Tag Archives: Solidarity

MADISON F-35 COMMUNITY CONNECTION PROJECT

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A public relations effort by the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs
 


Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin

Back in March, Senator Tammy Baldwin announced a $798,000 grant so the Wisconsin Air National Guard (WANG) can “conduct community outreach, noise mitigation planning, and prepare for the F-35s arrival at Truax Field.” 

Earlier this month, WANG quietly started this outreach program with a new web site.

When Baldwin announced the grant, Safe Skies responded with this news release. Here are notable statements:

“I don’t have words to describe how dismissive and minimizing she is of the magnitude of the threats, “remarked Safe Skies leader Ellen Magee.

“This is chump change,” Boswell commented. “She must think everyone in our impacted community is a chump to take this seriously. Two years ago, the people in the Burlington, VT area got $6.3 million from the FAA after the F-35s arrived, primarily to soundproof one school, the Chamberlin Elementary School,” Boswell noted. “We have 59 schools and daycares within three miles of Truax. Can you even imagine how much it will cost to soundproof all those schools?”

“The most hypocritical and insulting part of Baldwin’s press release,” Boswell said, “was her claim that this government grant is to conduct community outreach. The community has been “reaching out” to the Senator for four years and she’s refused to recognize us at all.”

“Senator Baldwin has failed to respond to more than 6,000 postcards sent to her over the past two years by citizens around Wisconsin opposing the basing of the F-35 fighter jets at Truax,” noted Jane Kavaloski, a retired school social worker and member of the Interfaith Peace Working Group.

“We are going to continue to oppose this despicable and totally inappropriate decision to base this squadron of nuclear-capable, stealth fighter jets in our community, while the Senator continues to lose the support of her constituents,” Boswell pledged.

Not surprisingly, the new community outreach website looks like a public relations promotion for WANG.

 
On the home page you can sign up to receive updates. The final field for the sign up asks: “What interests you most about this project?”

If you sign up to receive updates, here are questions you can pose:

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  • Why was Truax Field chosen for the F-35 fighter jets if it had the greatest environmental impacts and environmental racism of the five sites evaluated in the Air Force EIS?
  • What studies can explain the mental and physical health effects caused by exposure to the noise from F-35 fighter jets on infants, children, adults and the elderly?
  • What is the maximum F-35 fighter jet noise exposure level to the general public around Truax Field?
  • What are the maximum anticipated number of F-35 flights in a day, week, month and year?
  • Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to evaluate noise impacts lower than the 50-year old 65 decibel DNL it is using for its Part 150 noise abatement plan?
  • Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to evaluate instantaneous, rather than daily average, noise levels for its Part 150 noise abatement plan?
  • Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard ask the county airport to offer to purchase the homes and relocate everyone within the 65 decibel DNL noise contour as part of its Part 150 noise abatement plan? What steps can be taken so all F-35 fighter jets take off and land north of the county airport?
  • How likely will an F-35 fighter jet from Truax Field crash like the jet that crashed in South Carolina in September?
  • How soon will the F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field be equipped to carry nuclear weapons?
  • How many people work at Truax Field, what percent of them live in the 53704 area code and what percent of Truax Field salaries are paid to people that live in the 53704 area code?
  • Where do pilots of the F-35 fighter jets based at Truax Field live?; Can the Wisconsin Air National Guard encourage the staff of Truax Field to live within the 53704 area code?
  • What steps should be taken by local, county, state and federal representatives to move the squadron of F-35 fighter jets from Truax Field to Volk Field?
  • What steps should be taken by local, county, state and federal representatives to change the mission of the 115th Fighter Wing to an Air National Guard mission that is more compatible with the Madison urban area?
  • When will the Wisconsin Air National Guard complete its investigation to determine the full extent of its PFAS contamination of surrounding groundwater and Yahara chain of lakes?
  • When will the Wisconsin Air National Guard complete the cleanup of its PFAS contamination of surrounding groundwater and Yahara chain of lakes?

Join an open discussion at:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/no-f-35s-in-madison
 
Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin

TAA Statement on Palestine: “A Call for Palestinian Liberation”

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TAA Statement on Palestine: “A Call for Palestinian Liberation”

The following statement was written and approved by the general membership of the TAA on November 15th, 2023.

A Call for Palestinian liberation

WHEREAS The Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA; AFT [American Federation of Teachers] Local 3220) recognizes that the Zionist Israeli state is a reactionary tool of Western imperialism, funded for their own cynical aims. Israel can accurately be described as an apartheid state, as documented by many human rights experts and organizations, including UN officials, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International agree with this description.

