From naiman.uiuc at gmail.com Wed Aug 2 18:47:46 2023 From: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2023 14:47:46 -0400 Subject: [Peace] Sept 30-Oct 8: target for Senate 502B vote on cluster bombs in Ukraine? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: CODEPINK says there are Global Days of Action for a ceasefire in Ukraine, Sept. 30-Oct. 8th. This might be an ideal target for a Senate vote on a 502B resolution on cluster bombs in Ukraine. Introduction of a privileged 502B resolution in the Senate starts a clock. If Senators wanted to have a vote between Sept. 30-Oct. 8th, a good target for the introduction of a bill might be September 21, the UN International Day of Peace. A 502B resolution is a blank canvas. Senators introducing the bill can write whatever they agree to write on the blank canvas. This is an advantage of a 502B resolution over a privileged resolution under the War Powers Resolution or the Arms Export Control Act, where there is a structure Senators have to follow. A 502B resolution is a set of questions the Administration has to answer within 30 days of the passage of the bill. Senators can put any question in the 502B resolution that Senators want answered. They can put questions about cluster bombs, they can put questions about "ceasefire." They can put questions about the Saudi use of U.S. cluster bombs in Yemen between March 2015 and June 2016, when the Sullivan-Blinken gang who signed the Yemen mea culpa letter were in charge, just as they are now. Look at the Saudi-Yemen 502B resolution that Senators Murphy, Lee, and Durbin introduced in March. There's a question there about the Saudi government protecting Saudi nationals from U.S. justice for crimes committed in the United States. What does that have to do with "human rights in Saudi Arabia?" Doesn't matter. Senators can address whatever they want in a 502B resolution. The only constraint is that the provisions have to be framed as questions for the Administration. Furthermore, once there is a floor debate and vote scheduled in the Senate, it's like Lysistrata and her comrades #occupying the Acropolis. Senators can say anything they want during the Window of Attention and Media Focus created by the floor debate and vote, regardless of what the text of the bill is. This Free Speech activity is specifically protected by the Constitution's Speech and Debate clause. Look at the floor debate on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy Yemen War Powers Resolution in March 2018. Some Senators talked about women imprisoned and tortured in Saudi Arabia for the "crime" of Driving While Female. What did that have to do with the war in Yemen? Doesn't matter. They're Senators. They can say whatever the hell they want during the floor debate. And they can say whatever they want to the media during the Window of Attention and Media Focus created by the floor debate and vote. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Marcy Winograd Date: Wed, Aug 2, 2023 at 7:40?AM Subject: [CODEPINKCONGRESS] Pls host a ceasefire in Ukraine event during our Global Days of Action (Sept. 30-Oct. 8th) Dear CODEPINK Congress: The International Summit for Peace in Ukraine, held in Vienna earlier this summer, is asking people to host a ceasefire event during the Global Days of Action, Sept. 30-Oct. 8th. Examples of actions can include: street vigils, bannering, tabling, marches or walks, teach-ins, etc. Please fill out this form for the Global Days of Action (Sept. 30-Oct. 8th) if you would like to list an event to promote a ceasefire and diplomacy to end the Russia-Ukraine War. We can then post the event on the Peace in Ukraine Coalition website and encourage people to attend your event. See my example below--and thanks for considering this!!! Peace, Marcy Winograd Santa Barbara, CA Central Coast AntiWar Coalition Tabling & Petitioning for a Ceasefire in Ukraine Thursday, October 5th, 6-8 PM Corner of Anacapa & State Street, downtown Santa Barbara (park in the lot behind State) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cgestabrook at gmail.com Fri Aug 4 20:39:13 2023 From: cgestabrook at gmail.com (C G Estabrook) Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2023 15:39:13 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Fwd: Breaking news: The decision is in References: <1691181103.1942.0.582917@e.thomasmoresociety.org> Message-ID: > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Peter Breen > Subject: Breaking news: The decision is in > Date: August 4, 2023 at 3:31:43 PM CDT > To: cgestabrook at gmail.com > > ? > > Dear C., > > Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul thought they could wage a crusade against our brave pro-life advocates and get away with it? > > They were wrong. > > We?ve just scored a massive victory in our legal battle to protect pro-life pregnancy help ministries in Illinois! > > You might remember