Drop all charges on brutalized protestors!
On Saturday, July 8, the LAPD viciously attacked immigrant rights
activists who were protesting against the anti-immigrant Minuteman
Project in Hollywood. In addition to beating anti-racist demonstrators
and at least one passer-by the LAPD arrested six activists. See below
to take action, and send a letter to the L.A. City Attorney, Rocky
Delgadillo, and L.A. County Attorney, Steve Cooley, demanding
that they drop the charges against these activists.
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr004=4tl7t696i1.app13b&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=179
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NATIONAL EMERGENCY MARCH ON WASHINGTON
DEFEND THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND LEBANON!
STOP THE US-ISRAELI WAR!
National Emergency March on Washington
Defend the People of Palestine and Lebanon!
Stop the U.S.-Israeli War!
From Iraq to Lebanon to Palestine,
Occupation is a Crime!
Saturday, August 12, 12 Noon
The White House
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006, 11:00 A.M.
CIVIC CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO
Stop U.S. Aid to Israel!
Support the Palestinian People's
Right to Return!
Money for Jobs and Education,
Not for War and Occupation!
Initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, the
National Council of Arab Americans (NCA),
and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
U.S. Out of Iraq Now! We Are the Majority!
End Colonial Occupation from Iraq,
to Palestine, Haiti, and Everywhere!
October 28 National Day of Action
Locally Coordinated Anti-War Protests from Coast to Coast
Vote With Your Feet … and Your Voices, and Banners, and Signs!
Let Every Politician Feel the Power of the People!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7836
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL COALITION
PO Box 16, College Station, New York, NY 10030
HOTLINE: (212- 330-8029 Website:
http://www.freemumia.com/
www.freemumia.com
July 13, 2006
PRESS ADVISORY
CONTACT; Dr. Suzanne Ross, (917) 584-2135
Gwendolyn Debrow (718) 849-6886
Sundiata SADIQ (914) 941-6046
This year the 97th Annual convention of the NAACP is opening on July 15,
2006 in Washington D.C. At the Mt. Vernon Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon
Square. One of the convention's theme is "Voting Our Values". In the spirit
of that theme, the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia
Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition of New York City are going
to the nation's capital. We are challenging the NAACP to be serious about
the commitment they made at the 2004 national convention held in
Philadelphia. We are going to Washington to remind the membership and the
leadership of this national body that in 2004 they voted to support the
opposition to the death penalty and to call for a moratorium on executions
throughout the United States. Equally important, they voted to support our
brother Mumia Abu-Jamal, now sitting on Death Row for his 25th year despite
powerful evidence of his innocence and an international campaign denouncing
his trial as a sham and demanding a new and fair trial for him. Individuals
such as President Nelson Mandela, President Jacques Chirac, Harry
Belafonte, Angela Davis, Susan Sarandon, and Alice Walker are just a few of
the thousands of well-known individuals in the political and artistic arena
who have participated in this campaign.
Mumia's case has been put on the fast track. That is what this nation's
oldest civil rights organization must understand. There is a slight opening
in the case for a new trial as the case appears before the Third Circuit
Court of Appeals. But the Danger of Execution continues to loom large.
Additionally, there is an international struggle going on following the
naming of a newly built street in Saint-Denis, France in honor of Mumia.
The city council of Philadelphia has denounced that street naming and has
demanded that Saint-Denis and France rescind the name Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Similarly, the Pennsylvania Senate has also denounced the street naming,
supporting U.S. House Resolution 407 which had presented this entire
position, one initiated be the Fraternal Order of Police. House Resolution
407 has been submitted to the U.S. Congress.
Mumia's case is not like that of Tookie Williams who though asserted his
innocence for the crime he was convicted, admitted that his life style
involved crimes against society. Tookie by all standards was a redeemed man
and that is what correctly let led the NAACP leaders to visit him and offer
him a job working for the national body. Why not offer internationally
recognized, and extremely talented journalist , Mumia Abu-Jamal, whom you
supported at your national convention in 2004, and who has always led an
exemplary life, a position at the Crisis magazine?
At the 2004 NAACP convention in Philadelphia, the city where Mumia grew up
and worked as a journalist, the NAACP passed a resolution calling on all
its units throughout America and the world to support the international
call for Mumia's release from Death Row and to support the international
movement for a new and fair trial for our brother. The organization voted
its values, yet has done nothing since that time to implement that
resolution other than to suspend the chapter that initiated the resolution,
the Ossining, NY chapter!
We will be leaving NYC at 5:30 am on Sunday, July 16th Sunday morning from
33rd street and 8th Avenue(right in front of the post office) to attend the
NAACP National Convention, to demand an opportunity to address the body,
and to hold the organization accountable to its 2004 vote.
Those people who want to call the national NAACP Headquarters to raise this
issue can call toll free 866-63-NAACP. Those individuals who wish to join
the Free Mumia Coalition Delegation leaving from New York City should call
the coalition hotline 212-330-8029 by Friday night.
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LETTER FROM LYNNE STEWART
My Dear Supporters,
I want to thank all of you for standing by me for the past 4 years
through the trial, conviction and my bout with breast cancer.
Now I am preparing for sentencing on September 25, 2006.
I have been fortunate to have gained strength through your
support and although the strength of the "all mighty" government
seems overwhelming we know we are on the right side of history.
Since the day in April 2002 when I was arrested, the Lynne
Stewart Defense Committee was formed. We have accomplished
great things through the committee and managed to raise
awareness of my case and the issues it has raised. We have
made connections to a broad base of people united at this
time by the Bush/ Cheney attack on the Bill of Rights and
the Constitution.
I am going to provide you below with excerpts from my
sentencing submissions which are directed to the sentencing
Judge, of course, but give you a real sense of the posture of
the government towards me. That is, that I must be made
an example of to deter attorneys. For this they are asking
for 30 years. I am to be 67 in October.
I hope that you will continue to do what you can to support
the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee. The fight is far from
over and the isolation that is prison will only be pierced by
the good of people who continue to fight for justice and bring
attention to the excesses of the U.S. Government. At this time
we would like to send a mailing which will incorporate my
sentencing papers and some of the hundreds of letters that
have been written on my behalf as well as report to you from
the Govt's response to my sentencing memorandum which
should be filed later this summer.
My Defense Committee will continue to work on my behalf
through the long struggle ahead as well as work in solidarity
with many other groups and individuals fighting against this
government's policies and for peace and justice. Of course
this takes funds and although it is very hard for me to ask,
I implore you to contribute as much as you can. What follows
are excerpts from the sentencing memorandum filed on my behalf.
Lynne Stewart
On the evening of July 5, 2006 attorneys for Lynne Stewart filed
a Sentencing Memoranda on her behalf asking for a non-custodial
sentence.
The memoranda contain and refer to many of the scholarly
and impassioned letters written to the Hon. John G. Koeltl on
Lynne's behalf also asking for a non-custodial sentence.
The following are excerpts from the Affirmation of Elizabeth
M. Fink, Esq. filed in support of Ms. Stewart's Presentencing
submissions:
"...........The most chilling and horrendous aspect of Ms. Stewart's
PSR (Pre-Sentence Report by U.S. Probation) is the stated justification
for the 30 year sentence. 'We hope that this sentence of 30 years
will not only punish Stewart for her actions, but serve as a deterrent
for other lawyers who believe that they are above the rules and
regulations of penal institutions or otherwise try to skirt the
laws of this country.'
"......Ms. Stewart violated prison rules and, among other things,
issued a press release in violation of the SAMs. Nothing happened.
The recommendation of a 30-year sentence for 66-year-old
women with cancer and a lifetime of service to the community
is not reasonable. It is not justice. It is tyranny."
"..........As this Court can see, for decades, Ms. Stewart lead an
exemplary life, a life based on community service. She changed
the lives of thousands and as a lawyer, she was the finest
representative of our profession. Using her skills and compassion,
she restored faith in America and its justice system to thousands
of people. She was a symbol of the best of the system. Working
tirelessly, for little or no money, she brought light and hope to
thousands and was an example to everyone who knew and knows her.
Justice and mercy require that this Court examine all of the factors
that apply to Ms. Stewart: her decades of selfless dedication to her
profession and to her clients, friends and neighbors, her precarious
medical situation, the lack of any gain to her by her actions, her
mis-guided but compassionate motivations, the lack of harm caused
by her actions, and the effect on present and future member of the
criminal Bar of a draconian sentence. I pray that your examination
will compel you to find that justice and reason mandate
a non-custodial sentence."
For information and to view a copy of the submissions please
contact Pat Levasseur, The Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
at 212-625-9696.
Contributions to the defense committee can be made to The
Lynne Stewart Defense Committee 350 Broadway, Suite 700,
New York, NY 10013. Tax deductible contributions can be
made payable to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation with
Lynne Stewart on the memo line. Send to the same address
above. You can also contribute through pay pal at our website:
www.lynnestewart.org
http://www.lynnestewart.org/
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Convicted civil rights lawyer Stewart seeks non-prison sentence
By Larry Neumeister
The Associated Press
July 6, 2006, 7:55 PM EDT
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--terrortrial0706jul06,0,2681538.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
NEW YORK -- Attorneys for civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart
have asked a judge to spare her a prison sentence for her
conviction in a terrorism case despite a recommendation
by the federal probation department that she serve 30 years.
The attorneys filed papers Wednesday in U.S. District Court
in Manhattan asking that the judge take into consideration
Stewart's bout with breast cancer, her age, 66, and three
decades of selfless service as a lawyer in sentencing her
on Sept. 25.
One lawyer, Elizabeth Fink, called a U.S. Probation Department
pre-sentencing report that recommended Stewart serve
the maximum possible sentence of 30 years "draconian,
inhumane and ludicrous."
A message left with a spokeswoman for the federal
prosecutors' office was not immediately returned Thursday.
Stewart was convicted in February 2005 of providing material
support to terrorists by releasing the statement of a notorious
imprisoned client who was convicted a decade earlier of
approving plans to blow up five New York City landmarks.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and her
sentencing has been delayed while she undergoes treatment.
In her court papers, Fink quoted the nonpublic pre-sentencing
report as saying: "We hope that this sentence of 30 years
will not only punish Stewart for her actions but serve as
a deterrent for other lawyers who believe that they are
above the rules and regulations of penal institutions
or otherwise try to skirt the laws of this country."
Pre-sentencing reports are advisory documents prepared
by court employees and considered by judges before they
determine sentences.
Fink said lawyers for criminal defendants perform their
constitutional duties every day under difficult and depressing
circumstances and for little money.
"The deterrence they want to accomplish here is to frighten
lawyers into submission and destroy zealous advocacy,"
she wrote.
Fink said the conviction, disbarment and a non-prison
sentence would serve adequate deterrence to other lawyers.
"To put Lynne Stewart in prison in order to teach criminal
lawyers how to behave is outrageous," she said.
The lawyer wrote that there was no question that Stewart
made a serious mistake "and by doing so, ruined her life."
But Fink added that Stewart improved the lives of thousands
during three decades of practicing law and "restored faith
in America and its justice system to thousands of people."
