Holiday gift ideas: Sale of Olive Branch Palestinian Olive Oil

Here's a great idea for holiday gift giving from Brooklyn for Peace:

Sale of Olive Branch Palestinian Olive Oil

Support Palestinian farmers and families by purchasing fairly-traded olive oil from small farmer cooperatives in the West Bank. Olive Branch Olive Oil comes to us from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) a non-profit non-governmental organization in the West Bank.

Enjoy delicious, extra-virgin, first-cold-pressed olive oil, produced without pesticides or sprays. (Palestinian farmers traditionally care for their trees without the use of pesticides or sprays. The process is underway for obtaining organic certification.) Bottled in dark green glass bottles for optimal storage, to avoid light; storage advised in cool conditions.

Support tree re-planting and other development projects in Palestine.

Give gifts of olive oil as a way to initiate conversation with friends and family about conditions in Palestine.

Price: $20 per 750 ml bottle.
A portion of the purchase price is donated to tree replanting and other development projects in the West Bank. Proceeds also support the ongoing peace and justice work of Brooklyn For Peace.

Olive Branch Olive Oil is bottled in dark green glass bottles to avoid light. Storage is advised under cool conditions. (Both light and heat are known enemies of olive oil.)

To arrange for pick-up times and locations, contact us at is.pales@brooklynpeace.org, or call 718-624-5921. (Sorry, we cannot mail to you.)

Provide your name, phone number, email, and desired number of bottles (maximum 6 bottles per customer), and where you prefer to pick up your order (Boerum Hill, Park Slope, or Flatbush locations). We will confirm your order, and set a date/time for you to pick up.

Additional information:
Olive oil is the backbone of the Palestinian agricultural economy. Eighty percent of cultivated land in Palestine is planted with olive trees; the olive harvest provides 25 to 50 percent of a farming family's annual income. Olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old, hold a deep significance in the culture and economy of the Holy Land. As the political and economic situation in Palestine continues to deteriorate, with increased restrictions on the mobility of people, goods, and services, production and sale of olive oil has become a matter of basic survival for many Palestinian families. Buying Olive Branch Olive Oil is a constructive and tangible way in which we can help to alleviate poverty and build peace.

Olive Branch Olive Oil comes directly from the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees a non-profit non-governmental organization in the West Bank. For over 20 years, PARC has been at the forefront of promoting Palestinian agriculture. PARC purchases its olive oil from 85 different small farmer cooperatives throughout rural Palestine and has been working in recent years to develop its Fair Trade Division which also exports dates, za'atar, and couscous from Gaza. PARC is a member of the Palestinian Free Trade Associations, and is the only Palestinian organization that has received the Palestine Standards Institution certification for its olive oil. In the U.S., Olive Branch Olive Oil is distributed from Boston.

Stop Bush's "endless war" agreement

I just signed a MoveOn.org petition to the Democrats to use their power (such as it is) in Congress to challenge Bush's "endless war" agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to keep troops in Iraq forever (or at least the foreseeable future). Here's the plea from MoveOn:

Subject: Help to stop an endless occupation in Iraq

Hi,
Have you seen the news? President Bush is negotiating a deal with Iraq to keep our troops there indefinitely--it could include permanent bases and a massive military presence for years! Bush is trying to tie the hands of the next president.

Congress can stop him from setting up permanent bases in Iraq and block an indefinite occupation--but they need to hear a groundswell of pressure from us immediately and loudly so they act on this quickly.

I just signed a petition demanding that Congress stop the president from committing to a massive military presence in Iraq for decades. Can you join me?

Thanks

A letter from Cindy Sheehan on impeaching Cheney

A letter from Cindy Sheehan (via Chelsea Neighbors):

Dear Friends,

Please pass the word, we have received over 6000 letters to encourage the Speaker of the House to open investigation and impeachment proceedings against Dick Cheney---in affect, allowing HR799 (which was HR333) to go forward from the House Judiciary Committee.

Pelosi's office has denied the rumor, but that should not mean we abrogate our responsibilities as members of this so-called Representative Republic. This will put the ball back in her court and she will probably miss and fail us again, but that does not mean that WE STOP TRYING!

We are still accepting letters and will deliver them when we reach 10,000, so please forward far and wide, again.

We have received them from all over the nation!

