CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
EVENTS OCCURRING EVERY WEEK:
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS & INTERNSHIPS
COMMENTARY:
===========
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
Minimum Wage Is Going Up! Rally Reminder-Thurs Noon- First time in Ten
Years
RALLY To Mark the First Increase in the Minimum Wage in 10 years
Gallery Mall, 10th and
Market Sts. Philadelphia, PA
Thursday December 28 at 12
Noon
Speakers will include Governor Ed Rendell, and
Philadelphia AFL-CIO President Pat Eiding, Reverend Randy Barge of
Calvin Presbyterian, Rep. Mark Cohen, Alida Padilla of Congreso, John
Dodds of Philadelphia Unemployment Project, low wage worker Kevin
Spicer.
We want to make sure that all low wage workers and their employers know
that the minimum wage goes up Jan. 1. Call PUP at 215-557-0822 if you
do not get $6.25/hour starting on Jan. 1. On Jan. 1, 2007 the
Pennsylvania Minimum Wage will be increased to $6.25. It goes up to
$7.15 on July 1, 2007.
- Raise the Minimum Wage
Coalition c/o Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP)
1201 Chestnut St. Phila., PA
19107 215-557-0822 www.philaup.org
______________________________________________________
DEL VAL VETS SCHEDULE from Thurs, Dec 28th thru
Jan 27th
* "GROUND TRUTH" showing. THURSDAY, Dec
28th @ 7pm
@ 1501 Cherry St, AFSC Bldg
This "Ground Truth" will have at least 6 Iraq
Veterans Against the War folks on the panel. They
deserve a full house, in attendance!
&
* January 27th DC Demo
& March
10 different bus schedules posted by tomorrow, on our
www.VFP144.org
~ Dec 29th CELESTE & SHERWOOD's "Final Friday" of each
month...
Every month since September, we've been able to do
the "honk to end the war" rally in front of the RECRUITERs' OFFICE @
Broad and Cherry, @ 5p.m., on the LAST FRIDAY of each month, with our
DEDICATED super activist GOLD STAR MOM, Celeste Zappala. We'll be
there THIS Friday, too
THE DAY AFTER 3,000
Somewhere between Dec 30th, and Jan 3, we will
record, and mourn our 3,000th KIA, in OIC
In Philadelphia, the DAY AFTER THE 3000TH U.S. TROOP DEATH
IS REPORTED,at 5PM, people will gather at the west side of Phila. City
Hall, 15th & Market Streets, for a solemn sundown candlelight
vigil with bell-tolling for all the war dead and reading of many of
their names - U.S. and Iraqi.
~ Jan 15~ MLK DAY. ~ CHOICE of 2 EVENTS
1- http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php?calid=18559 Support the folks ( Brandywine & Quakers ) who get
locked up, doing non-violent civil disobedience ( basically
trespassing ) at Lockheed-Martin on the 15th, MLK Day
THE ABOVE IS WHAT I'd LIKE
TO SUPPORT... How 'bout y'all?
~ Jan 17th& 18
Grannies Go to Washington - Lobby with our Granny
Peace Brigade Philadelphia
Contact: ldurso@mtholyoke.edu
~~ Del Val Vets, and Associates, Y'ALL THE BEST!/ KEEP WORKING to STOP
WAR, & END MILITARISM !
Be Well, RAISE HELL !
Bill Perry 215-945-3350- Delaware Valley Veterans For America
Disabled American Veteran,
VVAW, VFP, VFW, VVA
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Northwest Greens will meet on January 9
We helped to defeat the Trump/Street Casino. Now, you can help us
defeat two
river-front casinos. Join Northwest Greens. Our monthly meeting is at
7:00
pm on Tuesday, January 9, in the Weavers' Way Meeting Room, 610
Carpenter
Lane (near Greene Street) in West Mount Airy. More information from
215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
___
Northwest Peace & Justice, January 16
If you want to tell Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq, please
help
us organize for the peace march in Washington, DC. Northwest Peace and
Justice Movement will meet at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, in the
Parish
Center behind Saint Vincent's Church, 109 East Price Street in
Germantown.
Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information:
215-843-4256 or
<nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
__
Khe Sanh Peace Event, January 21
On January 21, 1968, the
U.S. Third Marine Amphibious Force came under
siege at Khe Sanh Combat Base in Vietnam. The defense of Khe Sanh
involved
half of all U.S. troops in Vietnam. Casualties among U.S. ground forces
came
to 205 killed in action, 1,668 wounded, and 25 missing by the end of the
battle on March 31. As is now the case in Iraq, Monday-morning
quarterbacks
still ask, "Was Khe Sanh worth it?"
From 2:00 until 4:00 pm on
Sunday, January 21, 2007, twenty peace groups
will demonstrate near the home of Senator Arlen Specter on Schoolhouse
Lane
(between Henry Avenue and Gypsy Lane) in East Falls. They will ask
Specter
to author a bill like HB 4232 which will cut off all Pentagon funding in
Iraq, except money needed for an orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops.
More
information from 215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
___________________
EVENTS OCCURRING
EVERY WEEK:
Thursday
6:00-8:00 p.m. Workshop: "Build Your Own Computer"
Nonprofit Technology Resources, 1524 Brandywine St., Philadelphia, Pa
$25 per session To register, call 215-564-6686.
7:00-9:00 p.m. International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia
Weekly Meeting
4601 Market St., 5th floor, Philadelphia, PA For info, call
215-476-5416.
Friday
12:00p.m./noon. Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the
Middle East
S. 15th Street above Locust - the volatile situation in
Israel/Palestine continues
For info, email phillyjewishpeace.org
4:30 p.m. Anti-war leafleting and picket
Market & 11th Sts., Philadelphia, PA For info, email
pawf@critpath.org
5:00 p.m. Vigil--Women in Black
Swarthmore Train Station, Park Ave. & Chester Rd., Swarthmore, PA
For info, wibswarthmore@hotmail.com.
6:00-8:00 p.m. Mt. Airy Community Computer Center Open Access (&
Tues.)
Offers free computer access to the community
Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church lower level, 17 East Mt. Pleasant Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA
For info, call 215-247-0870.
Saturday
noon-1:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
Rte. 38 & Cherry Hill Mall Dr., Cherry Hill, NJ Info,
greatercamdenunitycoalition@yahoo.com
1:00-2:00 p.m. Protest at Ferber Furs
1708 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA For info, email
phillyar@yahoogroups.com.
Tuesday
5:30-7:00 p.m. Speak Out of Turn Poetry Workshop
Aspace, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale fee $7-10. For info, call 215-435-6621.
7:30 p.m. Books Through Bars Packing Cafe
The A Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Help pack books to send to prisoners. Email info@booksthroughbars.org
Wednesday
4:30-5:30 p.m. Peace Vigil Federal Building, 601 Market St.,
Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by House of Grace Catholic Worker For info, email
brandywine@juno.com .
5:00 p.m. Vigil for Peace
Outside Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Dr.,
Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.
6:00 p.m. Movement Class taught by Sophia Hoffer-Perkins
A-space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale donations For info, call 215-727-0882.
7:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
Germantown Ave. & Bethlehem Pike, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.every
======================================================
Peace with Justice for the New Year!
The following song with Israeli and Arab children, together with
President Clinton. <http://www.liel.net/Liel-ClintonVideo2.wmv>
======================================================
NATIONAL &
INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
Goodyear Workers Thank You : peoplepower@aflcio.org
With your support, more than 15,000 striking United Steelworkers
members and more than 30,000 Goodyear retirees and surviving spouses
now have a tentative agreement with Goodyear. The workers have been on
strike for nearly three months in a fight on behalf of all of us for
good U.S. jobs with good benefits promised by the company.