that last week we sued Attorney General Raoul, immediately after Pritzker signed SB 1909 into law. > > SB 1909 is the most radical anti-free speech law in the country, seeking to declare pro-life speech illegal and shutter the doors of pro-life pregnancy help centers statewide?simply because these life-affirming organizations do not provide or refer for abortion. > > Yesterday, we made our case in federal court. > > At the conclusion of a blockbuster five-and-a-half hour hearing, the U.S. District Court judge ruled from the bench and entered a ?preliminary injunction? against the enforcement of SB 1909. > > This means Illinois cannot enforce this flagrantly unconstitutional law for the duration of our lawsuit? > > ?and pregnancy help ministries are free to continue their life-saving work without the threat of legal persecution and ruinous fines. > > Free speech won today in the Land of Lincoln?pro-life advocates across Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief they won?t be pursued for "misinformation" by Raoul. > > Thomas More Society is representing NIFLA, a national network of pregnancy help centers with 81 partner centers in Illinois. > > Their partner centers provide compassionate care to pregnant women in need, through a wide range of material, emotional, and spiritual resources?at no cost to the mother. > > Here?s what Thomas Glessner, President of NIFLA had to say: > ? > ?This is a victory for a woman's fundamental constitutional right to choose life and we are incredibly grateful to our attorneys at the Thomas More Society for their relentless work fighting for pregnancy centers to continue to help women in need.? > ? > But this fight is nowhere near over. This morning, Pritzker was already on CNN, firing back against us and this ruling. > > But I can promise this: we will not rest either. We?ll take this lawsuit all the way, if that?s what it takes. > > Can I count on you for a generous gift of $35 or more today to help us make sure this victory is secured? > The abortionists are on a warpath to transform the Land of Lincoln into an ?oasis? for abortion? and they know that pro-life pregnancy help centers pose an existential threat to that nightmarish vision. > > They know that when a pregnant woman is presented with truthful information regarding abortion, and all her options, their bottom-line suffers. > > And when their profit margins suffer? precious, innocent children are brought into this world. > > C., I can?t exaggerate how important this case is. > > If Planned Parenthood and their allies in Illinois win, pro-abortion ideologues nationwide will enact laws just like SB 1909. > > The life-affirming work of pregnancy help centers would then face unprecedented threats in every part of our great nation. > > Help us keep the doors of pro-life pregnancy help centers open with a gift of $35 or more today. > Pregnancy help ministries deserve protection and praise? not $50,000 fines and ruinous investigations and lawsuits. > > Please pray for our incredible clients and our team as we continue to defend pregnancy help ministries from SB 1909 and laws like it across the country. > > Gratefully, > > Peter Breen > Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation > > DONATE > > > ? Thomas More Society | www.thomasmoresociety.org > 309 W. Washington Street Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606 > > privacy policy > Unsubscribe here > ? > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman.uiuc at gmail.com Sun Aug 6 15:43:15 2023 From: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com (Robert Naiman) Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2023 11:43:15 -0400 Subject: [Peace] Action Corps: Tell Bernie: Lead in the Senate to End Endless Wars In-Reply-To: References: <64ce4c99d5ffe_24fbb63f8bf4f6b72856391e@ip-10-0-0-83.mail> Message-ID: Please sign and amplify. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Action Corps Date: Sat, Aug 5, 2023 at 9:20?AM Subject: Tell Bernie: Lead in the Senate to End Endless Wars To: Sign the petition we'll hand deliver this Thursday to Senator Bernie Sanders! Robert Naiman ? As a candidate for President in 2020, Joe Biden promised to ?end endless wars,? including the Saudi war in Yemen. These promises are enshrined in the 2020 Democratic Platform, where it says : ?Democrats will deliver on this overdue commitment to end the forever wars? Democrats will end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and help bring the war to an end... Democrats believe that the United States should support diplomatic efforts?not block them.? Although President Biden deserves credit for bringing home the troops from Afghanistan and pushing for a ceasefire in Yemen, these 2020 Democratic Platform promises remain largely unfulfilled. As recently reported by *The Nation* , the U.S.