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Since 1973 City Life/Vida Urbana, based in Jamaica Plain, has been organizing tenants and community members primarily around issues of housing with ongoing support of labor struggles, public education issues, anti-racism, and more. Most recently City Life/Vida Urbana has been getting attention for the ongoing tenant organizing as banks attempt to evict homeowners and renters. Join us as we discuss the rising threat on homeowners in Boston and the ways communities have come together to fight back.
While lawmakers argue over immigration reform and Minutemen patrol the Mexican border, millions of documented and undocumented immigrants alike raise their voices to relate one undeniable truth: Estamos Aquí! A small, traditional, white community becomes home to thousands of predominantly Guatemalan immigrants fleeing from the aftermath of a brutal civil war and escalating poverty. Their struggles, and those of the community at large, shed light on the challenges facing millions of Latin Americans who have come here in search of the “American dream”.
Free and open to the public. The film will be followed by a discussion.
TERESA GUTIERREZ,
Co-coordinator of the New York May 1 Coalition
for Immigrant and Worker Rights and member,
Secretariat, Workers World Party,
CHUCK TURNER, Boston City Councilor,
MIYA CAMPBELL, F.I.S.T. -Fight Imperialism, Stand
Together, and
REPRESENTATIVES of Immigrant Rights Struggle in
Massachusetts
Workers World Party - Boston
617-983-3835
boston@workers.org
National Office
212-627-2994
wwp@workers.org
The Walk to Freedom - CORI Reform Now!
Beginning on May 18th, dozens from Ex-prisoners and Prisoners
Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA) will begin a 5 day
walk from Worcester to Boston to raise momentum for CORI reform.
Join this group of activist as they march from Worcester to
Boston demanding reforms of the criminal record system. They
will be following in Paul Revere's foot steps as they fight to
fix a system that affects thousands of workers.
May 18th
Kick Off Rally
Worcester City Hall, 9:00 am
May 18th-22nd
Follow them on the march and join in where you can.
Thursday, May 22nd
Day of Action
10am - Greet the Marchers! Gather at Bunker Hill Community
College
11am - March to the State House! Begin March to the State House
2pm - Rally on the State House Steps
3:30pm - Visit Legislators to Deliver Our Message
To join the Walk to Freedom from Worcester, call EPOCA at (508)
410 7676 or visit www.exprisoners.org
To help mobilize from Charlestown to the State House, call the
Boston Workers Alliance at (617) 427-8108 or email here.
Earthwatch Institute, Mass Audubon and Debra's Natural Gourmet invite you to join John E Carroll, Professor of Environmental Conservation at the University of New Hampshire , to discuss the use of oil for food production. More than 98% of the energy in our food system comes from oil and natural gas. Without oil to transport and produce our food, we can not eat. Join us for an enlightening discussion about the ways in which we rely on oil and ways we can live more sustainably.
In recent years, Dr. Carroll's research has focused on sustainable agriculture, as well as agricultural ethics and values. His most recent works include: “The Wisdom of Small Farms and Local Food: Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic and Sustainable Agriculture" and "Sustainability and Spirituality"
Also on Monday, May 19th Dr. Carroll will be speaking at the following times and locations:
3:00 pm at Mass Audubon’s Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon
7:00 pm at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm in Lincoln
9AM: FIDELITY HOUSE STRIKE
Members of SEIU Local 509 who work at Fidelity House will begin
the 24-hour strike. They will
picket the entrance of Fidelity House at One Parker St in
Lawrence, as well as some of the residences.
Please call Cliff Cohn at 617-924-8509 x530 if you have any
questions.
You
can take action on this alert via the web. Support Fidelity Workers!
We encourage you to take action by May 22, 2008.
The online form creates a letter that will be sent to:
Andrew Novelline
Kara Johnson
Kara Savinelli-Keegan
Kathleen St.Hilaire
Maryellen Maccarone
Mr. To Young
Robyn Lebuff
Yvonne Allard
----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I am deeply concerned about the conditions at Fidelity House.
Staff turnover is high and is affecting the quality of care
given to the individuals Lifelinks is supposed to protect. I
urge you to settle the contract in a way that allows for better
care for our community's most vulnerable.
