Winter 2009 PEACE TIMES

sanjosepeace.org 408-297-2299

South Bay turns out to protest invasion of GazaJon Britton

A protest that included two marches through Santana Row in solidarity with the people of Gaza drew more than 1,000 participants to the Winchester and Stevens Creek “Peace Crossroads” Jan. 4. There were large turnouts again on the next three weekends. These were called by SJPJC and South Bay Mobilization, with heavy participation by Palestinians and other Arab-Americans, especially youth.

Smaller vigils took place there and at Cesar Chavez Park on other days. Jan. 15 saw a City Hall vigil, called by CAIR, and also a spirited protest at the Federal Building.

Quite a few South Bay folks went to San Francisco on Jan. 10 for the large (about 10,000) ANSWER-initiated demonstration at Civic Center. On Dec. 30, we organized a bus to SF for a protest of about 5,000 at the Israeli consulate. The large bus was 2/3 full despite being organized on one day’s notice.

South Bay activists met to discuss possible follow-up actions and agreed to join an international boycott campaign against L’Oreal, a French cosmetics company with a plant in Israel.

A South Bay youth and students group has also met several times to discuss future organizing.

n Bringing U.S. troops (and contractors) home from Iraq, Afghanistan and military bases around the worldn Pushing for investigation, hearings and the prosecution of Bush Administration officials Silicon Valley Accountability Coalitionn Supporting labor rights of hotel workers through “Rising Together,” a coalition of 10 community organizations and UNITE HERE! Local 19 that are working for fair wages and decent working conditionsn Confronting poverty, defending the rights of immigrants and the homeless CHAM, Campus Homeless Alliance Ministry

March 21 rally in SFon the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War

From Iraq to Afghanistan to Palestine,Occupation is a Crime

We need Jobs & Education – Not Wars & OccupationFund People’s Needs * Full Rights for All Immigrants

Gather in Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero)March to Civic Center Plaza

Sponsored by ANSWER Coalition, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Veterans for Peace and others

sanjosepeace.org ANSWERcoalition.org

What we’re working on for 2009

More than 1,000 protesters gather Jan. 4 at the “Peace Crossroads” (Stevens Creek & Winchester Blvds).

Youths with bullhorns and Palestian flags march through nearby Santana Row. Sharat G. Lin Photos

Sign at Stevens Creek rally is one of many mourning casualties.

Karimah al-Helew of San Jose speaks at rally in San Francisco on Jan. 10..

At its Jan. 15 meeting, the Coordinating Council of San Jose Peace & Justice Center added several new board members to replace those who retired.

New to the board are representatives of community groups: Jackie Tonkel (Code Pink), Larry Lozares (Health Care for All-CA), Antonio Nunez (Mecha), Sharat Lin (South Bay Mobilization), Elvis Méndez (UNITE-HERE! Local 19) and Bill Bryant.

Merriam Kathaleen (Silicon Valley Accountability Coalition) and Jon Britton were elected to a new term, joining Charlotte Casey, Anu Mandavilli (Friends of South Asia), Dan Mayfield (National

Lawyers Guild), Son-Cheong Kuan (Labor Party) and Joan Bazar (WILPF-SJ), who had opted for two-year terms.

Two member groups have changed their names. Silicon Valley Impeachment Coalition has become the Accountability Coalition. The Friday Peace Vigil, now the South Bay Awareness Project, seeks to raise awareness of the effects of U.S. and Israeli policy in the Middle East, primarily by tabling at events.

Community members are invited to take part in the work of the committees and various volunteer opportunities. See the Get Involved page on sanjosepeace.org.

Peace Times is published quarterly by San Jose Peace and Justice Center 48 S. 7th Street, #101 San Jose CA 95112408-297-2299Open M-F 4 to 7 p.m.Evenings by reservationDirector Catherine CurtisSan Jose Peace and Justice Center is a project of the Collins FoundationSend South Bay news to staff@sanjosepeace.orgEditor Joan BazarStaff Charlotte Casey, Anu Mandavilli, Sharat Lin, Jon Britton, Catherine Curtis

See news updates at sanjosepeace.org

Views expressed in signed articles are those of the author and not necessarily those of San Jose Peace and Justice Center.

