FREE CHELSEA MANNING URGENT ACTION: Write to Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan who has the power to reduce (even to zero) the 35-year sentence for Chelsea Manning. See guidelines on what and how to write here. DEADLINE 1 November On 22 August 2013, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning, whistleblower for the global public, was sentenced to 35 years for exposing governments' crimes to Wikileaks. For three years, an international movement has campaigned, first, to stop her torture in detention, and then to demand her release. This movement helped defeat the life sentence charge of "aiding the enemy", but Chelsea was convicted of unprecedented charges of "espionage". We must continue to press President Obama to pardon Chelsea and free her now! "I want to thank everybody who has supported me over the last three years…I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition. I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name." Chelsea, 22 Aug 2013 In San Francisco, the Gay Pride Board was defeated after withdrawing Chelsea’s nomination as Grand Marshall. Thanks to Chelsea Manning, now we know about: · The “collateral murder” video showing a US helicopter gunship crew deliberately killing Iraqi civilians· The officially sanctioned cover-up of rape and other torture in Iraq and Afghanistan by the occupation · The extent of killer drone strikes · The US attacks on popular government & movements in Haiti and Venezuela· Israel consulting with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority before invading Gaza · Corruption by Tunisian dictator Ben Ali, which spurred the 2011 revolution Assange Snowden DEFEND ALL WHISTLEBLOWERS – ASYLUM FOR ASSANGE The work of Wikileaks and its founder Julian Assange has been crucial in spreading Chelsea Manning’s evidence of governments’ crimes and brutality, and for organising against US persecution of Edward Snowden, another whistleblower of US and UK governments' outrageous surveillance methods. "The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of the concern for my country and the world that we live in. Since the tragic events of 9/11, our country has been at war. I initially agreed with these methods and chose to volunteer to help defend our country. It was not until I was in Iraq and reading secret military reports on a daily basis that I started to question the morality of what we were doing. It was at this time that I realized that in our efforts to meet the risk posed to us by the enemy, we had forgotten our humanity. We consciously elected to devalue life both in Iraq and Afghanistan. When we engaged those that we perceived were the enemy, we sometimes killed innocent civilians. Whenever we killed innocent civilians, instead of accepting responsibility for our conduct, we elected to hide behind the veil of national security and classified information in order to avoid any public accountability. In our zeal to kill the enemy, we internally debated the definition of torture. We held individuals at Guantánamo for years without due process. We inexplicably turned a blind eye to torture and executions by the Iraqi government. And we stomached countless other acts in the name of our war on terror. As the late Howard Zinn once said, there is not a flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people. I understand that my actions violated the law. I regret that my actions hurt anyone or harmed the United States. It was never my intent to hurt anyone. I only wanted to help people. When I chose to disclose classified information, I did so out of a love for my country and my sense of duty to others.” From Chelsea Manning's statement, 22 August 2013, the day she was sentenced WHAT WE CAN DO · Write to Chelsea who "looks forward to receiving letters from supporters and having the opportunity to write back". Bradley E Manning 89289 1300 N Warehouse Rd Fort Leavenworth KS 66027-2304 · Write to General Buchanan before 1st November. He has the power to reduce/eliminate her sentence · Organise actions to press Obama to pardon. Sign the Petition. · Sign the petition to press the military to provide hormone therapy · Translate and circulate this leaflet; write to the local press asking others to sign. More info: Private Manning Support Network Payday men’s network payday@paydaynet.org UK: 020 7267 8698 US:215 848 1120 Queer Strike queerstrike@queerstrike.net UK: 020 7482 2496US: 415-626 4114

(please forward widely)

UNAC Statement on the

Arrest of Rasmea Odeh

The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) condemns the politically-motivated attack on Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian community leader arrested in her Chicago home on October 22, by agents of the Department of Homeland Security.

