Friday, July 01, 2005

BAUAW NEWSLETTER-THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005

How rich are you? Check it out at:
http://www.globalrichlist.com/

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Screening of "Winter Soldier" -a special YBCA
Independence Day Weekend screening
(documentary on the atrocities of the Vietnam war)
By the Winterfilm Collective
(testimonial by Senator John Kerry)
Friday, July 1, 7:30 pm
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room
701 Mission Street @ 3rd, San Francisco, CA 94103
$8 regular/$5 YBCA members, students, teachers, seniors
Public Info: www.ybca.org
or 415.978.ARTS (2787)
Contact: Adriane Lee at 415.321.1307 or alee@ybca.org
A rarely screened, devastating
documentary classic, Winter Soldier, captures
the testimonies of ex-GIs at the
1971 Detroit Winter Soldier Investigation
concerning American atrocities in
Vietnam. The soldiers, including
Senator John Kerry, are riveting
as they provide eye-witness testimony
to war crimes and atrocities they
either participated in or witnessed.
The film evokes all of the sorrow
and pain that Vietnam has come to represent.

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

GET THE MILITARY OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS! MONEY FOR EDUCATION
NOT FOR WAR! BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

This week and next marks the final two weeks left in the
College Not Combat petition campaign.
Over the July 4th weekend, July 2, 3 & 4,
the petition campaign will be stationed at:

Dolores Park starting at 1:00 p.m.

A table will be set up at
The Mime Troupe performance of:

"Doing Good"

Based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music
is the icing on the cake!

MUSIC: 1:30 P.M. - SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(THEN GATHER SIGNATURES AFTER THE SHOW)

BAUAW is setting up a COLLEGE NOT COMBAT
PETITION CAMPAIGN table by invitation
from the Mime Troupe. THERE WILL BE AN
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE TABLE FROM THE STAGE.
Free antiwar posters and information will be
available as well as the petitions. We will
be able to gather signatures before
and after the performance. After the performance
we will also fan out over the city to give this
petition drive a big push over the July 4th weekend!

COLLEGE NOT COMBAT BALLOT INITIATIVE
FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 2005, ELECTIONS:

"The people of San Francisco oppose U.S.
military recruiters using public
school, college and university
facilities to recruit young
people into the armed forces.
Furthermore, San Francisco should
oppose the military's "economic
draft" by investigating means
by which to fund and grant
scholarships for college and job
training to low-income students
so they are not economically compelled
to join the military!"

FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE!

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

Cut all Public School Ties to the Military!
Speak up and Picket the S.F. Board of Education
the Fourth Tuesday of Each Month, 6:30 P.M.
555 Franklin St., S.F,
To get on the speakers list call:
415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000
Hundreds of people show up for the board meetings-both
students and teachers.* The reception to our picket
line is phenomenal. We carry picket signs and
banners that are seen not only by those going to the
meeting but by all who drive by on Franklin Street
honking their horns in support. We were also able to
collect signatures for the Campus Not Combat ballot
measure. This is an uplifting experience. Join us
July 26, the fourth Tuesday in July to demand that
the San Francisco Unified School District cut all
ties to the military!
(For more info call: 415-824-8730)

* The board meetings are full because they are always
addressing some major cutback in funds needed by
San Francisco public school students. This past Tuesday,
June 28th, students came to demand funds for school sports
safety equipment. We spoke to students who were on the
football team of one of the high schools as we were
walking from our car on our way to the board meeting.
One young man described how, at his school, kneepads
were torn and moldy and there are not enough to go
around. Helmets are old, sometimes cracked, and no
longer can be made to fit properly (there are pads
inside that break down over time. The sports equipment
in all the schools in general is dilapidated and
unfit for use.)

And these complaints are minor compared to the school
closures that are ongoing. San Francisco schools, which now
cater to low-income students (because parents who can
afford it, send their kids to private schools,) are in
a shambles. That's why the district is shrinking and why
they are "consolidating" schools. It is a vicious cycle
propelled by a continually shrinking budget resulting
in deteriorating schools-all due to the overwhelming
costs of a never-ending war on terror. Trillions for war
and take money away from schools! The message is starting
to sink in. Come help us hold signs and banners every
fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at 555 Franklin St.,
near McAllister St. We have signs to carry, but by all
means, bring your own. It's a great way to talk to people...BW

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

1) COLLEGE NOT COMBAT PETITION CAMPAIGN
JULY 2,3 & 4 WEEKEND SCHEDULE
*SHOW UP TO PETITION:
SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY, JULY 2, 3 & 4, 1:00 P.M.
DOLORES PARK, 18TH AND DOLORES STS, SF
*SEE THE SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE'S PLAY
"DOING GOOD"
A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
MUSIC: 1:30 P.M. - SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(THEN GATHER SIGNATURES AFTER THE SHOW)

2) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM
SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15
Center for Political Education
522 Valencia, Third Floor,
Near 16th Street, SF
(not wheelchair accessible)
Close the 16th Street BART
$5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed

3) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD"
A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
JULY 16, PRECITA PARK
MUSIC: 1:30 P.M.
SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music is the
icing on the cake!...BW)
SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
Help get the word out about the ballot proposition
and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters!

FREE!

