From jamilah7 at hotmail.com Sat Jul 1 13:12:58 2006 From: jamilah7 at hotmail.com (Jamilah Shami) Date: Sat Jul 1 19:25:11 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Monday Protest in DC to End the Seige of Gaza - Dupont Circle - 5:00 to 6:30 PM Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060701/6b254300/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: EndtheSiegeofGaza-Announcement.doc Type: application/msword Size: 0 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060701/6b254300/EndtheSiegeofGaza-Announcement.doc From endviolence at carolmoore.net Sun Jul 2 10:12:14 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Mon Jul 3 04:12:36 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Five Activist Things to DO Monday, July 3.... Message-ID: <44A7FE6E.4060702@carolmoore.net> Monday, July 3 Camp Democracy Draft Website: www.campdemocracy.org Planning Meeting In Person or By Speaker Phone 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.Institute for Policy Studies 1112 16th St NW, Suite 600 Conference call in #: 918-222-7101 Noonish - Go down to the Folk Life Festival on the Mall between 7 & 14th Sts. and leaflet or talk to people walking by the big CATERPILLER tractor, like those Israelis use to demolish homes and kill Rachel Corrie in Palestine. http://www.folklife.si.edu/festival/2005/index.html July 3 MONDAY TROOPS OUT FAST Launch Ceremony at Ghandi's Statue 3 PM - Massachusetts Ave. and Q street, NW 5:00 protest End the Siege of Gaza Demonstrate Against Israeli Violations of Human Rights and International Law MONDAY, JULY 3rd 5:00 ? 6:30 P.M. Dupont Circle in Washington, DC 7:00 PM DC Guerrilla Poetry Insurgency Dupont Circle. Open mike for poetry, songs, political speeches ++++ NEW!! While drinking your morning coffee, check out Carol's blog http://carolmoorereport.blogspot.com See my report on the somatherapy workshop July 1st. We gotta do some in DC! If you love my blog, link to it from your site! From gael at codepinkalert.org Sun Jul 2 10:21:55 2006 From: gael at codepinkalert.org (Gael Murphy) Date: Mon Jul 3 04:12:37 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] REMINDER: Troops Home Fast July 3 - Fast begins July 4-Aug 14 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <0E35328F-F191-49B5-A0A8-F71072FC9011@codepinkalert.org> PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY CODEPINK Announces Troops Home Fast July 3 - Fast begins July 4 For info call 202 265 1671, dial 3 or email dc@codepinkalert.org or visit www.troopshomefast.org JULY 3 2 pm, Dupont Circle Meet the Grannies Peace Brigade as they conclude their trek from New York City to DC. We will walk together to the Gandhi Statue. 3 PM - Massachusetts Ave. and Q street, NW Launch Ceremony at Ghandi's Statue Join Diane Wilson, Dick Gregory, Cindy Sheehan, Rev. Yearwood, Ann Wright and other notables we're recruiting for our pre-fast ceremony, followed by a march to the White House 5 PM - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (in front of the White House) "Fast" Supper and Press Briefing. We will break bread together one last time. Food not Bombs is cooking dinner for 200 (first come, first serve). Fast begins at midnight. JULY 4 10 AM - 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (in front of the White House) Actions planned throughout events of the Day. Fast begins at Lafayette Park While many Americans will be expressing their patriotism on Independence Day via barbeques and fireworks, we'll be fasting in memory of the dead and wounded, and calling for independence from war, and for our nation to be the democracy it was created to be, not an empire. From 10 am to 7 pm we'll hold activities for fasters and supporters in front of the White House, and we will join July 4th activities around town. We would like to make this an historic hunger strike but we cannot do it alone. We are looking for volunteer and housing support. Please come to one of the volunteer meeting times below. We are also looking for housing through August 14th. Please check the housing board to confirm your listing or add a new listing. ON-GOING JULY 4-AUGUST 14 Peak fasting hours in front of the White House at 12-2 PM and 5-7 PM Workshops, sharings, demos, etc. offered daily. Lafayette Park - During ?peak hours? of the on-going fast - 12-2 PM and 5-7 PM daily we invite you to promote, learn, and share important information and skills about activism and the issues we all care about. Volunteer to lead a session email dc@codepinkalert.org or call 202 265 1671, dial 3. Why Fast? "Fasting is an institution as old as Adam." - Mahatma Gandhi Hunger strikes have been used to change policy and social wrongs for hundreds of years. Fasters publicly denied themselves food on the doorstep of the person committing an injustice, because it was considered shameful for someone to come to harm in your home, especially for a crime you committed. That's why the Troops Home Fast will take place at Bush's White House doorstep. The effectiveness of a hunger strike rests on the seriousness of the issue, and the gravity of putting one's body on the line. People have engaged in hunger strikes for an array of reasons; most notably to gain freedom, political participation, or to call attention to genocide. For our part, we are fasting to end the great suffering of war, bringing home the pain and injury of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers. We are joining a long tradition of strikes, some profoundly successful, others tragic, and almost all rooted in deep spirituality. Visit TroopsHomeFast.org to read more about hunger strikes and fasts as tools for positive social change. We follow in the footsteps of: Mahatma Gandhi, Suffragettes Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, Cesar Chavez, and many others. Show your support for this open-ended fast by committing to fast for one day -- July 4 -- plus as many more days as you can. As part of the fast we?ll be promoting important on-going grassroots campaigns, including the Voters for Peace pledge, the Cities for Peace local anti-war resolutions, and the Declaration of Peace. Http://www.TroopsHomeFast.org for more info. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060702/91fe9410/attachment.html From calendar at dcpalestine.org Mon Jul 3 02:16:06 2006 From: calendar at dcpalestine.org (calendar@dcpalestine.org) Date: Mon Jul 3 04:12:38 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Upcoming DC-Palestine Events: wk of 2006-7-3 Message-ID: <200607030916.k639G2n2029233@ebte.umd.edu> Visit our sister site: http://triptopalestine.com/ New photos and articles added from a recent visit This is a list of upcoming events in the DC Metro Area relating to Palestine. The list is automatically generated by the calendar engine at DCPalestine.org . For more details on each event, please visit www.DCPalestine.org, AND BE SURE TO CHECK IT BEFORE YOU ATTEND YOUR EVENT FOR LAST MINUTE CHANGES! ========================= T H I S W E E K ========================= MONDAY, July 03, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DEMONSTRATION: END THE SIEGE OF GAZA TIME: 5:00 to 6:30 PM LOCATION: Dupont Circle CONTACT: 703.628.4186 jamilah7@hotmail.com Demonstrate Against Israeli Violations of Human Rights and International Law All People of Good Conscience Raise Your Voices – Bring Your Signs Israel could not carry out its crimes against the Palestinian people without YOUR tax dollars. Humanitarian Crisis Most of the population of Gaza’s 1.4 mill ... ........................................................................ WEDNESDAY, July 05, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILM: KINGS AND EXTRAS: DIGGING FOR A PALESTINIAN IMAGE TIME: 6:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro Stop SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 info@palestinecenter.org The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 5 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. ... ........................................................................ FRIDAY, July 07, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BRIEFING: INSIDE THE GENDER JIHAD: WOMEN'S REFORM IN ISLAM TIME: 6:30pm-8:00pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1290 (ext. 11) rsvp@palestinecenter.org Friday, 7 July 2006 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Amina Wadud Author of the new release, Inside the Gender Jihad "Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam" The struggle, or jihad, on behalf of women's rights and gender reform in traditionally Muslim societies has not yielded easy or obvious results. Progres ... ........................................................................ ========================= N E X T W E E K ========================= MONDAY, July 10, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILM: SACRED SPACE DENIED: BETHLEHEM AND THE WALL TIME: 10:00am LOCATION: The United Methodist Building –100 DIRECTIONS: Maryland Avenue NE Conference room #3 Washington D.C. SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace CONTACT: 202-258-0569 john.salzberg@verizon.net Come join us to view: “Sacred Space Denied: Bethlehem and the Wall” by Peter Nagle Monday, July 10 - at 10 am The United Methodist Building –100 Maryland Avenue NE Conference room #3 Washington D.C. Peter Nagle recounts his experience on facing the situation in Bethlehem: “In December ... ........................................................................ WEDNESDAY, July 12, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILM: PARADISE NOW TIME: 6:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro Stop SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 info@palestinecenter.org The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. ... ........................................................................ BRIEFING: HAMAS: PAST & PRESENT TIME: 12:30-2:00pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 ext.11 rsvp@thejerusalemfund.org Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. Dr. John Voll Associate Director, Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and Amjad Atallah President, Strategic Assessments Initiative "Hamas: Past & Present" The past year has seen much change in the Palestinian political arena ... ........................................................................ ==================== DETAILS OF THIS WEEK'S EVENTS =================== Demonstration: END THE SIEGE OF GAZA Demonstrate Against Israeli Violations of Human Rights and International Law All People of Good Conscience Raise Your Voices – Bring Your Signs Israel could not carry out its crimes against the Palestinian people without YOUR tax dollars. Humanitarian Crisis Most of the population of Gaza’s 1.4 million resident has been left without water and electricity. The destroyed power station provided power to the majority of Gaza's residents and supplied power essential to the functioning of the water system, sewage treatment, and medical treatment. An estimated 72% of Palestinians are either unemployed or working without pay as the US-led sanctions against the Palestinian Authority proceed. The economic crisis in Gaza is particularly bleak, as movement restrictions and border closures imposed by Israel have prevented adequate humanitarian aid from reaching the majority of the population of Gaza. Officials have indicated that Gaza is only days away from a deadly humanitarian crisis. Prisoners While a great outcry is heard in the mass media about one captured Israeli soldier, the same media pays no attention to the 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners being held illegally under terrible conditions in Israeli prisons. At least 335 of these prisoners are children. Palestinian prisoners are systematically tortured by Israel, the only country in the world that has legalized torture. Israel in Violation of International Law Israeli is granted tacit approval by the international community for its policies of collective punishment while the US and EU implement sanctions against the Palestinian people. Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention provides, "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited." Israel is using weapons supplied by the United States to target Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip in violation of the US Arms Export Control Act. We must hold Israel accountable for its abhorrent actions in the Gaza Strip and for the arrests of Palestinian government officials. We must call attention to the fact that these grave violations of international law and human decency are funded by our US tax dollars and are carried out with the use of US military equipment. Israel receives more than $ 3,000,000,000 in military and economic aid from the US each year. ........................................................................ Film: KINGS AND EXTRAS: DIGGING FOR A PALESTINIAN IMAGE The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 5 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. "Kings and Extras: Digging for a Palestinian Image" Director: Azza El-Hassan / Palestine, Germany 2004 / 62 min. Location: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro The films of the PLO Media Unit, created to show a self-determined image of Palestinian reality, went missing during the Israeli invasion of Beirut in 1982. In a "road-movie" from Palestine to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, the director Azza El-Hassan follows the contradicting and confusing clues as to the whereabouts of the lost archive. The increasingly absurd search finally leads her to a martyr's graveyard, where the films are said to be buried. The film reflects the situation in the Middle East - a failed revolution, the problematic relationship with the Arab neighbors, and the question of a Palestinian identity today. This annual summer film series highlights recent documentary and feature films from and about Palestine that explore the social, cultural and political complexities of Palestinian life and identity. All films are screened at The Palestine Center and begin promptly at 6:30pm. All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public. Registration is not required; however, seating is limited. Directions and Parking Information. For all other inquiries, contact Jessica Robertson Wright, The Jerusalem Fund Cultural Coordinator, at (202) 338-1958. ........................................................................ Briefing: INSIDE THE GENDER JIHAD: WOMEN'S REFORM IN ISLAM Friday, 7 July 2006 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Amina Wadud Author of the new release, Inside the Gender Jihad "Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam" The struggle, or jihad, on behalf of women's rights and gender reform in traditionally Muslim societies has not yielded easy or obvious results. Progressive scholars argue that the Prophet Mohammed and early imams were supportive of women's rights given the Qur'anic protection of their rights to inheritance, divorce and fair treatment by their husbands, but those tangible issues are not all that face contemporary Muslim women living in both Muslim and non-Muslim societies. Are Muslim women's rights better served by international human rights standards and instruments or by Shari'a law, or a combination of both? Who is capable of carrying out change-political leaders, Islamic scholars and sheikhs or civil society organizations? What future is there for reform within Islam? Grounded in her interpretive reading of the Qu'ran as developed in her 1999 book Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective (Oxford University Press), which validates the female voice in the Qu'ran and argues that it is not the sacred texts but patriarchal interpretations of them that allow the oppression of women, Dr. Amina Wadud's latest book Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam (Oneworld Publications, 2006) takes the reader inside the arguments for and efforts toward women's rights and reform within Islam. It addresses the social and political issues facing Muslim women today, from the state of Muslim women's studies as a discipline in mainstream academia to the role of Muslim women in the domestic space, as well as the contemporary trends, social movements and political realities that herald a new look at the sacred tradition more generally. Currently on a speaking tour, Wadud is a professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. An African-American Muslim scholar and mother of five, she gained international press attention in March 2005 when she led the Friday prayers for a group of Muslim men and women at a Catholic cathedral in NYC after three mosques refused to host the service and an area art gallery was "persuaded" not to by a bomb threat. Her outspoken views on Islam have caused a backlash both at home and abroad, but she continues to lead services and lecture widely about gender reform within Islam. Holding a doctorate in Islamic Studies and Arabic from the University of Michigan, she has taught at the Harvard Divinity School and the International Islamic University of Malaysia. This evening lecture and book signing is free and open to the public. However, registration is required as space is limited. RSVP by calling (202) 338-1290 (ext. 11) or emailing your name, affiliation and contact information to rsvp@palestinecenter.org. The speaker's remarks will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a book signing. Copies of her latest book, Inside the Gender Jihad, will be on sale before and after the lecture. Please register no later than 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, 5 July 2006. The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, District of Columbia 20037 United States Tel. (202) 338-1290 www.thejerusalemfund.org/palestinecenter/index.php ........................................................................ ====================== E N D O F E V E N T S ======================= If you wish to submit an event please contact your group's DCPalestine representative or e-mail events@dcpalestine.org . Copyright (c) 2003, DCPalestine.org. All rights reserved. Designed and administered by Spidy.net - No one masters the Web like Spidy! From jsmacdonald at riseup.net Tue Jul 4 07:33:54 2006 From: jsmacdonald at riseup.net (Jim Macdonald) Date: Tue Jul 4 07:36:11 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Yes, there is a DAWN meeting tonight Message-ID: <1951.jsmacdonald.1152023634.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> It is the 4th of July, and DAWN intends to have its general meeting at 7PM at 2211 14th Street NW (offices of AFSC, between W and Florida). Wars don't stop for Independence Day, and so neither are we. In fact, come to tonight's meeting, and we'll be starting the meeting by discussing a possible action to close our meeting with. The facilitators tonight are Jeff and I. So, if you don't celebrate July 4, or if you do but want to do something very different on the 4th, consider coming on out and getting involved. There's exciting news to share about the next action at the home of Director of National Intelligence and former Ambassador John Negroponte on July 21 (which is his birthday). A filmmaker of a 1-hour documentary called "The Ambassador" wants to come to a showing before the action and participate in the next action at his home. If you'd like to become involved with that, with numerous other projects, or want to start one of your own, come on down. DAWN meetings are open to everyone interested in working against US militarization abroad and at home. Of special note, DAWN works to be a space friendly for people with disabilities; if you have one, let us know how we might facilitate your participation. It is also an artist friendly space; please feel free to work on art during the meetings or express your responses in song while fully participating in the meeting. From david.etheridge at verizon.net Wed Jul 5 14:47:48 2006 From: david.etheridge at verizon.net (David Etheridge) Date: Wed Jul 5 14:54:31 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Re: Peace vigil at the US Capitol on July 8 Message-ID: <001601c6a07c$a9223ce0$6500a8c0@Study> Please join us in a Peace Vigil at noon on Saturday July 8 on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It. --Psalms 34:14" The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one of us responds to the occasional questions about why we are there. For more information see http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060705/d55b7788/attachment.html From jamilah7 at hotmail.com Wed Jul 5 18:21:22 2006 From: jamilah7 at hotmail.com (Jamilah Shami) Date: Wed Jul 5 18:24:34 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Demonstration at Israeli Embassy Thursday at 4:30 PM Message-ID: PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release July 5, 2006 MAS Freedom Foundation to Hold Major Rally Thursday, July 6 - Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC (Washington, DC, 7/5/2006) - Responding to the recent Israeli military incursion in Gaza and looming humanitarian crisis resulting from aid cuts to the Palestinian people, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation will be leading a major demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy on Thursday, July 6 at 4:30 pm. MAS Freedom is sponsoring the rally as part of its ongoing Justice for Palestine campaign. WHAT: Rally and demonstration protesting Israels military invasion of Gaza. WHEN: Thursday, July 6, 4:30 p.m. WHERE: In front of Israeli embassy at 3514 International Drive NW (between Connecticut Avenue and Reno Road), Washington, DC 20008 The demonstration will feature representatives from national Muslim and Arab organizations, the United Church of Christ, American Friends, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and national Human Rights agencies. Additionally, rallies are being coordinated by MAS Freedom chapters in New York, Texas, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. The rallies are being held to heighten American public awareness of the political and humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people and the need for peace and stability in the region. CONTACT: Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom Foundation at 202-496-1288 or 202-421-3623 or E-mail: mas4freedom@aol.com or 202-544-3389 From olivetrii at gmail.com Thu Jul 6 05:47:38 2006 From: olivetrii at gmail.com (Ethan X) Date: Thu Jul 6 05:51:14 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Sun July 9 * Reclaim Our Fate! Climate, Energy and Global Justice * People's Summit in DC In-Reply-To: <1e9e1b2a0607060542g2fb34481uadf487f2daef4e3d@mail.gmail.com> References: <1e9e1b2a0607060540l64210d03obce56362624795cd@mail.gmail.com> <1e9e1b2a0607060542g2fb34481uadf487f2daef4e3d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1e9e1b2a0607060547q7a5eb284m9609474dce0e2d9c@mail.gmail.com> Reclaim Our Fate! People's Summit on Climate, Energy and Global Justice SUNDAY JULY 9th WASHINGTON, DC Featuring vegan burritos, with workshops & trainings for all! Rising Tide North America & Mobiliztion for Gobal Justice present: Kicking off DC's Gr8 Eight Days of Resistance against the G8 * At the People's Media Center and AlFishawy Cafe * - 4132 Georgia Avenue, NW * SUNDAY July 9th, noon-midnight* (doors open 11:30 am -- see schedule below) A *FREE* half-day Teach-In, followed by Action Spokes meeting and Benefit Concert * On July 9th in Washington, DC, join activists speaking out on Climate Change and the "Energy Crisis." * As Global Justice movements plan worldwide protests opposing the July 15-17 2006 G8 Summit in Russia -- where world leaders including Bush will meet to cement agreement on their enforcement of wartime "energy security" policies and that threaten the Earth and communities everywhere with invasion, ecological disaster and economic collapse -- -- we will gather to reclaim the deb8te and our f8te from domin8tion by the Group of 8, eight of the world's largest consumerist countries. THEY want massive expansion of nuclear power plants worldwide AND trillions of dollars in new subsidies to the fossil fuel industries responsible for increasing clim8te ch8os and wars...*BUT WE WILL CREATE A DIFFERENT FATE!!* * SUNDAY July 9th, noon-midnight * (doors open 11:30 am -- see schedule below) * At the People's Media Center and AlFishawy Cafe * - 4132 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington DC (between Upshur & Taylor, 3 blocks North of Petworth metro Station on the green line, Bus #70/71/62/64) * * 12 to 1:45 -- Climate Science 101 and Direct Action Strategies to stop Climate Catastrophe*. Presented by Climate Crisis Coalitionand Rising Tide North America * * 2 to 3:45 -- The Mountain Justice Movement to save Southern Appalachia's Mountains from Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining -- and Energy Alternatives that Don't Suck! *Presented by Mountain Justice Summeractivists and Energy Justice Network * * 4 to 5:45 -- Oil and Empire, Bombs and Poverty ... For Global Justice, Against War: Linking Our Movements, Before It's Too Late! * Discussion facilitated DC Anti-War Network and Mobilization for Global Justice activists * PLUS trainings (Legal, Medical, Direct Action Tactics)* for affinity groups and individuals participating in non-violent direct action with the July 10-16 DC Gr8 Week of Resistance to the G8's Great Greed ! Teach-In organized by Rising Tide North Americaand Mobilization for Global Justice , Sponsored by Reclaim the Commons. * Visit www.rtc.revolt.org and e-mail reclaimthecommons@gmail.com for more details * *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *AND AFTER THE TEACH-IN!!* 6-midnight -- $5 vegetarian dinner-n-drink ( No Alcohol ) 6:30 pm -- *Action Spokescouncil* meeting for DC Week of Resistance to the G8 ** 8-midnight -- *Benefit Concert* for "Green Scare" imprisoned environmental activists and for the July 15th International Day of Direct Action against Climate Change ** OPEN TO ALL! With Mosquito Death Squadon (art/experimental rock) and Vilde Fiero (political funk female duo) TBA $5 donation suggested (no one turned away). ** The Green Scare is a federal round-up environmental and animal rights activists, which The National Lawyer's Guild among others has condemned as unconstitutional. Officially called "Operation Backfire", this wide-scale orchestrated investigation of activists uses paid informants, warrantless spying on a range of organizations, and threats of severe sanctions to leverage fear of conviction under unprecedented penalties for property crimes. 888-NLG-ECOLAW is a hotline established to support these activists. Visit www.greenscare.org for more info on solidarity with Green Scare victims. ** The G8, or Group of 8, is the seven wealthiest industrialized nations in the world plus Russia. They officially meet once a year to strategize policies and plan their joint domination of the world, and in recent years have been confronted by intense popular demonstrations wherever they go. The political heads of these countries -- the U.S., Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan -- are pushing the agenda of corporate globalization at the cost of the welfare of the people they claim to represent. We take to the streets when the G8 meets to reject their worldview of profit at any cost, and to reclaim our commons of autonomous political space. Authentic democracy or corporate oligarchy? The choice is ours... * ***************************** * *RELCAIM OUR FATE! RESIST THE G8!* Visit www.rtc.revolt.org for frequent updates about global resistance to the July 15-17 2006 G8 Summit. Contact reclaimthecommons@gmail.com reclaimthecommons@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060706/62f2f7f4/attachment-0001.html From catsambol at aol.com Thu Jul 6 06:18:20 2006 From: catsambol at aol.com (catsambol@aol.com) Date: Thu Jul 6 06:39:45 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] march and rally with franklin shelter residents, Tuesday July 11 8:30 a.m. Message-ID: <20060706131820.30724.qmail@host332.ipowerweb.com> SHOW YOUR SUPPORT TUESDAY, JULY 11 at 8:30 a.m. March and rally with FRANKLIN SHELTER RESIDENTS We Are Not Surplus People! Franklin is Not Surplus Property! March from: 13TH & K Sts. NW at 8:30 a.m. To a 9 a.m. Rally at the John A. Wilson Building: 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW ( Located across from Freedom Plaza about 2 blocks from Metro Center on the red, orange, and blue lines ) For more information please contact the Committee to Save Franklin Shelte: savefranklinshelter@yahoo.com Franklin Shelter Residents Have This to Say to Council Member Evans: WE ARE WARD 2 RESIDENTS WHO DESERVE A VOICE! THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL PROPERTY NEEDS TO BE RENOVATED TO BENEFIT ITS RESIDENTS, NOT TO SUBSIDIZE A WEALTHY DEVELOPER! Jack Evans believes that the Franklin School property is too valuable to be used for an emergency shelter for the homeless. Indeed, the building is assessed at $10.3 million. Yet a 29 year lease has been signed with Western Development Corporation (WDC) to turn the shelter into a hip hotel at a rental rate of $9.76 per square foot: this is less than 25% of the average rate of $44.56 per square foot in this area of the city. Why is Jack Evans willing to subsidize a wealthy developer but unwilling to invest in District residents who work, pay taxes, and vote? Herb Miller, the developer and managing member of WDC, used to be Jack Evanss neighbor. Since the council member doesnt know us as well as he knows Herb Miller, he may not know that about two thirds of the 275 Franklin residents work. Many of us have worked as carpenters, plumbers, accountants, and electricians. We are now forced to accept temporary jobs where we are grossly under-compensated for our skills; many of us earn as little as $30-40 per day. We spend our wages inside the District, benefiting local businesses and contributing to the citys tax base. We could contribute significantly more if given an opportunity to earn living wages and get out of the shelter system. Efforts to revitalize the city have left us behind If he met with us, the Council member would find that we are the ones who are under-utilized, not the run down building which houses us. He would recognize the value of supporting investment in us through redeveloping the property and providing services within the facility, including credit counseling and skills enhancement. Franklin Shelter could provide a model