Tidbits – Jan. 18, 2024 – Reader Comments: GOP Unites Around Immunity; Lessons From the Civil Rights Movement for Today; 12 Senators Stood Up to Washington Middle East War Machine; Young Feminist Leadership Conference; Young Feminist Leadership

Reader Comments: GOP Unites Around Immunity; Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement for Today; 12 Senators Stood Up to Washington Middle East War Machine; Genocide: Israeli Accountability, US Complicity; Young Feminist Leadership Conference; Cartoons

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Tidbits - Reader Comments, Take Action, Announcements AND cartoons - Jan.18, 2024,Portside

Take Action:

Announcements:

Defamation Trial Against Trump  --  Cartoon by Adam Zyglis

Adam Zyglis
January 18, 2024
The Buffalo News

Trump Calls for Unity  --  Cartoon by Morten Morland

Morten Morland
January 16, 2024
The Times (London)

Re: The Dems Should Hear 2024 Alarm Bells Over Biden’s Gaza Policy  

If you like this article, please sign up for Snapshot, Portside's daily summary.

(One summary e-mail a day, you can change anytime, and Portside is always free.)

I share Zogby’s anger at the Biden administration and Congress for its refusal to end US aid to Israel until government stops the horrific scorched earth carnage of Gaza. There is far too much at stake in this presidential election, however, to excuse any action or inaction that will make it more likely for criminal sociopath Donald Trump to gain power again.

And, I might add, Bibi Netanyahu would like nothing better than to have his dear friend and enabler back in the White House.

John Berman

      =====

It is alarming to hear of a poll that asks who you sympathize more with, and even more alarming to name one group Palestinians and the other Isralies.

You will get very different answers if you name Palestinians and the State of Israel.

A longtime admirer of you Dr Zogby,
Cathy Deppe
Los Angeles

Trump, Inc.  --  Cartoon by Nick Anderson

image - Trump_Inc_Anderson
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,f…

Trump launched into a ranting attack on the trial judge in his civil fraud trial yesterday in New York. He can kick and scream all he likes – and he likes it very much – but it won't save his business. Trump, Inc. is in trouble.

Nick Anderson
January 12, 2024
Pen Strokes

Re: Fascism Drops the Mask  

The antifascist movement doesn't have to be "radical," and by using the term, all you do is turn needed potential allies away.

John Woodford

Vaccines  --  Cartoon by Rob Rogers

Rob Rogers
January 16, 2024
robrogers.com

Re: Does the EPA Die Today?  

As we keep our eyes on the Supreme Court of the United States (and we must, painful as it is):

    "The Supreme Court, it appears, is planning to gut most of America’s regulatory agencies in what could be the most consequential re-write of the protective “deep state” since the New Deal… " (Portside summary)

Kipp Dawson
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Re: The Social Housing Secret: How Vienna Became the World’s Most Livable City  

the fight for Public Housing is central. Social housing has mixed results all over the world

Ben Bath
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Re: How Mississippi Freedom Summer 1964 Can Inspire Us in 2024  

I was so pleased to read this article, as I had just finished a book about a Freedom Summer Volunteer.

Julie Kabat has written a book about her brother, Luke Kabat, who was a volunteer with the Mississippi Freedom Summer. He fondly called her Pig and the book is titled, “Love Letter from Pig, My Brother’s Story of Freedom Summer.” University Press of Mississippi,

It is a history of the experiences of Freedom Summer volunteers and the students.

Julie writes from her perspective as his younger sister living in Rhode Island. She and Luke were very close. It’s also about the reactions of her parents - who were scared to death the whole summer long. It didn’t help them that Luke was assigned to Meridian Mississippi at the time that Cheney, Schwerner, and Goodman had disappeared and were later found murdered.

The book is a tribute to her older brother and a well researched look into the experience of the students and the teachers of Mississippi Freedom Summer. Luke’s story is also about the challenge of nonviolence in the face of racist violence.

Luke went  back to med school and married. He finished his degree in medicine - just as he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer. Luke was awarded his doctor of medicine posthumously.

Julie and I were best friends during our Jr. High years. I highly recommend this book.

