Norway Muslims to Jews: If Someone Wants To Attack You, They’ll Have To Step Over Us First

by Abby Zimet, staff writer, CommonDreams.org

In the wake of last week’s attack on a Copenhagen synagogue – along with the Paris terrorist attacks, the murders of three young Muslims in Chapel Hill [NC], and growing anti-Semitism across Europe – a group of young Muslims in Norway have organized a Shabbat “Ring of Peace” around an Oslo synagogue to, in the words of its 17-year-old organizer, “extinguish the prejudices people have against Jews and against Muslims.” Concerned the event could prove “counter-productive” in an increasingly volatile climate, the leader of Oslo’s Jewish community agreed to it only if at least 30 people signed up.

To date, over 1,500 have, agreeing with organizers’ argument that, “Islam is about protecting our brothers and sisters, regard-less of which religion they belong to.” The event has also sparked a wave of online campaigns expressing similar soli-darity, including #IgoToSynagogue, #WeMustStickTogether, #MuslimsAndJewsRefuseToBeEnemies. Explained one attendee for the Ring of Peace, “We all have to live under the same sky.”

 

Energy and Technology Committee Tackles Electricity Issues

by Paula Panzarella, Fight the Hike

On Feb. 24 (as PAR goes to print), the Energy and Technology Committee of the CT State Legislature held public hearings on a number of bills. At least six bills were scheduled about capping or lowering the fixed customer charge. Since many different legislators submitted bills on the same topic, the concern of customers from around the state was heard and there is good chance the bills will be merged and go before the general assembly.

Why cap the base rate? If ratepayers conserve but still have ever-rising bills because of the base rate, all the advantages of efficiency, conservation or using solar won’t necessarily result in lower costs. Here are the different bills on this one issue: 5281 (441), 5402 (673), 6014 (1553), 6029 (1811), 570 (2226), 574 (2402). The CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs has worked on getting the rate capped for months. You can contact the organizer John Humphries for updates: [email protected] or (860) 216-7972.

Other bills scheduled were to ban variable electric rates, Bill 573 (2222); to improve transparency and increase opportunities for public comment on proposed changes in electric rates, Bill 575 (2235); have the tax on electric bills itemized on the monthly bills, Bill 625 (2293); require the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to develop policies to lower electric rates, Bill 728 (1668); prohibit companies from raising electric rates to cover costs of repairs from actual or anticipated storm damage, Bill 5019 (11); for every five days of power outage, customers to be credited with one day of service, Bill 6013 (510); public service companies prioritize restoration of services for customers with disabilities, Bill 6018 (2706); establish a cap for electric rates and have more public hearings on the rate-making process, Bill 6019 (2686); improve the microgrid development, Bill 6027 (1803).

Written testimony can be sent in up to a week AFTER the hearing. E-mail testimony to [email protected].  Or write to: Energy and Technology Committee
Legislative Office Building, Room 3900
Hartford, CT  06106

It’s not too early to let your legislators know what you think about these bills. Phone numbers for state senators and representatives are in the box on page 6. The website of the Energy and Technology Committee is www.cga.ct.gov/et/.

News from People’s Action for Clean Energy

by Judi Friedman, PACE

A Pure House in Westport: www.ThePureHouse.com

PACE is excited about this concept : a high performance building envelope that has eliminated carcinogens!

Doug McDonald, owner and builder of a PASSIV house in Westport, has taken the next step! He has built a design/build team which will construct houses that are safe to live in and absolutely energy-efficient! Using pure and natural products he will have a house ready for market in three weeks in Westport, Conn.

More Research to be Done at Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

Each day, some two billion gallons of water are pumped from Long Island Sound into the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, CT – our state’s only nuclear power plant – and used to help cool systems and support the station’s two operating reactors. After it heats up, about 90 percent of that water is discharged back into the Sound at about 20 degrees warmer than when it was taken in, said Ken Holt, a spokesman for Millstone.

Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk) wants to better understand what, if any, impact that heated water is having on the ecology of the Sound and has reached out to researchers at Stony Brook University’s School of Atmospheric Science, hoping they can determine whether Millstone might be “overheating” the Sound’s waters.

“No one has really studied the broader impacts of this plant,” Mr. Schneiderman said in a recent interview, noting that biology experts have recorded an “undeniable” increase in Long Island Sound water temperatures over the last few decades, which has affected the health of local fisheries, including lobster and flounder populations.

Soon the Waterford plant, which is just under 10 miles north of Plum Island, will need to renew a permit mandated by the federal Clean Water Act. Known as a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, it helps the government regulate pollution – in this case thermal pollution – discharging into ground and surface waters.

Report on Rick Wolff’s January Talks in New Haven

by Allan Brison, CT Green Party

Over 20 people gathered to hear Rick Wolff in January at the Unitarian Universalist Society. He spoke about his evolution from his education attending three of the nation’s most prestigious schools (Harvard, Stamford and Yale), to being one of the rare Marxist economists in the Economic Department at Yale, and, in turn, to his present incarnation as being in great demand for radio and TV interviews across the nation, and having his advice sought by such luminaries as Bill Moyers, as well as being a driving force behind the Left Forum every year in Manhattan.

Contributions were made to Democracy At Work, Rick’s organization to bring real democracy to the workplace and everywhere else in American society (donations can also be made on his website http://www.democracyatwork.info/).

Then Rick spoke to the Yale Political Union for the debate on the question: Should US Banks be Nationalized? But his position is not for either Nationalization or Privatization, but rather what he calls Socialization – a more nuanced form of collective ownership of goods and services by those most affected by those goods or services. Though he believes that Socialization is the way to go, he did point out that there have been some very successful examples of public owner-ship. These include the Bank of North Dakota and the much larger publicly owned Bank of Germany.

Rick gave other examples where public ventures have outperformed their privately owned counterparts, including the Wallingford, CT Electric District, the publicly owned utilities in Los Angeles and Sacramento, and the Green Bay Packers football team in the NFL.

One of the largest and most striking examples of Socialization in the ownership of goods and services is the Mondragon Corporation in Spain. This company started in 1956 and today is the largest corporation in the Basque Region. It employs 74,000 people in 257 companies and organizations in four areas of activity: Finance, Industry, Retail, and Knowledge.

For more on the Mondragon Corporation, see Rick’s website or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondragon_Corporation.

At the end of the YPU debate, the students voted in favor of nationalization of banks by a narrow margin. The debate was captured on videotape for public showings.

Please contact me for more information. Allan Brison, (203) 782-6808

PAR Articles and Calendar Items Due Wednesday, Feb. 18

If you haven’t sent us an article or calendar listing yet for the March newsletter, there is still time. Hope you are doing well with this over-the-top cold and snow.
Thanks for your contributions to PAR!

Sign up on our website for automatic PAR updates.
If your group has a website, please add our link to your webpage

PAR Articles and Calendar Items Due Wednesday, Feb. 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? The deadline for the March Progressive Action Roundtable Newsletter is Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Please send in to this e-mail address – [email protected] – articles about your group’s recent and current activities and upcoming actions and events.   We are asking everyone to limit her/his article to 350 words.   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. List either a phone, e-mail address or website so that readers will have a way to get further information.  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 Newsletter will come out approximately  Feb. 27; 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 e-mail text or as an MS Word attachment (.doc).

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

4. If someone else from your organization who doesn’t have e-mail is going to write an article, we can arrange to receive a disk or a paper copy.  Send an e-mail to us and include the name and phone number of the person who needs help, or call Paula at (203) 562-2798.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT INSERTS:

We prefer to carry articles & 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 copies of the insert, and you must call Mary Johnson (203) 387-7858 in advance to see if there is room for it.  There is a fee of $7 for an insert, which we hope will offset the extra postage.

We will be able to handle only those inserts that are a full (8.5×11) or half (5.5×8.5) sheet of paper (not postcard).

It would be very helpful if groups that submit an insert could send someone to help with the mailing. Call Mary (203) 387-7858 to volunteer.

We always welcome more helpers and new ideas! If you would consider attending the monthly planning meeting or helping with the Newsletter mailing, please call Mary Johnson at (203) 387-7858.  Many thanks! We’re looking forward to your articles!

Thank you for your help in creating this community newsletter. — PAR Planning Committee

To renew your own subscription or buy a subscription for a friend, the rate is $13 for 10 issues (check made out to PAR, & mailed to PAR, PO Box 995, New Haven, CT 06504 The subscription charge almost covers our production costs (printing, postage and post office box).  

We encourage you all to re-subscribe and buy gift subscriptions before we have to raise the rate to $15.