WHEREAS Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack has been indiscriminate and disproportionate violence toward Palestinians. As of November 13, 2023, Israel has murdered over 11,000 Palestinians, nearly half being children. Upon his recent resignation, the Director of the New York Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Craig Mokhiber, stated that Israel’s actions are “a textbook case of genocide.”

WHEREAS Israel’s bombing campaign has been carried out without regard for the lives of hostages, further exposing the cynicism of justifications based on the October 7 attack. Similarly, American liberal and progressive politicians continue to cry crocodile tears for the victims of Hamas and remain silent on the victims of Netanyahu.

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WHEREAS Israel’s genocidal attacks are exacerbating the inhumane living conditions and mass unemployment in Gaza. The civilians of Palestine deserve fundamental human rights, including, but not limited to, security, freedom from foreign occupation, access to housing, clean water, healthcare, and employment. 

WHEREAS The October 9 press release from AFT National, titled, “US Education Leaders Condemn Hamas Attack, Stand with Israeli People,” and the resolution recently adopted by [American Federation of Teachers]–Wisconsin (AFT–W) inadequately condemn Israel’s colonialist regime and fail to acknowledge colonialism as the root cause of the current conflict. These statements fail to use the terms, “colonialism,” “apartheid,” “ethnic cleansing,” and “genocide” to characterize Israel and its actions, which is out of step with several human rights experts/organizations and undermines the severity of Israel’s oppression. Furthermore, these statements fail to call on the US government to halt the sale and funding of arms for Israeli forces. Unless we address the core of this conflict and end our support for the Israeli offensive, the US will remain complicit in the occupation and genocide in Palestine. Given the status quo of US support for Israel’s oppression of Palestine, the shortcomings of AFT’s statements make them pro-Israel and anti-Palestine by default. Therefore, be it;

RESOLVED The TAA considers Israeli and Western imperialism ultimately responsible for the recent violence.

RESOLVED The TAA condemns Israel’s settler colonialism, apartheid, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in Palestine. We condemn Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, which has been a death sentence for thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians and has displaced over a million more. This collective lethal punishment breaks international law and constitutes war crimes.

RESOLVED We call for the collective liberation of the Palestinian people from Israeli oppression. 

RESOLVED We stand in solidarity with the following people:

  1. The people of Palestine, who have suffered at the hands of US, British, and Israeli imperialism for over 100 years;
  2. Palestinian trade unions who have called on the international working class to take action in the face of Israel’s assault on Gaza and the mass killing of the Palestinian people;
  3. Israeli workers and unions who break with their ruling class to stand unconditionally on the side of the oppressed;
  4. The many Jewish workers around the world who condemn Zionism and stand steadfast with Palestinians;
  5. Victims of oppression on the basis of religion or ethnicity around the world including victims of rising islamophobia and antisemitism.

RESOLVED We demand the US government and the Biden administration use all available diplomatic means to end the genocide of Palestinians, including but not limited to ending all funding and arms sales to the Israeli government. We must immediately end our moral and material support for Israel’s human rights abuses and war crimes.

RESOLVED We condemn the US veto of a ceasefire resolution brought forward by Brazil to the UN Security Council to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. We are appalled that the US was the only country to veto the resolution. Although a ceasefire doesn’t go nearly far enough, this is the bare minimum that we expect from the UN.

RESOLVED We call on workers in the US to organize to halt any production and shipment of weapons to Israel. Organized action and the building of mass movements by the international working class will be necessary to end the occupation. We should take inspiration from the two Intifadas, as well as the American workers who have already physically obstructed the shipment of arms to Israel from ports in the Northwest.

RESOLVED We demand that the University of Wisconsin system direct the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) to divest the ~$512 million (as of 2021) that the UW system has invested in BlackRock, the massive US-based asset manager that owns large portions of weapon manufacturers and military contractors such as Boeing ($5.42 billion), Lockheed Martin ($5.13 billion), Northrop Grumman ($3.06 billion), and General Dynamics ($2.47 billion). These US companies manufacture the weapons, jets, and surveillance systems that the Israeli government uses to kill Palestinians.

RESOLVED We demand that AFT retract its endorsement of genocide enabler Joe Biden for US president in 2024 given his administration’s complicity in war crimes. He is a particularly ruthless cheerleader of Israeli war crimes, even among the American ruling class. The same should be done for all endorsements of anti-Palestine politicians.

