The letter below is from our Genesee Valley Peacemaker Kate Alexander. Senator Gillibrand no longer is co-sponsoring the truly terrible Israel Anti-Boycott Act. No matter what your thoughts are about Israel, boycotting—or calling for a boycott—of Israel should not be a crime. Everyone has a right to boycott. As Kate said, it’s a free speech issue, not a political issue.
Senator Gillibrand came to understand that. Possibly, Kate’s comments were the tipping point.
I just called Senator Gillibrand’s office at 202-224-4451. The person who answered the phone was very cordial, and she was obviously pleased by my words. I told her, “I’m a Jew, but this bill has nothing to do with Israel. It has to do with preventing our right to free speech. S. 720 is simply wrong.”
Please reach out to Senator Gillibrand by phone, or
Comment on her Facebook page <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=66VtbmrWgI6WmS3Hh5Z31%2FNJD4ut%2FkoN> orRetweet this Tweet <http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f%2F0Z7iX1P%2BR87gUHXCpxeO050dEfXUKI>
[I don’t use Facebook or Twitter, so I don’t know if these work. The main point is to let Senator Gillibrand know that we support her courageous action.]
Peace,
Arnie Matlin for GVCP
On Monday, Emily and I were at a Town Hall. My number was called, and I asked Senator Gillibrand if she would consider removing her name from the Israel Anti-Boycott Act [S.720] because of the free speech implications.
Today, SHE REMOVED HER NAME AS A CO-SPONSOR.