A MEDLEY OF CAMPAIGNS AND APPEALS:

There's a number of internet campaigns and appeals that Molly has become aware of in the last week. First of all the Christian peace group Interpares (between equals) has a number of petition campaigns running concerning such matters as the Canada Pension Plan investing in corporations that produce arms such as cluster bombs. Interpares hopes to pressure the federal and provincial Ministers of Finance to withdraw from such unethical investment. To learn more and to join this campaign go to their action site. You can also learn more about the way that the CPP is misusing our pension funds from this news item from Interpares.

There's also a campaign from CeaseFire Action Centre asking people to sign a petition demanding three things: 1)fire Defense Minister O'Conner and the very political general Hillier, 2)support a diplomatic solution for the conflict in Afghanistan and 3)support and international ban on cluster bombs.

Then from the Labour Start, an on-line union solidarity group there's an appeal from the workers at Gibraltar company Cammeli Laird Gibraltar Ltd. These workers have to endure poor health and safety conditions, shifts that can extend to 36 hours and union busting activities. You can learn more and join the campaign at http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=244 .

Moving right along now, there's a campaign on the part of Amnesty International Canada for the rights of Canadian citizen Huseyin Celil who has been falsely imprisoned by the Chinese government under the pretext of being a "terrorist" because he was an activist for Uiger rights back in China. Amnesty is merely asking that he be granted consular visitations as a Canadian citizen and that he not be tortured in Chinese prisons. You can see and join the appeal at http://www.amnesty.ca/urgentappeal/celil.php .

More later,

Molly