CONTENTS:
PHILLY
AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL
& INTERNATIONAL
ACTION:
====================================
Eyewitness
Afghanistan
Thursday
6 January @6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Friends
Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia
Evening
Program
Update
on Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and the Global Day of
Listening
to Afghans
Reflections
on peacebuilding efforts led by Afghans and the policy
review
View
short videos submissions from the If I Had a Trillion Dollars
Youth
Video Contest
***
Kathy
Kelly co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence, a campaign
to
end U.S. military and economic warfare. She has just returned from
a
month in Afghanistan working with young peacemakers and
visiting
surgical
centers serving victims of war. In 2009, she lived in Gaza
during
the Operation Cast Lead bombing; later that year, Voices
formed
another
small delegation to visit Pakistan, aiming to learn more about
the
effects of U.S. drone warfare on the civilian population and
to
better
understand consequences of U.S. foreign policy in
Pakistan.
For
more
information: 215/241-7170 | plems@afsc.org
Peter
Lems, Program Director, Education and Advocacy for Iraq
and
Afghanistan
American
Friends Service Committee
http://afghanistan101.blogspot.com Twitter:
afghanistan101
/
Facebook:
AFSC Wage Peace
Campaign
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scholarship
deadline for gay men- Real change requires strong leaders.
That’s
why the Lax Scholarship Fund deadline, on Tuesday, January
18th,
is so important.
The
Lax
Scholarship Fund was established in 1994 by the late
entrepreneur
and inventor Jonathan R. Lax for the purpose of
encouraging
out gay men to be active leaders in their communities and
to
obtain higher education.
The
Lax Scholarship for Gay Men is open to out gay men who are from
the
Philadelphia area or who attend school here. The deadline is
right
around
the corner, on Tuesday, January 18th.
If
you or someone you know qualifies for this scholarship, to begin
an
application
go to:
www.breadrosesfund.org/go/lax
Lax
Scholarships
are intended for tuition and can be awarded in
amounts
up to $20,000. This scholarship is available to
both
undergraduate
and graduate students enrolled in accredited programs of
higher
education. Since its inception, the scholarship fund
has
awarded
more than $600,000 to students in the five-county
greater
Philadelphia
region.
Bread
&
Roses Community Fund administers this scholarship fund as
a
part of
our larger mission for social justice in the Delaware Valley.
For
more information about the Lax Scholarship visit the website or
email
lax@breadrosesfund.org or
call
(215) 731-1107 x 204.
===============================
NATIONAL
& INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
Application
process for the US Boat to Gaza is now open!
Please
go to the US Boat to Gaza website:
http://www.ustogaza.org
There
are now accepting applications from all of us who want to be on
the
boat. You have to fill out and return the 5 page application by
15
January
the latest. They want us to send an electronic form and a
paper
form too, so if you are interested to be on the US Boat to Gaza,
or
if you know of someone who is, please go to the website asap
and
request
an application!
End
the Blockade of Gaza! / Tear down the Apartheid Walls!/ End
the
Israeli
collective punishment on the Palestinian people/
Free
Palestine!
Support
the Free Gaza movement & US Boat to Gaza break the siege
on
Gaza!
http://www.FreeGaza.org
http://www.UStoGaza.org
Support
ISM volunteers in West Bank and Gaza
Strip!
http://www.palsolidarity.org
_____________________________
“Dear
Afghanistan”: A New Year’s Call for Peace
While
the US may be the world's single super power in military terms,
it
faces another super power: the voices of war-weary millions
who
detest
violence and killing. In Afghanistan, in the United States, and
among
the populations of countries whose governments have joined the
NATO
coalition, millions of people are calling for an end to war
in
Afghanistan.
On
New Year’s Day, 01/01/11, people around the world are invited
to
raise
their voices, through Facebook, Twitter, Free Conference
calls,
Skype,
and blogs at several websites in a massive refusal to accept
this
war any longer. Let your New Year’s resolution be to stand for
the
people and end wars by sending a digital or spoken
peacemaking
message
to people in Afghanistan. By amassing millions of
messages
calling
for peace, we can create yet another indication that ordinary
people
within and beyond Afghanistan have had enough of
war.
Afghanistan’s
people
need food not bombs, health care not warfare and
courage
for peace, not war. Follow the steps below to
communicate
the
simple yet crucial demand: Stop the Killing in Afghanistan.
On
New Year’s Day 2011, from 7.05 pm Eastern Standard Time on the
31st
of
December 2010 to 7.05 pm Eastern Standard Time on the 1st of
December
2011, from wherever in the world, you can :
• Mobile/cell
or
Home phone by (661) 673-8600 & access code: 295191#.
