Greetings to all on the Solstice!
May you have peace.
May you have joy.
May you have justice.
From CNY Solidarity Coalition:
Next Meeting: 1/10/21, 3 PM on Zoom. CNY Solidarity Annual Membership Meeting. Includes election of Coordinating Committee.
Congratulations to the Community Choir and Karen Mihalyi and al the people who produced a beautiful 35th Anniversary Concert. Presented on Zoom, it was a nearly flawless production! And congratulations to Yusuf Abdul-Qadir for receiving the Choir’s award for his work in peace and social justice.
You can watch the concert here: https://www.facebook.com/SingForPeaceSyr
Articles of the Week:
It’s Time We Called It What It Is: Fascism on CommonDreams
The epic thrash we’re witnessing is because the forces of capitalism, seeing a terminal economic crash approaching, are attempting to preemptively replace democracy with authoritarianism—fascism—so that they can control the outcome.
Don’t Fawn Over Biden. Fight Neoliberalism. from Truthout
It’s easy to forget in the fog of Trumpism that mass privatization, the dismantling of this country’s social safety net, escalating corporate welfare and the mass expansion of prisons are all bipartisan projects. Kelly Hayes talks about the neoliberal policies we can expect from the Biden administration and how we can fight them.
The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That’s Made the U.S. Less Secure From Time Magazine
This is not some back-of-the-napkin approximation. According to a groundbreaking new working paper by Carter C. Price and Kathryn Edwards of the RAND Corporation, had the more equitable income distributions of the three decades following World War II (1945 through 1974) merely held steady, the aggregate annual income of Americans earning below the 90th percentile would have been $2.5 trillion higher in the year 2018 alone. That is an amount equal to nearly 12 percent of GDP—enough to more than double median income—enough to pay every single working American in the bottom nine deciles an additional $1,144 a month.
In New York, Calls to Tax the Superrich Are Gaining Ground . From Jacobin
The richest 5 percent have gotten unfathomably richer this year. With post–COVID-19 austerity on the horizon, a campaign to tax the rich in New York State is gaining momentum.
The “billionaires’ tax” bill they support (S.8277 / A.01041) would tax the unrealized capital gains of New York State’s 119 billionaires, whose net worth grew from $521.5 billion to $600.7 billion during the period from March to June, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, their tax obligations are 79 percent less than they were in 1980, according to a report from the Institute for Policy Studies. The bill has eighteen cosponsors in the Senate and ten in the Assembly.
Here’s why the whole GOP devolved into a conspiracy theory cult Here
About the sham “election fraud” hearings. This explains a lot:
“What the Republicans running the hearing understand, however, is that their audience, the Republican base, neither watched the hearing nor consumed the mainstream media coverage of it. Instead, the purpose of the hearing is to generate footage that can be edited, often misleadingly, into clips that are fed into right-wing media sources and circulated through social media.”
Divesting NY pension fund from fossil fuels a ‘win’ for fight against climate change Here
Fossil fuel companies now realize that they must pivot to a renewable energy economy, or more shareholders will follow DiNapoli and New York’s lead, leaving fossil fuel executives to deal with the rapidly decreasing value of their companies. The other shoe has dropped, and they are finally being forced to adapt. This is an enormous win in the fight against climate change.
Companies Took $1.8 Billion to Save Jobs and Laid Off 90,000 Workers Anyway
Read it here
Public Integrity found that more than 900 companies took PPP loans while laying off or furloughing at least 90,000 workers in 44 states and the District of Columbia. Those companies received more than $1.8 billion total. It’s unclear what they spent the money on or if they broke the program’s rules.
By correcting history of Columbus, we learn better from our past Here
This commentary was submitted by 21 Central New York women of Italian heritage. All of their names appear at the end of the piece.
WHERE TO DONATE:
The 50 Best Charities to Give to Right Now (from Good Housekeeping, Here. NOTE: Charity Watch and Charity Navigator rate organizations on financial health and transparency, not on social justice goals or impact.)
For year-end donations, please keep the Syracuse Peace Council in mind. CNY Solidarity Coalition, since its inception, has benefited not only from SPC’s direct support, but especially from its years of accumulated wisdom and experience. Plowshares is operating online this year (see below, and shop!) but it is unknown how much will be raised. Please consider a generous donation or ongoing pledge!
174 Ways to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color From New York magazine
CNY Wish List: Looking to help? Here’s a wish list from local non-profits in CNY Read it Here
Want to fight climate change effectively? Here’s where to donate your money. From Vox. HereSix of the most high-impact, cost-effective, evidence-based organizations.
EVENTS/ACTIONS CALENDAR:
Every Day: Help Flip the Senate! Turn Georgia Blue:
Fair Fight (Stacey Abrams’s organization) has phone and text trainings every Sun., Tue., and Thur. at 4pm and virtual phonebanks every Sat. and Sun. at 11am. Click here to sign up.
Please consider making a donation and volunteering to help her group, Fair Fight: https://fairfight.com/
Tax the Rich, Fund Schools
Tuesday, Dec. 22 at 4 PM
Learn about a state-wide campaign to finally have the rich pay their fair share. Hear from incoming state senators John Mannion and Elijah Reichlin-Melnick about their role and what they need from educators. We will take action together to urge our legislators to pass this critical legislation now
Eviction Defense Meeting by Syracuse Tenants Union
Tuesday, December 22nd at 6 pm
Register Here
We are heading towards an eviction crisis as COVID-19 cases rise. Housing court is open. Eviction warrants in Onondaga County have been issued and will be executed in 2021. The few protections that tenants do have, the CDC Eviction Moratorium and NYS Tenant Safe Harbor Act, are both set to expire at the end of the year.
