FoST USA to Officially Launch

 

Friends of Standing Together, the binational Israeli peace and justice group, will officially launch their national organization in the United States on Sunday, April 26th. Here's the announcement I received:

 

Building a Purple Future: Announcing the FoST USA Launch! Join Standing Together leaders and Friends of Standing Together members from across the U.S. on April 26th to officially launch FoST USA: celebrating two years of incredible solidarity work and mapping out the next leg of our journey together. Register for the FOST USA launch In the wake of October 7th, while the world was reeling from the violence of the day and the violence of the response that has determined so much of our reality since then, many of you looked to voices on the ground to understand the unbearable situation and discovered Standing Together. We have heard time and again that Standing Together stood out as a unique, clear voice; one that recognizes every single person  as deserving of safety, freedom, and justice and sees everyone as partners in this struggle. A movement whose accomplishments in the fight against occupation and for peace are paving the way for a future where all people can thrive. While we battle destructive forces on the ground, it has been deeply heartening to witness supporters open Friends of Standing Together (FoST) chapters across the globe. Knowing that we are not alone has become a pillar of support in our struggle for a just future for everyone living here. Now our supporters in the U.S. are taking it up a notch. Join Standing Together leaders and FoST members from across the US to officially launch FoST USA! We are coming together on Zoom to celebrate the incredible work chapters have done over the past two years and discuss how a coordinated national effort can make the U.S. just that much more Purple. Plus, we have some Purple goodies to share with you! Whether you have been a FoST member for years, recently joined, or are simply curious about Standing Together, we invite you to join us and bring a friend with you. Register to join the event! The Details When: April 26th 9:00 AM Pacific / 10:00 AM Mountain 11:00 AM Central / 12:00 PM Eastern Where: Zoom Register to join! Register Now Together, US Supporters are planning the next leg of their journey. See you there? In Solidarity, Standing Together P.S. Not in the US? Tell us what country you live in so we can send you more relevant invitations!

Copyright (C) 2026 עומדים ביחד نقف معًا. All rights reserved. This is the english speaking newsletter of the Israeli movement "Standing Together" Our mailing address is: עומדים ביחד نقف معًا 123 Ibn GG Tel Aviv 61000 Israel

 

Craig Bolton is the Green Party Candidate for PA Lt. Governor

The Green Party of PA has announced its candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Don't forget that if you want to make a Vote Pact with a fellow Pennsylvanian, pledging to withdraw your votes from both corporate parties simultaneously, the website Break the Duopoly is now up and running to help you find a match. You can also use the site if you vote anywhere else in the United States.

The announcement:

Friday, April 10, 2026

Craig Bolton is the Green Party Candidate for PA Lt. Governor

https://www.gpofpa.org/craig_bolton_is_the_green_party_candidate_for_pa_lt_governor

 

The Steering Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) has chosen Craig Bolton to be its candidate this year for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Meeting virtually, the seven-member Steering Committee agreed by consensus to support Bolton, Chair of the Green Party of Philadelphia, to be on the ballot for the General Election on November 3

.

 

 

GPPA Secretary Bryarr Misner (Allegheny) explained, “Over the past year, we have seen Craig Bolton in action, especially his dedication to the Green Party of Philadelphia. We like the ideas he has brought forward during the opening of Tony Dastra’s campaign for Governor of Pennsylvania. Personally, I have grown to respect Craig, and I fully support his run for Lieutenant Governor. I also hope that, throughout this campaign, Craig Bolton continues to champion the ideas and values that matter personally to him. This is a real opportunity for both Craig and Tony to get out there and make a difference in the hearts of Pennsylvanians. I am confident that they will.”

Tony Dastra, the Green Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, said, “Craig Bolton brings to the table a great deal of talent and community concern for his home in Philadelphia. I’m looking forward to running alongside another creative person, and not some corporate type. I know what I like in a candidate -- passion and authenticity -- because I’m tired of the blah, blah, blah, from most of the candidates who run for office with either of the two corporate parties. Craig and I recognize the importance of running a campaign like this at such a critical moment for discourse in Pennsylvania, America, and even the world. Dastra-Bolton 2026! Liberty and Justice for ALL!”�

Craig Bolton responded by saying, “Thank you, Tony. As the chair of the Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP), and as a community-building professional for nearly two decades, I have seen firsthand the power of organization and how direct interactions and holistic approaches can create real outcomes that strengthen the material conditions of working people. I have found the Green Party’s Four Pillars to be important in my life. In deciding to run for Lieutenant Governor, I am especially interested in Social Justice, the Pillar which calls for a living wage and a real safety net. I will work to raise awareness of the need for universal single-payer healthcare in our Commonwealth.”