Judy Atkins,
Greenfield, Mass.

Re: Ivory Perry, the Forgotten Civil Rights Hell-Raiser  

Activists are often held up as exemplars of personal morality — but in every social struggle, ordinary people with complex lives rise up as leaders. Ivory Perry was one of these who waged a relentless war for racial and economic justice.

Norm

Re: Serving Justice: The Fight To Eliminate the Tipped Minimum Wage

(posting on Portside Labor)  

As equal wage states and progressive restaurants around the country have shown, eliminating tip credits allows restaurant workers to plan financially and access benefits such as healthcare and paid time off. Meanwhile, sub-minimum wages reinforce the notion that food service is not serious labor and that payment for that work should be conditional. The issue of tipped wages, like the larger minimum wage struggle, is not only about raising income, but also recognizing the worth of long undervalued forms of labor.

Norm Littlejohn
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Place wrench on bolt  --  Cartoon by Mike Luckovich

Mike Luckovich
January 11, 2024
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Re: Direct Elections for Labor Leaders Make for More Militant Unions

(posting on Portside Labor)  

Surprised there's no mention of UE. [United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America - https://www.ueunion.org/ ]

Ted Cloak

Re: The Landlord’s Game  

There was another game derived from Magie's work, "Finance," which looked a lot more like her original than the Darrow version of Monopoly. Parker Bros ended up buying it out and published both games for a while just to keep out the competition. I think there's a word for that.

Eleanor Roosevelt
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Re: Judy Collins Talks Resolutions, War, and Keeping It All Together  

I have listened to that beautiful voice for 60 years. Thanks, Judy.

Robert Wayne Johnson
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Re: Native American Representation Debuts in Marvel Entertainment’s ‘Echo’

(posting on Portside Culture)  

For Native Americans there is something also familiar about Maya’s interactions with family and friends, with the way the community speaks to each other, and the sense that distance doesn’t mean separation. ‘Indian humor’ is prevalent throughout.

Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

Re: The Game of Gastrodiplomacy: A Story of How Governments Around the World Market Influence Through Food

(posting on Portside Culture)  

Food belongs to culture, then nation states hijack culture.

Tracy Ann Essoglou
Posted on Portside's Facebook page

These 12 Senators Stood Up to Washington’s Middle East War Machine  

This week, 12 Senators supported the Sanders resolution, requiring the State Department to uphold U.S. law that bars American weapons and taxpayer support for countries violating human rights standards. The resolution would have mandated an investigation into potential violations committed by Israel throughout the course of the ongoing war that has to date killed over 10,000 children and 20,000 civilians. While the resolution did not pass, it was a watershed moment in building institutional momentum to finally end the unchecked funding for war and impunity.

We know well how the pro-war and rightwing Israel lobbies pressure and intimidate lawmakers from ever questioning the actions of Israel’s government, even as the U.S. sends it billions of dollars in American taxpayer funds each year.

These 12 Senators stood firm and voted for basic accountability:

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT); Laphonza Butler (D-CA); Martin Heinrich (D-NM); Mazie Hirono (D-HI); Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM); Ed Markey (D-MA); Jeff Merkley (D-OR); Rand Paul (R-KY); Brian Schatz (D-HI); Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

The twelve Senators who voted for the Sanders resolution need our thanks and support, as they will certainly come under fire from the power centers in Washington who seek to promote forever war in the Middle East and enforce impunity for Israel. 

Take action today by sending a message to your Senators’ offices to thank them (or admonish their failure if they voted against the resolution)..

MESSAGE YOUR SENATORS  

CALL THEIR OFFICES

National Iranian American Council (NIAC)  

The National Iranian American Council is a NGO based in Washington, D.C. with the stated mission of "strengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding between the American and Iranian people"

[Live] “A Textbook Case of Genocide: Israeli Accountability & U.S. Complicity” - Tomorrow, January 19  (American Muslims for Palestine)

For over 100 days, Israel has engaged in a brutal and large-scale military assault on one of the most densely populated places on earth, the besieged Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip has approximately 2.3 million people, almost half of whom are children, and about 80% of whom are refugees, dispossessed from their homes and homeland, and denied their basic rights guaranteed under international law.