4) SAVE THE DATES: AUGUST 4, 5 & 6, 2005 FOR
PRESENTATION OF HOWARD ZINN'S ONE MAN SHOW,
"MARX IN SOHO" PERFORMED BY JERRY LEVY
The central theme of Marx in Soho is unique: heaven's
bureaucracy allows Karl Marx more than a century after
his death in 1883 to return to Earth to the place where
he spent most of his adult life, namely London's Soho.
The bureaucracy makes a mistake, however, and he finds
himself in New York's Soho and in front of an audience
to boot.
The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy,
who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College
and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro
since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally
directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater,
Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl
Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small
theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle
Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace
and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but
charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play.
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
TO BENEFIT BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
WWW.BAUAW.ORG
(FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 415-824-8730)

5) Transcript of President Bush's Speech
The following is the transcript of President Bush's prepared
speech Tuesday night at Fort Bragg, N.C., as provided by
CQ Transcriptions, LLC. :
June 28, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/29TEXT-BUSH.html?

6) Among Soldiers and Families, Applause Mixes With Doubts
By KIRK JOHNSON
June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/politics/29react.html

7) Bush Declares Sacrifice in Iraq to Be 'Worth It'
By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/politics/29prexy.html

8) Mother of Dead Soldier Vilifies Bush over War
PRESIDENT RIDICULED AT INTERFAITH RALLY
By Frank E. Lockwood
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Posted on Tue, Jun. 14, 2005
[Cindy Sheehan's son, Army Specialist Casey Austin, was
killed in Iraq. At a rally in San Francisco that lead off
the College Not Combat petition drive, Sheehan was introduced
as a mother who "lost" her son in Iraq. She came to the
microphone and said: " I did not 'loose' my son in Iraq.
I only wish I could go look for him somewhere and find him
and bring him home again. My son was murdered by this illegal war
in Iraq."

At an Interfaith Rally in Kentucky, Sheehan responded to
a statement by Bush in which he said, "it's 'hard work'
comforting the widow of a soldier who's been killed in Iraq."
She said, "Hard work is seeing your son's murder on CNN one
Sunday evening while you're enjoying the last supper you'll
ever truly enjoy again. Hard work is having three military
officers come to your house a few hours later to confirm the
aforementioned murder of your son, your first-born, your kind
and gentle sweet baby. Hard work is burying your child 46 days
before his 25th birthday. Hard work is holding your other
three children as they lower the body of their big (brother)
into the ground. Hard work is not jumping in the grave with
him and having the earth cover you both."]
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/2005/06/14/news/local/
11888623.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

9) Leave My Child Alone Coalition Urges Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld to Start National 'Do Not Call' List for Military
Recruiting

10) Gay Marriage Is Extended Nationwide in Canada
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
Published: June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/international/americas/29canada.html

11) Occupying army casualties in Iraq:
http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html

12) Idea of resisting the unspeakably rich lives on
By naomi klein
Publish Date: 16-Jun-2005
http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=11018

13) A.N.S.W.E.R.'s response to Bush:
Hit the Streets September 24!

14) Counter Recruitment Conference Organizing Meeting
Thursday, June 30th, 6:30 pm
American Friends Service Committee,
65 9th St., San Francisco,
between Market and Mission, Civic Center BART

15) Death of a Bronx corporal in Iraq

16) "All Roads Lead to Baghdad"
A Strategic Analysis of Unity in the US Anti-War Movement
By VIRGINIA RODINO
http://www.counterpunch.org/rodino06302005.html

17) IRAQI HOSPITALS ATTACKED AND DAMAGED BY US FORCES
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
26 June 2005
http://dahrjamailiraq.com

18) The Birth of War
An archaeological survey concludes that warfare,
despite its malignant hold on modern life, has not
always been part of the human condition.
By R. Brian Ferguson
July/August 2003
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0703/0703_feature.html

19) Oprah Winfrey, the exception and the rule
By Pedro de la Hoz
A CubaNews translation by Ana Portela
Edited by Walter Lippmann
http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs190.html
CARTOON CAPTION (check it out)
"Hermes has its own version of
liberty, equality and fraternity"

20) The New York Times closes ranks with
Bush on Iraq war
By Barry Grey
30 June 2005
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jun2005/nyti-j30.shtml

21) Please Distribute Widely...
Seeds of Change: NO NUKES! NO WARS!!
Mass Mobilizing Meeting
Wednesday, July 6 at 7 PM
Global Exchange: 2017 Mission St. #303, San Francisco
(across the street from the 16th St. BART station)

22) Give Him an "F" in the War on Terror
How Bush Was Offered Bin Laden and Blew It
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN
and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR
November 1, 2004
CounterPunch Exclusive
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn11012004.html

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

1) COLLEGE NOT COMBAT PETITION CAMPAIGN
JULY 2,3 & 4 WEEKEND SCHEDULE
*SHOW UP TO PETITION:
SATURDAY, SUNDAY & MONDAY, JULY 2, 3 & 4, 1:00 P.M.
DOLORES PARK, 18TH AND DOLORES STS, SF
*SEE THE SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE'S PLAY
"DOING GOOD"
Based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music
is the icing on the cake!

MUSIC: 1:30 P.M. - SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(THEN GATHER SIGNATURES AFTER THE SHOW)

BAUAW is setting up a COLLEGE NOT COMBAT
PETITION CAMPAIGN table by invitation
from the Mime Troupe. THERE WILL BE AN
ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE TABLE FROM THE STAGE.
Free antiwar posters and information will be
available as well as the petitions.

