SAFE in Seattle Fights City Hall over Sewage Fix

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http://youtu.be/mgdQZVoayEw

"Children in Chains" -- Trailer to Searing Documentary [ONE CORRECTION -- THE OCCUPATION IS ALMOST 70 YRS, NOT 46!]

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http://youtu.be/gy-bXh7QsxY

Ivy's Demand Letter Victoriously Delivered to City Council & Mayor

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Ivy Williams & Dorli Rainey Celebrate the Successful Delivery of Demand Letter to City Council & Mayor Murray on 1/27/14

Merle Adler and Members of SAFE Seattle Debrief after deliver of Demand Letter

30 people, including many members of Standing Against Foreclosures and Evictions (SAFE), let the City Council and Mayor know that it is the City's job to maintain ancient sewer pipes so that individual homeowners do not get stuck with bills in the thousands to fix sewer pipes that flood their homes.  This is what happened to Ivy.  As a home health aid, Ivy's income does not accommodate this kind of catastrophe, especially when sewers are the City's responsibility.  One of council member Sawant's aides accompanied the group to the Mayor's office.  

The City is now on probation until February 15th, when they will be expected to present a plan to reimburse Ivy for her immediate problems and a long-term answer for the rotting sewer infrastructure around the city.  We know of people who have lost homes due to these same circumstances.  We need and want housing justice for Ivy, for the homeless and for all!

"Scarlett [Johannsson] and Oxfam Chat Over Palestinian Land Loss"--BDS (It's Working!)

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EXCERPT (from Mondoweiss.net):

"I flipped last night when I opened the New York Times coverage of the SodaStream/Scarlett fiasco by Robert Mackey, Scarlett Johansson’s SodaStream Endorsement Deal Conflicts With Charity Work, Aid Group Says. Not one but two of Stephanie Westbrook’s (@stephinrome) fantastic SodaStream/Scarlett graphics, (as seen here and here). We met in Gaza ’09, a beautiful and amazing person, dedicated activist, one of the best.

"We’re honored to publish her new SodaStream graphic. Thanks Stephanie!

G4S and Child Arrest [in Palestine], No Minor Matter!

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http://youtu.be/CufxnxYqy8U

Our New Banner and the Rasta Musician Made the Vigil Fly By on Saturday!

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Ed and Ivy hold our new Banner.  Also present were Kahn, Sibyl (rocking with the Rasta guy), Phil, Amin, Linda and John.

If You Want "A World Beyond War" -- Sign up to build it.

Tweet I just signed a declaration of peace!

All individuals and organizations, all over the world, are invited to sign a short statement in support of ending all war, and to join in the planning of a new movement to be launched on September 21, 2014. This is the whole statement:

I understand that wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us, that they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.

To sign this, and to get involved in many different ways, individuals should click here and organizations here.

To see the case against war explained clearly for anyone who has doubts, check out the website at    

http://worldbeyondwar.org 

Israel Destroys Wells of Tayaseer Village in Occupied Jordan Valley with VOLVO'S Help!

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PHOTO: #Israel destroys wells of Tayaseer village in the occupied Jordan Valley, with help from #Volvo.

Socialist Kshama Sawant Delivers Blistering Speech At Inauguration -- KUOW Radio

Tweet http://kuow.org/post/socialist-kshama-sawant-delivers-blistering-speech-inauguration

My brothers and sisters,

Thank you for your presence here today.

This city has made glittering fortunes for the super wealthy and for the major corporations that dominate Seattle’s landscape. At the same time, the lives of working people, the unemployed and the poor grow more difficult by the day. The cost of housing skyrockets, and education and healthcare become inaccessible.

This is not unique to Seattle. Shamefully, in this, the richest country in human history, fifty million of our people – one in six – live in poverty. Around the world, billions do not have access to clean water and basic sanitation and children die every day from malnutrition.

This is the reality of international capitalism. This is the product of the gigantic casino of speculation created by the highway robbers on Wall Street. In this system the market is God, and everything is sacrificed on the altar of profit. Capitalism has failed the 99%.