Send the letters to:
Nancy Pelosi
c/o Cindy for Congress
Re: Impeach Dick Cheney
1260 Mission St.
San Francisco, Ca 94103
We will not be opening the letters so please only include your letter to Nancy Pelosi in the envelope.

Love, peace & accountability,
Cindy

"People before Politics"
Support Cindy for Congress!

Chelsea Neighbors United To End The WarP.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
join our listerv: ChelseaNeighborsUnited

Nov. 28: Naomi Klein on "Torture and Democracy"

Torture and Democracy:
A conversation with Naomi Klein and Lisa Hajjar

Nov. 28, 6-8 PM

NYU
Hemmerdiinger Hall, Silver Center,
100 Washington Square East.

Admission is free of charge and open to all.

Journalist Naomi Klein’s books include No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (HarperCollins 2000) and, most recently, the highly regarded The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Metropolitan Books, 2007). Lisa Hajjar’s most recent book is Courting Conflict: The Israeli Military Court System in the West Bank and Gaza (California, 2005).

Photo ID is required for admission to the building.

Part of the Beyond Empire Project of the Kevorkian Center and American Studies supported by NYU Humanities Council.

Democrats promise to honor news-writers' strike

Although the potential Democratic candidates for president in 2008 don't always act in ways that elicit confidence in their politics, they have acted in an atypical manner with regard to the potential news-writers' strike. Reuters reports:


"The writers strike is threatening to put on ice the December 10 Democratic presidential debate hosted by CBS News as the party’s front-runners say that they won’t cross a picket line.

"The strike also is cooling the ardor of the candidates and their spouses to appear on ABC’s “The View,” as the candidates and their spouses are refusing to cross the picket line to make appearances on the talker.

"In separate statements or interviews before the Thanksgiving holiday, the three front-runners said that they will honor picket lines set up by the CBS newswriters if they go on strike. The candidates also appeared willing to honor picket lines set up by the Writers Guild of America.

"The newswriters’ union has authorized a strike but has not yet called for a work stoppage. Striking WGA West members have set up picket lines in Los Angeles and could set up pickets at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, where soap operas, “The Price Is Right” and primetime shows are produced."

(more of this story)

Protest Bush's Middle East meetings

Major counter protest AGAINST Bush's Annapolis meeting

Tuesday, NOV. 27, 5:00 pm

In NYC: In front of Israeli Mission to the UN
42nd Street and 2nd Avenue,

also:

In Los Angeles: Highland Ave & Hollywood Blvd., 6:30 pm

In Boston: Park Street Station, 5:00 pm

In Charlotte NC: 7th St & Pecan Ave., 6:00pm

Free Palestine
Stop the siege of Gaza
Get out of Iraq
Stay out of Iran
Occupation & War do not make peace in the Middle East
Antiwar activists from across the region will gather in front of the Israeli Mission to the U.N. in NYC on Tuesday evening November 27 to protest the Annapolis “Peace” conference.

We are protesting because the meeting has more to do with strengthening President Bush’s war in Iraq and war plans against Iran, than attaining justice for the Palestinian people.

The following is an excerpt from a statement protesting the Annapolis meeting that has been signed by 400 antiwar leaders and activist across the U.S.

Antiwar Activist Support Call for Counter Protest Against Annapolis Meeting:

As an anti-war movement, we must ask ourselves: Can we allow the war criminals, who time after time have callously ignored the anti-war majority in the U.S. and globally, to get away with this outrageous farce?

Some may be confused about the purpose of the Annapolis meeting, so let’s speak plain truth: It isn’t really about peace and justice for Palestine – it’s about deception, occupation and war. It’s about isolating popular forces and countries that reject U.S. rule. It’s about attempting to force new concessions on the Palestinian people, while attempting to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and other Arab governments with Israel. All-the-while Tel Aviv continues its all-out assault on the Palestinian people. And it’s about preparing for a new war.

At this moment, Palestinians in Gaza are being deprived of food, fuel, medicines and other basic necessities by an economic embargo imposed by Israel and backed by the U.S. Meanwhile, more Israeli settlements, roads, walls and checkpoints are being set up in the West Bank each day. (For the full statement http://www.troopsoutnow.org/)

Cheney on invading Iraq before we did

Cheney on invading Irag in 1991:

How much credibility is that government going to have if it’s set up by the United States military when it’s there?

