Announcements & Letters, October 22, 2009

The Power of Israel in the United States

Rulers and Ruled in the US Empire:  Bankers, Zionists, Militants 

Zionism, Militarism and the Decline of US Power

Palestinian Child Prisoners

A national tour to highlight the systematic and institutionalised ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children by the Israeli authorities, organised by Action for Palestinian Children and supported by Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Mohammad Abu Eid, from the occupied West Bank, was 14 years old when he was detained by the Israeli forces in February 2008 and accused of throwing stones at the Wall. Mohammad was beaten, interrogated in the absence of a lawyer and family member, deceived into signing a confession, prosecuted in a military court and sentenced to four months imprisonment inside Israel. Whilst in prison, he received no education and no family visits.

Mohammad, in the company of his mother, Somaya, will share their experiences with the audience to foster a better understanding of the situation facing Palestinian children.

We will also be joined by Gerard Horton, from Defence for Children International — Palestine, a lawyer working in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Abdelfattah Abusrour, President of Palestinian Theatre League; and at each meeting there will be additional testimony from our esteemed UK guests who have extensive knowledge of the region and the shocking situation facing vulnerable children.

All public meetings start at 7pm and finish at 9pm

Monday 2 November, Liverpool

Quaker Meeting House, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BT Chair: Betty Hunter Guest: Dr. Derek Summerfield

Tuesday 3 November, London

Mander Hall, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9BD Chair: Sir Geoffrey Bindman Guests: Baroness Helena Kennedy and Christine Blower

Wednesday 4 November, Sheffield

Quaker Meeting House, 10 St James Street, Sheffield S1 2EW Chair: Hugh Lanning Guest: Bruce Kent and Musheir El-Farra

Thursday 5 November, Oxford

Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX Chair: Victoria Brittain Guests: Danny Friedman and Karma Nabulsi

Designed by Mulberry Design

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seek to bring pressure on both the British and Israeli government to bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!

Palestine Solidarity Campaign Box BM PSA London WC1N 3XX

Tel:   020 7700 6192 Fax:  020 7609 7779

Email: info@palestinecampaign.org

Web: www.palestinecampaign.org

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Jews for Justice for Palestinians Public Meeting,

Monday 26 October at 7.00pm at SOAS
 
The Goldstone Report: Impact and Implications
 
Speakers
Daniel Machover of Hickman Rose, solicitor and co-founder of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights
Miri Weingarten Former oPt Director of Physicians for Human Rights - Israel
Dr Phyllis Starkey MP for Milton Keynes South West
Dr Ghada Karmi, Exeter Academic and author of “Married to Another Man”
 
Room G2 School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), 7.00-9.30 pm
10 Thornhaugh St, London, WC1H 0XG
Nearest Tube Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line
 
Chris Doyle
Director

CAABU (Council for Arab-British Understanding)
1 Gough Square, London, EC4A 3DE
Tel: 020 7832 1321  Fax: 020 7832 1329
www.caabu.org
CAABU is also on "Facebook"

Algeria Conference - 29 October

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Georgians, Organizing for America To Hold “Time to Deliver” Health Insurance Reform Events

Events in Macon, Fayetteville, Roswell and Savannah Detailed Below

Georgia events are part of many events Tuesday across the state and the country to build support for health insurance reform  

Georgia Organizing for America (OFA), a grassroots project of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) committed to supporting President Obama’s agenda for change, will hold ‘Time to Deliver’ health insurance reform events in Georgia Today (details at bottom).  OFA is working to set a record of 100,000 calls to Congress placed or committed to in a single day nationwide.  At events held in the evening local supporters of reform will watch a live simulcast of President Obama encouraging volunteers gathered from coast to coast to ask their neighbors, friends and family to call their members of Congress to show them that Georgians support health insurance reform. 

As momentum builds and we get closer than ever to reform, OFA volunteers from all across the country will attend these “Time to Deliver” events on Tuesday in living rooms, coffee shops and senior centers to continue building support for the President’s plan. 

The OFA events on Tuesday are part of a larger nationwide “Time to Deliver” effort that includes events from other organizations supporting health insurance reform across the country.  Throughout the day, members of the OFA email list will be encouraged to call their members of Congress by using OFA’s online neighbor-to-neighbor call tool. 

This effort comes at a critical time in the health insurance reform debate.  Since the summer, support for health insurance reform has been growing, and we're closer than ever to making reform a reality.  That's because at its core, the President’s reform will achieve three goals that are critical to all Americans— it will provide stability and security to those who have insurance, more quality, affordable choices to those who don't, and reign in the skyrocketing cost of health care for families, businesses and government. 