RESOLVED The TAA action commits to the following actions:

  1. Mobilize our membership to participate in rallies, protests, and marches in support of Palestine, including but not limited to: hosting events, amplifying Palestinian voices (including by supporting SJP events and by supporting the demands of the BDS movement in a reiteration of the TAA’s existing position), and to contact representatives in support of a ceasefire in Gaza and for collective liberation for the Palestinian people.
  2. Continue to recognize that an injury to one is an injury to all, and that the American working class will never be free while Palestine is in chains;
  3. Refuse to support politicians and parties that oppose Palestinian liberation;
  4. Call on the labor movement as a whole to mobilize its resources to fight American imperialism on all fronts.
  5. Protect and support all workers and organizations (such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Madison for Palestine) who face retaliation due to their support for Palestinian liberation.

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/10/israel-revises-death-toll-from-october-7-hamas-attack-to-1200-people

https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution

https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/un-expert-warns-new-instance-mass-ethnic-cleansing-palestinians-calls

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/11/13/israel-hamas-war-live-gazas-two-largest-hospitals-shut-amid-nonstop-raids#:~:text=More%20than%2011%2C200%20Palestinians%20have,stands%20at%20more%20than%201%2C200.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/un-official-resigns-israel-hamas-war-palestine-new-york

https://www.aft.org/press-release/us-education-leaders-condemn-hamas-attack-stand-israeli-people

https://progressive.international/wire/2023-10-16-an-urgent-call-from-palestinian-trade-unions-end-all-complicity-stop-arming-israel/en

https://www.wisconsin.edu/trust-funds/download/UW-System-Trust-Funds-Fact-Sheet-As-Of-December-31,-2021.pdf

https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=BA&subView=institutional

https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=GD&subView=institutional

https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=LMT&subView=institutional

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-sped-delivery-of-1000-bombs-to-israel/

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-il/who-we-are.html

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/pittsfield-general-dynamics-israel-hamas-palestinians-war-berkshire-communists-activists/article_ec204d1c-6ee4-11ee-8e1e-cb6121da994b.html

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-officially-asks-us-to-send-over-25-more-f-35-fighter-jets/#:~:text=The%20additional%2025%20aircraft%2C%20to,US%20military%20aid%20to%20Israel

https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=NOC&subView=institutional

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2023/11/10/activists-boycott-pro-israel-brands-what-should-marketers-do-next

December 4, 2023
Dreams and Displacement in Afghanistan

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Information and Registration
4 -5 pm

Join investigative reporter and Pulitzer Center grantee May Jeong for a discussion of her experiences reporting from Afghanistan.

In preparation for this talk, attendees are encouraged to watch Afghan Dreamers, a documentary about an all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan and their fate as the Taliban came to power. The film is teen friendly and can be used in the classroom. You can view the trailer here . The film is currently streaming on Paramount+

Sponsored by IRIS NRC, Cosponsored by the Middle East Studies Program

November 29 – December 5, 2023
#ReadPalestine Week

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PUBLISHERS FOR PALESTINE

Join us for an international #ReadPalestine week, starting Wednesday, November 29, on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. During this week, we encourage people around the world to read fiction and poetry by Palestinian and Palestinian diaspora authors, as well as nonfiction about Palestinian history, politics, arts, culture, and life, as well as books about organizing, resistance, and solidarity for a Free Palestine. 

To encourage the spread of #ReadPalestine, signatories of the Publishers of Palestine letter of solidarity have organized a Free Palestine Reading List. Participating publishers will be offering one of their e-book titles for free download from November 29 to December 5; all titles will be available through PUBLISHERS FOR PALESTINE. There are currently more than two dozen books on the list in six languages, including a half-dozen award winners, with more coming in. The free ebooks will be available from November 29-December 5.

We also encourage readers to post on social media about their favorite Palestine books, to quote from their favorite authors, and to make learning more about Palestine an act of solidarity, using the hashtags #ReadPalestine, #LirelaPalestine, #اقرأ_فلسطين, and more. Participating indie bookstores and libraries are invited to join us by creating Read Palestine displays, social media posts, and other forms of creative solidarity.
 

