Saturday, March 05, 2005

BAUAW NEWSLETTER-SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 2005

GET THE MILITARY OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!

There are three important meetings coming up:

Sunday, March 6th:

The code pink counter-recruitment
group will be holding a meeting at 3 p.m. at the S.F.
green office, 1028a Howard St. (between 6th and 7th,)
to plan for the March 8th San Francisco
Board of Education meeting, where
the item on the agenda is: Military
Recruitment and JROTC in our Schools.


Tuesday, March 8th:

The Board will entertain
a motion to allow counter-recruitment
at the schools to counteract military presence.
This meeting is at 7:00 p.m. at
555 Franklin St.

Folks are encouraged to speak
at this meeting.

To get on the speakers list call:
415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000
March 7th from 8-4 p.m. or
March 8th from 8-3 p.m.

Thursday, March 17th:

There will be a "meeting of the whole"
devoted solely to Military Recruitment
and JROTC in our schools.

This meeting is designed to be a very
large meeting where a real dialogue can
take place between the community and
Board members on how best to accomplish
this goal.

Everyone is invited to participate in this
important meeting.

The meeting will take place at:
555 Franklin St.

To get on the speakers list call:
415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000,
March 16th from 8-4 p.m. and
March 17th from 8-3 p.m.

BAUAW has submitted the following resolution to the board:

Draft Resolution for San Francisco Board of Education
Cut Ties with the Military:

WHEREAS, the United States military is
actively recruiting high school students into
the military to fight in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, many young San Francisco
high school alumni are presently serving in
military units fighting in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, it is San Francisco City policy
by virtue of Proposition N, to bring all U.S.
troops home from Iraq now; and

WHEREAS, over 1,448 U.S. soldiers and
approximately 100,000 Iraqis have been
killed in this war and over 10,000 U.S.
soldiers and unknown thousands of
Iraqis have been wounded; and

WHEREAS, the hundreds of billions of dollars
spent on the war have robbed our children of
resources that should be spent on
education and other human needs; and

WHEREAS, military presence in our schools
legitimizes the message that violence is
acceptable;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
It shall be the policy of the San Francisco
Board of Education to support cutting
all ties with the United States military,
including, but not limited to: Ending military
recruitment on campuses; ending the
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
(JROTC); and guaranteeing that all students
and parents are informed of their right to
deny military recruiters access to their
names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Bay Area United Against War (BAUAW)
www.bauaw.org
414-824-8730

****************************************

Donations are urgently needed to carry
out this important work. We have no
expenses for staff or office space,
but we need money for posters, buttons,
flyers and anti-recruitment informational
material to hand out to students and parents.

Make a tax-deductible donation to:

Bay Area United Against War/NVM
P.O. Box 318021
San Francisco, CA 94131-8021

*****************************************
Coming Up:

Global Day of Action
March 19, 2005
No to War and Occupation in Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People's Needs, Not War!

San Francisco March Assembles:
11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

THE NEXT BAUAW MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE:
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 11:30AM
474 VALENCIA STREET, SF
(FIRST FLOOR, TO THE LEFT AND ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE COMPANEROS DEL BARRIO CHILDREN'S CENTER)

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Resource:
MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR!
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF SOCIAL SERVICES
UNDER THE KNIFE RIGHT NOW GO TO:
http://www.bauaw.org/2005/02/programs-eliminated-or-cut-in-2006.html

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1) WE ALL STAND WITH LYNNE STEWART!
NO JAIL TIME FOR LYNNE!
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS TODAY

2) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation ˆ Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People‚s Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

3) COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON-POWERFUL ANTIWAR MOVIES

4) Center for Constitutional Rights
regarding the No Child Left
Behind Act and military recruiting in schools.

5) Upcoming Events: March and April
Upcoming Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA)
Related Events see below for more detailed info

6) From: Alison Weir
Sent: 2/27/05 9:13:24 AM
Victims Were ALL Soldiers

7) Sobriety Tests Are Becoming (link only)
Part of the School Day
By PATRICK O'GILFOIL HEALY
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/nyregion/03breath.html?hp&ex=1109912400&en=1f2a00390ff377a0&ei=5094&partner=homepage

8) Greenspan Says Federal (link only)
Budget Deficits Are 'Unsustainable'
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/politics/03deficit.html

9) Audit Describes 8 Years of (link only)
Looting by L.I. School Officials
By BRUCE LAMBERT
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/nyregion/03roslyn.html