OFA is committed to building on and strengthening the historic grassroots network created during the campaign to elect President Obama. In recent weeks the group held events with doctors and health care professionals who shared their personal stories about America’s broken health care system.  Since June 6, OFA has held nearly 20,000 events in all 50 states and every congressional district encouraging support for President Obama's plan for health insurance reform. 

Fayetteville “Time to Deliver” Event

Women-to-Women Health Insurance Reform Phone Bank

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Fit 4 A New Life: Women’s Fitness Center

116 Beathea Rd., Ste. 112

Fayetteville, Ga.

Macon “Time to Deliver” Event

Women to Women Health Insurance Reform Phone Bank

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m.

The Double U Business Development Center

1680 Broadway

Macon, Ga.

Savannah “Time to Deliver” Event

Senior-to-Senior Health Insurance Reform Phone Bank

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Belzer Law firm

2905 Bull St.

Savannah, Ga.

Roswell “Time to Deliver” Event

Senior-to-Senior Health Insurance Reform Phone Bank

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Home of Shirley McDonald

1105 Allenbrook Lane ***Private residence, address not for publication

Roswell, Ga.

Joanne Peters

Regional Press Secretary

Democratic National Committee

desk: 202-488-5038

cell: 202-465-9546

email: petersj@dnc.org

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The UK must support the Goldstone Report on War Crimes in Gaza
 
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is urging members and supporters to contact the Foreign Office telling them that the UK must support action on the Goldstone Report.
 
Both Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post have reported that the UK will not be supporting the resolution on the Goldstone Report due to be voted on in the UN Human Rights Council today.
 
Sarah Colborne, PSC Director of Campaigns and Operations, said 'if the UK does not vote to implement the Goldstone Report, this will yet again send the message to Israel that it can commit war crimes with impunity. Our government must uphold human rights and international law - those responsible for killing over 1400 Palestinians in Gaza last December and January must be brought to justice.
 
The Goldstone Report calls for action on war crimes and for referral to the International Criminal Court - for the UK government not to implement this is an appalling denial of justice'.
 
Contact PSC:

020 7700 6192 or Sarah Colborne on 07971 424296.
 
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) aims to raise public awareness about the occupation of Palestine and the struggle of the Palestinian people. PSC seek to bring pressure on both the British and Israeli government to bring their policies in line with international law. PSC is an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members from communities across the UK. Join PSC today!
 
 
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Box BM PSA
London
WC1N 3XXTel:   020 7700 6192
Fax:  020 7609 7779
Email: info@palestinecampaign.org
Web: www.palestinecampaign.org

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STOP THE WAR COALITION 

NEWSLETTER   No. 1120 22 October 2009  
Email office@stopwar.org.uk  
Tel: 020 7801 2768  
Web: http://.stopwar.org.uk   ;  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
 
IN THIS NEWSLETTER  
1) FRIDAY IS LONDON TUBES DAY
2) SPEAKERS AT DEMONSTRATION RALLY  
3) WAR CRIMINAL STRAW FACES "ANTI-WAR" FASCIST 
4) IMPORTANT: MARBLE ARCH TUBE STATION   
5) ROBB JOHNSON'S AFGHANISTAN WAR SONG   
6) KEEP WEAPONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION GOING  
7) LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS' CONTACT DETAILS
 
******************************     
1) FRIDAY IS LONDON TUBES DAY
 
The campaign tempo for Saturday's Bring the Troops Home  
demonstration has been raised dramatically this week. So many    
leaflets have been distributed, particularly in London, that  
the office ran out and had to do an urgent re-order.
 
This was particularly important because Stop the War has  
designated Friday 23 October as London tube station day, when    
we've asked our local groups to leaflet as many tubes stations   
as possible.
 
We have listed at the end of this newsletter all London  
groups, together with contact names and telephone numbers. If    
you have any time at all to help leaflet the tubes, please  
contact your local group for details of when and where this is   
taking place.
 
******************************     
2) SPEAKERS AT DEMONSTRATION RALLY  

There is a varied list of speakers at the demonstration rally,   
who will make contributions in a range of formats. Speakers  
include:
 
* Serving soldier JOE GLENTON, facing court martial for  
refusing to return to Afghanistan;  
* Ex-soldier PAUL MCGURK, who left the army last month because   
he refused to continue fighting an unjustified war in
Afghanistan;  
* A number of relatives from military families, including  
PETER BRIERLEY, who famously refused to shake Tony Blair's  
hand because it "has my son's blood on it";  
* TARIQ ALI, GEORGE GALLOWAY MP and ANDREJ HUNKO MP from the  
German Die Linke party 
* Musicians ROBB JOHNSON (see below), LOWKEY and the KING  
BLUES;     
* Actors BILL PATERSON, KIKA MARKHAM and CORIN REDGRAVE, who  
will do readings and Naming the Dead commemorations.
 