Odeh is charged with immigration fraud. Allegedly, in her application for citizenship, she didn’t mention that she was arrested in Palestine 45 years ago by an Israeli military court that detains Palestinians without charge, and that does not recognize the rights of Palestinians to due process. Rasmea Odeh withstood vicious torture by Israeli authorities while imprisoned in Palestine in the 70s. She is one of the millions of Palestinians who have not given up organizing for their rights of liberation, equality, and return. It is shameful that the US government is now attempting to imprison her once again.

The charges against her carry ten years in prison; in addition, she faces being stripped of her citizenship, and as a result, it’s likely she will be deported when she finishes that sentence.

(For more about Rasmea, read Maureen Murphy’s article on Electronic Intifada: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/maureen-clare-murphy/palestinian-arrested-chicago-because-her-community-activism-groups-say )

Odeh’s arrest this week appears to be related to the case of the 23 anti-war activists, including members of UNAC, who were subpoenaed to a grand jury in 2010. The 23 were targeted as organizers of the 2008 anti-war march on the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Undercover law enforcement agents spied on the anti-war organizers and their movement allies for two years, sabotaged a 2009 solidarity trip to Palestine, and then the FBI raided their homes and offices, claiming that they had provided material support to foreign terrorist organizations in Palestine and Colombia.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Barry Jonas is leading the investigation against the 23, and he was at the courtroom in Chicago, consulting with the assistant U.S. attorney who brought the indictment against Rasmea. Jonas was also the prosecutor in the case of the Holy Land Five, the heads of the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. before 9/11. He was successful in getting prison sentences for as long as 65 years for the five men, who provided charity to children in Gaza.

The case against Rasmea is not about immigration, but an attempt to silence her, to cut short her important community organizing, and to attack the struggle for a free Palestine.

UNAC stands with Rasmea Odeh and against those who would silence and imprison her. This attack is another example of the continuing repression of Palestinians and people who stand in solidarity with them. Homeland Security, the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s office are carrying out enforcement of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. We ask all those who have stood against the government attack on organizing, to stand with us today to support Rasmea Odeh.

Drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh!

Actions to take in support of Rasmea:

1) Call Barbara McQuade, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, at 313.226.9501 or 313.226.9100, or email barbara.mcquade@usdoj.gov to demand that she Drop the Charges Now!

Example script and talking points to use:

Hello, my name is ________ and I am calling from _________.

I am calling to demand that U.S. Attorney McQuade drop the immigration charges against Rasmea Odeh. She is a beloved leader in the community and has worked tirelessly to serve and help empower Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim families throughout the Chicagoland area.

Rasmea is a community icon and was recently awarded an "Outstanding Community Leader" award from the Chicago Cultural Alliance for her over 40 years of dedication and service to people across the Arab World and the U.S.

These charges are a political attack on her as an individual and on the collective Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities across the U.S.

I stand in unequivocal support of Rasmea and demand that these charges be dropped immediately!

2) Join us to pack the courtroom in mid-November for the first court appearance in Detroit. Stay tuned for the date, time and exact location.

3) Like the “Drop the Charges Against Rasmea Now” Facebook page -

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Drop-The-Charges-Against-Rasmea-Now/678264732186412

4) Send statements of support and solidarity to stopfbi@gmail.com

5) Send us your pictures holding up a sign with the following message:

“I am _________ and I support Rasmea” cppr@aaan.org

You can fill in the blank with any self-identifier: your name, your occupation, or any other description. Some examples are: "I am a stay-at-home dad and I support Rasmea!" "I am a youth organizer and I support Rasmea!" "I am a supporter of Palestinian human rights and I support Rasmea!"

Hold the sign up and snap a selfie, then send it to cppr@aaan.org. Put it up as your Facebook/Twitter profile pic, Google Account image, or anything else! Just remember we may use your image in future publications and informational pamphlets that get published online or distributed as hard copies.

6) Stay tuned to www.stopfbi.net for updates on the case.

