Wellstone Democratic Club of Sacramento January Meeting - Soup's On!

Happy New Year!

Wednesday, January 7, 7-9pm
Arden-Dimmick Library
891 Watt Av (Watt & Northop Ave)
map: http://tinyurl.com/2ly68v

You might have noticed the title of our subject line. In addition to being cold and damp these days, we've decided to have some fun over a serious subject. Last month it was reported that Campbell's Soup had come under fire from the AFA (American Family Association) and other conservative and religious groups for daring to put out a full page ad showing (gasp!) a lesbian couple and their child enjoying soup together. To read more about the idiocy of these knuckle-draggers, check out http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/analysis/558)

We thought, what better way to fight the cold and show support for companies that do the right thing than by having a Campbell's Soup Potluck! We encourage everyone to put their money where their mouth is and come to Wednesday's meeting with a can of Campbell's soup, a mug or a bowl, and a spoon! If you want to really get into it, bring a soup + concoction, or bring something to go with soup -- but keep it simple. Our main intent is to practice what we preach on a very everyday and down to earth level. If you'd like to bring something other than Campbell's soup, please let Glenda Wertenberger (our hospitality coordinator) know, so we can avoid having too many of any one item. Contact her at paulindaw AT yahoo.com or 916.723.9930.

Our January Agenda includes a presentation by ECOS on developing communities with minimal environmental impact, Assembly District Delegate Elections on January 10th and 11th, a short talk on Presidential Electors and the Electoral College, the upcoming Presidential Inauguration and a raffle, among other things. As always, the agenda is subject to change depending on events that may affect it. Check future emails for updates ahead of the meeting.
Time: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - 7:00pm PST

Medics: Up to 40 Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza School
Tuesday 06 January 2009 - by: Reuters


Civilian casualties rise in Gaza as Israel continues its ground attack. (Photo: AFP / Getty Images)

Gaza - Israeli tank fire killed up to 40 Palestinians at a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medical sources at two Gaza hospitals said.

Two tank shells exploded outside the school, residents said, spraying shrapnel on people inside and outside the building, where hundreds of Palestinians had sought refuge from fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hamas militants.

Reuters journalists filmed bodies scattered on the ground amid pools of blood and torn shoes and clothes. A donkey also lay on the ground in its own blood.

This is an urgent action alert from Ellen Schwartz of WILPF to protest the Israeli invasion of Gaza:

Protest the Israeli Massacre In GAZA - Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, 4-6 pm - 16th and "J" Sts., Sacramento

This is really bad. Israel is bombing Gaza City as air support for the invasion. They say they are only targeting Hamas operatives, and that Hamas is using civilians as shields. But Hamas is the (legally) elected government, so it is everywhere; you can't bomb an office without hitting the offices around it. It is as if someone only targeted Republican Government targets, so that would be Federal and State offices, and bombed Social Security offices, DMS offices, all of which are decentralized and located near homes; and federal and state office buildings, downtown, where other people work. Not to mention, the whole blockade of Gaza has been illegal from the beginning, so who is really in the wrong? Not that the Gazans should be lobbing rockets, but please, let us not give Israel a pass on this.
Time: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 4:00pm PST

Budget Protest
Stand up for working families!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
11 am
Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District
(Roundabout just west of the State Capitol)
900 N Street, between 9th and 10th Streets in Sacramento

Protest the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, large business groups, and conservative state legislators as they continue their attack on the working families of California. They will be holding a press conference claiming that the new budget proposals by the Democratic leadership are illegal. Enough with ridiculous claims and the budget proposals that include nothing but harmful cuts to the most vulnerable in our state! Let them know that we need a responsible budget now!
Time: Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - 2:00am PST

How do people whose parents and grandparents survived the Sho'ah

On orders from my department, I too drove a gas-van from Berlin to Minsk. These vans had been constructed with a lockable cargo compartment, like a moving van... I was detailed with the gas-van to about twelve convoys of arriving Jews. It was in 1942. There were about a thousand Jews in each convoy. With each arrival I made five or six trips with my van. Some of the Jews were shot. I myself never shot a single Jew; I only gassed them...

A ghetto operation took place in the autumn of 1943. I was put into action only once with the gas-van. I made three trips with it to the execution site. I gassed about 150 to 180 people.