CHECK THE STOP THE WAR WEBSITE FOR DEMONSTRATION UPDATES:  
http://stopwar.org.uk
 
Assemble 12 noon Hyde Park: March to Trafalgar Square
Called by Stop the War Coalition, CND and BMI  
The march will be lead by anti-war soldiers, ex-soldiers and  
military families
 
******************************     
3) WAR CRIMINAL STRAW FACES "ANTI-WAR" FASCIST
 
If there were any accountability for the Iraq war, Jack Straw    
- who was British foreign secretary at the time - would be  
indicted for war crimes. (See http://bit.ly/RmX66)
 
On the BBC's Question Time programme, Straw will debate with  
Nick Griffin, leader of the fascist British National Party,  
which opposes both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
 
No doubt Nick Griffin will have a field day highlighting Jack    
Straw's war crimes, but whatever the BNP says about Iraq and  
Afghanistan, it is not an anti-war party. It is a fascist  
organisation and its policies can only be carried through by a   
civil war against ethnic minorities and all those it regards  
as inferior.
 
Stop the War supports the campaigns which reveal the true  
nature of the BNP and which mobilise opposition to its fascist   
policies. Many of Stop the War's supporters will join the  
protest on Thursday 22 October against the BBC's decison to  
invite a fascist party to participate in its Question Time  
programme.
 
FOR STOP THE WAR'S STATEMENT ON THE BNP, SEE:  
http://bit.ly/6X2EI
 
******************************     
4) IMPORTANT: MARBLE ARCH TUBE STATION
 
Marble Arch Station, which is the nearest to the demonstration   
assembly point in Hyde Park, is closed all day Saturday.  
Please use Lancaster Gate, Bond Street or Hyde Park Corner  
tube stations.
 
******************************     
5) ROBB JOHNSON'S AFGHANISTAN WAR SONG
 
Renowned songwriter Robb Johnson will be appearing at the  
demonstration rally on Saturday. Stop the War has made his new   
song North West Frontier -- which is about the Afghanistan war   
-- our song of the week. You can hear it on the Stop the War  
website:  http://bit.ly/116gTa
 
******************************     
6) KEEP WEAPONS OF MASS COMMUNICATION GOING
 
Another British soldier was killed today in Afghanistan,  
highlighting yet again the importance of Saturday's  
demonstration. Please do all you can to spread the word in the   
last couple of days, not forgetting the weapons of mass  
communication to everyone you know: emails, texts, tweets,  
Facebook, etc.
 
******************************     
7) LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS CONTACT DETAILS
 
Live in London? Get involved with your local Stop the War  
Group. Help leaflet the tube stations on Friday 22 October.  
Find your local group below:
 
NORTH
* Bloomsbury, Isobel McMillan, 07951 199 672  
* Brent, Sarah Cox 07951 084 101  
* Camden, Liz Wheatley 07525 846 520  
* Haringey, Simon Hester 0773 606 4045   
* Wembley, Hind 07944 267 272
* Islington, Shirley Franklin 07958 745 802
 
SOUTH
* Southwark, Laura Harvey 07976 911 887  
* East Dulwich, Nicola Fields 07790 330 142  
* Croydon Dima, 07917 475 748
* Lambeth, Chris Blake 07766 601 777  
* Lewisham,  Michael Coulsten 07753 185 732  
* Wandsworth, John Clossick   020 7223 3483  
* Tooting (Wandsworth) Dave Esbester, 0208 646 5545, 07913 468   
659  
* Putney (Wandsworth) Pat Shearin 07931 679 459
 
EAST
* Tower Hamlets,  Jo Gough    07730 612 105  
* Newham, Andy Brown 07736 812 366  
* Waltham Forest, Carole Vincent 07982 875 032 
* Hackney,  Despina 07932 714 833
 
WEST
* Wimbledon James   07926 742 907  
* Richmond Sam Oxby, 07960 770 835  
* Kingston, Noel, 0208 395 2656  
* Twickenham, John Whits.     07812 348 845  
* Acton/Ealing, Iqbal   07773 577 461   
* Hounslow, Richard 07774 936 556  
* Ladbroke Grove, Giavanni  
* Hammersmith, Victoria 07887 943 194