Your support and generous
contributions have made this possible. In the past week, you
contributed more than $45,562 and joined union and community activists
for leafleting actions at Goodyear outlets across the country. USW
President Leo Gerard extends these words of thanks:
"Thank you again." In
solidarity, Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
Click here: http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/87qvCGM15uuE/
_____________________________________________________________________
Dr. Bob Edgar on CBS Early Show Thursday -
Reclaiming our Moral Values
Tune in: Thursday, 7-9
AM Eastern on most CBS television stations (varies in some cities -
check your local listings)
Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches
and former six-term Congressman will appear Thursday morning on the CBS
Early Show to discuss reclaiming the moral values of the faithful
majority from the religious right - which is the subtitle of his new
book, "Middle Church." Dr. Edgar is also a founder of
FaithfulAmerica.org.
Learn more about Dr. Edgar and his important new book here:
www.middlechurch.net.
________________________________________________________________________________________
GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE: TO DESCEND ON
THE SENATE TO DEMAND A TROOP WITHDRAWAL NOW
The Granny Peace Brigade, the legendary group of senior women who were
arrested and jailed when they tried to enlist in the military at New
York City's Times Square Recruiting Center in October 2005 to replace
America's grandchildren, will descend on the new Senate Thursday,
January 18, 2007. They will be joined by grandmothers from all
over the United States, and will visit all 100 Senators or their staff
members to demand an immediate end of the occupation of Iraq.
The grandmothers are very disturbed over the seeming retreat of the
newly elected Senate and House even before they take office from the
task of ending the war, by far the greatest concern of the
public. They sense it has been moved to the back burner even
though the new Congress was elected to make it the highest
priority. The grannies feel it is urgent to put pressure on the
elected representatives now before they make compromises that will
pervert what the people elected them to do -- solve the crisis in Iraq
-- and quickly.
Many individuals and groups from all over the country are jumping on
board this mission, including the Bay Area (California) Grandmothers
Against the War and the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia. The
Philadelphia group was formed this past summer when the New York
Brigade visited Philly as part of their peace trek from New York to
Washington. Inspired by the Times Square action, the Philadelphia
grandmothers were arrested when they attempted to enlist in the
military near their city's City Hall. The New York women served
as witnesses to that action, and the sister group came into being.
Many other states are already represented, and it is planned to enlist
people from all 50 states so that each Senator will be visited by an
actual constituent. Even Hawaii will be represented. Former
Army Reserves colonel and Foreign Service officer, Ann Wright, who
resigned her post rather than continue as part of the Bush
administration policies, is a Hawaii resident and will be part of the
Descent on the Senate.
The grandmothers will arrive in Washington on January 17 and try to
enter a session of a foreign policy committee meeting scheduled for
that day. They will then convene at the Stewart Mott House, 122
Maryland Ave., N.W., for a dinner and meet-and-greet from 5 p.m. to 9
p.m. Speakers are expected for that event and will be announced.
On the morning of January 18, they will hold a press conference at 9
a.m., place and guests to be announced shortly, and at 10:30 a.m. they
will fan out through the halls of the Senate to visit the
Senators. Each state will create its own scenario for their
visits. Some will bring flowers, some will bring literature
backing their views about ending the occupation, some will... who knows
what?
America's grandmothers have from the beginning been in the forefront of
the struggle to end the immoral, illegal and catastrophic war in Iraq,
and will not stop until the last troop is brought home. As the
New York Granny Peace Brigade's oldest jailbird, 91-year-old Marie
Runyon, says: "We've got to tell them to get the hell out of Iraq
where we have no business being!"
