there were well over 300 people at today's demonstration, which began in front of the israeli consulate but later marched what seemed like 10 blocks to city hall.
i couldn't figure out how to embed it, but this is good footage. (i never saw anything being burned)
and from youtube:
12/28/08
updated emergency demonstrations list//TUESDAY DEC. 30TH NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION in solidarity with PALESTINIANs
in light of israel's recent attacks, i want to post this, from A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)
Stop the Massacre of Palestinians!
PLEASE FIND THE NEAREST DEMONSTRATION AND STAND UP AGAINST WHAT IS BEING DONE TO THOSE IN GAZA (MIND YOU, WITH U.S.-WEAPONS AND TAX DOLLARS).
Tuesday, December 30: National Day of Action
Emergency Demonstrations on Tuesday, December 30 and other days (listed below)
The ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda, International Palestine Right to Return Coalition are calling for Tuesday, December 30 to be a National Day of Action to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and to demand an immediate end to the murderous attacks carried out by the Israeli military against the people of Gaza.
In Washington, D.C., there will be a demonstration at the State Department at 4:30 pm. Demonstrations will also be held in cities around the country. See below for an initial list. If there is a demonstration in your city, email the details to info@answercoalition.org so it can be posted on the ANSWER Coalition website and listed in any future emails.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been massacred and wounded today as Israel has launched a massive bombing campaign against the people of Gaza. The bombing rampage took place as thousands of Palestinian children were in the streets on their way home from school. Palestinian parents were running frantically in the streets looking for their children as U.S.-provided F-16s and Apache helicopters rained down more than 100 bombs and missiles on Gaza.
The U.S.-backed Israeli Occupation Force destroyed every security station in Gaza. AFP reported: "There was no space left in the morgue and bodies were piled up in the emergency room and in the corridors, as many of the wounded screamed in pain."
Because of the U.S.-backed Israeli blockade and strangulation of the people of Gaza for the past 18 months there is little or no medicine to treat the wounded, electricity for hospitals, or food or clean water for much of the population.
An Israeli military spokesperson said, "The operation is ‘only just beginning’." The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement: "The action will continue and will widen as much as is demanded according to the evaluation of the situation by the high command of the army."
Emergency Alert: Take Action to End Israeli Attacks on Gaza (endtheoccupation.org)
December 27th, 2008
EMERGENCY PROTESTS TO STOP
THE ATTACKS ON GAZA
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has compiled the following list of events taking place in the United States and Canada to protest Israel’s attacks yesterday on the occupied Gaza Strip. If you know of an event that is not included, please send the details to us by clicking here. Inclusion of an event does not imply endorsement by the US Campaign.
Below the list of events is our action alert from yesterday with suggested steps that you can take to protest these attacks.
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4:30PM-6:00PM
Coalition rally, Light Rail Station at Central Ave and Thomas Rd
Sponsored by: CODEPINK
Contact: Liz Arizona, caterliz@yahoo.com, 202-903-3363
Tucson
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM-6:00PM
Vigil in front of the Israel Center, 3822 E River Rd
Contact: Racheli Gai racheli@sonoracohousing.com
CALIFORNIA
Anaheim
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm
512 S. Brookhurst St. (between Orange Ave. & Broadway)
Initiated by a coalition with a large number of groups
Los Angeles
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Blvd.
Contact: 213-251-1025, answerla@answerla.org
San Diego
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Federal Building, Broadway and First, Downtown
San Francisco
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM
Protest the Massacres in Gaza
Powell and Market
Contact: Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM
Silent Vigil at Feinstein's Office, Montgomery and Market
Co-Sponsored by Direct Action to Stop the War;
the Middle East Children's Alliance; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism;
SF Women in Black
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM
Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery St
Powell and Market
Contact: 415-821-6545 answer@answersf.org
COLORADO
Colorado Springs
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4:30PM-5:30PM
Protest, Acacia Park, corner of Nevada Ave and Bijou St
Sponsored by: Colorado Antiwar Coalition and CSaction.org
Contact: info@protestcolorado.org, 719-460-2836
Denver
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM
Meet on the West side of the Capitol
Contact: Rima, 303-829-5848
CONNECTICUT
New Haven
Wednesday, December 31, 12PM
Federal Building, 141 Church St (between Chapel and Elm Sts.)
Sponsored by Middle East Crisis Committee, ANSWER-CT and other local organizations
Contact: 203-606-0319, connecticut@answercoalition.org
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington, DC
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Barack Obama Transition Office
451 6th St. NW (1 block from Verizon Center)
Contact: 301-523-4197 or email me at zelamine@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
State Department: 22nd St & C St NW
Contact: 202-544-3389 x14, dc@answercoalition.org
Friday, January 9, 12:00PM
Lafayette Square and march to Upper Senate Park
Contact: National Association of Muslim Women, namaw01@gmail.com
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm
Federal Building: 299 E. Broward Blvd.
Contact: 954-707-0155, FtLauderdale@answerfl.org
Ocala
Tuesday, December 30, 12:00 pm
Cather near the Ocala Lockheed facility, located in the SE quadrant of the county just off Maricamp Road (Rte 464) near Emerald and Oak
Sponsored by: Marions for Peace, CFCC students and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)
Contact: Marions for Peace, Delphine Herbert, MarionsforPeace@gmail.com
Tampa
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
N Dale Mabry Hwy and W Spruce St
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Sunday, December 28, 2:00PM
Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW
Contact: Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine, 770-597-0276 or 404-844-3202
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM
Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW
Organizers: Emory Advocate for Justice in Palestine and other local groups
Contact details:Saba Khalid, 770-597-0276, skhali3@emory.edu
HAWAII
Honolulu
Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM
At the Federal Building (along Ala Moana Blvd.), 300 Ala Moana Blvd
Initiated by Friends of Sabeel Hawaii, with support from World Can't Wait-Hawaii, and others.
Contact details: Margaret Brown, mbrown@lava.net
ILLINOIS
Chicago
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM-2:00PM
Bring bouquets of flowers to commemorate the memory of the hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza who have been killed by Israeli bombardments today
Water Tower Park 830 N. Michigan (Michigan and Pearson)
Sponsored by (list in formation):
American Friends Service Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab American Action Network, Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, American Arab Anti Discrimination-Chicago Chapter, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, International Solidarity Movement-Chicago Chapter, US Palestine Conference Network, Students for Justice in Palestine (UIC), American Muslims for Palestine, Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Mosque Foundation, Tikkun-Chicago, Wright College Students for Peace and Justice, Fight Back Newspaper.
Separate event in Chicago:
Details to be announced
Contact: 773-463-0311, answer@chicagoanswer.net
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:00PM
Tribune Plaza, 435 N Michigan
INDIANA
Indianapolis
Monday, December 29, 6:30PM
Candle-light vigil
Downtown Indianapolis on the Circle
Bring signs and flashlights. Candles provided.
IOWA
Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, December 30, 12-2PM
150 1st Ave. NE, Wells Fargo Building
Contact: Jeremy J. Brigham, 319-363-7675
KENTUCKY
Louisville
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM
Broadway and Baxter across from Cave Hill cemetery
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Tuesday, December 30, 4-5PM
War Memorial Plaza
N. Gay and E. Lexington
Contact: Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 410-366-1637
Columbia
Saturday, January 17, 2009, 3:30PM
Howard County Central Library (Little Patuxent Pkwy and South Entrance Road)
Contact: Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (HCCEIO), Joanne Heisel, joanne_kh@usa.net
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Wednesday, December 31, 2:00PM
Copley Square
Contact: Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, info@bcpr.net, (617) 491-2313
Details to be announced
Contact: 857-334-5084, boston@answercoalition.org
Brookline
Sunday, December 28, 3PM-5PM
Coolidge Corner, Harvard and Beacon Streets
Northampton and Hadley
Monday, December 29, 7:30AM-9:00AM and 4:00PM-5:00PM
Coolidge Bridge between Northampton and Hadley
Contact: Paki paki43@gmail.com
MICHIGAN
Dearborn
Monday, December 29, 6PM
Community Leadership Meeting
Lebanese American Heritage Club ,4337 Maple Road
Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Human Chain Protest
Gathering at corner of Warren and Chase in Dearborn. Following the protest a memorial service will be held at Byblos Banquet Hall, 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn at 5:15 PM. Program will end at 6:30 PM.
Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Kalamazoo
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Michigan Ave in front of the Federal Building
Lansing
Friday, January 2, 12:00-1:00PM
In front of the State Capital Building, Michigan & Capital Aves.
Vigil for Peace
Contact: Michigan Peace Team, 517-484-3178,
www.michiganpeaceteam.org
MINNESOTA
Various
Protests at Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Keith Ellison's offices
Tuesday December 30th
10 am-closing
No "holding their feet to the fire" but instead hold them accountable.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
Office of Senator Klobuchar
Minneapolis
1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Main Line: 612-727-5220
Main Fax: 612-727-5223
Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043
Rochester Office
1134 7th Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Main Line: 507-288-5321
Fax: 507-288-2922
Moorhead Office
121 4th Street South
Moorhead, MN 56560
Main Line: 218-287-2219
Fax: 218-287-2930
Iron Range Office
Olcott Plaza, Suite 105
820 9th Street North
Virginia, MN 55792
Main Line: 218-741-9690
Fax:218-741-3692
Keith Ellison office
Minneapolis office is located at:
2100 Plymouth Ave North
Minneapolis, MN 55411
For directions you can call our office, 612-522-1212
MISSOURI
St. Louis
Sunday, December 28, 7PM
3628 Lindell, corner of Grand and Lindell
Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM
Protest at Senator Bond's Office, 7700 Bonhomme
Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord
Tuesday, December 30, 3PM
In front of the State House
Contact: New Hampshire Peace Action, 603-228-0559
NEW JERSEY
New Brunswick
Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM
Corner of Albany and George Sts.
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
Tuesday, December 30, 12-2PM
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Rd, NW (in Old Town)
Contact: Called by Stop the War Machine, 505-401-4808,
stopthewarmachine@comcast.net
Tuesday, December 30, Evening
Candlelight vigil in front of the Federal Courthouse (near Lomas and 3rd St.)
Contact: Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance, Katherine Hughes- Fraitekh 480-9008, kcelav@aol.com or Iris Keltz 220-1994, of the Middle East Peace & Justice Alliance
NEW YORK
Buffalo
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM
Corner of Elmwood and Bidwell Aves.
New York City
Sunday, December 28, 2:00-4:00 pm
Gather at Rockefeller Center
March to the Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Initiated by Al-Awda New York
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM
Adalah-NY is organizing two meeting locations for fliering on Monday at 5:00:
The south end of Union Square, near the corner of 14th St and 5th Ave.
The triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street.
We welcome you to join us and we encourage other organizations to choose their own flyering locations and then to join the procession.
We will all meet-up for the procession up 6th Ave at 6:30. We will be meeting at the triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street. Look for the Palestinian Flag.
Contact
Monday, December 29, 7:00 pm
55 W 17th St, 5th Fl. Manhattan between 5th & 6th Aves
Informational Action Center
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm
Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Contact: 212-694-8720, nyc@answercoalition.org
Rochester
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM-5:00PM
Demonstration in front of Federal Building
Contact: Mike Connely, 271-2678
OHIO
Cleveland
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Public Square, across from Tower City
Contact: Middle East Peace Forum, Don Bryant, donmbryant@yahoo.com
Columbus
Sunday December 28th, 5:00 PM
Ohio State University - Committee for Justice in Palestine
15th and High St.
Columbus, Ohio
Toledo
Tuesday, December 30, 5-7PM
Secor and Central
Contact: Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition
Youngstown
Monday, December 29, 5-9PM
Vigil
15 Belgrade Ave.
Sponsored by: Arab American Community Center of Greater Youngstown
Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186
Tuesday, December 30, 1-3PM
Demonstration
In front of the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 125 Market St
Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186
ONTARIO
Toronto
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm
Israeli Embassy Consulate: 180 Bloor St. West
Initiated by a number of local organizations
OREGON
Eugene
Monday, December 29, 2-5PM
Al-Nakba Awareness Project and Veterans for Peace will erect signage and provide detailed handout materials along the high-traffic Ferry Street Bridge approach parkway.
Portland
Tuesday December 30, 2008
Gather at 4:30 and Rally 5:00 pm
Where: Federal Building, Downtown Portland, SW 3rd & Madison
Organized by: Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland
Peaceful Response Coalition, and others.
Contact: (503) 344-5078
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd
Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM
Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd
Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
Friday, January 2, 12 Noon
S. 15th Street between Walnut and Locust Streets
Contact: Bubbes and Zaydes for Peace in the Middle East, phillyjewishpeace.org
Pittsburgh
Wednesday, December 31, 2008, 4:00PM-6:00PM
Rally at the Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Ave
Sponsors: Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East,
Muslim American Society - Pittsburgh Chapter, CAIR Pittsburgh Chapter,
Middle East Peace Forum - Pittsburgh
Contact: Kate, pittsburgh-psc.org, 412-614-0264
RHODE ISLAND
Providence
Sunday, December 28, 12:00-2:00PM
Federal Building
Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
Wednesday, December 31, 6-7PM
Burnside Park (opposite Kennedy Plaza)
Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia
Wednesday, December 31, 5-6PM
In front of the State Capitol Building
Gervais and Main St.
Contact: Women in Black, 803-446-2772
TEXAS
Austin
Monday, December 29, 5PM-7PM
In front of the State Capitol, 11th and Congress
Contact: Haithem El-Zabri, cell. (512) 772-1948, e-mail haithemelzabri@yahoo.com
Dallas
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 12:00PM-3:00PM
In front of JFK Memorial on the Grassy Knoll
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:30PM
Dallas Forth Worth Protest, Earl Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St
Contact: Suha Suleiman, drsuha@tm.blackberry.net
Houston
Sunday, December 28, 2008, 4-6PM
Westheimer and Post Oak (in front of the Starbucks across the Galleria)
Contact: Houston Palestinian Community
Monday, December 29, 2008, 4-6PM
Israeli Consulate (Wesleyan near US 59)
Contact: Palestinian American Bridge, Mohamed Abu-Hussein, 713-240-9766
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4-5:30PM
Gather at Mandell Bridge (Mandell St at Highway 59)
Contact: rwcsr1@yahoo.com
San Antonio
Tuesday, December 30, 6-7PM
Candle Light Silent Prayer Vigil for Peace
Around the Peace Pole in front of the Brackenridge Village, University of the Incarnate Word, enter at 4301 Broadway
You are invited to bring candles.
VERMONT
Burlington
Tuesday, December 30, 4:15PM
Main St. Landing, Burlington
1 Main St.; corner of Main & Battery Sts.)
MEET in Burlington at Main Street Landing at 4:15 to march to Representative
Welch’s, Senator Leahy’s, and to Senator Bernie Sander's offices, to
arrive at the top of Church St. at 5pm to stand in solidarity with the
vigil opposing further war profiteering and war crimes--the US Occupation
of Iraq.
This march is endorsed by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
(VTJP), Peace and Justice Center, and the International Socialist
Organization (ISO).
TO ENDORSE THIS ACTION OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
hilarymartin@riseup.net or gypsy7@riseup.net
Montpellier Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM Vigil in front of City Hall on Main St Contact: Debra, 802-476-3154, debra@vtlink.net
VIRGINIA
Norfolk
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30-6:30PM St. Paul's Blvd. and City Hall Ave. across from the old St. Paul's Church Contact: Christine Hoppe, 757-628-8279, cthoppe10@yahoo.com
WASHINGTON
Bellingham
Tuesday, December 30, 12 Noon
Federal Building, corner of Magnolia and Cornwall
Contact: Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
Seattle
Saturday, January 3, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm
Westlake Park: 4th and Pine
Initiated by Voices of Palestine
Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org
Tacoma
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 5:00pm
In front of the Courthouse at Pacific Ave and 19th St
As of this writing, Israeli Air Force attacks today on the occupied Gaza Strip killed an estimated 200 or more people and injured hundreds more. These Israeli attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life.
While the scope of civilian casualties in today’s attacks is not yet clear, it is unmistakable that Israel carried out these attacks with F16 fighter jets and missiles provided by the taxpayers of this country. From 2001-2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F16’s. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel. Last year, the United States signed a $1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW, Hellfire, and “bunker buster” missiles.
In short, Israel’s lethal attack today on the Gaza Strip could not have happened without the active military and political support of the United States. Therefore, we need to take action to protest this attack and demand an immediate cease-fire.
TAKE ACTION
1. Contact the White House to protest the attack and demand an immediate cease-fire. Call 202-456-1111 or send an email to comments@whitehouse.gov.
2. Contact the State Department at 202-647-6575 or send an email by clicking here.
3. Contact your Representative and Senators in Congress at 202-224-3121 or find contact info for your Members of Congress by clicking here.
4. Contact your local media by phoning into a talk show or writing a letter to the editor. To find contact info for your local media, click here.
5. Organize a local protest or vigil and tell us about it by clicking here.
6. Sign our open letter to President-Elect Obama calling for a new U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine and find out other steps you can take to influence the incoming Administration by clicking here.
also,
from End The Occupation
Help Influence the Obama Administration: Yes We Can End Military Aid to Israel!
December 15th, 2008
During his November 4 acceptance speech, President-Elect Barack Obama stated that “There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”
Over the years, we haven’t agreed with many of the President-Elect’s statements, policies, and votes on Israel/Palestine, but we believe that he is sincere in being willing to listen to those with whom he disagrees. That’s why we’re asking you to join us in taking action to make our voices heard and help set the tone for the Obama Administration’s Palestine/Israel policies. Here’s how:
1) Sign our open letter “President-Elect Obama: We Need a Change in Israel/Palestine Policy”.
Join the US Campaign and other national organizations such as Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Council for the National Interest, Interfaith Peace-Builders, Middle East Research and Information Project, Peace Action, and many more in signing this letter by clicking here. Both individual and organizational endorsements are welcome.
With your generous support, we will publish this ad in publications such as Congressional Quarterly or Roll Call to reach decision-makers in Washington around the time of the inauguration. Please make your tax-deductible contribution to support this ad after signing it by clicking here.
Spread the word about this effort by copying and pasting this flash graphic onto your blog or website.
Organizations that would like to add their names to the printed version of ad should call us at 202-332-0994 or click here for sponsorship details.
2) Organize in your community to challenge military aid to Israel.
Sign up today to become a volunteer organizer in your community to challenge U.S. arms transfers to Israel by clicking here. We’ll send you an organizing packet complete with our brand new postcards featuring the icon above. Can you commit to getting 100 people in your community to sign these postcards and return them to us by the end of January? If so, then sign up today and we’ll send you a package tomorrow by clicking here.
3) Join us in Washington, DC for Inauguration Day on January 20.
Upwards of 4 million people are expected in Washington, DC for President-Elect Obama’s inauguration. This is a perfect time for us to reach out to and educate our fellow citizens about U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel. If you plan to be in Washington for the inauguration and would like to help us distribute information and get signatures on postcards calling for a cut off of arms transfers to Israel, please click here.
4) Join us again in Washington, DC for a Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day on February 1-2.
Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign are organizing this exciting two-day event, featuring interactive, skills-building workshops and the chance to meet with your Representative and Senators to discuss U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine. Spaces are filling up fast. For more details, and to register, please click here.
5) Put your money where your mouth is.
If you value the important work the US Campaign does to change U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality, then please make your generous tax-deductible contribution to support these efforts today by clicking below.
We know that times are tough, but if we don’t do this work, then even more of our tax-dollars will go toward arms transfers to Israel to besiege the Gaza Strip and occupy the West Bank and cause untold suffering for the Palestinian people. Please make your tax-deductible contribution now by clicking below.
Yes We Can End Military Aid to Israel!
Yes We Can Have a Policy of Human Rights, International Law, and Equality for All!
The US Campaign would like to thank the Lee & Gund Foundation for its generous support of its "Challenging U.S. Policy" program in 2009
Stop the Massacre of Palestinians!
PLEASE FIND THE NEAREST DEMONSTRATION AND STAND UP AGAINST WHAT IS BEING DONE TO THOSE IN GAZA (MIND YOU, WITH U.S.-WEAPONS AND TAX DOLLARS).
Tuesday, December 30: National Day of Action
Emergency Demonstrations on Tuesday, December 30 and other days (listed below)
The ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda, International Palestine Right to Return Coalition are calling for Tuesday, December 30 to be a National Day of Action to show solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and to demand an immediate end to the murderous attacks carried out by the Israeli military against the people of Gaza.
In Washington, D.C., there will be a demonstration at the State Department at 4:30 pm. Demonstrations will also be held in cities around the country. See below for an initial list. If there is a demonstration in your city, email the details to info@answercoalition.org so it can be posted on the ANSWER Coalition website and listed in any future emails.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been massacred and wounded today as Israel has launched a massive bombing campaign against the people of Gaza. The bombing rampage took place as thousands of Palestinian children were in the streets on their way home from school. Palestinian parents were running frantically in the streets looking for their children as U.S.-provided F-16s and Apache helicopters rained down more than 100 bombs and missiles on Gaza.