-enabled Saudi blockade on people in Yemen continues, while the Intercept has reported that the Biden Administration is now slow-walking diplomacy to end the war. U.S. troops remain in Syria. The Biden Administration continues to take escalatory steps in Ukraine it had previously refused, such as its recent decision to transfer cluster bombs to Ukraine ? in violation of the cluster bomb treaty and despite the opposition of 150 Members of the House and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. As the Netanyahu government takes unprecedented actions that threaten democracy in Israel, Israeli democracy activists complain that the Biden Administration is not speaking up forcefully enough against this to stop the Israeli government?s present course. We need Bernie to challenge the drift of the Biden Administration back to endless war. *Sign the Petition* This Thursday, Action Corps Vermont volunteers will personally deliver this petition at a public event. They will directly hand a stack of petitions -- including your name -- to the senator. The petition calls on Bernie to: 1. Re-introduce his Yemen War Powers Resolution to end all U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen, as he promised to last year, and encourage House Members to introduce a companion resolution in the House. 2. Co-sponsor the Murphy-Lee-Durbin 502B resolution demanding transparency and accountability for the U.S. role in the Saudi war in Yemen, as Senator Warren did in July . Encourage House members to introduce a companion resolution in the House. 3. Introduce a 502B resolution in the Senate to force the Administration to answer the questions of human rights groups about the transfer and use of U.S. cluster bombs in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch told *Democracy Now* that the Biden Administration was not being transparent about what cluster bombs they were transferring and what the ?dud rates? of these cluster bombs are, which is crucial to how many children will be killed and maimed in the future by unexploded bomblets, long after the conflict has ended. Children in Laos are still being killed and maimed today by cluster bombs dropped by the U.S. in Laos during the Vietnam War. 4. Introduce a 502B resolution in the Senate to force the Administration to answer the questions of human rights groups about U.S. policy towards the erosion of democratic norms in Israel, consistent with the intent of Rep. Schakowsky?s ?Supporting Israeli Democracy? resolution in the House. Please urge Bernie to take action in the Senate now to end endless war by signing our petition. *Sign the Petition* Thank you for lending your name for the effort to end endless war and save lives around the world. In solidarity, Isaac P.S. One last favor -- If you are able, can you pitch in to help build our on-the-ground network of volunteers, like the ones in Vermont who will deliver this petition on Thursday? Your quick $5 donation will help build people power for global justice. Donate Isaac Evans-Frantz he/him Executive Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From go.beth.simpson at gmail.com Fri Aug 25 19:00:00 2023 From: go.beth.simpson at gmail.com (Go Beth Simpson) Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0600 Subject: [Peace] Mutual aid for Beth Simpson Message-ID: Dear friend of Beth Simpson, (No time to read this? Go to https://ko-fi.com/elizacorps and support our friend!) We might not know each other, but we share our love of Beth. Since her stroke, I've been moved and inspired by the many amazing ways her community has stepped up to support her. In February, Beth was accepted at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab (https://www.sralab.org/) in Chicago. Starting next week she will go to Chicago for three days a week for four weeks of initial treatments. After that, she?ll get reevaluated for continued treatments. Yay! Stay tuned! This is a massively huge deal for Beth's continued recovery, and she is hyped! But it also means she could use your help to cover some costs if you're able. You can send her some money on her Ko-Fi page: https://ko-fi.com/elizacorps. Any amount that feels right will help. I love that instead of just sending the word out through social media, Beth has asked folks like me to email her friends personally. That creative, grassroots, DIY approach to crowdfunding, so much more intimate than the paths corporations beat for us, is one more beautiful example of what Beth is all about. So let's support her! I just made a contribution. It took less than two minutes. At the link above (https://ko-fi.com/elizacorps), you can make a one-time gift, or if you'd like to help ensure that support continues until she's out of need again, you can set up a monthly donation. In either case, if you do contribute, please write back to tell me! Thanks so much, Chris Ritzo, who knows Beth from the Urbana-Champaign IMC -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: