03.21.08 - Atlanta to take part in Earth Hour

Join thousands of your Atlanta friends, neighbors and businesses and millions of people around the world to make a bold statement about climate change on March 29, 2008 from 8:00pm to 9:00pm.

TURN OUT YOUR LIGHTS FOR ONE HOUR. EARTH TIME.

World Wildlife Fund is partnering with Mayor Shirley Franklin, the City of Atlanta and other civic leaders to help make history and celebrate the night the lights go out in Georgia. Dozens of major landmark buildings in Downtown, Midtown, Atlantic Station and Buckhead will go dark in honor of the event - as will neighborhoods throughout the area.

Read more by clicking here.

02.26.08 - Message from Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP A NEW COAL PLANT IN GEORGIA!
If you belong to an electric co-op, we need you!

Yes, it is hard to believe at a time when we need to be reducing global warming pollution, a new proposal has emerged to build a large coal plant in Washington County, Georgia. Nationwide, utilities are rushing to lock in new coal-fired power plants before any carbon-regulating policies are passed, in hopes of grandfathering them in and exempting them from future emissions restrictions. Unfortunately, Georgia is not an exception. This proposal is to build an 850-megawatt, supercritical, pulverized coal-fired power plant on a 1,200-acre site in Washington County.

WHO IS PROPOSING THE NEW PLANT?

Power4Georgians, a coalition of 10 Georgia Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs), which includes Upson EMC, Jackson EMC, Excelsior EMC, Central GA EMC, Washington EMC, Cobb EMC, Pataula EMC, Diverse Power, Greystone EMC and Snapping Shoals EMC, are partnering to build the new coal plant.

WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT OF THIS PLANT?

If built, the plant would have a hazardous impact on Georgia's water and air quality. To receive water for the plant, the EMC's are proposing to build a 30-mile pipeline to the Oconee River and dig 16 wells along this pipeline corridor to draw from groundwater for its water needs during periods of drought. The proposed plant will also emit smog-forming nitrogen oxides, toxic mercury, soot-forming sulfur dioxide, and global warming pollutants such as carbon dioxide.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is collaborating with others to ensure that this plant does not move forward, and we will continue to update our supporters on opportunities available for public comment.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

As a member of an electricity co-op, you have a voice in how your power is generated. If you are a member of one of the EMC's listed above and are concerned with the air and water quality implications of building this new plant, please email Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's renewable energy coordinator, Mary Carr at mary@cleanenergy.org for information on how you can get involved.

Together, we can move Georgia's energy future in the right direction.

02.19.08 - Time for Real Diplomacy: The Folly of Attacking Iran

Friday, February 22
Reception at 6:30pm
Presentation at 7:30pm

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
1911 Cliff Valley Way NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
(on the I-85 North access road between North Druid Hills & Clairmont Roads)

The Bush Administration has adopted a confrontational policy against Iran, including the threat of military force. Americans are being told that Iran is on the brink of developing nuclear weapons, supports terrorism, is helping to kill American soldiers in Iraq, and is determined to destroy Israel. Many of the Bush Administration' s claims that Iran is a threat echo claims used to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq and rest on similarly dubious evidence.

A national speaking tour is taking place during February and March 2008 to mobilize the American public against military confrontation. Stephen Kinzer, the award winning author and former foreign correspondent for the New York Times, is speaking at more than 20 cities around the country. He, along with a diverse group of other experts on Iran, Congressional leaders and military experts are traveling across the country to counter the belligerent message from Washington and to present options for a more rational foreign policy towards Iran.

In Atlanta, Stephen Kinzer will be joined by Fatemeh Keshavarz, an Iranian born academic, writer and literary figure. A professor of Persian Language and Comparative Literature and chair of the department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis, she is also an outspoken opponent of military confrontation with Iran.

For more information about the national tour, please click here.

Sponsoring organizations:
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Physicians for Social Responsibility, UUCA Peace Network, Georgia Peace & Justice Coalition/Atlanta, Atlanta International Action Center, Women's Action for New Direction (WAND) and African-American Human Rights Foundation.

