Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action - www.jewishalliance.org
18 Tremont Street, Suite 320, Boston, 02108 - tel: 617-227-3000 fax: 617-223-3453

12 Av 5764             July 30, 2004

Dear Friends:
Congratulations to all who worked in preparation for the DNC visit to Boston.
We look forward to a return to our normal hustle, traffic in the city, privacy, and civil liberties.
It is appropriate to ask when the 75 monitoring cameras will be removed from our streets.
It will probably be a while before we can make an intelligent analysis of the terrorism hype that
preceded the DNC. We know that it had a great impact on the willingness of people
to visit downtown Boston in their normal way.

For some, the presence of state troopers gathered on each corner heightened a sense of security
against possible terrorist action. For others, the huge police presence suggested that the terrorists
had already "won" their objectives, changing the way we live. Will we take away a recognition that
the so-called "free speech pen" was an outrage to democracy or will we see a willingness from some
citizens to inhibit demonstrations on a regular basis as a price for perceived security? Hard
questions need to be asked and civil libertarians need to help stimulate conversations on these
issues.
                                               Sheila Decter

1.  STATE LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Emergency Contraception
The Massachusetts Legislature is back today. We urge you to call your state representative today at 617-722-2200 and ask him or her to push for a vote on Senate Bill 546, "An Act to Provide Timely Access to Emergency Contraception." The pressure for a vote on this bill must be maintained right until the end of the session. The bill may be added to the Supplementary Budget that may come up as early as today.

As you know, this important legislation would require hospital emergency rooms in Massachusetts to help rape survivors avoid unintended pregnancy by making EC available and would also allow pharmacists to dispense EC more easily. It was passed by the Senate in June, but it is stalled in the House of Representatives.

Sixty representatives have asked House Speaker Finneran to hold a vote on this bill. Help us reach our goal of more than 80 legislative supporters so that we can declare a majority in the House. Call your representative today and ask him or her to request a vote on this bill. Let your representative know that you support compassionate care for all rape victims. Tell him or her that this proposal has the potential to greatly reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions in Massachusetts.

Stem Cell research
Ron Reagan's speech at the DNC drew a great deal of attention. Please use this opportunity to remind your legislator of the need and opportunity to put Massachusetts on record supporting stem cell research. The embyotic cells that are under discussion are from fertility clinics. They were formed in test tubes or petrie dishes. It is much more respectful of life to use this tissue -- typically 30 cells in a petrie dish -- for research to solve Parkinson's Disease and Juvenile Diabetes rather than to disgard them. This research is not cloning and the proposed legislation that supports regulated and monitored stem cell research makes clear that cloning will not be allowed in Massachusetts.

Urge your legislator to put Massachusetts on record. California and New Jersey are already working hard to attract biotech companies away from states that have not made their support of stem cell research clear.

Ask your legislator to support a proposed amendment from Rep. Doug Petersen to the Supplemental Budget.  Call your representative to be a sponsor of this amendment.
Check the list to see if there are other representatives you should speak to about this issue.
http://www.jewishalliance.org/info/0000007c.htm.  

2. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

We continue our concern over the Violence in the Sudan.

Yesterday, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and Zach Rosenberg, Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, protested in front of the Embassy of Sudan in Washington, DC with Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, calling for increased action to stop the genocidal violence and man-made humanitarian disaster occurring in the western region of Darfur. All were arrested by the United States Secret Service for unlawful assembly during the protest. The RAC urges that you write or call the Sudanese Embassy to indicate your concern.

To learn more about the events in the Sudan, see this material from the Religious Action Center:
http://www.rac.org/issues/sudangen.html.

To contribute to relief efforts: make a donation online at www.jcdr.org.  or send a donation to:

JDC: Jewish Coalition for Sudan Relief
Box 321
847A Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Register People to Vote

Time to return to efforts to register everyone to vote
At the DNC, we learned that some 21 million single women (many single mothers) did not vote in the last election. Carry voter registration forms with you. Ask your adult children if they have registered since returning from school. If they are still in school, ask if they've sent for absentee ballots. If your parents have moved recently, see if they have registered at their new location. Volunteer to help with voter registration drives. More about this through the summer.

3. COMMUNITY EVENTS

Death Penalty Documentary
Reprinted from ABOLISH posting.
"Deadline" , a new documentary on the death penalty, will air on Dateline NBC on Friday, July 30, 8 PM (Eastern Time). Immediately following the broadcast, MSNBC will have a special panel, featuring prominent death row attorneys Bryan Stevenson, Larry Marshall, and perhaps other figures in the abolition movement who appear in the film. MSNBC is going to re-run "Deadline" in its entirety on Sunday, August 1, from 8-10 PM, with a re-broadcast of the roundtable discussion immediately following. Dateline NBC on Sunday night, August 1 (at 7 pm, opposite 60 Minutes) is going to run a viewers' response piece about Deadline. It will include comments collected from viewers, as well as a discussion by 5-6 "average" viewers."

For more about the documentary, go to: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=243166&l=9491. 

Support Boston area Restaurants
Many Boston area restaurants experienced less business this week. While the caterers did well on all the parties, regular wait staff at many restaurants -- who depend on tips as part of their take-home income -- did not have a very good week.
It is a good time to come to Boston, visiting one of our great museums, and visiting one of these restaurants. The mayor has announced additional free parking. Roads open up regularly later today

A word on "computer virus"
Because JALSA sends out its email to over 1500 people, our address is in many people's address books. If you get email that seems to be from us, and turns out to be spam or virus, please know that we are not sending it out. You can assume if the email doesn't make sense, it did not come from us. We never send out statements or instructions on cleaning your computer or one or two line messages that tell you to open an attachment or go to a website.

Our machines are running state of the art virus protection. We are not sending you out infected material. We urge that you install up to date virus protection. We understand that one infected computer can send out 100,000 messages in a day if there is not virus protection on outgoing email.

4. SUPPORT THE JEWISH ALLIANCE

The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action----

dedicated to continuing a strong, progressive, inter-generational voice
inspired by Jewish teachings and values for social justice, civil rights, and civil liberties.
Membership is open to all who wish to work for progressive goals in the development of public policy.

                              Join us!
Visit www.jewishalliance.org.  and fill out the online donation form today!

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