Coordinating Council President Charlotte CaseySecretary Anu MandavilliTreasurer Joan Bazar

Collins Foundation President Dan MayfieldSecretary Jeff LakeTreasurer Ernie Goitein

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SJPJC Community PartnersSee sanjosepeace.org for meeting times and contact information.Association for India’s Development Code Pink-South BaySouth Bay Awareness Project Friends of South Asia Green Party of Santa Clara County Health Care for All-CA, Silicon ValleyLabor Party San Jose Organizing Committee MAIZ (Movement of Action Inspiring Service)National Lawyers GuildNihonmachi Outreach CommitteeOlder Women’s League (OWL)our developing world Peace & Social Order Committee of Friends Monthly Meeting (Quakers) Silicon Valley Accountability Coalition Social Justice Committee of First Unitarian ChurchSouth Bay Mobilization Veterans for Peace, Chapter 101Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom-San Jose Branch

Center elects new board, prepares for 2009

Board members for 2009 are (front row) Joan Bazar, Jackie Tonkel, Anu Mandavilli, Charlotte Casey, Jon Britton, (standing) Antonio Nunez,

Merriam Kathaleen, Bill Bryant, Elvis Méndez, Larry Lozares, Sharat Lin, (not pictured) Son-Cheong (CK) Kuan and Dan Mayfield.

San Jose Peace & Justice Center seeks Coordinator to staff center, coordinate the activities of volunteers and partner organizations, and build the movement for peace and social justice in Silicon Valley. PT 25 hours/wk $19.5K.

Strong written/verbal skills, self-directed, basic computer proficiency. Previous experience with progressive advocacy or community organizing.

Also desirable: website design and maintenance, video/film production, bilingual in language widely used in the South Bay, and fund raising experience.

Cover letter, résumé, 3 references to president@sanjosepeace.org

Deadline Feb. 6, 2009. For full description see sanjosepeace.org. No calls, send questions to email above.

Roundup: S. Africa tour, racial justice workshop, World Social Forum

SJPJC job opening

our developing world will lead a South Africa Eco- Reality Tour July 24-Aug. 8, The cost is approximately $1994, without airfare. For itinerary and details, see odw@magiclink.net

San Jose WILPF will sponsor a daylong workshop on racial justice Feb. 21. See sanjosepeace.org calendar.

SJ Peace & Justice Center Coordinating Council president, Charlotte Casey, is attending the World Social Forum in Brazil.

Jan. 31 is deadline for Peace Challenge essays, poetry, videos by high school students. See rules at sanjosepeace.org.

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Mark Leno to carry state bill for health care Carol Dalrymple

A single-payer plan will remove private insurance companies from the healthcare market and establish a universal, government-based system of health insurance coverage. It will achieve cost savings through reduced overhead, bulk purchasing, and an emphasis on primary and preventive care. The delivery of healthcare services will remain in the hands of the same mix of providers, both public and private, that exists today. Individual choice of doctor, clinic, hospital or other provider will be maintained and enhanced.

Senate Bill 840, the California Universal Healthcare Act, establishes a government-based, single-payer system of healthcare coverage for California. Newly elected State Senator Mark Leno will pick up the torch from State Senator Sheila Kuehl (who is retiring due to term limits) and become the principal author of the bill for the 2009-2010 legislative session.

The bill will be reintroduced in January or February, possibly with a new number and title. Leno, who was selected by a coalition of single-payer advocacy groups to be the bill’s new author is urging advocates to focus on the upcoming governor’s race in 2010 and to insist on a candidate who will make single-payer healthcare legislation a priority. (The Kuehl Bill passed both houses of the California Legislature in 2007 and 2008 and was vetoed by the governor.)

Passing legislation to establish a single-payer system is the main objective of Health Care for All-California. The Santa Clara County Chapter of Health Care for All is a community partner to the San Jose Peace and Justice Center.

Information about the meetings and events of Health Care for All may be obtained at 408-984-8708 or by e-mail to ymple@msn.com and on the sanjosepeace.org calendar. You may also visit our websites at healthcareforall.org and onecarenow.org.

Members of the San Jose Labor Party, the South West Santa Clara Valley League of Women Voters and Healthcare for All, Santa Clara County and Mid-Peninsula Chapters,

leafletted on Single Payer Healthcare Reform and HR 676 at various train stations to individuals waiting to board the Freedom Train Jan. 19 in honor of the 80th Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They handed out several hundred single payer information sheets.

HR 676 is the federal legislation, led by Rep. John Conyers, for universal health care. For an analysis of prospects on the federal level, see sheilakuehl.org. She comments on Tom Daschle, President Obama’s nominee to head the Health and Human Services Agency.

Elsa CrumpleyAmong the big issues of war, economic collapse, foreign

policy, and health care, President Obama inherited a host of pro-business, last-minute rules and actions from the Bush Administration. The list is long, affecting the health and safety of people and violates legislation dealing with clean air, endangered species, mine safety, occupational safety, and health.