for the entire country to follow, instead of becoming the third shelter in four years to be shut down, forcing more residents to sleep in downtown streets and doorways. The Council member has likely passed many of us on the street. We look like everyone else, coming to and from our jobs. If he met with us, he might recognize the value of investing in us instead of giving away city property to wealthy developers. The city council has never declared Franklin Shelter to be surplus property and has never approved the plan to turn it into a hotel, so the legality of the deal is in question. Herb Miller can find other properties from which to profit, but there is no alternative downtown location for shelter for 275 Franklin Shelter residents. Call, email, fax, or write Council member Evans: Tell him to support investment in Franklin Shelter! Jack Evans 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 106 Washington, DC 20004 202.724.8058 phone 202.724.8023 fax jackevans@dccouncil.us From david at davidswanson.org Thu Jul 6 08:33:48 2006 From: david at davidswanson.org (David Swanson) Date: Thu Jul 6 08:53:29 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Cindy Sheehan to Move Camp to National Mall Message-ID: <041801c6a111$b9ce5160$6401a8c0@A25BD8260D5F438> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 7626 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060706/b65cd0da/attachment.jpe From endviolence at carolmoore.net Thu Jul 6 09:16:19 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Thu Jul 6 09:22:19 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Today Thurs 4:30Pm Demonste at Israeli Embassy Message-ID: <44AD3753.9070901@carolmoore.net> Be There! PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release July 5, 2006 MAS Freedom Foundation to Hold Major Rally Thursday, July 6 - Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC (Washington, DC, 7/5/2006) - Responding to the recent Israeli military incursion in Gaza and looming humanitarian crisis resulting from aid cuts to the Palestinian people, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation will be leading a major demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy on Thursday, July 6 at 4:30 pm. MAS Freedom is sponsoring the rally as part of its ongoing Justice for Palestine campaign. WHAT: Rally and demonstration protesting Israel?s military invasion of Gaza. WHEN: Thursday, July 6, 4:30 p.m. WHERE: In front of Israeli embassy at 3514 International Drive NW (between Connecticut Avenue and Reno Road), Washington, DC 20008 The demonstration will feature representatives from national Muslim and Arab organizations, the United Church of Christ, American Friends, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and national Human Rights agencies. Additionally, rallies are being coordinated by MAS Freedom chapters in New York, Texas, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. The rallies are being held to heighten American public awareness of the political and humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people and the need for peace and stability in the region. CONTACT: Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom Foundation at 202-496-1288 or 202-421-3623 or E-mail: mas4freedom@aol.com or 202-544-3389 To join Al-Awda DC, send an email to: Al-Awda-DC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: Al-Awda-DC-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Al-Awda-DC/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Al-Awda-DC-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From david at davidswanson.org Thu Jul 6 12:39:12 2006 From: david at davidswanson.org (David Swanson) Date: Thu Jul 6 12:40:41 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] DC Impeachment Teach-In Message-ID: <094701c6a133$dfb3e2b0$6401a8c0@A25BD8260D5F438> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 38075 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060706/ff89c763/attachment.gif From nparry at mail.com Fri Jul 7 05:23:01 2006 From: nparry at mail.com (Nat Parry) Date: Fri Jul 7 08:09:20 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Fw: Announcing Camp Democracy Message-ID: <20060707122306.0CD581BF28C@ws1-1.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Democrats.com" To: nparry@mail.com Subject: Announcing Camp Democracy Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 00:36:35 -0400 Announcing Camp Democracy Cindy Sheehan to Move Camp to National Mall Cindy Sheehan and activists in the growing peace movement plan to move Camp Casey to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., September 8 - 21. The camp on the Mall will carry the name Camp Democracy at Fort Fed Up. Organizers intend the camp to bring together peace activists with activists for social justice, united in demanding a shift of public resources from war to the needs of people. Participants will lobby Congress to end all funding of the occupation of Iraq, and will demand that Congress hold the Bush Administration accountable for the falsehoods that launched the war and the abuses of power here at home that have accompanied it. Camp Democracy is launching an outreach effort to include organizations in the planning of the camp's activities, which are all in the initial stages. Organizations already on board are listed on the website: http://campdemocracy.org Participating organizations and guest experts and celebrities will provide workshops and training sessions on a wide range of issues, as well as on communications, voter registration, nonviolent civil disobedience, lobbying, organizing, media production, and performance arts. Congress Members and congressional candidates will take part. Local elected officials will instruct attendees on participation in local government. Musicians will perform concerts. New films will be shown on a large screen. Participants will acquire useful skills while demanding fundamental change. Individuals can sign up and plan to come: http://campdemocracy.org/user/2 And volunteer to help: http://campdemocracy.org/about Organizations, large and small, can sign up to participate: http://campdemocracy.org/node/3 Organizations, trainers, speakers, educators, and performers should propose activities that they believe would benefit thousands of citizens who want to work for change: http://campdemocracy.org/node/4 Internet activists, and anyone with a blog or a website, can help by posting this information and link to the website using this link: [IMAGE] http://www.campdemocracy.org READ PRESS RELEASE: http://campdemocracy.org/release _____________ Paid Announcement THE GREEN GUIDE: "THE GREEN LIVING SOURCE FOR TODAY'S CONSCIOUS CONSUMER" What products should you buy organic and why? Which fish are safe to eat? Can you keep your home clean without toxic chemicals? How can you be green in home furnishings and home improvements? The Green Guide answers these questions and so much more. The Green Guide is the go-to source for green home tips, product reviews, environmental health and wellness information, and green living advice. Get well-researched, credible answers to your most important questions about everyday health and environmental issues for yourself and your family. Learn more about The Green Guide's special, limited-time offer, including over $350 in discounts on green products and services! _____________ Medea Benjamin Records PSA for AfterDowningStreet [IMAGE] Listen here: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/benjamin.mp3 _____________ National Impeachment Teach-In July 21, 2006 ? 6 to 8 p.m. Busboys and Poets Restaurant 2021 14th St. NW Washington, D.C. Watch a screening of the 30-minute documentary HOW TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT, produced by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). Then join a discussion with David Swanson, Cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Jamie Raskin, professor of constitutional law at American University; Gael Murphy, Cofounder of CODE PINK: Women for Peace; Steve Cobble, Cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org, and Andy Shallal, Founder of Iraqi Americans for Peaceful Alternatives. [IMAGE] FLYER IS HERE: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/july21flyer.pdf ____________________ FORWARD THIS EMAIL ##### If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe at: http://afterdowningstreet.org To unsubscribe from AfterDowningStreet Updates, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=nparry@mail.com&fieldname=L16 To unsubscribe from all Democrats.com mailings, click here: http://archive.democrats.com/unsub.cfm?email=nparry@mail.com&fieldname=L1 -- ___________________________________________________ Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060707/441692d0/attachment-0001.html From endviolence at carolmoore.net Sat Jul 8 05:35:49 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Sun Jul 9 08:05:06 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] July 13, RSVP 10th: Former CIA Head Invitation: The National Security State, Part II Message-ID: <44AFA6A5.1080407@carolmoore.net> logo * *The Center for International Policy/ cordially invites you to:/ *The National Security State: Part II* Intelligence Gathering and Its Challenges for Human Rights /Featuring/ ADMIRAL STANSFIELD TURNER Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency DAVID COLE Professor, Georgetown Law Center Legal affairs correspondent, /The Nation/ ELISA MASSIMINO Washington D.C. Director, Human Rights First Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University /Moderator: / Dr. Melvin Goodman Director, National Security Program Center for International Policy Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:30AM-Noon Choate Room || Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW || Washington, D.C. 20036 /Breakfast provided/ Please RSVP by July 10 to Carl Gray at nationalsecurity@ciponline.org If From david at davidswanson.org Sat Jul 8 11:54:07 2006 From: david at davidswanson.org (David Swanson) Date: Sun Jul 9 08:05:07 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] DC Impeachment Teach-In Message-ID: <01d301c6a2bf$e4e60190$6401a8c0@A25BD8260D5F438> FLYER: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/july21flyer.pdf National Impeachment Teach-In July 21, 2006 - 6 to 8 p.m. Busboys and Poets Restaurant 2021 14th St. NW Washington, D.C. Watch a screening of the 30-minute documentary HOW TO IMPEACH A PRESIDENT, produced by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR). Then join a discussion with David Swanson, Cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Jamie Raskin, professor of constitutional law at American University; Gael Murphy, Cofounder of CODE PINK: Women for Peace; Steve Cobble, Cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org, and Andy Shallal, Founder of Iraqi Americans for Peaceful Alternatives. Plus special guest, online impeachment leader Kagro X, who will reveal his offline identity. The Center for Constitutional Rights, America's leading group of constitutional scholarship and activism, has developed a legal case for the impeachment of George W. Bush. Now, in collaboration with Melville House Books and citizens across the United States, they are sponsoring a "National Teach-In." www.articlesofimpeachment.net www.busboysandpoets.com www.afterdowningstreet.org www.codepink4peace.org Free and Open to the Public FLYER: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/july21flyer.pdf -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060708/7143b807/attachment.html From yadayadayadadc at yahoo.com Sun Jul 9 18:37:40 2006 From: yadayadayadadc at yahoo.com (jose rodriguez) Date: Sun Jul 9 19:00:51 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] hungry for peace - troops out fast Message-ID: <20060710013740.27502.qmail@web51814.mail.yahoo.com> please circulate to your address book greetings in lafayette park under some trees in front of the white house some l0 - 15 brave men and women have been fasting (since july 3rd) to bring the troops home from this senseless war some are engaged in a water only fast others a fruit juice fast the fast does take a toll on their health and energy and as the fast grows longer and the heat of the summer saps their strength your kind words of encouragement and support will be all they have as they challenge themselves and the powers that be to end this war the fasters are in front of the white house 10 am - 7 pm everyday visit them during your lunch hour or after work or join them (there are several thousand fasting around the country) they need your support and your love in stopping this war and the next one jose __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com From calendar at dcpalestine.org Mon Jul 10 02:16:05 2006 From: calendar at dcpalestine.org (calendar@dcpalestine.org) Date: Mon Jul 10 04:01:03 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Upcoming DC-Palestine Events: wk of 2006-7-10 Message-ID: <200607100916.k6A9G1X9013300@ebte.umd.edu> Visit our sister site: http://triptopalestine.com/ New photos and articles added from a recent visit This is a list of upcoming events in the DC Metro Area relating to Palestine. The list is automatically generated by the calendar engine at DCPalestine.org . For more details on each event, please visit www.DCPalestine.org, AND BE SURE TO CHECK IT BEFORE YOU ATTEND YOUR EVENT FOR LAST MINUTE CHANGES! ========================= T H I S W E E K ========================= MONDAY, July 10, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILM: SACRED SPACE DENIED: BETHLEHEM AND THE WALL TIME: 10:00am LOCATION: The United Methodist Building –100 DIRECTIONS: Maryland Avenue NE Conference room #3 Washington D.C. SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace CONTACT: 202-258-0569 john.salzberg@verizon.net Come join us to view: “Sacred Space Denied: Bethlehem and the Wall” by Peter Nagle Monday, July 10 - at 10 am The United Methodist Building –100 Maryland Avenue NE Conference room #3 Washington D.C. Peter Nagle recounts his experience on facing the situation in Bethlehem: “In December ... ........................................................................ WEDNESDAY, July 12, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILM: PARADISE NOW TIME: 6:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro Stop SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 info@palestinecenter.org The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. ... ........................................................................ BRIEFING: HAMAS: PAST & PRESENT TIME: 12:30-2:00pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 ext.11 rsvp@thejerusalemfund.org Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. Dr. John Voll Associate Director, Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and Amjad Atallah President, Strategic Assessments Initiative "Hamas: Past & Present" The past year has seen much change in the Palestinian political arena ... ........................................................................ ========================= N E X T W E E K ========================= TUESDAY, July 18, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BRIEFING: THE CHANGING POLITICAL LANDSCAPE: REORGANIZATION OF POWER & ACTION TIME: 12:30-2:00pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 ext.11 rsvp@thejerusalemfund.org Tuesday, 18 July 2006 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. Nathan Brown Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace "The Changing Political Landscape: Reorganization of Power & Action" The election of Hamas has changed the dynamics of Palestinian politics. The traditional parties of the PLO are struggling ... ........................................................................ DABKEH DANCE: LEARN THE DABKEH! TIME: 6:30pm-7:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1290 rsvp@palestinecenter.org Tuesday evening, 18 July 2006 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. Learn the Dabkeh! Join Rasmiyah Masoud, founder and instructor of D.C. Dabkeh, and other young professionals, recent graduates and summer interns for a night of traditional Middle Eastern folk dance and high-energy fun at The Palestine Center. Beginners welcomed ... ........................................................................ WEDNESDAY, July 19, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FILMS: CHIC POINT/IMPROVISATION TIME: 6:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro Stop SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 info@palestinecenter.org The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 19 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. ... ........................................................................ THURSDAY, July 20, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BRIEFING: HAMAS, ITS NEIGHBORS AND THE QUARTET TIME: 12:30-2:00pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1958 ext.11 rsvp@thejerusalemfund.org Thursday, 20 July 2006 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. Nadia Hijab Senior Fellow, Institute for Palestine Studies "Hamas, its Neighbors and the Quartet" The success of Hamas in the recent Palestinian legislative elections has precipitated a range of responses from the international community. Hamas' current relationsh ... ........................................................................ GATHERING: PALESTINE CENTER MEET & GREET TIME: 5:30-7:30pm LOCATION: Cafe Nema DIRECTIONS: 1334 U Street, NW Washington D.C. Green Line, U Street/Cardozo Metro Station SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: 202-338-1290 rsvp@palestinecenter.org Thursday evening, 20 July 2006 | 5:30-7:30p.m. Cafe Nema (1334 U Street, NW) - Green Line, U Street/Cardozo Metro Station Palestine Center Meet & Greet All young professionals, recent graduates and summer interns in the metropolitan DC area are invited to a "meet 'n greet" at Cafe Nema. This is your chanc ... ........................................................................ FRIDAY, July 21, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ARTIST PRESENTATION:OUTSIDE THE ARK: AN ARTIST'S JOURNEY IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE TIME: 6:30pm-8:30pm LOCATION: The Palestine Center DIRECTIONS: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS: Palestine Center(The Palestine Center) ORGANIZED BY: Palestine Center CONTACT: (202) 338-1290 info@palestinecenter.org Friday, 21 July 2006 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ellen O'Grady, "Outside the Ark: An Artist's Journey in Occupied Palestine" Opening reception and artist's presentation Artist and author Ellen O'Grady lived and worked in Palestine from 1989 to 1996, and began the paintings and stories for her book Outside the Ark af ... ........................................................................ ==================== DETAILS OF THIS WEEK'S EVENTS =================== Film: SACRED SPACE DENIED: BETHLEHEM AND THE WALL Come join us to view: “Sacred Space Denied: Bethlehem and the Wall” by Peter Nagle Monday, July 10 - at 10 am The United Methodist Building –100 Maryland Avenue NE Conference room #3 Washington D.C. Peter Nagle recounts his experience on facing the situation in Bethlehem: “In December of 2004, I was taken around the Bethlehem area by my good friend, Father Mitri Raheb, pastor of the Lutheran Church there. It was my 5th trip to the Holy Land, and I had seen the Wall going up over the previous 2 years So when Mitri said to me : "I am sorry to be showing you such bad news", I responded: "Well, I've been watching this get worse on every trip, so I was prepared". But I wasn’t. Nothing prepares you for the shock of seeing the desecration of the land, the confiscation of people's property, the expansion of the settlements deep into the West Bank on this scale. http://www.fosna.org/resources/documents/dvd_sacred_space_denied.pdf “Sacred Space Denied: Bethlehem and the Wall.” Peter Nagle, the producer of the film, is a member of the Benedictine Grange; a Roman Catholic faith community in West Redding, CT. Fr John B. Giuliani is the founder and practicing priest. A number of ministries have emanated from the Grange, including an AIDS Hospice, Central American ministry, African ministry, and the ministry for peace in Israel/Palestine. The middle east ministry works with and supports many peace org in Israel and Palestine, including Rabbis for Human Rights, Ir Amim, ICAHD, Parent's Circle, Holy Land Trust, and The International Center of Bethlehem (Lutheran). Peter will be taking his 10th trip to Israel/Palestine in June, leading 12 people from the Grange. Peter has a master’s degree in theology for Yale Divinity School. John P. Salzberg, Ph.D. Chair Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace john.salzberg@verizon.net 6342 31 St., N.W. Washington, DC 20015-2340 202-244-0118 (home) 202-258-0569 (cell) http://www.wiamep.org/ ........................................................................ Film: PARADISE NOW The Jerusalem Fund for Education and Community Development and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at Georgetown University are pleased to present their annual summer film series: Voices of Palestine: Summer 2006 Film Series Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 6:30 p.m. "Paradise Now" Director: Hany Abu-Assad / Palestine, Israel 2005 / 90 min. Location: The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Foggy Bottom Metro Shot on location in both Palestine and Israel, Paradise Now is an enthralling drama about the possible motivations and actions of two suicide bombers. The story follows two young Palestinian men whose lives in the West Bank city of Nablus have ground to a halt. When someone offers them a shot at martyrdom by carrying out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv, the two men's lives are suddenly changed. The film follows their final days as they grapple with their consciences, visit family and friends, and prepare for the attack. But they find both practical and emotional issues stand in their way, leading to an anguished and moving finale to Abu-Assad's film. This annual summer film series highlights recent documentary and feature films from and about Palestine that explore the social, cultural and political complexities of Palestinian life and identity. All films are screened at The Palestine Center and begin promptly at 6:30pm. All films are in English or have English subtitles. Attendance is free and open to the public. Registration is not required; however, seating is limited. Directions and Parking Information. For all other inquiries, contact Jessica Robertson Wright, The Jerusalem Fund Cultural Coordinator, at (202) 338-1958. ........................................................................ Briefing: HAMAS: PAST & PRESENT Wednesday, 12 July 2006 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. Dr. John Voll Associate Director, Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University and Amjad Atallah President, Strategic Assessments Initiative "Hamas: Past & Present" The past year has seen much change in the Palestinian political arena. Since the January elections, Hamas has played a critical role in these changes. It was and is an important synthesis of different trends, combined in a movement and organization that is, at the same time, a Palestinian national group and an Islamically- identified movement of renewal. How has it evolved and what kind of support does it have now? How will Hamas negotiate its political identity to stabilize the current political situation? Dr. John Voll is a professor of Islamic history and associate director of the Prince AlWaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. He has published several books and numerous articles on modern Islamic history. Mr. Amjad Atallah is founder and President of Strategic Assessments Initiative, a nonprofit organization that assists with negotiations in conflict and post-conflict situations. He has advised the Palestinian negotiating team on issues relating to Israel and Washington, and participated in discussions pertaining to the Quartet "Roadmap." This briefing is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be served to registered guests at 12:30 p.m. The briefing and question/answer period will follow from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Registration is required; unregistered guests will not be admitted. To register, email your name and contact information to rsvp@thejerusalemfund.org or call (202) 338-1958 ext.11 by noon Tuesday, 11 July 2006. For more details, visit www.thejerusalemfund.org/calendar.php. This lecture series is coordinated by and for interns in the Washington, DC area. The Palestine Center Summer 2006 interns include Paul Lindemann of Williams College, Claire Pavlovic of Yale University, and Shauna Trainor of McGill University. The Palestine Center 2425 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, District of Columbia 20037 United States Tel. (202) 338-1290 www.thejerusalemfund.org/palestinecenter/index.php ........................................................................ ====================== E N D O F E V E N T S ======================= If you wish to submit an event please contact your group's DCPalestine representative or e-mail events@dcpalestine.org . Copyright (c) 2003, DCPalestine.org. All rights reserved. Designed and administered by Spidy.net - No one masters the Web like Spidy! From endviolence at carolmoore.net Tue Jul 11 05:49:56 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Tue Jul 11 06:10:04 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Sat July 15: Jo Butler Award Ceremony Message-ID: <44B39E74.7080404@carolmoore.net> -------- Original Message -------- 2006 Josephine Butler Nuclear Free Future Award Saturday, July 15, 2006, 7PM St Stephen & the Incarnation Church The 2006 Josephine Butler Nuclear Free Future Award will be given to MJ & Jerry Park, the founders of Little Friends for Peace. For many years. the Parks have organized children's peace camps throughout the metropolitan Washington Community, where an entire generation of DC area children have learned about the importance of peace an justice. Jo Butler was a regular volunteer at the camps. The award ceremony will take place Saturday, July 15, 2006, 7PM at St Stephen & the Incarnation Church, 16th & Newton Sts. NW. (Columbia Heights Metro) Hear Anesa Sheila Mirza, our 2006 Youth Delegate to the World conference against A & H Bombs, perform her poetry. Children are welcome. Music, Poetry, Paper Crane Folding, Storytelling and Refreshments. -- Bobbie & John Stewart | It is difficult thestewarts@erols.com | to get the news from poems http://users.erols.com/thestewarts/ | yet men die miserably every day | for lack | of what is found there -- | -- William Carlos Williams From jsmacdonald at riseup.net Tue Jul 11 06:21:08 2006 From: jsmacdonald at riseup.net (Jim Macdonald) Date: Tue Jul 11 06:23:44 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] DAWN meeting tonight, 7-8PM, 2211 14th Street NW - Cyprus Message-ID: <64563.jsmacdonald.1152624068.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> DAWN meets tonight, July 11, at 7PM at 2211 14th Street NW (the offices of AFSC between W and Florida NW, accessible by Green Line to U Street - then walk 3 1/2 blocks - or more directly by the 52 or 54 bus along 14th Street; parking on side streets as well) The meeting is open to the public; all first time participants are full participants and may offer proposals, speak, vote, draw art, or sing. If you are a person who is disabled, please let us know, and we will do everything we can to make our meetings accessible and the experience empowering. Tonight's discussion topic may well be a presentation from a man named Alex, who represents Greek interests in Cyprus. The northern third of Cyprus has been occupied by Turkish forces, supported by the US (though not officially recognized), for decades. What is really going on in Cyprus? Why doesn't the anti-war movement talk about occupations and complex political situations that aren't in the news? Over the decades, much has been written and debated over Northern Ireland or Palestine but not so much on Cyprus. If Alex doesn't show, this talk should probably be postponed, and we'll leave it open. DAWN meets for 1 hour followed by working group breakouts. If you have a project you'd like DAWN to work with, and people like the idea, then the 8-9 PM may be a good hour to get work on putting that project together. Also, DAWN's Weekly Action Group meets during that hour and will be planning this week's action (or actions). This is open to anyone. We will also no doubt be talking about such subjects as our Points of Unity, the upcoming July 21 birthday protest of John Negroponte, and the growing situations in Iran and North Korea. We also will need to move locations from AFSC soon, and so we'll be talking about moving to a new home. Militarism never rests; we cannot afford to rest either. From casmiius at aol.com Tue Jul 11 07:21:44 2006 From: casmiius at aol.com (casmiius@aol.com) Date: Tue Jul 11 07:32:05 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Re: July 13, RSVP 10th: Former CIA Head Invitation: The National Security State, Part II In-Reply-To: <44AFA6A5.1080407@carolmoore.net> References: <44AFA6A5.1080407@carolmoore.net> Message-ID: <8C8730C784950A9-D4C-782@FWM-D41.sysops.aol.com> Carol, and friends, Regretfully, we will have to scrub the idea of an Iran-focused workshop in Washington in early August. I was committed to helping my youngest daughter as she moves to Atlanta with baby and dog while her husband is on a fellowship in Japan, but that commitment has had to rachet upward since my wife chanced to fall and break her wrist last week. The other most logical coordinator for CASMII, Dr. Nader Sadeghi, must travel to Iran during that timeframe. Also, the first-choice venue (NY Avenue Presbyterian Church) was very receptive and helpful, but the spaces there are unavailable during that time period. Additionally, CASMII's board (just formalized this past month) has some priority projects in other parts of the country right now that will require their energies. Therefore, we will look forward to a September/October event, even though the conceptual link to the Hiroshima commemoration events may not be quite as strong. Thank you for all your help to this point! We will not give this up, only defer it a bit. Best, Alex -----Original Message----- From: endviolence@carolmoore.net To: dawn-dc@lists.mutualaid.org; dawn-discuss-dc@lists.mutualaid.org; ufpj-dc@yahoogroups.com; nonviolencedc@yahoogroups.com; nova-peace-discuss@yahoogroups.com; mcaw-discuss@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sat, 8 Jul 2006 8:35 AM Subject: July 13, RSVP 10th: Former CIA Head Invitation: The National Security State, Part II logo * *The Center for International Policy/ cordially invites you to:/ *The National Security State: Part II* Intelligence Gathering and Its Challenges for Human Rights /Featuring/ ADMIRAL STANSFIELD TURNER Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency DAVID COLE Professor, Georgetown Law Center Legal affairs correspondent, /The Nation/ ELISA MASSIMINO Washington D.C. Director, Human Rights First Adjunct Professor of Law, Georgetown University /Moderator: / Dr. Melvin Goodman Director, National Security Program Center for International Policy Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:30AM-Noon Choate Room || Carnegie Endowment for International Peace 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW || Washington, D.C. 20036 /Breakfast provided/ Please RSVP by July 10 to Carl Gray at nationalsecurity@ciponline.org If ________________________________________________________________________ Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060711/2759f96c/attachment.html From olivetrii at gmail.com Tue Jul 11 15:03:21 2006 From: olivetrii at gmail.com (Ethan X) Date: Wed Jul 12 07:19:32 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Sat July 15 * Puppet theater against the G8 at Dupont Circle! * In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <1e9e1b2a0607111503h5c4264c4od47803110ac18e42@mail.gmail.com> G8! GEE WHAT? G ATE --- OUR PLANET?!? ** SATURDAY July 15 ** WASHINGTON, DC ** * Dupont Circle, 1 to 3 pm, bring music, drums, creativity -- or just yourself * *** Participatory puppet theater and radical public education *** !!! Converge for Global Justice and Sustainable Futures on July 15th, the International Day of Action against Climate Change and the G8!!! Puppets: provided. Audience participation: encouraged. Laughter: required! As the 2006 G8 Summit convenes thousands of miles away in a parallel universe, join unsuspecting DC pedestrians, picniccers, and passersby at a surprise visit by the Group of 8 (G8) leaders here in DC! Some may meet, greet and shake the limp hands of the G8 dignitaries, while others will just mock and boo them ..... but all who listen to Prezident Butch speechify along with his fellow G8 G-Men will be shocked, awe-struck and most of all dumbfounded by their ingenious (or insane?) plan to prevent Planetary Climate Change, Chaos and Catastrophe through the help of resurgent super-powers KING COAL, BIGGER OIL, and NO-CLUE-U-R ENERGY ..... * Dupont Circle, Saturday July 15th, 1 to 3 pm * *** CREATIVE STREET THEATRE ACTION *** ** Educational encounters with the public will follow each theatrical skit ** !!! Converge for Global Justice and Sustainable Futures on July 15th, the International Day of Action against Climate Change and the G8!!! * BACKGROUND INFO: WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?!? The G8 countries are the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia. The G8 leaders will begin meeting in St Petersburg, Russia on July 15 at their annual Summit. The central theme at the 2006 G8 Summit is "Energy Security," and the G8 "Action Plan on Energy Security" calls for a massive worldwide expansion of investment in the fossil fuel and nuclear industries -- which are responsible for increasing global climate change, pollution and ecosystem destruction, resource wars, and human health crises. On July 15th, in solidarity with the International Day of Action against Climate Change and the G8 , we will stage "protest theatre" at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC -- the capitol of the country most responsible for setting a policy direction that can only lead to planetary catastrophe. As long as **the G8's priority is **"Energy Security" that features new subsidies worth trillions of dollars to the oil, coal and nuclear industries, extreme "Planetary Insecurity" will be the result. Until the global environment and healthy, sustainable economics are priorities number one, G8 leaders will continue to fail the people of the world, and condemn future generations to the hell of 'climate chaos.' For more information about ** the International Day of Action against Climate Change and the G8 and additional protest activities countering the 2006 G8 Summit, visit: * Reclaim the Commons Indymedia Coverage People's Global Action Main Page: Anti-G8 Info Network Against the G8 Dissent Network Bike Ride to G8 Protests! *** * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060711/639fb488/attachment.html From gael at codepinkalert.org Wed Jul 12 06:38:52 2006 From: gael at codepinkalert.org (Gael Murphy) Date: Wed Jul 12 07:19:32 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Thu Jul 13 - 11am: Rep. Waters and the "Out of Iraq" Caucus Supporting the Goals of Troops Home Fast Message-ID: <451CB63B-F635-4575-8F13-DEDA5F534355@codepinkalert.org> Come if you can to support the Fasters. Peace, Gael Media Advisory For Immediate Release Contact: Edward Jackson July 11, 2006 (202) 225-2201 Rep. Waters and Members of the "Out of Iraq" Congressional Caucus Hold Press Conference Supporting the Goals of Troops Home Fast Washington, DC - US Representative Maxine Waters (CA-35) Representative Lynn Woolsey (CA-6), Representative Barbara Lee (CA-9) and members of the "Out of Iraq" Congressional Caucus will hold a press conference on Thursday, July 13th at 11:00 AM EST to express their support for individuals participating in Troops Home Fast, an event supported by numerous individuals and organizations to highlight the need to conclude the war in Iraq and bring our troops home. For more than a year, Congresswoman Waters, Chair of the "Out of Iraq" Caucus and other members of the Caucus have been working to end the war in Iraq. To accomplish this goal, the Caucus holds various events to highlight the war's impact on military families, domestic responsibilities and the US standing in the world community. In addition, the Caucus lends its support to private individuals working to bring an end to the Iraq war. Troops Home Fast began on July 4, 2006. Dozens of individuals including former members of the US armed forces, family members that have lost loved ones in the Iraq war, peace activists, religious leaders, celebrities and ordinary citizens have chosen to forgo meals in order to call attention to the Bush Administration's bungling of the war and the need to bring our troops home. To date, more than 3,000 people from the United States and around the world have participated in the fast, including Representative Lynn Woolsey. Those participating hope and believe that their actions will bring the United States one step closer to concluding the Iraq war and permitting our troops to return home to their loved ones. Who: Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-35), Chair Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-9), Co-Founder Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA-6), Co-Founder Members of the "Out of Iraq" Congressional Caucus What: Press Conference to express support for participants of Troops Home Fast When: Thursday, July 13, 2006 at 11:00 AM EST Where: Cannon Terrace (corner of Independence Avenue and New Jersey Avenue, SE) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060712/91af1f08/attachment.html From gael at codepinkalert.org Wed Jul 12 08:03:28 2006 From: gael at codepinkalert.org (Gael Murphy) Date: Wed Jul 12 08:13:21 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Update from DC Fast Message-ID: <5E9EA72A-F5C6-4F8A-A494-826455B45C83@codepinkalert.org> Read about the DC Troops Home Fast in a letter by For up-to-date fasting info: July 12, 2006 Hello to all the fasters to Bring the Troops Home Now! This is Ann Wright, one of the most unlikely fasters in the world. I am a 29 year retired Army Colonel and a US diplomat who resigned from the State Department in March 2003 in opposition to the war in Iraq. In my 35 years of US government service, I never thought I would be fasting for anything, but here I am?and here you are!!!!! I am writing on Day 8 from the encampment in front of the White House. We are here from 10am to 7pm each day to sit as witness in front of the People?s House to tell the Bush administration that we demand that the war on Iraq end and that our troops be brought home now. After 8 days on the fast we want to check in with all you fasters, no matter if you fasted for one day or are still fasting after 8 days. In this letter, I will share with you what's happening in DC, and how you can take part in the Troops Home Fast from your city, or join us in DC. We have fifteen longer term fasters (two weeks or more) at the White House who are drinking mostly water with a little juice or Gatorade (or another electrolyte supplement). A few of those fasters are drinking only water but are watching their physical and emotional conditions closely. We have a circle each morning and evening to discuss how we feel and pass on any tips for fasting that we have heard during the day. We are amazed that we don?t feel hungry and have remarkable energy for having not eaten for days. Doing this fast in front of the White House makes us feel good. At lunch and dinner times we walk with our banners to the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue, get on the bullhorn and talk to the White House, asking what George and Laura are having for their meals while we fast for peace. The many American and international tourists are quite amazed that we have fasted for so long. So far we have had no response from the White House. Our on-site fasting gurus, Dick Gregory, Diane Wilson and Jane Jackson, give us moral support and practical advice. Dick Gregory, who has done 70 fasts for social issues over the past 40 years, suggests that a faster drink a combination of one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, one tablespoon of molasses or dark maple syrup in one cup of water with a dash of cayenne pepper. He says one should drink a gallon of water each day and should not do any unnecessary exercise as the fast continues as one needs to conserve one?s energy for the long fast instead of short term events. Diane Wilson continues to be an inspiration with her fasts for environmental and political issues. Jane Jackson, from her motorized wheelchair, has done fasts with Cesar Chavez and Dick Gregory and gives us historical perspectives of social justice issues from Washington to California. Jane just returned to her home in Oakland, California, where she plans to continue her fast outside the Federal Building. We would like to invite you to continue to take action to bring our Troops Home Fast! In the box below, we've listed some of the ways you can support the fast: Take Further Action to Bring the Troops Home Fast! With your help, the Troops Home Fast will be an effective nonviolent resistance action that will galvanize public support--and make legislators take action--to stop the war in Iraq! Plan a Public Fast: Please consider creating a public fast in your city or town. We can help you connect with other people who signed up to fast and live in your area, and we can help you plan a local Troops Home Fast action. Consider planning a public fast once a week outside your Congressperson's office, a military recruiting center, a military base, or a public place with a lot of foot traffic. To add your event to our online calendar and find tips for planning a local action, click here. Voters for Peace Campaign: Build the peace movement by gathering signatures on the Voters for Peace Pledge. Click here to download a printable Voters for Peace sign up sheet. Collect signatures, mail them to our office, and grow our peace activist list! Join Us in DC: We plan to keep our fast going outside the White House until September 21, International Day of Peace, and we need your help to make that happen! You can join us as a faster, or as supporter, assisting the fasters, planning actions, and doing outreach. For more info about our DC fast, including the schedule and housing board, click here and email dc@codepinkalert.org. Messages of Support: If you would like to send us a message of support, please email info@codepinkalert.org. You can read some of the solidarity messages we?ve received by clicking here. Report Back: Upload photos, news article links, and report-backs of your actions. Report back and photo uploading tools are available on the www.troopshomefast.org. Send us your blogs by emailing writing and photos to webmistress@codepinkalert.org. If you have questions or ideas about the Troops Home Fast, let us know! Call or email us at (415) 994-1723 or rae@codepinkalert.org. We've had lots of visitors and supporters in front of the White House. One fellow rode his bike from Mount Vernon (about 20 miles) with three dozen roses to give to us. Several others have brought water and others financial donations to keep the logistics of the fast going. A fellow who was lucky to have Gandhi stop and play with him when he was one year old stopped by our camp at Lafayette Park in front of the White House and told us that "Hunger is Power." That prompted one of the fasters, Jesse, to write a beautiful song called Hunger is Power, which has become our theme song. We've gotten phone calls of support from all over the country and people are joining our fast from all over the world. One person from Sweden began fasting on July 4 with us and reminded us of one of Gandhi?s sayings: ?One ounce of practice is worth tons of theories." We hope all of you long-term fasters are doing well, but do check in with your doctor if you are feeling any signs of distress. Peace from in front of the White House! Love, Ret. Col. Ann Wright and the DC Fasters for Troops Home Fast To unsubscribe click here -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060712/5cde3829/attachment.html From david.etheridge at verizon.net Wed Jul 12 11:09:45 2006 From: david.etheridge at verizon.net (David Etheridge) Date: Wed Jul 12 11:20:08 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Peace vigil at the US Capitol on July 15 Message-ID: <01ec01c6a5de$5c03bf30$6500a8c0@Study> Please join us in a Peace Vigil at noon on Saturday July 15 on the West Lawn of the Capitol. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It. --Psalms 34:14" The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one of us responds to the occasional questions about why we are there. For more information see http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060712/7bdb586a/attachment-0001.html From endviolence at carolmoore.net Wed Jul 12 11:37:42 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Wed Jul 12 11:39:07 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Need Rep for UFPJ, including steering committee meeting July 22-23 Message-ID: <44B54176.5090205@carolmoore.net> DAWN is looking for a new representative to UFPJ. They would represent DAWN in UFPJ phone calls in to the New York meeting mentioned below. Since no one from last night's meeting was able to represent DAWN, the meeting decided to make this announcement and ask potential representatives to please come to next week's meeting if you are interested in being the representative. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [dawn-discuss-dc] UFPJ steering committee meeting Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 09:42:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Katie Nelson To: DC Anti-War Network (DAWN) discussion list This just in: "The meeting will be on Sat/Sun, July 22 and 23rd. We know that quite a few people said that they could not attend. Just a reminder that your organization can send a representative in your place who has full voting rights. This would be very helpful, as right now, we just barely have a quorum with the people who said they could come. As usual, we will have a meeting on Friday afternoon for the Admin Committee and any other steering committee members who would like to attend to finalize the agenda. Please let me know if you need housing and I will see if I can find some people who can house you. Also let me know if you have any special needs like no cats or stairs or smoke." From jsmacdonald at riseup.net Wed Jul 12 12:09:48 2006 From: jsmacdonald at riseup.net (Jim Macdonald) Date: Wed Jul 12 12:14:37 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Film Screening; "The Ambassador" Thursday July 20, 7 PM, Flemming Center Message-ID: <58735.jsmacdonald.1152731388.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> Film Screening: "The Ambassador" A documentary that chronicles the life of John Negroponte, current Director of National Intelligence, with special guest film maker Andres Thomas Conteris. The Flemming Center; 1426 9th Street NW Thursday, July 20th at 7 PM Please join us, the DC Anti-War Network, and others! AND Friday July 21st @ 7 PM, Woodley Park Metro, join us as we go to the home of this monster, at 3100 Cleveland Avenue NW. (for more info see: dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/134600/index.php) The following is a description of the film. We hope to see you Thursday AND Friday! INSIGHT TV, the only TV-production company that only makes documentaries about human rights, is proud to present our new TV documentary, "The Ambassador". Our staff has worked with this project for more than a year, and great research effort and large resources have been required in order to be able to present our new documentary to an international audience. The film will give its viewers loads of new knowledge and insight, and will draw historical lines from the conflicts in Vietnam and Central America, to post-Saddam Iraq. The documentary, "The Ambassador", is the story about the former US ambassador to Iraq, now US intelligence chief, John Dimitri Negroponte. Mr Negroponte was controlling the largest US embassy in the world together with an army of 160,000 soldiers. Today he is in charge of the 15 US intelligence agencies. "The Ambassador" tells how Mr. Negroponte was running brutal civil wars in Central America in the l980s. He was appointed ambassador to Honduras by president Ronald Reagan in l981, and was ambassador until l986. Human rights organizations all over Central-America today, say that Negroponte as ambassador to Honduras, covered up grave human rights violations. He did that in close cooperation with the leader of the death squadrons in Honduras, general Gustavo Alvarez. The Nobel peace prize laureate from Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchu, says in the documentary that Negroponte should be put up for trial. Bishop Medardo Gomez from El Salvador says that the name Negroponte, bring terrible memories to people all over Central-America. "He brought war and terror on us", says the bishop. This is a shocking documentary about war, terror and lies. The story about John Negroponte, the former ambassador, who now is the intelligence tzar of the United States. From endviolence at carolmoore.net Wed Jul 12 12:30:30 2006 From: endviolence at carolmoore.net (Carol Moore in DC) Date: Wed Jul 12 13:37:34 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Tues July 18 Protest new pro-War Lobby Group: Christians United for Israel Message-ID: <44B54DD6.9060306@carolmoore.net> Tuesday, July 18, 6:30-7:30 PM T Street and Connecticutt at the Washington Hilton Protest Christians United for Israel Kick Off Banquet Endorsed by DC Antiwar Network Other endorsers and speak out participants welcome. Contact iranworkinggroup@earthlink.net Christians United for Israel (CUFI)http://www.cufi.org is a new LOBBY group that wants to make sure the US government does not encourage Israel to give up any land to the Palestinians, despite the clear injustice to Palestinians that entails. As their own inflammatory rhetoric below betrays, they also clearly are promoting war against Iran. The multi-millionaire TV evangelist John Hagee claims the group will be more powerful than AIPAC, the top pro-Israel lobbying group which is one of the top three or four most powerful lobbies on the Hill. Tuesday is "CUFI'S" kick off banquet, which is soldout to as many as 2000 supporters. Senators and Congressmen will be in attendance. It is necessary that all of us who care about Palestinian rights, human rights and American democratic values protest this banquet. Please be there! Also see these news stories for more details. http://stlouis.ujcfedweb.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=187457 A gift horse or a Trojan horse? Pro-Israel preacher goes a-lobbying. http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16035 Evangelicals Slate Pro-Israel Lobbying From: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=20640 CUFI to set up working groups in all 50 states, lobby Congress, become Christian AIPAC ++++++++++++ FROM THEIR WEB PAGE http://cufi.org/WASummitReg.aspx Washington/Israel Summit July 18th - 20th, 2006 Israel is facing a great crisis! Iran's president is threatening to use nuclear weapons to exterminate the Jews of Israel. We are reliving the year 1938 when Hitler began the systematic slaughter of 6,000,000 Jews...AND THE WORLD WAS SILENT. Iran's president is the new Hitler of the Middle East! He is maniacal! He intends to attack and destroy the Jews! NOT ON OUR WATCH! Christians United for Israel will gather in Washington D.C. on July 18-20 to SPEAK OUT to our Senators and Congressmen on behalf of Israel. Isaiah commands us, "For Zion's sake I will not hold my peace...I have set watchmen on thy walls O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night; Ye that make mention of the Lord KEEP NOT SILENT!" IT'S TIME TO STAND UP AND SPEAK UP FOR ISRAEL! Join us July 18-20 for the Washington D.C. Israel Summit. Washington/Israel Summit Itinerary Tuesday, July 18, 2006 7:30pm ? Talking Point Banquet Celebration featuring a Night to Honor Israel. Enjoy the music, the historical event, the Senatorial speakers, and the fellowship! Hilton Washington & Towers Hotel ____________ Wednesday, July 19, 2006 Meetings with your Senator and Congressman on Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill END CUFI ANNOUNCEMENT From 7yipzdu02 at sneakemail.com Wed Jul 12 20:48:14 2006 From: 7yipzdu02 at sneakemail.com (7yipzdu02 for Peace) Date: Thu Jul 13 07:03:01 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] 2006-07-20 Panel on US-Iran Threat Message-ID: <20060712234814.60rxiosk84w4gocs@webmail.spamcop.net> Northern Virginians for Peace & Justice invites you to a panel discussion IRAN: A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES? Issues to be addressed include: * The century-long history of big-power intervention in Iran. * The US-Iran conflict over Iran's nuclear energy program. What are the international legal issues? What do the Iranian people think? * Effect of sactions or US military intervention. What is the likely effect on Iran and on the region? * US foreign policy in Iran and the region. Whose interests are being served? What is the objective? What is the role of oil and other resources? What role does religion play? Is there common ground between the US and Iran? Bob Petrusak, retired attorney and graduate student, George Mason University. Ambassador John Limbert, Iran scholar, former diplomat and hostage in Tehran, former president, American Foreign Service Association. Simin Royanian, economist and political analyst; activist in the peace and justice movement; she has served on boards of radio WPFW and of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Fairfax County Chapter. Cofounder of Women for Peace and Justice in Iran (http://women4peace.org/). Richard E. Rubenstein, Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. His latest book, Thus Saith the Lord: The Revolutionary Morality of Isaiah and Jeremiah, will be published in October. Moderator: Rostam Pourzal, political analyst. Thursday, July 20, 2006 6:45-9:00 pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington 4444 Arlington Blvd (at George Mason Dr.), Arlington, Virginia, USA. Contact: 703-931-7451, torke@verizon.net. Please arrive at 6:30 pm and join us for refreshments. References Visible links . http://www.nvpj.org/ . http://women4peace.org/ . mailto:torke@verizon.net Attendees might want to prepare by reading what the panel participants have written on the subject recently. In the case of Simin Royanian, see http://women4peace.org/2006-mothers-day.html unless you heard her Mother's Day for Peace talk, of which that writing is an edited transcript. -- 7yipzdu for peace From jsmacdonald at riseup.net Thu Jul 13 07:08:05 2006 From: jsmacdonald at riseup.net (Jim Macdonald) Date: Thu Jul 13 07:13:14 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Special G8 Critical Mass - this Friday - followed by protest Message-ID: <19456.jsmacdonald.1152799685.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> The G8 meets this weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia, focused on the issue of climate change. In solidarity with protesters in Russia, we call on people to take to their bikes on Friday, 6 PM, in Dupont Circle in protest of the vehicles that cause all the pollution. Then, at 7:30 PM, those on bikes and on foot, will converge at Vice President Dick Cheney's house, the oil industry's best friend, at 34th and Massachusetts Avenue NW. From there, we will protest Cheney and another place of interest related to the G8. This action does not in any way interfere with the two monthly critical masses. It's simply being called because of the schedule of the G8. This is being called for by the DC Anti-War Network. See you at 6PM in Dupont Circle and/or 7:30 PM at 34th and Massachusetts NW. From olivetrii at gmail.com Thu Jul 13 10:11:50 2006 From: olivetrii at gmail.com (Ethan X) Date: Thu Jul 13 10:24:40 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Puppetry canceled! Join special G8 Critical Mass - this Friday - followed by protest! In-Reply-To: <1e9e1b2a0607131011m2affb31m8a011a170601cb8b@mail.gmail.com> References: <1e9e1b2a0607131008m133871d6lf34b8cc70c778f17@mail.gmail.com> <1e9e1b2a0607131009h1b976c89ubf9deb5a51cd9c5d@mail.gmail.com> <1e9e1b2a0607131010y701af2c1i8a5893483a0e84d5@mail.gmail.com> <1e9e1b2a0607131011m2affb31m8a011a170601cb8b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1e9e1b2a0607131011s677ac85dsed92d40bc3788184@mail.gmail.com> The anti-G8 puppet show Saturday @ Dupont Circle is canceled...But come on out this Friday instead to join a special Critical Mass bike ride (meet 6 pm @ Dupont Circle) protesting the 2006 G8 Summit! And then converge 7:30 pm Friday to continue the protest at the home of Vice President Dick Cheney (34th and Massachusetts NW)! ******** The G8 meets this weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia, focused on the issue of "energy security." But while the G8 countries* meet to talk about securing the First World's access to the Earth's fossil fuels, every day global warming from burning these fuels gets worse... *In solidarity with protesters in Russia, we call upon people to take to their bikes in Washington DC on Friday, July 14th, meeting 6 PM at Dupont Circle, and join a special Critical Mass ride in protest of the G8 and all the vehicles causing all the pollution. * *Then, at 7:30 PM, those on bikes and on foot will converge at Vice President Dick Cheney's house, the oil industry's best friend, at 34th and Massachusetts Avenue NW. From there, we will protest Cheney and another place of interest related to the G8. * This action does not in any way interfere with the two monthly critical masses. It's simply being called because of the schedule of the G8. This action is being called for by the DC Anti-War Network. See you at 6PM this Friday in Dupont Circle and/or 7:30 PM at 34th and Massachusetts NW. * The G8 countries are the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia. For more information about global days of action countering the 2006 G8 Summit, visit www.rtc.revolt.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060713/470c53d7/attachment.html From gael at codepinkalert.org Thu Jul 13 11:33:49 2006 From: gael at codepinkalert.org (Gael Murphy) Date: Fri Jul 14 07:00:05 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Day 11: Anti-War Hunger Strikers Join Homeless Advocates to Show Cost of Iraq War In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Press Release Contact: Nancy Mancias 202-422-8624 Thursday, July 13 Diane Wilson 361-676-0663 Day 11: Anti-war Hunger Strikers Join Homeless Advocates to Show Cost of War at Home Ben & Jerry?s Donate New Ice-Cream ?American Pie?, calling for poor to get greater slice of the national budget WHEN: Friday, July 14, 5 pm WHERE: Community for Creative Nonviolence Homeless Shelter, 425 2nd St. NW, Washington DC WHO: Abdul Nurrididin, Director of the Community for Creative Nonviolence, Arafa Speaks, Homeless Advocate, CODEPINK fasters Diane Wilson and Medea Benjamin, Iraqi businessman Andy Shallal Local homeless advocates and people in their second week of a fast to bring the troops home from Iraq (see www.troopshomefast.org) will gather for an ice cream giveaway and a press conference in front of the Community for Creative Nonviolence, a homeless shelter founded by Mitch Snyder, another long-term faster and homeless advocate. Ben & Jerry?s has donated their new ice cream?American Pie?to show how the billions of dollars we have spent on the war in Iraq has had a debilitating effect on the poor here at home. Every year over 2.3 million to 3.5 million people in the United States experience go homeless, many of them veterans from the Vietnam war and increasingly veterans from the Iraq war. The homeless rate in DC has doubled in the last 5 years, with over 16,000 people becoming homeless and 6,000 actually living in streets, alleys, and vehicles. Eighty percent of the city?s homeless are African Americans and 70 percent of the homeless in the DC region suffer from mental illness. Yet the city of DC has shut down 2 homeless shelters and scheduled another for closure while at the same time funneling 1.5 billion dollars for the Iraq war effort. That $1.5 billion could have paid for building 10,000 affordable housing units or provided 375 million meals for the homeless. "It's criminal that they're spending all this money killing people in Iraq and here at home people are dying on our streets because they don't have jobs or housing,? says homeless activist Arafa Speaks. Diane Wilson, who has been on a water-only fast for 10 days as part of the Troops Home Fast organized by CODEPINK, "We'd make a lot more friends in the world feeding people ice cream and bringing joy to the faces of the poor than bombing villages and abusing prisoners." The ice-cream giveaway is part of a new on-going project ?I Scream for the Homeless? organized by Iraqi-American businessman/ restauranter Andy Shallal. ### From jsmacdonald at riseup.net Fri Jul 14 06:57:13 2006 From: jsmacdonald at riseup.net (Jim Macdonald) Date: Fri Jul 14 07:00:06 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Special G8 Critical Mass TONIGHT - Cheney protest to follow Message-ID: <62783.jsmacdonald.1152885433.squirrel@mail.riseup.net> See you tonight at 6PM - Dupont Circle, or for pedestrians, 7:30 PM at 34th and Mass NW! The G8 meets this weekend in St. Petersburg, Russia, focused on the issue of energy security. In solidarity with protesters in Russia, we call on people to take to their bikes on Friday, 6 PM, in Dupont Circle in protest of the vehicles that cause all the pollution and let the issue of "energy security" be used for global domination and exploitation of the earth and its people. Then, at 7:30 PM, those on bikes and on foot, will converge at Vice President Dick Cheney's house, the oil industry's best friend, at 34th and Massachusetts Avenue NW. From there, we will protest Cheney and another place of interest related to the G8. This action does not in any way interfere with the two monthly critical masses. It's simply being called because of the schedule of the G8. This is being called for by the DC Anti-War Network. See you at 6PM in Dupont Circle and/or 7:30 PM at 34th and Massachusetts NW. From nparry at mail.com Fri Jul 14 12:35:29 2006 From: nparry at mail.com (Nat Parry) Date: Fri Jul 14 12:38:00 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] National Emergency March to Stop the U.S.