We will be able to gather signatures before
and after the performance. After the performance
we will also fan out over the city to give this
petition drive a big push over the July 4th weekend.

COME HELP GATHER SIGNATURES FOR THE

COLLEGE NOT COMBAT BALLOT INITIATIVE

FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO, NOVEMBER 2005, ELECTIONS:

"The people of San Francisco oppose U.S.
military recruiters using public
school, college and university
facilities to recruit young
people into the armed forces.
Furthermore, San Francisco should
oppose the military's "economic
draft" by investigating means
by which to fund and grant
scholarships for college and job
training to low-income students
so they are not economically compelled
to join the military!"

GET THE MILITARY OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!

MONEY FOR EDUCATION NOT FOR WAR!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE!

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

2) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM
SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15
Center for Political Education
522 Valencia, Third Floor,
Near 16th Street, SF
(not wheelchair accessible)
Close the 16th Street BART
$5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed

With the Poor of the World
Con los pobres de la Tierra (2003) 56 minutes.
by Marta Harnecker on Venezuela
In Spanish with English Subtitles
This video gives the background and context of the
current struggles in Venezuela since 1993. Using TV
news footage and archival video, this film documents
the rise of Chavez and the Oligarchy's three attempts
to overthrow him.

May Day in Caracas
(2005) 22 minutes.
by a J. Carlos Flores.
In Spanish with English Subtitles
A short documentary about international labor day in
Venezuela

Hands off Venezuela will show these films as a benefit
to bring Stalin Peres Borges, a leader of the National
Union of Workers of Venezuela (UNT) a dynamic new
Venezuelan Trade Union federation.

Call Adam at 415 864 3537 or email sfbay@ushov.org for
more info or to arrange a speaker to talk about the
inspiring events in Venezuela and the need to protect
it from US attack.

Also Come To The Next Hands Off Venezuela Organizing
Meeting (all welcome): 7:00 PM, Thursday, June 30,
Socialist Action Bookstore, corner Valencia and 14th,
SF

www.handsoffvenezuela.org

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

3) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD"
A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
JULY 16, PRECITA PARK
MUSIC: 1:30 P.M.
SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music is the
icing on the cake!...BW)
SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
Help get the word out about the ballot proposition
and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters!

FREE!

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

4) SAVE THE DATES: AUGUST 4, 5 & 6, 2005 FOR
PRESENTATION OF HOWARD ZINN'S ONE MAN SHOW,
"MARX IN SOHO" PERFORMED BY JERRY LEVY
The central theme of Marx in Soho is unique: heaven's
bureaucracy allows Karl Marx more than a century after
his death in 1883 to return to Earth to the place where
he spent most of his adult life, namely London's Soho.
The bureaucracy makes a mistake, however, and he finds
himself in New York's Soho and in front of an audience
to boot.
The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy,
who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College
and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro
since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally
directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater,
Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl
Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small
theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle
Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace
and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but
charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play.
LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED
TO BENEFIT BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
WWW.BAUAW.ORG
(FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 415-824-8730)

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

5) Transcript of President Bush's Speech
The following is the transcript of President Bush's prepared
speech Tuesday night at Fort Bragg, N.C., as provided by CQ
Transcriptions, LLC. :
June 28, 2005
(Did you know that the center of all world terrorism-including
those responsible for Sept. 11 is now in Iraq? Terrorists from
around the world are centering in Iraq!...read it for yourself
if you can stomach it again.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/29TEXT-BUSH.html?

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

6) Among Soldiers and Families, Applause Mixes With Doubts
By KIRK JOHNSON
June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/politics/29react.html

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

7) Bush Declares Sacrifice in Iraq to Be 'Worth It'
By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/politics/29prexy.html

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

8) Mother of Dead Soldier Vilifies Bush over War
PRESIDENT RIDICULED AT INTERFAITH RALLY
By Frank E. Lockwood
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
Posted on Tue, Jun. 14, 2005

[Cindy Sheehan's son, Army Specialist Casey Austin, was
killed in Iraq. At a rally in San Francisco that led off the
College Not Combat petition drive, Sheehan was introduced as
a mother who "lost" her son in Iraq. She came to the microphone
and said: " I did not 'loose' my son in Iraq. I only wish
I could go look for him somewhere and find him and bring him
home again. My son was murdered by this illegal war in Iraq."

At an Interfaith Rally in Kentucky, Sheehan responded to
a statement by Bush in which he said, "it's 'hard work'
comforting the widow of a soldier who's been killed in Iraq."

Sheehan said, "Hard work is seeing your son's murder on CNN
one Sunday evening while you're enjoying the last supper you'll
ever truly enjoy again. Hard work is having three military
officers come to your house a few hours later to confirm the
aforementioned murder of your son, your first-born, your kind
and gentle sweet baby. Hard work is burying your child 46 days
before his 25th birthday. Hard work is holding your other
hree children as they lower the body of their big (brother)
into the ground. Hard work is not jumping in the grave with
him and having the earth cover you both."]
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/2005/06/14/news/local/
11888623.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

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

9) Leave My Child Alone Coalition Urges Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld to Start National 'Do Not Call' List for Military
Recruiting BOLINAS, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
the Leave My Child Alone coalition called on Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld to establish a National Do Not Call List to
safeguard family privacy from unwanted military recruitment.

This initiative is in response to recent revelations that the
Pentagon, in violation of the Family Education Right to
Privacy Act (FREDA), created and now uses a mega-database
of private information on 30 million Americans ages 16 to 25,
without anyone's consent. The updated www.leavemychildalone.org www.leavemychildalone.org/> web site shows parents
how to "Opt Out" of such Pentagon lists.

"Millions applauded when the FCC formed a Do Not Call List for
consumers. Now we need the armed forces to create one to protect
our children's privacy," says Megan Matson, founder of the
Mainstream Moms Operation Blue (the MMOB) and member of
LeaveMyChildAlone.org coalition. "The Pentagon has no right
to pressure our kids to enlist -- that should be a private,
family decision."

While the coalition maintains that such a database of minors
shouldn't exist at all in this age of data theft and security
breaches, it is committed to providing families with the tools
they need to remove their children's information from the
military recruitment portion of those lists.

Updated daily and distributed monthly to military recruiters,
the mega-database (known as Joint Advertising and Marketing
Research and Studies, (or JAMMERS) was consolidated and is
managed by a private marketing firm, BeNow Inc., of Wakefield,
Mass. The database consists of information such as cell phone
numbers, e-mail addresses, height, weight, ethnicity, and areas
of study. LeaveMyChildAlone.org coalition believes that by
failing to notify and invite public comment before JAMMERS'
began in 2002, as required by law, the Pentagon is in
violation of the Privacy Act.
For more information, visit www.leavemychildalone.org

Contacts:
Felicity Crush
415-868-9576 or 415-686-6532
Julie Pezzino
212-245-0510

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

10) Gay Marriage Is Extended Nationwide in Canada
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
Published: June 29, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/29/international/americas/29canada.html

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

11) Occupying army casualties in Iraq:
http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html

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

12) Idea of resisting the unspeakably rich lives on
By naomi klein
Publish Date: 16-Jun-2005
http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=11018

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

13) A.N.S.W.E.R.'s response to Bush:
Hit the Streets September 24!

Recognizing that the people of the United States have turned
dramatically against the war and occupation of Iraq, Bush went
on national television tonight to defend his imperial foreign
policy. He repeatedly invoked September 11 as a pretext for
the criminal and illegal war against Iraq. Bush took to the
airwaves tonight because the antiwar movement is growing in
strength. Our power poses a major political obstacle to the
continuation of the war and occupation. Now Bush has taken
on the additional role of Recruiter-in-Chief, urging young
people to sign up for military service and replenish the
dwindling ranks of the newly enlisted.

Tonight Bush's speech was before a military audience. It comes
twenty-five months after he used a military audience as
a photo-opportunity. At that time, May 1, 2003, Bush landed
aboard the USS aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln to announce,
under the boldly painted banner, "Mission Accomplished,"
that major combat operations had ended in Iraq. Now with
the blood of 100,000 dead Iraqis and more than 1,700 U.S.
soldiers on his hands, and a population that no longer
believes his recycled rationales, Bush is compelled to
justify the ongoing military conflict and occupation in
Iraq. With the old pretexts - that is, the old lies - so
completely exposed, Bush tonight resorted to the constant
referencing of September 11.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism),
which has organized the largest mass antiwar demonstrations
in Washington DC during the last four years, was formed on
September 14, 2001. A.N.S.W.E.R. represented the convergence
of those organizations and individuals around the country
(numbering in the tens of thousands) who immediately took
to the streets to expose Bush's manipulation of September 11
and oppose the slogan of "war on terrorism." This mobilization
took place at a time when there was great pressure within the
U.S. peace movement to be silent and not speak out against
the coming imperialist war drive. All those who stood together
in those early days of September have since reached out to
their friends, families, neighbors, classmates and co-workers
to successfully educate others, to broaden and expand this
mass antiwar movement. Now we are ready to take the next step.

On September 24 in Washington DC there will be a mass mobilization
at the White House. There will be coordinated actions at the
same time in San Francisco and Los Angeles. This demonstration,
initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and now joined by
thousands across the country, is coming together at the
critical moment for our movement. Waiting for the politicians
is a dead end. The people must act and deepen the popular
antiwar sentiment until it becomes the most potent force in
the current political equation.

The September 24 demonstration will have its place in history
not only as an expression of the changing political climate
in the U.S. but also as an expression of great unity. Marching
together and sharing leadership on September 24 will be
Arab-American and Muslim communities, unions, military families,
veterans, students and youth, and antiwar, social justice and
civil rights groups. The September 24 National Coalition has
formed to work together in solidarity and support for this
important demonstration. Urge your friends to join in this
important united effort and show the world the power of our
rapidly developing peoples' movement. Rejecting the right-
wing's efforts at division, the people can become the most
powerful political force - and that is Bush's greatest fear.

What you can do right now:
Six ways to get involved and make a difference

1) Send this email to your friends and families. Ask them
to endorse the demonstration and join with millions of others
in the U.S. who now oppose the war in Iraq and want it to be
brought to an end. Sign up to get critical email updates on
the mobilization and how you can plug in.

