| Statement on the Gaza Genocide | |
| by Party of the Laboring Masses (PLM) | 22 Jul 2014 |
| In the past week, Israeli military forces have escalated their offensive on the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted houses, civilian-populated areas and civilian facilities in the Gaza strip. Israeli warplanes have destroyed a number of houses while their residents were inside, without any prior warnings, killing and wounding many Palestinian civilians. | |
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| The Israeli government has cynically exploited the killing of three Israeli youth and used this to whip up a racist hysteria against Palestinians and the Hamas government in Gaza. It has done this without producing any evidence about who was responsible for those killings. A campaign of indiscriminate violence against Palestinians has been incited and one Palestinian boy has been tortured and burnt to death. Now even more indiscriminate retribution has been inflicted on the civilian residents of Gaza. Israeli occupation forces have also targeted the campuses of Birzeit University near Ramallah and the Arab American University in Jenin, resulting in the detention and arrest of students and staff and greatly infringing the Palestinian right to education. Israel's actions are designed to terrorize and impose a collective punishment on the Palestinian people in a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The Party of the Laboring Masses (PLM): -- Strongly condemns Israel's latest attack on Gaza, Palestine and demands that it stop its attacks on Gaza and respect international law including the UN resolution 242 which demands Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories which Israel has illegally occupied since 1967. -- Calls on the Philippine government to immediately withdraw its ambassador from Israel, cut diplomatic ties and end any military and defence ties with Israel. -- Supports calls for the intensification of the economic boycott, disinvestment and sanctions campaign against Israel. Stop Israeli Bombing of Gaza-Palestine! No to Israel's Terrorism, Collective Punishment and Genocide! Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) Manila, Philippines | |
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Boston Remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Moving from Violence to Unity
69
years later, it’s time to fund jobs in Boston’s communities –
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Memorial
Procession
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Wednesday,
August 6, 3:00 to 5:30 pm
Assembly
and Invocation:
First
Church in Boston, Berkeley & Marlborough Streets
Procession
through Public Garden, Boston Common, past State House
Ceremony
at Boston City Hall
Tina
Chery, Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Elaine
Scarry, Harvard University
Anna
Baker, Pilgrim Coalition
“Soran
Bushi” Japanese Dancers
Taiko
Drumming
Speaking
during the ceremony will be Tina Chery, President and CEO of the Louis D.
Brown Peace Institute. After her oldest son passed away due to gun violence, she
founded this institute to educate and outreach to the families of homicide
victims. She subsequently developed the Peace Curriculum with the aim of
creating a safe environment for young people. Integrating classroom discussions
and community service with an emphasis on peace and peacemaking, this curriculum
is an effective intervention for reducing juvenile
crime.
Please join us for the 2nd
annual memorial procession to take action in building a non-violent world free
of the atrocities of nuclear weapons, militarism, and
oppression.
We will bring together music,
dance and talks to commemorate the 69th year of the Hiroshima & Nagasaki
tragedies. Almost 7 decades later, it's time to fund jobs in Boston's
communities, not militarism and violence! Let's show that there is a connection
between violence in the community, assaults on mother earth, and the mass
destruction caused by these weapons.
Speaking
during the ceremony will be Tina Chery, President and CEO of the Louis D.
Brown Peace Institute. After her oldest son passed away due to gun violence, she
founded this institute to educate and outreach to the families of homicide
victims. She subsequently developed the Peace Curriculum with the aim of
creating a safe environment for young people. Integrating classroom discussions
and community service with an emphasis on peace and peacemaking, this curriculum
is an effective intervention for reducing juvenile
crime.
Massachusetts Peace Action initiated this
event; Dorchester People for Peace helped bring it to Boston. The
First Church in Boston generously opened its doors and embraced Boston
Remembers Hiroshima & Nagasaki.