----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----
A presentation and discussion with Prof. Lois Martin of No More Deaths and Humane Borders, both based in Tucson, AZ
Learn about the growing tragedy of hundreds of people dying each year as they try to cross the U.S./Mexico border in Arizona. During the 2007 fiscal year a total of 237 bodies were found in the Arizona Desert -- the most dangerous entry area for migrants crossing from Mexico. Activists there know of many more migrants who have died, but whose remains have not yet been found.
Lois Martin, an active member of No More Deaths in Arizona (and professor at Salem State College for 25 years before retiring in 2004) will speak on the mounting humanitarian crisis on the border -- and what people are doing to address it in Arizona. Following her presentation, there will be a period of discussion and a chance to talk about what people here can do. Lois was as a founding member of the Central American Solidarity Association (CASA) in Cambridge during the 1980s, and later focused on Cuba and Colombia. Since retiring to Tucson in 2004, Lois has been working with three organizations that provide direct assistance to migrants from Mexico and Central America: Humane Borders, No More Deaths and Samaritans. These three Tucson-based organizations are responsible for the majority of direct assistance provided migrants crossing the Arizona.
According to Lois, "In addition to tracing briefly the historical development of the current crisis, I bring photos taken at our desert camps and on our foot patrols searching for migrants in trouble. I also discuss and show something of our work at an aid stations on the Mexican side of the border where we assist people being 'repatriated' after being apprehended in the desert by the Border Patrol or picked up in raids across the US. The condition and circumstances of these returnees are shockingly bad.
"My intent in talking to people is to put a human face on the migrants. I hope to help people understand why men, women and children from Mexico and Central America are migrating in increasing numbers despite the enormous risks; the role of US foreign policies in forcing their migration; the brutal nature of risks they confront; and the consequences of our border policies. I also want to spread word of the humanitarian efforts on both sides of the border to alleviate the suffering of migrant families-both those migrating and those left behind."
Activist writer and longtime advocate for peace and justice LOUISE DUNLAP will present her book, Undoing the Silence, written to help citizen activists, scholars and professionals use their writing for social change. She will discuss the role structural racism plays in our silencing and how can all of us become more effective voices for transformation.
"A valuable, beautifully written resource, this book will certainly inspire and unleash critical thinking and writing for social change - both for activists who never imagined they could be writers and for seasoned writers in need of renewal.”
Shamim Meer Activist Writer and Researcher, South Africa
At The Death House Door (2008) Directed by Peter Gilbert and Steve James 1 hour and 34 minutes
***This Lucy Parsons Center screening was specially selected for a preview before the Independent Film Channel's world television premiere on May 29!***
A personal and intimate look at the death penalty in the state of Texas through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served 15 years as the death house chaplain to the infamous "Walls" prison unit in Huntsville. During Pickett's remarkable career journey, he presided over 95 executions, including the world's first lethal injection. After each execution, Pickett recorded an audiotape account of his trip to the death chamber.
The film is also an investigation of the wrongful death of Carlos DeLuna, who was executed in Texas on December 7, 1989, after prosecutors ignored evidence inculpating a man, who bragged to friends about committing the crimes of which DeLuna was convicted. Carlos De Luna was a convict Pickett counseled and whose execution troubled Pickett more than any other. He firmly believed De Luna was innocent, and the film tracks the investigative efforts of a team of Chicago Tribune reporters who have turned up evidence that strongly suggests he was.
From award-winning directors Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") and Peter Gilbert ("Vietnam: Long Time Coming").
7PM: Report from China and Japan: A Peace Perspective
217 Concord Road, Lincoln, MA, 01773
A peace delegation drawn from activists from across America is returning in mid May from a month-long trip to China and Japan. In China they met with scholars, citizen activists and government officials to consider how to build a secure future and cooperate more effectively in addressing
- Nuclear proliferation
- Soaring military budgets
- Human rights, and
- Environmental sustainability
Angela Kelly, Massachusetts Peace Action's outreach coordinator, was a
member of the delegation. Angela is a remarkable young woman who at the
age of 26 has already been a leader in several national peace
organizations. Her view of her experiences in China and Japan will shed
light on the potential tensions between and long-term directions of
U.S-East Asian relations. We invite you to join us for her reflections
and slides and an opportunity for discussion at the home of Claire
Pearmain.
