Occupation End Notes | August 8, 2007 Volume 5 Number 3 |
Occupation
End Notes, August 8, 2007
1. US Campaign Update:Join us for our 6th
Annual National Organizer’s Conference in Arlington, VA September 7-10, 2007;
National CAT Call; 2. Member Group Update: New Member Groups;
Join ADC’s Delegation to Lebanon: 25th Commemoration of the
Sabra & Shatila Massacre; Tuesdays Open
Gaza Campaign, sponsored by the Rebuilding Alliance; A
Greener Save Gaza Campaign; 3. Resources &
Events: BUSTAN U.S. speaking Tour in October 2007; Cluster Bombs in the Spotlight: Write Your Local Media 4. Opportunities to Visit
Each year,
delegates of member organizations of the US Campaign come together to network,
strategize, decide upon priorities for the upcoming year, and elect a new
Steering Committee to guide the work of the coalition. It's not
too early to start making your plans to attend this year's conference.
For conference FAQ's, logistical details, registration, a draft agenda, a list
of member organizations in good standing, and a form for Steering Committee
nominations, please click here. CONFERENCE UPDATES RESERVATIONS FOR TABLING
NOW BEING ACCEPTED Reservations
are now being accepted for individuals and organizations to table at the
conference. Literature tables are $25 and merchandise tables are
$50. Please note that there is limited tabling space and it is being made
available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information and to
reserve and pay for a table, click here. RESERVE A ROOM FOR A
CAUCUS OR WORKSHOP At several
different times throughout the conference, the US Campaign will make available
break-out rooms for individuals and organizations to hold caucuses and
discussions or give presentations and workshops. Please note that there
is a limited amount of space and time available and reservations are taken on a
first-come, first-serve basis. For more information and to reserve a
room, click here. MORE CONFERENCE
INFORMATION BELOW For
additional logistical details, information on how to submit a proposal or a
Steering Committee nomination, and much more regarding the conference, please
see the links below. DRAFT AGENDA This
year's annual conference will be extremely important! All member groups of the
US Campaign should start making plans to send delegates today. We'll be
discussing the political situation and its implications for our work in the
United States, next steps forward on the Anti-Apartheid Framework and Boycott,
Divestment, and Sanctions work, the 60th anniversary of al-Nakba, the
functioning of the coalition and much more. For a complete draft agenda, click here. VOTING & MEMBER
GROUPS IN GOOD STANDING Please
note that while individuals and member groups of the US Campaign are encouraged
to attend the conference, only delegates of member groups in good standing are
allowed to submit proposals and vote at the conference. "In good
standing" means that your group has paid its membership dues for
2007. Annual membership dues are set at between $100-$1,000 or more depending
on the size and budget of the group. To check to see if your group is in
good standing and will be able to submit proposals and vote, click here. To check to see if your group has joined
the US Campaign, click here. If your group would like to join the US
Campaign, click here. If your group needs to pay membership
dues to be in good standing, please contact Omar Masri, Office Manager, at
202-332-0994 or office@endtheoccupation.org
to make payment arrangements. STEERING COMMITTEE NOMINATIONS At each
National Organizers' Conference, voting delegates elect four new members to the
US Campaign's 12-person Steering Committee for a three-year term. The
Steering Committee is the highest decision-making body of the US Campaign in
between conferences. To read
more about the responsibilities of being a member of the Steering Committee and
to submit a nomination, please click here. LOGISTICS As you
make your plans to attend the 6th Annual National Organizers' Conference, be
sure to check out the logistical pages that we've posted to our web site.
To read our Frequently Asked Questions about the conference, click here. You can also find directions for how to
get to the conference by clicking here. We've reserved a bloc of motel rooms
across the street from the conference at a special group rate. For more
details, click here. Also, if you'd like to share housing or a
ride to the conference, be sure to post your information to our housing board and ride board. REGISTRATION Registration
for the US Campaign 6th Annual National Organizers' Conference is now
open. To register, click here. We look
forward to seeing you in
Tuesday,
August 14, 2007 9:00 PM
EST Join us on
Tuesday evening, August 14 at 9 PM EST to learn about the phenomenal actions
taken at the recent Caterpillar Shareholder Meeting. We will be
joined by two activists, Sydney Levy of Jewish Voice for Peace and Matt Gaines of Chicago Stop CAT, who were instrumental in orchestrating
actions that made headlines all over the world. Following
their report, we will discuss our strategy for next steps in the National CAT
Campaign. Please RSVP to attend this call.