We need to organize to protect ourselves and our neighbors. We are hoping to form a coalition of Syracuse organizations to form an eviction defense network that can keep families in their homes.
In order to make this happen, we need help! We’ll be meeting to talk about what needs to get done to make this a reality.
NYCLU is continuing its series of Tuesday Talks on the Rt 81 project.
Read the NYCLU’s report, Building a Better Future: The Structural Racism Built into I-81,and How to Tear It Down, here. “The I-81 project could be the catalyst for knitting back together what the highway destroyed [the 15thWard, where about 90% of the 11,000 Black Syracusans lived]. By taking a hard look at the harms done to people in the past, there is a real chance to improve housing conditions, health outcomes, and economic and educational opportunity for all people in Syracuse.”
For the links to the Tuesday Talks, starting again in January, email: Kevin Atwater, Central New York Chapter, NYCLU. katwater@nyclu.org
Sustainable Manlius – Open Meeting
THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 AT 7 PM EST Meeting Link Here.
Join us for the first Sustainable Manlius meeting of 2021! This is going to be an open meeting of the committee, so all who have an interest in sustainability or who would like to get involved in the Town of Manlius’ effort to become a Climate Smart Community are invited to attend.
Email Councilor Katelyn Kriesel with any questions: kkriesel@townofmanlius.org
Save the date for Indivisible’s National Day of Action. Info Here
Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 12:30 PM
Join us outside the Hanley Federal Building in Syracuse as we call on Sen. Schumer to prioritize a robust democracy reform agenda in the new Congress.
Co-hosted by Indivisible NY24 and Indivisible Syracuse, this event is part of a national Indivisible day of action
See https://artragegallery.org for ArtRage’s upcoming events!
January 7, 2021 at 7pm
Curtain of Water Discussion with filmmaker Joe Guerriero
In conjunction with our current photography exhibition, JOE GUERRIERO: WAITING FOR NORMAL- Cuba and the United States, please join us for a Zoom conversation with photographer and filmmaker Joe Guerriero.
January 13, 2021 – 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Dislocation Location: A Discussion Series on Art as a Refuge and Rallying Point. Part 2.
Join us for a 2nd Zoom reading and discussion group in conjunction with our current exhibition, Joe Guerriero: Waiting For Normal- Cuba and the United States. We will read from Jennine Capó Crucet’s How to Leave Hialeah, a book of short stories tracing the space between Cuba and the United States (via a Hialeah, a city in northwest Miami-Dade county).
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ArtRage Fair Trade Sale – Virtual Edition
November 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021
Each December ArtRage Gallery hosts a two-day fair trade sale. Your purchases support artisans around the world and small local businesses. This year we feel it’s safer to offer a virtual Fair Trade Sale.
Two ways to shop with SERRV International AS a fundraiser for ArtRage:
1. Place your order through ArtRage
2. Shop directly with SERRV. ArtRage Gallery (The CORA Foundation) will receive 20% from your purchases
Details Here
Syracuse Peace Council Plowshares Craftsfair Online
Nov. 20 – Jan. 31
We are going virtual with Plowshares this year. Ten weeks of sharing, shopping, and crafts November 20-January 31.
Now “open” at www.plowsharescraftsfair.org.
In addition to browsing and shopping from crafters and organizations, those of you who have been to the in-person Plowshares will recognize other familiar features of Plowshares:
- An online Marketplace where you can buy books, calendars, buttons, t-shirts, and more
- An online Silent Auction where you can bid on a great selection of gift certificates for local restaurants and businesses
- Live-streamed entertainment and music
- Opportunities to talk with crafters, SPC organizers, and community members via Zoom
There will be no admission fee, but donations are gratefully accepted. Plowshares is SPC’s biggest fundraiser in the year (and frankly, we’re a bit nervous about finances). We can’t wait to “see” you there!
ONGOING EVENTS:
Street Heat – Weekly Protests are back with Physical Distancing!
HANCOCK: our decade-long protests against Hancock’s piloting killer reaper drones over the Islamic oil lands continue. 6000 East Molloy Rd from 4:15 to 5 p.m. For the winter months, we will reduce our schedule: the first Tuesday of every month: same time 4:15 to 5 p.m. Dec 1; Jan 5; Feb 2; March 2; April 6.
DEWITT: Weekly protest against IDF terrorism, maiming and killing of Palestinians. Fridays NEW TIME: 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. at Erie Blvd E and E Genesee, Dewitt. Park in the nearby mini-mall parking lot.
REGIONAL FARMERS MARKET: Protests are off until April.
For more information: anntiffany6235@gmail.com
COVID-19 INFORMATION:
SIRDN Covid19 Warm Line: (315) 552-1670
Syracuse Immigrant and Refugee Defense Network (SIRDN) Coronavirus-related information for farmworker, immigrant, undocumented, day laborer, and domestic worker communities. English and Spanish-speaking operators. Text and phone.
SIRDN has also created a resource document for COVID-19 information, for immigrants and undocumented folks. English and Spanish Or use these instructions to have Google translate .
If you do not have a doctor and have questions, symptoms, or may have been exposed to COVID-19, call Upstate University Hospital’s Triage Line at 315.464.397
Onondaga County Coronaviris Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Information Page
COVID-19 Testing Hotline
Upstate University Hospital Regional Triage (COVID-19) Information Page
NYS Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Page—
Peter McCarthy
pmccar1100@gmail.com