For More Info Contact: Joan at 917-441-0651 or
joanwile@grandmothersagainstthewar.org
_______________________________
BIG OPENINGS FOR ANTIWAR MOVEMENT
The antiwar movement has a window of opportunity to reach sectors that
have remained passive regarding Iraq until now. The movement can claim
a peace mandate from the election, which has been universally
interpreted as repudiation of continuing the occupation of Iraq. The
immediate protest focal point is the January 27-29 action in
Washington, DC (Go to http://www.unitedforpeace.org for details.) The next crucial moment to exert pressure will
be 4th anniversary of the war in March. Along the way, the movement can
take steps to build an infrastructure of political muscle that can be
exercised in every community and congressional district from now
through 2008 and beyond.
The result is a big public fight within the policy-making elite. Their
battle is fought out in the Op-Ed columns of major newspapers, on TV
news and talk shows, and via endless leaks of inside information. Both
the Bush and Baker-Hamilton factions consider the stakes extremely
high, and the fight is not always polite. For example, here's
conservative pundit Joe Scarborough speaking on MSNBC Dec. 20: "It
didn't matter that only 12% of Americans support this President's
effort to send more troops to Iraq. But when all of his generals
abandon him, when the Joint Chiefs abandon him, the admirals abandon
him, when John Abizaid abandons him, when Colin Powell abandons him,
everybody abandons him, he's standing alone! He just doesn't seem to
have any credibility. This is extraordinarily disturbing to me, as a
guy who supported this war and supported this president twice."
When such things are being said on mainstream TV there are big openings
for the grassroots antiwar movement. And every day's news from Iraq
further undermines both Bush's stay-until-victory and Baker-Hamilton's
we've-lost-but-stay-anyway formulas. "Violence in Iraq Reaches New
High" declared an official Pentagon report released Dec. 18: "There
were an average of 959 insurgent and sectarian attacks every week over
the last three months, the highest level ever recorded... This was a
jump of nearly 160 a week compared the previous three months. Civilian
casualties reached an all-time high of more than 90 a day... the
majority of attacks were directed at American forces..."
___________
[UFPJ] As 3,000th U.S. troop death approaches,
some ways to bear witness
Make a public statement on the 3,000th U.S. death with a vigil or other
event in your community. Under the slogan, "Not One More Death, Not One
More Dollar," the American Friends Service Committee, which sits on
UFPJ's National Steering Committee, is coordinating events all around
the country the day after the 3,000th death occurs. Learn more at http://www.afsc.org/3000. More than
100 events have already been listed and they welcome more listings.
Resources and event ideas can be found at http://afsc.org/3000/resources.htm
Ask people to wear black armbands or pin-on ribbons. The
black (for mourning) background with the number 3,000 in white, could
be a powerful statement of sorrow and of protest in the days after that
grim milestone is reached. A sample of how what this can look like is
in the attachment. The idea is to not only have activists wearing
ribbons and/or armbands but to distribute these in large quantities to
everyday folks--in shopping districts, on campuses, in front of
government buildings, at busy mass transit stops, wherever there are
people in motion. Many will be moved to have an armband or ribbon
pinned on them. As they go about their daily routines, they will bear
witness to the anger more and more people feel. This kind of easy-to-do
activity can help bring people who agree with us but who have taken no
action to stop the war into motion. Often, that small first step --
voting in a local referendum around the war, signing a postcard to a
member of Congress, or wearing a black ribbon -- will help people think
about what they can do to help end the occupation.
Flood your local radio talk shows with calls and write letters to the
editor. The mainstream might give major coverage to the 3,000 U.S.
death and our voices should be heard. Be sure to always talk about the
hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed in this outrageous war.
-- Leslie Cagan, National
Coordinator, UFPJ
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Peace Mom to President:
Try something that will work, It's Time For A Peace Surge - Not A Troop
Surge!!!
Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan announces new campaign calling for a
"Peace Surge" -- While President Bush meets with the NSA to come up
with a new plan for Iraq after admitting the U.S. war in Iraq has not
been a success.