2) Start organizing people to come with you to Washington DC
on September 24. Help spread the word to others about
transportation options from your city by filling out the
Transportation Form on the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition website.

3) Contact the A.N.S.W.E.R. office for a free packet of
organizing materials - flyers, posters, stickers and more –
so you can start handing them out, leaving stacks, and
posting them wherever you can: on bulletin boards, at school,
at work, in the supermarket, your local cafe, your church,
mosque or synagogue. Download flyers from the A.N.S.W.E.R.
website.

4) Join a street outreach team this weekend or organize
one in your town. In Washington DC email
dc@internationalanswer.org or call 202-544-3389,
in New York City email nyc@internationalanswer.org or
call 212-533-0417, in San Francisco email
sf@internationalanswer.org or call 415-821-6545,
and in Los Angeles email la@internationalanswer.org or
call 323-464-1636. If you live in another city,
email info@internationalanswer.org for details
and tips on how to get started.

5) Please make a donation today - we urgently need
your help to bring this war to an end. The Bush administration
has billions of dollars that they have taken from us to fund
their war and line the pockets of war profiteers. It is up to
us to fund the fight for true justice and peace. Please take
a moment and make a donation through our secure server, where
you can also obtain information to write a check.

6) September 24 - 12 noon - White House - BE THERE!

The leadership of the September 24 National Coalition includes
the A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition, National Council of Arab-Americans (NCA),
Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Haiti Support
Network, Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines,
National Lawyers Guild, Al Awda: The Palestine Right to Return
Coalition, Mexicanos Sin Fronteras / Mexicans Without Borders,
Women's Anti-Imperialist League (WAIL), and A.N.S.W.E.R. Youth
and Student National Coalition.

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New York City: 212-533-0417
Los Angeles: 323-464-1636
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389.

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14) Counter Recruitment Conference Organizing Meeting
Thursday, June 30th, 6:30 pm
American Friends Service Committee,
65 9th St., San Francisco,
between Market and Mission, Civic Center BART

Agenda:
Finalize Site Decisions
Review Conf Organizers Survey Results--organizational commitments
Flesh-Out Budget
Outreach Committee Report--flyer and website
Youth Outreach Plan
Please respond with additional agenda items by the 29th.

MOOS-Bay Organizational Commitments Survey
Please fill out the survey and return to Susan Quinlan before June 30,
susana@riseup.net

Organization:_____________________________________________________

Contact Person(s)_____________________________ Phone __________________

Email: _____________________________________

1. Can we list your group as a Participating Organization
for the Conference?

2. How is your group prepared to contribute to the conference?

( ) Financial Contribution? ( ) $100 ( ) $200 ( ) $500 ( ) $________Other
( ) Send Rep(s) to Planning Meetings?

( ) Work on a committee(s)? Which?
( ) Logistics
( ) Program
( ) Outreach/Publicity
( ) Media
( ) Program (event/entertainment)
( ) Workshops
( ) Materials/Resources
( ) Fundraising
( ) Childcare
( ) Food

( ) Please mention any particular resources/skills your group can offer:
( ) Speakers/Presenters
( ) Performers/Cultural Presentation
( ) Media Contacts
( ) Graphics/Web work
( ) Photocopying/Printing
( ) Audio Visual/Sound System
( ) Food
( ) Childcare
( ) Translators: Language(s)_________________________________
( ) Other: ________________________________________________

( ) Help with outreach presentations to Youth Groups?

( ) Getting the word out to your membership/the public? How?
( ) email
( ) snailmail
( ) list on calendar of events
( ) link on webpage
( ) llyering at events
( ) Other: ________________________________________________

( ) Help out with logistics at the conference? How many people? ___________
( ) Other ideas:


What are your reactions to the following workshop topics?
_Hot_ should be reserved for the ones that you would prioritize attending.


HOT! Warm Cold Topic for Workshop/presentation
() () () What Military Recruiters Won_t Tell You
() () () College & Financial Aid without the Military
() () () Job Training and Career Alternatives for Youth
() () () Kicking Recruiters off Your Campus
() () () Military Out of Our Schools 101--Basic info on counter recruitment
() () () Counter Recruitment Strategy Discussion
() () () Legal Issues for Counter Recruiters
() () () Lessons from the Vietnam Anti-war Movement
() () () Deconstructing the Propaganda of War: Iraq & Afghanistan
() () () Military Families and Resisters--First Person Stories
() () () Selective Service Registration: Choices and Consequences
() () () The Draft-- Strategies for Stopping it, Strategies for Dealing with it
() () () Options for Resistance to War--CO, War Tax Resistance, Direct Action
() () () Military Recruitment in the Immigrant Community
() () () Don_t Ask, Don_t Tell--Homophobia in the Military
() () () Organizing around No Child Left behind
() () () Battered by the Pentagon--Women and the Military
() () () Racism in theMilitary
() () () Art in Action--Creative Resistance
() () () Environmental Impacts of War
() () () Veterans Perspectives--Issues upon Return
() () () Discussion Space for Youth
() () () Prisons at Home, Prisons Abroad
() () () A War Budget Leaves Every Child Behind--Military vs. Human Needs
() () () Violence in Our Communities
() () () Using the Media to Get your Message Out
() () () College Not Combat--How to Run an Electoral Campaigns
() () () Lobbying 101 for Counter Recruiters
() () () Organizing Around No Child Left Behind
() () () Strong Policies and Implementation of _Opt Out_ for School Personnel
() () () Counter Recruitment Training for Youth Presenters/Organizers
() () () Other ____________________________________________________
() () () Other ____________________________________________________
() () () Other ____________________________________________________

