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November 23, 2009
Alert #234
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Dear Peace Activists, For three days, from November 23-25, people across the country will be flooding the White House with calls demanding an end to the war in Afghanistan. Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together, give thanks, and celebrate the holidays. But the war in Afghanistan is tearing apart both American and Afghan families. The media have suggested that President Obama is seeking the inclusion of an exit strategy in the new U.S. plan for Afghanistan, but that's not good enough. The President is still considering troop escalation. In your five minutes for peace, ask President Obama not to destroy families by sending more troops. Ask him to reunite families by withdrawing our troops overseas. There is evidence that peace activists are getting through to the White House. Last week, representatives of Peace Action were invited to meet with White House officials and discuss alternative approaches to Afghanistan. We should build on the momentum of their meeting by joining our allies in this nationwide call-in to end the war. Click here to Call the White House. Use the script, and send an email message too - the lines are already very busy! Make your voice heard! Thank you for calling the White House and working towards a peaceful future. Happy Thanksgiving. Sincerely,
Anji Mannivannan
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Monday, November 23 - Wednesday November 25
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. NATIONAL WHITE HOUSE THANKSGIVING NO-ESCALATION CALL-IN Click for call in script &/or email message 
Monday, November 30, 1:00 – 9:00 p.m.BROOKLYN. Rally starts at Brooklyn Borough Hall. WORLD PEACE MARCH IN NEW YORK CITY  Mondays, November 23 & 30. 6-7 p.m. LOWER MANHATTAN. Metropolitan Correctional Center, 150 Park Row at Pearl Street Trains: 4,5,6,J,M,Z to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall NO GUANTANOMOS HERE OR ABROAD! MONDAY NIGHT VIGILS FOR THE NOVEMBER 30 TRIAL OF FAHAD HASHMI 
A call to artists, activists, educators, students, lawyers, clergy, prison abolitionists, and all people of conscience.
Weekly presentation with special guests from Broadway and Off-Broadway. Fahad Hashmi, a 29 year old
Muslim American citizen and Brooklyn College alumnus, has been held in solitary confinement
since May 2007 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan. He is charged with two counts of providing material
support and two counts of making a contribution of goods or services to Al Qaeda. His case raises concerns about the
conditions of his detention and his ability to receive a fair trial. He is subject to a regime of severe deprivation,
including 24-hour electronic monitoring, 23-hour lockdown, no access to fresh air, and one hour of daily recreation
(when it is given) inside a cage. Physical and mental consequences of prolonged solitary confinement may impair his
mental state and ability to testify on his own behalf. Also of concern are threats to First Amendment rights.
Sponsor: Theaters Against War, 206-312-2201 or
thawaction@yahoo.com.
Learn more about the case from
Educators for Civil Liberties.
Tuesday, November 24, 12 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch at 12. Discussion to begin at 12:15. FLATIRON DISTRICT. EastWest Institute, 11 East 26th Street (Madison - Fifth), 20th Floor CHRISTOPHE JAFFRELOT ON “WHO IS A TERRORIST? CULTURAL POLICING AND THE STATE IN SOUTH ASIA” 
Hosted by World Policy Institute, EastWest Institute, Asia Society and the Institute for Public Knowledge.
We invite you to join us for a lunch discussion with Christophe Jaffrelot. WPI Senior Fellow
Mira Kamdar will moderate the discussion. Who is a terrorist? Who has the power to label an
individual or a group "terrorist"? In South Asia today, arguably one of the regions most wracked by terrorism, the
term is often seen as synonymous with "Islamism," even with Islam itself. However, the terrorist terrain in South Asia
remains populated by non-Islamist actors as well - like the LTTE movement which the Sri Lankan government recently
crushed, and the Maoist guerillas who recently suspended activities in Nepal following elections which brought the
Maoists into the new government.Finally, some states - especially Pakistan, but also India at the state and local
levels - have played roles in nurturing terrorist groups, challenging the notion that terrorism and the state are
always on opposite sides. Rejecting stereotypes about terrorist movements, Christophe Jaffrelot, co-editor of the
new book “Armed Militias of South Asia: Fundamentalists, Maoists, and Separatists”, discusses the wide range of
violent movements in South Asia, their implications for regional security, and policy responses.Regular
Admission $15. Academic and Nonprofit Professionals - $10. Full-time Students - $5. Free for WPI Members.
Advance registration is require. Register by emailing events@worldpolicy.org
or calling 212.481.5005, option 2.