-Israeli War: Aug. 12 Message-ID: <20060714193529.6C8711CE304@ws1-6.us4.outblaze.com> ----- Original Message ----- From: "NCA National Office" To: nparry@mail.com Subject: The Israeli Colonial Conquest Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:51:54 -0400 (EDT) $Account.OrganizationName [IMAGE] [IMAGE] NCA Position on Israeli Colonial Conquest [IMAGE] July 14, 2006 [IMAGE] The Sun Rises from the South UNITED STATES, JULY 14, 2006 - Once again, Israeli colonial policies have engulfed the Palestinian and Lebanese people with massive destruction and mayhem. Through shocking actions that are clearly Crimes Against Humanity, the Israeli polity is continuing the Zionist project that it started nearly six decades ago. The Palestinian Catastrophe (Nakba) of 1948 is yet to see justice, refugees are yet to return, thousands remain imprisoned, and the systematic atrocities committed against the people of Lebanon are relived over and over again - all as the world watches. US Destabilization of the Arab World Fully supported by the United States, the current Israeli war against the people of Lebanon aims to destroy the popular resistance movement and ignite an internal confessional strife within Lebanon with the ultimate goal of creating a proxy state buffered with a "colonized zone" and severed from its Arab surrounding, particularly Syria and Palestine. Such has been the US-Israeli design for Lebanon for decades. In its veto on July 12 of the United Nations resolution condemning the Israeli actions in Gaza, the Bush administration is sending a clear message that Israeli conquests complement US policies for the region, as manifested in the occupation and destruction of Iraq. Effectively, three Arab states (Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon) are now simultaneously under a violent siege and are being drawn into internal strives. Remaining in the cross-hairs of destabilization are Syria and Iran. Pretenses have long been put forward as a prelude to various forms of action against these two states. In both cases, there are plans underway to plant US proxy forces within the political fabric of the society to function in sync with the overall plan of conquest for the area. US-Israeli strategists hope to ultimately control the remaining contiguous anchor of resistance to empire: Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. With that control, US-Israeli hegemony over the Middle East would be complete. The Role of Arab Regimes Given that nearly all Arab regimes have already been transformed into proxy status, they are incapable of affecting any change in the political process, even if they chose. The roles for these regimes have been well defined and choreographed, hence their deafening silence and shameless complacency. Arab states would, at the very least, be expected to immediately severe all Israeli diplomatic relations and the economic exchanges they have fostered and to stand in support of the popular resistance movement. On the contrary, Arab regimes are striking with an iron fist against the Arab people who dare to rise against injustice. The most atrocious of Arab positions thus far came from Saudi Arabia who shamelessly entered the conflict on the side of the colonizer. The Saudi monarchy is overtly blaming the resistance movement in Lebanon and Palestine and is holding it accountable for the ongoing Israeli destruction and mayhem. Fully supported by the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes, the Saudi position appears to be an attempt to provide an "Arab voice", albeit a token one, that would isolate the resistance in South Lebanon and Palestine as "illegitimate" and "adventurous" forces outside "acceptable behavior". This is a dangerous destabilizing role played on behalf of the US-Israeli alliance. It serves to open the gates for what is expected to come - widening the attacks to include Syria and Iran in some form or another. In the same context, and in yet another serious development, President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmud Abbas, has attempted to disassociate the Palestinian flank from the Lebanese, hoping to strike a deal and exit the ongoing anti- colonial struggle. Abbas has stated that the Palestinian decision regarding the captured Israeli soldier is independent from developments in Lebanon and its forces, in a clear reference to the popular Lebanese resistance. This is a blow to the Palestinian-Lebanese solidarity and must be opposed. Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq ? Inseparable The coming period is critical. Attempts to destabilize Iran and Syria are likely to escalate, along with an even larger attack on the resistance in South Lebanon and Palestine. The confluence of these policies with US designs in Iraq constitutes the overall defining strategy for the US-controlled "New Middle East". In this "New Middle East", the US hopes that natural resources, land and sea access, and political servitude would be at will. The Arab American community and allies in the peace and justice movement can't afford to turn a blind eye to any of the elements of these colonial policies. It is vital that the support for boycott and divestment campaigns expand. We must jointly call for an end to the war on Iraq and an end to US funding of Israeli atrocities. Naivet? in the understanding of geopolitics is a hindrance to peace and justice - Iraq is inseparable from Palestine and Lebanon. And as we build a movement to oppose war and occupations, it is also critical that we prevent any attempt to corrupt this movement from within by means introduced by US proxy regimes and institutions. These attempts are well under way, particularly within the Arab community. Millions of dollars are being offered to set up functionary think tanks and centers, all to introduce, or worse yet, to purchase defeatism. These attempts must be challenged. We call on our community and the movement at large to join the NCA, MAS Freedom Foundation and the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition in a national emergency mobilization on August 12. NATIONAL EMERGENCY MARCH WASHINGTON D.C. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 Assemble 12 Noon at the White House Defend the People of Palestine and Lebanon Stop the U.S.-Israeli War >From Iraq to Lebanon to Palestine: Occupation is a Crime Support the Palestinian Peoples Right to Return Money for Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupation Despite all, the sun continues to rise from the South - from the camps of the Gaza Strip to the villages of South Lebanon. More... NCA National Office National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ email: nationaloffice@arab-american.netphone: 530.756.5548 web: http://www.arab-american.net [IMAGE] Forward email [IMAGE]This email was sent to nparry@mail.com, by nationaloffice@arab-american.netInstant removal with SafeUnsubscribe? | Privacy Policy. Powered by[IMAGE] National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) | 1260 Lake Blvd. | Suite 208 | Davis | CA | 95616 -- ___________________________________________________ Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060714/1b1bfe31/attachment.html From niharkbhatt at yahoo.com Fri Jul 14 12:39:33 2006 From: niharkbhatt at yahoo.com (Nihar Bhatt) Date: Fri Jul 14 12:51:18 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Tuesday - Protest Ongoing Israeli Violence in Gaza and Lebanon In-Reply-To: <321.79bde6b.31e93591@aol.com> Message-ID: <20060714193933.97382.qmail@web31805.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Join the Rally for Peace to Protest Ongoing Violence Washington, DC | July 14, 2006 | The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) will be holding a rally for peace to protest Israeli military action in Lebanon and Gaza on Tuesday, July18, from 5-7pm in front of the White House. We invite you to join ADC and other organizations as we call for an immediate ceasefire and for peace in the region. This rally is open to all peace loving persons and organizations. Contact ADC to add your organization to the list of participants. WHAT: Peaceful Rally to Protest Ongoing Israeli Violence in Gaza and Lebanon WHEN: July 18, 2006 from 5-7pm WHERE: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW --in front of the White House Take Metro to McPherson Square HOW: To add your organization to the list of participating organizations, contact media@adc.org. Open multiple messages at once with the all new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Plain Text Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ] _______________________________________________ adc_dc_organizing@adc.org http://lists.adc.org/mailman/listinfo/adc_dc_organizing From adam at mintwood.com Fri Jul 14 13:15:52 2006 From: adam at mintwood.com (Adam Eidinger) Date: Fri Jul 14 13:33:19 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] Wheatpaste - Wed. July 19 Message-ID: <44B7FB78.2030308@mintwood.com> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: staythecourse_sml.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 125020 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060714/6957aea9/staythecourse_sml-0001.jpg -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: nuclearthreat_gray_sml.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 158816 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://lists.mutualaid.org/pipermail/dawn-dc/attachments/20060714/6957aea9/nuclearthreat_gray_sml-0001.jpg From relamine at yahoo.com Sat Jul 15 06:09:18 2006 From: relamine at yahoo.com (Rami Elamine) Date: Mon Jul 17 04:10:15 2006 Subject: [dawn-dc] =?iso-8859-1?q?Lebanon=92s_Shia=3A_In_the_Eye_of_the_S?= =?iso-8859-1?q?torm_?= Message-ID: <20060715130919.20237.qmail@web33210.mail.mud.yahoo.com> This article was written before the current resurgence in fighting for a print publication but the author felt that it was important to publish it now on the internet because of the distorted view of Hizbullah that the media has been propagating in its bidding for the US and Israeli war machines. Please distribute widely. Lebanon?s Shia: In the Eye of the Storm by Bilal El-Amine http://www.leftturn.org/Articles/Viewer.aspx?id=959&type=W God has always had little mercy to spare the poor Shia Muslims of Lebanon. They suffered centuries of seamless persecution often accompanied by extreme poverty, cast away far from the religious centers of Shi?ism in Iraq and Iran. With the exception of the 10th Century when sympathetic dynasties ruled the region, Lebanon?s Shia existed on the margins of history, making an appearance only as victims. So much so that Shi?ism itself became in practice a religion of the dispossessed and disinherited, of the denial and longing for justice. A small and vulnerable minority living in a sea of Sunnis, their religious leaders long advocated a politics of ?quietism,? a state best described as either outright submission to authority however unjust or complete withdrawal from the political sphere. A politics of keep your head low, don?t rock the boat, and one day the long-awaited mahdi will return to make things right. No doubt there were rare, short-lived periods of rebellion among the Shia throughout the region and their intrepid clergy?who gathered from all corners of the Muslim world in the Iraqi shrine cities of Najaf and Kerbala?always seemed to be engaged in religious and philosophical debates that gave Shi?ism a level of dynamism that was in stark contrast to their political abstention. But it was not until the great upheavals of the 20th Century, as capitalist relations and Western imperialism swept across the Middle East, that the Shia?first in Iran, then in Iraq and Lebanon?began to wake up and assert themselves on the political stage. Their stirring has caused tremors disproportionate to their size?it is estimated that out of a billion or so Muslims today, only 150 million (15%) are Shia. Yet, Shia communities currently occupy center-stage in their countries and in the region as a whole, and their political resurgence is a source of anxiety for the world?s great powers. The high point for many Shia came in 1979 with the Islamic revolution in Iran, which not only toppled the hated Shah but also shook the American-crafted regional order to its foundations. Iran, under the Shah, was on par with Israel as a strategic Washington ally?its fall to radical Islamists was going to smart for a long time. To this day, and despite its best efforts, the US has yet to bring Teheran to heel. In May 2000, the small Shia community in Lebanon followed by striking another monumental blow?they drove one of the world?s mightiest armies off their land and liberated southern Lebanon after 23 years of Israeli occupation. It was to be the first time Israel suffered a military defeat since its establishment in 1948, thus shattering the air of military invincibility it has worked so hard to build. Some commentators even suggest that the second Palestinian intifada, which broke out in September 2000 and continues five years later, was partly inspired by the events in Lebanon a few months earlier. Since the time of the Iranian revolution, US government and Western media analysis of political Islam or Islamism (some still use the outdated and