Join UNAC Today, UNAC is the largest and most active antiwar coalition in the country. During this time of increasing military intervention throughout the world, it is more important than ever that the people of the United States show their solidarity with the victims of US foreign policy and war. If you are not on UNAC’s email list and would like to be, please send an email to UNAC-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. If your peace or social justice group is not affiliated with UNAC please fill out the form and join us. The form for your group to join UNAC is located here: https://unacpeace.org/Join_UNAC.html. To contribute to UNAC, please click here: https://unacpeace.org/Donate.html Join UNAC’s Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/unac1/ Like UNAC’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/EndTheWars

click here to donate to UNAC

Click here for the Facebook UNAC group.

---

Fall 2013 National Immigrant Solidarity Network Monthly News Digest and News Alert! National Immigrant Solidarity Network No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights! URL: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org e-mail: Info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org Information about the Network: FLYER Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990 New York: (212)330-8172 Los Angeles: (213)403-0131 Chicago: (773)942-2268 Every Donation Counts! Please Support Us! Send check pay to: National Immigrant Solidarity Network/AFGJ National Immigrant Solidarity Network P.O. Box 751 South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751 (All donations are tax deductible) Fall 2013 U.S. Immigrant Alert! Newsletter Published by National Immigrant Solidarity Network Please Download Our Newsletter: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/Newsletter/Fall13.pdf [Requires Adobe Acrobat, to download, go: http://www.adobe.com] Subscribe to Newsletter | Please Join Our E-Mail List | Please Donate to Us! | Past NISN Digests Don't neglect immigration reform! In This Issue: 1) Don't neglect immigration reform 2) Rethink Immigration: A Homeless, Undocumented & Detained LGBT Teen's Struggle for Due Process 3) CA gives immigrants driver's licenses 4) ICE Public Affairs: Rogue office in a rogue agency 5) How Domestic Workers Won Their Rights: Five Big Lessons 6) More than 200 arrested at immigration rights rally in D.C. 7) Updates, Please Support NISN! Subscribe the Newsletter! Please download our latest newsletter: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/Newsletter/Fall13.pdf 10/3 OPINION: Don't neglect immigration reform ISELA CHÁVEZ-PORTUGAL - News Day With the federal government embroiled in shutdown politics, some people are saying immigration reform is a long shot for 2013. But immigrants on Long Island like me simply won't accept that pessimism. Saturday we will be marching in Brentwood -- like others will in 130 or so demonstrations around the country -- to call for comprehensive immigration reform this year. And we will not be deterred by a government shutdown, because our representatives need to hear that they must get back to work and do what's right for immigrant families as soon as possible. I've lived in Suffolk County with my husband and two children for 10 years. We came from Peru on a tourist visa and stayed to make a better life. We've worked hard to support our family, including working nights cleaning the local library. My son married an American and has become a legal resident, but my husband, daughter and I would qualify for the path to citizenship that is included in the comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed in the Senate in late June. Throughout these years, we've always had to worry about keeping our family together, given the specter of deportation. A path to citizenship offers the best chance for making sure we can be together and thrive on Long Island. But to become reality and ensure that my family can stay together, we need the House of Representatives to pass a similar bill. My family and my immigrant community work hard every day to contribute to Long Island with our love, our culture, our hard work and our taxes. We are willing to take the steps laid out in an earned path to citizenship, but we need the House to give us this chance. Now, we are saying, "Enough stalling already!" Immigrant Long Islanders like me have worked very hard with our allies for comprehensive immigration reform. Thousands of Long Islanders have joined marches, rallies and forums supporting reform. Thousands more have called and written to their congressional representatives, all of whom have now publicly supported a comprehensive bill including a path to citizenship. This reflects what a poll conducted by Harstad Research this spring told us: As is true throughout the country, the vast majority -- eight in 10 registered voters surveyed on Long Island -- support an earned path to citizenship alongside border enforcement measures and clearing