AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Group #73, ITHACA. January 2007 NEWSLETTER.
MEETING: Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, 7:30 pm, Kahin Center, 640 Stewart Ave., Cornell West Campus. (Take driveway downhill to building with covered entranceway, in front door. Parking allowed evenings.) Info: 273-3009.
>>>> Can’t be at the whole meeting? Come early or late, sign even a single card!
AGENDA: – Write letters on Urgent Action cases, cards, petitions: signatures are powerful!
• Holiday Card Action: send greetings to prisoners and families (and condolences to the colleagues of assassinated Russian/Ukrainian human rights defender Anna Politkovskaya). Bring some greeting cards (preferably not sectarian; skip the pet pictures and immodest humor).
• Elections for group coordinator(s).
• Who can take over the Bulletin Board with Amnesty information at the Women’s Community Building?
• Gary Weissbrot (Bookery 2) invites one of us to a book presentation (Mecke Nagel, Prisons and Punishment) in March, to speak on AI’s concerns.
• Chad (two appeals for support).
• Reports and updates on campaigns. Action File (prisoner case in Eritrea). Other current campaigns.
NEXT MONTH’S MEETING: Tues. Feb. 20, 2007, 7:30, same place. Always the 3rd Tues.

Amnesty relies on the 1948 UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 30 articles with rights that everyone should have everywhere. An article for January: Art. 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-selfgoverning or under any
other limitation of sovereignty.
To see all the Articles, go to our web site http://www.ithacaamnesty.org/ (thanks Govind!).

SAMPLE LETTER: Sri Lanka. The head of Eastern University (in a Tamil area of the country) was kidnapped while in the capital, Colombo. Tamils are in danger from the military in government-controlled areas because they can be accused of being terrorists. Please send this letter or write your own to the Secretary of Defence at the address given (84c airmail). Extra effect: send a copy to Ambassador Bernard A.B. Goonetilleke, Embassy of Sri Lanka, 2148 Wyoming Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008 (regular 39c stamp or Fax 202 232 7181 or Email: slembassy@slembassyusa.org).
POSTAGE rates: U.S., cards 24c, letters 39c. Canada, Mexico cards 55c, letters 63c. Elsewhere: 75c – 84c.

TV Show: Cable Channel 13. The series of Amnesty programs has come to an end after 625 weekly shows; but watch for a new series of programs produced by Wies van Leuken, “Over the Shoulder”.
IN THE AREA: Cornell AI back in Jan. Contacts: Matt Krueger mek42@cornell.edu / Katie Bowers khb4@cornell.edu. Ithaca College AI also resumes in Jan. Alternative Community School: Students for Social Responsibility write AI Urgent Action letters, show films. Contact: Rebecca Godin rgodin@icsd.k12.ny.us . Ithaca High School also writes letters: contact Helen Perl.

The Tompkins County Immigrant Rights Coalition, concerned about the “climate of fear and insecurity for both documented and undocumented immigrants” caused by federal laws and local law-enforcement raids, seeks donations to set up a 24-hour Spanish/English hotline. (Two Latino workers were detained in Collegetown in September, and only with expert help could they be freed.) Address: c/o Catholic Charities, 324 W. Buffalo St.

OUT IN THE WORLD: The America We Believe In Leads the World on Human Rights (so don’t violate them in Guantanamo Bay)–AI USA’s new campaign hopes to get 500,000 signatures on its pledge. See http://believe.amnestyusa.org for info and pledges, or come to our meeting.

In Iraq, Saddam Hussein was executed, rousing controversy because of mobile-phone pictures. The new UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, appealed to Iraqi authorities to delay the execution of Saddam’s co-defendants. Amnesty asks for them not to be killed at all. The Italian government has renewed a call in the U.N. Security Council to abolish the death penalty worldwide; the City of Rome lit up the whole Colosseum to show support.
And in New Jersey, a legislative commission recommended 12 to 1 that the state should get rid of its death penalty. Both the Governor and the legislature favor the idea. Info: http://www.njadp.org/ .

As we go to press, there are reports of a cease-fire in Darfur, Sudan; but we will still need to call on the government of neighboring Chad to protect the 200,000 refugees on its territory (come to our meeting to sign an appeal).

Keep the Newsletter coming: renew subscriptions! $5/year to “AI Group #73, Ithaca,” c/o W. Browne, 206 Eddy St., Ithaca NY 14850, 273-3009. Rather get it by e-mail? Ask ewb2@cornell.edu. Info: co-coordinators Charlotte Acharya 227-3471 cba9@cornell.edu; Jackie Swift, swiftlyme@yahoo.com, 256-0050.

Dear Editor:

January 2's Ithaca Journal reprinted Mr. Tom DeWeese's guest column about the United Nations. The title shows the author's feelings: "The UN is not just dysfunctional--it's criminal." He claims, "Nowhere is there mentioned in a single UN document that I have read an advocacy for the right to own private property." Well, he could start with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That and the Charter are the most famous UN documents that
there are. Here's Article 17:

"(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property."

The Declaration states many other rights that people should know about, including recognition as a person, the right to move, right to a nationality, fair and adequate pay, health care, no slavery, no torture, the right to a fair trial if you're charged with something. The local Amnesty International group at http://www.ithacaamnesty.org/ would be happy to supply you with a copy. You can also find the Declaration at the Public Library--there are several books, such as The International Bill of Human Rights. Or go straight to the UN itself: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html.

Yours sincerely,

Wayles Browne
Treasurer, Ithaca Amnesty International

Here is a link on our website for the UDHR.