Please
arrange to talk by sending an email
to
CallAfghanistan@gmail.com
• SKYPE:
Please
arrange to Call Afghanistan by sending your Skype ID
in
an email to callafghanistan@gmail.com
• Send
an
email message to DearAfghanistan@gmail.com
• Text
or
sms by mobile at +93 7791 84146 or +1 727-248-0308
(001-727-0308
if text messaging from outside U.S.)
• Facebook:
Afghan
Youth Peace Volunteers
• @DearAfghanistan
on
Twitter
For
more information: Visit Dear Afghanistan
A
note on timings for the NEW YEAR CALL :
Place
Time
Date
London
12.05
am to 12.05 am 1st Jan to
2nd Jan
EST
7.05
pm to 7.05 pm
31st Dec to 1st Jan
Pacific
Std 4.05 pm to 4.05
pm
31st Dec to 1st Jan
Jordan
2.05
am to 2.05 am
1st Jan to 2nd Jan
Afghanistan
4.35am to 4.35
am
1st Jan to
2nd
Jan
________________________________________________________
In
support of Georgia prisoners strike – sign the petition
Please
take a minute to click onto the following link and sign on to
the
Solidarity Statement/petition in support of the Georgia
prisoners'
strike,
the largest strike of prisoners in US history. Beginning on
December
9, 2010, thousands of prisoners who are forced to work for
free
took non-violent action together across racial divisions.
Their
demands
are listed in more detail below.
Yesterday,
we
spoke with Elaine Brown , former Black Panther leader,
who
is co-ordinating support for the strike and has formed the
Concerned
Coalition to Respect Prisoners’ Rights. She told us
that
20,000
prisoners participated and that CCRPR are asking for support to
be
focussed on prisoners’ efforts to win their demands. She
comments
below:
“The
prisoners’
peaceful protest was historic in scope and in the
unity
of thousands of black, brown, white, Muslim, Christian,
Rastafarian
prisoners, including those at Augusta, Baldwin, Calhoun,
Hancock,
Hays, Macon, Rogers, Smith, Telfair, Valdosta and Ware
State
Prisons.
It ignited protests and support actions all over the country
and,
even, rumblings of similar protests in other prisons in
other
states.”
Reports
on the strike are available at:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/
You'll
see that prisoners describe the sectors who have come together
to
pull off the strike:
"We
have the Crips and the Bloods, we have the Muslims, we have the
head
Mexicans, and we have the Aryans all with a peaceful
understanding,
all on common ground." Reports include the shocking
fact
that "One in 12 adults in Georgia are in jail or prison,
parole
or
probation or other court and correctional supervision."
and
prisoners'
expressed concern that "there's people in here who can't
even
read."
Reports
also protest the profiteering of private corporations and
the
obstacles
put in the way of prisoners maintaining contact with family:
"
Georgia no longer allows families to send funds via US postal
money
orders
to inmates. It requires families to send money through J-Pay,
a
private
company that rakes off nearly ten percent of all transfers.
Telephone
conversations between Georgia prisoners and their families
are
also profit centers for another prison contractor, Global
Tel-Link
which
extracts about $55 a month for a weekly 15 minute phone call
from
cash-strapped families."
Elaine
Brown didn’t know about the Solidarity Statement/petition, but
was
glad to hear that people were supporting the strikers. We
are
signing
it and are asking others to sign, because the more people who
sign
the bigger will be the protection for prisoners against further
abuse
by guards.
http://www.petitiononline.com/wagesnow/petition.html.
PRISONERS DEMANDS
*
A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK: In violation of the 13th Amendment to
the
Constitution
prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the DOC
demands
prisoners work for free.
*
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: For the great majority of prisoners,
the
DOC
denies all opportunities for education beyond the GED, despite
the
benefit
to both prisoners and society.
*
DECENT HEALTH CARE: In violation of the Eighth Amendment
prohibition
against
cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical
care
to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care
and
is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.
*
AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: In further violation of
the
Eighth
Amendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner
punishments
for minor infractions of rules.
*
DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Georgia prisoners are confined in
over-
crowded,
substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and
oppressive
heat in summer.
*
NUTRITIONAL MEALS: Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in
DOC
facilities
while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.
*
VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The DOC has
stripped
its
facilities of all opportunities for skills training,
self-
improvement
and proper exercise.
*
ACCESS TO FAMILIES: The DOC has disconnected thousands of
prisoners
from
their families by imposing excessive telephone charges
and
innumerable
barriers to visitation.
