“Nuclear Weapons and Social Justice: Building an Interconnected Movement” on May 9 in Bellingham4/18/2018
S.J. Res. 54 is a joint resolution to direct the removal of the United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress. The resolution was authored by Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, Republican Mike Lee, and Democrat Chris Murphy.
There will likely be a Senate vote on the resolution this week, and our senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray have not yet taken a stance on it. We are asking you to contact our senators in order to show public support for the resolution, in the hopes it will be passed by the Senate. Please make a call today and let them know why you support this resolution. You can reach their local offices at these phone numbers: Sen. Patty Murray: (425) 259-6515 Sen. Maria Cantwell: (425) 303-0114 More information here: https://act.mpowerchange.org/call/call-senate-yemen Antisemitism vs Anti-zionism: Behind the controversy
Published March 5, 2018 in the AS Review I want to thank Gwen Frost for a thoughtful article on Noa Raman’s visit to WWU. Both anti-semitism and routine Israeli violations of International Law deserve serious scrutiny. However, the discussion overlooks one crucially important fact: our United States government has given Israel over $3 billion each year in foreign aid for decades, more than to any other country. Our government also gives Israel ongoing, bipartisan diplomatic support. For example: President Trump announced that he would move the United States embassy to Jerusalem; the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution calling President Trump’s decision “null and void”; only seven other countries joined the US and Israel to vote against that resolution. The Obama administration engaged in the largest joint military exercise ever to be held between the two countries, and repeatedly cast the only “no” votes on measures critical of Israel at the UN Human Rights Council. In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel is violating international law with its establishment of settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, and should return the land and property it seized. The ICJ also ruled that “all states [including the United States] are under an obligation not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created [by the settlements].” It is not Israeli violations of International Law that should concern us: as United States citizens, we should be concerned with the fact that our own government is criminally sponsoring, supporting, and in fact makes possible those violations. Matteo Tamburini WWU alumnus, MS in Mathematics 2009 Board Member, Whatcom Peace and Justice Center At our January 31 letter-writing night, we gathered together to talk about why we write letters to elected officials and news media. We talked through some of the features of effective letters, such as conciseness and the inclusion of a fact and a personal story. With the State Legislature in session in Washington, we talked about the ways things work in Olympia. We practiced some research skills, including how to look up information about legislation being considered at the state and federal levels.
We had a small group with a range of experiences in participating in democracy. Some had written letters before, and even run for office. Others wrote their first letter that night. Everyone wrote a letter on a topic of their choice, which included abolishing the death penalty in Washington, stopping the defunding of UNRWA, and passing Congressional resolutions to prevent unconstitutional war with North Korea. One participant wrote a letter to the editor of the Cascadia Weekly, and the letter was published in today's edition: Publishing a letter to the editor or opinion piece is one way for everyday people to have their voice included in a public platform. You can reach fellow community members with important perspectives and information that can challenge or amplify narratives presented in the news media.
Additionally, staffers for members of Congress monitor regional news media for letters to the editor and opinion pieces that mention policymakers by name. Write a letter that gets attention by responding to a recent article in the paper, mentions lawmakers by name and makes a specific ask of them, includes 1-2 facts, and illustrates your personal interest in the issue. For more: Tips from FCNL Bellingham Herald 1,400 characters or less Email: letters@bellinghamherald.com Cascadia Weekly Online form: http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/contact Email: letters@cascadiaweekly.com Everett Herald Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Email: letters@heraldnet.com Fax: 425-339-3458 Mail: The Daily Herald Letters P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Skagit Valley Herald 300 words max. Include your first and last name, address, and phone number. Email: letters@skagitpublishing.com |
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