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Take Action to Support the Nuclear Ban Treaty! Honduras has become the 50th country to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This means that the treaty has reached the number needed to go into effect. This will start on January 2022 according to the United Nations. 122 countries out of the 193-member UN General Assembly have expressed support and 84 have signed the treaty. Write your representatives and tell them to support this effort! According to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres this development, “represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons.” But this is only the beginning. Countries with nuclear weapons, including the United States, Russia, and China, have shown opposition to the treaty which aims to destroy all nuclear weapons and ban new ones. The countries that possess nuclear weapons, the US, Russia, the UK, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel have not signed the treaty. Changing perspectives in nuclear countries is incredibly important in the movement for nuclear disarmament. Citizens and residents of nuclear powers need to use their voices to support the elimination of these dangerous weapons. Tell your representatives that you want them to push for the United States to join the treaty!
Events and Meetings:
Monday, December 9, 2024, 5:00 PM. Grassroots Election Protection Coalition/ALLIANCE 4 GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY. Weekly zoom meeting. Register here.
Monday, December 9 through Thursday, December 12, 2024, 3:00 PM. Power Half-Hour for Gaza: Channel grief & fear into action to stop a genocide. A year into the genocide in Gaza, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and rage. There are no words to describe the devastating pain of the past year in which the Israeli military has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including more than 17,000 children. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court have both declared that Israel must stop the genocidal acts being committed on the Palestinian people. And the U.S. government is actively supporting the Israeli military as it wreaks devastation on the over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza. We continue to come together as a political community in our daily half-hour to take action, Monday through Friday, for the past year. Join us as we take collective action to demand an arms embargo to Israel, immediate end to the genocide, a lasting ceasefire and an end to Israeli siege, apartheid, occupation, and oppression of Palestinians and Lebanon. All are welcome. All are needed. Register here. If the Zoom is full, join us on YouTube.
Monday, December 9, 2024, 1:00 PM. Save Ohio Parks asks you to cover the next Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting. We'll host a rally beginning at 12:15 p.m. to protest fracking under Ohio's state parks and public lands outside the Shipley Public Safety Building at 1970 W. Broad St. Some of our supporters will wear Christmas-themed costumes and sing anti-fracking Christmas carols. We hope to see you there to help shine a light on Ohio's state law that REQUIRES fracking under Ohio's state parks and public lands. Please contact Melinda Zemper at mzemper@fuse.net or (513) 706-3737 with questions. Note: For the latest articles, notes, observations and opinions on fracking under Ohio's state parks and public lands, we are now on Blue Sky in addition to X.com, Facebook and Instagram.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 10:00 AM. Hearing on Ohio House Bill 308 in the Ohio Senate Energy and Public. Ohio House Bill 308 would make nuclear power green. This could make nuclear power eligible for taxpayer subsidies marked for green energy. While only nuclear power in the title, the bill also redefines natural gas as green. This is to clarify and solidify a previous, devious bill that made natural gas green. These changing definitions are also making it very confusing as to which energy sources and practices truly save energy and resources. Opponent testimony and possible vote will happen on Tuesday. Whether attending in person or sending only written testimony, you must fill out the Witness Form that is attached. Fill it out, save it to your computer, and send it along with your Written Testimony - which would be best in a PDF or in a document. Here are the people on the committee in case you are interested: https://ohiosenate.gov/committees/energy-and-public-utilities, Please also send it to your own Senator if they are not on the committee. Or send them a special note even if they are. Find your senator by entering your address at https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/members/senate-directory. Testimony must be sent to committee chair Bill Reineke reineke@ohiosenate.gov by 10 am Monday, Dec. 9. Here are the Ohio Nuclear Free Network talking points OHIO HB 308 Would Turn Nuclear Waste Green. The thing they will listen to is $$. New nuclear power will be 3 to 5 times more expensive than wind and solar. And it will take 10-20 years to deploy, if ever. In that time a lot of REAL green energy can and will be built. Please call or email Pat Marida with questions 614-286-4851. Witness form. You can also attend the hearing to support those testifying. Location: Ohio Statehouse, Finance Hearing Room, second floor.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 7:00 PM. International Human Rights Day - the Crime of Sanctions. This Human Rights Day, join us for a forum featuring diplomats and organizers of the Sanctions Kill/Americas Without Sanctions Campaign, the International People's Tribunal, the Zone of Peace Campaign and La Vía Campesina's Latin American Coordination of Rural Organizations. We'll discuss U.S. hybrid warfare and threats to human rights in Palestine, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Register here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 11:00 AM. Kumi Now! Rise Up Together for Justice. Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday with a guest activist on the ground exploring issues of critical relevance to the Palestinian people and how you can get involved. Register here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 4:00 PM. Human Rights Commemoration. A public Reading of the universal declaration of Human Rights will be hosted at Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bryden Road, Columbus, Ohio 43205.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 7:30 PM. Building Human Rights in Guatemala: 2025. With a new president in the country, social movements in Guatemala ae working to end corruption and forge social change. How can justice-seeking people support their efforts. Massachusetts Peace Action’s Latin America Caribbean Working Group. Register here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Advocacy in Advent: A Lame Duck Lobby Day. The Lame Duck is the legislative session after the election, but before the new legislative leaders are sworn in. Legislators in their final 2 months will be able to finish up their work from the past two years. Anything not sent to the Governor by the end of December will have to start the legislative process all over again! With so much going on, we will coordinate faith leaders and community members to lift up the needs of Ohioans struggling to make ends meet to help our legislative leaders remember their call as public servants. The Day: 8:45 Gather at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Columbus. Over coffee and refreshments we will pray and hear from policy experts who will brief us on the issues of the day. 10:00 Legislative teams will go across the street to the Ohio Statehouse for pre-arranged legislative meetings. 12:00 Boxed Lunches will be available at Trinity Episcopal for you to stay and eat or carry to your next meeting. 1:00 Afternoon meetings will last until 2 or 3:00 (Come for all or part of the day!) Each team will have at least 1 experienced advocate to lead the group. More information and registration here.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 4:30 PM. Mass Deportation and Detention: Know Your Rights. The Friends Committee on National Legislation is teaming up with the American Friends Service Committee to hold a know your rights and deportation defense workshop. Please join us as we work to ensure communities have systems and resources to prepare for President-elect Trump's mass deportation and detention agenda. A time for relentless advocacy is ahead, but we hope to support communities with pressing and immediate needs. Please RSVP here by December 9 to receive the Zoom details.
Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 7:00 PM. Break the Bonds National Network: How communities are divesting from Israel bonds. Join us for the next installment in USCPR's #StopArmingIsrael Community Divestment Series featuring: -- Lydia G., USCPR Youth Organizing Fellow and a member of South Florida Break the Bonds --Shahinaz G., USCPR Youth Organizing Fellow and a member of UAW Labor for Palestine the Gaza genocide. Register here.
Wednesday, December 12, 2024, 9:30 AM. Hearing on SB 297 in the Senate Judiciary Committee- opponent testimony. This anti-Free Speech Bill introduced by Senator Terry Johnson would criminalize certain acts under an expanded definition of antisemitism. While addressing hate is critical, this legislation conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, threatening free speech and political advocacy for Palestinian rights. The bill relies on the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism, criticized for suppressing constitutionally protected expression. It risks discriminatory enforcement and fails to address rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, instead narrowing focus to silence criticism of Israel. Read the JVP statement on antisemitism here. All testimony must be filed as a written document, even if you plan to testify in person. Submit your completed witness form and your written testimony to manning@ohiosenate.gov by 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday (24 hours before the hearing). Witness Form. Location: Ohio Statehouse, North Hearing room.
Thursday, December 12, 2024, 8:00 PM. Intro to Advocacy with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Join us for an engaging and informative session on how you can effectively advocate for the issues that matter most to you. At FCNL, we believe in the power of grassroots advocacy to bring about positive change, and we're excited to share valuable insights and strategies with you. Register here.