The U.S.-backed Israeli Occupation Force destroyed every security station in Gaza. AFP reported: "There was no space left in the morgue and bodies were piled up in the emergency room and in the corridors, as many of the wounded screamed in pain."
Because of the U.S.-backed Israeli blockade and strangulation of the people of Gaza for the past 18 months there is little or no medicine to treat the wounded, electricity for hospitals, or food or clean water for much of the population.
An Israeli military spokesperson said, "The operation is ‘only just beginning’." The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement: "The action will continue and will widen as much as is demanded according to the evaluation of the situation by the high command of the army."
Emergency Alert: Take Action to End Israeli Attacks on Gaza (endtheoccupation.org)
December 27th, 2008
EMERGENCY PROTESTS TO STOP
THE ATTACKS ON GAZA
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation has compiled the following list of events taking place in the United States and Canada to protest Israel’s attacks yesterday on the occupied Gaza Strip. If you know of an event that is not included, please send the details to us by clicking here. Inclusion of an event does not imply endorsement by the US Campaign.
Below the list of events is our action alert from yesterday with suggested steps that you can take to protest these attacks.
ARIZONA
Phoenix
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4:30PM-6:00PM
Coalition rally, Light Rail Station at Central Ave and Thomas Rd
Sponsored by: CODEPINK
Contact: Liz Arizona, caterliz@yahoo.com, 202-903-3363
Tucson
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM-6:00PM
Vigil in front of the Israel Center, 3822 E River Rd
Contact: Racheli Gai racheli@sonoracohousing.com
CALIFORNIA
Anaheim
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm
512 S. Brookhurst St. (between Orange Ave. & Broadway)
Initiated by a coalition with a large number of groups
Los Angeles
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Blvd.
Contact: 213-251-1025, answerla@answerla.org
San Diego
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Federal Building, Broadway and First, Downtown
San Francisco
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM
Protest the Massacres in Gaza
Powell and Market
Contact: Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM
Silent Vigil at Feinstein's Office, Montgomery and Market
Co-Sponsored by Direct Action to Stop the War;
the Middle East Children's Alliance; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism;
SF Women in Black
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM
Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery St
Powell and Market
Contact: 415-821-6545 answer@answersf.org
COLORADO
Colorado Springs
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4:30PM-5:30PM
Protest, Acacia Park, corner of Nevada Ave and Bijou St
Sponsored by: Colorado Antiwar Coalition and CSaction.org
Contact: info@protestcolorado.org, 719-460-2836
Denver
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM
Meet on the West side of the Capitol
Contact: Rima, 303-829-5848
CONNECTICUT
New Haven
Wednesday, December 31, 12PM
Federal Building, 141 Church St (between Chapel and Elm Sts.)
Sponsored by Middle East Crisis Committee, ANSWER-CT and other local organizations
Contact: 203-606-0319, connecticut@answercoalition.org
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington, DC
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Barack Obama Transition Office
451 6th St. NW (1 block from Verizon Center)
Contact: 301-523-4197 or email me at zelamine@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
State Department: 22nd St & C St NW
Contact: 202-544-3389 x14, dc@answercoalition.org
Friday, January 9, 12:00PM
Lafayette Square and march to Upper Senate Park
Contact: National Association of Muslim Women, namaw01@gmail.com
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm
Federal Building: 299 E. Broward Blvd.
Contact: 954-707-0155, FtLauderdale@answerfl.org
Ocala
Tuesday, December 30, 12:00 pm
Cather near the Ocala Lockheed facility, located in the SE quadrant of the county just off Maricamp Road (Rte 464) near Emerald and Oak
Sponsored by: Marions for Peace, CFCC students and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)
Contact: Marions for Peace, Delphine Herbert, MarionsforPeace@gmail.com
Tampa
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm
N Dale Mabry Hwy and W Spruce St
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Sunday, December 28, 2:00PM
Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW
Contact: Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine, 770-597-0276 or 404-844-3202
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM
Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW
Organizers: Emory Advocate for Justice in Palestine and other local groups
Contact details:Saba Khalid, 770-597-0276, skhali3@emory.edu
HAWAII
Honolulu
Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM
At the Federal Building (along Ala Moana Blvd.), 300 Ala Moana Blvd
Initiated by Friends of Sabeel Hawaii, with support from World Can't Wait-Hawaii, and others.
Contact details: Margaret Brown, mbrown@lava.net
ILLINOIS
Chicago
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM-2:00PM
Bring bouquets of flowers to commemorate the memory of the hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza who have been killed by Israeli bombardments today
Water Tower Park 830 N. Michigan (Michigan and Pearson)
Sponsored by (list in formation):
American Friends Service Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab American Action Network, Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle East, American Arab Anti Discrimination-Chicago Chapter, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, International Solidarity Movement-Chicago Chapter, US Palestine Conference Network, Students for Justice in Palestine (UIC), American Muslims for Palestine, Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Mosque Foundation, Tikkun-Chicago, Wright College Students for Peace and Justice, Fight Back Newspaper.
Separate event in Chicago:
Details to be announced
Contact: 773-463-0311, answer@chicagoanswer.net
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:00PM
Tribune Plaza, 435 N Michigan
INDIANA
Indianapolis
Monday, December 29, 6:30PM
Candle-light vigil
Downtown Indianapolis on the Circle
Bring signs and flashlights. Candles provided.
IOWA
Cedar Rapids
Tuesday, December 30, 12-2PM
150 1st Ave. NE, Wells Fargo Building
Contact: Jeremy J. Brigham, 319-363-7675
KENTUCKY
Louisville
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM
Broadway and Baxter across from Cave Hill cemetery
MARYLAND
Baltimore
Tuesday, December 30, 4-5PM
War Memorial Plaza
N. Gay and E. Lexington
Contact: Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 410-366-1637
Columbia
Saturday, January 17, 2009, 3:30PM
Howard County Central Library (Little Patuxent Pkwy and South Entrance Road)
Contact: Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (HCCEIO), Joanne Heisel, joanne_kh@usa.net
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Wednesday, December 31, 2:00PM
Copley Square
Contact: Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, info@bcpr.net, (617) 491-2313
Details to be announced
Contact: 857-334-5084, boston@answercoalition.org
Brookline
Sunday, December 28, 3PM-5PM
Coolidge Corner, Harvard and Beacon Streets
Northampton and Hadley
Monday, December 29, 7:30AM-9:00AM and 4:00PM-5:00PM
Coolidge Bridge between Northampton and Hadley
Contact: Paki paki43@gmail.com
MICHIGAN
Dearborn
Monday, December 29, 6PM
Community Leadership Meeting
Lebanese American Heritage Club ,4337 Maple Road
Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Human Chain Protest
Gathering at corner of Warren and Chase in Dearborn. Following the protest a memorial service will be held at Byblos Banquet Hall, 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn at 5:15 PM. Program will end at 6:30 PM.
Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Kalamazoo
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM
Michigan Ave in front of the Federal Building
Lansing
Friday, January 2, 12:00-1:00PM
In front of the State Capital Building, Michigan & Capital Aves.
Vigil for Peace
Contact: Michigan Peace Team, 517-484-3178,
www.michiganpeaceteam.org
MINNESOTA
Various
Protests at Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Keith Ellison's offices
Tuesday December 30th
10 am-closing
No "holding their feet to the fire" but instead hold them accountable.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
Office of Senator Klobuchar
Minneapolis
1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Main Line: 612-727-5220
Main Fax: 612-727-5223
Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043
Rochester Office
1134 7th Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Main Line: 507-288-5321
Fax: 507-288-2922
Moorhead Office
121 4th Street South
Moorhead, MN 56560
Main Line: 218-287-2219
Fax: 218-287-2930
Iron Range Office
Olcott Plaza, Suite 105
820 9th Street North
Virginia, MN 55792
Main Line: 218-741-9690
Fax:218-741-3692
Keith Ellison office
Minneapolis office is located at:
2100 Plymouth Ave North
Minneapolis, MN 55411
For directions you can call our office, 612-522-1212
MISSOURI
St. Louis
Sunday, December 28, 7PM
3628 Lindell, corner of Grand and Lindell
Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM
Protest at Senator Bond's Office, 7700 Bonhomme
Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord
Tuesday, December 30, 3PM
In front of the State House
Contact: New Hampshire Peace Action, 603-228-0559
NEW JERSEY
New Brunswick
Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM
Corner of Albany and George Sts.
NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
Tuesday, December 30, 12-2PM
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
1801 Mountain Rd, NW (in Old Town)
Contact: Called by Stop the War Machine, 505-401-4808,
stopthewarmachine@comcast.net
Tuesday, December 30, Evening
Candlelight vigil in front of the Federal Courthouse (near Lomas and 3rd St.)
Contact: Middle East Peace and Justice Alliance, Katherine Hughes- Fraitekh 480-9008, kcelav@aol.com or Iris Keltz 220-1994, of the Middle East Peace & Justice Alliance
NEW YORK
Buffalo
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM
Corner of Elmwood and Bidwell Aves.
New York City
Sunday, December 28, 2:00-4:00 pm
Gather at Rockefeller Center
March to the Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Initiated by Al-Awda New York
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM
Adalah-NY is organizing two meeting locations for fliering on Monday at 5:00:
The south end of Union Square, near the corner of 14th St and 5th Ave.
The triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street.
We welcome you to join us and we encourage other organizations to choose their own flyering locations and then to join the procession.
We will all meet-up for the procession up 6th Ave at 6:30. We will be meeting at the triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street. Look for the Palestinian Flag.
Contact
Monday, December 29, 7:00 pm
55 W 17th St, 5th Fl. Manhattan between 5th & 6th Aves
Informational Action Center
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm
Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts)
Contact: 212-694-8720, nyc@answercoalition.org
Rochester
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM-5:00PM
Demonstration in front of Federal Building
Contact: Mike Connely, 271-2678
OHIO
Cleveland
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Public Square, across from Tower City
Contact: Middle East Peace Forum, Don Bryant, donmbryant@yahoo.com
Columbus
Sunday December 28th, 5:00 PM
Ohio State University - Committee for Justice in Palestine
15th and High St.
Columbus, Ohio
Toledo
Tuesday, December 30, 5-7PM
Secor and Central
Contact: Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition
Youngstown
Monday, December 29, 5-9PM
Vigil
15 Belgrade Ave.
Sponsored by: Arab American Community Center of Greater Youngstown
Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186
Tuesday, December 30, 1-3PM
Demonstration
In front of the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 125 Market St
Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186
ONTARIO
Toronto
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm
Israeli Embassy Consulate: 180 Bloor St. West
Initiated by a number of local organizations
OREGON
Eugene
Monday, December 29, 2-5PM
Al-Nakba Awareness Project and Veterans for Peace will erect signage and provide detailed handout materials along the high-traffic Ferry Street Bridge approach parkway.