10) New Poll Finds Bush Priorities
Are Out of Step With Americans
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JANET ELDER
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/politics/03poll.html?hp&ex=1109912400&en=1b7c8514d044e85b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

11) U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 1,500
By Philippe Naughton
Times Online
Thursday 03 March 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/030305Z.shtml

12) Students in the Progressive Student Alliance (link only)
here at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have
inaugurated a short and solemn pledge for young
people to take, asserting that, should a draft be
reinstituted, they will not serve. Signatures have already
started coming in to our website at
http://www.wewontgo.org

13) SAN FRANCISCO ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE
ANTIWAR CONTINGENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, ASSEMBLE: 10:45 A.M.
SOUTH OF MARKET ST.

14) Terror Bill: Taking liberties (link only)
Today, the House of Lords debates
the Prevention of Terrorism Bill.
So how have our civil rights been
eroded under Tony Blair?
03 March 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=616332&host=3&dir=60

15) The 8th Annual
*****A N A R C H I S T C A F E*****
Vegan dinner!! Music!! Spoken Word!! Surprises!!
Friday, March 25, 2005, 6pm
"The Kitchen"
225 Potrero Ave., at 16th Street
San Francisco
$5 - $15 donation requested
No one turned away for lack of funds
VIDEO by Video Activist Network
dinner 7 - 8
performers indoors 7-10:30
video 8-9
all ages! kid space!
drug and alcohol free space.
indoor/outdoor
wheelchair accessible.
volunteers needed to help volunteer, email
anarchistcafe2005@yahoo.com
This year's Anarchist Café is a benefit for
The Central Committee for
Conscientious Objectors, which supports
and promotes individual and
collective resistance to war and preparations for war
http://objector.org; and for From Attica to Abu Ghraib:
An Organizing
Conference on Human Rights, Torture,
and Resistance, sponsored by the
International Human Rights Initiative
http://www.attica2abughraib.co

16) The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw
A Documentary Film
3 Days of 9-11 Events in SF Bay Area -
March 9th - 11th, 2005
and a showing in Santa Rosa on
March 12 at "Odd Fellows Hall,"
545 Pacific Ave,
phone 1-707-664-2500

17) Face up to the facts on the ground (link only)
Britain and Europe are funding Israel's
occupation and expansion
Karma Nabulsi
Tuesday March 1, 2005
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1427711,00.html

18) Historic 24-Hour Emergency Read-In
Please Circulate Widely
[Original Message] From: Mary Prophet
mlprophet@earthlink.net

19) Maximum Pain is Aim of New US Weapon (link only)
by David Hambling
Published on Thursday, March 3, 2005 by the
New Scientist Magazine
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0303-08.htm

20) Job Gains Pick Up But Jobless Rate Rises (link only)
By Tim Ahmann
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Fri Mar 4, 2005 09:20 AM ET
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7810254&src=eDialog/GetContent

21) Key Iraq Wound: Brain Trauma (link only)
By Gregg Zoroya
USA Today
Friday 04 March 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/030405Y.shtml

22) Proposed Law on Bankruptcy Has Loophole (link only)
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
March 2, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/02/business/02bankrupt.html?pagewanted=print&position=-------

23) Idriss Stelley Foundation &
Dokta Cooper Community Network Project
Are proudly hosting the CEDP (Campaign to End the (racist)
Death Penalty)Bayview Chapter, every other Monday
evening at 7 P.M.,at 4921 3rd Street between Palou
and Quesada, SF.

24) Violent New Front in Drug War Opens (link only)
on the Canadian Border
By SARAH KERSHAW
March 5, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/05/national/05bud.html?hp&ex=1110085200&en=65572337829fba47&ei=5094&partner=homepage

25) Disparity in Nation's Schools: (link only)
Race and Poverty Linked to Educational
Inequality and Higher Dropout Rates
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/news/pressreleases/deseg05.php

27) WHEN JEWS TARGET (link only)
A CANADIAN MUSLIM
By Dr. Mohamed Elmasry
February 25, 2005
http://www.canadianislamiccongress.com/fb/friday_bulletin.php?fbdate=2005-03-04#2

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

1) WE ALL STAND WITH LYNNE STEWART!
NO JAIL TIME FOR LYNNE!
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS TODAY:

SUGGESTION AS TO FORMAT OF LETTERS
TO BE WRITTEN ON BEHALF OF LYNNE STEWART

MARGIN: Please leave at least a one-inch left-hand margin to
allow us to bind the letter into the appendix to the sentencing
memorandum that is being filed on
Lynne's behalf.

INSIDE ADDRESS: Honorable John G. Koeltl
United States District Judge
Southern District of New York
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl Street
New York, New York 10007

GREETING: Honorable Sir or Dear Judge Koeltl:

BODY: Briefly introduce yourself and set forth your
relationship to Lynne.
Briefly discuss yourself - your position in work and
in society.
State that you are aware that Lynne is to be sentenced
following a jury verdict of guilty on serious charges: The
remainder of your letter should discuss whatever you believe
to weigh in favor of no jail time. If possible, you should tell
of an incident where she helped you out or engaged
in commendable community service. Do not try to argue
that she is not guilty or was unfairly conviction. Focus
on the unfairness of the government's actions in bringing
the charges; the way in which the government portrayed her, etc.

* Typewritten letters if possible are preferred.
*
WHEN LETTER IS COMPLETED: Please mail the final product
to the following address:
Jill R. Shellow-Lavine, Esq.
2537 Post Road
Southport, CT 06890

Do not send your letters to the judge. We ask that you forward
your letter me so that the lawyers can present it to Judge Koeltl
with the other letters being written for this purpose. This is the
manner in which letters will have the greatest impact. If they
are sent directly to the Judge's chambers, they may have less
of an impact and could cause the judge a substantial
inconvenience (and annoyance).

Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact the defense committee at
www.lynnestewart.org.

Sincerely,
Jill R. Shellow-Lavine
Attorney for Lynne Stewart
For more information go to:
www.LynneStewart.org

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2) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation ˆ Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People‚s Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

3) COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON
ARE SOME POWERFUL ANTIWAR MOVIES
"Mission Accomplished" is a a brutally vivid documentary
filmed entirely on the ground in Iraq. The reality of this
war for American troops is contrasted to the
overwhelming reality of the devastation felt and experienced
by the people of Iraq.
"Mission Accomplished" will open March 18th:
4 Star
2200 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA 94121
415.666.3488

"Voices In Wartime" is a compelling portrayal of human
experience with war through poetry, both from the point
of view of those who were in combat and those who are left
behind.
"Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
Landmark Lumiere 3
1572 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

[This poem by fourth-grader Cameron Penny was read
by Marie Howe in this very beautiful film
directed by Rick King.

"If you are lucky in this life
A window will appear on a battlefield between two armies
And when the soldiers look into the window
They don't see their enemies
They see themselves as children
And they stop fighting
And go home and go to sleep
When they wake up, the land is well again."
By Cameron Penny]

To learn more about these film visit
Cinema Libre Studio
http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

Also: check out, GUNNER PALACE |
Some war stories will never make the nightly news.


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4) Center for Constitutional Rights
regarding the No Child Left
Behind Act and military recruiting in schools.

MEMORANDUM

FROM: JEFFREY E. FOGEL, Legal Director
Center for Constitutional Rights

RE: NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND AND MILITARY RECRUITING
IN SCHOOLS

The No Child Left Behind Act provides, in part,
that each local educational agency receiving
assistance:

Shall provide, on a request made by military
recruiters, access to secondary school students names,
addresses, and telephone listings;

Shall provide military recruiters "the same access to
secondary school students as is provided generally to
post secondary educational institutions or to
prospective employers of those students."

20 U.S.C. § 7908.

Although not stated explicitly in the statute, the
implication of refusing to provide these matter, would
be a loss of assistance.

The provisions of this section are similar to the
provisions of the Solomon Amendment which purports to
deny certain funding to institutions of higher
learning that prohibit ROTC access or equal access for
military recruiting on campus. 10 U.S.C. § 983. The
Solomon Amendment was prompted by the refusal of some
colleges and universities to allow military recruiters
because of the military's policy of discrimination
based on sexual orientation. The law has been declared
unconstitutional in the only two cases which have been
brought.

In FAIR v. Rumsfeld, 390 F.2d 219 (3d Cir. 2004),
the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that
enforcement of the Solomon Amendment against schools
which have a non-discrimination policy for prospective
employers would violate the First Amendment. The court
agreed with the schools that the Solomon Amendment
significantly affects their ability to express their
viewpoint, reflected in their policies, that
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is
wrong. The Solomon Amendment compels them to
disseminate the opposite message. By coordinating
interviews and posting and publishing recruiting
notices of an employer who discriminates on the basis
of sexual orientation, the Amendment impairs the
school's ability to teach an inclusive message by
example.