He added:

The notion that we ought to now go to Baghdad and somehow take control of the country strikes me as an extremely serious one in terms of what we’d have to do once we got there. You’d probably have to put some new government in place. It’s not clear what kind of government that would be, how long you’d have to stay. For the U.S. to get involved militarily in determining the outcome of the struggle over who’s going to govern in Iraq strikes me as a classic definition of a quagmire.

Cheney in 1994,

Once you got to Iraq and took it over, and took down Saddam Hussein’s government, then what are you going to put in its place? That’s a very volatile part of the world and if you take down the central government in Iraq, you can easily end up seeing pieces of Iraq fly off. How many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth? And our judgment was - not very many and I think we got it right.

Cheney in 2000:

[T]he only way you could have done that would be to go to Baghdad and occupy Iraq. If we’d done that, the U.S. would have been all alone. We would not have had the support of the coalition, especially of the Arab nations that fought alongside us in Kuwait. None of them ever set foot inside Iraq. Conversations I had with leaders in the region afterwards–they all supported the decision that was made not to go to Baghdad.
They were concerned that we not get into a position where we shifted instead of being the leader of an international coalition to roll back Iraqi aggression to one in which we were an imperialist power, willy-nilly moving into capitals in that part of the world taking down governments.

(Quotes from The Carpetbagger Report by Steve Benen)

Say NO to war against Iran! Upcoming events

From Brooklyn for Peace:

Tues Nov 27, 7:00 pm

Book reading, signing, and discussion
Targeting Iran:
Book Court, 163 Court Street (between Dean and Pacific)

Meet author David Barsamian
and contributors Ervand Abrahamian and Nahid Mozaffari
Targeting Iran presents a bracing exploration of Iran and its tangled relationship with the West.

Noam Chomsky is also a contributor to this book, which discusses the 1953 CIA coup and the rise of the Islamic regime; Iran's internal dynamics and competing forces; relations with Iraq and Afghanistan; and the consequences of U.S policy.

Train: F/G to Bergen; 2/3, 4/5 to Borough Hall; R/M to Court St; A/C or F to Jay St/Borough Hall
Sponsored by Brooklyn For Peace.
Questions: Call 718-624-5921 or e-mail bfp@brooklynpeace.org


Fri Nov 30, 6--9 pm

Military Families Speak Out
Holy Name Church,
207 W; 96th Street at Amsterdam Ave, Manhattan

Hear those most affected by the Iraq War:
Speakers will include: Ms. Nesreen, Iraqi educator;
Drew Mealing, Military Families Speak Out (topic: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Depleted Uranium;)
Bruce Wallace, Sept 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows & 121 Contact;
Veterans for Peace; & More

$10 admission if possible, no-one turned away; all donations welcome
Sponsor: Military Families Speak Out
Co-sponsor: Brooklyn For Peace
Questions? E-mail iraq@brooklynpeace.org

Say NO to war against Iran!
Negotiation, not confrontation!

Brooklyn For Peace calls for:
*Full and open negotiations with Iran on all issues
*Congressional legislation blocking funding for an attack on Iran
*Prohibition of presidential action without congressional approval
*Adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by all countries.
Click here to sign on-line petition "No War With Iran!"
For our flyer "Ten Reasons Not to Bomb Iraq (or threaten to do so)"
e-mail nowar@brooklynpeace.org or call 718-624-5921

Nov.27: Norman Finkelstein on Israel and Palestine

Tuesday, November 27, 7:30 pm

Israel and Palestine

JUDSON MEMORIAL CHURCH
55 Washington Square South, NYC
Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15
Free for Brecht Forum Subscribers

Norman Finkelstein and Charles Glass

Two of the most thoughtful analysts of the politics of the Middle East examine the roots of the conflict between Israel and Palestine and the prospects for peace. With Bush's phoney "peace" meetings going on this is thew perfect time for clear thinking on the Middle East.

Embattled professor and penetrating analyst of the Middle East, Norman Finkelstein is the author several books including The Holocaust Industry and, most recently, Beyond Chutzpah. Charles Glass is a widely published journalist and author who was chief Middle East correspondent for ABC News from 1983-93. His most recent book is The Tribes Triumphant.

Nov. 20: Film on TV: The Creek Runs Red

This is a Firelight Media Film Corner Recommendation:

The Creek Runs Red airs on PBS this Tuesday, November 20th!