What: Vigil in observance of
U.S. troops killed in Iraq and press conference featuring peace
activist and Gold Star mother Cindy Sheehan and Allen Northcut from the
organization Waco Friends of Peace. Ms. Sheehan intends to announce a
new campaign from the organization GOLD STAR Families for Peace, which
she co-founded. The campaign calls for a "Peace Surge" and more
pressure on the U.S. government to brings the troops home. Mr. Northcut
will discuss the recent study from John Hopkins University citing the
deaths of at least 650,000 Iraqis due to the U.S. invasion on Iraq.
Following the press conference a protest will be held at the checkpoint
to President Bush's ranch.
Where: Camp Casey - 7440
Lone Star Parkway, Crawford, Texas.
When: Thursday December 28,
2006 at 9AM
Who: Sponsored by GOLD STAR
Families for Peace.
Why: "Until our troops are
home, I will be at the President's door demanding an end to the U.S.
terror in Iraq. It's heart breaking that six more U.S. troops were
reported dead on Christmas day, for their families Christmas will
always be a day of mourning instead of celebration. What we need right
now is an end to the violence, not a call for more violence with a plan
to increase U.S. troops in Iraq, which exactly what Bush intends to do
at the NSA meeting he is holding in Crawford." says peace activist
Cindy Sheehan, "His claim that 'he's working on it and all will be
revealed in the coming weeks, when he's comfortable with a plan' isn't
good enough, in the mean time how many more innocent troops &
Iraqis will be killed?"
Interviews available with
Cindy Sheehan.
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Dede Miller dede4peace@gsfp.org (In Crawford)
____________________________________________________________________________
'Corrie' canceled in
Canada / Play has potential to offend Jewish community
It's curtains for "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" in Canada, RICHARD
OUZOUNIAN From Variety, Dec. 22:
http://www.rachelswords.org/2006/12/24/rachel-corrie-play-censored-in-toronto
CanStage, the
country's largest not-for-profit theater, has changed its opinion and
decided not to present the show as part of its 2007-2008
season. The play, about the 23-year-old American activist
who died under the wheels of an Israeli bulldozer in 2003, was
originally produced at London's Royal Court Theatre in
2005. When James Nicola programmed it this year for the
N.Y. Theatre Workshop, pressure from Jewish board members caused him to
cancel the show. It was eventually produced Off-Broadway, where it ran
from Oct. 15 to Dec. 17.
Jack Rose, from the CanStage
board - while admitting he has neither read nor seen the script - said
that "my view was it would provoke a negative reaction in the Jewish
community."
And philanthropist Bluma Appel, after whom CanStage's flagship theater
is named, concurred. "I told them I would react very badly to a play
that was offensive to Jews." Bragg denies he was lobbied by
the board in any way and insisted that "I pick the plays. No one on our
board has ever told me what we can and can't do."
From the Toronto Star Dec.
24. The alternate version being told among CanStage insiders: Members
of Bragg's board were alarmed by negative response from influential
supporters of the theatre, especially in Toronto's Jewish community,
who were canvassed for their opinion. Many were dismayed and openly
critical when confronted with the prospect of the city's flagship
not-for-profit theatre producing a play that could be construed as
anti-Semitic propaganda, especially during a frightening period when
Israel's existence is threatened by Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Contacts for the CanStage Theater in Toronto:
Audience Relations, Company
Information,
House Programs, Media
Requests
Valorie Block ,
Publicity and Communications Manager
T 416.367.8243 x259 ,
vblock@canstage.com
Customer Service
Carla Arnold ,
Customer Service Manager and Privacy Officer
T 416.367.8243 x229 ,
carnold@canstage.com
~ For more info, actions you can take to spread Rachel's words, and
updates on efforts to bring the play "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" around
the world, visit http://www.rachelswords.org
Please consider a financial donation to the effort. You
can donate online securely at http://www.rachelswords.org/donate
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Calling all Progressive Organizations: Give
Yourself The Gift Of PAPER BALLOTS
Thanks to your thousands of messages of protest, this last week Harry
Reid quickly reversed himself and clarified that Bush's proposal for a
troop "surge" in Iraq was OFF the table. We will continue to
press for bringing the troops home now, and we recognize that if only
enough of us speak out at the same time it WILL happen.