Portland
Tuesday December 30, 2008
Gather at 4:30 and Rally 5:00 pm
Where: Federal Building, Downtown Portland, SW 3rd & Madison
Organized by: Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland
Peaceful Response Coalition, and others.
Contact: (503) 344-5078
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM
Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd
Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM
Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd
Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
Friday, January 2, 12 Noon
S. 15th Street between Walnut and Locust Streets
Contact: Bubbes and Zaydes for Peace in the Middle East, phillyjewishpeace.org
Pittsburgh
Wednesday, December 31, 2008, 4:00PM-6:00PM
Rally at the Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Ave
Sponsors: Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee, Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East,
Muslim American Society - Pittsburgh Chapter, CAIR Pittsburgh Chapter,
Middle East Peace Forum - Pittsburgh
Contact: Kate, pittsburgh-psc.org, 412-614-0264
RHODE ISLAND
Providence
Sunday, December 28, 12:00-2:00PM
Federal Building
Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
Wednesday, December 31, 6-7PM
Burnside Park (opposite Kennedy Plaza)
Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia
Wednesday, December 31, 5-6PM
In front of the State Capitol Building
Gervais and Main St.
Contact: Women in Black, 803-446-2772
TEXAS
Austin
Monday, December 29, 5PM-7PM
In front of the State Capitol, 11th and Congress
Contact: Haithem El-Zabri, cell. (512) 772-1948, e-mail haithemelzabri@yahoo.com
Dallas
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 12:00PM-3:00PM
In front of JFK Memorial on the Grassy Knoll
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:30PM
Dallas Forth Worth Protest, Earl Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St
Contact: Suha Suleiman, drsuha@tm.blackberry.net
Houston
Sunday, December 28, 2008, 4-6PM
Westheimer and Post Oak (in front of the Starbucks across the Galleria)
Contact: Houston Palestinian Community
Monday, December 29, 2008, 4-6PM
Israeli Consulate (Wesleyan near US 59)
Contact: Palestinian American Bridge, Mohamed Abu-Hussein, 713-240-9766
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4-5:30PM
Gather at Mandell Bridge (Mandell St at Highway 59)
Contact: rwcsr1@yahoo.com
San Antonio
Tuesday, December 30, 6-7PM
Candle Light Silent Prayer Vigil for Peace
Around the Peace Pole in front of the Brackenridge Village, University of the Incarnate Word, enter at 4301 Broadway
You are invited to bring candles.
VERMONT
Burlington
Tuesday, December 30, 4:15PM
Main St. Landing, Burlington
1 Main St.; corner of Main & Battery Sts.)
MEET in Burlington at Main Street Landing at 4:15 to march to Representative
Welch’s, Senator Leahy’s, and to Senator Bernie Sander's offices, to
arrive at the top of Church St. at 5pm to stand in solidarity with the
vigil opposing further war profiteering and war crimes--the US Occupation
of Iraq.
This march is endorsed by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
(VTJP), Peace and Justice Center, and the International Socialist
Organization (ISO).
TO ENDORSE THIS ACTION OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
hilarymartin@riseup.net or gypsy7@riseup.net
Montpellier Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM Vigil in front of City Hall on Main St Contact: Debra, 802-476-3154, debra@vtlink.net
VIRGINIA
Norfolk
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30-6:30PM St. Paul's Blvd. and City Hall Ave. across from the old St. Paul's Church Contact: Christine Hoppe, 757-628-8279, cthoppe10@yahoo.com
WASHINGTON
Bellingham
Tuesday, December 30, 12 Noon
Federal Building, corner of Magnolia and Cornwall
Contact: Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
Seattle
Saturday, January 3, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm
Westlake Park: 4th and Pine
Initiated by Voices of Palestine
Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org
Tacoma
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 5:00pm
In front of the Courthouse at Pacific Ave and 19th St
As of this writing, Israeli Air Force attacks today on the occupied Gaza Strip killed an estimated 200 or more people and injured hundreds more. These Israeli attacks come on top of a brutal siege of the Gaza Strip, which has created a humanitarian catastrophe of dire proportions for Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinian residents by restricting the provision of food, fuel, medicine, electricity, and other necessities of life.
While the scope of civilian casualties in today’s attacks is not yet clear, it is unmistakable that Israel carried out these attacks with F16 fighter jets and missiles provided by the taxpayers of this country. From 2001-2006, the United States transferred to Israel more than $200 million worth of spare parts to fly its fleet of F16’s. In July 2008, the United States gave Israel 186 million gallons of JP-8 aviation jet fuel. Last year, the United States signed a $1.3 billion contract with Raytheon to transfer to Israel thousands of TOW, Hellfire, and “bunker buster” missiles.
In short, Israel’s lethal attack today on the Gaza Strip could not have happened without the active military and political support of the United States. Therefore, we need to take action to protest this attack and demand an immediate cease-fire.
TAKE ACTION
1. Contact the White House to protest the attack and demand an immediate cease-fire. Call 202-456-1111 or send an email to comments@whitehouse.gov.
2. Contact the State Department at 202-647-6575 or send an email by clicking here.
3. Contact your Representative and Senators in Congress at 202-224-3121 or find contact info for your Members of Congress by clicking here.
4. Contact your local media by phoning into a talk show or writing a letter to the editor. To find contact info for your local media, click here.
5. Organize a local protest or vigil and tell us about it by clicking here.
6. Sign our open letter to President-Elect Obama calling for a new U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine and find out other steps you can take to influence the incoming Administration by clicking here.
also,
from End The Occupation
Help Influence the Obama Administration: Yes We Can End Military Aid to Israel!
December 15th, 2008
During his November 4 acceptance speech, President-Elect Barack Obama stated that “There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.”
Over the years, we haven’t agreed with many of the President-Elect’s statements, policies, and votes on Israel/Palestine, but we believe that he is sincere in being willing to listen to those with whom he disagrees. That’s why we’re asking you to join us in taking action to make our voices heard and help set the tone for the Obama Administration’s Palestine/Israel policies. Here’s how:
1) Sign our open letter “President-Elect Obama: We Need a Change in Israel/Palestine Policy”.
Join the US Campaign and other national organizations such as Americans for a Just Peace in the Middle East, Council for the National Interest, Interfaith Peace-Builders, Middle East Research and Information Project, Peace Action, and many more in signing this letter by clicking here. Both individual and organizational endorsements are welcome.
With your generous support, we will publish this ad in publications such as Congressional Quarterly or Roll Call to reach decision-makers in Washington around the time of the inauguration. Please make your tax-deductible contribution to support this ad after signing it by clicking here.
Spread the word about this effort by copying and pasting this flash graphic onto your blog or website.
Organizations that would like to add their names to the printed version of ad should call us at 202-332-0994 or click here for sponsorship details.
2) Organize in your community to challenge military aid to Israel.
Sign up today to become a volunteer organizer in your community to challenge U.S. arms transfers to Israel by clicking here. We’ll send you an organizing packet complete with our brand new postcards featuring the icon above. Can you commit to getting 100 people in your community to sign these postcards and return them to us by the end of January? If so, then sign up today and we’ll send you a package tomorrow by clicking here.
3) Join us in Washington, DC for Inauguration Day on January 20.
Upwards of 4 million people are expected in Washington, DC for President-Elect Obama’s inauguration. This is a perfect time for us to reach out to and educate our fellow citizens about U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel. If you plan to be in Washington for the inauguration and would like to help us distribute information and get signatures on postcards calling for a cut off of arms transfers to Israel, please click here.
4) Join us again in Washington, DC for a Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day on February 1-2.
Interfaith Peace-Builders and the US Campaign are organizing this exciting two-day event, featuring interactive, skills-building workshops and the chance to meet with your Representative and Senators to discuss U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine. Spaces are filling up fast. For more details, and to register, please click here.
5) Put your money where your mouth is.
If you value the important work the US Campaign does to change U.S. policy toward Palestine/Israel to support human rights, international law, and equality, then please make your generous tax-deductible contribution to support these efforts today by clicking below.
We know that times are tough, but if we don’t do this work, then even more of our tax-dollars will go toward arms transfers to Israel to besiege the Gaza Strip and occupy the West Bank and cause untold suffering for the Palestinian people. Please make your tax-deductible contribution now by clicking below.
Yes We Can End Military Aid to Israel!
Yes We Can Have a Policy of Human Rights, International Law, and Equality for All!
The US Campaign would like to thank the Lee & Gund Foundation for its generous support of its "Challenging U.S. Policy" program in 2009
12/23/08
sounds from the soul
poetry written by Ericka Huggins in prison in 1970.
[ If They Come in the Morning, 1971 Angela Davis, p 98]
On Sunday, the 13th of December, the New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Band played a concert at Niantic State Prison.
reflections on Sunday:
sounds that come from the soul are always
the same
free
open sounds
giving
the kind that reach out and touch--
that's what our sisters did/ minimum
touching maximum/ showing oppression
and the wish for its
removal...
feeling those sounds
seeing them felt on others
watching faces smile
really smile for the first time in months--
getting high--on the natural power of the
people to resist/to smile/ to laugh/ to sing/
shout/love/give
ever here!!!
wild hair, funky guitar
long hair funky voice ( someone said
bessie smith came to mind)
hair--all lengths, legs arms, smiles, music--
SISTERS--and us...
raggedy peacoats, cotton dressed, rocking,
swaying,
screaming
enjoying it--
crying too--even if not too many
let the tears fall free
...us--black/brown/white/poor--SISTERS
and it was all a total exchange
of energy
communciation
even if we did not share words
we all knew their soul-sounds were
saying
we understand
we know
we can see what amerika is doing
to you--mother/daughter/child/woman
of oppression--
we can se, they sung
and our voices answered their guitars,
horns flute-voice-cowbell-tambourinene de-
mand for freedom with an unspoken right on
...a feelingt here that one day--soon--
all people will be free... and
we left
stronger
able to smile (for a moment)...
till we returned to
rules that degrade
schedules that destroy sanity
racism that they cannot see
sexism that rapes us of our womanhood...
and the locks, keys, windows, walls, doors,
threats
warnings
bribes that harden oru hearts and
chain our souls...
the time
must be
seized
venceremos!
the oldness of new things
fascinate me like a new
feeling about love about people
snow, highways that
sparkle at night, talk,
laughter...
that old longing for freedom
that this place cosntantly
renews--it all makes
me know that humankind
has longed to be free ever forever
since its break from the
whole
maybe longing for
freedom will soon make
others homesick for our
natural state in / with
earth, air, fire, water
not dead
but living
not asking for freedom--
but free--
--
[ If They Come in the Morning, 1971 Angela Davis, p 98]
On Sunday, the 13th of December, the New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Band played a concert at Niantic State Prison.
