By Anna Baltzer

Please, everyone, stop what you're doing. This is not just any report
from Palestine, but the worst in my lifetime, the worst in 40 years.
At this moment, Israel is raining bombs down on Gaza, an enclosed tiny
area that is home to 1.5 million men, women, and children, most of
them innocent civilians. This space is tightly sealed by Israel, which
constantly denies Gazans electricity, food, medicine, and the ability
to leave. Gaza is one big prison being bombed from above. The death
toll is up to 428 in the past 7 days. That's more than the number of
Israelis killed in the last 7 years. This is what I would call a massacre.

Yes, more Palestinians killed in 7 days than Israelis in 7 years, and
yet no comments from President Bush or President-elect Obama.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice places blame solely on Hamas for
holding Gazans "hostage," as if Israel's actions were beyond judgment.
Would Rice ever respond to a Palestinian attack on Israelis by blaming
the Israeli government for holding its citizens hostage with their
army's violence?

A coalition of immigrant rights advocates criticized changes to the nation's guestworker program that will open the program to more abuse of foreign workers while making it easier for employers to replace U.S. workers with temporary foreign labor.

The final regulations for the nation's H-2B guestworker program, issued by the Bush administration December 19, will go into effect January 18.

The H-2B guestworker program is used by businesses to hire low-skilled temporary foreign labor. Members of the Low Wage Workers Legal Network, a coalition of immigrant rights advocates, said the program offers weak enforcement and reduces labor protections for workers.

Unified Community Against Gay Hate Crimes(UCAGHC) a Dallas TX group formed in response to the brutal attack on local artist Jimmy Lee Dean has announced the trial date and asked for the community to show support by attending a vigil from 10am to 12pm on January 12, 2009 in front of the Frank Crowley Bldg 133 N. Industrial Blvd. Dallas TX 75207

According to Activist Michael Robinson, key witness and founder of UCAGHC, (The) "Jimmy Lee Dean case has the opportunity to change or add new amendments to the statute that governs hate crimes cases in Texas. I am asking the entire community to stand up together on this very important issue that concerns us ALL. There is a group of people out there that would like to see us all dead. We need to change how hate crimes cases are filed when they go to a grand jury for review so that the D.A.'s offices can indict these cases." The current legislation does not enable prosecutors in Texas to clearly identify a hate crime. Aggravated assault convictions carry potentially far less penalty less penalty than a hate crime conviction.

By Nadine Elsibai

Dec. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Five Blackwater Worldwide security guards have been charged with voluntary manslaughter and weapons violations in connection with a shooting last year that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

The charges were announced today in Washington by the Justice Department and the FBI. Officials unsealed an indictment in the case that was returned last week. The fatalities included 14 unarmed civilians, and 20 others suffered injuries, the indictment said. A sixth Blackwater guard pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter and related charges, the government said.

By Military Counseling Network, Connection e.V., and Courage to Resist. December 3, 2008

FRANKFURT, Germany - U.S. Army Specialist Andre' Shepherd applied for asylum in Germany Nov. 26, becoming the first Iraq War veteran to pursue refugee status in Europe.

After attending college and failing to find meaningful employment, Shepherd enlisted in the military early in 2004. The promises of financial security and international adventure easily trumped working at a fast food chain. He became an Apache airframe mechanic, hoping to someday qualify up to the role of helicopter pilot.

(Dallas)-- Public health advocates say desperation by a company out of sync with the times has motivated an ill-advised lawsuit filed against local governments by the operator of the oldest, dirtiest cement plant in North Texas.

Late in the afternoon on the day before Thanksgiving, lawyers for Kansas City-based Ash Grove Cement filed suit in federal court against the cities of Dallas, Ft. Worth, Arlington, Plano, The Dallas County School District and Tarrant County for adopting “green cement” resolutions that favor modern, less polluting dry kilns over older, dirtier wet kilns - like the three the company operates at its 43-year-old Midlothian plant, south of Dallas.

By Kim Lamberty, Sandra Rincon, and Chris Knestrick

Thousands of representatives of Colombia's indigenous peoples have been mobilized and marching since October 10. The mobilization, called "La Minga" began in the Cauca region of Colombia, home to many of Colombia's indigenous peoples. "La Minga" means a gathering of all the peoples, and indigenous leadership only call for it when something very important needs to be addressed.