Since the Solomon Amendment significantly affects
the First Amendment rights of the schools, it must be
justified by a compelling governmental interest and
the means used must be narrowly tailored to achieve
that interest. While there is a compelling interest
of the federal government to recruit for the armed
services, the court held that "the military has ample
resources to recruit through alternative means." The
court concluded that "[t]he availability of
alternative, less speech-restrictive means of
effective recruitment is sufficient to render the
Solomon Amendment unconstitutional."

The same result was just reached by the court in
Burt v. Rumsfeld, Civil Action No. 3-03-ev-1777
(JCH)(D. Conn. 2005).

The Solomon Amendment and the above cited
provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act are
virtually identical for the purposes of this issue.
Thus, if the City Council, by virtue of its authority
over the public schools, declares non-discrimination
based on sexual orientation to be the policy of the
Department of Education, it would be unconstitutional,
for the reasons expressed by the FAIR court, to
require, as a condition to receiving funds, that the
schools allow and foster a contrary message.

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CodePinkCounterRecruitGroup/

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5) Upcoming Events: March and April
Upcoming Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA)
Related Events see below for more detailed info

March 13- Benefit for the Made in Palestine art exhibit. Live music,
slide presentation by Exhibition Curator, Gabriel Delgado, and the
George Lammam Ensemble!

March 16- Remembering Rachel Corrie: An Evening of Music,
Poetry and Activism

March 19- Bring the Troops Home Now!

March 30- Film Screening of Arna's Children

April 7- Opening Reception for Made in Palestine Art Exhibit!

April 9- Robert Fisk in Berkeley

May 1- Application Deadline for MECA's July Delegation
to Palestine/Israel

Detailed Descriptions

A Benefit for the Made in Palestine Exhibit

Sunday, March 13 - 7pm - Medjool Bar and Restaurant,
2522 Mission Street - $35 and up

Live music, slide presentation by Exhibition Curator
Gabriel Delgado, Middle Eastern Mazzeh, Cash Bar and
George Lammam Ensemble!

Made In Palestine will be on view at SomArts, San Francisco,
April 7 through April 21, 2005. The exhibition showcases
a collection of contemporary art made by 23 Palestinian
artists and refugees from the occupied territories and the
Diaspora. The works on display cover a wide range of media
and present individual reflections on the Palestinian
contemporary experience and the political situation in
Palestine. The Station Museum, Houston, where the show
originated, described Made In Palestine as "the first exhibit
of contemporary Palestinian art ever displayed in the
United States." For exhibition details visit
www.stationmuseum.com/Made_In_Palestine/Made_In_Palestine.htm

$35 admission -- $50 includes admission and a Made
In Palestine poster LIMITED QUANTITY! -- $100 or more
includes admission, a Made In Palestine poster - plus
a full color Made In Palestine exhibition catalogue!

Proceeds benefit the Bay Area presentation of
Made In Palestine.

Organized by the Justice In Palestine Coalition (JIP)
-- Co-sponsor: KPFA 94.1FM -- Fiscal sponsor:
Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA)

Justice in Palestine Coaltion
KPFA 94.1FM

Middle East Children's Alliance

Remembering Rachel Corrie:
An Evening of Music, Poetry and Activism

Wednesday, March 16th - 7pm - King Middle School,
1781 Rose Street in Berkeley - $20 requested donation
(benefits ISM and the Rachel Corrie Foundation)

Come celebrate the life and activism of International
Solidarity Movement activist Rachel Corrie who was
killed on March 16, 2003 by a D-9 Caterpillar bulldozer.

Featured Speakers: Peter Camejo, Julia Butterfly Hill,
Pratap Chatterjee, Barbara Lubin, Starhawk and more

Featured Musicians: Iron Sheik, Matthew Owens,
Tariq Ghazalah, Brass Liberation Orchestra and more

Reception to precede event at 6pm. Tickets are $50.