Name:__________________________________ Organization:
______________________________

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15) Death of a Bronx corporal in Iraq
One of the front-page stories in today's (6/29) New York Daily News was
the death of a Bronx corporal in Iraq. The main story of course was
Bush's 9/11 speech last night. Valdez was one of the four women killed
by a suicide bomber near Fallujah last Thursday. The News coverage is
all about what a hero she was, but its juxtaposition with Bush's speech
only makes the tragic waste of her death sadder and more infuriating.

She graduated from high school at 15, and joined the U.S. Marine Corps
at 17. She and her sisters was raised by a single mother, an immigrant
from the Dominican Republic, who worked as a home attendant. Ramona
graduated early partly so she could go to work and help her mom. The news
interviewed her co-workers and boss at her first job: a sales stand at
the Statue of Liberty. Her boss was full of compliments for how hard
she worked, her punctuality, etc. Needless to say there's no mention of
what had to be pitifully low wages, wages hardly adequate to cover the
college degree she wanted so badly. Says the News, "She worked
weekends during the school year, full time in the summer and after she
graduated. She put in 40-hour weeks, four 10-hour shifts, adding what she
earned to her mother's wages as a home attendant."

Valdez had also gone to community college for two semesters. She
joined the Marines with her best friend, enlisting at a Bronx recruiting
station. Once her commitment was up next year she had planned to move to
Pennsylvania, where her family had moved, to work for the state highway
patrol and to enroll at a four-year college.

Says the News: "Ramona Valdez's mother recalled yesterday her
daughter's touching devotion to her family. 'She always used to tell me
she was really proud of me,' Nuñez said in Spanish, as her daughter
translated. 'I would say, 'No, I'm really proud of you.'"

She needed her mother's signature to join because of her age: "The
mother at first refused, but Valdez insisted, saying this was the
next step on the way to a new life."

The article ends this way: "Ramona Valdez's husband, who has served two
tours in Iraq, was understandably crushed by the loss of his wife.
'He's really, really sad,' Fiorela Valdez said. 'He's just saying he's
going to go back to Iraq. For him to be okay with his conscience, he has to
go back to Iraq. They took his wife away from him.'"

The immediate "they" who took her life are the bomb planters - but they
were only doing their duty in trying to force out an occupying power.
The real "they" primarily responsible for Ramona's death are the
Republicans and Democrats who launched this criminal war, who insist on
continuing it - and who, by decades of attacks on working people here at
home, force our best youth to join the military primarily because of the
lack of opportunities for them here at home.

The best memorial for Ramona Valdez will NOT be the insipid flag-waving
on the 4th called for by Bush last night, but building the September
24th march in DC against the war, building the movement against military
recruiters, and building a movement for free higher education and jobs
for all who want them at union wages!

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/swp_usa/

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16) "All Roads Lead to Baghdad"
A Strategic Analysis of Unity in the US Anti-War Movement
By VIRGINIA RODINO
http://www.counterpunch.org/rodino06302005.html

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17) IRAQI HOSPITALS ATTACKED AND DAMAGED BY US FORCES
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
26 June 2005
http://dahrjamailiraq.com

Urgent request for help from the west of Iraq

An urgent humanitarian crisis is unfolding in occupied west Iraq. The
Doctors for Iraq Society is calling on you to act NOW.

US occupation soldiers have conducted simultaneous military operations
in cities across the west of Iraq. Between May- June 2005, the heaviest
of these attacks took place in the cities of Haditha and Al-Qa'im. These
cities and surrounding villages are home to an estimated 300,000 people.

Eyewitness and medical personnel in the area have described how US
soldiers prevented food and medication reaching Haditha and Al-Qa'im and
targeted the cities two main hospitals, medical staff and ambulances.

US soldiers violated the Geneva Convention and international law by
preventing civilians from accessing healthcare. Eyewitnesses reported at
least one patient being shot dead in his bed on a hospital ward. Doctors
were prevented from assisting patients and civilians in need. A number
of doctors and medical personnel were killed in the attack and
others were arrested by US forces in the hospital. They were later
released, along with the hospital manager who was detained for two days.

The huge military operations in the area have caused widespread damage
and an unknown number of civilians were killed and injured during the
attack.

Video footage shot by doctors shows a badly damage medical store in the
Haditha hospital and damaged surgical theatres. The medical store
contained medicine and equipment for all hospitals and medical centers
in the west of Iraq. Staff and patients say
the damage was carried out by "by violent and barbaric US soldiers."

The Doctors for Iraq Society and other Iraqi organizations working in
the area are asking for urgent assistance from outside Iraq to help
equip the hospital with medication and other essential supplies.

Medical staff need basis such as medicines, surgical sets, laundry unit,
laboratory equipment and surgical sets.

Staff and patients also need urgent protection from the ongoing brutal
actions of US occupation forces who continue to violate international
law by carrying out attacks on patients and medical staff in Iraq.