the visa backlog. But in September, reform efforts in Congress stalled, and now they seem forgotten in the current partisan fighting. The Republican House leadership doesn't want to bring the bill to a vote, even though the votes appear to be there, with virtually all Democrats and at least 26 Republicans, including Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), expressing their support. The will of the loud tea party minority -- the same group behind this week's shutdown -- is putting at stake the lives of 11 million people, including mine and my family's. That's why immigrants around Long Island and across the country are joining together to urge the House to act this month. Our coalition has declared Saturday to be a National Day for Dignity and Respect for immigrants. We are tired of false promises. We know that most Latinos and immigrants who voted last year -- and whose votes decided the presidential election -- are demanding this reform, like the 11 million of us who are here without the proper documentation. My family and I will be marching tomorrow. We know that passing comprehensive reform this year will be difficult, but we will keep on fighting and calling for action. * Isela Chávez-Portugal is a member of Make the Road New York, the state's largest participatory immigrant rights organization. 10/16 Rethink Immigration: A Homeless, Undocumented & Detained LGBT Teen’s Struggle for Due Process Mary Georgevich - LGBT project coordinator for Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center Earlier this year, Melissa* found herself locked up in immigration detention, awaiting a deportation flight to Mexico. U.S. immigration law said she did not have the right to see a judge, and most of her family and friends told her to give up and just let the deportation happen. Luckily, with the help of her U.S. citizen girlfriend Alicia*, Melissa decided to seek legal advice anyway. As it turns out, Melissa had ample reason to continue fighting her case. But as one of an estimated 900,000 LGBT teens in America who are homeless or near homeless, she has had to overcome significant legal and financial hurdles to do so. Melissa’s immigration troubles began when she had a non-violent misdemeanor arrest as a teenager and was turned over to immigration on a detainer. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released Melissa, a minor at the time, to her mother’s custody and sent all of her vital case documents—including notice of her hearing date—to her mother’s home. Like many LGBT teens, Melissa had a strained relationship with her family and mostly relied on friends for housing. She never received the documents from her family, and as a teenager who did not have a lawyer, Melissa did not understand their significance anyway. When she did not appear for her hearing, the judge ordered her deported. A few months ago, at age 20, a traffic stop landed Melissa back in immigration custody and ICE tried to put that deportation order into effect. Because she had already received a deportation order, the law disqualifies her from the right to another hearing, but having a lawyer has given her a chance to challenge the order. Alicia and Melissa first contacted a private lawyer recommended by other detainees. He filed a motion with the court to have the deportation order rescinded and requested that Melissa be allowed a chance to see a judge. However, with Melissa still detained and unable to work, the lawyer’s fees quickly became too costly for the young couple to pay. That is when they contacted Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). The LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative took the case pro bono and discovered that Melissa was potentially eligible for three different types of relief from deportation: a visa for victims of crimes based on childhood sexual abuse, asylum as an LGBT youth fearing persecution in her native country of Mexico, and possibly President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. While NIJC worked to prove that Melissa should be given the opportunity to fight her case in front of a judge, Alicia struggled to survive with her girlfriend locked up. The two of them had lived together, and Melissa had been their sole source of income while Alicia finished college. After Melissa was detained, Alicia was forced to drop out—just one month short of graduation. She began working two jobs, but between the lawyer fees and expensive phone calls to Melissa in detention, she could not hold on to her apartment and moved into a homeless shelter. Recently, Melissa and Alicia got their first good news: The judge rescinded Melissa’s deportation order and gave her the lowest bond possible—$1,500. Melissa’s mother agreed to help pay the bond, and Alicia and Melissa are working to put their lives back together. But Melissa still has a long road ahead as she works with NIJC to fight her case in immigration court. Melissa and Alicia could have avoided a lot of heartache and trouble if