Refreshments will be served.
RSVP: by email or call 617-354-2169
There will be another Report in Cambridge on May 29, 6 p.m. at 11 Garden Street.
Directed by Errol Morris
US 2008, 35mm, color, 118 min.
The infamous photographs taken at Abu Ghraib have already become historic documents, seered into the collective memory of a nation with selective amnesia toward its own imperialist follies. In "Standard Operating Procedure" Morris interviews several of the guards at the prison, including Lynndie England, Javal Davis and Sabrina Harman, as well as former Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, and uses computer graphics and vivid re-enactments to put the iconic images into the context of life at the prison for both prisoners and guards. Remaining close to the actual participants, the film presents an intimate portrait of the people who took the photographs and the people who carried out the abuses of power, presenting an indelible picture of the psychological toll of warfare.
We Regret to Announce that Errol Morris and Homi Bhabha's Appearances Have Been Canceled (but the film will be shown).
What are young activists thinking when they look at their globally warmed world?
What are they doing about it?
What do they want YOU to do about it?
Join us and a panel of young adults, aged 16 - 28, for a discussion of this
generation's perspective on today's most urgent issue.
All are welcome!
For more information, visit us, or call
(781) 674-2339.
NOON: Protest Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey
BC Law School, Newton Centre
Atty. Gen. Michael Mukasey will be the commencement speaker at BC Law School, arriving about noon for lunch and speaking at about 2.
Contact:
Cornelia Sullivan
Dr. Crabbe has been an Earthwatch Scientist since 2002 studying coral reefs in Jamaica and Belize . He will review the latest research on how climate influences corals and how science can lead to conservation projects that benefit human populations reliant on the reefs for their survival.
In the last five years Dr.. James Crabbe has developed computational models for coral reefs and currently works on the genetics, recruitment and survival of reef-building corals around Discovery Bay , Jamaica , and in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia.
In addition to his time spent under water Dr. Crabbe also is the Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science at the University of Bedfordshire , a Fellow of the Linnean Society, a member of the HE Liaison committee of SEMTA (Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance) and a Panel member for the Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
6PM: Lifting off!
Sponsored by Mass. Coalition for Healthy Communities & CODE GREEN
For years we at Mass. Coalition for Healthy Communities, MCHC, have fought hard to build the healthy, just, sustainable future we all deserve, combining actions we can take at the community level with those at the state level. From fighting against corporate giveaways and the privatization of public lands, to the promotion of a new vision for the way we structure our economies and our lives (relocalization), the common denominator has been participatory decision-making and a revitalized democracy.
Now, with our eyes on the growing crises of climate change and oil depletion, MCHC is upping the ante and declaring the state of emergency that now exists for people and the planet. Our new campaign, CODE GREEN, calls for urgent transformative action and a wartime-level mobilization for full-employment, local green economies. And the campaign seems to be taking on a life of its own, as more and more people are coming to the same conclusions and yearning to make the personal and political commitments needed to transform our society.
We are thrilled to invite you to a campaign kickoff of sorts -- our first CODE GREEN GATHERING (meeting, food, music) at Jill's home in Lexington on Friday, May 23, from 6-11 pm (car-shuttle available from red line Alewife T stop). We'll discuss the current projects, how we can roll them out, and build momentum for a just, green transformation. We'll also discuss how you can spread the Code Green message to your community and/or campus. RSVP to Eli so we'll have enough food, 617-821-1453.
A number of exciting opportunities are opening up for Code Green outreach and action this summer, including a possible joint outreach project with the Dresden Dolls, as well as the Secure Green Future ballot drive for state representative districts. We may also want to assist in demonstrations or direct action with communities fighting green justice battles - coal plants, LNG expansion, etc.. We're hoping to broaden the core Code Green team to bring on additional people with high-level commitment to the cause.
The impassioned reception to Code Green is just one more sign that the time is right for transformative action. We look forward to the exciting road ahead – together helping tip the balance for a just, green future, in Massachusetts and beyond!
Hope to see you on the 23rd!