reflections on Sunday:
sounds that come from the soul are always
the same
free
open sounds
giving
the kind that reach out and touch--
that's what our sisters did/ minimum
touching maximum/ showing oppression
and the wish for its
removal...
feeling those sounds
seeing them felt on others
watching faces smile
really smile for the first time in months--
getting high--on the natural power of the
people to resist/to smile/ to laugh/ to sing/
shout/love/give
ever here!!!
wild hair, funky guitar
long hair funky voice ( someone said
bessie smith came to mind)
hair--all lengths, legs arms, smiles, music--
SISTERS--and us...
raggedy peacoats, cotton dressed, rocking,
swaying,
screaming
enjoying it--
crying too--even if not too many
let the tears fall free
...us--black/brown/white/poor--SISTERS
and it was all a total exchange
of energy
communciation
even if we did not share words
we all knew their soul-sounds were
saying
we understand
we know
we can see what amerika is doing
to you--mother/daughter/child/woman
of oppression--
we can se, they sung
and our voices answered their guitars,
horns flute-voice-cowbell-tambourinene de-
mand for freedom with an unspoken right on
...a feelingt here that one day--soon--
all people will be free... and
we left
stronger
able to smile (for a moment)...
till we returned to
rules that degrade
schedules that destroy sanity
racism that they cannot see
sexism that rapes us of our womanhood...
and the locks, keys, windows, walls, doors,
threats
warnings
bribes that harden oru hearts and
chain our souls...
the time
must be
seized
venceremos!
the oldness of new things
fascinate me like a new
feeling about love about people
snow, highways that
sparkle at night, talk,
laughter...
that old longing for freedom
that this place cosntantly
renews--it all makes
me know that humankind
has longed to be free ever forever
since its break from the
whole
maybe longing for
freedom will soon make
others homesick for our
natural state in / with
earth, air, fire, water
not dead
but living
not asking for freedom--
but free--
--
12/22/08
a brief photo ode to snow/light/warmth
hot chocolate book store
snow main street snow
heavy duty extendable snowscraper, put to use within hours of its purchase
holiday(s) of light(s), cozy inside
landscape outside.WISHING WARMTH TO ALL AND PEACE TO THOSE WITHOUT IT.
12/20/08
celebrating a life: "a writer and a fighter"
Chicago is mourning the Thursday death of Beauty Turner, a housing/community activist whose life touched a lot of other lives for the better, judging from her blog, Beauty's Ghetto Bus Tours, and the numerous obituaries already published in her memory.
from the Chicago Tribune:
Beauty Turner 1957-2008
Beauty Turner, 51: Chicago public housing activist and reporter
Dedicated her life to telling stories of city's most vulnerable residents
By Sara Olkon Tribune reporter
December 19, 2008
Beauty Turner, 51, a longtime public housing activist and writer in Chicago, died Thursday at Rush University Medical Center.She suffered an aneurysm Monday night, fell into a coma and never recovered, said her son Landon Turner. A charming and disarming presence on the South Side, Ms. Turner dedicated her life to telling the stories of the city's most vulnerable residents. She was as well-known for her greeting of "Hey Love" as she was for taking on officials at the Chicago Housing Authority. "I'm a writer and a fighter," was how she liked to describe herself. article continued.
Beauty Turner, 51: Chicago public housing activist and reporter
Dedicated her life to telling stories of city's most vulnerable residents
By Sara Olkon Tribune reporter
December 19, 2008
Beauty Turner, 51, a longtime public housing activist and writer in Chicago, died Thursday at Rush University Medical Center.She suffered an aneurysm Monday night, fell into a coma and never recovered, said her son Landon Turner. A charming and disarming presence on the South Side, Ms. Turner dedicated her life to telling the stories of the city's most vulnerable residents. She was as well-known for her greeting of "Hey Love" as she was for taking on officials at the Chicago Housing Authority. "I'm a writer and a fighter," was how she liked to describe herself. article continued.
12/19/08
student power
this is from the wooden shoe (phila, pa) listserve. i don't know its current status [UPDATE: SEE THEIR BLOG, LINK BELOW]. below i've posted a link to a nyt article and some photos from santiago, chile last spring.
From New York City:
We have just occupied New School University.
We liberate this space for ourselves, and all those who want to join us,
for our general autonomous use. We take the university in explicit
solidarity with those occupying the universities and streets in Greece,
Italy, France and Spain.
This occupation begins as a response to specific conditions at the New
School, the corporatization of the university and the impoverishment of
education in general. However, it is not just this university but also New
York City that is in crisis: in the next several months, thousands of us
will be losing our jobs, while housing remains unaffordable and
unavailable to many and the cost of living skyrockets.
So we stress that the general nature of these intolerable conditions
exists across the spectrum of capitalist existence, in our universities
and our cities, in all of our social relations. For this reason, what
begins tonight at the New School cannot, and should not, be contained
here.
Thus: with this occupation, we inaugurate a wave of occupations in New
York City and the United States,a coming wave of occupations, blockades,
and strikes in this time of crisis.
Be assured, this is only the beginning,
With solidarity and love from New York to Greece,
To Italy, France and Spain,
To the coming insurrection.
-The occupied New School
IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO 65 5TH AVE BETWEEN 13TH AND 14TH WE CAN USE YOUR
SUPPORT!More information to come
NEW SCHOOL IN EXILE
nyt article
SANTIAGO, CHILE: june/july 2008
this is a university which is just a few blocks from my host family's house, in the neighborhood of Ñuñoa (south of Providencia). unfortunately, i can't quite remember the name of this school right now, but this picture depicts the student-occupied campus, with chairs stacked up against the gate. the sign on the left reads, "taken," or, occupied. "Nacional context of social mobilization. NO to the education of the market. Paralysis of administrative and academic activities. NO TO THE LGE [the general education law]."
inside the campus, Diferencial is a facultad, like a department. "en toma,"--occupied.
(from the inside, looking out on the street)
From New York City:
We have just occupied New School University.
We liberate this space for ourselves, and all those who want to join us,
for our general autonomous use. We take the university in explicit
solidarity with those occupying the universities and streets in Greece,
Italy, France and Spain.
This occupation begins as a response to specific conditions at the New
School, the corporatization of the university and the impoverishment of
education in general. However, it is not just this university but also New
York City that is in crisis: in the next several months, thousands of us
will be losing our jobs, while housing remains unaffordable and
unavailable to many and the cost of living skyrockets.
So we stress that the general nature of these intolerable conditions
exists across the spectrum of capitalist existence, in our universities
and our cities, in all of our social relations. For this reason, what
begins tonight at the New School cannot, and should not, be contained
here.
Thus: with this occupation, we inaugurate a wave of occupations in New
York City and the United States,a coming wave of occupations, blockades,
and strikes in this time of crisis.
Be assured, this is only the beginning,
With solidarity and love from New York to Greece,
To Italy, France and Spain,
To the coming insurrection.
-The occupied New School
IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO 65 5TH AVE BETWEEN 13TH AND 14TH WE CAN USE YOUR
SUPPORT!More information to come
NEW SCHOOL IN EXILE
nyt article
SANTIAGO, CHILE: june/july 2008
this is a university which is just a few blocks from my host family's house, in the neighborhood of Ñuñoa (south of Providencia). unfortunately, i can't quite remember the name of this school right now, but this picture depicts the student-occupied campus, with chairs stacked up against the gate. the sign on the left reads, "taken," or, occupied. "Nacional context of social mobilization. NO to the education of the market. Paralysis of administrative and academic activities. NO TO THE LGE [the general education law]."
inside the campus, Diferencial is a facultad, like a department. "en toma,"--occupied.(from the inside, looking out on the street)
"and thus we owe nothing"
from Philly IMC:
Ecuador Defaults on Foreign Debt
Written by Daniel Denvir
Friday, 12 December 2008
President Rafael Correa declared on Friday that Ecuador would not make a $30.6 million interest payment on $510 million in bonds due in 2012, calling the debt illegal.
The default on the Global Bonus 2012 bonds means that Ecuador is also defaulting on Global 2015 and 2030 bonds. The default totals $9.937 billion, 19 percent of the country’s GDP. Ecuador has assembled a legal team to fight expected lawsuits and hopes to use the default as leverage to renegotiate the debts.
Civil society organizations have long criticized foreign debt as a means of exploiting impoverished countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The anti-debt organization Jubilee USA says “countries are paying debt service to wealthy nations and institutions at the expense of providing these basic services to their citizens.” In addition, lending institutions often use indebtedness to force cuts in social spending and impose business friendly economic policies.
The Confederation of Ecuadorian Kichwas (ECUARUNARI), the powerful Andean branch of the country’s indigenous peoples movement, has long called the foreign debt illegal and illegitimate. “We have not acquired any debt. The so-called public debt really belongs to the oligarchy. We the peoples have not acquired anything or been benefited, and thus we owe nothing.”
Mainstream analysts immediately predicted the move would hurt Ecuador economically, cutting off access to international credit from banks and multilateral institutions like the World Bank. Enrique Alvarez, head of research for Latin America Financial Markets at IDEAglobal in New York, told the Associated Press, "They were already sort of headed into isolation. Essentially now they've drawn shut the gate." Critics also say that financial institutions will see Ecuador as risky and may be reluctant to loan to the country’s private sector.
But Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research argues that those claims are exaggerated. He says that the government does not currently require foreign funds and that any decision to not lend to Ecuador’s private sector would be purely ideological. "Ecuador doesn't need to borrow right now, especially if they're not paying the debt. They haven't been borrowing on international markets recently."
Osvaldo León of the Latin American Information Agency (ALAI) in Quito says that international banks and businesspeople are defending a corrupt and unjust system. “Of course the establishment is going to come out and protest this. This is going to affect the interests of capital. There’s going to be an offensive from both inside and out.” He charges that business friendly economists and financiers unfairly frame their arguments as scientific and opponents’ views as ideologically driven. “Ecuador has decided on a political response to a political problem. They always want things like this to be seen as a technical issue, a problem that only economists can deal with.”
Although Ecuador currently has the capacity to pay, dropping oil prices and squeezed credit markets are putting President Rafael Correa's plans to boost spending on education and health care in jeopardy. Correa has pledged to prioritize the "social debt" over debt to foreign creditors.
Ecuador is undertaking a diplomatic offensive in an effort to win political support. Correa will be attending a summit in Brazil next week with presidents from throughout Latin American and Caribbean. Ecuador has called on Latin America to forge a united response to foreign debt. Venezuela, Bolivia and Paraguay have recently created debt audit commissions. Ecuador has also asked the United Nations to help develop international norms to regulate the foreign debt market.