Melissa had been able to speak with a lawyer the first time she was detained. Their problems could have been further prevented had Melissa been given access to free or low-cost legal services as soon as she was detained the second time. Of the people who currently are detained, 84 percent will be deported without having access to legal representation. The immigration reform bill passed by the Senate earlier this year would improve access to lawyers for unaccompanied immigrant children, individuals with mental illness, and other vulnerable immigrants in deportation proceedings. No person should be deported without the opportunity to understand their rights and, at a minimum, speak with a judge. If Melissa had taken her family’s original advice not to fight her deportation, or had not found NIJC, that is exactly what would have happened. Melissa would be living in a place she had not seen since she was seven years old, where she would face a likelihood of persecution based on her sexual orientation, while Alicia struggled to get by in the United States without the support of her partner. *Names have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy. Also Read.. 10/4: California gives immigrants driver's licenses http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Issues&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=1551 10/16: ICE Public Affairs: Rogue office in a rogue agency http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Issues&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=1553 10/9: How Domestic Workers Won Their Rights: Five Big Lessons http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Issues&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=1556 10/9: More than 200 arrested at immigration rights rally in D.C. http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=Issues&report=SingleArticle&ArticleID=1552 Please download our latest newsletter: http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/Newsletter/Fall13.pdf Past National Immigrant Solidarity Netowrk News Letters Spring 2013 | Summer 2013 | Fall 2012 |Spring 2012 | Summer 2012 | Winter 2011 | Summer 2011 | Fall 2011 | November 2011 | Spring 2011 | September - October 2009 | Spring 2010 | Fall 2010 | October-Novermber 10 May - June 2009 | March - April 2009 | January - February 2009 | November - December 2008 Useful Immigrant Resources on Detention and Deportation Face Sheet: Immigration Detention--Questions and Answers (Dec, 2008) by: http://www.thepoliticsofimmigration.org Thanks for GREAT works from Detention Watch Network (DWN) to compiled the following information, please visit DWN website: http://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org Tracking ICE's Enforcement Agenda Real Deal fact sheet on detention Real Deal fact sheet on border - From Raids to Deportation-A Community Resource Kit - Know Your Rights in the Community (English, Spanish) - Know Your Rights in Detention - Pre-Raid Community Safety Plan - Raids to Deportation Map - Raids to Deportation Policy Map More on Immigration Resource Page http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/resource.htm Useful Handouts and Know Your Immigrant Rights When Marches Immigrant Marches / Marchas de los Inmigrantes (By ACLU) EN ESPAÑOL Acerca de la Union Americana de Libertades Civiles Immigrants and their supporters are participating in marches all over the country to protest proposed national legislation and to seek justice for immigrants. The materials available here provide important information about the rights and risks involved for anyone who is planning to participate in the ongoing marches. If government agents question you, it is important to understand your rights. You should be careful in the way you speak when approached by the police, FBI, or INS. If you give answers, they can be used against you in a criminal, immigration, or civil case. The ACLU's publications below provide effective and useful guidance in several languages for many situations. The brochures apprise you of your legal rights, recommend how to preserve those rights, and provide guidance on how to interact with officials. IMMIGRATION Know Your Rights When Encountering Law Enforcement | Conozca Sus Derechos Frente A Los Agentes Del Orden Público ACLU of Massachusetts - Your Rights And Responsibilities If You Are Contacted By The Authorities English | Spanish | Chinese ACLU of Massachusetts - What to do if stopped and questioned about your immigration status on the street, the subway, or the bus | Que hacer si Usted es interrogado en el tren o autobus acerca de su estatus inmigratorio ACLU of South Carolina - How To Deal With A 287(g) | Como Lidiar Con Una 287(g) ACLU of Southern California - What to Do If Immigration Agents or Police Stop You While on Foot, in Your Car, or Come to Your Home | Qué Hacer Si Agentes de Inmigración o la Policía lo Paran Mientras Va Caminando, lo Detienen en su Auto o Vienen a su Hogar ACLU of Washington - Brochure for Iraqis: What to Do If the