The Code Green Launch Team,
Jill Stein, John Andrews, Peter Vickery, Eli Beckerman
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities
info@masschc.org | 617-821-1453
PS. We'll have a car-shuttle from the Alewife Red Line stop to Lexington from 5:30-6:30 PM, and return to Alewife between 10-11 PM. Let Eli know if you'd like a ride, 617-821-1453. Directions by car available from Eli with RSVP.
Get Ready!!!
Get Set...
All across the country, there will be banners calling for impeachment on highway over-passes during the Memorial Day weekend of May 24 through May 26.
Prepare and Get your banners ready!
Shirley Golub is running against Rep. Nancy Pelosi for the democratic nomination for that post.
Our so-called Democratic leadership is not only planning on lying down immediately for another $100 billion to senselessly squander in Iraq, they are talking about adding on another $70 billion of war profiteer booty, to save the White House from the trouble of throwing another foot stomping tantrum in the fall.
This is looking like the mother of all gutless
surrenders. And there is only one dynamic that can
possibly stop it. Nancy Pelosi MUST be
defeated in San Francisco in the June 3 primary, and
see it coming fast. And ONLY Shirley Golub can do it,
with contributions on the page above to run her
"Rubber Chicken" ad now.
Shirley's Rubber Chicken TV Ad
For those who many not be quite clear on this one point yet, Cindy Sheehan in running the November election in this district as an independent, but what we are talking about here is the June 3 Democratic party congressional primary.
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace
April 16, 2008
Dr. Al-Arian Faces Shocking Abuse in New Facility
Yesterday morning, Dr. Sami Al-Arian was transported
by immigration agents to the Hampton Roads Regional
Jail in Portsmouth, Virginia. Since arriving at the
facility, he has been subjected to numerous, shocking
abuses, even worse than those he experienced at a
detention center in Maryland.
Take Action: call 757-488-7500
And if you haven't already, sign the petition.
See also:"USA vs AL-ARIAN"
To everyone in the Boston area progressive community, After months of development and testing by a few dozen folks, Open Media Boston, the new progressive news, views and arts web portal, has just launched and is now ready for your participation. (Site is still labeled "beta.")
We have quietly been working away at TecsChange in Roxbury to refurbish computers. We recently sent one of our bigger shipments of 15 computers to a series of radio stations in Oaxaca, Mexico.
We work most Thurday evenings and Saturday afternoons
(1pm to at least 4 PM, usually longer)
We have one day a week where daytime volunteers come in. Presently it's Mondays but it might change soon.
Please call if you are interested.
TecsChange Office
617-442-4456
Bush's FY2009 budget request for $2.55 billion in military aid for Israel, a proposed increase of 9% over actual spending in 2007, now rests with the Senate and House Appropriations Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
This proposed increase in military aid to Israel is the first installment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the United States and Israel in August 2007 to increase military aid to Israel by 25%, totaling $30 billion over the next decade.
Can you think of a better way to spend $30 billion instead of funding Israel's human rights abuses and illegal military occupation in violation of U.S. laws?
TAKE ACTION
Send a Personal Letter to Members of Congress on the
Appropriations Sub-Committee Challenging Military Aid
to Israel.
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
Mass. House Bill #4477, if passed, would finally make it illegal for drivers of motor vehicles in Massachusetts to use hand-held phones while driving (as in NY and elsewhere). This bill recently passed the House and now is languishing in the Senate and may not come to the floor for a vote unless you phone or send a message to your friends in various towns and cities to have them urge their state senators (617-722- 5551) to vote for this bill.
According to Senate Assistant Majority Leader Marian Walsh, what needs to happen is for senators to get many phone calls from their constituents in favor of this bill. Passing House #4477 is a matter of public safety. Please call your senator and what would make a significant difference is for you to contact your friends throughout Massachusetts so House Bill #4477 becomes law.
Ed O'Reilly (PDA-endorsed candidate who advocates for single-payer health care, impeachment, stopping our current wars, and marriage equality) seeks the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat now occupied by John Kerry.
In addition to making sure that Ed's name appears on the ballot, this is a great opportunity to identify new supporters and expand our network. So we really hope you can participate by gathering signatures from your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors.