The Creek Runs Red, directed by Bradley Beesley, Julianna Brannum and James Payne, premieres on PBS' Independent Lens Tuesday, November 20. Check local listings for times in your area

"It gets in your blood," says a resident of Picher, Oklahoma about his sense of hometown pride. His words, however, take on a powerful irony in this documentary about the toxic legacy of Picher's lead mining industry. Since their town was declared a Superfund site in 1981, Picher's residents have been forced to choose between preserving their image of the American dream and preserving their health. The Creek Runs Red carries us into the heart of this sharply divided community to reveal with extraordinary intimacy and insight the full human tragedy of environmental catastrophe.

WATCH THE TRAILER

Vote NO on Republican's Iraq war

From: Democrats.com

Crucial Iraq Vote: Just Say No

On Wednesday, House Democrats will once again vote on a bill to "end" the occupation of Iraq - without actually cutting off the funds that keep the occupation going.

Speaker Pelosi's latest plan is a "bridge fund" of $50 billion that sets a "goal" of "redeploying" our troops by 12/15/08. Even if the bill miraculously passes the Senate, Bush will veto it or take the money and openly defy the redeployment "goal." So why is Speaker Pelosi once again playing Bush's game?

90 Democrats have signed the "Peace Pledge" opposing any more Iraq funds except to safely "redeploy" our troops by 1/09. But Pelosi's bill gives Bush the money he wants without the strict enforceable deadlines at the heart of the "Peace Pledge."

So we call on all "Peace Pledge" Democrats to honor their pledges by voting NO.

A new study by Democrats themselves puts the economic cost of the Iraq occupation at $1.6 TRILLION, or $21,000 per family. Every single penny has been wasted - not to mention the human cost to Americans and Iraqis and global hatred of the USA.

Why would Democrats want to give Bush one penny more?

All Congress has to do is Just Say No and refuse to provide any new funds, and tell Bush to use existing funds to bring all our troops safely home. Bush has plenty of money - besides all previous Iraq funds, Bush just signed a Pentagon bill with a $40 billion increase.

Tell your Representatives: No More Funds for Iraq

Deliver the same message on the phone: 202-224-3121

And send a message Democrats cannot ignore by joining the Democratic Donor Strike against the DCCC and DSCC.

Oppose the Peru Free Trade Agreement in the Senate

On Thursday, November 8th, the House of Representatives passed the Peru Free Trade Agreement.

See roll call for House vote here

Now we must oppose it in the Senate!

Call Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and urge them to vote NO on the Peru Free Trade Agreement when it comes to a vote in the Senate this coming week.

Hillary Clinton's legislative assistant Andrew Shapiro at (202) 224-4451
Charles Schumer's legislative assistant Carmencita Whonder at (202) 224-6542

Or go to the PDA Action Alert to Call Senators:

Ask the legislative aide to tell you how the Senator intends to vote on the Peru Free Trade Agreement. Even if they will not give you an answer, (or if you are leaving a message) urge them to tell the Senator to vote NO on Peru Free Trade.

Why is this important?

The Peru free trade agreement, even in its revised form will:

- harm workers and family farmers in both countries,

- limit access to affordable generic medications for people with AIDS,

- lower food safety standards,

- damage the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous people and wildlife who make it their home,

- lock in social security privatization in Peru,

and

- promote expansion of inhumane, polluting factory farms.

For more background on the Peru FTA, and info on John Edwards' challenge to Congress to vote NO, see these links:

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4%2FICC%2BVaq83cURLB%2BgBuaNQmsh9bFpRd

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=njZ4gMzd%2FZd3uvgaOMBridQmsh9bFpRd

Please feel free to send an reply email to frances@pdamerica.org to let them know how your call went .

And should you be in NYC and free tomorrow (Tues. Nov. 13) at noon Join Global Justice for Animals and the NYC People's Referendum on Free Trade at their protest

At Hillary Clinton's office
48th Street and 3rd Avenue

Nov. 16: The 3rd Iraq Moratorium Day

photo Tom Good / Next Left Notes

From: UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE

On the 3rd Friday of every month, since September, people around the country have been taking antiwar action in their own communities, workplaces, schools and other locations as part of the Iraq Moratorium. United for Peace and Justice urges you to join the building momentum on Friday, November 16th.