FBI or Police Contact You for Questioning English | Arabic ACLU of Washington - Your Rights at Checkpoints at Ferry Terminals | Sus Derechos en Puestos de Control en las Terminales de Transbordadores LABOR / FREE SPEECH Immigrant Protests - What Every Worker Should Know: | Manifestaciones de los Inmigrantes - Lo Que Todo Trabajador Debe Saber PROTESTERS ACLU of Florida Brochure - The Rights of Protesters | Los Derechos de los Manifestantes STUDENTS Washington State - Student Walkouts and Political Speech at School | Huelgas Estudiantiles y Expresión Política en las Escuelas California Students: Public School Walk-outs and Free Speech | Estudiantes de California: Marchas o Huelgas y La Libertad de Expresión en las Escuelas Públicas Please Subscribe to the US Immigration Alert Newsletter! A Monthly Newsletter from National Immigrant Solidarity Network 1 year subscription rate (12 issues) is $35.00 It will help us pay for the printing costs, as well as funding for the NISN projects (additional donations to the NISN is tax deductible!) Check pay to: NISN/AFGJ National Immigrant Solidarity Network P.O. Box 751 South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751 Please Join Our Mailing Lists! - Daily email update: The National Immigrant Solidarity Network daily news litserv to join, visit web: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/isn or send e-mail to: isn-subscribe@lists.riseup.net - Regional listservs: Asian American Labor Activism Alert! Listserv send-e-mail to: api-la-subscribe@lists.riseup.net or visit: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/api-la New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania areas immigrant workers information and alerts send e-mail to: nyc-immigrantalert-subscribe@lists.riseup.net or e-mail request to: info@immigrantsolidarity.org or visit: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/nyc-immigrantalert Virginia state-wide immigrant organizing E-mail list send- e-mail to: va-immigrantrights-subscribe@lists.riseup.net or visit: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/va-immigrantrights US-Mexico Border Information: No Militarization of Borders! Support Immigrant Rights! send e-mail to: Border01-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Border01/ Immigrant Deportation and Detention Alert! send e-mail to: isn-deportees-subscribe@lists.riseup.net Chicago/Midwest/Great Lake Region Immigrant List send e-mail to: chicago-immigrantrights@lists.riseup.net or visit: https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/chicago-immigrantrights Please Donate to National Immigrant Solidarity Network! All Donations Are Tax Deductible! Make check payable to NISN/AFGJ and it will be tax deductible! Send your check to: National Immigrant Solidarity Network P.O. Box 751 South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751 Los Angeles, California 90048 ____ $100.00 ____ $ 50.00 ____ $ 35.00 ____ Other Amount $___________ ($35 or more will receive 1 year free subscriptions of the Immigration Alert! Newsletter Print Edition) Donate On-Line: https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7315/donate_page/actionla-nisn Every Donation Counts! Please Support Us! ============================================================================== National Immigrant Solidarity Network No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights! webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org New York: (212)330-8172 Los Angeles: (213)403-0131 Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990 Chicago: (773)942-2268 * join the immigrant Solidarity Network daily news litserv, send e-mail to: isn-subscribe@lists.riseup.net Please consider making a donation to the important work of National Immigrant Solidarity Network On-line Donation: https://org2.salsalabs.com/o/7315/donate_page/actionla-nisn Send check pay to: National Immigrant Solidarity Network/AFGJ National Immigrant Solidarity Network P.O. Box 751 South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751 (All donations are tax deductible) =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= You can review old listings by going to http://igc.topica.com/lists/act-ma-discuss/read to (un)subscribe send email to act-ma-discuss-(un)subscribe@topica.com For more info on ACT-MA and posting guidelines see http://web.mit.edu/cwelch/lacasa/calendar.html ----------------------------------------------------- Topica requires that you be a member of the list to post to it and that your email address in your message match exactly the email address on record at the Topica site. =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= --^^--------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: alfredjohnson34@comcast.net EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84BoF.bLLGgO.YWxmcmVk Or send an email to: act-ma-discuss-unsubscribe@topica.com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER --^^---------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Everyone,

