Dear Supporter,
Please forward to your lists and congregations:
Pope, Lamont, Rosh Hashanah, Debate Demonstration
People of Faith CT e-newsletter
Sept. 18, 2006
Contents
Politics:
CT Republicans Vote for Border Fence
Lamont's True Colors
How Can We Resist?
Christianity:
Pope on Religious Violence: A Look in the Mirror Would Help
Daniel Berrigan on Christian Nonviolence
The Christian Whackos Are in Charge
Judaism:
Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 22: Social Repentance
Middle East Peace:
Demonstrate Simmons v. Courtney Debate, Sept. 18, New London
"Israeli Invasions of Gaza, Lebanon", Sept. 18, 20, W. Hartford, Danbury
Immigrant Rights
Rally, SUNDAY, Oct. 1, Hartford (new date change)
"You Shall Not Oppress An Alien"
Queer Rights
Church Installs first Openly Gay Pastor
The Gay Agenda
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Politics:
This past week in Congress:
All 3 CT Republican Representatives voted for HR6061 to build a 700-mile fence
on the US-Mexican border at a projected cost of $2Billion.
If $2Billion in foreign aid to eliminate poverty was granted to the people of
Central America, chances are they wouldn't leave their loved ones or homelands,
risking their lives in the desert, to find menial employment and derision in the US,
all just to feed their families back home!
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Lamont's True Colors
(from Daniel Sumrall, Green Party Candidate for US Rep. 3rd District)
"On Sept.7 the Connecticut Post reported on Ned Lamont's spineless turnaround
http://www.connpost.com/elections/ci_4298962
Mr Lamont has come out against censure and impeachment proceedings saying
"I don't see anything that would be an impeachable offense."
Unfortunately, this statement reveals Mr. Lamont's ignorance of current affairs
as well as his lack of constitutional courage.
Further revealing his militaristic stripes Mr. Lamont has made it known that
"he would not support efforts to withhold defense funding as a means of ending the war."
Funding of course is one of the mjaor tools that the legislature has at its disposal
to oppose executive abuse of power. The other is investigation, whose culmination
would be censure or impeachment; Mr. Lamont has made clear that he has no interest in pursuing.
I send this out to you all because it illustrates a point that I and other Green Party
candidates such as Ned Lamont's senatorial opponent Ralph Ferrucci have been making
throughout the 2006 campaign--neither party can be trusted to genuinely oppose violence,
war, and the rampant militarism of our society.
The Green Party and its candidates are the only option in this year's election for any
and all who want an immediate end to hostility.
Security can only come about through Peace."
-- Daniel Sumrall
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How Can We Resist?
"Since our war on Iraq started in 1990, over a million people have been killed.
Sanctions, massacres, torture, rape, bombing, death squads, and civil strife fueled
by us have caused more than a MILLION people to die.
Civilians in Gaza are starving to death for the use of their democratic rights.
262 have been killed and 1200 wounded since June, and close to 5000 since 2000.
1100 civilians have been killed in Lebanon this summer, most not even remotely close
to any Hezbollah activity.
Afghanistan is our wide killing field far from any media attention-- too many killed to count.
This is our War on the Middle East-- yours and mine.
We fund it. It would not be possible without us.
How much longer will we wait? How many more people will we elect to support and plan further killing?
When will this end? When the people of this country say:
NO MORE! NOT ANOTHER DIME! NO MORE KILLING! NO MORE TORTURE!
How can WE Resist?
By building a movement that can inform Americans about what is going on --
grassroots organizations that reaches out to people with information to counter
the misinformation by the media and the ongoing racist hysteria.
That is something we can do, if we choose to.
There are certainly enough people who understand what is going on.
But the only way that understanding can translate to an end to these crimes
funded by us is through a movement-- through action."