Despite recent talk of economic growth, it has only been a recovery for the richest 1%, while the rest of us are falling ever farther behind.

In our country, Democratic and Republican politicians alike primarily serve the interests of big business. A completely dysfunctional Congress DOES manage to agree on one thing – regular increases in their already bloated salaries – yet at the same time allows the federal minimum wage to stagnate and fall farther and farther behind inflation. We have the obscene spectacle of the average corporate CEO getting seven thousand dollars an hour, while the lowest-paid workers are called presumptuous in their demand for just fifteen.

To begin to change all of this, we need organized mass movements of workers and young people, relying on their own independent strength. That is how we won unions, civil rights and LGBTQ rights.

Again, throughout the length and breadth of this land, working people are mobilizing for a decent and dignified life for themselves and their children. Look at the fast food workers movement, the campaigns of Walmart workers, and the heroic activism to stop the Keystone XL pipeline!

Right here in SeaTac, we have just witnessed the tremendous and victorious campaign for fifteen dollars an hour. At the same time, in Lorain County, Ohio, twenty-four candidates ran, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as ‘Independent Labor’ and were elected to their City Councils.

I will do my utmost to represent the disenfranchised and the excluded, the poor and the oppressed – by fighting for a $15/hour minimum wage, affordable housing, and taxing the super-rich for a massive expansion of public transit and education. But my voice will be heard by those in power only if workers themselves shout their demands from the rooftops and organize en masse.

My colleagues and I in Socialist Alternative will stand shoulder to shoulder with all those who want to fight for a better world. But working people need a new political party, a mass organization of the working class, run by – and accountable to – themselves. A party that will struggle and campaign in their interest, and that will boldly advocate for alternatives to this crisis-ridden system.

Here in Seattle, political pundits are asking about me: will she compromise? Can she work with others? Of course, I will meet and discuss with representatives of the establishment. But when I do, I will bring the needs and aspirations of working-class people to every table I sit at, no matter who is seated across from me. And let me make one thing absolutely clear: There will be no backroom deals with corporations or their political servants. There will be no rotten sell-out of the people I represent.

I wear the badge of socialist with honor. To the nearly hundred thousand who voted for me, and to the hundreds of you who worked tirelessly on our campaign, I thank you. Let us continue.

The election of a socialist to the Council of a major city in the heartland of global capitalism has made waves around the world. We know because we have received messages of support from Europe, Latin America, Africa and from Asia. Those struggling for change have told us they have been inspired by our victory.

To all those prepared to resist the agenda of big business – in Seattle and nationwide – I appeal to you: get organized. Join with us in building a mass movement for economic and social justice, for democratic socialist change, whereby the resources of society can be harnessed, not for the greed of a small minority, but for the benefit of all people.

Solidarity.

Roadmap to Apartheid with Amin Odeh, Founder of Voices of Palestine Seattle

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 Friday, JANUARY 10, 2014, 7:00 to 9:30 PM

Keystone Congregational United Church of Christ
5019 Keystone Place N., Seattle

Please come at 6:30 and visit with your neighbors!)

FILM: "ROADMAP TO APARTHEID"With AMIN ODEH, Founder of Voices of Palestine and Co-founder of the Arab American Community Coalition

(95 min, Eron Davidson, Ana Nogueira, 2012)

 In this award-winning documentary, the first-time directors take a detailed look at the apartheid analogy commonly used to describe the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Narrated by Alice Walker (author of The Color Purple), ROADMAP TO APARTHEID is as much a historical document of the rise and fall of apartheid in South Africa, as it is a film about why many Palestinians feel they are living in an apartheid system today, and why an increasing number of people around the world agree with them.
While not perfect, the apartheid analogy is a useful framework by which to educate people on the complex issues facing Israelis and Palestinians. Our film delves into those issues, comparing the many similar laws and tools used by both Israel and apartheid-era South Africa. The audience will see what life is like for Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and inside Israel while gaining a deeper understanding of the conflict with the help of respected analysts on the subject. Combined with archival material and anecdotes from South Africans, the film forms a complete picture as to why the analogy is being used with increasing frequency and potency.