misleading term, Islamic fundamentalism) has become somewhat more nuanced, but unfortunately remains trapped in a ?clash of civilizations? rhetoric that reduces what is a complex and wide-ranging?and often popular?phenomenon to a terrorist and retrograde religious fanaticism. Maintaining such a caricature of Islamist activism no doubt serves Washington?s current policy of endless war well by concocting a new global evil that the Pentagon can chase across every continent. And most unfortunately, the September 11 attacks have only reinforced the worst stereotypes of religious extremists bent on destroying the West, a gift the growing clique of neoconservatives in Washington could not have dreamed of. Today, it has become the norm in much of the US media to malign Arabs and Muslims as a people regardless of their political views?a racist campaign that then justifies invading and occupying their lands abroad and rounding them up by the thousands and imprisoning them at home. The reality is that Islamism emerged in the late19th Century as a reaction to European colonialism?s thrust deep into the Muslim world. The new powers sought to radically reorder Muslim society at all levels?culturally as well as economically?so it was natural for Arabs and Muslims to look to their own traditions for ways to counter Western hegemony. A spectrum of responses soon emerged ranging from Arab nationalist to Islamist, with many of the early anti-colonial movements employing a combination of both. By the 1950s and 60s, Arab nationalism with secular overtones became the dominant trend. In the 1980s though, Islamists were emerging as a potent force, unleashing a new wave of revolutionary ferment, this time in the name of Islam. The Shia were no exception to this general pattern except that having been on the bottom for so long, their movements tended to be more radical and explosive than among their Sunni counterparts. The Shia?be they Lebanese, Iraqi or Iranian?tended to swing from the radical left (communism and nationalism) to revolutionary Islamism. They were rarely comfortable in the moderate center. Birth of a Nation At the time modern-day Lebanon was being created in the early half of the 20th Century (1920-43), we find its Shia inhabitants, as expected, living in dire straits. They had survived centuries of oppressive Sunni rule at the hands of the Mamluk and Ottoman dynasties, driven to the poorest areas and often treated worse than non-Muslim minorities by the authorities. They lived in scattered, poverty-stricken hamlets in southern Lebanon and the Biqa Valley, barely scraping a living as sharecroppers and peasants, often working for large, still-feudalist landlords who treated them like serfs. There were no roads, no electricity, and water had to be carried daily from nearby wells. You would find no doctors or clinics and barely any schools in most villages. To find a job, other than working the land, you had to travel far to either Haifa or Beirut. The Lebanese government barely noticed this overwhelming deprivation and didn?t raise a finger to develop Shia areas until the late 1950s. Greater Lebanon was created by the French by artificially appending the Sunni Muslim coastal cities and the Shia South and Biqa to the autonomous Mount Lebanon to give their Christian Maronite allies a country they can call their own. According to a 1932 census, they were declared to be the largest of over a dozen sects that fell within the borders of Lebanon and therefore given the main levers of power?the presidency, the army command, and a majority in parliament. The Sunni merchants of the cities could not be completely ignored and were given a junior partnership. But there was no such consideration for the Shia?their landlord families were given a minor share in the new state in return for keeping their Shia subjects in their place. This was not difficult at first as the bulk of the Shia lived in rural isolation at the mercy of the big landowners. Soon, however, everything began to change as the Shia set out to change their lot and, in the process, turn the tables on all those who conspired to keep them down. Two developments, starting in the 1950s, were to have a profound effect on the Shia communities, prompting a political awakening that has yet to fade away. The first was the penetration of capitalism into the Shia hinterland of Lebanon that took several forms: a) the rural economy and the oppressive political order that came with it began to crumble, b) hundreds and then thousands of Shia began to leave their villages to work either in Beirut or abroad in West Africa, the oil-rich Gulf countries, even as far away as Brazil and the United States, and c) the government began to build roads and schools?along with a smattering of development programs?in Shia areas. The second, and equally important, factor was the large-scale expulsion of Palestinians into Lebanon and the creation of a hostile and land-hungry Israeli state next door. This landed the Shia at the epicenter of the region?s most enduring conflict, effectively tying their fate to the outcome of the Palestinian struggle. By the late 1960s, the Shia began to gravitate in large numbers to Lebanon?s myriad leftist and secular nationalist parties while others joined the Palestinian guerrillas that were beginning to make their presence felt across the South by launching raids into northern Israel. Hundreds of thousands had migrated to Beirut and were living in slums throughout city, commonly referred to as the ?misery belt.? There, they not only interacted with leftist activists but also Shia from other regions in Lebanon. In the cities they could see for themselves to what extent their community was neglected compared to the Sunnis and Christians who were living large in Beirut?s now prospering economy. As one historian describes it: The large-scale Shi?ite migration to Beirut accelerated the process of social change within the sect. In addition, in the city, Shi?ites from Jebel ?Amil [the South] and the Biqa mingled for the first time; and they went through many of the same traumatic experiences there together. Urbanization thus helped to weave the interests of what were now three distinct areas of Shi?ite settlement?in Jebel Amil, the Biqa and Beirut?into something like a single, national Shi?ite constituency. (Helena Cobban, The Making of Modern Lebanon) The Sleeper Awakens Over the course of the 1970s, the Shia community went through yet more intense changes as they began to grapple with the best means by which to organize themselves into an effective political force. Their experience with leftist parties and Palestinian organizations posed a number of difficulties that would later alienate most Shia, driving them toward the exclusively Shi?i movements that emerged by the end of the decade (first Amal, and then Hizbullah). The Shia of Lebanon like Arabs everywhere identified with the Palestinian cause and the plight of the Palestinian refugees. In the city slums, poor Shia and Palestinians lived and suffered together?a substantial number of Shia, for example, were slaughtered along with Palestinian refugees in the infamous Sabra and Shatila massacre. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the first generation of Shia activists cut their teeth in the Palestinian liberation movement, developing their first shoots of political consciousness about their community, the region, even the world, in the heat of that struggle. In the first years of the Lebanese civil war that broke out in 1975?mainly between the Christian right on the one hand and the Lebanese left and Palestinian groups on the other?the Shia played a minor role, serving as rank-and-file fighters for the latter and suffering the greatest number of casualties. Tens of thousands of poor Shia who had the misfortune of living in Christian areas?some as far back as the 1950s?were expelled en mass to live as refugees in the Muslim half of the city. They did not fare much better elsewhere. In the South, as already noted, Shia not only supported Palestinian guerrillas operating in their area, they even took up arms alongside them, paying dearly as Israel retaliated with a scorched earth policy. Solidarity between the two communities could not weather the storm and by 1978?at the time of Israel?s first invasion of Lebanon?it reached a breaking point. There are two reasons why this happened. First, the Israeli policy of making the Shia inhabitants of the South pay for Palestinian guerrilla activity there worked. The Israelis calculated that by responding with disproportionate force against Palestinian raids?making the lives of the southern Shia unbearable?the locals would eventually turn against the guerrillas. Which leads to the second reason: the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) played right into the hands of the Israelis and showed little regard for the local population, subordinating their wellbeing to hold onto what the Palestinians saw as their last remaining front by which to carry on their armed struggle against Israel. The PLO created what many Lebanese saw as a state within a state, informally?and to many arrogantly?ruling large swathes of Lebanon according to the whims of its often unruly factions who parceled the country out amongst themselves. As noted, the 1978 invasion dealt a major, perhaps fatal, blow to Shia-Palestinian relations as Israeli forces swept through the South without much resistance from the Palestinian guerrillas. The PLO and its leftist allies tactically decided to pull back and save their weapons and fighters rather than face sure defeat against Israel?s superior forces. This nevertheless surprised and disappointed many Shia. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were merciless toward the South?s civilians (Palestinians included), no doubt to press their point that the local population will pay dearly for supporting the PLO. By most accounts, 2,000 civilians were killed and one-quarter of a million were made homeless. One commentator notes: ?The destruction of so much Lebanese property and the looting of Shi?ite homes was clearly intentional. According to the United Nations, about a hundred Lebanese villages were attacked and this resulted in the complete demolition of 2,500 houses and the partial destruction of a further 5,200.? (David Gilmour, Lebanon: The Fractured Country) Reform and Revolution Well before the devastating 1978 invasion, as far back as the 1960s, the Shia had already begun the process of developing their own movements and institutions. The early impetus for self-organization was largely due to the arrival in 1959 of a charismatic and energetic cleric by the name of Sayyid Musa Sadr. Of Lebanese origin but raised and educated in Iran, Sadr comes from a well-known family of clerics (or ulama in Arabic), and having lived abroad for most of his life was not comfortable with the quiescence that plagued Lebanon?s Shia clergy. To the chagrin of both the Shia feudal bosses and the traditional clergy, he quickly made a name for himself as an activist mullah who wanted to improve the lowly state of Lebanon?s Shia?his message quickly found an echo throughout the community and in the course of a few short years marshaled a vast following. Sadr set out as a moderate and sought to work within the confines of Lebanon?s sectarian political system by building religious and social institutions that would serve to promote the interests of the Shia sect and advocate for their share of government jobs and spending. Whenever his efforts met with resistance from the often-reluctant authorities, he fought back by calling tens of thousands of Shia into the streets, using a radical interpretation of Shi?ism to stir his followers into action. In the process, and after a series of confrontations with the state, he managed to shake the dust off decades of complacency in the community and, perhaps unintentionally, set them on a collision course with the powers that be. In 1978, in the early stages of the war, Sadr mysteriously disappeared while on a visit to Libya to meet with Muammar Qaddafi, who most believe kidnapped and killed him. As the country became increasingly polarized in early 1970s, Sadr tended to take conflicting, increasingly conservative, positions?no doubt reflecting the turbulent mix of attitudes among the Shia generally at the time. Although Sadr opposed the very idea of armed conflict and long advocated non-violent civil disobedience, he nevertheless prepared for the inevitable and secretly organized his own Shia militia (Amal) as the country headed to war. To the great dismay of the Lebanese left, he supported Syria?s 1976 intervention in Lebanon to save the Christian right from sure defeat, thus preserving the status quo. It?s hard to predict given later developments?such as the 1982 Israeli invasion, which was carried out with the full collusion of the Christian right?how Sadr would have reacted. The invasion and the long occupation that followed, perhaps more than any other event, set the Shia on fire and propelled them down a far more militant, even revolutionary, path that anything Sadr may have envisioned. This became more apparent after the Iranian revolution as Amal began to polarize between a revolutionary Islamist wing and a moderate, secular one. Initially, the latter won out and Nabih Berri?a lawyer and expatriate businessman?took the helm of the party, steering it down a secular and reformist path. Amal managed to survive its first major internal crisis, with a breakaway faction calling itself ?Islamic Amal? failing to swing the party in its direction. Berri subsequently became a major powerbroker in the mid-1980s by aligning himself closely with Syria and managed to retain the loyalty of a majority of Shia for a few more years. But having survived the shockwaves of the Iranian revolution, Israel?s invasion posed yet greater challenges that Amal was unable to absorb. Islamists voices, as much within as outside Amal, calling for all out resistance, re-emerged?and this time their message found immediate resonance among large numbers of Shia. These initially disparate forces would over the course of a few years unite under the banner of Hizbullah and quickly overtake Amal as the dominant Shia party in Lebanon. The Perfect Storm An amalgam of political party, armed resistance and social movement, Hizbullah (?Party of God?) was born of a perfect storm that saw the convergence of several factors in the early 1980s: 1) the long-term changes inside the Shia community, described at length above, 2) the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, and 3) the 1982 Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon. Although Iranian support was certainly critical to the emergence of the party, the Israeli invasion appears to have been the decisive factor. As Na?im Qasim, one of the founders Hizbullah, tells it: l The common denominator among those people [founders of Hizbullah] was the strong feeling that what was present in the arena in the form of parties and organizations did not express their [political] proposals nor the structural format they sought. What contributed also was the breaking of the Iranian Revolution in 1979. This inspired these men to establish relations with the Revolution and to benefit from its experiences. So, from