Sponsors: Massachusetts Peace Action, Dorchester People for
Peace, First Church in Boston, American Friends Service Committee, Arlington
Street Church Social Justice Committee, Arlington UJP, Bikes Not Bombs, Boston
Mobilization, Cape Cod Fellowship of Reconciliation, Cape Codders for Peace
& Justice, Cape Downwinders, Leverett Peace Pagoda, Massachusetts Senior
Action (Cambridge chapter), Newton Dialogues on Peace & War, On Behalf of
Planet Earth, Pilgrim Coalition, United for Justice with Peace, Veterans for
Peace/Smedley Butler Brigade, Women’s International League for Peace &
Freedom – Boston Branch (list in formation)
Download the Flyer: Boston Remembers Hiroshima
Take Action for a Nuclear Free Future - Additional Events,
August 3-6
Sunday
8/3 Tina Chery will preach at the First Church in Boston
Sunday
8/3 Community Church of Boston – Hiroshima/ Nagasaki
Commemoration – Georges Island 10am to 3pm
Sunday
8/3 Watertown Film and Candle Ceremony at Grace
Vision Church 5:30-9:00pm
Tuesday
8/5 Nuclear Savage: Film Screening and
Potluck at the First Church in Boston 6:00-9:30pm
Wednesday
8/6 Vigil at the corner of Main and Moody streets, Waltham Common
7:45-8:30am
Wednesday
8/6 Boston Remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorial
Procession 3:00-5:30pm
Wednesday
8/6 – Andover Vigil – Time and place TBA
contact:
Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138 · www.masspeaceaction.org ·
617-354-2169  | ||
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United for
Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and
community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed
after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic
justice.
Help us continue to do this critical work! Make
a donation to UJP today.
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| 617-383-4857 | www.justicewithpeace.org | |
Video: Rabbi speaks up for Gaza in BostonThis was on the Common, after the rally in Copley Sq and march to the State House
(Note, for all facebook photo albums: |
International Day of Al-QudsRSVP at above link (facebook) |
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Boston Workmen’s Circle
Invites you to join us for
an
Interfaith
Silent Vigil
To call for an end to the violence
in Israel / Palestine
Wednesday, July 23, 2014 5:30 – 7:00
pm
Park Street Station, downtown
Boston
Please join Boston’s Workmen’s Circle http://www.workmenscircleboston.org/mideast-peace
for a vigil that recognizes the common humanity of both
Israelis and Palestinians and the complexity of resolving the cycle of violence.
If you are in agreement with the following general concepts, we urge you to join
us.
·
End the violence on both sides. Negotiated ceasefire
now!
·
All lives are equally precious and worthy of respect,
Palestinian and Israeli
·
It’s not possible to understand the current violence in a
vacuum and without considering the complex narratives of both Palestinians and
Israelis
·
There is no military solution
·
More than ever we need a comprehensive diplomatic solution;
ending the Occupation is part of that solution.
·
Palestinians and Israelis both have a right to security and
a viable homeland
Signs consistant with the above concepts will be
provided. Please do not bring your own signs or organizational banners. Thank
you for respecting this request
For more information contact Boston Workman’s Circle
at: info@circleboston.org or 616-566-6281
Mideast
Peace
Join us for an INTERFAITH SILENT VIGIL to call for an end to the
violence in Israel/Palestine: July 23, 5:30pm, Park Street Station.
Our work in support of a just
peace between Israel and the Palestinian people is guided by principles
developed by the Middle East Working Group and
adopted by the Board of Boston Workmen’s Circle:
•
Ending the
occupation
•
Establishing two viable states,
a homeland for the Jewish people and a homeland for the Palestinian
people
•
An end to the violence on all
sides
•
Making room for a diversity of
views
We are proud to stand up as a
progressive voice on Israel/Palestine in the Greater Boston Jewish community.
But that doesn’t mean we all agree on the path to security and peace. We strive
to foster an open and respectful environment in which a range of views can be
aired and discussed. Through educational programs, dialogue groups, and
membership forums, we grapple with many of the tough issues Jews face today
concerning the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
On The 75th Anniversary Year
Of The Defeat Of The Spanish Revolution- The Lessons Learned
From The Pen Of Frank Jackman
In July 1936 General Franco led a military
uprising against the legally elected Popular Front government in Spain which
set off three years of war, set off the Spanish Civil War, which proved to be a
prelude, a “dress rehearsal” for World War II. That uprising, the initial massively
popular fight against it by the leftist workers and peasants, and the ultimate victory
by Franco’s forces and a forty year “night of the long knives” reign of terror
in 1939 is filled with lessons for leftists today. Therefore it seems fitting to
me that while we are sadly commemorating the 75th anniversary of the
defeat I can pass on some lessons that others have drawn from that experience both
while the events were unfolding and later.
