10/6/2000: More "This & That"

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Hello all,

Welcome to another CUADPUpdate, the abolitionist e-newsletter that..... uh..... won't give you cancer (but you might want to back up from your monitor another six inches just to be sure).


CONTENTS in this edition....

*STEVE EARLE ON NIGHTLINE - TONIGHT!
*IF YOU are *anywhere* near Philadelphia...
*Calendar of Upcoming DP Related Events...
*LAMP OF HOPE
*NEW CUADPUpdate Policy coming soon (Reduce your e-mail!)
and finally, for today anyway,
*May You Be SEALED in the Book of Life....


****

TONIGHT!!!!  STEVE EARLE ON NIGHTLINE!   TONIGHT!!!!

I received the following from the producer of the Nightline
piece....

>Abe:
>Peter from Nightline here.  FYI:  Our Steve Earle profile is
>slated to air Friday, Oct. 6.  One third of the show will be
>on Steve's abolition work and we feature the Supreme Court
>vigil and Steve's description of Jonathan Noble's execution. 
>Note that Oct. 6 is pretty well set, but just be sure to say
>that it is "scheduled" for that date.  We're a news program,
>so any significant news story will bump a feature story like
>this to a later date.

and speaking of Steve Earle, he has an *excellent* article on his experience witnessing the killing of Jonathan Nobles in the September/October edition of Tikkun Magazine - which was still on the racks when I bought it the other day.  Check it out!


****

IF YOU are *anywhere* near Philadelphia...

Then I urge you to support upcoming actions targeting the nation's deadliest District Attorney, Lynn Abraham.  Visit the Abolitionist Action Committee (AAC) website at http://www.abolition.org and click on "Upcoming Events" for the skinny on who, what, when, where, why, and how YOU can help make it happen.  The folks at Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty really do it right, and if you go to that site you can see a photo of a recent demo they did in which I was pleased to participate. 


*****

The CALENDAR of Upcoming DP Related Events... 

Received this last week...

>At 03:51 PM 09/29/2000 EDT, you wrote:
>>I'm disappointed that you didn't list our rally yesterday...
>>But we're getting use to the lack of unity...that's okay...
>>

to which I responded....

>
>Which Rally?  In Columbus?  I had intended to, but the
>calendar project kept getting put on the back burner.  I'm
>actually clearing out listings I have failed to post from as
>far back as June.  I have also taken on and am training two new
>volunteers *specifically* to ensure such matters don't get
>missed again.  Please accept my embarrassed apologies.

YES FRIENDS, IT'S ALMOST READY.  Watch for that post shortly.....  To those whose events have passed by without being posted by CUADP, 1000 apologies.  If you have an event you want listed, please do follow the guidelines at <http://www.cuadp.org/info.html>.

Now, I'm not making an excuse, but I will remind everyone that CUADP has no paid employees, so please don't hold us to the same degree of accountability and consistency you might expect from a group with a real office, several (or more) paid staff, up to date office machines, etc.  Instead, hold us to a higher standard, and when we drop the ball, call us on it, as the person quoted above did.  And if you want to help keep us going at acceptable or increased capacity, consider volunteering to help, or make a contribution.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Interested? e-mail <abe@cuadp.org>
Calendar (got that one covered)
Database management
Accounting
Info-request filler (send stuff to people who request it)
E-mail responder (to answer questions for people)
Idea-person (anyone can do this - got an idea to further the cause, just write it down and send it in.  Actually, it would be cool to have a person to collect and present such ideas for consideration...  ;-)
E-Lurker (watch internet discussion boards and argue on behalf of CUADP  ;-)  )


CUADP NEEDS (You can help?  e-mail <abe@cuadp.org>)
*NEW computer (laptop or desktop)
*A Car
*P/A (Loudspeaker - Radio Shack has what we need - it's $450)
*T-SHIRT suitcase - so I can haul AbolitionWear - $240
*NEW T-SHIRT Design Investor - it costs about $1,000 to start a new design.  Several are on the drawing board.  Make a gift or an interest-free loan to make it happen!   (And yeah, this one comes with a supply of free AbolitionWear!)
*Digital Camera
*Good hard cash that pays the bills.  To make a contribution, visit <http://www.cuadp.org/support.html>

You can also conduct your own business (buy stuff or whatever) and do so in such a way that we get a cut.  Buying books? Use the Amazon.com link at <http://www.cuadp.org/books.html>

Every time someone signs up for Paypal using the following link, we get $5!  And you can use that to send us $$$!  ;-)
<https://secure.paypal.x.com/affil/pal=abe%40cuadp.org>

Gee.  I really hadn't intended to write all that.  But when it comes down to it, everything we do only happens because others help.  So, thanks!