November 29, 2023
Die-In for Palestine

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Join us this Wednesday as we mourn the loss of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. If you are not familiar with a die-in, people lay on the ground to give a representation of those who have been killed by Israel’s brutal bombardment. We’ll be demonstrating this week to demand:

    1. That the University take the adequate steps towards divestment from the Zionist state.
    2. That the University cut off academic ties with the Zionist state.
    3. That the City of Madison passes the resolution calling for a total ceasefire.

 

November 8, 2023
Free Palestine is a Climate Justice Issue

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Dear CJA Members and Allies,

Over the past month we have seen the onslaught and escalation against Palestinians in their struggle for land sovereignty, self-determination, decolonization and life. As environmental justice communities hailing from sacrifice zones across the United States, we are answering the call to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people on the frontlines of genocidal warfare.  We stand firmly on the side of resistance against occupation, apartheid and war. As the climate justice movement we stand firmly in our principles for a Just Transition. 

One of these principles for a Just Transition is Solidarity:

A Just Transition must be liberatory and transformative. The impacts of the extractive economy knows no borders. We recognize the interconnectedness of our communities as well as our issues. Therefore, our solutions call for local, regional, national and global solidarity that confronts imperialism and militarism. CJA Just Transition Principles

We invite you to join us Wednesday, November 8, 6pm EST, alongside movement partners, for our Free Palestine is a Climate Justice Issue teach-in. Hear from Palestinian activists and US environmental leaders on how our struggles are interconnected and how we must advocate for a Free Palestine. Climate justice calls upon us to wage love for people and the planet. Now is the time to rise up and join the fight to free Palestine. As a movement we are extending the call to all climate and environmental groups seeking to stand for justice. In the name of life, freedom, and Mother Earth.

Register here
 

November 5, 2023
Voices of Resilience: Experiences of Palestinian Women

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UW South Partnership Building
2238 South Park Street
10 am – 12 pm

Goals of this event:

  • Uplift voices of multigenerational Palestinian women, center and share their experiences
  • Strengthen connections between women in the Madison Area
  • Build bridges cross-culturally, deepen empathy and understanding of Palestinian resistance
  • Understand ways to support Palestinians, in Madison and in Palestine

For questions or accommodations, please email muslimfamilies608@gmail.com.

Please RSVP
 

November 3, 2023
Warda Bayda at Change Boutique

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Change Boutique (1252 Williamson St.) is proud to be hosting local artists Huda Alalawi (From Iraq) and Rukaya Qadour (from Syria) as they debut their new brand Warda Bayda (White Flower in Arabic) on Gallery Night. This brand represents a new beginning for them as refugees who have resettled in Madison.

You will quickly fall in love with them and their one-of-a-kind handmade, wearable artwork. Whether shopping for yourself or for a gift, there is something for everyone. Their offerings include scarves, hats, accessories and jewelry. Please join us (from 5pm-9pm) in welcoming Warda Bayda to Madison.
 

No More Deaths, in Gaza or Arizona

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This week we have seen the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip escalate to a boiling point, as Israel continues to massacre thousands of civilians. We know many of our donors care deeply about this issue, and we want you to know that we stand against the ethnic cleansing that has been carried out by the Israeli government for decades, and the genocidal actions currently being enacted against the Palestinian people. 

We have learned that our own humanitarian crisis here at the US-Mexico border will be dragged into the political negotiations around the US government’s planned aid package to Israel. The Biden administration is considering a supplemental $100 billion spending request to support the Israeli government’s ongoing atrocities in Gaza — a proposal that would include additional funding for US border militarization. Republican House Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement proclaiming support for Israel that “the administration will send up a supplemental [aid package] that deals with Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Republicans are going to want something serious about the border.” 

As thousands of civilians — including medical and humanitarian aid workers, journalists, and over 1,000 Palestinian children — are slaughtered in Gaza with the unwavering support of the US government, inhumane border policies here at home continue to kill people as well. Just last week, a woman in an outdoor detention camp between border walls in San Ysidro, CA, succumbed to a medical emergency and died. Many of the corporations that provide weapons and surveillance technology to the apartheid state of Israel are the same that supply lethal border enforcement tools to CBP and Border Patrol. We cannot allow the US government to slide even more funding for dehumanizing policy into a foreign aid package.

We urge our community to contact your representatives and communicate your thoughts with them. The Adalah Justice Project has put together a ceasefire letter you can sign and send to Congress here, and the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has created a form you can use to deliver messages via the phone here.