Genocide is the gravest of crimes under international law. Israeli officials have expressed a clear genocidal intent, from dehumanizing language such as “human animals,” to intensifying the siege, to heavy bombardment on refugee camps, civilian infrastructure, and hospitals, among other genocidal acts.

This webinar will focus on the legal definition of genocide, as well as its political ramifications, and delve into a discussion on Israeli accountability in the context of South Africa’s submission of its Application to the International Court of Justice, and U.S complicity in the context of the federal complaint in the District Court for the Northern District of California. Moreover, we will highlight the devastating impact on civilians and their livelihoods. Most importantly, we will leave you with words of optimism, hope, and a reaffirmation of Palestinian steadfastness.   

Join us on Friday, January 19th, @ 5:30PM EST for this important webinar where I will be hosting a live discussion on Facebook and YouTube with the following featured speakers: 

  • Ahmed Abofoul: International Lawyer, Legal Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Al-Haq’s Legal Research & Advocacy Department 

  • Astha Sharma Pokharel: Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights  

  • Taher Herzallah: Director of Outreach & Grassroots Organizing at American Muslims for Palestine (AMP)

Please share this webinar on social media and be sure to invite your friends and family to tune in.

RSVP Today

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging & educating Americans on Palestinian rights and the Israeli occupation. AMP is a premier national organization in the Palestine solidarity movement.

American Muslims for Palestine  
6404 Seven Corners Place Ste N | Falls Church, Virginia 22044
703.534.3032 | info@ampalestine.org

Calling All Feminist Students: Join the Young Feminist Leadership Conference in D.C. March 23-25

by Madelyn Amos
January 11, 2024
Ms. Magazine

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Young Feminist Leadership Conference is returning to D.C. after four years. NYFLC hosts hundreds of high school and college students for an unforgettable weekend in Arlington, Va., right outside of Washington D.C. It’s the perfect place to learn about current political issues, hear from inspirational leaders, and meet fellow feminist students. This year’s NYFLC will be March 23-25, and applications are now open.

NYFLC is a weekend full of learning from fellow feminists—some who have committed their lives to this work, and others who are emerging leaders. NYFLC is a chance to recognize that we are a part of something big, a community of activists working for justice all around the country. With the 2024 election fast approaching, it is more important than ever for us to connect with passionate students across the country.

Join us for days jam-packed with general assemblies featuring national speakers and panels diving deep into feminist issues. Each day there will be speakers, panels and workshops starting at 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. ET.

Ticket pricing is $35 for student during this Early Bird period. For groups of five or more, ticket prices drop to $30 each. (Early bird pricing will end in mid-February, and the individual price will increase to $50 per registrant.)

Register now for this incredible conference.

Here’s an overview of the conference schedule:

Saturday, March 23
Sunday, March 24

On Saturday and Sunday of NYFLC, you’ll learn about current issues and gain new organizing tactics and strategies to mobilize on your campus and in your community. Panels will cover topics ranging from protecting reproductive rights and securing reproductive freedom, to passing the Equal Rights Amendment, to ending gender apartheid.

Monday, March 25

The third day of NYFLC is dedicated to providing students with hands-on experience on Capitol Hill. After learning about a range of feminist issues facing our country and communities, students take their knowledge, power and voices to Capitol Hill for a Congressional Advocacy Day where they meet with lawmakers and legislative aides from their home states and districts.

Register now!

The Feminist Majority Foundation—publisher of Ms.—is proud to be an intergenerational movement that works to build and uplift student leaders through the Feminist Campus program, one of the largest pro-choice feminist student networks in the country. Feminist Campus works to help educate, activate and mobilize young feminists into action—and one way we do this is through our student activist conference.

Being at a conference with hundreds of other young activists is an indescribable feeling. It’s the recognition that we are a part of something big, a community of dedicated students working for justice across the country and the world. It’s a reminder that young people are powerful beyond measure. And it’s the energy we need to carry our movement through the 2024 election and beyond.

Register now for an action-packed weekend—and pass this message along to feminist students you know.