Stewart was convicted along with Mohamed Yousry,
an Arabic interpreter, and Ahmed Abdel Sattar, a U.S.
postal worker.
Yousry and Stewart, both convicted of providing material
support to terrorists, face up to 30 years in prison. Sattar,
convicted of conspiracy to kill and kidnap people in
a foreign country, could face life in prison.
The three will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl.
He already has upheld the jury verdict, rejecting Stewart's claim
that her client, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, was engaging
in protected speech when he expressed his opinion about
a cease fire by Islamic militants in Egypt that Stewart passed
along in a 2000 press release.
Besides the material support conviction, Stewart also was
convicted of defrauding the government and making false
statements for breaking her promise to abide by special
rules the government imposed on the sheik to prevent
him from communicating with his followers.
Copyright 2006 Newsday Inc.
***
Stewart was convicted along with Mohamed Yousry, an Arabic interpreter, and
Ahmed Abdel Sattar, a U.S. postal worker.
Yousry and Stewart, both convicted of providing material support to
terrorists, face up to 30 years in prison. Sattar, convicted of conspiracy
to kill and kidnap people in a foreign country, could face life in prison.
The three will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John G. Koeltl. He
already has upheld the jury verdict, rejecting Stewart's claim that her
client, Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, was engaging in protected speech when he
expressed his opinion about a cease fire by Islamic militants in Egypt that
Stewart passed along in a 2000 press release.
Besides the material support conviction, Stewart also was convicted of
defrauding the government and making false statements for breaking her
promise to abide by special rules the government imposed on the sheik to
prevent him from communicating with his followers.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
Personalize the message text on the right with
your own words, if you wish.
Click the Next Step button to send your letter
to these decision makers:
President George W. Bush
Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
Your Senators
Your Representative
Go here to register your outrage:
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr003=cga2p2o6x1.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=177
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Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
Status! Checks can me made out to
ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeo9ewi/idrissstelleyfoundation/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/isf23/
Report Police Brutality
24HR Bilingual hotline
(415) 595-8251
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Justice4Asa/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Sign the petition to save Bayview Hunters Point: No more Fillmore!
Editorial by Willie Ratcliff,
http://www.sfbayview.com/060706/signthepetition060706.shtml
As urban Black displacement grows, Bayview kicks off referendum
drive to stop Redevelopment by Randy Shaw,
http://www.sfbayview.com/060706/displacement060706.shtml
Hands off Bayview Hunters Point!
An open letter to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
http://www.sfbayview.com/050306/handsoff050306.shtml
When times got tough, Fred Hampton Sr., considered by many
the greatest of the great organizers produced by the Black Panther
Party, used to say, “It’s terrible but it’s fine.” He knew that adversity
inevitably threatens movements for freedom and justice. Setbacks
can stall or stop a movement or fuel a great leap forward.
It’s up to us.
First the good news: Not just 7,000 as we reported Wednesday,
but now 10,000 signatures have been gathered in the petition
drive to stop the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency from
grabbing and “repeopling” (a term Redevelopment lists as one
of its goals) Bayview Hunters Point, a neighborhood that’s
91 percent people of color.
Shattering the myth that our community is divided, people –
especially Black people – are lining up to sign, but we need
lots more signature gatherers. Can you commit to a few
hours with a clipboard or to passing petitions among
your co-workers, friends and family? Give us a call at
(415) 671-0789 or an email at editor@sfbayview.com.
Now for what we’re up against: The Bay View newspaper
has been too broke to help finance the petition campaign,
very few contributions have come in and bills are overdue.
So the petition drive needs financial help … and so does
the Bay View newspaper, desperately.
We’ve cut our expenses down to the bone and even deeper,
but producing both the printed paper and the website
requires cash money – and right now we have none.
We’ve also worked to collect our receivables, but it’s
hard times, and a number of those who owe us money
for ads can’t pay. We were promised a line of credit by
the bank, but after stringing us along for weeks, they
called on Saturday to decline.
The Bay View has faced many crises in the over 14 years
we’ve published it – eviction, death threats, never enough
money – yet readers have always come through, enabling
us to bounce back, tackle bigger issues and fight harder
than ever. We hate to beg, but WE NEED YOU NOW.
WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE AND SUBSTANTIAL LOAN, THE
BAY VIEW CANNOT CONTINUE. To discuss a loan, which
we can amply collateralize, please call us at (415) 671-0789;
we’re here 24/7. Tax-deductible contributions to our
nonprofit arm, the Hurricane Relief Information Network,
are also a big help to save the hopes and the lives
of survivors who depend on the Bay View for news and resources.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Appeal for funds:
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailiraq.com
Request for Support
Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
operating expenses.
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.
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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARTICLES IN FULL
LINKS ONLY
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
HEY! COME SEE THIS SHOW!
We Are Not These Hands
by Sheila Callaghan
At: Ashby Stage, located at 1901 Ashby Ave in Berkeley.
(Across the street from Ashby BART!)
Regular Performances ($20): Thursdays - Sundays, June 29 - July 16.
Showtimes: Sunday performances at 7:00pm, all other
performances at 8:00pm.
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DRCNet Alert:
Sources have informed us that the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical
marijuana vote in the House of Representatives is going to happen
NEXT WEEK. This amendment if passed will forbid the US Dept.
of Justice from interfering with state medical marijuana laws.
Your help is needed -- it is crucial that more members of Congress
vote for medical marijuana this year than did last year. Please visit
http://stopthedrugwar.org/medicalmarijuana/
to e-mail your member of Congress today!
http://stopthedrugwar.org/index.shtml
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Fourth Annual International Al-Awda Convention
San Francisco - July 14-16, 2006
To register: http://al-awda.org/sf-conv_reserve.html
To flyer, the writing is on the wall: http://al-awda.org/pdf/flyer.pdf
For all other info: http://al-awda.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
SAVE THE DATE AND JOIN US!!!!!
