WNPJ Action Alerts - Week of July 26

 Action Alert 1: Demand investigation into interrogation of Wisconsin activists

Action Alert 2: War funding votes in House, Senate next week
Action Alert 3: 1Sky says, "Take us from spill to bill!"
Action Alert 4: Arizona immigrant racial-profiling law goes into effect next week
Action Alert 5: Stop police retaliation against those who tape police abuse

Action Alert 1: Demand investigation into interrogation of Wisconsin activists
Background: Last week, Cecilia Zarate-Laun, director of Colombia Support Network, and her husband John Laun were held and interrogated by officers of the Department of Homeland Security when returning from a trip to Colombia to dedicate a forest reserve named in honor of Carol Chomsky, wife of Noam Chomsky (Prof. Chomsky accompanied them on the trip.) Homeland-Security officers held the Launs for more than an hour and questioned them about a Colombian citizen who is an outspoken critic of the Colombian military and leader of the Colombian peace community where they had visited. The Launs were also asked to identify the person connected to two phone numbers in the 312 area code, suggesting that their phone calls have been monitored. This incident comes only a week after the Colombian investigative journalist Holman Morris was informed by the U.S. embassy in Bogota that he had been found permanently ineligible for a visa under the "Terrorist activities" section of the USA Patriot Act (Morris has exposed numerous massacres and assassinations by the Colombian military.) Given the recent Supreme Court decision that adopted an extremely broad definition of what constitutes "material support" to a terrorist group, and the Colombian government's extremely broad definition of "terrorist", the Launs now have serious concerns that Colombia Support Network's nonprofit status may be at risk.
Action Step: Please contact Senators Kohl (202-224-5653) and Feingold (202-224-5323) to urge them to demand an investigation into this incident, and into the apparent tendency of the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to adopt without question the Colombian government's assessments of who is and is not a "terrorist." The Launs have also contacted their Representative, Tammy Baldwin ((202) 225-2906) about this incident and ask you to do the same if you are also a constituent of Rep. Baldwin.
Contact for more info: Cecilia Zarate-Laun, Colombia Support Network, 608-257-8753, csn@igc.org

Action Alert 2: War funding votes in House, Senate next week
Background: President Obama's request for $33 billion in funding to escalate the Afghanistan war by 30,000 additional troops has been delayed several times, but with Congress planning to go on an month-long recess in early August, Congressional leaders are expected to try to push the funding bill through both houses of Congress next week. Senate Republicans will likely succeed in stripping the war-escalation bill of domestic spending that had been attached to it by the House, a change that would be supported by many peace activists, who want war spending and domestic spending separated so that members of Congress can't point to  domestic spending as an excuse to vote for war funding.
Take Action: Please contact Senators Kohl (202-224-5653) and Feingold (202-224-5323) and your member of Congress to urge them to vote "no" on the war-escalation bill. Remind them that this funding is for the escalation of the war, and so cannot plausibly be claimed to be necessary for troops now in the field.
Contact for more info: David Swanson, Warisacrime.org, david@davidswanson.org

Action Alert 3: 1Sky says, "Take us from spill to bill!"
Background: The Senate has taken up legislation to respond to the global threat of climate change, but already some Senators are pressing for loopholes that benefit the oil and coal industries. WNPJ member group 1Sky has launched their "Spill to Bill" campaign to draw on the renewed public concern caused by the BP disaster in the Gulf to demand strong climate and energy legislation that doesn't cave in to big polluters like oil and coal.
Take Action: Please contact Senators Kohl (202-224-5653) and Feingold (202-224-5323) to urge them to insist on the following three points for any federal energy/climate legislation: 1) Don't let big polluters undermine public health safeguards 2) Protect the Clean Air Act from oil and coal pollution loopholes, and 3) Make sure legislation cuts climate pollution and creates millions of clean energy jobs. 1Sky has also set up an easy online form you can use, here...
Contact for more info: Katy Walter, 1Sky, kwalter@cleanwisconsin.org, 608-251-7020 ext. 28 (cell) 414-852-3680

Action Alert 4: Arizona immigrant racial-profiling law goes into effect next week
Background: SB 1070, a bill recently passed by the Arizona legislature that requires police to stop and question any person if they have "a reasonable suspicion" the person may be an undocumented immigrant, will go into effect next Thursday, July 29, and many immigrant-rights organizations are planning actions for that week, including protests in Arizona and around the country.
Take Action: Interfaith Worker Justice is organizing a National Weekend for Prayer and Action for July 29-August 1 and encourages you to plan a prayer vigil or other dynamic action in your community during this time. Contact IWJ organizer Kristin Kumpf (kkumpf@iwj.org) for information and to receive an Action Tool Kit. IWJ has also drafted an open letter from people of faith and conscience calling for comprehensive immigration reform (click here to sign the letter). Arizona Interfaith Alliance for Worker Justice is also encouraging people to join "Freedom Summer" and spend a week on the ground fighting racism in Arizona this summer. Contact Trina Zelle (trina@azworkerjustice.com) to coordinate your visit.
Contact for more info: Interfaith Worker Justice, 773-728-8400, Arizona Interfaith Alliance for Worker Justice, 602-254-5452

Action Alert 5: Stop police retaliation against those who tape police abuse
Background: Anthony Graber, a twenty-five-year-old staff sergeant for the Maryland Air National Guard, is facing up to sixteen years in prison for uploading a video on YouTube that showed an undercover police officer pulling a gun on him during a traffic stop. Graber was initially ticketed for speeding, but once he posted the video, the state charged him with four felonies, including violating Maryland’s wiretap law. State police officers also raided Graber’s parents’ home and confiscated his camera, computers and external hard drives. Graber's case is just one of many recent examples of police retaliation against those who videotape police activity.
Take Action: Democratic Congressman Edolphus Towns of New York has introduced aCongressional resolution to affirm the rights of citizens to videotape police in public. Please contact your Congressional representative to urge them to sign on to the Towns resolution.
Contact for more info: Office of Congressman Edolphus Towns, (202) 225-5936, email contact form here...

WNPJ is forwarding these weekly alerts from member organizations, individual members and national affiliates. If you are a WNPJ member and have an alert you would like posted in this weekly WNPJ Action Alert e-bulletin, please send it for review to Steve Burns, WNPJ Program Director at: outreach@wnpj.org.