For more information, please contact Azita Ebrahimi at aebrahimi@afsc.org or 404.586.0460 x14.

02.05.08 - Georgia Moratorium Campaign

Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is holding their annual lobby day on Tuesday, February 26! Join GFADP as they ask the Georgia General Assembly to:

1. Take a time-out on executions, study and address the systematic problems
2. Protect the safeguard of having all 12 jurors decide on death sentences
3. Ensure law enforcement follows standards for accurate eyewitness identifications
4. Fully fund the public defender's offices so the poor have equal justice

Basic details are below.

For more information, please visit www.gfadp.org or www.georgiamoratorium.org.

9:00am - Lobbying Orientation
Central Presbyterian Church, Fellowship Hall (street level)
across the street from capitol front steps, 201 Washington Street
Refreshments provided

10:00am - 11:45am - Meeting with your legislators
Meet by elevators on the 3rd floor - House of Representative's side

12:00 noon - Press Conference and Rally
Meet in capitol Rotunda (main level, center of building under the dome)
You will need to present ID and pass through security to enter the capitol building.

02.13.08 - A Message from our Friends at Girls' Rock Camp (ATL)

Hello and FINALLY... rock and roll camp for girls is coming to Atlanta!

Please join us for Girls' Rock Camp (ATL)'s first fundraiser.

There is no "I" in team, but there is a "we" in WE CAN'T DO THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP! And, in we hope you can attend, we hope you will tell your friends, we are happy to rock you!

Girls' Rock Camp (ATL) FUNRaiser and Raffle (Rock Out and Win Stuff!)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
EYEDRUM
290 MLK Jr. Drive, Suite 8
Atlanta, GA 30312
ALL AGES
$7 or free for Eyedrum members
9:00pm doors/9:30pm show
with performances by
Trina and Tomi from Three5Human
Athens Boys Choir
The Holland Dutch
CAN CAN

Girls' Rock Camp (ATL) is currently seeking all kinds of people and stuff. We need volunteers, instructors, counselors, campers, gear, shwag, groceries, office supplies, funding, sponsors, pretty much everything. Thank you to those who have already donated your time, talent, goods and services!

For directions to Eyedrum, visit http://www.eyedrum.org
Please visit http://www.girlsrockcampatl.org for ongoing information
Friends request us at http://www.myspace.com/girlsrockcampatl

Please visit the bands on the web:
http://www.myspace.com/cancanband
http://www.myspace.com/three5human
http://www.myspace.com/thehollanddutch
http://www.athensboyschoir.com

12.04.07 - Say NO to Nuclear Power

Atlanta WAND and other groups in Georgia and the Southeast are working to stop the expansion of commercial nuclear reactors.  Two new reactors are already planned for Plant Vogtle in Burke County Georgia, just across the river from Savannah River Site. We, along with other groups, have filed an intervention before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposing these two reactors.

You do not need to be a nuclear expert to have an opinion on the enormous ratepayer and taxpayer expense of nuclear energy and the deadly components of this industry. Safety, security, costs, waste, proliferation of bomb making materials - everything and anything should be mentioned.

The public comment period has been extended until December 28, 2007. File a comment with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission TODAY!

Submit comment: Vogtle_EIS@nrc.gov.

For more information, www.atlantawant.org.

11.29.07 - Oppose HR 536

Georgia General Assembly's House Resolution 536 (HR 536) is a proposed constitutional amendment to establish the "personhood" of each citizen from fertilization until natural death. HR 536's implications are so broad that HR 536 could potentially ban abortion in Georgia, as well as ban certain forms of contraception and prevent women from utilizing assisted reproductive technology. Bottom line, this bill puts politics above the health and safety of women.

Sign a petition to support Planned Parenthood of Georgia and its campaign for Birth Control Not Bans.

For more information, www.ppga.org.

10.08.07 - Community March for Justice

From our friends at Amnesty International...

Many of you have heard about the case of Troy Davis, a man awaiting execution on Georgia's death row despite his strong innocence claim. After coming within 24 hours of his execution last summer, Troy's appeal will now finally be heard by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Join Amnesty International on Saturday, October 13 in Savannah, Georgia for a Community March for Justice.