*****

LAMP OF HOPE

And after all THAT, a pitch for another organization?
I share the following:

>From: "Lisa  Jones" <lisa_jones1999@hotmail.com>
>To: abe@cuadp.org
>Subject: FYI...
>
>It is my Pleasure to announce that "The Lamp Of Hope Project" is a
>Registered 501(3) (c) Organization, and will now be accepting
>donation through Direct Giving/United Way!
>
>As I'm sure most of you have heard of or been asked by your
>Employer's at some point about a United Way or Direct Giving program
>through you job. This is for (501)-3C registered
>organization/charities Only.
>
>Most work places offer their employees a chance to give back to their
>community or favorite charities by taking a percentage of money
>directly from their paychecks each pay period through direct giving
>(Or you can give a one time money gift) then giving it to the
>specified group, charity or organization.
>
>This is a Great opportunity for us to help the Texas Death Row
>Inmates right here in Texas! Lamp Of Hope is run by Texas Death Row
>Inmates through Karen Sebung and other dedicated people just like
>her. They need's allot of help to keep this going too. The cost's to
>run the website, print copies the TDRJ (Texas Death Row Journal)
>Etc...can cost thousands and thousands of dollars and can be quite
>overwhelming at times.
>
>Karen Sebung works Very hard to keep thing's going at LOH as we all
>know, just so the DR inmates will have some shred of hope and
>something to look forward to other than their ultimate fate. 
>
>I would like to take this opportunity now to ask you all, when your
>peers come to you at work and ask if you will participate this year
>in Direct Giving/United Way program, Please tell them *YES* & Give
>Till It's Hurt's.  Let's All Help Them, Because We Are All They Have
>Left In This World!
>Thank you for time and critical help. (LOH's Employee Identification
>Number is below)
>Lisa Jones
>"ABOLISH THE RACIEST DEATH PENALTY"
>
>Agency name:   Lamp Of Hope Project   EIN#-76-0391817
>Agency address line1:   PO Box 15649
>Agency address line2:   Houston, TX 77220-5649

You can also just drop them a check.  Please do. 
Lamp of Hope Project
1201 W. Arbrook #121951
Arlington, TX  76015


******


NEW CUADPUpdate Policy coming soon (Reduce your e-mail!)

Recently, I received the following two e-mails:

>Please unsubscribe me from this list. I find it informative
>and helpful, but I simply don't have time to deal with the
>volume of mail I get from it..

and

>Dear Abe,
>I'd like to be removed from this list as I get the same info
>three times.

Few people have complained, actually, but even I get tired of seeing the same post five times because it is sent to five different lists that I happen to participate in.  SO, this is the FIRST notification that starting next week, CUADPUpdates will only be sent to the CUADPUpdate e-mail list, and not recopied to the various other lists.  IF you are reading this via "abolish" or one of about eight other abolitionist lists that I have been sending it to, then I invite you to subscribe by sending an e-mail to <cuadpupdate-subscribe@egroups.com> (not including the "<>"
marks).  

*****

and finally,

May you be SEALED in the Book of Life...

       Last week Jews celebrated Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins Sunday evening.  The ten days between the two most holy of Jewish holidays are known as "The Ten Days of Awe."  This is less a time of celebration, and more a time of renewal.  It is a time to renew commitments and a time to right the wrongs. 

Tradition has it that on Rosh Hashana Jews pray to G-d to be *written* into the "Book of Life" for the coming year.  On Rosh Hashana the book is written, and on Yom Kippur, the book is *sealed*.  So while it is still appropriate to wish Jewish friends a "Happy New Year," it is also appropriate to say, "May you be sealed in the book of life...."

And so, I renew what I wrote last week:
May there be PEACE among ALL mankind, from prisons to pulpits and bedrooms to boardrooms!!!.  L'Shana Tova, a Happy New Year, to all those celebrating at this time.

and I add:

May you and yours be sealed in the book of life for a safe, healthy, happy and prosperous new year.

To all those who I may have offended or wronged in the past, in word or deed, I beg your forgiveness.  I pledge to be more aware of how my actions and words may be interpreted by others as I strive only to make positive impacts upon the world as I encounter it.  I still have debts to pay, and I am working on that.

To all those who have somehow done harm to me through word or deed, I offer my forgiveness.  I will bear no grudges.

        Please join with me in renewing a commitment to the struggle for justice and peace through love and compassion for all.

Shalom,

--abe

PS - Sid Kliener, from the International Coalition For Jewish Prisoner Services shared with me the following Parable.  Enjoy!


A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard.  She did not recognize them. Upon approaching them she said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry.  Please come in and have something to eat."

"We don't go into a house together,"  they replied.

"Why is that?" she wanted to know.
 
One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said, pointing to one of his friends.  Pointing to the other one, he said, "He is Success and I am Love."  Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your family which one of us you want in your home."
 
The woman went in and told her husband what was said.  Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth."

His wife disagreed,"My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She chimed in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home would then be filled with love."

Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking  toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him.  Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success the other two of us would have stayed out. But since you invited Love, wherever he goes we go with him. Wherever there is Love there is also wealth and success!"

******************************************************

paz!

--abe

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