Washington DC Lobbying Opportunity for Young Adults March 14-17

by Tracy Blanford, New Haven Friends Meeting

New Haven Friends Meeting is interested in sponsoring young adults under age 30 to learn first hand about the legislative process and who are also passionate about climate disruption. This program is offered through the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Join hundreds of young adults from across the country to lobby Congress to act on climate change.

Congressional action is essential to catalyzing the urgently-needed national and global solutions to climate change. But Congress is letting bipartisan politics stand in the way of progress—disagreement about whether climate change is human-caused is threatening our future. Strategists believe that the faith community is in a unique position to end this debate and illuminate the way forward by establishing the moral foundation surrounding the climate change movement.

Programming will include:

  • In-depth briefings on climate change policy
  • Training on how to effectively lobby your members of
    Congress
  • Preparation for how to bring the message home and share
  • Dialogue about the faith call advocacy
  • Opportunities to explore Washington, DC

About The Friends Committee on National Legislation: The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL believes that citizen involvement in the political process is critical for our country’s future, and we’re dedicated to providing tools, resources, and training to help people of all ages participate in that process.

FCNL has a big vision: for a world free of war and the threat of war, a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled, a society with equity and justice for all, and an earth restored. And we are committed to identifying and working strategically to bring that vision closer to reality. We’re non-partisan and multi-issue. Our work connects historic Quaker testimonies of peace, equality, simplicity and truth with current public policy decisions. Founded in 1943 by members of the Religious Society of Friends, today FCNL fields the largest team of registered peace lobbyists in Washington, DC. Info: [email protected]

http://futureadvocate.org/program/spring-lobby-weekend

“Let Us Breathe And Grow” – People’s World African American History Month Celebration

by Joelle Fishman, People’s World

The 41st Annual People’s World African American History Month Celebration on Sunday, February 22, will feature a youth march followed by a program highlighting guest speaker Zenobia Thompson, long time social justice activist in St. Louis, Missouri.

The youth organization New Elm City Dream is organizing the march around the theme “Hands Up, Hoodies Up – Jobs for Youth, Jobs for All.” Time and place will be announced soon.

Following the march the annual program will be held at 4 p.m. at the New Haven Peoples Center, 37 Howe Street. Its theme is “Indict the System – Life Matters for All – Let Us Breathe and Grow.” Guest speaker Zenobia Thompson, a retired nurse, serves as a board member of Missourians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and participates with Jobs with Justice, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the Organization for Black Struggle. She will address the situation of police violence in Ferguson, near where she lives, and issues of overcoming structural and institutional racism.

The program will begin with drumming by Brian Jarawa Gray. Winners of the High School Arts and Writing Competition will present their essays, poems or artwork on the theme “How Do We Achieve Justice for All?” In the context of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act the students are asked to create their work on the following question: “Your vote is your voice. If your voice were heard what ideas would you present to local, state and federal governments toward a bill of rights for fair and equal policing? What actions could you take to achieve justice for all?” Deadline for entries is February 12.
Drawings from the Martin Luther King celebration at Peabody Museum will be on exhibit, drawn at the People’s World exhibit on the theme, “With My Vote I would Love to See…” Highlighting the Voting Rights Act, a mock voting booth was available and children cast their ballots for the best way to honor Dr. King.

Contributions will be accepted for the 2015 People’s World fund drive in Connecticut.
For more information call (203) 624-8664 or e-mail [email protected].

Three updates from People’s Action for Clean Energy

by Judi Friedman, PACE

1) We are breathing a sigh of relief. Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has been a dangerous neighbor for too long.

Thanks to decades of citizen organizing and protest plus the wise backing of the elected officials of the state of Vermont, the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor has been shut down permanently. The Vermont governor, Peter Schumlin, said: “Thanks to investments in renewable energy such as solar, Vermont energy future is on a different and more sustainable path that is creating jobs, reducing energy costs for Vermonters and slowing climate change.”

The lights will not go out. The closing will not affect regional grid stability.
This important information comes from  BEYOND NUCLEAR To see how scary Vermont Yankee was, go to www.beyondnuclear.org  and briefly watch “Shut Vermont Yankee” and/or “The Activists.”