If you would like to donate to the crisis relief effort in Gaza, the following organizations have been vetted and are actively working in the area:

To create change in our borderlands, we need your help. Whether you spread the message, join us as a volunteer, purchase items from our Amazon Wish List, or make a donation online or by sending a check to No More Deaths, PO Box 40782, Tucson, AZ 85717, your support makes a difference. Thank you.

DONATE

In solidarity and gratitude,
The No More Deaths/ No Más Muertes community

 
Esta semana hemos visto cómo la actual crisis en la Franja de Gaza alcanzaba un punto de ebullición, mientras Israel seguía masacrando a miles de civiles. Sabemos que muchos de nuestros donantes se preocupan profundamente por este asunto, y queremos que sepan que nos oponemos a la limpieza étnica que lleva a cabo el gobierno israelí desde hace décadas, y a las acciones genocidas que se están llevando a cabo actualmente contra el pueblo palestino. 

Ayer nos enteramos de que nuestra propia crisis humanitaria aquí en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México se verá arrastrada a las negociaciones políticas en torno al paquete de ayuda previsto por el gobierno estadounidense para Israel. El gobierno de Biden está considerando una solicitud de gasto suplementario de 100.000 millones de dólares para apoyar las atrocidades que el gobierno israelí está cometiendo en Gaza, una propuesta que también incluiría fondos adicionales para la militarización de la frontera estadounidense. El líder republicano en la Cámara de Representantes, Mitch McConnell, afirmó en un comunicado en el que proclamaba su apoyo a Israel que “la administración enviará un [paquete de ayuda] suplementario que se ocupe de Israel, Ucrania y Taiwán, y los republicanos van a querer algo serio sobre la frontera”. 

Mientras miles de civiles -incluidos trabajadores de ayuda médica y humanitaria, periodistas y más de 1.000 niños palestinos- son masacrados en Gaza con el apoyo inquebrantable del gobierno estadounidense, las inhumanas políticas fronterizas aquí en casa también siguen matando gente. La semana pasada, una mujer que se encontraba en un campo de detención al aire libre entre los muros fronterizos de San Ysidro, California, sucumbió a una urgencia médica y murió. Muchas de las corporaciones que proporcionan armas y tecnología de vigilancia al estado de apartheid de Israel son las mismas que suministran herramientas letales para el control fronterizo a la CBP y a la Patrulla Fronteriza. No podemos permitir que el gobierno de EE.UU. deslice aún más financiación para la política deshumanizadora en un paquete de ayuda exterior.

Instamos a nuestra comunidad a ponerse en contacto con sus representantes y comunicarles sus pensamientos. El Proyecto de Justicia Adalah ha elaborado una carta de alto el fuego que puedes firmar y enviar al Congreso aquí, y la Voz Judía por la Paz (JVP) ha creado un formulario que puedes utilizar para enviar mensajes por teléfono aquí.

Si desea hacer un donativo para paliar la crisis en Gaza, las siguientes organizaciones han sido verificadas y trabajan activamente en la zona:

Para cambiar las cosas en nuestras fronteras, necesitamos tu ayuda. Tanto si difundes el mensaje, te unes a nosotros como voluntario, compras artículos de nuestra lista de deseos de Amazon o haces una donación en línea o enviando un cheque a No More Deaths, PO Box 40782, Tucson, AZ 85717, tu apoyo marca la diferencia. Gracias a todos.

DONAR

En solidaridad y gratitud,
La comunidad No Más Muertes

Get Involved / Involúcrate

No More Deaths is a humanitarian organization based in southern Arizona. We welcome you to join our work

No More Deaths es una organización humanitaria con sede en el sur de Arizona. Te invitamos a unirte a nuestro trabajo.

Join No More Deaths/No Más Muertes – Volunteer

Donate to our humanitarian aid work

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No More Deaths
P.O. Box 40782
Tucson, AZ 85717
 

Petition to Stop Cop City in Atlanta

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One underreported aspect of Cop City is the long and ongoing relationship between Georgia police agencies pushing this project and the Israeli police forces. The Stop Cop City campaign is supported by the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Will Atlanta City Officials Disqualify The Stop Cop City Petition?

The city outlined its plans for signature verification after organizers collected 100,000 signatures for a vote on the police training facility.

Prem Thakker, The Intercept

After organizers in Atlanta collected over 100,000 signatures for a referendum on the construction of a $90 million police training facility, city officials announced an elaborate signature verification process for the effort.

Read more and Sign the Petition!