Wednesday, December 2, 6:30 p.m. UPPER EAST SIDE. Reidy Friendship Hall, Unitarian Church of All Souls, 1157 Lexington Avenue at East 80th Street CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD MARCH FOR PEACE A program of music, dance, poetry and singing. Includes a performance by the Russell Branca Trio. Sponsored by the Peace and Justice Task Force of All Souls Church.  Thursday, November 26, 10:00 a.m. WILLOW BAY. North shore of Onondaga Lake THANKSGIVING DAY CIRCLE OF PEACE AND HOPE Join Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation to express our thanks to the Onondaga Nation and people for their leadership on ecological preservation and social healing. For more information, contact Andy at 315-472-5478. Friday, Dec 4, 6:00 - 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec 5th, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ROCHESTER. First Unitarian Church of Rochester, 220 South Winton Road 
METRO JUSTICE’S 28TH ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE FAIRPut Your Heart Where Your Money Is! Support Social Justice When Buying Holiday Gifts. $3 suggested donation for ages 12+. Hundreds of fair trade, earth friendly, and locally produced goods that support a just and sustainable world. Holiday shopping for the whole family, including clothing, toys, non-competitive games, pottery, crafts, body care products, and jewelry. Food, entertainment, and information tables by local progressive organizations will be available. Free child care. The Alternative Fair is an annual fund-raising event for Metro Justice, an independent, grass-roots, progressive membership organization that works for social, economic, and racial justice. For more information, call Tanya @ Metro Justice at (585) 325-2560. Friday, December 4, 3:30 p.m. ROCHESTER. Rochester War Memorial, Exchange and Broad Streets RALLY AGAINST THE REQUEST FOR A TROOP INCREASE IN AFGHANISTAN Rally will be followed by a march to the Federal Building to deliver petitions to our Senators and Congressional Reps Saturday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon GENESEO. Wegman Plaza, Route 20A GVCP’S ANNUAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST WAR TOYS Bring peaceful toys and dress warmly. Saturday, December 5, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 6, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. SYRACUSE. Nottingham High School, 3100 E. Genesee St. 39TH ANNUAL PLOWSHARES CRAFTS FAIR AND WINTER PEACE FESTIVAL 
Beautiful Crafts... Lively Entertainment... Cool People... Great Food. Central New York’s premiere
multicultural crafts fair brings to life a community marketplace and celebrating a world where people
enjoy their work and have control over it. Only $2-5 (sliding scale) for adults, free for those
under 16 or over 65. Plowshares provides a family-friendly alternative to frantic shopping and
mass-produced goods. The crafts, created by over 120 craftspeople from throughout Central New
York, are not only high quality but also sensitive to social and environmental concerns. Holiday
gift buyers will find crafts ranging from hand-screened and batik clothing, stained glass, pottery,
vegetable-based soaps, fabric dolls, jewelry (bone, copper, brass, silver, gemstones, ceramic,
glass beads), blown glass, leatherwork, hand-dipped incense, and many other items. The crafts high
quality, and items cover a wide range of prices. There will be ongoing performances, by local
musicians, dancers, and drummers. In addition, tasty food from The Mission Restaurant, ranging
from snacks to healthy meals will be available at reasonable prices. For information, contact
the Peace Council at 472-5478, e-mail: spc@peacecouncil.net, on the web:
www.peacecouncil.net/plowshares.
Monday, December 7. 7:00 p.m. ROCHESTER. Cinema Theatre, 957 S. Clinton Ave. (corner of Goodman and S. Clinton) SCREENING OF “SICKO” AND PUBLIC FORUM Q: How would YOU describe the Health Care System that our nation’s lawmakers say they’re trying to reform? A: SICKO! Admission: $2. Open microphone public discussion immediately following the film. Each contributor limited to 2 minutes speaking time. Tell us what you think! Why do Americans pay far more than anywhere else in the world, for a healthcare delivery system that ranks at the very bottom of all industrialized countries, in terms of outcome? Where’s all that money going, if not toward the care of the people who need it? The “national debate” over health care still leaves all the basic questions unsettled. Where do we go from here? Health care for the people, not the corporations. Sponsored by Rochester for HR 676. For more information, call Betsy at 473-8724 or email lfrarey@rochester.rr.com. Saturday, December 12, 1:30pm-3:30 p.m. BUFFALO. Network of Religious Communities, 1272 Delaware Avenue WNY PEACE CENTER’S END OF THE YEAR MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND INTERFAITH POTLUCK Please bring a dish to share. Friday, December 18, 8:00 p.m. TROY. Sanctuary for Independent Media REVEREND BILLY AND THE CHURCH OF LIFE AFTER SHOPPING: SHOPOCALYPTIC REVIVAL 2009 CHRISTMAS TOUR. 
Reverend Billy’s "Blessed are the Jobless! Blessed are the Broke!" Christmas Tour. The Rev, the
choir and members of the Not Buying It band promises our old church a performance we will not forget.
Confess your shopping sins! Cast out the demons of overconsumption! Go beyond the market to a life
after shopping! Strangalleiuah, children! On this tour there is no room in the inn. We are not
paid much – but our hosts have a lot to share. We’re forced out into public space, nuzzled by cows
and sheep with angels over-head! Out into the commons, out into the new funky Garden of Eden. We’re
starting over!” The Rev says: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit. Blessed are the jobless
who force us to change the economy. Blessed are the homeless who unlock empty buildings. Blessed are
the evicted who resist with their children watching! Blessed are the broke who re-introduce the
what-can-I-do-for-no-money? Blessed are the re-cycled gifts and home-made art and swap-o-ramas and
farmer’s markets. Blessed is the local Christmas. Local-ujah! Admission: by donation ($10 suggested,
$5 student/low-income)
 Many local peace groups hold regular events, vigils, "Honk for Peace" actions, etc. See our list: www.panys.org/ongoing.htm  
Dec. 27 & 29, Jan. 1. CAIRO. RAFAH CROSSING. GAZA STRIP. WASHINGTON DC. GAZA FREEDOM MARCH On the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Gaza, individuals and representatives of organizations from around the world will convene in Cairo, attempt to cross into the Gaza Strip via the Rafah Crossing on Dec. 29, and march with the residents of Gaza to the Israeli border on Jan. 1. We are working with Israeli peace groups to organize a companion demonstration on the Israeli side on the same day. Meanwhile, back at home, we will stage companion demonstrations in DC and other cities across the nation -- calling on our leaders to do the right thing and use our considerable leverage to pressure Israel and Egypt to end the siege. You can get involved by:
Going out of state? Check UFPJ's national Events Calendar: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/calendar.php. |