Space is limited
·Name
of participant
Click here
for more Information about the CAT Campaign. We look
forward to talking with you Tuesday night! 2. MEMBER GROUP UPDATE: * The · Cincinnati Palestinian Rights Meetup is a chance
for local activists to discuss the plight of the Palestinian people and how to
ensure equal human rights in the For more information, please click here (http://palestinian.meetup.com/56/) ·Save Save For more information, please click here (http://www.savegaza.org/index.htm) ·WRITE – VA WRITE provides a public service by monitoring the US Media
and taking action to improve the way that the For more information, please click here (http://www.geocities.com/writetruth/aboutus.html) Dear Colleagues and Friends,
·Attending
a presentation by the Arab NGO Network for Development ·Meeting
with representatives from Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs ·Visiting
Palestinian Refugee camps, including Sabra and Shatila ·Meetings
with Mayors of major Lebanese cities and towns ·Participating
in a cultural evening at the ·Meeting
with Lebanese government officials ·Meeting
with Palestinian popular committees and activists ·Joining
the commemoration ceremony at the mass Graveyard in Shatila Camp. Followed by
meetings with survivors of the massacre ·Visiting
women’s cooperative centers in the camps
* Tuesdays
Open Gaza Campaign, sponsored by the Rebuilding Alliance
Click here for more
info about the “Tuesdays Open Gaza Campaign” sponsored by The Rebuilding
Alliance.Starting tomorrow, join a
weekly planning meeting via teleconference, every Friday at Noon pacific, 3pm
Eastern. Sign-up here
for the toll-free number.
* Save Save Small-scale
gardens tailored to the available resources of Low input,
high output organic gardening techniques will encourage the alleviation of health
deficiencies, ease the economic burden of daily costs, and ultimately empower a
community, a people, and a nation. For more
information please visit www.savegaza.org
or check out our blog www.gazagardens.blogspot.com
for updates or contact us at info@savegaza.org 3. RESOURCES AND EVENTS *BUSTAN U.S.
speaking Tour in October 2007: Rooting and Uprooting: Cultural and Political
Landscapes When:
October 1st-15th, 2007
If you can
offer any help---in reaching out to possible venues, raising funds to cover the
costs of the trip, can help publicize the tour, or any other ideas about how to
make it a success, please see the info flier below, and contact BUSTAN at info@bustan.org or www.bustan.org. BUSTAN is
an organization that confronts social and environmental issues in the
FCNL’s
network has sent more than 50,000 messages to Congress supporting
legislation to ban the use of cluster bombs in or near civilian populated
areas. Due in part to this lobbying, last month a U.S. cluster bomb ban moved
one step closer to reality when a key Senate committee voted to effectively ban
the export of these weapons. Take Action Now it's
time to build on this success. You can influence your senators and others
in your community by writing a letter to the editor of one of your local
newspapers. Congressional staff tells FCNL that most senators read every letter
to the editor in the local papers in their state -- especially if the letter
mentions her or his name. Use FCNL's
website to find out if your senators have cosponsored this legislation . Then you can pick one local
newspaper or other publication and send your letter today. Enter your zip
code to find a sample letter, but the most effective letters are the ones
that you personalize to say something about yourself and your perspective on
this issue. Find more tips
for writing a letter to the editor. Click here to read
more! (http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=10136481) 4.
OPPORTUNITIES TO VISIT *Spring - Fall 2007 Schedule: October 27th
– November 10th: Interfaith
Peace-BuildersDelegations to Israel/Palestine Interfaith Peace-Builders (IFPB) sends delegations to * Summer
– Fall 2007 Schedule: August 12th – 22nd, December 2nd
– 12th: Global Exchange’s
Delegations to Palestine & Israel Global Exchange’s delegations to Palestine & Israel provide
first-hand exposure to the daily struggles and realities of Palestinians living
under Occupation. The delegations strive to further the Deborah Agre or Josie Shields-Stromsness
deborah@mecaforpeace.org, josie@mecaforpeace.org510-548-0542 Occupation End Notes is the US
Campaign bi-monthly newsletter, designed as a tool for activists. For this
newsletter to be successful, we need your participation. Use us to promote
events, give feedback on recent actions, recommend resources, or just learn
from other activists in the movement. If you or your organization are planning
an event aimed at ending the occupation, or you have information for the
Newsletter, please contact the US Campaign at office@endtheoccupation.org.
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