-- Khalil Iskarous, Secretary, Middle East Crisis Committee
http://www.thestruggle.org/
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Pope on Religious Violence: A Look in the Mirror Would Help
Reactions vary as Pope offers partial apology to Muslims
"Angry Muslim leaders flung what they saw as allegations of violence back at the West,
referring to the medieval Crusades against Islam and to the US-led wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=75522
Speaking of religious violence, let us not forget:
US-supported Occupation of Palestine, particularly by the religious right
the "Catholic" Conquests of the Americas,
the Spanish Inquisition
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Catholic Priest Daniel Berrigan SJ speaking recently on Christian nonviolence:
"It's a matter of a way of living, which is recommended to us Christians
in the Gospel. The nonviolence of Jesus didn't "work" for Jesus. . . .
It got him killed! So it wasn't a tactic; it was a way of being godly
in the world, which is to say, being beautifully human."
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The Christian Whackos Are In Charge
"Were it not for the fact that the Bush Administration has embarked
on a policy of world domination, nuclear rearmament, abandonment of the
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Nuclear Non-Pro-life-ration Treaty,
we might be able to dismiss them all as whacko. But the whackos are in charge,
and they are actively working for the destruction of the planet so that
they can get "raptured" and "bring" Jesus back"
-- Jeff Dietrich
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Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 22: Social Repentance
"[The] equation of Judaism with support for a particular national state,
even a state with a majority of Jews, is pure idolatry and a perversion of
Jewish values (there's nothing in our Torah that teaches that loyalty to a
particular state, and indeed our prophets central message was that both the
nation and the religion were being perverted by the national leaders and
religious leaders who had allowed their commitments to the ancient Jewish state
to over-ride their commitment to justice, peace and generosity to the powerless.)"
-- Rabbi Michael Lerner
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_rabbi_mi_060911_social_repentance_on.htm
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Demonstrate Simmons v. Courtney Debate
Demonstration outside Congressional debate in New London Monday night.
"We are planning to stand outside at the Second District U.S.
Congressional candidate debate (Rob Simmons vs. Joe Courtney ) in New
London tomorrow night (Monday September 18) with signs calling for
ending US Aid to Israel and ending the occupation and war crimes in
Lebanon and Palestine and Iraq. We hope to have as big a crowd as we
can get to join us to show that there are many people from diverse
backgrounds who want to let all the candidates know that we want a real
change in U.S. policy, no matter who wins.
There will be a lot of media there, and we want to be visible, and
show them it is not just a few people who think this way.
Please plan to come with your signs and invite others. We need to be
outside the Garde Art Center no later than 6:30 PM. People with
tickets for the debate will be allowed to enter only between 7 and 7:30
PM. The debate itself will start inside the Garde Art Center at 8 PM.
Address and parking directions below.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible tomorrow night."
Hassan Fouda
--
Garde Arts Center, 325 State Street, New London, CT 0632
http://www.gardearts.org/section.php?s=41
Parking is available just steps away from the Garde Arts Center at the
Govenor Winthrop Municipal Parking Lot located at 192 Governor Winthrop
Blvd (the corner of Govenor Winthrop and Union Street).
From I-95 North
Exit 83, turn off onto Ramp for 0.2 mi
Bear LEFT (East) onto Local road(s) for 0.2 mi
Continue (East) on Huntington St for 0.7 mi
Bear LEFT (East) onto State St for 98 yds
Arrive 325 State St, New London, CT 06320
From I-95 South
Exit 84-N-E on Ramp (West) for 0.6 mi
Bear RIGHT (South) onto Williams St for 0.4 mi
Turn LEFT (East) onto Huntington St for 0.7 mi
Bear LEFT (East) onto State St for 98 yds
Arrive 325 State St, New London, CT 06320
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Monday, September 18, 2006 7 p.m.
Friends Meeting House, 144 South Quaker Lane West Hartford
“The Israeli Invasions of Gaza, Lebanon and Nablus” Justine McCabe,
clinical psychologist, member of the Green Party International Committee,
and Mazin Qumsiyeh, author of “Sharing the Land of Canaan.”