********Recently I have begun to post entries under the headline- “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By” and "Films To While Away The Class Struggle By"-that will include progressive and labor-oriented songs and films that might be of general interest to the radical public. I have decided to do the same for some books that may perk that same interest under the title in this entry’s headline. Markin
Book Review
Leon Trotsky-The Spanish Revolution-1931-1939
I have been interested, as a pro-Republican partisan, in the Spanish Civil War since I was a teenager. My first term paper was on this subject. What initially perked my interest, and remains of interest, is the passionate struggle of the Spanish working class to create its own political organization of society, its leadership of the struggle against Spanish Fascism and the romance surrounding the entry of the International Brigades, particularly the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the 15th Brigade, into the struggle.
Underlying my interests has always been a nagging question of how that struggle could have been won by the working class. The Spanish proletariat certainly was capable of both heroic action and the ability to create organizations that reflected its own class interests i.e. the worker militias and factory committees. Of all modern working class uprisings Spain showed the most promise of success. Russian Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky's writings on this period represent a provocative and thoughtful approach to an understanding of the causes of that failure. Moreover, with all proper historical proportions considered, his analysis has continuing value as the international working class confronts the one-sided class war being waged against it today.
The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 has been the subject of innumerable works from every possible political and military perspective possible. A fair number of such treatises, especially from those responsible for the military and political policies on the Republican side, are merely alibis for the disastrous policies that led to defeat. Trotsky's complication of articles, letters, pamphlets, etc. which make up the book reviewed here is an exception. Trotsky was actively trying to intervene in order implement a program of socialist revolution most of the active forces on the Republican side were fighting, or believed, they were fighting for. Thus, Trotsky's analysis brings a breath of fresh air to the historical debate. That in the end Trotsky could not organize the necessary cadres to carry out his program or meaningfully impact the unfolding events in Spain is one of the ultimate tragedies of that revolution. Nevertheless, Trotsky had a pretty good idea of what forces were acting as a roadblock to revolution and had a strategic conception of the road to victory.
The central question Trotsky addresses throughout the whole period under review here is the crisis of revolutionary leadership. That question entails, in short, a view that the objective conditions for the success of a socialist program for society had ripened. Nevertheless, until that time, despite several revolutionary upheavals, the international working class had not been successful anywhere except in backward Russia. Thus it is necessary to focus on what condition is missing that would assure success or at least put up a fight- witness the failure of the German Revolution in 1923). This is a continuation of an analysis that he developed in earnest in his struggle to fight the Stalinist degeneration of the Russian Revolution in the mid-1920's. It is a question that still remains to be resolved. The need to learn the lessons of the Russian Revolution and to extend the revolution internationally was thus not a merely a theoretical question. Spain, moreover, represented a struggle where the best of the various leftist forces were in confusion about how to move forward. Those forces could have profitable heeded Trotsky's advise.
Trotsky's polemics are highlighted by the article "The Lessons of Spain-Last Warning", his definitive assessment of the Spanish situation in the wake of the defeat of the Barcelona uprising in May 1937, They center on the failure of the Party of Marxist Unification (hereafter, POUM) to provide revolutionary leadership. That party, partially created by cadre formerly associated with Trotsky in the Spanish Left Opposition, failed on virtually every count. He had no illusions about the roadblock to revolution of the policies carried out by the old-time Anarchist, Socialist and Communist Parties. Unfortunately the POUM did. Moreover, despite being the most honest revolutionary party in Spain it failed to keep up an intransigent struggle to push the revolution forward. The Trotsky - Andreas Nin (key leader of the POUM and former Left Oppositionist) correspondence in the Appendix makes that problem painfully clear.
The most compelling example of this failure - As a result of the failure of the Communist Party of Germany to oppose the rise of Hitler in 1933 and the subsequent decapitation and the defeat of the Austrian working class in 1934 the European workers especially the younger workers of the traditional Socialist Parties started to move left. Trotsky observed this situation and told his supporters to intersect that situation by entry into those parties. Nin, and later the POUM failed to do that. As a result the Socialist Party youth were recruited to the Communist Party en masse. This accretion formed the basic for its expansion as a party and key cadre of its notorious security apparatus that would after the Barcelona uprising suppress the more left-wing organizations. For more such examples of the results of the crisis of leadership in the Spanish Revolution read this book.
Reproductive
Justice Defense Action
After the Buffer
Zone law was struck down by the Supreme Court, anti-choice protestors have come
out in full force. In response, BFL has organized a clinic defense to support
reproductive rights and people in need of healthcare.
