US Campaign Against the Israeli Occupation Launches Report Card, 110th Congress

US Campaign Against the Israeli Occupation Launches Report Card, 110th Congress

The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is excited to announce the launch of its report card for the 110th Congress, 1st Session (2007).

A PDF version of the report card can be viewed by clicking here

The report card grades Senators on four resolutions (two positive, two negative) and Representatives on seven resolutions (two positive, five negative).

The US Campaign would like to thank its super-intern, Brittany Brown, for researching and compiling the information found in the report card.

Find out if your Members of Congress support restricting the sale of cluster munitions, a renewed U.S. role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking, Israel's illegal annexation of East Jerusalem, condemning the UN for highlighting Israel's human rights violations, and much more by clicking here

Knowing the positions of your Members of Congress is the first step in changing policy. However, we can't rely on politicians to change policy on their own. We've got to organize and mobilize people in our home Congressional districts to educate our elected decision-makers about the need to change U.S. policy toward Israel/Palestine to support human rights, international law, and equality for all, rather than supporting Israel's illegal military occupation and human rights violations against Palestinians.

The US Campaign has a network of Congressional District Coordinators (CDC's) designed to do just that. If you'd like to be responsible for organizing and mobilizing people in your Congressional district to educate your Members of Congress on this issue, please join the CDC network today by clicking here

Save the date! Monday, November 5 is an international day of action against cluster bombs. The US Campaign is joining with the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Amnesty International and many others to support a call-in day to Congress asking Members of Congress to cosponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act (S.594/H.R.1755). For information, click here

To view the US Campaign's new Congressional report card for 2007, please click here

Peace Path through the Middle East

Peace Path through the Middle East:
William Ury Speech on the Abraham Path Initiative

For the first time in history all cultures are in contact with each other due to the technology revolution, said conflict mediator William Ury, who calls this phenomenon the "human family reunion."

"Like many family reunions it is not all peaceful," Ury said, as some in the audience laughed.

He is the director of the Global Negotiation Project at HarvardLawSchool, the author of "Getting to Yes" and a co-founder of the International Negotiation Network. He spoke last night at the invitation of the peace and conflict studies program at the University of Colorado about his recent project in the Middle East, the Abraham Path Initiative.

The Abraham Path Initiative is a 700 mile walking tour of places connected to Abraham, a figure who is important in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The path begins in Turkey and ends in Palestine. The initiative aims to support local economies though sustainable long term tourism.

For the Full Article - Click Here

Hate Islam Week thankfully not coming to Colorado

Hate Islam Week - or "Islamo-Facism Awareness Week" - is luckily not coming to Colorado. Spearheaded by right-wing Islamaphobe David Horowitz, this series of events being held on a number of campuses is a deliberate effort to defame Muslims and Islam and equate the world's 1.6 billion Muslims with terrorism and the "anti-Western Jihad." Luckily this event is NOT coming to Colorado, but we thought it worthy to reproduce the US Campaign action alert anyway.

Take Action: Speak Out Against "Islamo-Facism Awareness Week"

During the week of October 22-26, 2007; right-wing and neo-conservative political forces led by the David Horowitz Freedom Center are calling for "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" events on campuses across the U.S. (for a list of campuses and speakers, see below).

If this event is coming to your campus or neighborhood - and even if it's not - speak out against this racist assault on Muslims, Arabs, Arab-Americans, South Asians and anyone viewed as sympathetic towards those communities. While some people might dismiss the neo-conservatives as fringe elements who don't impact on U.S. policy, the truth is much more disturbing. They are part of an alliance of forces that work to maintain the war against Iraq, escalate the standoff with Iran into military conflict, and cement Israel's hold on the occupied Palestinian territories and violations of Palestinian human rights through a system of apartheid rule.

The stakes are simply too high to ignore, and we should respond to the so-called "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" - and to all such provocations - pro-actively, not defensively.

To find out what action you can take on your campus and in your community and to read about what others are doing, click here. To learn more about the forces driving this agenda, read "Understanding Why Islamophobia is on the Rise," the analysis by Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, and member of the U.S. Campaign's steering committee.

By defending basic freedoms of thought, speech and belief, we underscore three simple messages:

We stand for free speech, not hate speech.

We stand for tolerance, not bigotry.

We stand for education, not demagoguery.

SPEAK OUT FOR FREE SPEECH, TOLERANCE, AND EDUCATION!

"Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" speakers and venues:

Berkeley -- Nonie Darwish, October 22
Brown -- Robert Spencer, October 24
Cal Poly -- Greg Davis, October 25
Cal State Fullerton -- Nonie Darwish
Clemson -- Mike Adams, October 25
Columbia -- Phyllis Chesler, Ibn Warraq, Christina Hoff Sommers
Columbia -- Sean Hannity, David Horowitz, October 26
DePaul -- Robert Spencer, October 25
Emory -- David Horowitz, October 24
George Mason -- Luanah Saghieh, Alan Nathan, October 22
Lawrence Univ. -- Jonathan Schanzer
Maryland -- Michael Ledeen
Michigan -- David Horowitz, October 23
Northeastern -- Daniel Pipes, October 24
Ohio State -- David Horowitz, October 25
Penn -- Rick Santorum, October 24
Penn State -- Rick Santorum, October 23
Rhode Island -- Robert Spencer, October 24
San Francisco State -- Melanie Morgan, October 24
Stanford -- Wafa Sultan
Temple -- Rick Santorum, October 24
Tulane -- Ann Coulter, October 22
UC Santa Barbara - Dennis Prager, October 25
UC Irvine -- Ann Coulter
UCLA -- Nonie Darwish, October 24
UCLA -- Frank Pastore, John Ziegler
USC -- Ann Coulter, October 25
Virginia -- Frank Gaffney
Washington -- Kirby Wilbur
Washington -- Michael Medved, October 25
Wisconsin -- David Horowitz, October 22

WESTWORD: "My Name Is Rachel Corrie"

WESTWORD: "My Name Is Rachel Corrie"

Rachel Corrie has been a lightning rod for controversy since her death in Gaza at the age of 23, when she was run over by an Israeli soldier while attempting to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home. But Rachel Corrie was more than just a symbol; she was a genuinely unique young spirit. My Name Is Rachel Corrie, put together by English actor Alan Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner from Rachel's journals and e-mails, reveals not only a deep-burning passion for justice, but sensitivity, a playful sense of humor, the usual teenage insecurities and a loving heart. The script is buoyant with memorable turns of phrase and charming, odd little flights of lyricism. It's clear that the world lost a lot when it lost this strong, individual voice.

FOR THE FULL STORY - CLICK HERE