The idea is to not only do something yourself, but to also use this as an opportunity to get other folks involved, especially people who oppose the war but have yet to take any public action. Throughout the country there is widespread, deep opposition to the ongoing war and occupation in Iraq. But many people have yet to find a way to make their voices heard. Now is the time to reach out to those folks and to offer them new opportunities to be part of this movement.

UFPJ also believes this is a critically important time for raising our concerns about a new war on Iran. Just as we must end the war in Iraq, we need to make sure there is not a new war against Iran! We hope when you take action on Nov. 16th you will connect Iraq and Iran. To help you with that, we have prepared a 1/2-page leaflet called "Want to Do More?" that you can easily copy and distribute.

Here are a few other ideas for what you can do on the 3rd Iraq Moratorium Day, on Friday, Nov. 16:

Wear an anti-war button, armband, or t-shirt -- something visible expressing your opposition to the war. Give other people buttons or armbands to wear on Nov. 16th also.

Put an anti-war sign in your house or apartment window, on your lawn, or in your car window.

Check to see if there is an activity planned in your city on that day. If there is, help get the word out and bring more people to it.

If you want to plan an activity, click here to get ideas from what people have done on previous Iraq Moratorium days. And once you plan an event, be sure to post it on the calendar.

Make a special effort to call into radio talk shows on Nov. 16th. Talk about why you oppose the war in Iraq, why you want to stop a new war in Iran, and why you want all of the troops to be brought home now.

Download and distribute our ­"Want to Do More?" flyer in your community, where you work, at the school you attend, or anyplace where people gather.


Peace,

Leslie Cagan
National Coordinator, UFPJ

UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit

Nov. 8 & 9: Protest martial law in Pakistan

Thursday, November 8, 1:00pm
A day of Resistance against Martial Law in Pakistan

United Nations
47th St & 1st Ave.

Hosted by Pakistan Khaber society,
Initiated by Pakistan USA Freedom Forum
Supported by International Action Center

ALSO
Friday Nov 9
Pakistani women going on hunger strike in front of Pakistan consulate in NY

ALSO
Friday, Nov. 9, 6:30 pm
FORUM MARTIAL LAW IN PAKISTAN & POPULAR RESISTANCE
open to the public
Solidarity Center
55 w 17th st, 5th Fl,
(bt. 5TH & 6TH Aves)

Dick and Bush on Pakistan

The vice-presidential Dick walks into the Oval office. The presidential Bush is watching Bill O'Reilly on TV.

Dick: Hey W, have you heard what Pervez has done in Pakistan?

Bush: Yep. But I'm not sure if we can stop him from overturning democracy.

Dick: Hell! I don't care about democracy. I want to know how we can pull off the same thing.

Bush: Hey, Dick, Great idea!

Call Rep. Nadler NOW

From the Human Rights Campaign (HRC):

ENDA VOTE TOMORROW
Call Representative Nadler Now!
(202) 225-5635

Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote for the first time ever on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, an important bill that would outlaw employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Call (202) 225-5635 and urge Representative Nadler to vote YES on H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The path to this vote has been a long and arduous one. For over 30 years, the civil rights community has fought to secure a successful vote in Congress on legislation that would ensure that millions of gay and lesbian Americans would never have to go to work in fear of losing their jobs. And this year, there has been much debate about whether ENDA should include protections for transgender workers.

Throughout this entire struggle, the Human Rights Campaign has been guided by the principle of equality for all. We recognize that the version of ENDA poised to pass the House of Representatives tomorrow is not the fully-inclusive bill we all want. But we now also feel, given the current circumstances, that our best chance of passing a bill that protects all members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community in the shortest possible period of time is to pass the bill before us.

The Family Research Council, Traditional Values Coalition and their allies would like nothing more than for our movement to fail and for ENDA to die in this Congress. To stand idly by and let that happen would constitute ceding ground. Defeat of a major civil rights bill on the House floor would set the movement back many years.

Please call (202) 225-5635 and urge Representative Nadler to vote in favor of H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Thank you.

Nov. 6: Chelsea Stands Up Against The War

From: Chelsea Stands Up Against The War.

Join with your friends and neighbors,
Tuesday, November 6th at 6pm
at the northwest corner of 8th Avenue and 24th Street
for Chelsea Stands Up Against The War.