THIS IS A RESIDENT-LED EFFORT BY SURVIVORS WHO HAVE BEEN
SOME OF THE MOST IMPACTED BY THE KATRINA DISASTER AND
WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE LEAST ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCES
FROM FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ANDTHEIR
AGENCIES. THEY WANT TO KNOW IF YOUR ADVOCACY, ACTIVIST,
OR PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATION WANTS TO SUPPORTTHIS AND
HAVE ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE ON BEHALF
OF YOUR ORGANIZATION TO PULL THIS OFF THEY WANT OUR
HELP AND SUPPORT!!!
Come Back Home Campaign
Washington, D.C. August 24, 25, and 26, 2006
Baton Rouge, August 27-28, 2006
New Orleans, August 29, 2006
On August 24-26, 2006, Survivors who are still displaced and
scattered all across the U.S. will be traveling to D.C., pitching
tents, and camping out on the federal government to demand
their right to returnhome
On August 27-28, 2006, these Survivors will be traveling to
Baton Rouge, pitching their tents in front of the state capitol,
and putting pressure on the state government of Louisiana
for their right to return home
On August 29, 2006, the anniversary of the Katrina Disaster,
Survivors will make their demands to return home heard
by the city council of New Orleans and camp
out on city hall
We are planning to have at least of 5,000 Katrina survivors
bused into D.C., Baton Rouge, and New Orleans from all across
the U.S. We are focusing our efforts on bringing residents
in from seven states in the Southern Region:
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas,
Georgia, Florida.
We are specifically reaching out to those who are public
housing residents, renters, and home owners that the city,
state and federal government are trying
to keep from returning home We need help with food,
housing, medical providers, logistics, showers/toilets,
entertainment, & advertising
For more info, contact the following organization representatives:
Makani, Praxis Project (202) 234-5921,
info@praxisproject.org
Ishmael, Advancement Project and People's Organizing
Committee (504) 872-9591, poc_information@yahoo.com
Please visit our website: www.peoplesorganizing.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
NATIONAL EMERGENCY MARCH ON WASHINGTON
DEFEND THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND LEBANON!
STOP THE US-ISRAELI WAR!
National Emergency March on Washington
Defend the People of Palestine and Lebanon!
Stop the U.S.-Israeli War!
From Iraq to Lebanon to Palestine,
Occupation is a Crime!
Saturday, August 12, 12 Noon
The White House
SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2006, 11:00 A.M.
CIVIC CENTER, SAN FRANCISCO
Stop U.S. Aid to Israel!
Support the Palestinian People's
Right to Return!
Money for Jobs and Education,
Not for War and Occupation!
Initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, the
National Council of Arab Americans (NCA),
and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation.
October 28 National Day of Action
Locally Coordinated Anti-War Protests from Coast to Coast
Vote With Your Feet … and Your Voices, and Banners, and Signs!
Let Every Politician Feel the Power of the People!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7836
http://www.actionsf.org/
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7869
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
End Canada's Occupation of Afghanistan!
Call for action on October 28, 2006
This call for a pan-Canadian day of action, co-signed by the
Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Islamic Congress, the
Canadian Labour Congress and the Montreal coalition Echec
a la Guerre, is being distributed and discussed at the World Peace
Forum now taking place in Vancouver. -SV The Collectif Échec
à la guerre, Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Labour Congress,
and the Canadian Islamic Congress are jointly calling for a pan-
Canadian day of protest this October 28th, 2006, to bring Canadian
troops home from Afghanistan.
On that day, people all across the country will unite to tell
Stephen Harper that we are opposed to
his wholehearted support for Canadian and U.S. militarism.
This October marks the fifth anniversary of the invasion and
occupation of Afghanistan, and the people of that country are
still suffering from the ravages of war. Reconstruction in the
country is at a standstill and the needs of the Afghan people
are not being met. The rule of the new Afghan State, made
up largely of drug running warlords, will not realize the
democratic aspirations of the people there. In fact, according
to Human Rights Watch reports, the human rights record
of those warlords in recent years has not been better than
the Taliban.
We are told that the purpose of this war is to root out terrorism
and protect our societies, yet the heavy-handed approach of
a military occupation trying to impose a US-friendly
government on the Afghan people will force more Afghans
to become part of the resistance movement. It will also
make our societies more -- not less -- likely to see terrorist
attacks.
No discussion on military tactics in the House of Commons
will change that reality. Indeed, violence is increasing with
more attacks on both coalition troops and on Afghan civilians.
While individual Canadian soldiers may have gone to Afghanistan
with the best of intentions, they are operating under the
auspices of a US-led state building project that cares little
or the needs of the Afghan people. US and Canadian interests
rest with the massive $3.2 billion Trans Afghan Pipeline (TAP)
project, which will bring oil from the Caspian region through
southern Afghanistan (where Canada is stationed) and onto the
ports of Pakistan.
It has been no secret that the TAP has dominated US foreign
policy towards Afghanistan for the last decade. Now Canadian
oil and gas corporations have their own interests in the TAP.
Over the last decade, the role of the Canadian Armed Forces
abroad has changed, and Canadian foreign policy has become
a replica of the US empire-building rhetoric. The end result
of this process is now plain to see with the role of our troops
in Southern Afghanistan, with the enormous budget increases
for war expenditures and "security," with the Bush-style speeches
of Stephen Harper, and with the fear campaigns around
"homegrown terrorism" to foster support for those nefarious
changes.