FILM FOLLOWED BY FACILITATED COMMUNITY DISCUSSION.
         

Light snacks.

For more information on Voices of Palestine, go to: http://voicesofpalestine.org/
         

for more information on the Arab American Community Coalition, go to: http://theaacc.org/
         

Download the flyer HERE. Help us get the word out. Thanks!
         

(Event is FREE and open to the public! ...but Donations are kindly accepted).

accepted

Lynne arrives in New York! [Great way to start a New Year!]

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http://lynnestewart.org

Beginning 5 Years Ago Today -- Israel Brutally Attacks Gaza for Weeks, Killing over 1400

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Dr. Mads Gilbert has written a book about his experience in Gaza during Cast Lead.  Haaretz interviewed him:  http://www.haaretz.com/nordic-doctor-revives-gaza-casualty-debate-1.8458

From Eva Bartlett's blog, In Gaza.

Occupied Palestine: "Living in Fear" - Israeli Settlers Attack Families to Force Them to Leave!

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http://youtu.be/qGBWPeuZjmw

via Electronic Intifada

Witness the Dire Straits of the People of Gaza; First a Siege than A Flooding Storm. Stand by Gaza!

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Video via In Gaza blog:  http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2013/12/24/video-from-gaza-gaza-above-the-storm/

"Palestinians Celebrate Release of Issawi Despite Israeli Threats"

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EXCERPT:
"JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Defying Israeli warnings banning celebrations, dozens of Palestinian Jerusalemites on Monday evening celebrated the release of prominent prisoner Samir Issawi in his hometown of Issawiya in East Jerusalem."

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=659675

Voices for Palestine & Veterans for Peace Seattle Remind Messiah Concert Attendees of Current Status of Birthplace of Jesus

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We passed out 400 postcards depicting Mary and Joseph at the Walls that now surround Bethlehem.  The card and its message are available to view here at the "If Americans Knew" website:  http://www.ifamericansknew.org/about_us/bethlehem06.html

Our Palestine Vigil will be on Sunday Dec. 22 at 1:30PM in front of Benaroya Hall, Downtown Seattle. Join Us!

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To raise awareness about US foreign policy and the plight of Palestinians, Voices of Palestine and VFP92 Greater Seattle Chapter of Veterans For Peace will be distributing "O Little Town of Bethlehem " cards to folks attending the 2 PMperformance of Handel's Messiah at Benaroya Hall.

We are planning to meet in front of Benaroya Hall at 1:30 PM. Please join us!

What: Vigil for Bethlehem

Where: Benaroya Hall, 200 University Street • Seattle, WA 98101

When: Sunday Dec. 22 at 1:30 PM

Hope to see you there!

Get the Word Out! Israel/Egypt Drowning the People of Gaza! End the Siege!

Tweet from Amin Odeh, Voices for Palestine:

Zahi Damuni posted in Al-Awda News Zahi Damuni 5:35pm Dec 15 URGENT APPEAL TO PEOPLE OF CONSCIENCE AROUND THE WORLD: PALESTINIANS IN GAZA URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP Snowy weather since Wednesday December 11 — the most severe since 1878 — has further crippled daily life among the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank near Jerusalem. The central responsibility for the problems this has brought lies with the Israeli occupation, which conducts a policy of deliberate and calculated neglect when it comes to maintaining essential infrastructure. This is aimed at further pressuring our people to leave their homeland. Adding to the already extremely bitter taste, these outrages are being visited on the Palestinian people on the 65th anniversaries of the United Nations adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of Resolution 194. This resolution called on the Israeli entity to cease obstructing our people’s right to return to the lands and homes taken from them during the Nakba. Earlier this month, the world’s conscience was shocked to see our people fording through sludge pouring from open sewers that overflowed when power from the Gaza Strip’s sole electricity generating plant had to be cut due to fuel shortages. Many have been shocked to learn of the repeated shortages of fuel deliveries needed for maintaining electric power. These shortages are brought on by the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip which began in 2006. Currently, driven into the streets by flooding, over 40,000 Gaza residents find themselves homeless. Over the preceding years ‘Israel’ has deliberately left the electricity plant to collapse in the hopes of driving our people out. Two winters ago, their Mossad, acting through Ukrainian military police, went to the extent of kidnapping the plant’s chief engineer, Dirar Abu Sisi, on a train while on a visit with his wife’s family and tossed him in their Eichel prison. There they left him in solitary confinement and declining health to rot, while Gaza’s infrastructure continues further to crumble. All this comes on top of the Israeli Occupation Forces continuing to use farmers and youth inside Gaza for target practice. On December 14-15, a farmer trying to check his crop inside the 300m so-called “security zone” at the Gaza border was killed by Israeli tank fire. Nearby, in a separate incident, Israeli forces shot a Palestinian youth in the foot. Each day brings more such news of fresh horrors. Most discouraging of all, the current Egyptian military regime has enthusiastically taken up finding ways to make the Zionist occupation bite with that much more cruelty. It destroyed tunnels used as a lifeline to bring essentials into the Gaza Strip. In addition the regime instituted a completely arbitrary approach to opening and closing the Rafah crossing from the Gaza Strip into Egypt and which remained closed shut at the height of the most recent storm. Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition (USA) is calling at this time on all activists for the cause of Palestine to marshal whatever resources are available or at hand — write letters to your local newspapers, raise the Palestinian emergency situation in other public venues, speak on local radio stations (especially university-campus-based) and community cable television, and whatever social media outlets are available — And organize local demonstrations (pickets or other publicly-visible manifestations; We can help with speakers, literature, etc). You can reach Al-Awda’s national office by email atoffice@al-awda.org; telephone 760-918-9441 and fax760-918-9442. Or by mail at 2720 Loker Avenue West Suite J, Carlsbad CA 92010, USA. Our national office will connect you with Al-Awda chapter activists in your area. HERE IS SOME MORE OF WHAT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL CAN DO: Communicate this news and additional updated reports of these developments to interested and concerned friends and family. DEMAND AN END TO THE SIEGE OF GAZA Call, email, fax: 1 The U.S. State Department. Insist it tell Israel and Egypt to Open the Crossings to the Gaza Strip. Call 202-647-4000; select option 4 and ask the operator for the comment line. (You get one minute to record your message.) 2. The White House at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ Alternatively, write to: President Barack Obama, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500 Call: 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461 3. The Office of Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations at sgcentral@un.org 4. Contact the Near and Middle East Desk at The International Committee of the Red Cross Ms. Dibeh FAKHR Tel: +41 22 730 37 23 Mobile: +41 79 447 37 26or fill out the form at http://www.icrc.org/eng/directory/?contactId=303023 View Post on Facebook · Edit Email Settings · Reply to this email to add a comment.

10,000 Flee Flooding in Gaza -- from "In Gaza" blog

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EXCERPT from In Gaza blog:
http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/13270/

OCHA: Number of displaced tops 10000 in GazaDec 15, 2013  Approximately 10,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to widespread flooding in the Gaza Strip, according to a report released Saturday evening by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  The numbers of displaced dwarf earlier estimates, as they take into account both the thousands who have sought refuge in Gaza shelters as well as those who have sought refuge elsewhere.  The areas most devastated by the storm are "North Gaza and Gaza City where over 1,500 houses suffered damage due to water entering houses, damaging furniture and electricity networks." An infant died and 100 were injured in storm-related incidents throughout Gaza, the report said. Schools throughout Palestine have been closed since Thursday, and according to OCHA 17 schools in Gaza have been converted into shelters, while five other schools have been rendered unusable due to flooding. In Gaza, over 10 percent of the coastal enclave's greenhouses and field crops were destroyed or damaged by winter storm Alexa, in addition to 50 animal pens, the report said. "120,000 chicks and 200 heads of livestock died as a result of the weather." UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said on Saturday that large regions of the Gaza Strip were a "disaster area" and called on the international community to lift the Israeli blockade in order to allow recovery efforts to proceed.

Carlos Latuff on Drowning Gaza

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http://latuffcartoons.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gaza-disaster.gif