Saturday,
July 26th 9:30AM
Super
88 1 Brighton Ave Allston, MA 02134
We will be staging at the Super 88 market before
marching over together at 10AM
Sign
making event: https://www.facebook.com/events/730691773663376
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 | ||
 The Palestinian
death toll continues to rise, surpassing 500 as Israeli forces surrounded and
attacked Gaza communities such as Shujaiyeh. Israel ignored pleas to halt its
invasion from the Pope, the United Nations, and Civil Society around the world
and proclaimed instead that the invasion might last months. Please join us to
protest the horrendous slaughter in Gaza, and demand an immediate Israeli
withdrawal.. Outrage Against Israeli Massacre in Gaza: Boston Stands with Palestine
As Israel's
relentless bombardment of Gaza continues and Israel continues its murderous
invasion, join with thousands across the world in demanding an end to Israel's
collective punishment of Palestinians.
Take to the streets
on Tuesday at Copley Square:
July 22 starting at
5:30pm560
Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116
to stand in
solidarity with the Palestinian people and to demand an end to U.S. aid to
Israel, an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the
occupation.
To RSVP, please go
to https://www.facebook.com/events/256379791223750/
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Join Massachusetts Peace Action - or renew your membership today! Dues are $40/year for an individual, $65 for a family, or $10 for student/unemployed/low income. Members vote for leadership and endorsements, receive newsletters and discounts on event admissions. Donate now and you will be a member in good standing through December 2014! Your financial support makes this work possible!  Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 617-354-2169 • info@masspeaceaction.org • Follow us on Facebook or Twitter Click here to unsubscribe |
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Defend The Palestinian People! No U.S. Aid To Israel
John Fraud Kerry caught on mic: "it's a hell
of a pin-point operation" [more on this below, in the interview with Max
Blumenthal]
"It is absolutely devastating. It is much harder than I have seen before in 2006, 2009 and 2012, the attacks then.
It is targeting obviously residential areas and now also hospitals.This is not the first, unfortunately, attack on hospitals. The Israeli army is now directly shelling hospitals and killing patients and civilians. This, of course, is in violation of all international rules, and it is completely incomprehensible for me why the Israeli army is not stopped when they attack hospitals, ambulances and civilian populations. " ~Dr Mads Gilbert
"atrocious action" ~ U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemning the attack on Shejaiya
"It is absolutely devastating. It is much harder than I have seen before in 2006, 2009 and 2012, the attacks then.
It is targeting obviously residential areas and now also hospitals.This is not the first, unfortunately, attack on hospitals. The Israeli army is now directly shelling hospitals and killing patients and civilians. This, of course, is in violation of all international rules, and it is completely incomprehensible for me why the Israeli army is not stopped when they attack hospitals, ambulances and civilian populations. " ~Dr Mads Gilbert
"atrocious action" ~ U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemning the attack on Shejaiya
Sweden refuses Israeli president’s plane entry into its airspaceWhen Stockholm refused the plane permission to cross, the pilots were forced into a holding pattern over the Baltic Sea for 20 minutes until they were rerouted via Denmark's airspace. Peres's office blamed Stockholm, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry pointed the finger at the President's Office and the private airline company responsible for arranging the trip. Israel's Haartez newspaper reported the ministry saying that Peres's office had failed to follow the correct protocols, resulting in its intervention. The ministry said that it should have been arranging the flight all along, but Peres's office claimed that Sweden had approved it. The Swedish authorities said they had no knowledge of the flight. However, Israel's Shin Bet intelligence services verified that all permissions had been granted, but permission was later revoked for unknown reasons. VETERANS TO DELIVER LETTER TO ISRAELI AMBASSADOR: Stop the Slaughter of Palestinian Civilians in Gaza!Members of Veterans For Peace will deliver a letter to Israel's Embassy, 3514 International Dr. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008, at 1:30 pm Monday afternoon, July 21. The letter calls on the government of Israel to immediately halt the bombing of Palestinian civilians and to withdraw all its troops and military assets from Gaza. Colonel Ann Wright, who has visited Palestine and Israel several times, will head up the delegation.letter at above link video interview: F-16 Kills 24 Relatives After 72 Die in Shejaiya The Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip has
seen its bloodiest day so far, bringing the Palestinian death toll to more than