It is this very course that will get young Canadian soldiers killed,
that will endanger our society and consume more and more
of its resources for destruction and death in Afghanistan.
We demand a freeze in defense and security budgets until
an in-depth public discussion is held on those issues across
Canada. The mission in Afghanistan has already cost Canadians
more than $4 billion. That money could have been used to fund
human needs in Canada or abroad. Instead it is being used
to kill civilians in Afghanistan and advance the interests
of corporations.
On October 28th, stand up and be counted.
Canadian Troops Out of Afghanistan Now!
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE
For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
www.lynnestewart.org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
www.lynnestewart.org
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NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
Who are the Cuban Five?
The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
Fernando González and René González.
The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
charges.
But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
weapons while in the United States.
The Cuban Five’s mission was to stop terrorism
For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
have died as a result of these terrorists’ attacks.
Gerardo
Hernández
2 Life Sentences
Antonio
Guerrero
Life Sentence
Ramon
Labañino
Life Sentence
Fernando
González
19 Years
René
González
15 Years
Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
http://www.freethefive.org/
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Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
elsewhere, the website is:
www.mexico.indymedia.org/oaxaca
http://www.mexico.indymedia.org/oaxaca
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REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY.ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
http://www.indybay.org
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Iraq Body Count
For current totals, see our database page.
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/press/pr13.php
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"The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
- Mort Sahl
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"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
- Emilano Zapata
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Please circulate widely
Join the Campaign to
Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
Go to:
http://www.shutitdown.org/
to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org http://www.actionsf.org
sf@internationalanswer.org
2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
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Great Counter-Recruitment Website
http://notyoursoldier.org/article.php?list=type&type=14
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DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
CIVIL RIGHTS!
Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
condition from the Arizona desert.
Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!
Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
and those who support them!
For more information call 415-821- 9683.
For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
visit www.nomoredeaths.org.
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FYI
According to "Minimum Wage History" at
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html "
"Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.
"A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
the state minimum wage at $4.35."
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PRESERVE INTERNET NETWORK NEUTRALITY
Hi,
I can't imagine that you haven't seen this, but if you
haven't, please sign the petition to keep our access.
Everything we do online will be hurt if Congress
passes a radical law next week that gives giant
corporations more control over what we do and see on
the Internet.
Internet providers like AT&T are lobbying Congress
hard to gut Network Neutrality--the Internet's First
Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Right now,
Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which
websites open most easily for you based on which site
pays AT&T more. BarnesandNoble.com doesn't have to
outbid Amazon for the right to work properly on your
computer.
If Net Neutrality is gutted, many sites--including
Google, eBay, and iTunes--must either pay protection
money to companies like AT&T or risk having their
websites process slowly. That why these high-tech
pioneers, plus diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to
Gun Owners of America, are opposing Congress' effort
to gut Internet freedom.
So please! sign this petition telling your member of
Congress to preserve Internet freedom? Click here:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet?track_referer=706%7C1152463-5QFocRE05wmGUuh8yAMSzg
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NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
http://www.10reasonsbook.com/
Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
See this article from USA Today:
Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
February 13, 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-02-13-education-panel_x.htm
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The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/decind.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805195.php
Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805182.php
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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
Here is the speech of Nassar allah. Please send far and wide....
Please note that Nassar Allah while on the air giving this speech, he
concluded that the resistance have destroyed a war ship of Israel...and
indeed that has happened .
Victory to the resistance
amer
2) No peace for Israel without justice for the Palestinians
Jewish state must come to terms with demographics
By SAREE MAKDISI
July 14, 2006, 7:31PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4048204.html
3) Pattern of misconduct
Fort Carson soldiers allege abuse and intimidation
by Michael de Yoanna
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/current/cover.html
4) Refugees Speak of Catastrophic Bombing
Inter Press Service
Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website
http://dahrjamailiraq.com
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1) Here is the speech of Nassar allah. Please send far and wide....
Please note that Nassar Allah while on the air giving this speech, he
concluded that the resistance have destroyed a war ship of Israel...and
indeed that has happened .
Victory to the resistance
amer
The address of the General Secretary of Hizballah, His
Excellency Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah, to the Nation, the
Lebanese people, the resistance fighters, the
Zionists, and the Arab leaders.
Translated by Muhammad Abu Nasr
Friday, 14 July 2006.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His
blessings!
To begin with, in this first address that I make to
you since Operation True Promise [on which Hizballah
captured two Zionist soldiers] and the events that
followed it, I would like, to begin with, to offer my
appreciation and condolences to the families of the
martyrs, those who gave the dearest of their loved
ones on during these hard and difficult days, and all
they have given in the noblest confrontation and
battle that the modern age has known or rather that
all history has known. I want to salute the wounded
and beseech God, be He glorified and exalted, to
sustain them, heal them and bring them health. I also
wish to salute our steadfast people in all the cities,
towns and villages who are standing firm and
immoveable, rooted in their land as they are rooted in
their faith. I also salute my brothers the
Mujahideen, the steadfast resistance fighters,
enduring hardship at their posts and in all our ranks,
ever ready for sacrifice in the path of what they
believe. They always have and always will regard
their own safety lightly and hold their heads high
with pride.
In this first address that I give in these days
following Operation True Promise, I would like to say
a few words – a word to the Lebanese people, a word to
the resistance fighters, a word to the Zionists, and a
word to the Arab rulers. I will not offer words to
the international community because I have never for
one day believed that there is any such thing as an
international community, just as many in our nation
feel.