In the meantime, we helped
the Velvet Revolution web site launch an action page demanding actual
paper ballots in all elections. That is also definitely on our
holiday wish list, and they are putting together an impressive team of
election reform advocates to make it
happen. ACTION PAGE: http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php
Please join more than 30 leading non-partisan Election
Integrity organizations who have signed the following letter demanding
that Congress enact legislation requiring a paper ballot for every vote
cast. Problems throughout the 2006 primary and general elections have
made it clear that only a paper ballot -- not a "paper trail", nor a
"paper record" -- will begin to help re-establish confidence in our
tattered electoral system.
Please fill out the form
below to email the letter to your own Congress Members. We'll take it
from there. It's time for American Citizens to take our democracy back.
This is an important first step as Congress considers new Election
Reform legislation.
ACTION PAGE: http://www.velvetrevolution.us/Campaigns/PaperBallots/PaperBallots.php
Respectfully yours, The Undersigned
Demos: Dolores Huerta Foundation, National Voting Rights
Institute, TrueMajorityAction, VelvetRevolution.us, VoterAction.org,
VotersUnite.org.
- Please take action NOW, so
we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours.
- To be added to the list go
to http://www.peaceteam.net/in.htm
_________________________________________________________________________________
* En Espanol: New stations broadcasting "Los
Titulares de Hoy" (Democracy Now!'s daily
news summary in Spanish) *
Radio Uno 93.7 in Tacna,
Peru is broadcasting the Spanish Headlines at 8 pm
M-F. http://www.radiouno.com.pe/
----------------------------------
Democracy Now!'s daily news summaries are now
available in Spanish:
To subscribe to these
"Titulares de Hoy" by email, send a blank message
to: boletin-sub@list.democracynow.org
Http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/27/1736249
==============================
TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS & INTENSHIPS:
Teacher Fellowship at The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Feb 1)
for Summer 2007
Pennsylvania 6-12 grade history or social studies educators are welcome
to apply for this four-week research opportunity. Receive $2000 while
engaging in hands-on historical research and curriculum development at
HSP on one of the following topics:
Japanese Internment / Ethnic Images in Advertising / Philadelphia's
Chinatown
Women's Suffrage / The Lighthouse (settlement house)
For additional information, go to http://www.hsp.org and click on "Education." There you will find a detailed
description of the fellowship, application process, and background
information on the research topics.
________________________________
* Winter/Spring 2007 Internships *
Democracy Now! is accepting applications for internship positions for
the
winter/spring semester in New York City. Please email
admin@democracynow.org
for more information.
==========
COMMENTARY:
Iraq is about Politics, Not Sectarianism
- December 21, 2006 http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
( Here is a good, concise analysis from Iraqi Ra'ed
Jarrar from his blog "Ra'ed in the Middle." It was also published
on Yahoo.com. Ra'ed is the son of a Shi`a mother and a Sunni father,
which is really quite a common family structure in Iraq. In fact,
although children generally take their religion from the father, the
children in this family are themselves mixed among Shi`a, Sunni, and
secular.)
A few weeks ago, the Washington Post reported that the administration
was considering what some call an "80% solution" to solve the problems
in Iraq. In essence, the solution would be designed to work with the
Shia Iraqis who make up 60% of the population and the Kurds who make up
20%. It would exclude the Iraqi Sunni Arabs that make up the remaining
20% of the population.
However, this won't work.
There are new, mixed Iraqi coalitions emerging, which makes the Iraqi
political map more complicated and mixed than this solution provides
for.