2) A cozy and uniquely informative PACE meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11 at the very special home of Nevin and Julie Christensen on 44 West Mountain Rd. in West Simsbury. Good food included! Note: snow date: Thursday, February 12.
Please come to discuss and act on many of the following subjects: solar expansion in Connecticut, shared solar, hemp agriculture (hemp pellets), solar awards, legislative priorities, cyber security, the status of Millstone nuclear plant and Vermont Yankee, the Pure House, the utility rate structure, and the exciting spring solar tour!

If possible, please bring tasty treats to share and your favorite solar device. See the new iPhone solar cell charger and the amazing Luci inflatable solar lantern… plus meet some really nice people!

3) Listen to this important broadcast about Fukushima if you can: http://www.nuclearhotseat.com/category/uss-ronald-reagan NUCLEAR HOTSEAT is a fascinating weekly radio program on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. This interview is with Dr. Alex Rosen of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War blasting the UN Report on Fukushima. The second interview with Joseph Mangano is about the US sailors who came to try to help Fukushima victims and were exposed to radiation.

Help Decide Connecticut’s Energy Future!

by Onté Johnson, CT Beyond Coal, Sierra Club

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is making long-term plans for our state’s energy future and we have until Feb. 11 to weigh in.

DEEP’s plan, known as an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), includes some good things, like an increase in energy efficiency, but also some bad things, including a continued reliance on coal-fired power from the Bridgeport coal plant. These plans are for the next ten years, so it’s important that we make our voices heard for solar, wind and efficiency today! Submit an official comment to DEEP to make plans for retiring coal and replacing it with solar, wind and efficiency in Connecticut’s long-term energy plans.
The Bridgeport plant was rated the 8th worst environmental justice offender out of 431 coal plants across the country and needs to be replaced with clean energy to protect our health and the environment.

Connecticut has the skilled workforce and resources we need to move beyond coal to clean energy, but we need a plan to get there. Help move Connecticut beyond coal to a clean energy future!

Let DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee know that you support better energy efficiency, increased use of solar and wind, and the retirement of the Bridgeport coal plant. DEEP is taking comments on the draft 2014 IRP until February 11. Submit comments at [email protected], or via the Department’s Energy Web Filings system.

Thanks for all you do to protect the environment, Onté Johnson, Organizing Representative, Connecticut Beyond Coal–Sierra Club

64 Days of Nonviolence

SCSU Women’s Studies Program

The 64 Days officially begins each year on January 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, and ends on April 4, the day we commemorate Dr. King. In our annual observation of the 64 Days at SCSU, we continue to celebrate the peace and justice heritage in many of our cultures and heritages, including our observation of Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Asian/Pacific Heritage Month.

For information about this year’s events, contact the Women’s Studies Program of SCSU, (203) 392-6133; (203) 392-6864 www.southernct.edu/womensstudies

NO to Medically Assisted Suicide

by Joan Cavanagh, Second Thoughts Connecticut

“An Act Providing a Medical Option of Compassionate Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Adults,” Proposed Bill No. 668, has been referred to the Judiciary Committee for the spring 2015 Connecticut state legislative session. It is being sponsored and promoted by some of our most progressive state legislators, including Gary Holder Winfield, Roland Lemar and Toni Walker.

It is imperative that we as their constituents and supporters on many other initiatives contact them immediately to demand that they withdraw their support for this legislation and work to defeat it.
Last month, Elaine Kolb clearly explained why the disability rights community is so opposed to this legislation. She described her painful fight for the necessary treatment and services to sustain her partner’s life as long as possible: “Patti Deak lived and died with dignity, with multiple disabilities, using a power wheelchair, hospital bed, Hoyer lift, hearing aids, and a ventilator… With cut-backs in so many essential services, the message behind assisted suicide is that death is cost-effective. For those of us in danger of being denied what we need to live, ‘Compassion and Choice’ feels more like ‘Contempt and Coercion’” (emphasis added).

I experienced such contempt and coercion while fighting for treatment for my elderly mother, Catherine (1922-2012), who suffered from vascular dementia and a severe heart condition. As her health care advocate, I was continually and repeatedly harassed, bullied and threatened by various health care professionals at Yale-New Haven Hospital to “let her die.” As a Medicare/Medicaid patient, she was costing them too much and her life was not valued. You can read the details of this experience at http://www.nhregister.com/opinion/20140304/forum-aid-in-dying-bill-neither-compassionate-nor-wise.
All this occurred in a state where medically assisted suicide is not yet legal. Whatever its language, such a bill cannot be tweaked or improved to be made safe or unthreatening to those of us who are physically, mentally and/or emotionally vulnerable. The potential for coercion and abuse, both by a health care system increasingly concerned with profit and, in some cases, by family and friends who are tired of the “burden” of care, is simply too great.