The Doctors for Iraq Society is calling on human rights organizations to
conduct an urgent investigation into what happened in Haditha and
Al-Qa'im, and to take testimonies from eyewitnesses and medical staff in
the area.


For more information contact about the attack and
the specific of the hospital contact Doctors for
Iraq Society at : info@doctorsforiraq.org

Or / Dr. Salam Ismael at : salam.obaidi@gmail.com

For media enquiries contact
salam.obaidi@doctorsforiraq.org


Dr. Salam T. Ismael
General secretary
Doctors for Iraq Society
salam_ismael@hotmail.com

salamelobaidi2003@yahoo.com

UK Phone : 0044 (0) 2085209489
UK Mobile : 0044 (0) 7891022381
Baghdad phone No. : 00964 1 4437512
Baghdad Mobile : 00964 7901 963 257

More writing, photos and commentary at
http://dahrjamailiraq.com

You can visit http://dahrjamailiraq.com/email_list/
to subscribe or unsubscribe to the email list.

Iraq_Dispatches mailing list
http://lists.dahrjamailiraq.com/mailman/listinfo/iraq_dispatches

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18) The Birth of War
An archaeological survey concludes that warfare,
despite its malignant hold on modern life, has not
always been part of the human condition.
By R. Brian Ferguson
July/August 2003
http://www.naturalhistorymag.com/0703/0703_feature.html

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19) Oprah Winfrey, the exception and the rule
By Pedro de la Hoz
A CubaNews translation by Ana Portela
Edited by Walter Lippmann
http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs190.html
CARTOON CAPTION (check it out)
"Hermes has its own version of
liberty, equality and fraternity"

Regardless of the fact that Hermes officials bent over
backwards with excuses - they had to! - Oprah Winfrey must
have felt she was in a time machine - and a space one at
that - on the afternoon of June 14 when she was prevented
from crossing the door to one of the most esclusive
Parisian shops where porters, trained to keep the unsavory
out from the bright and glittering building, blocked her
entry.

When they realized that she wasn't an African immigrant,
but a woman described by Forbes as the number one among the
multimillionaire celebrities of television with more
influence than Mel Gibson and Elton John, the president of
the house of accessories invited her to visit the boutique
the next day excusing himself because Winfrey had arrived
at closing time, when a private showing was being prepared.

Having the door close in her face must have reminded the
woman that, although a unique exception, she was unable to
shake the racist stigma that victimizes millions of persons
because of the color of their skin, ethnic background and
social position.

On television, directing one of the most publicized
afternoon shows and most viewed in the world with 30
million spectators only in the United States, Oprah manages
to ooze charm and power, call on the famous, drag out
declarations of love and sudden repentance, exclamations of
joy and floods of tears because, first of all, it is a
program with a high charge of emotions and feelings.

But, perspiring because of the rush, with her hair unruly,
without the touches of television, closer to the roles she
played in The Color Purple and Beloved than to the charming
star that is an example of the American dream, she was
unable to convince the boutique porter that she had enough
credit to spend thousands of Euros on a watch for her
friend, Tina Turner.

All told, Oprah Winfrey represents the point of the iceberg
that hides, under the water, the turbulent waters of
impoverishment. If the Afro Americans are the most insecure
population in the United States, Afro American women, very
especially, are doubly vulnerable.

According to reports of the CDC (the Center for Disease
Control) they are probably the population sector with less
medical attention or, receiving it too late. In 2002, Afro
American mothers were three times more at risk than white
mothers of not receiving prenatal care or receiving it
late.

They had the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the 25
States that had case notification systems set up during the
last decade.

Marxism mailing list
Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism

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20) The New York Times closes ranks with
Bush on Iraq war
By Barry Grey
30 June 2005
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jun2005/nyti-j30.shtml

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21) Please Distribute Widely...
Seeds of Change: NO NUKES! NO WARS!!
Mass Mobilizing Meeting
Wednesday, July 6 at 7 PM
Global Exchange: 2017 Mission St. #303, San Francisco
(across the street from the 16th St. BART station)

* Find out why, in the midst of ongoing slaughter in Iraq,
we must callfor nuclear abolition;
* Stop the Bomb Where it Starts!
Marking the 60th Anniversary of the
Bombing of Hiroshima, Help Organize the March
to the Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab!

NPT Report-Back
Thursday, July 7 at 6:30 PM
sponsored by Western States Legal Foundation
at Huynh Restaurant in Oakland
delicious Vietnamese food, vegetarian options, entrees $8 - $10
381 - 15th Street, between Franklin and Webster
(near 12th Street BART)
*report-back on the 2005 NPT Review Conference
*updates on 60th anniversary Hiroshima-Nagasaki events
*photos of the May 1 mass march and rally in NYC
RSVP Jackie Cabasso: (510) 839-5877

Nonviolence and Legal Training
Saturday July 30, 10 am - 2 pm
offered by Pace Bene
preparation for Aug. 9 Livermore action (see below)
First Unitarian Church of Oakland
685 - 14th Street at Castro
downtown Oakland
from 12th Street BART, 4 blocks east of Broadway
wheelchair accessible
BRING A BAG LUNCH
RSVP Jackie Cabasso: (510) 839-5877

ACTION ALERT

SATURDAY AUGUST 6: SEEDS OF CHANGE: NO NUKES! NO WARS!
RALLY AND MARCH TO THE LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB.