500. More than 100 Palestinians were killed in a 24-hour period between Saturday
and Sunday nights. The dead include 72 residents of one of Gaza’s poorest and
most densely populated neighborhoods. In the single worst attack to date,
Israeli forces shelled homes and fought militants in Shejaiya, leaving behind a
scene of carnage that survivors called a massacre. Frightened civilians fled
along streets strewn with dead bodies. Wounded residents bled to death in their
homes. An unconfirmed report said more than 20 children and 14 women were
killed. Scores of homes were destroyed. Hundreds of people were wounded and
taken to the overrun Shifa Hospital, which struggled to find room for the
bodies. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the attack on
Shejaiya as an "atrocious action." SHARIF ABDEL KOUDDOUS: Amy, I’ve come from the site of yet another massacre. Twenty-four members—at least 24 members of the same [Abu Jamaa] family were killed in their own home in an F-16 strike in Khan Younis. This happened last night at around Iftar, during the sunset call to prayer, the time that Muslims sit to break their fast. And an F-16 missile strike hit this family in their home as they were sitting down to eat. A grandmother, her three sons, their wives and all their children were killed. I went to the site where the house was. The house is completely gone. There’s only a crater left. The family says—the surviving family members said that they used two cranes and a bulldozer, working for 12 hours throughout the night, to retrieve all the bodies out. full interview at above link video interview: IDF Shells al-Aqsa Hospital; 5 Dead, Dozens Hurtexcerpt:DR. MADS GILBERT: Yes, I have unfortunate and breaking news to you in the United States. About 10 minutes ago, Israeli tanks shelled the hospital, al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, which is in the middle zone of Gaza. Four were killed, mainly patients treated in the surgical department, and 15 are injured. This is not the first, unfortunately, attack on hospitals. The Israeli army is now directly shelling hospitals and killing patients and civilians. This, of course, is in violation of all international rules, and it is completely incomprehensible for me why the Israeli army is not stopped when they attack hospitals, ambulances and civilian populations. ...The types of injuries that we’re seeing now—and the hospital is again being crowded in the emergency with new attacks—are shrapnels, blast injuries, burns and what you can see from artillery shell bombing. Lots of children still. ... there is one overwhelming need in Gaza now, and that is to stop the Israeli bombardment of Gaza. It is absolutely devastating. It is much harder than I have seen before in 2006, 2009 and 2012, the attacks then. It is targeting obviously residential areas and now also hospitals. full interview at above link video interview: U.S. Created Political Space for Israeli Assault on Gazaexcerpt:MAX BLUMENTHAL: "I don’t know if this was an accident (i.e., Kerry caught on mic) . This may have been staged by Kerry to save face for his bungled act of hollow diplomacy, which was actually a ruse to legitimize Netanyahu’s ground operation and create political space for the kind of massacres that we’ve been witnessing on this very broadcast. It was Kerry who helped draw up the sham ceasefire proposal, which was introduced by the coup regime of Egypt and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has jailed thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members who are political counterparts of Hamas, who hates Hamas, and who never presented this proposal to Hamas. Tony Blair served as the emissary between Sisi and Netanyahu. And the ceasefire was introduced to paint Hamas as rejectionists. Netanyahu openly declared that this ceasefire and Hamas’s rejection of it gave him all the political legitimacy he needed for the ground invasion. And now Kerry is criticizing the outcome of the ceasefire proposal that he introduced—the inevitable outcome—and now claiming that he wants to be flown back to the Middle East to negotiate a new ceasefire on the taxpayers’ dime. I call on John Kerry to refund the American taxpayers for all the jet fuel he’s wasted. He can dip into the Heinz family fortune if he needs to do that. This is an absolute failure of U.S. diplomacy and an abdication of leadership by Barack Obama, who says that he’s heartbroken by these images that he’s witnessing from the Gaza Strip as he oversees and authorizes the shipment of the very weapons that are used to bombard hospitals. In Deir al-Balah, the al-Aqsa Hospital was just attacked, and five are dead. Four were in surgery when they were killed. full interview at above link PHOTO: Brussels protests Israhell PHOTO right: NYC, London |
Defend The Palestinian People! No U.S. Aid To Israel
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Defend The Palestinian People! No U.S. Aid To Israel
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Defend The Palestinian People! No U.S. Aid To Israel
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Tuesday,
July 22, 2014, 5:30 pm
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