Bolton continued, “Across the state, bad and worse have been normalized as the only options when deciding our leaders. Many voters have, collectively, accepted that there are no better options. I know that to be false, and I am excited to be running with Tony Dastra, combining our professional experiences and community service perspectives to create a state government which benefits all Pennsylvanians. I am running with Tony Dastra because he is the better option. We live in significant times and stand at a crossroads. We have an opportunity to forge our own, separate path, apart from the duopoly and on terms that we, the people, set for ourselves.”
  

Bolton was re-elected chair of the Green Party of Philadelphia on March 24, 2026. He also works with community service groups and lends his unique experience to panels and other discussions on public safety, community affairs, and grassroots political action. Bolton has a master of arts (M.A.) degree in strategic communication and a bachelor of arts

(B.A.) in public relations from La Salle University. His professional career spans more than two decades in direct service and nonprofit community membership, arts, and fundraising. Bolton has always had a passion for film and media.

Every four years in Pennsylvania, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same party line in the General Election, November 3. It comes as no surprise that Dastra’s running mate will come from Philadelphia, which has 1.4 million voters who are not registered with the two corporate parties and who are not permitted to participate in the corporate parties’ Primary Election.

 

Tony Dastra Campaign Contact Information

Website, https://www.dastraforpa.org/         
Email,  dastraforpa@gmail.com
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/dastraforpa/
Facebook, www.facebook.com/DastraforPA

 

For More Information 

“The Four Pillars,” Green Party of the United States,

https://www.gp.org/the_four_pillars 

“Tony Dastra is the Green Party Candidate for PA Governor,” Green Party of Pennsylvania News Release, March 13, 2026,
https://www.gpofpa.org/tony_dastra_campaign_for_governor_of_pennsylvania 

 

Molly Crabapple at the Ethical Society

 

Announced by Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace:

Join Molly Crabapple and Kim Kelly in collaboration with @jvp_philly @koltzedek and @phillydsa to discuss her book, Here Where We Live Os Our Country, the dramatic story of the Jewish Bund — a revolutionary movement from a vanished world — and its radical vision of solidarity in an age of division. May 16, 2026, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM at the @phillyethics (1906 Rittenhouse Square). RSVP link in bio.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DXHqO7ZDiFU/  

PA 🩷 Immigrants

People rallied in LOVE Park today in support of the ICE Out of Philly legislation introduced by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau. I'll be in Council chambers Monday when the bill gets its first reading. 

Allow Ranked Choice Voting in PA (HB 123)

 

A bill has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to permit the use of ranked choice voting in local elections. The bill is appropriately numbered 123,  since RCV is based on ranking candidates (1-2-3) in order of preference, so that the best doesn't become the enemy of the good (or just less bad) and every vote truly counts.

March on Harrisburg has made it easy for PA voters to write their representatives in support of this measure. Here's the text of my letter:

The disaffection and alienation of so many eligible voters is due in significant part to the partisan polarization promoted by first-past-the-post elections. These result in tribal thinking and mutual demonization by citizens of differing political inclinations instead of open-minded exploration of each other's ideas. It also frequently results in the election of candidates who don't actually reflect the preference of a majority of voters.

An alternative to this is Ranked Choice Voting, which is used by 63 U.S. jurisdictions, including 59 cities, 2 counties, 2 states, and over 13 million voters. Data show that it results in less toxic campaigning, more voter engagement, higher turnout, and fairer representation. Most of all, everywhere it’s used, voters like it!

I urge you to support Ranked Choice Voting in Pennsylvania by 1) becoming a co-sponsor of HB 123, which would allow jurisdictions to adopt Ranked Choice Voting for their local elections, and 2) asking the State Government Committee for hearings and movement forward on Ranked Choice Voting.

You can send your own letter by going to https://actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-your-representative-if-they-support-rankedchoicevoting-in-pennsylvania and editing the suggested text to personalize your message. 

Another Spirited No Kings Day in Philadelphia

 

This is reported to have been nationally the biggest demonstration ever. The banner centered above says, "Go Birds! F*ck ICE. Free Palestine." I arrived too late to take part in canvassing with If Not Now and other groups in the pro-Palestine/anti-genocide contingent, but I carried this sign in solidarity:

  

A couple others that got my attention:

 

(My childhood hero.)

 

In case you have trouble making it out, this one says, "Veterans against ICE."