Dear Chelsea Neighbor,

Demonstrations come and go. Various pieces of legislation are offered that do not meet the challenge of stopping the war, while legislation that might have real impact is ignored.

Our elected officials are more concerned with political capital than they are with ending the war.

It is still up to us to end this war.

We will also discuss future strategies and actions. Please consider joining us.

This week's newsletter includes a column by Carla Nordstrom.

Read it, and be with us if you can.

Peace,
Chuck Zlatkin
for CNU to End the War

Chelsea Neighbors United To End The War
P.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org

Nov. 6: Protest Vigil at Senator Schumer's Home

TUES NOV 6, 6:00 TO 7:00 PM

Protest Vigil at Senator Schumer's home:
9 Prospect Park West (corner of President St),
Park Slope
(See a map)

BROOKLYN SAYS NO!!
to Schumer's betrayal of democracy!
[see my earlier letter to Sen. Schumer]

Join Brooklyn For Peace to protest:

**Schumer's support of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General, in spite of Mukasey's refusal to state unequivocally that "waterboarding" is a form of torture and therefore illegal.

**Schumer's increasing support of military action against Iran and Bush's attempt to launch a new war.

**Schumer's continuing support of funding for the war against Iraq.

Contact friends, family, and colleagues to join in this protest vigil.

Call Schumer TODAY!
Tell him he must change his position and oppose confirmation of Mukasey. Congressional switchboard 800-828-0498; direct line 202-224-6542; local office 212-486-4430.
Click here to e-mail if you can't get through on the phone.

Senator Schumer, abandoning his own party and angering many of his constituents, has announced that he will support the nomination of Michael Mukasey for Attorney General, despite Mukasey's repeated refusal to state unequivocally that "waterboarding" is a form of torture and therefore illegal. Mukasey has also stated his belief that President Bush, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, has the right to ignore laws passed by Congress. This shows that Mukasey would continue the drift toward authoritarian rule which has become a hallmark of the Bush Administration.

Futhermore, Schumer, originally one of the strongest supporters of the war in Iraq, has been supportive of the increasingly bellicose plans of Bush and Cheney to foment a new and even more dangerous war against Iran.

He voted in favor of the Kyl-Lieberman bill which many experts believe Bush can use as justification to launch a new war against Iran. He has refused to join almost 30 other Democrats in supporting the Webb/Udall legislation (S. 759/H.R.3119) which warns the President that he has no authority from Congress to take military action against Iran.

Now is the time for Brooklynites to express anger at Schumer's increasingly pro-war and anti-democratic positions. The election of November 2006 demonstrated clearly that Americans want to end the war in Iraq and to reverse the disastrous course of the Bush Administration. Charles Schumer is ignoring the will of those voters and is serving, instead, the program of George Bush, which is to pursue the Iraq war, launch a new war against Iran, and undermine our democratic rights.

Questions:
Contact Brooklyn For Peace (formerly Brooklyn Parents for Peace)
718-624-5921
bfp@brooklynpeace.org
www.brooklynpeace.org

Impeach the Vice-pressidential Dick

Rep. Dennis Kucinich introduced H.Res. 333 in April to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney for his pre-war lies about Iraq and for threatening an invasion of Iran. And there are 21 co-sponsors.

House Speaker Nancy "impeachment is off the table" Pelosi blocked Judiciary Committee hearings on the bill, but Kucinich will force a floor vote on Tuesday using his right of personal privilege.

Kucinich's courageous act will put members of the House on record. Are they going to fulfill their oath of office to "defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic"? Or will they support a Vice President whose lies about Iraq cost the lives of nearly 4,000 Americans and possibly $2.4 trillion in our tax dollars - and whose lies about Iran threaten to start World War III?

Call your Representative (not Senators) and tell them to support Kucinich's resolution to impeach Dick Cheney, H.Res. 333:
800-828-0498, 800-862-5530, 800-833-6354

More actions to support Kucinich's impeachment resolution:
http://impeachcheney.org

Nov.13: Meet Vietnamese public health doctor/researcher Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

Here's a note from Merle Ratner that I wanted to share with you:

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 7:30 -9:00 pm

A reception for Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

The Brecht Forum,
451 West Street
(between Bank & Bethune Streets)


A leading Vietnamese public health doctor/researcher on the affects of Agent Orange from Vietnam is visiting the U.S. to attend the American Public Health Association and to meet with people in DC, N.Y. and Boston.