*
JUST PAROLE DECISIONS: The Parole Board capriciously and
regularly
denies
parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence
of
eligibility.
CALL
TO
PROTEST ABOUT THE PUNISHMENT OF PRISONERS FOR TAKING PART
IN
THE "Non-Violent" PROTEST:
Macon
State Prison is (478) 472-3900. / Hays State
Prison is at
(706)
857-0400
Telfair
State prison is (229) 868-7721 / Baldwin State Prison is
at
(478)
445- 5218
Valdosta
State Prison is (229) 333-7900 / Smith State Prison is at
(912)
654-5000
The
Georgia Department of Corrections is at
http://www.dcor.state.ga.us
and
their phone number is (478)
992-5246
______________________________________________________________________
Please
Boycott Us! (by Anonymous)
For
years I have been rather ambivalent about the wisdom of
boycotting
Israel.
While a boycott of anything related to the illegal settlements
in
the West Bank, which are a clear derivative of a brutal
occupation,
is
an absolute necessity, and which I have fully supported, I
have
always
been reserved about the boycotting of Israel proper. Today I
feel
that there is no choice but to call for a full and total
boycott
directed
against Israel – Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS). For the
good
of Israel and in the hope that blatant pressure from abroad
directed
primarily at the Israeli economy is the only way to wean
Israel
from what Thomas Friedman in a recent editorial called
“Israel’s
crack addiction”. It is the only way to wake Israelis up
from
their (crack) pipe dream of “business as usual” or
the
feasibility
of maintaining a disastrous status quo that will only lead
to
more land grabs, violence and war, ultimately jeopardizing
Israel
itself.
It is the only way to convince present and future governments
that
the current situation is untenable and unviable. It is the only
way
to save us from ourselves. At this point in time, Israelis are
unable
to affect change from within. The atmosphere has become so
poisoned
that attempts at the grassroots level to affect political
change
are insignificant at best, particularly in light of attempts at
the
legislative level to delegitimise grassroots initiatives and
make
local
NGOs seeking to advance political change illegal.
The
current Israeli government (as well as past governments, whether
led
by Labour, Likud or the catch all Kadima party) has zero intention
of
moving forward with negotiations with the Palestinians. They
would
much
rather “manage” the conflict than seek a truly just solution.
The
continued
occupation is having a disastrous effect on Israeli society
as
a whole. Human life has become cheap, a form of Judeo-Fascism
is
developing
here, led by rabbis, far right politicians in the Knesset
and
leaders in the occupied Palestinian territory. Jim Crow
legislation
has been tabled at the Knesset, rabbis have signed calls
not
to lease or sell property to Arab Israelis, hundreds
demonstrate
against
Arab Israeli neighbors, and recently a group of minors were
arrested
for conducting what can only be called pogroms against
innocent
Arab citizens in the center of Jerusalem. The poison of
the
occupation
has infected Israeli society as a whole at a level that can
only
be diagnosed as gangrenous. The only way to convince Israelis
that
the current status quo cannot be continued is to attach a real
and
significant price to the continued occupation, and yes, to
force
local
political leaders to take responsibility, to lead rather than
manage,
to commit, rather than hide behind spin doctors or the
outright
lies of Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Anyone
who yet rationalises non-action against Israel is
actively
contributing
to the inevitable use of the only other tool world
history
has provided for social and political change: violence!
Please
boycott
my country today, you are our only hope!
-
The author chooses to withhold his name for fear of
repercussions
against
his family. The threat is real. Suffice to say that the author
is
an Israeli academic in the field of the social sciences. While
the
author
is fully prepared to pay the price for his opinions, there is
no
reason for his family to suffer. The author can be reached
at:
pleaseboycottus@gmail.com
http://www.amin.org/articles.php?t=ENews&id=3496
__________________________________________________
Bradley Manning Support Network Supporters Newsletter/
Exposing
War
Crimes Is Not A Crime!
A
Typical Day for P.F.C. Bradley Manning.
Find
out what Bradley Manning's daily existence is like in this blog
post
written by his lawyer, David Coombs. No push-ups, sit-ups,
or
pillows.
What
next?
http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2010/12/typical-day-for-pfc-bradley-manning.html
The
inhumane conditions of Bradley Manning's detention.
Month
upon month in solitary confinement and punitive restrictions
are
leading
to a depressed physical and mental state for Bradley Manning.