Big business interests are favored, relaxing restrictions

and regulations that protect the general public; collective bargaining is abused. Some key items that will need swift action by the new government follow.

n Recently, Bush gave final approval to the practice of coal companies cutting off mountaintops to mine coal, dumping debris into the valleys and streams below, destroying and polluting the environment, the water, and the lives of surrounding communities.n Corporate factory farms may violate the Clean Water

Act by dumping tons of fecal waste into waterways without EPA permits. 100,000 hogs may produce fecal waste equal to a city of one million.n When Congress ordered a moratorium on uranium

mining near the Grand Canyon, the Interior Department challenged Congressional power to prevent mining on federal land, approving one million acres of federal land to be mined for uranium. This would endanger Colorado River, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix.n EPA has permitted the burning of hazardous waste

as fuel, exempting 100,000 tons of refinery and petroleum waste from Congressional legislation protecting the public from exposure to toxic substances.n When a court ordered lowering the amount of lead

allowed in the air to protect young children, Bush ordered limiting the number of lead monitors to enforce the new EPA standard, reducing government control.

For a longer version of this article and others by Elsa Crumpley, go to Resources page of sanjosepeace.org.

Action alert: Last-minute dirty tricks by Bush administration

Don’t Attack Iran petitions go to Congress Sharat G. Lin presents the SBM-initiated Don’t attack Iran petition to Jo Cazanave (staff director for U.S. Rep. Pete Stark) on Dec. 3. with (from left) Kamal Obeid, Dawn Cisek and Esther Ho of Tri-Cities Peace and Justice and South Alameda County Peace and Justice Coalition. The petition with nearly 1,000 signatures has also been presented to Congressmembers Zoe Lofgren, Mike Honda and Jackie Speier

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Elvis MéndezIn the face of an unpopular and immoral occupation the

U.S. military is failing to meet its expected recruitment goals. The military has responded by diluting its own recruitment standards and falsely giving the impression that it continues to successfully meet its objectives, when in fact its rules have been loosened, its standard has been lowered and its own criteria for what qualifies as a “recruit” have been altered. Although even a cursory or superficial look into this matter will reveal the true state of military recruitment, this article will deal primarily with the Army.

The military recruitment process operates primarily by targeting children, (and anyone under the age of 18 should be noted as such), in low income areas. The Army is over-represented in its ranks by people who come from households with a total family income of $30,000 to $59,999, a figure that has steadily grown since 2004. In 2005, 71.6% of black recruits, 65.7% of Hispanic recruits, and 58.3% of white recruits came from below median-income neighborhoods. This in effect constitutes an economic draft.

In terms of the actual recruitment standards, there is much debate around what constitutes a recruit. The Army’s latest figures claim 80,517 new recruits for 2008, but this number actually corresponds to the total number of people with whom the army has some sort of contract. It is important to note however that when the recruit is below the age of 18, and prior to attending boot camp, the contract is non-binding. The number of actual recruits who reported for duty in 2008, was 69,357, or rather 10,463 below the Army’s stated goal.

It is not only the idea of what classifies as a recruit that is being altered, but the Army is also actively redefining who can classify as a recruit. The Army claims that it has met its recruitment goals for 2007, but in reality it did so only by recruiting unprecedented numbers of people with previous criminal records. While in 2004 the Army had granted conduct waivers to 4.6% of its recruits, by 2007, the number

of recruits with felonies or misdemeanors had climbed to 11%, and to 13% for the first half of 2008 alone.

Equally troubling is that in 2007 only 79% of Army recruits had completed high school, compared to the 98% of recruits who enlisted in 1992. This is no doubt directly related to the socio-economic status of the communities that recruits are sought from. Given that kids in underprivileged communities often do not have the resources to go on to higher education, or even the support and resources necessary to complete K-12 education, the military often appears to be their only viable alternative for a livelihood.

The Army and the nation must look soberly at the cost of this war, and the reality of having a standing army that is largely composed of people who were economically coerced into joining its ranks, and many other who in years prior would not be thought of as fit to serve. The military must question the effect that this unjust war is having on America’s image abroad and its self-image at home, and also reckon with a pool of prospects that is growing increasingly disillusioned with the prospect of giving their lives for a senseless and unjustifiable war.

A longer version of this article, along with footnoted references, will be available at sanjosepeace.org

Weekly events by e-mail or phone 408-297-2299 Post listings at sanjosepeace.org

Learn about Donna and Darlene Wallach’s trip to break the blockade of Gaza at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at DeAnza College. A contingent welcoming the sisters home at SJO Jan. 25, included Donna and William O’Connoll, and Catherine Curtis (hugging Donna).Darlene was taken from a boat in international waters and imprisoned by the Israeli military.

Military boosts numbers by targeting children in poverty

Gaza returnees to speak at DeAnza

Sharat G. Lin