But relations between Brazil and Ecuador have been tense since the September expulsion of the Brazilian firm Odebrecht over accused accusations of shoddy work on a hydroelectric plant and contract violations. Most recently, Ecuador filed suit in the International Chamber of Commerce to stop payment on a $286 million debt to The Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), credit that was allotted for Odebrecht’s hydroelectric project. Many activists in Ecuador see Brazil as a regional bully.
Last month, a special debt audit commission released a report charging that much of Ecuador's foreign debt was illegitimate or illegal. The commission found that usurious interest rates were applied for many bonds and that past Ecuadorian governments illegally took other loans on. The report also accused Salomon Smith Barney, now part of Citigroup Inc., of handling the 2000 restructuring without Ecuador's authorization, leading to the application of 10 and 12 percent interest rates. Ecuador's military dictatorship (1974-1979) was the first government to lead the country into indebtedness.
Commercial debt, or debt to private banks, made up 44% of Ecuador's interest payments in 2007, considerably more than the 27% paid to multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Daniel Denvir is a Quito, Ecuador based journalist in the process of moving to Philadelphia, and a 2008 recipient of NACLA's Samuel Chavkin Investigative Journalism Grant. He is an editor at www.caterwaulquarterly.com.
Ecuador Defaults on Foreign Debt
Written by Daniel Denvir
Friday, 12 December 2008
President Rafael Correa declared on Friday that Ecuador would not make a $30.6 million interest payment on $510 million in bonds due in 2012, calling the debt illegal.
The default on the Global Bonus 2012 bonds means that Ecuador is also defaulting on Global 2015 and 2030 bonds. The default totals $9.937 billion, 19 percent of the country’s GDP. Ecuador has assembled a legal team to fight expected lawsuits and hopes to use the default as leverage to renegotiate the debts.
Civil society organizations have long criticized foreign debt as a means of exploiting impoverished countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The anti-debt organization Jubilee USA says “countries are paying debt service to wealthy nations and institutions at the expense of providing these basic services to their citizens.” In addition, lending institutions often use indebtedness to force cuts in social spending and impose business friendly economic policies.
The Confederation of Ecuadorian Kichwas (ECUARUNARI), the powerful Andean branch of the country’s indigenous peoples movement, has long called the foreign debt illegal and illegitimate. “We have not acquired any debt. The so-called public debt really belongs to the oligarchy. We the peoples have not acquired anything or been benefited, and thus we owe nothing.”
Mainstream analysts immediately predicted the move would hurt Ecuador economically, cutting off access to international credit from banks and multilateral institutions like the World Bank. Enrique Alvarez, head of research for Latin America Financial Markets at IDEAglobal in New York, told the Associated Press, "They were already sort of headed into isolation. Essentially now they've drawn shut the gate." Critics also say that financial institutions will see Ecuador as risky and may be reluctant to loan to the country’s private sector.
But Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research argues that those claims are exaggerated. He says that the government does not currently require foreign funds and that any decision to not lend to Ecuador’s private sector would be purely ideological. "Ecuador doesn't need to borrow right now, especially if they're not paying the debt. They haven't been borrowing on international markets recently."
Osvaldo León of the Latin American Information Agency (ALAI) in Quito says that international banks and businesspeople are defending a corrupt and unjust system. “Of course the establishment is going to come out and protest this. This is going to affect the interests of capital. There’s going to be an offensive from both inside and out.” He charges that business friendly economists and financiers unfairly frame their arguments as scientific and opponents’ views as ideologically driven. “Ecuador has decided on a political response to a political problem. They always want things like this to be seen as a technical issue, a problem that only economists can deal with.”
Although Ecuador currently has the capacity to pay, dropping oil prices and squeezed credit markets are putting President Rafael Correa's plans to boost spending on education and health care in jeopardy. Correa has pledged to prioritize the "social debt" over debt to foreign creditors.
Ecuador is undertaking a diplomatic offensive in an effort to win political support. Correa will be attending a summit in Brazil next week with presidents from throughout Latin American and Caribbean. Ecuador has called on Latin America to forge a united response to foreign debt. Venezuela, Bolivia and Paraguay have recently created debt audit commissions. Ecuador has also asked the United Nations to help develop international norms to regulate the foreign debt market.
But relations between Brazil and Ecuador have been tense since the September expulsion of the Brazilian firm Odebrecht over accused accusations of shoddy work on a hydroelectric plant and contract violations. Most recently, Ecuador filed suit in the International Chamber of Commerce to stop payment on a $286 million debt to The Brazilian National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), credit that was allotted for Odebrecht’s hydroelectric project. Many activists in Ecuador see Brazil as a regional bully.
Last month, a special debt audit commission released a report charging that much of Ecuador's foreign debt was illegitimate or illegal. The commission found that usurious interest rates were applied for many bonds and that past Ecuadorian governments illegally took other loans on. The report also accused Salomon Smith Barney, now part of Citigroup Inc., of handling the 2000 restructuring without Ecuador's authorization, leading to the application of 10 and 12 percent interest rates. Ecuador's military dictatorship (1974-1979) was the first government to lead the country into indebtedness.
Commercial debt, or debt to private banks, made up 44% of Ecuador's interest payments in 2007, considerably more than the 27% paid to multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Daniel Denvir is a Quito, Ecuador based journalist in the process of moving to Philadelphia, and a 2008 recipient of NACLA's Samuel Chavkin Investigative Journalism Grant. He is an editor at www.caterwaulquarterly.com.
12/13/08
a permanent revolution?
Chavez Renews Effort to End Term Limits
from Democracy Now:
"In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez has unofficially kicked off a new campaign to win voter approval to stand for re-election. Chavez wants voters to let him run for re-election after his term expires in 2013.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “This is a revolution, a permanent revolution, a revolution inside of a revolution. And the revolution is based on the sovereignty of the people, in the power of the people’s assembly. Here, there is complete democracy. Look, this is democracy’s greatest strength, the strength of free people freely expressing their will, their love, their faith, their hope.”
Chavez narrowly lost a previous effort to abolish term limits in a referendum last year, but the proposal was lumped along with several others that critics said would have granted him too much power."
on my sister blog, love & madness & liberation, we're talking about making meaning out of life in a system we abhor--capitalism, i would simply say--about how to resist and change and ultimately be alive. this is my dad's response, which i want to share.
Hi gals. I tried to post this to your blog but failed with the password thing. So instead I’m emailing it to, so I maintain the immediacy. Love, Dad
PS—hope I don’t sound like a wimpy apologist for myself.
Hey, I found this cool blog while cruising around on this other cool blog this girl told me about....
Anyway, I want to say that the excerpt posted by Z from Derrick Jensen is profound and gets directly to the heart of the matter. I've been wrestling with these same questions for 30+ years now and I'm immensely proud that my children are, too.
By way of quick response, I'd say that everyone who cares as deeply as you/we do has to explore and find a variety of ways to be alive, as you gals put it. To resist what we know is destructive of life--to fight against the system we abhor--to make something better. Understanding the truth of what DJ says, that because this is a culture we're talking about, the result of hundreds of years of human evolution and more specifically a couple centuries of American will-to-power, violent action to take it down isn't necessarily more effective than other actions. I don't think it's possible to know what is or can be effective, other than the certitude of love and life, except by trying and seeing and acting.
I've chosen a path and I know it involves compromises with my ideal and most profound understandings of the problem. It involves living in a place I love, in a loving family, among a web of other like-minded, like-working, like-living people who are also trying to grapple with the same understandings, doing things that feed my life and finding kinds of work to do beyond myself that feed those other human and nonhuman beings who must be protected as the system continues to collapse in on itself, as DJ states it so well. You know what those are--loving people, loving myself, moving wood, hunting mushrooms, cooking and eating nourishing food, experiencing/creating art and music, finding grace and beauty in life every day, striving to life according to the principles I hold most important along the way to the regeneration I know is necessary.
That's all for now. Alan
Hi gals. I tried to post this to your blog but failed with the password thing. So instead I’m emailing it to, so I maintain the immediacy. Love, Dad
PS—hope I don’t sound like a wimpy apologist for myself.
Hey, I found this cool blog while cruising around on this other cool blog this girl told me about....
Anyway, I want to say that the excerpt posted by Z from Derrick Jensen is profound and gets directly to the heart of the matter. I've been wrestling with these same questions for 30+ years now and I'm immensely proud that my children are, too.
By way of quick response, I'd say that everyone who cares as deeply as you/we do has to explore and find a variety of ways to be alive, as you gals put it. To resist what we know is destructive of life--to fight against the system we abhor--to make something better. Understanding the truth of what DJ says, that because this is a culture we're talking about, the result of hundreds of years of human evolution and more specifically a couple centuries of American will-to-power, violent action to take it down isn't necessarily more effective than other actions. I don't think it's possible to know what is or can be effective, other than the certitude of love and life, except by trying and seeing and acting.
I've chosen a path and I know it involves compromises with my ideal and most profound understandings of the problem. It involves living in a place I love, in a loving family, among a web of other like-minded, like-working, like-living people who are also trying to grapple with the same understandings, doing things that feed my life and finding kinds of work to do beyond myself that feed those other human and nonhuman beings who must be protected as the system continues to collapse in on itself, as DJ states it so well. You know what those are--loving people, loving myself, moving wood, hunting mushrooms, cooking and eating nourishing food, experiencing/creating art and music, finding grace and beauty in life every day, striving to life according to the principles I hold most important along the way to the regeneration I know is necessary.
That's all for now. Alan
12/12/08
alternative vision(s)
this is a neat organization i encountered while researching the european union's economic policies with latin america for an international economic relations course i took in chile last semester. naive as some might argue i choose to be, i wouldn't have taken such a course under normal circumstances--but i thought that maybe i would get the chilean perspective, and i wrongly assumed that it might be somewhat critical of neoliberalism and/or the frequent and grossly oversimplified assumption that all 'growth' is good. all students did class presentations on various countries' relations with chile, and no one challenged chile's vision of strong neoliberalist economic policy (one which, i might add, severely limits participation in their frequently-boasted-about democracy. see the list of campaigns by Mapuche International which describe the ways that chile's relationship with the forresting sector is interfering with the rights of many mapuche communities). when it was my group's turn, i convinced the chilean students in my group to let me present on the "social aspect" of EU-Chile relationships, and proceeded to describe to the class the history of anti-EU-free-trade-agreement- movements in Chile and elsewhere (a lot of mapuche resistance is formally organized in Scandinavia, where there are large communities who relocated in exile during the Pinochet dictatorship).
the organization/network i linked to, Enlazando Alternativas: Red Birregional Europa-América Latina y el Caribe, describes how it was formed:
La creación de la red es el resultado de una creciente concientización de que las políticas neoliberales de la Unión Europea (UE) y su agenda comercial se encuentran lideradas por el poder de las corporaciones transnacionales y que la UE tiene como objetivo asegurar el acceso de sus economías a los mercados latinoamericanos y caribeños de manera irrestringida. Así también, la creación de esta red birregional reflejó la necesidad de incrementar las resistencias por parte de la sociedad civil latinoamericana y europea al “proyecto europeo”, a las empresas transnacionales con base en la Unión Europea y a las políticas internacionales de “libre” comercio."