Thursday,
December 12, 2024, 10:00 – 10:30 AM. Churches for Middle East Peace
Weekly Briefing. Please join us on Zoom for a
weekly briefing on current news regarding the Hamas and Israel War.
You will hear from CMEP Staff and other experts. Register
here.
Thursday, December 12, 2024, 7:30 – 8:30 PM. Your How-To Guide to Public Record Requests. Ready to up your game and get the information you need to fight extremism in your community? Then it’s time to learn about public record requests! You can request information from government agencies and elected officials about their planning, communications and decisions. Join this training to hear from our very experienced friends at the Florida and Texas Freedom to Read Projects as they walk us through this process. Time to add a new tool to your toolbox! Register here.
Friday, December 13, 2024, 12:00 PM. Action Hours Cease Fire Now. Join AFSC staff every Friday to hear updates from Gaza. Then, take action with us as we contact our elected officials and call for an us. Register here.
Friday, December 13, 2024, 12:00 – 1:30 PM. Rare Earth Elements and War. A webinar addressing military applications' impact on a transition from fossil fuels and how military supply chains affect communities around REE mining sites. More information and registration here.
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 PM. Weekly Rally for Peace. Location: East North Broadway and High St., Columbus.
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 1:30 – 4:30 PM. Free Press Annual Awards ceremony. The Columbus Free Press is honoring longtime, dedicated death penalty abolitionist Abraham J. Bonowitz with our 2024 "Libby" award for Lifetime Achievement in Community Activism. Help Celebrate Abe's Impact. We would like YOU to help us honor your friend Abe with a congratulatory ad or message in the award ceremony program. Abe has requested that proceeds from the congratulations benefit the Free Press, Ohioans to Stop Executions, the Michael Graham Death Row Survivor Relief Fund, and Death Penalty Action. Here is the page to send a donation and send your message to congratulate Abe - https://givebutter.com/CongratulateAbe. Send your message to: colsfreepress@gmail.com. Location: First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road, Columbus. Facebook event.
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 12:00 PM. Simply Living Presents: Freightened. In an audacious investigation, Freightened reveals the mechanics and perils of freight shipment; an all-but-visible industry that holds the key to our economy, our environment and the very model of our civilization. All ticket proceeds go directly to support Simply Living and their many exciting local initiatives! Location: Studio 35, 3055 Indianola Ave, Columbus 43202. Studio 35 will open at 11:30 AM, if you want to join for lunch. Purchase advance tickets here.
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 3:00 PM. Voices from the Holy Land Online Film Salon: "What's in a Word? Defining Zionism." The terms “Zionism” and “anti-Zionism” have become battle cries in the heated debate on the Palestine-Israel conflict. One’s understanding, or misunderstanding, of these terms affects whether we are talking with one another or talking past one another. This Salon will be the first in a series of three to focus on Zionism and its impact on the conversation about the Holy Land: 1) What’s in a Word? Defining Zionism, 2) Living with Zionism: Israel, Palestine, and the U.S., 3) Zionism and Anti-Semitism. This first Salon will explore the history of Zionism - its various definitions from both Jewish and Christian perspectives - to provide a basis for meaningful conversation. Register below and join us on for a discussion of the backstory and the differing perspectives with: - Anne Perez: Author, Adjunct Lecturer in the History Department of the University of South Alabama - Rabbi Alissa Wise: Organizer of Rabbis for Ceasefire, former Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace - Jack Munayer: Activist, Advocacy Trainer, Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Researcher at UNOCHA-oPt Our moderator will be Jesse Wheeler, author, and Associate Executive Director at Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA.) NOTE: After you register, you will immediately get an Approved response - BUT then look in your email for an email From: Zoom with the word "Confirmation" at the end of the subject line...there you'll find the link and password to watch the film in advance of the Salon event. Our co-sponsors are Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) and JustFaith St. Louis. Register here.
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 5:00 - 7:00 PM. Redbird Books to Prisoners. We collect, pack, and send books to Ohio prisoners every 1st and 3rd Sunday. Location: Thirdhand Bike Coop, 979 East 5th Ave, Columbus. Please don't park in front of the building.
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 11:00 AM. International Manifestation of Solidarity with Palestinian People. Global Solidarity for Peace in Palestine (GSPP) is a coalition of organizations from around the world committed to defending the rights of Palestinians and ending the occupation. Our movement is built on the principles of justice, human dignity, and respect for international law. More information and registration here.
Sunday, December 15, 2024, 12:30 PM. Growing Coresistance: A CJNV Community Event and Panel Discussion. Join us to learn from Ghassan Najjar of the Land & Farming Cooperative in Burin and hear stories of Jewish-Palestinian coresistance from CJNV activists. Register here for the zoom link.
Monday, December 16, 2024, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM. Interrogating the Crimes in Gaza: An Honest Conversation. A special briefing and panel event on genocide in Gaza. We will be joined by Omar Baddar, political analyst and human rights advocate, Omer Bartov, Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, Budour Hassan, Amnesty International’s Researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns, and Nadia Daar, Amnesty International USA’s Chief Impact Officer. Register here.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024, 6:00 – 7:30 PM. Veterans for Peace Central Ohio Meeting. Location: Columbus Metropolitan Library, Whetstone Branch, 3909 N. High St., Columbus.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024, 12:00 PM. The Israeli Society and the War: A Conversation with Orly Noy. The genocidal war waged by Israel against Gaza, in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, seems to be backed by large sections within the Zionist margins in Israel. Even the political opposition to Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has been supportive of the war. Liberal citizens who, a couple of years ago, filled the streets in vocal demonstrations against a judicial reform, have rarely objected to the war and when they did criticize it, they focused mainly on the painful neglect of the Israeli hostages. Anat Matar, member of the Bisan Lecture Series Steering Committee and senior lecturer of philosophy at Tel Aviv University, will discuss the current mindset of the Israeli society with Orly Noy, an Israeli journalist, translator and activist. Register here.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024, 12:00 – 5:00 PM. Virtual Delegation Nazareth: All I want for Christmas is a Liberated Palestine. Visit the historical city of Nazareth and learn about what Christmas is like where Jesus grew up. Virtual delegation will be followed by a discussion with religious leaders from Palestine and the US. More information and registration here.
Saturday, December 21, 2024, 7:00 PM. From the Darkness to the Light. Our Solstice Concert Shines a Light. On Our Hopes For a Brighter New Year. On the darkest day of the year when daylight will be at its lowest ebb, join Bill Cohen and my musical friends for an uplifting concert that looks ahead to the new year, its emerging sunlight, and its potential for joy and progress. Fellow musicians Joanne Blum and Joe Lambert will add beautiful vocal harmonies, and Ann Fisher will add soothing counterpoints with her flute. The reflective evening will also feature wise sayings about darkness and light. And the concert in the darkened sanctuary will be bathed in the glow of dozens of candles. Expect a couple fun surprises too. Admission is free. During the program, we’ll simply “pass the hat.” The musicians and crew will be splitting the proceeds with a worthy cause: Food Rescue of Columbus, a group that takes leftover food from restaurants and events, transporting it to organizations that feed the hungry. That way, the food doesn’t go to waste, and people are fed. Location: First Unitarian Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road, Columbus 43214.
Friday, January 17, 2025, 7:00 PM. Prof. Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Israel. Professor Norman Finkelstein will deliver a talk to the Community Church of Boston about the genocide in Gaza. Following his talk, there will be a Q&A discussion. Norman G. Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department in 1987. He is the author of many books that have been translated into 60 foreign editions, including The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish suffering, Gaza: An Inquest into its Martyrdom, and most recently, I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get To It: Politically Incorrect Thoughts on Cancel Culture and Academic Freedom. In the year 2020, Norman Finkelstein was named the fifth most influential political scientist in the world. Register here.