They’re both back from recent visits to the Occupied Territories.
Also Stanley Heller, host of “The Struggle TV News”
Sponsored by the Middle East Crisis Committee, and the Connecticut Coalition
for Peace and Justice. For more information 203-934-2761
Wednesday, September 20, 7:00pm
Warner Hall, WCSU, 181 White St in Danbury
“The Israeli Invasions of Gaza, Lebanon, and Nablus.”
Eyewitness Reporting and Panel Discussion on the Mideast Conflict;
Three of the speakers are back from recent visits to the Occupied Territories:
-Gale Courey-Toensing, journalist and webmaster of “The Corner Report”
-Mazin Qumsiyeh, author of “Sharing the Land of Canaan”
-Justine McCabe, clinical psychologist and member of the Green Party
International Committee. Also speaking are Khalil Iskarous, Secretary of the
Middle East Crisis Committee, and Stanley Heller, host of “The Struggle TV News.”
The event is sponsored by Students for Progress, The Muslim Student Association,
Danbury Peace Coalition, and the Middle East Crisis Committee.
Info:Christopher Towne, Danbury Peace Coalition (203) 417-3590
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Immigrant Rights Rally, SUNDAY, Oct. 1, 2PM, Hartford
Full Rights for Immigrants
March and Rally
Sunday, Oct. 1
2PM Corner of Capitol and Broad Streets, Hartford
2:30 March
Rally at Bushnell Park
Demands:
1. Legalization for every immigrant
2. Stop HR4437 and Senate version
3. No criminalization of immigrants
4. No walls and no militarization of the border
5. No guest worker program
6. No employer sanctions
7. No deportations
8. No use of local authorities as ICE agents
9. Yes to expedited visas for family reunification
10. Yes to workers' rights for immigrants
Also:
Not another dime for Bush's wars.
Spend the billions at home to help victims of Katrina,
to fight global warming, to raise the minimum wage,
to improve schools and guarantee universal health care.
Stop the attacks on Arabs and Muslims
Info: 203-606-3484, 203-934-2761, 860-231-0082, 860-297-4248
Sponsored by:
Regional Coalition for Immigrant Rights
Middle East Crisis Committee
Proudly endorsed by People of Faith CT
Call to add your organizational endorsements
Money for Jobs and Education, Not for War and Occupation!
http://www.socialjustice-ct.org/
Dowload rally flier:
www.faithCT.org/immigrantrightsrally.pdf
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"You Shall Not Oppress An Alien"
"Israel's scripture is relentless in its demand that God's people care for the sojourner.
This is . . . a command rooted in Israel's own experience as a mistreated foreigner in Egypt:
"You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens
in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). Israel's care for the foreigners in her midst reminds
her that she is an invited guest graciously upheld by God's hospitality:
"with me you are but aliens and tenants" (Leviticus 25:23).
The Christian Testament reiterates the point:
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained
angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).
That's a reference to Abraham's hospitality to three angels by the oaks of Mamre in Genesis 18."
-- Jason Byassee
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Church installs first openly gay pastor.
Kudos to the United Church on the Green in New Haven for installing
Rev. John MacIver Gage yesterday as its first openly gay senior minister.
"It shouldn't matter that he is gay.
The question is, is he a person of faith who can break open God's holy word
for people in this time and in a way that makes sense to them?
By calling him, the church is saying the answer is yes."
Church Breaks Ground, Again
http://www.courant.com/news/local/sr/hc-nhgage0917.artsep17,0,4234690.story
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The Gay Agenda:
They worked at their jobs!
They shopped for groceries!
They even went to the movies!
They lived...
THE HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE!
SEE...them do their laundry!
HEAR...them order from the local take-out!
FEEL...your spine tingle as they watch TV!
Rated PG (Please Get over it)
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