Call for UNH and Yale Law to Break Ties with Saudis

by Stanley Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee (MECC)

[As the PAR print edition goes to print, Newsweek has picked up this story of the universities’ collusion with the Saudi government. By the time you read this in PAR, we expect more investigation will have been done and publicized on an international scale. Congratulations, Stan Heller, for exposing this local world-wide connection!]

Ever more gruesome details emerge daily of the likely torture-murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on orders of the highest officials of the Saudi government.  The Middle East Crisis Committee (MECC) has for years advised Connecticut institutions with relationships with Saudi Arabia to break ties with the cruel regime.  In view of the Khashoggi murder, we call on the University of New Haven, which has helped create a security studies program at the police college of Saudi Arabia and is apparently teaching forensic skills there, to immediately suspend all cooperation with King Fahd Security College. It should publicly explain what it is doing in its secretive program in the kingdom.

We have asked how they can justify doing work with a police college in a country with an absolute monarchy and a justice system known for prosecuting activists calling for democratic rights and full equality for women, one where suspects are tortured. We’ve been met only with silence.  We’ve also called on University of New Haven administrators to explain if any of the skills they are teaching in Saudi Arabia are being used by the Saudi military which is engaged in a brutal illegal war in Yemen.

The Middle East Crisis Committee also calls on Owen Fiss and Anthony Kronman, directors of the Abdullah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law at Yale Law School, to speak out. This murder of Khashoggi is an outrageous violation of any legal precept and demands condemnation. It would be extremely beneficial if the Kamel Center hosted an emergency public conference of Islamic law scholars to examine the woeful state of the Saudi system of justice in a country that claims to strictly follow Islamic law.

The center was funded by Abdullah Kamel’s son Saleh Kamel.  Abdullah Kamel was detained by Prince Mohammed Bin Salman last fall on charges of corruption.  Reportedly $4 billion, most of Kamel’s money, has been forfeited without any due process.  Forbes magazine, which had estimated Kamel’s fortune at $2.6 billion, has removed him from its list of billionaires.

Updates will be posted at thestruggle.org and our Facebook page Middle East Crisis Committee.

Seminar on Shared Solar in Manchester, Nov. 10

by Solar Energy Association of CT

The Solar Energy Association of Connecticut will present a seminar on “Community Solar/Shared Solar — How to make it work” on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. at the Community Room in Manchester Police Station.

The value and workability of rooftop PV solar systems have been amply demonstrated over the last several years. How-ever, it is clear that such solar systems can at most be used by a small fraction of people in the U.S., because of shading and other constraints. For more widespread use of solar energy, it is necessary to use Shared Solar/Community Solar systems.

This seminar will discuss the major questions which arise for shared solar systems, with special reference to Connecticut.

What is Community Solar/Shared-Solar? What are the different types of such systems? What are the benefits of Community Solar – financial and environmental? What are the financial and legislative issues that need to be resolved for shared solar systems? How would an individual or family participate in a shared solar program?

Selected examples of Community Solar projects will be discussed, pointing out the issues to be addressed.

¥ou can also participate with your ideas and questions.We invite you to attend; it helps if you let us know in advance by calling (860) 223-5684, (860) 649-9827, or (203) 613-4363.

The Solar Energy Association of Connecticut is a nonprofit, professional, educational organization which supports and promotes the use of renewable energies and environmentally benign technologies. For more information: www.SolarEnergyofCT.org.

 


Interested in hearing about the great developments for green energy in our state? Subscribe to CT Green Energy News. E-mail Peter Millman at [email protected] and he will set up your e-subscription. CT Green Energy News is where you can read about news and events for advocates of clean energy, energy efficiency, and climate action at the state and local levels, focusing on Connecticut. Brought to you by People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE) and Eastern CT Green Action (ECGA).

Coalition for People Invites You to Join Our Board

Coalition for People is planning its annual meeting in April 2019. We look forward to more people being involved to make sure their issues of importance are acted upon. There is room for additional people to join the board, and we hope some PAR readers take up this challenge to help organize and advocate for the disenfranchised in the New Haven area.

We are working closely with Mothers (and Others) for Justice around issues of affordable housing; we have been networking with organizations around homelessness, the criminalization of the poor, and Yale New Haven Hospital’s neglect by discharging homeless people to the street. YNHH’s actions have led to the deaths of at least two homeless people in the past year.

People have a right to have a home, enough food to eat, a job with a living wage and healthcare. Our government still has not accepted the fact that healthcare is a right for all. The struggle for universal, comprehensive single-payer healthcare continues.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 14, from 2-4 p.m. at the Fair Haven Library, 182 Grand Ave. in the community room in the lower level. Starting again in December we will meet there the third Wednesday of each month. Please e-mail us if you need a different meeting time and tell us when you can meet. We are flexible and want to make meetings convenient for everyone who wants to join us.

[email protected].

“Show Me How”- Learn about the New Haven Promise: FREE Money for College!

Come Monday, Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m. or Saturday, Nov. 17, 10:30 a.m. to Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison St., New Haven.

Yes, the New Haven Promise Scholarship works! If you are a New Haven Public School Student, you can receive free college tuition! The New Haven Promise Scholarship is an annual award that covers up to full tuition, and tuition only, at a Connecticut public 2- or 4-year college or university, or up to $2,500 at an in-state private institution. Don’t wait until senior year! Register as early as 7th grade. Learn about the requirements for the Promise Scholarship. Hear from Promise staff, New Haven Promise Scholarship recipients and very happy parents!

Please call to register: (203) 946-8117. Refreshments will be served at both events. Parents are highly encouraged to attend with their students.

NHFPL Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison Street, New Haven, (203) 946-8117, www.nhfpl.org.