Joan Cavanagh is a member of Second Thoughts Connecticut and a long time peace and justice activist.

Gathering Mourns Leelah Alcorn’s Suicide

by Maya Leonardo, Justice for Jane

New Haven activists joined thousands of others across the country to mourn Leelah Alcorn on January 10. In the wake of the transgender 17-year-old’s suicide, activists have mobilized across the country to stand for trans rights and an end to so-called ‘conversion therapy.’ While trans suicides are not uncommon, the visibility of Leelah’s was widespread, including a suicide note widely reposted.
New Haven has become a hotbed of trans activism, with the Justice for Jane campaign bringing together activists from all over Southern Connecticut. Jane is a 17-year-old trans girl being held in DCF custody at a men’s facility in Middletown. Just like Leelah was, she is being denied the right to express her gender.

Attendees at the vigil and rally made promises to Leelah to help fix society. One of the most poignant came from IV, a Justice for Jane organizer.

“I want to make a promise that I will keep fighting for our community, no matter how hard the struggle gets. Jane is 17 just like you, Leelah. I promise to fight to make sure she lives the life you deserved, and to fight for all young people who are being abused like you and Jane. We will keep the struggle alive for you, and we will tear down the system that took your life, keeps our community down and discourages us from living.”

Reading Series Starts in New Haven

by Bennett Lovett-Graff, Publisher, New Haven Review

The Young Men’s Institute Library is proud to host the Listen Here Short Story reading series. Join us for a night of classic short stories selected by the staff of the New Haven Review and read by cast members of the New Haven Theater Company. Reading starts at 7 p.m., with a talk back at 8 p.m. that explores the background, meaning, and dramatic interpretation of that night’s stories. Also, freshly baked cookies–a different batch at each reading–and tea are available. $5 suggested admission, but no obligations!

Next reading’s theme: “Where Ya Going?” Our stories include “The Swimmer” by John Cheever and “Along the Scenic Route” by Harlan Ellison. Join us Thursday, February 12, 7 p.m. at Young Men’s Institute Library, 847 Chapel St., New Haven. Save these others dates as well for future readings, same place, same time, different stories, different actors reading: March 11, April 9, and May 13.  (Please note that the Institute Library is one flight up and, most unfortunately, not wheelchair accessible.) For more information, visit us at www.institutelibrary.org.

News from the CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs

by John Humphries, Convener/Organizer

The CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs is launching their public campaign to pass legislation capping the monthly fixed charges for residential and small business electricity customers. There is a new Facebook page and website to share information and build a broad-based coalition. Like them on Facebook!

Use your social media networks to share information about the campaign with groups all across the state. We posted this meme to the Facebook page as our first public outreach, and our following is already starting to grow.

CTEnergyRelief.org is the new webpage that will serve as a source of more detailed information about the campaign and legislation. It already provides good educational materials to help you understand the details about fixed charges. Use #CTEnergyRelief as the hashtag when sharing info about the campaign via Twitter.

Legislative handout – We have already gathered 16 organizational endorsements for the legislative handout developed in partnership with Acadia Center. We will continue to update the handout, as we receive additional endorsements, so please encourage your group to sign on by contacting me directly. Download the handout: bit.ly/ctenergyrelief-handout

Like us on Facebook to get all our updates and action alerts. We anticipate a public hearing in the Energy and Technology Committee in the coming weeks, and there will be many opportunities to contact your legislators at key points during the session. Donate online via IREJN (our fiscal sponsor); include “Roundtable” in the comment box. Or mail a check, payable to IREJN, with Roundtable on thememo line to PO Box 270147, West Hartford, CT 06127.

In faith and solidarity, John Humphries, Convener/ Organizer, [email protected]
The CT Roundtable on Climate and Jobs is a partnership between the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network and the AFL-CIO that seeks to strengthen collaboration among Connecticut’s labor, environmental, and religious groups in advocating for public policies that address urgent concerns about climate change while creating good-paying jobs right here in our state.

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