No to War and Occupation! March and Rally

Saturday, March 19 - 11am - Dolores Park in San Francisco

March 19th will be an International Day of Protest.
Millinos of Peoples will march in protest onf the second
anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Arna's Children: Film Benefit for MECA

Wednesday, March 30 - 7pm - La Pena Cultural Center,
3105 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley - $10-20, no one
turned away for lack of funds

Arna Mer Khamis was a legendary activist against the
Israeli Occupation. Born into a Jewish family, she
married a Palestinian and spent her life working for
justice and human rights in her homeland. In the Jenin
refugee camp, Arna taught the children to express
themselves through acting and art. Arna's son, Juliano
Mer Khamis, filmed his mother and the children
rehearsing and performing over a six-year period.
Five years after Arna's death, Juliano returns to the
camp to discover what happened to them. "Arna's
Children" reveals the tragedy and horror of young
lives trapped by the circumstances of occupation.

Opening Reception for the Made in
Palestine Art Exhibit

Thursday, April 7 - 5:30-8:30pm - SomArts,
934 Brannan in San Francisco

for more info email sfmadeinpalestine@yahoo.com

Robert Fisk on Iraq

Saturday, April 9 - 7pm - Martin Luther King Middle
School, 1781 Rose Street in Berkeley - $20, no one
turned away for lack of funds -
Tickets available on MECA's website

World-renowned journalist covering the Middle East for
nearly 30 years, Robert Fisk reports on the Iraq War for
London's Independent. He has received the British
International Journalist of the Year Award seven times
and the Amnesty International UK Press Award twice.

MECA's July Delegation to Palestine/Israel

July 1- July 14, 2005. REMINDER: Applications
due May 1, 2005.

For 16 years, MECA has taken small groups
to the West bank, Gaza and Israel to witness
life under occupation and meet people who
are working for peace and justice. MECA
staff and local guides introduce you to activists,
journalists, health care workers, and
ordinary people trying to save their land
and their culture. We visit our Ibdaa "family"
in Dheisheh refugee camp and other MECA
projects and friends.

For more information contact Uda Olabarria
Walker - uda@mecaforpeace.org or 510-548-0542

email: meca@mecaforpeace.org
phone: 510-548-0542
web: http://www.mecaforpeace.org

To donate to the Middle East Children's Alliance, send
a check to our office or visit https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/ index.php?aid=1171

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6) From: Alison Weir
Sent: 2/27/05 9:13:24 AM
Victims Were ALL Soldiers

1. Those killed in Friday night's suicide bombing were all members
of an Israeli combat unit that had taken part in numerous brutal
invasions into civilian Palestinian neighborhoods.

2. This unit, as part of these invasions, had been responsible for
the deaths and mutilation of numerous Palestinian men, women,
and children.

3. The truce was shattered long before this bombing: 8 Palestinians
had been killed by Israelis -- 2 of them within 24 hours of the truce
being declared. 170 Palestinian men, women, and children had
been killed, and 379 injured, by Israeli forces since the previous
suicide bombing against Israeli civilians (Nov. 1, 2004). This had
taken 3 Israeli lives.

Please call, email, or write your local news outlets and ask them
to report these facts.

This information is widely available in Israel. Americans need to
have these facts as well.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109387974746

Feb. 26, 2005 18:36 | Updated Feb. 26, 2005 18:58
IDF unit struck hard by Tel Aviv bomber
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Friday night's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv struck an IDF combat
unit especially hard. The unit was all invited to celebrate
a party for one of its soldiers, and stood at the entrance
to the 'Stage' club when the bomber detonated his bomb-belt.

The platoon commander, Eran Cohen, told Army Radio,
"There were 13 of us there. All the fatalities are from our
unit. Many more were wounded."

Eran called the unit's soldiers, "The best of the best.
Israel's elite."

"In the past five years of this war, we have carried out virtually
every single mission in the territories and underwent nearly
every kind of attempted attack. In five years, none of our
troops were wounded. It's ironic that we were hit so hard in
one explosion on a Friday night in Tel Aviv, just before
a party," Eran said.