No matter where you live, it's time to come together and raise your voice within the community of Savannah in demanding that Fairness Matters for Troy Anthony Davis!

Take a stand:
* Fairness matters to the Savannah Community!
* Georgia must not executive a man who may well be innocent!
* Georgia authorities must hear evidence supporting Troy Davis's innocence and another man's guilt
* Equal justice before the law for Troy Davis and everyone!

When:
Saturday, October 13 at 12:00pm

Where:
Bolton Street Baptist Church
(821 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.)

March to:
Chatham County Courthouse

Speakers include:
Martina Correia, sister of Troy Davis
Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Amnesty International
Marc Morial, National Urban League President
Shareef Cousin, death row exoneree
Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, crime victim
Ronald Cotton, DNA exoneree
Daryl Hunt, DNA exoneree

For more information:
www.troyanthonydavis.org
www.amnestyusa.org /troydavis
gfadp@yahoo.com

09.20.07 - V-Day Atlanta & Readings to End Violence Against Women and Girls

V-Day Atlanta presents the Atlanta premiere of 'A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer', sponsored by Atlanta Peach Magazine.

September 26, 2007 at Opera
1150B Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
VIP Reception 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Performance 8:00pm

Featuring performances by Eve Ensler, Jane Fonda, Kenny Leon, and Emily Saliers.
Also featuring Q100's Melissa Carter and Jenn Hobby, WSBTV's Jaquitta Williams, and Musician Doria Roberts.
Local beneficiaries include Men Stopping Violence and Charis Circle.

V-Day is pleased to announce the Atlanta premiere of 'A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer: Writings to End Violence Against Women and Girls', a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle and commissioned by V-Day for the first V-Day Until the Violence Stops Festival, which took place in New York City in June, 2006. These writings are inspired, funny, angry, heartfelt, tragic and beautiful. Beyond the time constant of five minutes or less and the theme of women and violence, each monologue was for the writer to realize. No constructs, restrictions or rules. A fantasy of a world where there is no violence. A poem about the physics of a slap. A memory. But above all, together they create a true and profound portrait of how violence affects every one of us, and the first V-Day collection to include monologues for male performers.

Join us in ending violence against women and girls.

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.INTICKETING.COM

ABOUT V-DAY
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues. In 2007, more than 3,000 V-Day events took place in the U.S. and around the world. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $45 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, launched the Karama program in the Middle East, reopened shelters, and funded over 5000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. In June 2006, V-Day launched the Until the Violence Stops NYC Festival which invited thousands of New Yorkers to stand up and join V-Day in making New York City the safest place on earth for women and girls. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

08.29.07 - You and Your Elected Officials Can End the Iraq War

Atlanta WAND is urging Georgia citizens to take a stand against the war. Call your Representative and Senators now!

Suggested scripts for your phone calls:
Calling your Senator:
Hi. My name is ____________ and I am calling today to let Senator Chambliss/Isakson know that I and many other Georgian's want all of our troops home from Iraq within six months. I urge the Senator to take a stand to end this war. Thank you.

Calling your Representative:
Hi. My name is ____________ and I live in Representative ____________'s district. I am callling today to let Rep ____________ know that I and many of his constituents want all of our troops home from Iraq within six months. I urge Rep ____________ to take a stand to end this war. Thank you.

Find your Representative
Senator & Representative Phone Numbers

08.23.07 - 5th Anniversary 'Stand for Peace'

Friday, August 24, 2007
11:30am - 1:00pm
Colony Square
(at the corner of 14th and Peachtree Street-Midtown)

The first Colony Square vigil was held Wed., August 28, 2002, when Atlantans responded to a national call from MoveOn.org to urge then-Senators Zell Miller and Max Cleland to oppose an Iraq invasion. The Georgia Peace & Justice Coalition was born during the fall of 2002 on that corner (and in the AFSC office) and Atlanta WAND has kept the vigil going strong for five years!

Tomorrow, we will recommit to concrete action to bring our troops home. Enlarged photographs of all 13 Georgia Representatives and Senators Isakson and Chambliss, with their phone numbers, will be displayed. Demonstrators and passers-by will be encouraged to flood offices with free cell phone calls on the spot.