On 10/24/13, Insomnia Cookies employee Tommy Mendes told his boss he was an IWW member. The next day he was suspended without pay. Insomnia refuses to say when or if he can return to work. Join the Boston IWW, Harvard's SLAM* and Boston University's SLAP** as we picket, starting at 9:30 pm, on Thursday November 7, at Insomnia Cookies' BU location, 798 Commonwealth Ave in Boston! The Facebook event is here. Feel free to email Tommy's boss Ryan right now, at ryand@insomniacookies.com and let him know Tommy should be reinstated with back pay! Call CEO Seth Berkowitz anytime at (877) 632-6654 and let him know how you feel about Tommy's unpaid suspension.

Background: Tommy joined the IWW with other employees in August, after night shift workers declared a spontaneous strike. They were making deliveries on their own bikes until 3 am, without legally-required breaks, pressed to ride at unsafe speeds, and making $6/hr. At least seven pickets have been held at Insomnia stores since August, but drivers and bakers still report they are often denied breaks, denied workers' comp & blamed by bosses for any accidents in traffic, and are still paid poverty wages. Workers are expected to leave the store unescorted late at night with thousands of dollars in cash to deposit. They even have to use their own money to make change for deliveries.

Management's excuse for suspending Tommy after he went public with his union affiliation is that his cash count was supposedly short, but other workers report their counts have been short too (likely due to technical problems), without their facing disciplinary action. Tommy has already sustained hundreds of dollars in lost wages; you can support him and other Insomnia activists by contributing to the Insomnia Cookies Workers' Strike Fund Please take whatever action you can (picket, email, phone call, donation) to support Tommy Mendes and all the low-paid Insomnia Cookies employees!

In Solidarity,

Geoff for the Industrial Workers of the World

*Student Labor Action Movement

**Student Labor Action Project

VFP Members Are Gearing Up to Converge on Fort Benning - Nov 22-24

The weekend to close the School of Americas includes a rally with speakers and musicians from across the Americas, a solemn funeral procession to commemorate the martyrs, art, music and street theater to celebrate the resistance, a protest at a for-profit immigrant prison, nonviolent direct action, a conference with workshops, film screenings, trainings, concerts, community, grassroots movement building, and more.

Flyer Schedule of Events Hotel Information

Photos of VFP members participating in SOA Convergence 2012

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Hands Off Assata Shakur!!

Friends,

The event below is going to be a great local event in support of Assata Shakur
on Assata Shakur Liberation Day (Sat. Nov. 2).
Come to this free film and community discussion!
Flyer attached.

In struggle,
Lana

***Please forward widely***

National Assata Shakur Liberation Day!

Free Film Showing of "Eyes on The Rainbow"
and Discussion

Sat. Nov 2, 7 pm
The Center for the Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
(New England Folk Archives Room , Downstairs)

Free Parking Rear of Building
Handicap accessible

Sponsored by Jericho Boston, Youth Against Mass Incarceration,
and the Let's Go There Collective

Palestinians in Cambridge: Stories From the Diaspora--An exhibit of photographic portraits and excerpts from interviews with twenty Palestinians about life and identity in the Diaspora, and experiences living and working in Cambridge

 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Cambridge

 

There is this expression in Arabic that “every people live in their country” but for Palestinians “our country lives in us”. Most Palestinians live in exile and many have never been to Palestine - in some sense it's this mythical place. I'm lucky in that I've been able to spend a large portion of my life in Palestine on the ground."

Multicultural Arts Center at 41 Second St. East Cambridge

Opening Reception: December 5th, 6-8pm
Exhibit runs through January 24th, 2014

Interviewees include Salma Abu Ayyash and Giacomo Milia, Sari Abuljubein, Jamal and Mushoor Abu-Rubieh, Sa’ed Atshan, Nidal Al-Azraq, Amahl Bishara, Leila Farsakh, Randa Ghattas, Sami Herbawi, Layla Hijab-Cable, Asma Jaber, Walid Masoud, Rania Matar, Dana Sajdi, Maysoun Shomali and Jamal Saeh.