Alison Weir
Executive Director
If Americans Knew
www.ifamericansknew.org
310.441.8580

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7) Sobriety Tests Are Becoming (link only)
Part of the School Day
By PATRICK O'GILFOIL HEALY
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/nyregion/03breath.html?hp&ex=1109912400&en=1f2a00390ff377a0&ei=5094&partner=homepage

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

8) Greenspan Says Federal (link only)
Budget Deficits Are 'Unsustainable'
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/politics/03deficit.html

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

9) Audit Describes 8 Years of (link only)
Looting by L.I. School Officials
By BRUCE LAMBERT
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/nyregion/03roslyn.html

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

10) New Poll Finds Bush Priorities
Are Out of Step With Americans
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JANET ELDER
March 3, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/03/politics/03poll.html?hp&ex=1109912400&en=1b7c8514d044e85b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

11) U.S. Death Toll in Iraq Reaches 1,500
By Philippe Naughton
Times Online
Thursday 03 March 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/030305Z.shtml

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

12) Students in the Progressive Student Alliance (link only)
here at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville have
inaugurated a short and solemn pledge for young
people to take, asserting that, should a draft be
reinstituted, they will not serve. Signatures have already
started coming in to our website at
http://www.wewontgo.org

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

13) SAN FRANCISCO ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE ANTIWAR CONTINGENT
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, ASSEMBLE: 10:45 A.M. SOUTH OF MARKET ST.

Comrades and friends,
The Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America's San
Francisco Bay Area chapter will again be participating in the San
Francisco St. Patrick's Day Parade and is once again organising
an Anti-Imperialist Contingent as part of its participation.

The parade is taking place this year
on Sunday, March 13th. While we never
have many details this much before
the actual parade date, the contingent
will undoubtedly assemble between
10:45 and 11:15 a.m., somewhere south of
Market and, of course, details will
be forthcoming once we know them.

The focus of the Anti-Imperialist
Contingent this year will again
be on ending the occupation of
Iraq and of Ireland, and the slogans
we are putting forward are:

British and American Imperialism,
Out of Iraq! Out of Ireland!

No War but the Class War!

These are both slogans of the IRSP,
raised during demonstrations against
the war and occupation during
the past year. As always, the
Anti-Imperialist Contingent
welcome participants to have their own
identifying banners as well, and
accepts any banners or signs addressing
the theme of this years contingent
or in support of the Irish struggle for
national liberation and socialism.

We will extend a special invitation
to ANSWER to participate,
because the date demonstration
against the war and occupation they are
building for is a week after the
St. Patrick's Day parade, making it the
last major opportunity to building
for the demonstration. If any of you
receiving this message who
are participants in the coalitions
engaged in building for that
demonstration in the Bay Area, we
would welcome you giving
voice to this offer in coalition meetings. In
addition to marchers, we
would welcome members of the coalition to
circulate along side our
contingent hand-billing for the demonstration.

Those who have participated with
us in the past know that we generally
also have a van converted into
a mobile bulletin board of sorts, which will
be the case again this year.
The van will be used to also draw attention to
the 30th anniversary of the
Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Irish
National Liberation Army, which
just took place in December and the 21st
anniversary of the Irish Republican
Socialist Committees of North America,
which were founded in St. Paul,
Minnesota in March 1984

We need to know which organisations
we can anticipate joining our
contingent this year, so please let
us know by the 1st of March, if at all
possible. And, individuals planning
on coming for the weekend from out of
town to participate need to let us
know right away, if they want us to
try to supply lodging for them.

Following the parade, we welcome
all those marching with the contingent to
join us at 2057 15th Street, Suite B
(between Church and Market Streets)
for margaritas and a light buffet of
Mexican food--because it is the firm
belief of the IRSCNA (Bay Area chapter,
anyway) that it just isn't St.
Patrick's Day, if you haven't had a margarita!

As veterans of the parade know, we
will march come rain or shine, and that
time of the March in San Francisco,
rain is the more likely forecast--so
dress for what may come, as we
don't want spirits dampened.

This year is again important for us
to have other socialists and anti-
imperialists with us in a display of
solidarity, as we expect to be
the sole unit in the parade
challenging the American occupation of Iraq.

Is mise le meas,
IRSCNA, Bay Area Chapter


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14) Terror Bill: Taking liberties (link only)
Today, the House of Lords debates
the Prevention of Terrorism Bill.
So how have our civil rights been
eroded under Tony Blair?
03 March 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/low_res/story.jsp?story=616332&host=3&dir=60

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15) The 8th Annual
*****A N A R C H I S T C A F E*****
Vegan dinner!! Music!! Spoken Word!! Surprises!!
Friday, March 25, 2005, 6pm
"The Kitchen"
225 Potrero Ave., at 16th Street
San Francisco
$5 - $15 donation requested
No one turned away for lack of funds
VIDEO by Video Activist Network
dinner 7 - 8
performers indoors 7-10:30
video 8-9
all ages! kid space!
drug and alcohol free space.
indoor/outdoor
wheelchair accessible.