Omegakitten Turns 15 Today!

 

 

Omegakitten Hydra, who now records music with her little cousin as Omega Idol and Medusa Idol, turns fifteen today. You can listen to their latest album here. You can follow the progress of her movie, Omegakitten and the Mythicals, here.

A Major Study on Gender Dysphoria Outcomes Has Been Launched

It's called AYAGDOS and its stated objective is "closing the research gap on adolescents and young adults living with gender dysphoria." The home page says, The Adolescent and Young Adult Gender Dysphoria Outcomes Study (AYAGDOS) is a research study of gender dysphoria that occurs during adolescence or young adulthood. Currently, we are enrolling gender dysphoric youth ages 13-25, as well as the parents of gender dysphoric youth of those ages, for the initial research phase."

Although it appears to have been launched in 2024, I just learned about this study today from an article by trans blogger s. baum posted to Erin Reed's Substack. From the tone of the article, I get the impression that the reason he may have waited so long to write about it was that he was afraid of giving it publicity. And the reason for this may be that he seems to adhere to the ideological dogma holding that mental health professionals whose patients present with gender dysphoria -- unlike any other physical or mental health condition -- are obligated to simply rubber-stamp their self-diagnosis rather than perform an independent, comprehensive evaluation.

baum tries to cast doubt on the bona fides of investigators J. Michael Bailey, Lisa Littman, and Kenneth Zucker, but the sources he uses to do so are themselves highly suspect. For instance, he repeatedly seeks to discredit people and organizations on the basis of their being designated as "hate groups" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group that Media Bias/Fact Check says has "mischaracterized some groups and individuals," giving them a "left bias" rating of -5.8 (and which has been begging for funds from supporters by claiming an "emergency" despite apparently sitting on mountains of cash already). He also seeks to discredit the researchers by saying that some of the ideas they've given consideration to have been condemned by professional organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, which has itself been shown by sexologist James Cantor to have based its gender-affirming care guidelines on a thoroughly fraudulent scientific paper.

If you're interested in participating in AYAGDOS you can contact them at https://www.ayagdos.org/. 

Tony Dastra is the Green Party Candidate for Pennsylvania Governor

 

 

If you're a PA voter and have been thinking you'd have no better option in the governor's race than Josh Shapiro, take heart. There's now a Green Party nominee. And if you were thinking you have to vote Democratic to keep someone even worse from getting in, Break the Duopoly's website is now up and running, making it easy to get matched with a right-leaning PA voter to withdraw your votes from both capitalist parties at the same time, leaving the margin unaltered. Here's the announcement of Tony Dastra's candidacy: 

Tony Dastra of Lancaster is the Green Party Candidate for Pennsylvania Governor of Pennsylvania. On March 8, the 35 elected delegates to the GPPA State Committee endorsed Dastra’s campaign.

 

In requesting the endorsement, Tony Dastra told the delegates from 12 counties, “Today, with your support, I am planting myself. I am committing to be on this ride, to help get the blood flowing and to grow unorganized areas of our Commonwealth into organized ones. I will seed new Green Party organized counties by recruiting more delegates to fill our rolls.”

 

Dastra now says, “I am committed to growing my local Green Party of Lancaster County. I am committing to the Green Party’s Four Pillars and Ten Key Values. In fact, as it relates to our values, I am particularly upset recently because Scouting America is flat out REMOVING their Citizenship in Society Merit Badge. The more I think about my upbringing being an Eagle Scout, I had a lot of American history poured into me. The Green Party often reminds me of the newly formed Republican Party of 1858. Back then, abolitionists, like U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens (Republican of Lancaster County) who drafted the 14th Amendment, were called radical. I have hope in the Green Party in this moment of history for that reason. Though I do not have a crystal ball, I am putting all my chips on Green.”

 

Tony Dastra was the Green Party candidate for Mayor of Lancaster City in 2025. He is a vigorous campaigner and plans to visit the 10 largest cities in PA and a rural community in all 11 PennDOT Districts. Dastra says that his campaign will not accept donations from corporations or corporate PACs. Interested individuals should get involved with the Green Party of Pennsylvania and follow listed social media for campaign updates.

 

For more information, please contact:
Email,  dastraforpa@gmail.com

Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/dastraforpa/

Facebook, facebook.com/DastraforPA
Website, https://www.dastraforpa.org/ 

 

 

To register at Break the duopoly go to https://www.breaktheduopoly.com/. To learn more about the Vote Pact concept go to https://votepact.org/.