All
without being convicted of anything at
all.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/14/manning
We
(meaning
all of you!) have already provided half of the
funds
required
for P.F.C. Manning's legal defense, but there are still
other
expenses
just to maintain the Network. Please consider helping us meet
our
goal!
http://www.bradleymanning.org/15585/bradley-manning-support-network-accepts-responsibility-for-all-expenses-to-defend-accused-wikileaks-whistle-blower/
What
Can I Do?
Join
the fray! Learn ten simple ways we've come up with for you
to
help
Bradley Manning (plus one more written in the comments section by
a
very helpful supporter). Together we
can!
http://www.bradleymanning.org/what-can-i-do/www.bradleymanning.org /
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/savebradley
/
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/savebradley
Media:
+1 (202) 640-4388 or Press@bradleymanning.org
===
Bradley
Manning Suffering Extreme Isolation, Courageous
Whistleblower
'Physically
Deteriorating'
By
Joshua Holland, AlterNet - Printed on December 24,
2010
http://www.alternet.org/story/149317/
_______________________________________
A
Helpful Update on Mordechai Vanunu's present situation.
Firstly,
you may not be aware that, last summer, Mordechai
moved
to new accomodation in Tel Aviv. He told us, at the time, his
new
place was small but that he was really enjoying the chance to
swim
every
day in the Mediterranean; and as far as we know he has not
been
getting
any extra hassle from living in Tel Aviv, which is good news.
Then,
since the move, and from out of the blue, we heard that
the
prestigious German International League of Human Rights had
awarded
Mordechai their Carl-von-Ossietzky peace medal. In their
press
release
they said; "Vanunu's courageous conduct unquestionably
recalls
Carl-von-Ossietzky's
undaunted resistance against armament and war
during
the Weimar Republic"**
The
award ceremony was to be on December 12th, in Berlin, two
days
after the International Day of Human Rights. The International
League
lobbied the Israeli Government to release Mordechai so he
could
receive
the award. Appeal letters were written and signed by many well
known
international names. When contacted for comment, Vanunu, in
contrast
to the refusal he offered to his most recent Nobel Peace
Prize
nomination, was pleased to accept the award. And, perhaps,
knowing
the Israeli authorities better than the International League,
he
suggested that, if he wasn't allowed to receive the
award,
personally,
maybe the award ceremony could be postponed until he was
eventually
allowed to leave Israel. There was no response from Israel.
Breaking
with tradition the League agreed to Mordechai's suggestion
and
it is now planning a continuing campaign to get Mordechai released
so
he could receive the award. Opportunities for this will arise
during
the build up to the 2011 Pugwash Conference, in Berlin, and
the
planned
conference on a Nuclear Free Middle East in 2012.
The
League has asked us to bring these details to your
attention,
so by email, letter, phone calls or other methods -tell
your
MP - you can help draw attention to these forthcoming events
linked
to the fact that, Mordechai was brutally kidnapped after being
lured
from England; and that he is still being held in Israel
despite
having
completed his 18 year prison sentence, over six years ago,
for
telling
the truth.
You
may also have seen that Mordechai has been getting
mention
regarding
the wikileaks saga alongside other well known and
unrepentent
whistleblowers: Daniel Ellsberg, Philip Agee and the
latest
recruit Julian Assange. Where you can, in letters and phone-
ins,
for instance, please take advantage of this to keep raising the
fact
that Vanunu is still being punished for revealing Israel's
nuclear
weapons capacity, over 24 years ago.
Meanwhile
Mordechai remains in Israel under multiple
restrictions.
If you have time to send him greetings for Christmas or
the
New Year or both, please do. Mordechai is still using,
POBox
20102, Salah Adin Street - post office, East Jerusalem
91384,
Israel,
his
email is: vanunuvmjc@gmail.com
**
Carl -von-Ossietzky was a German journalist and pacifist,
who
campaigned
against the aggressive policies of theWeimar Republic. He
was
arrested as a traitor in the early 1930s and executed before
the
start of
the Second World War. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in
1935.
Our
very
Best Wishes for 2011- For and on behalf of The Campaign for
a
Nuclear Free Middle East,
Campaign
for
a Nuclear Free Middle East
cfnfme@gmail.com
- if you reply to this email please be aware that
this
email address is checked infrequently.
===
*
Daniel Ellsberg: "I Am Wikileaks!"
Before
asserting that Julian Assange and Wikileaks have nothing in
common
with Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers case, Senator
Durbin
would have been wise to take note of the fact that Daniel
Ellsberg
is still alive and forcefully believes the
opposite.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/daniel-ellsberg-i-am-wiki_b_795848.html
*
Europeans Criticize Fierce U.S. Response to Leaks
Steven
Erlanger, New York Times, December 9,
2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/world/europe/10wikileaks-react.html