On the 60th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima...
ACT to abolish nuclear weapons and war
PROTEST new, earth-penetrating nuclear weapons at Livermore Lab
CELEBRATE your vision of a peaceful, just and nuclear-free world

Livermore Lab is one of the worldĂ­s primary sites for the creation and
development of nuclear weapons.

WHEN: Saturday, August 6, 2005 at 5 PM
WHERE: William Payne Park, 5800 Patterson Pass Rd.
Livermore, CA (BART
shuttles provided by the Peace and Freedom Party)

To volunteer and for more info: (925) 443-7148 Tri-Valley CAREs
www.trivalleycares.org www.trivalleycares.org/>; (510) 839-5877
Western States Legal Foundation www.wslfweb.org
;
and Livermore Conversion Project (510) 663-8065.

BACKGROUND

The Bay Area's Livermore Lab is one of the three national laboratories
that serve as the brain of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, which today
is modernizing and developing nuclear weapons to support U.S. wars of
empire.

August 6 and 9, 2005 mark the 60th anniversaries of the atomic bombings
of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Join with thousands of
people at four central US nuclear weapons sites to call for an end to
the development and production of nuclear warheads.

In the Bay Area, the Livermore Lab continues to contaminate the water,
air and soil. Over 1 million curies of airborne radiation have leaked
from the site. That is roughly equal to the amount of radiation
deposited in the bombing of Hiroshima. The Dept. of Energy declared the
fifty-mile radius surrounding the facility as the affected population.
This includes over 7 million people from San Francisco, to Stockton, to
San Jose. The storage and use of nuclear materials at Livermore Lab
continues to increase despite safety and security issues. The limit for
plutonium at Livermore Lab has just been doubled to 3,080 pounds --
enough for 300 nuclear bombs! Plutonium was recently found on site to be
absurdly stored in paint cans and food cans.

In Iraq, they never found nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction,
yet the daily reality of death and destruction continues, sparked by the
Bush administration's invasion and fueled by the ongoing U.S. military
occupation. A majority of people in this nation now oppose the war, but
the White House and most members of Congress are resisting the only
solution to the crisis: bring the troops home immediately. We will send
our message loud and clear to decision-makers and the public at large:
End the war in Iraq, End the threat of nuclear annihilation!

We found the missing weapons of mass destruction. On August 6, we will
take our voices to the active nuclear weapons sites across the country.
We demand an end to US nuclear weapons development, production and
testing. We demand an end to wars of empire and an end to nuclear
excuses for war.

NO NUKES! NO WARS!

*SEND SUNFLOWERS TO LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB*

The sunflower is the international symbol for the abolition of nuclear
weapons. We invite you to create paper sunflowers to be planted at the
gates of Livermore Lab. Sunflowers can be large or small, painted, be
creative. Make sure to include your name and hometown on the sunflower.
For full instructions and mailing directions:
www.wagingpeace.org/sunflower /www.wagingpeace.org/sunflower>.

AUGUST 6 NATIONAL ACTIONS

March and Rally at core nuclear weapons sites across the United States.
Join the global majority in saying "Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Never Again!!!"

MAJOR RALLIES AT:
Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab in CALIFORNIA
Los Alamos Nuclear Weapons Lab in NEW MEXICO
Nevada Nuclear Test Site in NEVADA
Y-12 Nuclear Production Facility in TENNESSEE

For more info on each major rally:
http://www.abolitionnow.org/augustactions.html


TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, NAGASAKI NEVER AGAIN!!!
NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION AT THE LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LAB

WHEN: Tuesday, August 9 at 8AM
WHERE: Meet at William Payne Park, 5800 Patterson Pass Rd. Livermore
Take I-580 exit Vasco Rd. go South. Take a right on Patterson Pass Rd.

A Hibakusha, an atomic bomb survivor from Japan, will address the
gathering. Drumming at the gates will be provided by Clan Dyken.

NONVIOLENCE GUIDELINES: Nonviolence has always been a core value of the
anti-nuclear movement. Details about the nonviolence guidelines and a
complete list of sponsors and endorsers are available at:
www.trivalleycares.org www.trivalleycares.org/> and
www.wslfweb.org .

TUESDAY AUGUST 9, NATIONALLY COORDINATED CANDLELIGHT VIGILS

Organize a candlelight vigil at your city hall on the 60^th anniversary
of the bombing of Nagasaki. In addition, you can organize readings,
lantern lighting ceremonies, the shadow projects and more. In support of
the Mayors for Peace, we are calling on local groups to invite their
Mayors to participate in the vigils and read out proclamations.
Contact: Jackie Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation,
wslf@earthlink.net, (510) 839-5877, *www.wslfweb.org
*
>.

Donations should be made out and mailed to: Livermore Conversion
Project, PO Box 31835, Oakland, CA 94604.
Checks of more than $50 are
tax-deductible if made out to Agape.

To Volunteer Contact: Tara Dorabji, Tri-Valley CAREs,
tara@trivalleycares.org, (925) 443-7148, *www.trivalleycares.org www.trivalleycares.org/> *
>.

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22) Give Him an "F" in the War on Terror
How Bush Was Offered Bin Laden and Blew It
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN
and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR
November 1, 2004
CounterPunch Exclusive
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn11012004.html

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