grassroots jerusalem

Peace talks between Israel and Palestine are "a calming pill. Kind of a time game," according to Micha Kurz, co-director of Grassroots Jerusalem and a founder of Breaking the Silence, an organization of former IDF soldiers speaking out about their experiences in the Occupied Territories. While the talks stall, settlement building continues, and settlement building, Kurz notes, becomes a "fact" that makes the idea of a Palestinian state less viable. What can be done to change these facts on the ground? Kurz returns to GRITtv as part of a tour of North America, talking about grassroots initiatives for change in Jerusalem and beyond. From our friends at ColorLines, we bring you a selection from their "Drop the I-Word" campaign. Billy Wimsatt made a splash when he was 21 with the book Bomb the Suburbs--the "bomb" of the title meaning graffiti, not weaponry. Sixteen years later, he's back with a new book, and a new strategy, though with no less enthusiasm and fire for change. Instead, he says, it's time "to play the game in a more sophisticated way—to win."Please Don't Bomb The Suburbs is "a midterm report on my generation" according to Wimsatt, and a manual for continuing to move forward. He joined Laura in studio recently to discuss social movements post-Obama, the hip-hop generation coming of age, and why he's optimistic for the future. Finally, the recently-passed Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act had as one of its strongest features the right for shareholders to vote on CEO pay for corporations for which they hold stock. But the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups want to take that away. Laura has some thoughts.