To get on September's primary ballot Ed needs 10,000 signatures from registered Democrats and unenrolled (independent) voters. We need to file the signatures with city and town clerks no later than 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, on May 6, 2008.
Call the campaign (866-716-2008) and we will mail nomination signature forms for you to use.
U.S. war provocation against Iran: Another Tonkin
Gulf? Take Action NOW to Stop War on Iran!
The Bush Administration has initiated an extremely dangerous war provocation just off Iran's coast, in the Strait of Hormuz. With Bush on his way to the Middle East to mobilize a collection of oil-rich U.S. client states against Iran, the U.S. government is working overtime to create a phony public-relations incident to heighten tensions in the region and threaten a new war.
An aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says the Lieberman/Warner climate change bill (S. 2191) “would be the most historic incentive for nuclear in the history of the United States.” (E&E Daily, February 8, 2008)...
S. 2191 is expected to be debated on the Senate floor this Spring. Your help is needed.
For more information visit the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service.
Congressman Robert Wexler's campaign office says that (unlike most of our Democratic Reps) he is pushing hard to force a committee hearing on Rep. Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment, recently introduced into the House of Representatives and referred to the Judiciary Committee.
This fight is not over. We must continue the pressure on our representatives or else Congress and its fellow lackey media will take no notice. That would be a historic mistake – one we must prevent Congress from making.
We stand at a critical juncture in our efforts. Forget all of those arguments that it is too late or that we have run out of time. You can’t run the clock out on our Constitution. Those of us dedicated to this fight – Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the online community, and millions of patriotic Americans – must keep the pressure on. Please continue to spread the word and help deliver accountability to the corrupt Bush-Cheney administration.Congressman Conyers needs a huge kick in the tail.
Please sign on to Congressman Robert Wexler's petition to help push the issue.
TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBERS FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD
US House of Representatives Web Sites
Another Day, Another FISA Veto Threat By The Bully In The White House
Yesterday, Bush again put the self interest of himself and his giant telecom criminal co-conspirators above our national security, by threatening to veto the FISA update bill unless we gave them all get out of jail free cards. And if Congress were to bend over yet again, he would still probably veto it to demand even more changes and/or defy other major provisions with a signing statement, as he so outrageously did with the recent defense bill.
We must be just as relentless as the criminals who are working overtime to gut our constitution. We have had two successful filibusters so far, and it looks like we're going to need a third. And we need strong opposition in the House too, for that is our last bulwark.
Tell your Congressional Representative to vote against this awful legislation, which has passed the Senate and returned to the House. The House has stood up to pressure to provide telecom immunity to date, so don't let them buckle to pressure from the White House and Senate.
S 1959 "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007" must be stopped at all costs. (It's already been approved by the House of Representatives by a HUGE majority.)
Pick up your phone and contact our US Senators' offices to instruct them to vote "NO" on S.1959, titled "To establish the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism, and for other purposes".
If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an "extremist belief system", instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court.
What part of exercising power doesn't Harry Reid get? The Washington Post reports him "pleading" with the White House. And yet, it is his decision which version of the FISA bill to have the Senate consider, and by choosing to bring forward the bad one, he is knowingly forcing opponents of yet another "get out of jail free card" for Cheney cronies to get 60 votes to strip it out of the bill. Or filibuster yet again.
And what greater hero do we have than Dennis Kucinich, still standing strong as ever on every issue that matters. Here is his own leadership statement opposing telecom immunity.
And yet, even now, powerful corporations are pouring money into Dennis's district, to try to buy his seat out from under him by threatening him in his own primary. They are running malicious attack ads in heavy rotation. Please consider making a donation to Dennis now, to help him fight back.
At the end of January, thousands of people all over the world will march, speak, celebrate, and dialogue in villages, rural zones, and urban centers, in the context of hundreds of decentralized self-organized actions. They will mobilize over a one-week period in January, culminating in a Global Day of Mobilisation and Action on the 26th to show that another world is possible.
At the same period, the "old" world will meet in Davos for the World Economic Forum, bringing together its economists, experts, ideologies and techniques that produce violence, exploitation, exclusion, poverty, hunger and ecological disaster, depriving people of human rights and our Earth of its resources.