Justify this

Please don't misunderstand me, and think I'm making a blanket statement - I'm asking the individuals who have had relatives who survived the Sho'ah how they could this.

Is Israel Using Cluster Munitions On Urban Areas? (Updated)

The image above is captioned in the London Times, as "Israeli artillery shells explode with a chemical agent designed to create smokescreen for ground forces." But last night the same picture was simply captioned as an artillery shell exploding over Gaza and other similiar images at AFP/Getty are similiarly captioned. One wonders why Murdoch's flagship newspaper decided to change the caption. In two of those AFP/Getty images, here and here, you can clearly see impact explosions and fires begun by those impacts. Those are not chemical smoke shells. An ex-military officer friend tells me that the shells seen exploding in all these pictures are DPICM or Cluster Munition rounds. Identical cluster munitions were used in Lebanon by the IDF during the 2006 conflict and by both the UK and US during the invasion of Iraq. It's likely that the IDF are using US-made M483A1 DPICM artillery-delivered shells.

Delta Vision Committee Carries Water for Central Valley Agribusiness

Here is the latest Delta Flows, the newsletter of Restore the Delta, http://www.restorethedelta.org. The Governor's handpicked committee is pushing for breaking ground on the peripheral canal by 2011.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing for his environmentally destructive and obscenely costly canal as a monument to his gigantic ego at a time when Central Valley chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, threadfin shad and striped bass are in a state of collapse. The collapse of these fish species is the result of massive increases in water exports from the Delta and declining water quality under the Schwarzenegger and Bush administrations.

Dan


Delta Flows, the from Restore the Delta

From: Debra Reiger

I know this is short notice, but the Israeli decision to send ground troops into Gaza calls for stepped-up displays of public outrage. The current situation is horrid beyond belief. Help show our legislators and Sacramento's public that this is not okay; not business as usual and that we are willing to stand up and speak out. If the Gaza attacks continue, we must continue to speak out. It is the least we can do for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

Oppose the massacre in Gaza! Vigil and protest at the Federal building (5th and I St.), downtown Sacramento.
Monday, January 5
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. - Come when you can; leave when you can

Bring signs or use ours. Some ideas:
Time: Monday, January 5, 2009 - 4:00pm PST

MK Khenin: Gaza war won’t solve security problems

Thousands of leftists arrive at Rabin square to protest against IDF operation, chant 'Defense Minister Barak, how many children have you murdered today?'

Vered Luvitch - Published: 01.04.09, 02:15 / Israel News

Thousands of left-wing activists arrived at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv Saturday night to protest against the Gaza war. The protesters were marching in the streets and carrying flags reading "Stop the fire" and "Children in Gaza and Sderot wish to live."

Knesset members Dov Khenin (Hadash) and Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) were among the political figures who attended the rally.

UN chief to Olmert: End Gaza op immediately

Ban says 'extremely concerned and disappointed' over Israel's decision to invade Gaza, Spanish FM Moratinos calls Abbas to express his 'support and solidarity'

Yitzhak Benhorin - Published: 01.04.09, 03:28 / Israel News

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on Israel to end its military operation in Gaza immediately.

In a phone conversation with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Saturday evening, Ban conveyed his "extreme concern and disappointment" over the launching of the IDF's ground incursion and said he was "convinced and alarmed that this escalation will inevitably increase the already heavy suffering of the affected civilian populations."

Here is today's news update from Maggie Coulter and Patricia Daugherty, two longtime anti-war and Palestinian solidarity activists from Sacramento now staying in Bethlehem, Palestine. Israeli ground troops have invaded Gaza and urgent action is needed to stop the genocide.

Bethlehem News Updates Volume 10, January 3, 2009
In this update:
- Gaza briefing. As we send this, Israel has begun a ground invasion.
- Bethlehem brief
- Visiting Villages of '48
- Boycott L'Oreal Products http://www.BDSmovement.net
- Contact information of elected officials

Gaza
As we send this, Israel's genocidal assault on the people of Gaza continues; ground troops have invaded. There are eight International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers on the ground in Gaza. They all came on the Free Gaza Boats (http://www.freegaza.org). We urge you to read their eyewitness reports at: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main. A particularly powerful one from the Italian volunteer is at: http://www.palsolidarity.org/main/2009/01/01/vittorio-arrigoni-writes-from-gaza/.
Look for our report in the upcoming January 8 Sacramento News and Review.