First, I say to the Lebanese people: dear people – who
embraced the resistance, by whom the resistance was
victorious, and for whom the resistance won its
victory on 25 May 2000 – this people who were the
makers of the first victory in the history of the Arab
struggle with the Israeli enemy, despite the basic
inequality in forces, and in spite of the fact that
the majority of our Arab brothers and the majority of
our Muslim brothers abandoned us and despite the
silence of the whole world, this Lebanese people made
the miracle of the victory that stunned the world and
humiliated the Zionists. Those Zionists look upon
this people in a special, unique way because they
accomplished in the history of the struggle with them
a special and unique accomplishment. The battle today
is no longer a battle over prisoners or the exchange
of prisoners. It might be said that the Zionist enemy
is responding any time there is any operation where
men are captured anywhere in any part of the world, by
any army or any state that has borders and
regulations. What is taking place today is not a
response to a capture of their soldiers; it is a
squaring of accounts with the people, resistance,
state, army, political forces, regions, villages, and
families that inflicted that historic defeat on that
aggressive usurper entity that has never accepted its
defeat.
Today, therefore, this is a total war that Zionism is
waging to clear its whole account with Lebanon, the
Lebanese people, the Lebanese state, the Lebanese
army, and the Lebanese resistance, in revenge and
reprisal for the victory they won on 25 May 2000.
Dear steadfast, mujahid, and noble people, I know that
the overwhelming majority of this people, in their
minds, hearts, wills, culture, thoughts, love,
passion, and sacrifice are a people of nobility,
dignity, honor, distinction, and pride, not a people
of servility, subservience, submissiveness, and
surrender. I say to you that in this battle we are
faced with two choices – not "we" as in Hizballah, or
as in the resistance, the Hizballah resistance – but
Lebanon as a state, a people, an army, a resistance,
and a political power – we are faced with two choices:
either to submit today to the conditions that the
Zionist enemy wants to dictate to us all, using the
pressure, support, and backing it has from America,
from around the world, and, I'm sorry to say, from
Arabs. Either we submit completely to its conditions,
which means taking Lebanon into an Israeli age under
Israeli domination – in total frankness this is the
extent of the matter – or we stand steadfast. That is
the other choice: that we persevere, that we persevere
and confront. I, relying on God the Exalted, and on
my faith in Him and the mujahideen and in you, knowing
this people and this enemy, just as I always used to
promise you victory, now I promise you victory once
again. During the Grapes of Wrath in 1996, or the
clearing of accounts in 1993, in the beginning they
had the upper hand and our situation was much worse.
But today, the situation is different. Believe me,
and I mean this, the situation now is different. All
that we need is to persevere, stand steadfast, and
confront them united, and I know and I will bet that
the majority of our people are a people of
steadfastness, a mujahid people who can sacrifice, who
have no need for pep talks. What I'm saying now is
only by way of completing the idea, and affirming the
choice, and clarifying what this means.
Now, as for my words for the resistance fighters, for
my dear and beloved brothers: upon them rest the
hopes of every Lebanese, every Palestinian, every
Arab, every Muslim, every free and decent person in
this world, every oppressed, tortured victim of
injustice, every lover of steadfastness, courage,
dignity, values, and nobility – the characteristics
they embody by their presence on the field of battle
and in their fight with this enemy, the fight of
valiant heroes. I say to them: today, after God the
Highest, you are the hope of our Nation. You are the
symbol of our nobility. Our honor is in your hands.
This honor is yours and by means of you, our honor is
preserved. After God the Exalted, it was you who were
responsible for the victory of 2000. Today it is you,
before all others, who are responsible for preserving
the victory, for achieving liberation, standing
steadfast, and with honor. This places demands on you
that you, in practice, have proved until now and
during these days that you are entirely worthy of, as
you are worthy of our esteem. Those who put their
trust in you, after God, their charge is great, the
reward will be grand, and the mighty victory – a clear
triumph – is near.
To the Zionists, to the people of the Zionist entity
at this hour I say to them: you will soon discover how
foolish and stupid are your new rulers, your new
leaders. They do not know how to assess reality.
They have no experience in this area. You Zionists
say in opinion polls that you believe me more than you
believe your officials. So now I call on you to
listen well and believe me. Today we have persevered
despite the attack that took place last night in the
southern suburbs. However the attacks multiply in
every village, neighborhood, street, and home in
Lebanon, there is no difference between the south
Beirut suburbs, the City of Beirut, or any home in
south Lebanon, in the Beqaa, or the north, or Mount
Lebanon, or any corner of Lebanon.
The equation has now changed. I will not say today
that if you strike Beirut, we will strike Haifa. I
will not tell you that if you hit the south Beirut
suburbs, we will hit Haifa. You wanted to get rid of
that equation, so now we and you have got rid of it in
actuality. You wanted open warfare, and we are going
into open warfare. We are ready for it, a war on
every level. To Haifa, and, believe me, to beyond
Haifa, and to beyond beyond Haifa. Not only we will
be paying a price. Not only our houses will be
destroyed. Not only our children will be killed. Not
only our people will be displaced. Those days are
past. That was how it was before 1982, and before the
year 2000. Those times have come to an end. I
promise you those times have passed. Therefore you
must also bear the responsibility for what your
government has done, for what that government has
undertaken. From now on, you wanted open warfare, so
it will be open warfare. You wanted it. Your
government wanted to change the rules of the game, so
let the rules then be changed. You don't know today
whom you're fighting. You are fighting the children
of Muhammad, of Ali, of al-Hasan, of al-Husayn, of the
Prophet's family, the Prophet's Companions. You are
fighting a people who have faith such as no one else
on the face of the earth possesses. And you have
chosen open warfare with a people who take pride in
their history, their civilization, and their culture,
and who also possess material power, ability,
expertise, knowledge, calm, imagination,
determination, steadfastness, and courage. In the
coming days it will be between us and you, God
willing.