The World Social Forum is an open space where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organisations come together to raise issues, debate ideas, formulate proposals, share experiences, and build networks for effective action. These movements are opposed to a world ruled by capitalism and all forms of imperialism and domination.
Since the first worldwide encounter in 2001, the World Social Forum has become a permanent global process seeking and building alternatives to neo-liberal policies.
World Social Forums have taken place at the end of January at different sites throughout the world every year for the past seven years, and this spirit of diversity will continue to be reflected in the activities planned for the Global Day of Mobilisation and Action in 2008.
Our website is the main connection tool for all participants in the decentralized WSF 2008. Invite your friends to join and contribute through action spaces, present your action, upload your videos, publish news and connect your actions with those of others.
Comcast has given us a glimpse of a world without Net
Neutrality, and it's a chilling sight.
An investigation by the Associated Press caught the
cable giant secretly inspecting online communications
and crippling users' ability to share information with
one another.
On 11-1-07, Free Press filed a legal complaint
demanding that the FCC take action to protect the free
flow of information on the Internet. By joining our
complaint, you can help stop Comcast and other
gatekeepers.
The MBTA on October 10th started broadcasting
continuous [corporate] radio ads and "music" at South
Station, North Station and Airport Station with a plan
to expand the continuous radio broadcast system-wide
after Thanksgiving. This will adversely monopolize
this historic First Amendment public space:
1. Curtail and Interfere with Conversations of all
MBTA patrons
2. Curtail and Interfere with Reading of all MBTA
patrons
3. Target ads to all School Children who use the MBTA
4. Eliminate Subway Musician Performances
We, the undersigned, support the diversity of
expression of patrons and artists in the subway. We
petition Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Bay
Transportation Authority Board of Directors to stop
the T-Radio broadcast.
Congress will be debating war appropriations again, and the Senate - as the Republicans have routinely demonstrated - has the power to filibuster any appropriations it doesn't like. A filibuster in the Senate would effectively force an end to the war. So if each of us does our part in exposing the filibuster option, then we can apply tremendous pressure on our senators, the likes of which they haven't felt in decades!
Doris Tennant and Ellen Lubell (of Newton) are representing a Guantanamo prisoner pro bono, so they are providing their time at no charge. However, their costs, including their own travel and that of a translator, translator fees, and Freedom of Information Act requests, are running at least $20,000 for this year, and will likely continue at that same pace or more. Most of the other attorneys who are representing Guantanamo detainees are members of large law firms that can cover these types of expenses, but in their case the two of them are the firm.
If you would like to make a contribution to help them defray costs, it would be much appreciated. Please make your check payable to "Tennant Lubell Detainee Fund." Your contribution will NOT be tax-deductible, but they promise to put it to good use to help provide fundamental legal rights to a man who remains in indefinite detention.
Doris Tennant, Esq.
Tennant Lubell, LLC
288 Walnut Street, Suite 500
Newton, MA 02460
617-969-9610, X 101
Fax: 617-969-9611
Action Alert: The Alliance for Democracy warns us to oppose Holt bill (HR 811). We call for a ban on the use of Direct Recording Electronic voting equipment (DREs) and to require the use of paper ballots.
AFD urgently calls upon all citizens to call their Representatives to demand amendments to rectify the defects in HR 811, specifically to ban the use of DRE voting machines and require the use of paper ballots in all elections in the United States.
1. DRE systems must be banned.
2. All voting must be by voter marks on a paper ballot.
3. All recounts must be by hand counting of paper ballots.
4. All elections must have a statistically significant verification.
5. All recounts at every level of government must be by hand counting.
6. All software must be subject to public disclosure.
7. No connections to the Internet should be allowed.
8. All election records should be available to the public.
Go to for on-line information and a link to a printable flier.
A call for all people of conscience
to donate to its Lebanon Palestine Emergency Relief Fund.
All donations will be used to help Palestinian and
Lebanese victims of the latest Israeli aggression.
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail link
We are happy to report that a new shipment of olive oil has arrived. The most recent harvest was excellent and per case prices are less than they were last year.