Christine Craft will have Norman Solomon and Professor Hatem Basian on KGO radio this Saturday from 7:00pm through 8:30pm for a different analysis of the events in Gaza, and related history, than what comes from mainstream news.

Christine will also be encouraging listeners to call in!

KGO is at 810 on the AM dial or you can listen live online.

Listen live online: http://www.kgoam810.com/listenlive.asp
Time: Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 7:00pm PST

OVC Wins First Round at Change.org

Dear Friends of Open Voting:

Thank you very much to all of you for helping. We won first place in our category, and will move to the second round of voting.

OVC volunteer, Brent Turner, deserves special consideration for posting the idea and promoting it. Way to go, Brent!

The second round will go from Jan 5th to Jan 15th, followed by a press conference on Jan 16th.

On January 16th, Change.org will co-host an event at the
National Press Club in Washington, DC to announce the
top 10 rated ideas and our plans for supporting the formation
of a national advocacy campaign behind each idea in
collaboration with our nonprofit partners [1].

So, let's make sure we get into the top ten. Of the 87 ideas (top 3 in 29 categories) going to the second round, ours is the only one addressing voting system integrity.

How Not to Make Peace in the Middle East
by: Hussein Agha, Robert Malley, The New York Review of Books

A Jewish schoolboy in Iran holds a sign saying Peace in Hebrew, Arabic and English. (Photo: AFP / Getty Images)

Thursday 15 January 2009 Issue

The Much Too Promised Land: America's Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace
by Aaron David Miller, Bantam, 407 pp., $26.00.

Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East
by Daniel C. Kurtzer and Scott B. Lasensky, United States Institute of Peace Press, 191 pp., $16.50 (paper).

Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East
by Martin Indyk, Simon and Schuster, 494 pp., $30.00.

1.

Foreign affairs had no more than a small part in Barack Obama's presidential campaign, and the Middle East peace process only a fraction of that. Yet the sorry prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians make a break with past US policy on this matter imperative, regardless of the new administration's priorities.

The need for a move away from the lethal mix of arrogance and ignorance characteristic of George W. Bush's presidency is hard to dispute. That is not all that needs breaking away from. Some observers have welcomed the past year's surge of older-style US diplomacy, with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's multiple visits to the region, efforts to build Palestinian institutions and security forces, and negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians over a final status agreement. Yet spin aside, these efforts hardly can be deemed successful. Realities on the ground - from settlement construction to deepening divisions within Palestinian and Israeli societies to growing disillusionment with a two-state solution - render the possibility of a peace accord increasingly remote.

A Letter Sent to Talk Show Ed Schultz in Regards to the Israeli Massacre in Gaza
Andrew H. Dral

Dear Ed and Wendy,

I really don't like listening to you when it comes to Israel. You don't have a good grasp of the propaganda and massive media bias towards the situation there.

I attended a demonstration against Israel the other day, Tuesday evening, December 30, 2008, in New York City, in front of the Israeli Embassy. There were many energetic pro-Palestinian demonstrators there, way out-numbering the pro-Israel faction. News reports estimate 600 pro-Palestinian demonstrators, those wanting peace and justice, compared to 200 pro-Israel demonstrators wanting more death, destruction, and further Middle East injustice.

The destruction, the massacre unleashed by the Israelis against the Palestinians is so one sided, it boggles the mind. Roughly, 400 Palestinians are reported dead, many of them civilians (estimates over 60), compared to four Israelis. How can Americans sleep knowing children are getting their legs and heads blown off with our weapons at the hands of the Israeli butchers?

California Sues Federal Government Over Changes in Endangered Species Act
Wednesday 31 December 2008 - by: Julie Cart, The Los Angeles Times


The State of California has sued the federal government over changes in the Endangered Species Act. (Photo: Elvis Santana)

The state attorney general's office says new rules put California's threatened and endangered wildlife in greater danger and could cost the state more to protect the plants and animals on the list.