Vote YES on the transportation BALLOT AMENDMENT

According to CT Roundtable on Climate, there will be a ballot initiative, to be voted on Nov. 6 to approve a constitutional amendment to use the special transportation fund only for transportation purposes.

It’s called the Transportation Revenue Lockbox Amendment. Since 2005 the legislature has moved more than $250 MILLION away from the Special Transportation Fund, including $50 million in 2016  alone.

The legislature has also put into the General Fund $155 million from the Clean Energy & Efficiency Fund collected by UI and Eversource from their customers, i.e. US, users. Were we consulted?

The cowardice of the legislature is unfathomable — they will do anything to prevent raising taxes on the rich, but it’s all right to take from programs that benefit the rest of us.

Download the flyer here.

Ecoworks — We can’t do this without you!

Ecoworks relies on an amazing team of committed volunteers to accomplish our mission. We are looking for motivated volunteers, who can commit their time for at least 3-hour shifts.

Why Volunteer?

Support Creativity and Reuse — Help us divert useful materials from the landfills

Meet People — Meet other creatively-minded people and connect with your community

Discount — 20% off all scrap and reuse materials when you volunteer

Immediate Volunteer Opportunities

We have moved into our new space at 89 State Street in North Haven, but we are not quite finished or ready to open. We are looking for volunteers to help set-up the new space.

Organizing — Organize boxes of stock either by moving them to areas in the store or in the warehouse space

Unpacking — Assist with unpacking stock and placing on shelving or display areas

Signage — Assist with writing up signage for prices and shelf labels

Core Volunteer Opportunities

No matter what your experience or skill level, there’s a role for you at EcoWorks. When we open we will regularly need volunteer help with:

  • Receiving and processing donations
  • Stocking and organizing
  • Assisting customers, including register sales
  • Supporting our team at community events and workshops
  • Teaching workshops
  • Administrative support
  • Social mediaWe appreciate your willingness to support our mission.
    If you would like to volunteer, please email our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected].

Travel Guide of Accessible Places via MyRide to Visit in New Haven available for download

PAR is pleased to let our readers know that Joseph Luciano, founder of Disability Rights Action Group of Connecticut, has created at travel guide that is especially useful for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, or MyRide transportation.

A PDF of the guide can be downloaded here. If you need the PDF sent directly to you, please e-mail Joe at [email protected]. Or phone him at (203) 463-8323. Our thanks to Joe, for creating this resource!

REMINDER: Call for October Articles for PAR Newsletter. Deadline Sept. 18.

Dear PAR Contributors,

Readers want to know: What is the purpose of your organization? How are you building your group? What campaigns are you organizing? What events are you planning?

We want to publicize the work groups have done and what they’re planning to do. We want to spread the word to others who will be inspired to join you, support your activism and build the struggles. Send us articles (even a paragraph or two) about what your group wants to do and any ideas for organizing!

Please send articles about your group’s recent and current activities and upcoming actions and events to [email protected].

***Help inspire others through your commitment! ***

The deadline for the October Progressive Action Roundtable Newsletter is Tuesday, Sept. 18.

GUIDELINES FOR ARTICLES

We ask everyone to limit articles to 350 words.

Please include an enticing headline/title for your article so our readers will focus on your work right away.

Be sure to indicate your name and organization as they should appear in your byline.

If you haven’t written recent articles for PAR, please include information about your group’s purpose.

Do not use different fonts or sizes in your article.

Please keep in mind that as layout space permits, we will include photos.

IMPORTANT: Don’t neglect to add your organization’s contact information such as phone number, e-mail address or website, so our readers can get more information about what your group is doing.

ABOUT CALENDAR ITEMS

If you mention an event in an article, please also send a separate calendar announcement.

Please give street addresses for any events or meetings, even for “well-known” public buildings.

VERY IMPORTANT: Please indicate whether your event location is wheelchair accessible.

You can also send us SAVE THE DATE items about future events, even if you do not yet have all the details in place.

The PAR newsletter will come out approximately Wednesday, Oct. 1. Please consider this when submitting calendar items.

Here are other suggestions about submitting copy to the PAR Newsletter:

1. If you ask or encourage new groups to submit articles or calendar items to PAR, please give them a copy of these tips.

2. Submit copy by e-mail, either as regular text or as an MS Word or attachment (.doc or .docx).

3. If you are a first-time author for the PAR Newsletter, thank you! We hope you will subscribe and encourage others in your organization to do so.

4. If you know of someone who wants to write an article but does not use e-mail, send an e-mail to us with that person’s name and phone number.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT INSERTS

We prefer to carry articles and calendar listings rather than inserts. But if you have an insert to include in the Newsletter, we ask you to send the information contained in the flyer to this e-mail address as well so that it can be easily added to the PAR calendar.

Your organization must make and pay for the inserts. We will be able to handle only those inserts that are a full sheet (8.5 x 11) or half-sheet (8.5 x 5.5) of paper. We cannot accept postcards or cardstock flyers. There is a fee of $7 for inserts.

***

E-mail us if you’d to join our monthly planning meetings or help with the mailings. We always welcome more helpers and new ideas.

We’re looking forward to your articles! Thank you for your help in creating this community newsletter.

– PAR Planning Committee

Come PARty at the PAR Picnic 5 p.m. June 30!

Come celebrate twenty-five years of the Progressive Action Roundtable!

Rain or shine, join us Saturday, June 30, 5-8 p.m. E-mail [email protected] or call (203) 562-2798 for info.

If you can, please bring something for the potluck.

Meet up with old friends, make new friends!

Learn about what projects people are working on!

You can also renew your newsletter subscription in person (still only $13)!

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