volunteers needed to help volunteer, email
anarchistcafe2005@yahoo.com
This year's Anarchist Café is a benefit for
The Central Committee for
Conscientious Objectors, which supports
and promotes individual and
collective resistance to war and preparations for war
http://objector.org; and for From Attica to Abu Ghraib:
An Organizing
Conference on Human Rights, Torture,
and Resistance, sponsored by the
International Human Rights Initiative
http://www.attica2abughraib.co

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16) The 9/11 News Special You Never Saw
A Documentary Film
3 Days of 9-11 Events in SF Bay Area -
March 9th - 11th, 2005
and a showing in Santa Rosa on
March 12 at "Odd Fellows Hall,"
545 Pacific Ave,
phone 1-707-664-2500

Three 9/11 events in March will feature the film,
"The 9-11 News Special You Never Saw - The Great
Conspiracy" and include appearances by Barrie Zwicker,
Webster Tarpley, Michael Kane & Peter Phillips

Premiering will be the documentary-

"The 9-11 News Special You Never Saw - The Great Conspiracy"

Including a dialogue with:
Producer, Barrie Zwicker
Author, Webster Tarpley
Director of Project Censored , Peter Phillips
Investigative Researcher, Michael Kane
The Press & the public

Barrie Zwicker - producer, the first mainstream television
journalist in the to deeply question the official 9/11 story,
director of the Toronto International Citizens' Inquiry into 9/11

Webster Griffin Tarpley - expert on international terrorism,
historian, co-author of George Bush: The Unauthorized
Biography, American Leviathan: Administrative Fascism
Under the Bush Regime, Surviving the Cataclysm, and
9-11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA

Peter Phillips - director of Project Censored that annually
identifies the 'Most Censored' news stories in the US
and produces- "Censored; The News That Didn't Make the News."

Screening begins at 7:30 PM

March 9th
Landmark Guild Theatre, 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

March 10th
Grand Lakes Theatre, 3200 Grand Ave, Oakland, (510)452-3556

March 11th
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
- - - - - - A Benefit for the Northern
California 9/11 Truth Alliance - - - - - -

Current Co-Sponsors:

Veterans for Peace,
911SharetheTruth.com
911truth.org
http://www.deceptiondollar.com
Project Censored
KPFA
Pacifica Radio
Kepler's Bookstore
Black Oaks Bookstore
Cody's Bookstore
City Lights Bookstore
Valencia Street Bookstore...

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth
is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

http://www.greatconspiracy.ca/
http://communitycurrency.org/
http://www.deceptiondollar.com/
http://www.911truth.org/
http://911busters.com/
http://wtc7.net/

San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center

Original article is at
http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/02/1720339.php

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17) Face up to the facts on the ground (link only)
Britain and Europe are funding Israel's
occupation and expansion
Karma Nabulsi
Tuesday March 1, 2005
Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1427711,00.html


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18) Historic 24-Hour Emergency Read-In
Please Circulate Widely
[Original Message] From: Mary Prophet
mlprophet@earthlink.net

Join a Historic 24-Hour Emergency Read-In * Save the Salinas
Public Libraries * Celebrate Your Love of Books Saturday,
April 2nd, 1:00p.m. to Sunday, April 3rd, 1:00p.m. at Cesar
Chavez Public Library, Salinas Then at 1:00p.m. Sunday we will
join festive Cesar Chavez Holiday Celebrations

ALL of Salinas's public libraries are scheduled to SHUT DOWN
for lack of funds We MUST not and WILL not allow this to happen
Libraries are the soul of our communities, providing vital services
to all, especially the most low-income members and children.
If we allow the Salinas libraries to close, we will see a wave of
library closings throughout the country.

We NEED YOU to help save our libraries! Join famous authors,
poets, elected officials, community folks and book lovers from
all over the state for a 24-hour celebration of reading and
literacy, starting at 1pm on Saturday, April 2nd and culminating
on Sunday, April 3 with the yearly Cesar Chavez Holiday
march and cultural celebration in Salinas.

Bring your family, your sleeping bag, and your favorite books!!!
We will be calling on Governor Schwarzenegger and other state
elected officials to find equitable solutions to pay for the
operating costs of our libraries in poorer communities.

