busy or you might be
placed on hold. Don't be discouraged by this. Hit that redial
button or wait for your call to be answered. Remember that you're
competing for phone time with other organizations, as well as
competing with your fellow Peltier supporters. Keep trying.
You may send an e-mail, but e-mail won't be nearly as effective:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact.
If your oganization wants to demand Leonard's release, submit a
message to the White House here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/organizations.
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VFP-led action at the White House, Dec. 16
Comrades, Brothers and Sisters,
The following sentence is critical, so please read on. On Dec. 16th, 2010, veterans and others will stage what will be the largest veteran-led civil resistance to U.S. wars in recent history.
The purpose of this action is twofold, direct and simple, yet profound. By showing scores of U.S. veterans being literally dragged away from the White House as they demand peace, we expose the hypocrisy of a government that is waging (and promoting) worldwide, endless warfare during a season when we celebrate "Peace on Earth." But more important, it will vividly demonstrate that serious civil resistance is alive and well in the United States.
This will only happen if there are more than relative handfuls of us taking part. What we are asking is that your chapter support this, preferably by sending some (or all!) of your members to take part, but if you cannot do that, by enthusiastically spreading the word.
If you want to be involved please e-mail stopthesewars@gmail.com or register online at www.stopthesewars.org, and we will keep you posted. Also, to make this a powerful reality, there will be expenses for banners, flyers, posters, legal, etc., so please make a donation at www.stopthesewars.org/
For Peace and Solidarity,
Tarak Kauff, Veterans For Peace/ 845 679-3299 / takauff@gmail.com
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=== Good news on climate change- Hooray for California! A bright spot in an otherwise bleak land.
Schwarzenegger on Monday launched his third Governors' Global Climate Summit at the University of California, Davis. He said this month's landslide defeat of Proposition 23, a ballot measure backed by oil companies that would have rolled back the state's landmark climate change law, shows broad support among voters for policies to cut greenhouse gases.
The two-day California climate summit, co-hosted by the United Nations, has attracted more than 1,500 attendees from more than 80 countries.
== A new posting - Election Results: Telling the Forest from the Trees - from Zoltan Zigedy is available at:
http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/