As to the Arab rulers, I don't want to ask you about
your history. I just want to say a few words. We are
adventurers. We in Hizballah are adventurers, yes.
But we have been adventurers since 1982. And we have
brought to our country only victory, freedom,
liberation, dignity, honor, and pride. This is our
history. This is our experience. This is our
adventure. In the year 1982 you said and the world
said that we were crazy. But we proved that we were
the rational ones, so who then was crazy? This is
something else and I don't want to get into an
argument with anyone. So I tell them simply: go bet
on your reason and we will bet on our adventure, with
God as our Supporter and Benefactor. We have never
for one day counted on you. We have trusted in God,
our people, our hearts, our hands, and our children.
Today we do the same, and God willing, victory will
follow. The surprises that I promised you will begin
starting now. Now, out at sea off the coast of Beirut
an Israeli military vessel that attacked our
infrastructure, that struck the homes of our people,
our civilians; you can see it burning. It will sink
and with it dozens of Zionist Israeli troops. This is
the beginning. There will be a lot more said before
the end.
Peace be upon you and the mercy of God!
Arabic original at:
http://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/phpfolder/loadpage.php?page=JOU214.html
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2) No peace for Israel without justice for the Palestinians
Jewish state must come to terms with demographics
By SAREE MAKDISI
July 14, 2006, 7:31PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4048204.html
The civilian infrastructure — notably Beirut International Airport —
was the first target of the attack that Israel unleashed on Lebanon
in response to the capture of two Israeli soldiers this week.
This mimicks Israel's earlier assaults on the essentially defenseless
population of the Gaza Strip. Israeli missiles destroyed Gaza's
only power plant, depriving half the population of electricity
for the hot summer months (no fans, no fridges, no light after
sunset). Israeli interdictions severely disrupted supplies of food,
fuel, medicines and water. Midnight air raids, artillery bombardments,
and sleep deprivation are taking a psychological toll, particularly
on young children.
Israel is, in short, now punishing more than a million men,
women and children in Gaza for a Palestinian guerrilla attack
on an Israeli army post (an obviously military target), and the
entire population of Lebanon for a Hezbollah attack on Israeli
troops on its northern border.
As Israel lashes out indiscriminately, mocking international law,
U.S. government officials and prominent pundits have expressed
sympathy — not for the victims of these attacks, but for their
perpetrators. Moreover, much of the arsenal that Israel uses
against Lebanese and Palestinians is American, including the
armored bulldozers it uses to crush homes, the missiles
recklessly fired into crowded neighborhoods and the
gunships that launch them.
Such support tarnishes U.S. standing in a strategically vital
region of the world. More and more Americans realize that
we pay a price for Israel's abuses — and receive nothing
in return.
What we most urgently need to know is that the tragedy
now unfolding in Gaza is not merely one more episode in
a supposed "cycle of violence" (which implies proportionality),
let alone a genuine military contest (for only one side has
an army).
But if the current Israeli attacks are utterly disproportionate
to their alleged provocations, that is because far more is at
stake than Palestinian pinpricks. What is happening in Gaza
is an expression of Israel's political vision.
Israeli politicians speak openly of that vision (indeed, the
current Israeli government won recent elections with a pledge
to fulfill it): the consolidation of a state with a Jewish majority
in a land in which barely half the population is actually Jewish.
There is no way to implement such a program without violence.
That was the case in 1948, when half of Palestine's non-Jewish
population was driven into flight — never to be allowed to
return — in order for a Jewish state to be created on what
had been Palestinians' land. And it is the case today, as Israel
seeks to forcibly isolate the land's remaining non-Jewish
population into barren islands cut off from each other and
the rest of the world.
Gaza is only one of these islands. The others are in the West
Bank which, with Gaza and east Jerusalem, are what remained
of Palestine after it was dismembered in 1948 — only to be
captured by Israel in 1967.
Jerusalem is already off limits to most Palestinians. Israel
has broken the West Bank into three separate cantons. A grid
of roadblocks further fragments each canton internally. Israel's
separation barrier only adds to the fragmentation, as do a road
network barred to Palestinians — and a sprawling array of illegal
Jewish settlements — whose annexation to Israel, while bypassing
areas of indigenous, non-Jewish population, is Israel's objective.
Israel claims to hold the Palestinian "government" accountable
for the raid on its Gaza outpost. But this archipelago of besieged
territories does not — and it will never — amount to a "state."
It is designed to be a collection of open-air holding cells for the
land's non-Jewish population: spaces to detain them, isolate them
from health-care, educational and infrastructural services, deny
them access to land, resources and markets, until they either die
or simply give up and go away. Gaza's suffocation over the past
year illustrates this perfectly.
Each departing Palestinian will be triumphantly checked off the
tally by Israeli demographers like Arnon Sofer who, anxiously
monitoring what they unabashedly call the "demographic threat"
to their country, obsessively calculate ratios of Jews to non-Jews.
Lacking an army, Palestinians do not pose a material challenge
to Israel. They pose an ideological challenge. Raids like the one
on the Gaza outpost remind Israelis that the Palestinians will
not go away; this is why Israel cannot tolerate them.
Israel's announcement that it now intends to create by force
a depopulated "security zone" in northern Gaza is eerily reminiscent
of its futile attempt to enforce such a zone in southern Lebanon.
Israel's northern border fell silent — not when it had finally used
enough violence against Lebanon — but when it decided to end
its illegal military occupation of Lebanese territory. That lesson
has apparently been forgotten already, as Israel again holds an
entire country hostage.
The same principle applies to Gaza. Israel's use of overwhelming
force against civilian targets shows that it still fails to understand
that occupation begets resistance — and that peace for Israelis
is inseparable from justice for Palestinians.