[The creation of this network is the result of a growing awareness of the neoliberal policies of the European Union and its comercial agenda, driven by the power of transnational corporations, and that the EU has the objective of securing its economies access to latin american and carribean markets in an unrestrained manner. The creation of this biregional network also reflects the necessity of increasing the resistance(s) of latin american and european civil society to the "european project," to the transnational companies based in the European Union and to the politics of "free trade."]
for those of you who don't speak spanish but want to navigate their site, this link is the best i could find, and it will bring you to an english advertisement for their 2006 alternative summit of social movements from latin america, the carribean and europe. "ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE."
Jon Krist
Dear, Dear Friend Jon who left this side for another is in my thoughts every day. His family started the Jonathan Krist Foundation. They offer scholarships to young people seeking to exercise their creative selves. How we remember people is so important. I try to say his name out loud everyday. My mama says saying someone's name out loud keeps them with us. May his memory be a blessing. His memory is a blessing to me.
12/10/08
Aesop Quote of the Day
Sleep with one eye open while the other two drift
together specimens from the promise land
This for the thinkers
This for the erchants allergic to they own stingers
This for the absurd verdict linkers
This for that cat at my shows that's always got prophetic opinions
but cant remember where his drink is
-"Bent Life" Aesop Rock
together specimens from the promise land
This for the thinkers
This for the erchants allergic to they own stingers
This for the absurd verdict linkers
This for that cat at my shows that's always got prophetic opinions
but cant remember where his drink is
-"Bent Life" Aesop Rock
12/8/08
flowers in winter, i love my mother
(WITCHHAZEL)
ima (my mother) has started uploading photos to facebook. i took this last winter, and she put it in an album titled, 'flowers in winter'. she loves living in phila, which she brags about in her facebook status, along the lines of, "robyn loves zone seven because TWO of my camelias bloomed halfway through january last year."
"We the prisoners treat this amendment as a first step, a result of our struggle and of the solidarity shown by society"
> Hunger strike ends as Greek government caves
Thursday, November 20 2008 @ 11:36 PM CST
Contributed by: WorkerFreedom
After 18 days 7,000 prisoners in greece stop their hunger strike after the ministry of justice concedes to a series of their demands, promising to release half the country's prison population by April 2009.
On Thursday the 20th of November more than 7,000 hunger strikers in greek prisons demanding a comprehensive 45-point program of prison reform have decided to stop their hunger strike, already on its 18th day, after the Ministry of Justice responded to their struggle and to the widening solidarity movement which in the last weeks has held several mass protest marches in the greek cities by declaring that by next April the number of prisoners in greek jails will be reduced to 6.815 from the present 12.315, thus effectively releasing half of the country's prison population.
The Ministry's declaration in detail states that:
1) All persons convicted to a sentence up to five years for any offense including drug related crimes can tranform their sentence into a monetary penalty. This will not be allowed in the case the jury decides that the payment is not enough to deter the convict from commiting punishable acts in the future.
2) The minimum sum for tranforming one day of prison sentence to monetary penanlty is reduced from 10 euros to 3, with the provision of being reduced to 1 euro by decision of the jury.
3) All people who have served 1/5 of their prison sentence for 2 year sentences and 1/3 for sentences longer than 2 years are to be released, with no exceptions.
4) The minimum limit of served sentence is reduced to 3/5 for conditional release and for convicts for drug related crimes. Those condemned under conditions of law Ν. 3459/2006 (articles 23 και 23Α) are excepmpted.
5) The maximum limit of pre-trial impironment is reduced from 18 to 12 months, with the excemption of crimes puniched by liife or 20year sentence.
6) The annual time of days-off prison is increased by one day. Tougher conditions for days-off are limited for those convicted for drug related crimes under Ν. 3459/2006.
7) Disciplinary penalties are to be integrated.
8) Integration after 4 years into national law of the European Council decision of drug trafficking (2004/757).
9) Expansion of implementation of conditional release of convicts suffering from AIDS, kidney failure, persistent TB, and tetraplegics.
What the Ministry failed to answer with regard to the prisoners' demands include:
1) Monetary exchange of prison sentences longer than 5 years, especially for 6.700 prisoners presently convicted for non-criminal offenses.
2) Abolition of juvenile prisons
3) Abolition of accumulative disciplinary penalties
4) Abolition of 18 months pre-trial imprisonment for a large number of offenses.
5) Satisfactory expansion of days off, despite the fact that the application of present liberties has been tested as succesfull during the last 18 years.
6) Immediate improvement of relocation conditions of convicts
7) Holding a meeting between the minister of justice and the prisoners' committee
Thus in a press release, the Prisoners' Commitee announced that:
"The amendment submitted to the Parliament by the Ministry of Justice tackles but a few of our demands. The minister ought to materialize his promises for the immediate release of the suggested number of prisoners announced, and at the same time implement concrete measures regarding the totality of our demands. We the prisoners treat this amendment as a first step, a result of our struggle and of the solidarity shown by society. Yet it fails to covers us, it fails to solve our problems. With our struggle, we have first of all fought for our dignity. And this dignity we cannot offer as a present to no minister, to no screw. We shall tolerate no arbitrary acts, no vengeful relocation, no terrorizing disciplinary act. We are standing and we shall stay standing. We demand form the Parliament to move towards a complete abolition of the limit of 4/5 of served sentence, the abolition of accumulated time for disciplinary penalties, and the expansion of beneficial arrangements regarding days-off, and conditional releases for all categories of prisoners. Moreover, we demand the immediate legislation on the presently vague promises of the minister of justice regarding the improvement of prison conditions (abolition of juvenile prisons, foundation of therapeutic centers for drug dependents, implementation of social labour in exchange for prison sentence, upgrading of hospital care of prisoners, incorporation of european legislation favorable to the prisoners in the greek law etc.). Finally, we offer our thanks to the solidarity movement, to every component, party, medium, and militant who stood by us with all and any means of his or her choice, and we declare that our struggle against these human refuse dumps and for the victory of all our demands continues".
Prisoners' Committee 20/11/08.
>
http://libcom.org/news/hunger-strike-7000-prisoners-across-greece-ends-after-government-promises-release-half-pris
[thanks dave!]
Thursday, November 20 2008 @ 11:36 PM CST
Contributed by: WorkerFreedom
After 18 days 7,000 prisoners in greece stop their hunger strike after the ministry of justice concedes to a series of their demands, promising to release half the country's prison population by April 2009.
On Thursday the 20th of November more than 7,000 hunger strikers in greek prisons demanding a comprehensive 45-point program of prison reform have decided to stop their hunger strike, already on its 18th day, after the Ministry of Justice responded to their struggle and to the widening solidarity movement which in the last weeks has held several mass protest marches in the greek cities by declaring that by next April the number of prisoners in greek jails will be reduced to 6.815 from the present 12.315, thus effectively releasing half of the country's prison population.
The Ministry's declaration in detail states that:
1) All persons convicted to a sentence up to five years for any offense including drug related crimes can tranform their sentence into a monetary penalty. This will not be allowed in the case the jury decides that the payment is not enough to deter the convict from commiting punishable acts in the future.
2) The minimum sum for tranforming one day of prison sentence to monetary penanlty is reduced from 10 euros to 3, with the provision of being reduced to 1 euro by decision of the jury.
3) All people who have served 1/5 of their prison sentence for 2 year sentences and 1/3 for sentences longer than 2 years are to be released, with no exceptions.
4) The minimum limit of served sentence is reduced to 3/5 for conditional release and for convicts for drug related crimes. Those condemned under conditions of law Ν. 3459/2006 (articles 23 και 23Α) are excepmpted.
5) The maximum limit of pre-trial impironment is reduced from 18 to 12 months, with the excemption of crimes puniched by liife or 20year sentence.
6) The annual time of days-off prison is increased by one day. Tougher conditions for days-off are limited for those convicted for drug related crimes under Ν. 3459/2006.
7) Disciplinary penalties are to be integrated.
8) Integration after 4 years into national law of the European Council decision of drug trafficking (2004/757).
9) Expansion of implementation of conditional release of convicts suffering from AIDS, kidney failure, persistent TB, and tetraplegics.
What the Ministry failed to answer with regard to the prisoners' demands include:
1) Monetary exchange of prison sentences longer than 5 years, especially for 6.700 prisoners presently convicted for non-criminal offenses.
2) Abolition of juvenile prisons
3) Abolition of accumulative disciplinary penalties
4) Abolition of 18 months pre-trial imprisonment for a large number of offenses.
5) Satisfactory expansion of days off, despite the fact that the application of present liberties has been tested as succesfull during the last 18 years.
6) Immediate improvement of relocation conditions of convicts
7) Holding a meeting between the minister of justice and the prisoners' committee
Thus in a press release, the Prisoners' Commitee announced that:
"The amendment submitted to the Parliament by the Ministry of Justice tackles but a few of our demands. The minister ought to materialize his promises for the immediate release of the suggested number of prisoners announced, and at the same time implement concrete measures regarding the totality of our demands. We the prisoners treat this amendment as a first step, a result of our struggle and of the solidarity shown by society. Yet it fails to covers us, it fails to solve our problems. With our struggle, we have first of all fought for our dignity. And this dignity we cannot offer as a present to no minister, to no screw. We shall tolerate no arbitrary acts, no vengeful relocation, no terrorizing disciplinary act. We are standing and we shall stay standing. We demand form the Parliament to move towards a complete abolition of the limit of 4/5 of served sentence, the abolition of accumulated time for disciplinary penalties, and the expansion of beneficial arrangements regarding days-off, and conditional releases for all categories of prisoners. Moreover, we demand the immediate legislation on the presently vague promises of the minister of justice regarding the improvement of prison conditions (abolition of juvenile prisons, foundation of therapeutic centers for drug dependents, implementation of social labour in exchange for prison sentence, upgrading of hospital care of prisoners, incorporation of european legislation favorable to the prisoners in the greek law etc.). Finally, we offer our thanks to the solidarity movement, to every component, party, medium, and militant who stood by us with all and any means of his or her choice, and we declare that our struggle against these human refuse dumps and for the victory of all our demands continues".