Background of the issue:
The approach of the United States in dealing with Iraqis is, and has
been, based on such sectarian and ethnic divisions. The Governing
Council, created by Paul Bremer in July 2003, whose 25 members were
chosen by the U.S.-led coalition to represent their sects. This was the
first time in Iraq's contemporary history where leaders of the country
were selected based on them having been identified as members of a
particular sectarian group. The Governing Council was a failure - at
least in part because of the sectarian makeup and, as one member said
of it, the Council's propensity to "sit in the council while the
country is burning and argue over procedure.'
Furthermore, the U.S
administration -- followed by the mainstream media -- did their best to
portray the growing Iraqi-Iraqi conflict as a sectarian or religious
one with roots that pre-dated the occupation even though many Iraqi
analysts and politicians disagreed with that perception and believe the
current conflict is based on political, not religious, motives.
The real problem:
As new coalitions emerge inside the Iraqi government, it seems that the
background of "sectarian conflict" put forth by the U.S. is collapsing
completely. A number of Shia groups such as the Al-Sadr movement and
the Al-Fadila party are working with Sunni, Kurdish and secular parties
both within and outside the Iraqi government and are attempting to
establish a nat! ional fr ont that is against the occupation and is for
unity in Iraq.
While these pro-unity groups
coalesce, the Bush administration is lending its support to another
pro-occupation coalition that may include Al-Hakim of the Supreme
Council of Islamic Revolution In Iraq (SCIRI), the two main Kurdish
parties, and the Islamic party which is a Sunni party led by the Iraqi
vice president, Tariq Al-Hashimi.
Conclusion:
The newly formed coalitions prove sectarianism is not at the root of
the conflict in Iraq. Sectarian and religious differences are not
splitting the country. Thus, it's clear that the "80% solution" will
have no impact and will not work, nor will any other sectarian-based
response.
The main issue that is
splitting Iraqis is the presence of the occupation, and that's why more
than 87% of the Iraqi people, and a majority of the country's
politicians, believe that the first step in dealing with the
Iraqi-Iraqi conflict is pulling out the U.S. and coalition troops and
ending the occupation.
______________________
Number Of Iraqi Civilians Slaughtered In
America's War? More Than 655,000
http://tinyurl.com/usq4x
Number of U.S. Military Personnel
Sacrificed (Officially acknowledged) In Bush's War 2987
http://icasualties.org/oif/
The War in Iraq Costs
$353,301,970,914
See the cost in your community
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182
===
* Troop 'surge' in Iraq would be another mistake
BY W. PATRICK LANG and RAY MCGOVERN
Robert Gates' report to the
White House on his discussions in Iraq this past week is likely to
provide the missing ingredient for the troop ''surge'' into Iraq
favored by the ''decider'' team of Vice President Dick Cheney and
President George W. Bush. http://tinyurl.com/yzg62p
* Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2006 By
Juan Cole
Myth number one is that the
United States "can still win" in Iraq. Of course, the truth of this
statement, frequently still made by William Kristol and other
Neoconservatives, depends on what "winning" means. But if it means the
establishment of a stable, pro-American, anti-Iranian government with
an effective and even-handed army and police force in the near or even
medium term, then the assertion is frankly ridiculous. http://tinyurl.com/ydkn83
* Military considers recruiting
foreigners/Expedited citizenship would be an incentive By Bryan Bender
The armed forces, already
struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the
number of noncitizens in the ranks -- including disputed proposals to
open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a
faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer -- according to
Pentagon officials. http://tinyurl.com/yaw5kx
* As Hundreds Die in an Oil
Pipeline Explosion in Lagos, A Look At the Fight
Over Nigeria's Natural Resources *
Sandy Cioffi, the director
of the film "Sweet Crude," joins us in New York
just hours after she returned from Nigeria. She talks about how the
popular
resistance movement in the Niger Delta continues to fight multinational
oil
companies for control of the country's natural wealth.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1518254
* Thousands March on Day of
Solidarity With Oaxaca *
In southern
Mexico¹s Oaxaca City, supporters of the People¹s Popular
Assembly of Oaxaca (APPO) again took to the streets Friday to demand the
resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz, the release of political prisoners and
the
withdrawal of federal police. Democracy Now! producer Elizabeth Press
files
a report from the streets of Oaxaca.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1518257
* FCC Sides with Verizon &
Wireless and Votes to Strip Local Communities of
Control Over Cable Franchising *
Anthony Riddle, of the
Alliance for Community Media, joins us in the
Firehouse to talk about last week's 3-2 vote. The FCC's two Democratic
commissioners, Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein voted against the
measure.