California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown filed suit against the federal government Tuesday, charging that a recent rule change by the Bush administration illegally gutted provisions of the Endangered Species Act, essentially quashing the role of science in decisions made by federal agencies.

For immediate release:

PDA NAMED 'MOST VALUABLE POLITICAL GROUP' OF 2008

WASHINGTON, DC – The Nation magazine has named Progressive Democrats of America its Most Valuable Political Group of 2008.

"Paul Wellstone's 'Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party' finally has a functional voice," wrote John Nichols in a roundup of the "Most Valuable Progressives of 2008."
Nichols stated that PDA has "over the past several years struggled mightily--and often effectively--to pull the party to the left on issues of war and peace, health-care reform, economic justice and presidential accountability." He noted the group's highly visible role in the Democratic national convention in August, where PDA successfully fought for more progressive platform positions on healthcare and trade and organized a series of well attended policy-related events.

"We're very grateful to The Nation for recognizing the hard work of our grassroots leaders in cities and towns across the country," said PDA Executive Director Tim Carpenter. "It's great to see their efforts acknowledged in this way."

Israeli Navy Attacks Civilian Mercy Ship

Video

(CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said.

CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed. It was flying the flag of Gibraltar.

The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists from the Free Gaza Solidarity Movement -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.

Also on board was former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

Penhaul said an Israeli patrol boat shined its spotlight on the Dignity, and then it and another patrol boat shadowed the Dignity for about a half hour before the collision.

One patrol boat "very severely rammed" the Dignity, Penhaul said.

The captain of the Dignity told Penhaul he received no warning. Only after the collision did the Israelis come on the radio to say they struck the boat because they believed it was involved in terrorist activities, the captain said.

But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied that and said the patrol boat had warned the vessel not to proceed to Gaza because it is a closed military area.

Palmor said there was no response to the radio message, and the vessel then tried to out-maneuver the Israeli patrol boat, leading to the collision.

The captain and crew said their vessel was struck intentionally, Penhaul said, but Palmor called those allegations "absurd."

"There is no intention on the part of the Israeli navy to ram anybody," Palmor said.

"I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is," McKinney said after the boat docked in Lebanon. "Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side.

"Our mission was a peaceful mission to deliver medical supplies and our mission was thwarted by the Israelis -- the aggressiveness of the Israeli military," she said.

UPDATE: Click here to see some photos of the massacre (caution: some are graphic).

To get up-to-speed on this issue, here are some recent articles that you should read (and probably won't find in your local paper).

* The neighborhood bully strikes again By Gideon Levy
* 'Gaza strike is not against Hamas, it's against all Palestinians' By Amira Hass
* Israelis Get Truth About Gaza Attack - by Ira Chernus
* Marty Peretz and The American Political Consensus on Israel - by Glenn Greenwald
* Gaza: The Logic of Colonial Power - by Nir Rosen
* A Hundred Eyes for an Eye - by Norman Solomon
* Kucinich Calls For Independent UN Inquiry on Gaza

A Request to Brighten Bernie Ward's Holiday Season
Andrew H. Dral

Mr. Bernie,

I always looked forward to your radio show. You did a wonderful job keeping yourself and us informed on the issues. Truth, justice, freedom, and plain old fair play were always paramount in your arguments. A reactionary Neanderthal caller, arguing from a point of ideology and fantasy, could never address or compete with your grasp of the facts. Most of all, it was a true educational experience listening to your program.

Thanks for all the work you've done to raise money for the Thanksgiving Charities. Every year you put out a tremendous effort to help feed the needy.

Our current fascist government went after you with the same fervor only reserved for its most out spoken and virulent critics. You joined the ranks of Phil Donahue, Bill Maher, Eliot Spitzer, Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame, Scott Ritter, Helen Thomas, The Dixie Chicks, Gov. (AL) Don Siegelman, Norman Finkelstein, Ward Churchill, Mark Cuban, and the eight attorney generals (David Iglesias) who wouldn't go along with the fascist agenda to suppress the vote, through hyping voter fraud or targeting Democrats for prosecution. There is no question that the federal U.S. attorney went out of its way when it saw an opportunity to suppress a voice of truth. You were a threat to this administration, an individual, not afraid to speak truth to power, a voice of truth.