Prisoners' Committee 20/11/08.
>
http://libcom.org/news/hunger-strike-7000-prisoners-across-greece-ends-after-government-promises-release-half-pris
[thanks dave!]
leaping: a primal act of faith in humankind
I am convinced that Michel-Rolph Trouillot is brilliant.
Professor Ulysse assigned us, her Contemporary Anthroplogical Theory class, chapters from his book, Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World (New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2003). For today, our last day, we read the last chapter.
i read this chapter and got so excited about it that i texted clasmate/dear friend sarah brown saying, 'trouillot read my mind. (though obviously said it better)' and she texted me back so i knew she was awake so i called her so i could share with someone how much i loved the reading and we were both in the library, i was in the stairwell and she was in a quiet space so walked out into the stairway to be able to talk and we pretty much walked right into each other and got to have an in-person moment about how incredible and powerful and important this was...
reading it was ecstatic for me-- an intellectual orgasm of sorts.
so much of what trouillot described is how i understand things-- that we have a choice in how we see things, glass half empty or half full, humankind as inherently good or inherently bad, and not only can we interpret the past in either way, but we can create the future in either way, and we must take the LEAP, without reason except for that there is no better option, and act/live/believe/understand/create/write/love based on a deep faith in humankind.
and so of course to see this faith-in-humankind so intrinsically linked to anthropology( as an ACADEMIC discipline), or maybe the other way around, as trouillot does, was...inspiring.
PLEASE get ahold of this book and read as much of it as possible.
it is not just about anthropology, but about academe, activism, globalization, power, oppression, agency, the West, the world, humanity.
in the meantime, some excerpts:
"[ In A Discourse on Inequality] Rousseau does not share in the certainty of progress or the necessary improvement of humanity along teleological lines. Contrary to many thinkers of his time, he does not see the inevitability of the great march forward. Yet Rousseau leaps anyway, but backward--as it were--into savagery: if I cannot bet on the Savage, how can i bet on us? He must assume, for no reason, that humanity is essentially good, its history notwithstanding." (135)
"Moral optimism need not produce political naiveté. The two become close only when that optimism is shameful, when it refuses to present itself as a primal act of faith in humankind, however qualified by history and politics." (p. 135)
"We [anthropologists] owe it to ourselves and to our interlocutors to say loudly that we have seen alternative visions of humankind--indeed more than any academic discipline--and that we know that this one may not be the most respectful of the planet we share, nor indeed the more accurate nor the most practical. We also owe it to ourselves to say that it is not the most beautiful nor the most optimistic." (139)
"At the end of the day, in this age where futures are murky and utopias mere reminders of a lost innocence, we need to fall back on the moral optimism that has been anthropology's greatest--yet underscored--appeal. But we need to separate that optimism from the naiveté that has been liberalism's most convenient shield. We need to assume it as a choice--whether we call it moral, philosophical, or aesthetic in the best sense. We need to hang on to it not because we are historicall, socially, or politically naive--indeed as social scientists we cannot afford such naiveté--but because this is the side of humanity that we choose to prefer, and because this choice is what moved us to anthropology in the first place. We need to assume that optimism because the alternatives are lousy, and because anthropology as a discipline is the best venue through which the West can show an undying faith in the richness and variability of humankind." (139)
Professor Ulysse assigned us, her Contemporary Anthroplogical Theory class, chapters from his book, Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World (New York: Palgrave Macmillan 2003). For today, our last day, we read the last chapter.
i read this chapter and got so excited about it that i texted clasmate/dear friend sarah brown saying, 'trouillot read my mind. (though obviously said it better)' and she texted me back so i knew she was awake so i called her so i could share with someone how much i loved the reading and we were both in the library, i was in the stairwell and she was in a quiet space so walked out into the stairway to be able to talk and we pretty much walked right into each other and got to have an in-person moment about how incredible and powerful and important this was...
reading it was ecstatic for me-- an intellectual orgasm of sorts.
so much of what trouillot described is how i understand things-- that we have a choice in how we see things, glass half empty or half full, humankind as inherently good or inherently bad, and not only can we interpret the past in either way, but we can create the future in either way, and we must take the LEAP, without reason except for that there is no better option, and act/live/believe/understand/create/write/love based on a deep faith in humankind.
and so of course to see this faith-in-humankind so intrinsically linked to anthropology( as an ACADEMIC discipline), or maybe the other way around, as trouillot does, was...inspiring.
PLEASE get ahold of this book and read as much of it as possible.
it is not just about anthropology, but about academe, activism, globalization, power, oppression, agency, the West, the world, humanity.
in the meantime, some excerpts:
"[ In A Discourse on Inequality] Rousseau does not share in the certainty of progress or the necessary improvement of humanity along teleological lines. Contrary to many thinkers of his time, he does not see the inevitability of the great march forward. Yet Rousseau leaps anyway, but backward--as it were--into savagery: if I cannot bet on the Savage, how can i bet on us? He must assume, for no reason, that humanity is essentially good, its history notwithstanding." (135)
"Moral optimism need not produce political naiveté. The two become close only when that optimism is shameful, when it refuses to present itself as a primal act of faith in humankind, however qualified by history and politics." (p. 135)
"We [anthropologists] owe it to ourselves and to our interlocutors to say loudly that we have seen alternative visions of humankind--indeed more than any academic discipline--and that we know that this one may not be the most respectful of the planet we share, nor indeed the more accurate nor the most practical. We also owe it to ourselves to say that it is not the most beautiful nor the most optimistic." (139)
"At the end of the day, in this age where futures are murky and utopias mere reminders of a lost innocence, we need to fall back on the moral optimism that has been anthropology's greatest--yet underscored--appeal. But we need to separate that optimism from the naiveté that has been liberalism's most convenient shield. We need to assume it as a choice--whether we call it moral, philosophical, or aesthetic in the best sense. We need to hang on to it not because we are historicall, socially, or politically naive--indeed as social scientists we cannot afford such naiveté--but because this is the side of humanity that we choose to prefer, and because this choice is what moved us to anthropology in the first place. We need to assume that optimism because the alternatives are lousy, and because anthropology as a discipline is the best venue through which the West can show an undying faith in the richness and variability of humankind." (139)
Take a Hike!
When I was young I hiked and it changed my life.
When I got home from camp for the first time when I was 10 I told my mama that the only thing I didn't like about it was that not everyone could do it.
This is a video of an outdoor program in CO or MI (couldn't tell) geared towards youth of color:
When I got home from camp for the first time when I was 10 I told my mama that the only thing I didn't like about it was that not everyone could do it.
This is a video of an outdoor program in CO or MI (couldn't tell) geared towards youth of color:
12/5/08
In Quaker Process the Phrase is "That Friend Speaks My Mind." In Other processes it is, "Word."
Open letter to Barack Obama
12/3/08
let's go fly a kite//CALLS FROM HOME
just got an email from a listserv called {disarmed}, which i'm sure i signed up for at the CR conference, about thousand kite's grassroots holiday radio-for-prisoners project.
thousand kites is a NATIONAL DIALOGUE PROJECT ADDRESSING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
they are asking people to participate in their 9th annual holiday radio show for prisoners, calls from home.
12/2/08
I keep searching for a working definition of Cultural Appropriation
Have you heard the new single from the Young Lords? It's called "cults apro pro"
EDIT: Sly says, "it's WORSE than cults apro pro it's like cults erasure."
12/1/08
awful, and embarassing
Stampede of Shoppers Kill Worker At Wal-Mart
"In Long Island, New York, a worker at Wal Mart died after being trampled to death by a stampede of shoppers on Friday, the traditional first day of the holiday shopping season. The 34-year-old worker Jdimytai Damour was killed after a crowd of 2,000 broke down store doors and ran over him shortly before the store’s scheduled 5 a.m. opening. Four shoppers were injured in the stampede including a pregnant woman. Nassau County police were trying to determine what happened during the stampede, but said it was unclear if there would be any criminal charges. Shoppers at Wal-Mart described a chaotic scene at the store.
Lisa Williford: “It was mayhem. It was mayhem. It was a real mob. It was a real mob and I was on the line at 10 minutes to four, so it was at least four or five-thousand before I had even got here. So I think that people were anxious. I’m going to get in. I’m going to get in. I’m going to get in and I don’t think the security that they had was enough to calm the crowd or make the crowd feel like you’re going to get your turn.”
-DEMOCRACY NOW, december 1, 2008
"In Long Island, New York, a worker at Wal Mart died after being trampled to death by a stampede of shoppers on Friday, the traditional first day of the holiday shopping season. The 34-year-old worker Jdimytai Damour was killed after a crowd of 2,000 broke down store doors and ran over him shortly before the store’s scheduled 5 a.m. opening. Four shoppers were injured in the stampede including a pregnant woman. Nassau County police were trying to determine what happened during the stampede, but said it was unclear if there would be any criminal charges. Shoppers at Wal-Mart described a chaotic scene at the store.
Lisa Williford: “It was mayhem. It was mayhem. It was a real mob. It was a real mob and I was on the line at 10 minutes to four, so it was at least four or five-thousand before I had even got here. So I think that people were anxious. I’m going to get in. I’m going to get in. I’m going to get in and I don’t think the security that they had was enough to calm the crowd or make the crowd feel like you’re going to get your turn.”
-DEMOCRACY NOW, december 1, 2008
just in case you haven't had the chance to check out all the links, on the right, to other blogs:
from Alexis Gumbs' brokenbeautiful press:
"the basic assumption that love, knowledge and inspiration are renewable resources for revolution that we produce together everyday"
from Alexis Gumbs' brokenbeautiful press:
"the basic assumption that love, knowledge and inspiration are renewable resources for revolution that we produce together everyday"
convenio 169
elana's post about Survival International's Stamp It Out campaign brought my attention to another one of their campaigns, which is urging the UK to sign ILO 169, an International Labor Organization (of the UN) convention on the natural rights of the world's indigenous communities. When I was in Santiago last spring, Chile had still not ratified this piece of international law, even though its contents obviously apply to the country, whose geographic boundaries contain (at least on a map) a Mapuche population of over 1 million--in a country with a population of only 16 million. (for more information on the mapuche, see this site ) Apparently, however, Chile has now ratified el convenio! and is being used as an example to put further pressure on the UK.
new rebel diaz on the bailout
(and lots of other things, because we know how interrelated it all is)
Holding Mumbai In The Light
The bbc has a lot on the attacks in Mumbai and the aftermath.. including this video of people commemorating and mourning those lost.
Let's Talk about SEX (with 5 year olds)
Really interesting article (thank's rob!) about sex education and the normalizing of sex and sexuality in certain "western" countries more than others...
What were you taught about sex? when? by whom?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