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/26/1519200
* Barbara Ehrenreich on Poverty,
War and Feminism¹s Place in the World*
We play an excerpt of a
recent address by Barbara Ehrenreich, best-selling
author of ³Nickel and Dimed: Surviving in Low-Wage America.²
Throughout her
three decades of journalism and activism, Ehrenreich has been one of the
most consistent chroniclers of class in America. [rush transcript
included]
Listen/Watch/Read http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/27/1649215
* Ann Wright | Five Years of
Infamy: Close Guantanamo!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306A.shtml
"On January
11, 2002, the first detainees from Afghanistan arrived at the prison in
the US Naval Base, Guantanamo, Cuba. In the succeeding five years,
Guantanamo has symbolized to the world the Bush administration's
abandonment of international and domestic law, and the development of a
policy of inhumane treatment and use of torture. These claims have been
linked to military and CIA operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and in an
unknown number of secret prisons. More than 775 detainees have been
held in Guantanamo since January 11, 2002. After five years, no
Guantanamo detainee has been convicted of a criminal offense," says
Colonel Ann Wright (Retired).
* UN Imposes First Sanctions on Iran's Nuclear
Program
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306E.shtml
The United
Nations Security Council voted 15 to 0 to impose sanctions on Iran for
its nuclear program for the first time, including a ban on acquisition
of materials and technology that might be used to build an atomic bomb.
The measure demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment and heavy-water
projects that the US and its European allies have said may lead to the
development of nuclear weapons.
* Generals: More Troops Needed in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122306B.shtml
Top US
military commanders in Iraq have decided to recommend a "surge" of
fresh American combat forces, eliminating one of the last remaining
hurdles to proposals being considered by President Bush for a troop
increase, a defense official familiar with the plan said Friday. The
approval of a troop increase plan by top Iraq commanders, including
General George W. Casey Jr. and Lt. General Raymond T. Odierno, comes
days before Bush unveils a new course for the troubled US involvement
in Iraq.
* Venezuela's Black Vote by Roy Levy Williams -
Amsterdam News - Dec 20, 2006
<http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=11722&sID=12>
Venezuelans went to the
polls in record numbers this month to overwhelmingly vote for President
Hugo Chavez. More than 80 percent of registered voters in Venezuelans
voted in what the U.S State Department called a "democratic process"
and an international delegation of monitors confirmed as "a free and
fair election." As one of the NAACP's official monitors, what I believe
to be a lesser known story is the power of the Black vote in that
election.
* Sandinistas to Eradicate Illiteracy, December
21, 2006, Prensa Latina, Managua
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=565180EE-B036-4F77-B058-09F0D0A0F9B2)&language=EN
The
Sandinista government goal will be to eradicate illiteracy in
Nicaragua, and for this purpose will use the Cuban teaching method Yo
Si Puedo, announced here future Education Minister Miguel de Castilla
Wednesday.
-------------
Bottom line-- I am quite comfortable that impeachment is off the
table. Impeachment did not bring down Nixon. Hearings and
investigations did. I am fine with all the people advocating for
hearings. Their pressure will motivate the Conyers and Waxmans in
congress to do their investigations, knowing they are on the same page
as the griping impeachment advocates. I am confident that Pelosi,
Conyers, Waxman and enough other members of congress want Bush out as
much as we do. They just know that there's a better way and their
executing that strategy. ...Rob Kall