As with our previous shipments, this oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, PARC, a non-profit, non- governmental organization in the West Bank. PARC works with 15 different small cooperatives. This shipment comes from the Mazare' Al Nubani/ Ramallah and the Kufr Thulth, Jayous and Azzoun cooperatives. The labels are printed in the West Bank and the oil is bottled at the PARC bottling facility in Aram. PARC is a member of the International Fair Trade Association, and is the only Palestinian organization that has received the Palestine Standards Institution certification for its olive oil.
OLIVE BRANCH OLIVE OIL DONATIONS
As with past shipments, a percentage of the proceeds of olive oil sales is donated back to organizations working directly with Palestinians. Past recipients include:
Palestinian Medical Relief Society Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions Birthright Unplugged American Friends Service Committee-Middle East Crisis Fund American Near East Refugee Aid Olive Harvest Coalition Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees Ibdaa Cultural Center International Solidarity Movement US OMEN Ta’ayush
THE IMPORTANCE OF OLIVE OIL TO THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY
Olive oil is the backbone of the Palestinian agricultural economy. Eighty percent of cultivated land in Palestine is planted with olive trees, and the olive harvest provides between 25 to 50 percent of a farming family’s annual income. Olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, hold a deep significance in the culture and economy of the Holy Land. As the political and economic situation in Palestine continues to deteriorate, with increased restrictions on the mobility of people, goods and services, olive oil has become a matter of basic survival for many Palestinian families. Buying this oil is a constructive and tangible way to help alleviate poverty and build peace.
PARC assists at every stage of the olive oil production process, from helping farmers to reclaim rocky land, conserve water and implement sensible environmental practices (like re-cropping, dry-land farming and recycling of waste materials) to setting up regional labs for farmers to test their olive oil. PARC strictly monitors the quality of the oil, testing and re-testing it at its main laboratory to ensure that it meets all specifications. Extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olives, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. There can be no refined oil in extra-virgin olive oil.
Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. PARC is currently working with international agricultural organizations to obtain organic certification for its olive oil, which should be finalized in the next few months. Because both light and heat are known enemies of olive oil, Olive Branch Olive Oil comes in a dark green glass bottle that is optimal for storage.
Available in 750ml bottles, by the case (12 bottles, $145), or more.
For ordering and other info, please email us at palestinebostonoliveoil@yahoo.com or call Susie at 781-648-6307.
Harvard's Palestine Solidarity Committee will be holding a vigil for Gaza from 11:45 am to 12:15 pm on the steps of Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. All who care for Palestine are invited to attend. Please wear black and spread the word widely.
These are the meetings where we decide on events and discuss strategies to end the war. Anyone is welcome -- from seasoned activists to beginners and we look forward to building a dialogue with anyone opposed to the war. Our main tenent is that we are independent of both the Democratic and the Republican Party, such that we can build an anti-war movement that survives elections and continues to oppose the war, regardless of which candidate is in office.
Meet briefly at the statue to exchange thoughts,
then walk silently around the Yard and nearby streets,
returning to the statue by 12:30pm.
Southeast corner of Rt 27 and 30 (nearest to Brooks Pharmacy).
Come for all or part. Bring a candle, lantern, or flashlight.
Organizer: Sandy Coy.
Join the Boston Tea Party Conference call,
Participant call in: 402-756-9100; Access code: 680903#
Socialist Alternative Radio, 91.5 FM Boston
listen anytime on the Web at WMFO.org. A democratic socialist, working-class view of politics and culture, including solidarity announcements, interviews, music, and more.
Write to us at BostonSAradio@aol.com.
Join a Friday fast and/or protest in solidarity with illegal detentions. The fast began in 2005 when Nobel Peace Laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Adolpho Esquivel, (Argentina), along with others around the world, chose this method to seek the release of our unjustly detained and tortured brothers and sisters.
In Boston, local activists Susan McLucas and Phoebe Knopf have joined the Friday fast and will protest every Friday in front of the JFK Building from noon to one. The action, which is rooted in nonviolence, includes speakers, music, hand-outs and petitions to create public pressure to stop all illegal detentions and to try those responsible for the illegal treatment of thousands of detainees, most of whom are Arab and Muslim men. Susan and Phoebe will be wearing orange jumpsuits.