Come Meet Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong and hear about the affects of Agent Orange on the women and children of Vietnam. Dr. Phuong is the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical University of HCM City. She has also established a training program for rural midwives from ethnic minorities living in the Central Highlands who use their own languages to educate people about reproductive health issues.

Hope you can attend and invite your friends and colleagues.

See you on the 13th.

Merle Ratner

Sen. Schumer a vote to confirm Mukasey violates everything we stand for as a people and a nation

Dear Senator Schumer:

As one of your constituents and someone who has voted for you each time you have run for public office, I will never be able to do so again. No matter what kind of rationalization you come up with (and I've heard the "he's the best we can get from this administration" argument and it is unprincipled nonsense) you are for all intents and purposes enabling Bush and Cheney to continue to use a method developed by the Spanish inquisition to torture its enemies. This is quite simply unAmerican. It violates who we are as a nation and a people. It violates every fiber of the U.S. Constitution.

Mukasey has been asked a very simple question: is Waterboarding torture? And therefore illegal. If he cannot answer that question in the affirmative, he cannot possibly carry out the duties of the office to which you have said you will vote to confirm him. If, after the ugly Americans (even Graham Greene could not have imagined Bush and Cheney) leave office, we are to rehabilitate our reputation as a people who value human life in all its forms (friend or enemy) we cannot now turn this man (Mukasey) loose on the world. He has responded to this question in exactly the same slippery manner that his predecessor answered Congressional questions. He is giving you a preview of how he will behave as Attorney General. If that's what you are now willing to settle for, then I can no longer support you. And in your position as Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee I will not be able to vote for anyone you support.

The time has come to stand up as Americans and say to Bush and Cheney (and the leading Republican presidential candidates): You don't speak for us. You don't represent us. And we look to you to stand up and say, "enough is enough." As Sen. McCain said when he was still sane, "It's not about them, it's about us."

This from Bush's nemisis MoveOn.org:

"President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, thinks the president should be able to wiretap Americans without a warrant and refuses to say whether water-boarding is torture. It's outrageous—but we can stop him. Can you call Sen. Schumer today and tell him that torture is unacceptable in America? Tell him to vote 'no' on Mukasey's nomination next week.

Senator Charles Schumer Phone: 202-224-6542 or in NYC 212-486-4430 or email him, here
Keep trying millions of us are calling. Moveon asks you to report what Sen. Schumer's staff tells you by clicking here


The following is part of an e-mail from PDA's Sharon Lynch:

Call Chuck Schumer who announced yesterday that he will vote in favor of confirming Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. The vote is scheduled for Tuesday. We have two days to tell him that his constituents expect him to vote not to confirm someone who refuses to acknowledge waterboarding as torture.

Schumer admitted this year what a terrible mistake he made in confirming Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. How can he make similar error with Michael Mukasey? You can reach Senator Schumer at:

Washington, DC direct: 202.224.5642/fax 202.228.3057
Washington toll free: 866.340.9281 — 866.338.1015 — 877.851.6437 — 800.828.0498 — 800.459.1887 — 800.614.2803 — 800.862.5530 — 800.833.6354
Manhattan: 212.486.4430/fax 202.486.7693

Bush attacks MoveOn.org and Code Pink

We must be winning the battle for hearts and minds. Here's what the Presidential Bush had to say to the Heritage Foundation Thursday.

When it comes to funding, some in Washington should spend more time responding to the warnings of terrorists like Osama bin Laden and the requests of our commanders on the ground and less time responding to MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters.

Keep up the good work. They're paying attention

Nov. 2: Jeremy Scahill on Real Time with Bill Maher

Tonight, November 2, at 11:00pm on HBO, Bill Maher will interview Jeremy Scahill, author of the national bestseller Blackwater (Nation Books) on the implications of the use of private contractors to fight alongside the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. Check the website for Real Time with Bill Maher for more info.

This week, Maher also welcomes actor Martin Short, journalist Alison Stewart, and blogger Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos). Plus, via satellite, fmr. CIA officer Valerie Plame and fmr. Ambassador Joe Wilson.

Click here to read Scahill's reporting on Blackwater for The Nation.

Check out Scahill's Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army for the back-story of the Bush Administration's Praetorian Guard for the war on terror.