[act-ma] BIMC Headlines: Ice Strikes Providence; Obama and War; Coal Plant Project in MA

[Sofia JarrinT]

Boston Indymedia is your media. Don't hate corporate media, be the media!


Ice Strikes Providence: People Fight Backhttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205321/index.php

On July 15th, 2008 over 150 community members rallied at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in downtown Providence where many immigrants were held after a raid that same day. The 30-plus detained janitorial workers were employed at six courthouses across Rhode Island. Many of the janitorial workers who were detained were in the midst of a labor dispute with their employers. A local militant workers association, Fuerza Laboral, had been organizing with the workers to get unpaid wages. (http://www.fuerza-laboral.org/)


Think Outside the
Bomb 2008 Youth and Grassroots Conference for Nuclear Abolitionhttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205274/index.php

To take place in Boston August 14-17, the conference will provide a backdrop for nuclear abolitionists, peace activists, ecologists, and other advocates of social justice and a livable planet to learn in-depth about the threat of nuclear weapons, the destruction caused by the nuclear fuel chain, and current political opportunities to move toward nuclear disarmament.


Art Beat '08http://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205251/index.php

This past weekend was the annual Art Beat Festival in Davis Sq, sponsored by the Somerville Arts Council. The theme of this year’s event was green – green for the extension of the Green Line through Somerville, and green for environmental awareness. 
[LISTEN TO AUDIO REPORT]


Obama Lays Out Plans
for Continued Warhttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205215/index.php

Obama does not plan to get all of the troops out of Iraq and he will only get most of the troops out in two years. And what does he explain he will do with these troops? Redeploy them. Redeployed where? His rhetoric has been clear: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran.

PHILIPPINES:Ban Endosulfan!
http://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205206/index.php

Quezon City--Over 50 citizens’ groups and coalitions working for public health, environmental justice and sustainable development joined forces to press for a total ban on endosulfan, stressing that its continued use is akin to a ticking “toxic time bomb.”


Corey Glass'
Deportation Halted; Canadian CourtRules on Asylum Casehttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205191/index.php

The day before he was scheduled for deportation, Corey Glass, a former sergeant with the National Guard, was granted a review of his case. Meanwhile, the pressure in Canada mounted to allow US war resisters seeking refuge to stay in that country, when Canada’s Federal Court ruled that the Immigration and Refugee Board should reconsider the asylum case of Joshua Key. The ruling was based on the right of soldiers to refuse improper orders that would violate the Geneva Conventions. [LISTEN TO AUDIO REPORT: INTERVIEW WITH Courage to Resist]


Youth protest State’s
approval of coal gasification planthttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205192/index.php

Nearly fifty protesters gathered in opposition to a new coal project in Massachusetts. A delivery of coal was made by activists to the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at 100 Cambridge Street in Boston. The office has recently dismissed an appeal of the state’s approval for a coal gasification project in Somerset, MA. Protesters gathered with music, signs and chants such as "Clean Coal Is A Dirty Lie."

If completed, this will be the first coal plant to use this untested technology in the US, setting a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country.


'Welcoming Massachusetts' Launches to Celebrate Diversity and
Inclusion in MAhttp://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/205152/index.php

A diverse group of over 200 faith, labor, education, and immigrant community members and leaders gathered today at the Grand Staircase of the State House to officially launch the new Welcoming Massachusetts statewide initiative. Welcoming Massachusetts was founded on the belief that the people of MA remember, honor, and value its immigrant roots, and that the communities that make up the Commonwealth embrace the shared values that unite everyone. 

Sign the Pledge! http://www.welcomingma.org/