Delegations will leave from Colony Square after 1:00 pm to deliver letters and petitions to Senators Isakson and Chambliss and five Atlanta area Representatives who are pro-war or who haven’t taken real action against it: John Linder, Lynn Westmoreland, Phil Gingrey, Tom Price and David Scott.

A commemorative wall of peace that lists the names of Atlanta activists who have stood on the corner at Colony Square, at least once in the last five years, will be set up for display. Attendees will be able to write their name on the peace wall during the event. Bring names of those who may not be able to attend on Friday, so we can be sure to honor their past commitment. After the commemorative wall is completed, we will decide where to permanently display the plexiglass monument.

PRESS CONFERENCE STARTS AT 12 NOON

Speakers Include:
Senator Nan Orrock, Ruth Schmidt, Kim Karris, Tanya Wallace, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, Rep. Tyrone Brooks, Members of the Atlanta Five (Joe Parko, Carol Bass, Randy Aronov, Courtney Siceloff and Beth Lavoie), Krista Brewer.

For more information, email wandatlanta@wand.org or phone 404.524.5999

08.07.07 -Troy Davis to Appeal Case

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA PRESS STATEMENT
Amnesty International applauds Georgia Supreme Court action in Troy Davis Case

In response to the decision by the Georgia Supreme Court in the case of Troy Anthony Davis, Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, director of the Program to Abolish the Death Penalty at Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement:

"Amnesty International applauds today's decision by the Georgia Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the appeal of Troy Anthony Davis to present evidence that could demonstrate his strong case for innocence. This ruling comes on the heels of the last-minute reprieve granted by the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, given its own significant concerns about recanted witness testimony. Amnesty International is delighted that the Georgia Supreme Court has agreed to look at the evidence in this case with new eyes. For more than 15 years, all that Mr. Davis has asked is that he be given a chance to present the facts in his case. Establishing the truth would also honor the memory of Officer MacPhail. Today is a great day for all those who are committed to truth and justice."

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about Troy Davis' case. In February of this year, the organization released a 35-page report, "Where is the Justice? The Case of Troy Davis, Facing Execution in Georgia". In recent weeks, the organization has mobilized its worldwide membership and collected thousands of letters calling for clemency for Mr. Davis.

Contact:
Gwen Fitzgerald
202.544.0200 x302 - 240.462.9076 (mobile)

07.23.07 - Speak Up Against Georgia Nukes

On July 12, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) unanimously approved Georgia Power's plans to include two new nuclear reactors as part of their long-range strategy to meet energy demand in the state. The plan also includes minimal energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. The PSC denied Georgia Power's request to waive the state-required competitive bidding process, which ensures that other power suppliers and energy sources are considered before taking the "nuclear option." The downside of this is that the alternatives will most likely still be dirty forms of energy like coal.

What can you do? Write letters to the editor in your hometown newspaper urging Georgia to be a leader in energy efficiency and clean energy. Nuclear power IS NOT the solution to our energy crisis or global warming!

Click here for ideas for your letters.

Read more about the PSC's decision in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Georgia Power clears early hurdle on nuke plans

'Nuclear option' raises questions

For more information:
www.atlantawand.org
www.cleanenergy.org

07.20.07 - Troy Davis Granted Stay of Execution

Earlier this week, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles reviewed Troy Davis' case and granted a stay of execution for up to 90 days. This news came less than 24 hours before Davis was to be executed for a crime he may not have committed! Given that over 120 people have been wrongfully convicted in capital cases since 1976, including six from Georgia, it is especially important to remain vigilant in keeping watch over cases like Davis'.

Amnesty International still needs our help. You can send letters to the Board or write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper. And be sure to share this critical alert with your friends.

For more information: www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis.

July 11, 2007 letter from Amy & Emily

Sample letter to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles

Send your letters to Amnesty International, who will hand deliver them to the Board.

Fax:
404.876.2276

Mail:
Amnesty International
730 Peachtree Street
Suite 1060
Atlanta, GA 30308

Email:
troyanthonydavis@yahoo.com

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