Open Letter of Protest to the Presidents of Target Corp., Gregg Steinhafel and of Amazon.com, Jeffrey P. Bezos

October 16, 2009

Mr. Jeffrey P. Bezos
Amazon.com, Presidente, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Mr. Gregg Steinhafel
Target Corp., Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Messieurs Bezos and Steinhafel:

We have seen with disgust the promotion in your respective websites of an “Adult Illegal Alien Costume One Size”. We are attaching pdf files of your advertisement, in case you are not familiar with the items. The links are:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EIY1G0

http://www.target.com/Illegal-Alien-Adult-Costume-Size/dp/B002EIY1G0/ref=sr_1_1?ie

As you can see the costume is a prison-like suit in bright orange, including an alien face costume and a large “green card” card. This is obviously making reference to the widespread criminalization by the media and the government of undocumented workers. You are contributing by trivializing a serious, delicate and sensitive matter to bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiments in the United States.

We find this situation offensive and insulting to nearly 12 million undocumented workers and their families who suffer daily from persecution, victimization and exploitation. Ridiculing their character is one more insult to human beings whose only crime is to seek jobs to survive.

It is possible that many among the 12 millions are customers of your stores or even workers in your stores.

We demand that you immediately withdraw the items from advertisement and selling. We also demand that you conduct an investigation to find within your companies those responsible for marketing such degrading outfits.

If these requests are not met, we will consider calling for a boycott of both your stores.
Sincerely,

Sergio Reyes
Boston May Day Committee
55 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118
www.bostonmayday.org

Amazon.com contact information:
Investor Relations
P.O. Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226
Phone: (206) 266-2171
Fax: (206) 266-1355
E-mail: ir@amazon.com

TARGET contact information:
Investor Relations
Target Corporation
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
E-mail: investorrelations@target.com

Be sure to read as far as the graph. It’s illuminating. http://www.venganza.org/about/open-letter/

Open Letter To Kansas School Board

I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.

Que Llueva Cafe Scholarship

C.O.R.E. is proud to present their first annual Que Llueva Café Scholarship specifically designed to provide scholarships to college-bound, undocumented students.

Please go to the following urls for instructions and application:

CORE “Que Llueva Café” Scholarship Instructions: http://tinyurl.com/scholar1

CORE “Que Llueva Café” Scholarship Application: http://tinyurl.com/scholarapp

APPLICATION DEADLINE: APRIL 10, 2009

[During February 2009, a national progressive newspaper called In These Times invited me, Arthur, to take part in a conversation with Naomi Klein, a well-known progressive political analyst and writer, with the intention of transcribing it and publishing an edited version approved by both of us.

The occasion was that Klein, in the wake of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, had for the first time joined the campaign for a "BDS strategy" ("Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions") directed at Israel. I assume ITT asked me because they knew I supported a very different strategy for bringing peace to the Middle East. (Both of us agreed that the crucial change must be a vigorous, committed, and active US insistence on full regional peace among Israel, Palestine, all Arab states, Iran, and the US itself.)

I agreed to join in the dialogue, and this edited version of our conversation has now been published by ITT.

I want to note that only in the last few days (March 20-22, 2009), weeks after our conversation, have there been published graphic descriptions by Israeli soldiers of what they themselves have called criminal acts, including murder, by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. These descriptions were published in two major Israeli newspapers after being leaked to them by an Army officer who was horrified by the descriptions. They have also been widely reported in the West, and they put to shame assertions that such claims by Palestinians and outside observers were lies.

It is not yet clear whether the publication will have a profound effect or only a marginal one on Israeli public opinion and government policy.

These reports have greatly strengthened my (already strong) conviction that those American Jews who have seen Israel as "HaTikvah, "the hope," of fulfilling Jewish values, not negating and destroying them, must act vigorously to uphold those values, even and especially against the will of the Israeli government. I continue to believe that the most effective path to doing so remains the one I have sketched below. And I welcome the kind of dialogue, on this and other issues, that Naomi Klein and I had. Shalom, salaam, peace -- Arthur]

To read the conversation: http://www.shalomctr.org/node/1493