Can we unite to keep Salinas libraries open? Si, Se Puede!
Yes, we can! Contact us for information on carpools,
overnight accommodations, etc. Let us know you are coming.

Find out how you can help. Email: sam@bayareacodepink.org ,
call 415-575-5555 or in Salinas 831-753-1066, or
visit www.codepinkalert.org

Sponsors (partial list): United Farm Workers of America,
AFL-CIO, Salinas Action League, CodePink: Women for
Peace, Global Exchange, Proyecto Guerrero Azteca,
Bay Area United Against War.

"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and
nonviolence‹when it helps us to see the enemy's point of
view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of
ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic
weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature,
we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of
the brothers who are called the opposition."
-Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, 1967

Yahoo! Groups Links <*To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eb-cossi/

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19) Maximum Pain is Aim of New US Weapon (link only)
by David Hambling
Published on Thursday, March 3, 2005 by the
New Scientist Magazine
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0303-08.htm

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20) Job Gains Pick Up But Jobless Rate Rises (link only)
By Tim Ahmann
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Fri Mar 4, 2005 09:20 AM ET
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7810254&src=eDialog/GetContent

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21) Key Iraq Wound: Brain Trauma (link only)
By Gregg Zoroya
USA Today
Friday 04 March 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/030405Y.shtml

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22) Proposed Law on Bankruptcy Has Loophole (link only)
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
March 2, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/02/business/02bankrupt.html?pagewanted=print&position=-------

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23) Idriss Stelley Foundation &
Dokta Cooper Community Network Project
Are proudly hosting the CEDP (Campaign to End the (racist)
Death Penalty)Bayview Chapter, every other Monday
evening at 7 P.M.,at 4921 3rd Street between Palou
and Quesada, SF.

California has the highest rate of Death row inmates in the
country (649), Most death row inmates are poor People of Color,
mostly African Americans and Latinos.

We oppose the death penalty for 5 main reasons:

* It is racist
* It is not a deterrent to violent crime
* It targets the poor
* It is the ultimate part of the growing prison industry (Toyota,
Kmart, Microchips are employing inmates at 11 ct/hr)
* Most executions are modern lynching of innocents (given
inexperienced public defenders).

The current Death Row execution in California is STILL cruel
and unusual punishment: Nothing humane about lethal
injection; too often times the tranquilizer administered
before the drug stopping the heart is ineffective, and the
inmate goes through the long agony of a heart attack, and
the incommensurable emotional pain inflicted through
such cruel and inhumane measure It took 19 minutes
to find a vein to execute Donald Beardsley on
January 2005 in San Quentin !

We have supported our SF District Attorney Kamala
Harris, in spite of the pressure of the POA, for not
pursuing the death penalty against David Hill for
allegedly killing Officer Isaac Espinoza.

In spite of the ongoing refusal from our governor to
spare the lives of Kevin Cooper (with whom we been
actively corresponding), Stan Tookie Williams (5 times
nominee for the Nobel prize for his anti violence
children books) and the memory of Donald Beardsley
(executed on Jan 19 in San Quentin), together we can
abolish the atrocity of the death penalty in California,
following the path of Illinois !

Would you kindly forward this message to your lists ?
This month, we are launching a vast outreach effort
to our community churches in BVHP, and would be
more than happy to facilitate forum discussions
in your organizations as well.

Blessings,
mesha Monge-Irizarry
(415) 595-8251 (24-HR Crisis Line)
Idriss Stelley Foundation

Next meeting:
Monday, March 7, 7 p.m. at 4921 3rd St.,
Tookie Williams' case presentation.
Hope yall can come !

We are also planning a big event
on April 30, 4 to 6 P.M.,
at the at the SF Bayview Opera House
about Tookie.
Barbara Baker, author of "Redemption" about
his life and incarceration, will be a keynote speaker
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24) Violent New Front in Drug War Opens (link only)
on the Canadian Border
By SARAH KERSHAW
March 5, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/05/national/05bud.html?hp&ex=1110085200&en=65572337829fba47&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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25) Disparity in Nation's Schools: (link only)
Race and Poverty Linked to Educational
Inequality and Higher Dropout Rates
http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/news/pressreleases/deseg05.php

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26) Entrepreneurs' unusual tactic: (link only)
Buying up homes by hundreds
James R. Hagerty
TRENTON, N.J.
Wall Street Journal
Mar. 4, 2005 10:49 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/print.php?referer=http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0304househunt04-ON.html

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