For more information: bethlehemcambridge@gmail.com

Join Socialist Alternative for a Discussion on Our Historic Election Results! Wednesday, Nov. 6th at 7pm Encuentro 5 in Downtown Boston 9 Hamilton Place, near the Orpheum Theater Near the Park St. and Downtown Crossing T Stops https://www.facebook.com/events/685426528143082/ Both Ty Moore in Minneapolis and Kshama Sawant in Seattle have a good chance at winning elections as open socialists independent of the two parties of big business. Come to this discussion on Socialist Alternative's analysis of these elections and possible next steps for the left. BACKGROUND: Ty Moore and Kshama Sawant, both Socialist Alternative members, are poised to make a historic impact Tuesday. Both candidates are backed by a coalition of unions, socialists and Greens. Both are building vibrant social movements like Occupy Homes in Minneapolis and the "Fight for 15" in the Seattle area. Please come to this important discussion about how this was achieved and what the next steps forward can be for the left. Three articles to check out: http://socialistalternative.org/news/article10.php?id=2223 http://socialistalternative.org/news/article22.php?id=2224 http://socialistalternative.org/news/article10.php?id=2222

Hello all:

Please see below for a special opportunity to attend a Veterans Day Forum at the JFK Library, sponored by Bank of America and The Home Base Program.

Challenges and Hope; What's Facing Returning Veterans and Military Families Please join us this Veterans Day for the Annual Home Base Leadership Forum. Date: Veterans Day, Monday, November 11, 2013 Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00PM* Location: John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Smith Hall Columbia Point Boston, MA 02125 This is a free event, click here to Presented with support from *Guests are welcome to arrive at the JFK Library at 1PM to enjoy a complimentary tour of the museum prior to the start of the Leadership Forum at 2PM. Please proceed to the ticket counter and inform staff that you are taking part in the Home Base Leadership Forum. Key Note Speakers: Joseph Robert “Bob” Kerrey, Recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroic actions as a U.S. Navy Seal in Vietnam, former U.S. Senator and Governor of Nebraska, former President of the New School University, national leader in education, author. Michael Schoenbaum, PhD, Senior Advisor for Mental Health Services, Epidemiology and Economics in the Office of the Director NIMH. Dr. Schoenbaum is one of the leaders of the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS) a response to the increase in military suicides. Panel discussion: War stories; keeping the American public engaged after the troops come home. Kevin Cullen, Moderator. A military family member, Boston Globe columnist, Cullen was a member of the 2013 investigative team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. He is co-author of the New York Times best-seller "Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice." Thomas “T.J.” Brennan, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran; served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has written poignantly and honestly about his own experience with the invisible wounds of war in his blog posts for The New York Times “At War” series. Brennan is Military Affairs reporter for The Daily News in Jacksonville, NC. Phillip Carter, Director of Military, Veterans and Society Program, Center for a New American Security. A U.S. Army and Iraq War veteran, Carter’s research focuses on veterans issues, military manpower issues, and civil-military relations. Mistress Carrie, Afternoon Drive DJ and Music Director of WAAF 97.7/107.3, who was embedded with units from the MA Army National Guard in Iraq (2006) and Afghanistan (2011), and was awarded the Commander’s Award for Public Service, one of the U.S. Army’s highest civilian honors twice. Mistress Carrie is also a military spouse. Wes Moore, U.S. Army Veteran, Afghanistan, Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow, youth advocate, business leader, New York Times best selling author of The Other Wes Moore. About the Leadership Forum: For the past two years, Home Base has gathered thought leaders in the health care, military, business, policy, and philanthropy community for a Veterans Day discussion designed to illustrate and address the challenges facing our returning veterans and their families as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan come to an end. This is an opportunity to pause, honor and learn more about the men and women – and their families -- who have served and sacrificed for our nation in the military since 9/11. The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program helps Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and military families heal from the “invisible wounds of war” – post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury – through clinical care, community education and research. www.homebaseprogram.org

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