These are lessons that Americans should learn as well.
Makdisi, a nephew of the late pro-Palestinian activist and writer
Edward Said, is a professor of English and Comparative Literature
at UCLA. He is a frequent commentator on the Middle East.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
3) Pattern of misconduct
Fort Carson soldiers allege abuse and intimidation
by Michael de Yoanna
http://www.csindy.com/csindy/current/cover.html
Pvt. Tyler Jennings returned to Fort Carson last August after one year
in Iraq. Today, the 23-year-old active-duty infantryman is sitting in
his Colorado Springs living room with the shades drawn. He takes
a drag of his Marlboro cigarette before describing what life has
been like since his return.
Two months ago, Jennings was intent on killing himself, getting
as far as tying a noose of rope.
"The stress of being back home crept up on me," he says.
"I just couldn't take it anymore."
But the Rochester, N.Y., native, a newlywed, says he was too
drunk to carry out the deed.
Jennings is what other soldiers in his 2nd Brigade Combat
Team platoon frequently call a "shitbag."
"A shitbag is what the Army calls someone who can't do
anything right," he explains.
Less than a year ago, Jennings was a hero, a Purple Heart
recipient who'd re-enlisted for six years. But stationed on
a remote highway outpost near Ramadi, he faced a daily
onslaught of insurgents' roadside explosions. He saw
a sergeant he knew "folded in three like an accordion"
behind the wheel of a Humvee, alongside a soldier literally
split in half and decapitated. He watched in horror as
Pfc. Samuel Lee, a 19-year-old from Anaheim, Calif.,
committed suicide, shooting himself in front of his platoon.
Once back at Fort Carson, Jennings says he suffered panic
attacks, jitters, sleeplessness and flashbacks. He turned to
drugs, alcohol and sleeping pills to ease his afflictions.
When urine analysis tests came back positive, the Army
began to process his discharge for "patterns of misconduct."
But the therapist he obtained off base says Jennings resorted
to drugs as a way to cope with the horrifying memories of war,
the people and places that trigger those memories, and his
sense that an attack may be imminent, even in Colorado Springs.
"It makes sense [that] one would turn to substances to treat
the stress that goes with all the bad memories," says Gerald
Sandeford, Jennings' licensed counselor.
Sandeford has diagnosed Jennings with post-traumatic stress
disorder, or PTSD, which is among the mental health conditions
affecting one in three troops returning from war.
"They're trying to throw me out of the Army because of this,"
Jennings says.
"Shitbags" call for help
Jennings is among eight active-duty and recently discharged
soldiers interviewed by the Independent who allege that Fort
Carson hindered or outright denied PTSD treatment. They say
the Army is pursuing or has pursued disciplinary action to
purge them from the ranks. Because of the nature of their
discharges, some stand to lose benefits, such as the Montgomery
GI Bill, which provides money for college.
Some soldiers also allege their immediate superiors physically
or verbally intimidated them because of their PTSD. One soldier
says he was beaten by a sergeant and shot with a pellet gun
after seeking psychiatric care.
Dee McNutt, a spokeswoman for the base, won't comment
on specific cases, but defends Fort Carson's mental health
care system.
"Are there a couple of soldiers out there who probably fall
through the cracks? Sure, I can't deny that," McNutt says. "I can
tell you that overall, here at Fort Carson, we have the best [mental
health] care I have ever seen in my [25-year enlisted Army] career."
When soldiers return from combat, they are asked to fill out
standardized questionnaires meant to screen for PTSD. Using
the questionnaires and interviews, health care workers determine
which soldiers need to be referred for further mental evaluation.
A reassessment questionnaire is given several months later to
identify potentially overlooked cases.
Beyond those steps, however, catching a soldier with PTSD is
primarily left up to his or her immediate superiors — often, the
same people charged with preparing a soldier for combat.
Chaplains and soldiers also are entrusted with identifying
PTSD symptoms.
Yet most of the soldiers interviewed by the Independent say
the system is failing them. And some have filed for federal
whistleblower protection through Sen. Ken Salazar's office.
Salazar spokesman Cody Wertz confirms that "several" soldiers
have sought protection, citing complaints over a "variety of mental
health issues."
"The senator does feel we have an obligation to meet the
legitimate needs of those who have sacrificed so much in Iraq
and Afghanistan," Wertz says.
Salazar, who sits on the Veterans Affairs Committee, already
has met with Fort Carson officials regarding the issue and
is planning further meetings, Wertz says, though he is unable
to elaborate on the nature of the conversations so far.
Intimidation tactics
Ryan Lockwood, a former 2nd Brigade Combat Team private,
returned from Ramadi in August 2005 after a yearlong tour.
The 22-year-old says an Army captain issued an ultimatum
after he displayed symptoms of PTSD.
"He threatened that if I tried to get a medical disability for my
PTSD, he would make my life a living hell," Lockwood says
from his home in McHenry, Ill.
In Iraq, Lockwood served as a medical evacuation worker,
helping to get injured soldiers airlifted out of Ramadi. He
received a Combat Infantryman Badge, an honor for soldiers
who experience the worst kinds of warfare.
"Some soldiers had bones sticking out and were crying bloody
murder," he says. "Some had died. This is what I dealt with
every day."
Lockwood's return to Fort Carson was bittersweet. He was
alive, but still tingling from what he saw in combat, unnerved
and worn down from sleepless nights. When he did sleep, he
had nightmares about Iraq. He resorted to drinking, and
eventually, a few months after returning home, was arrested
for drunk driving on base.
He was referred to a substance abuse program, but was required
to attend just one class for less than two hours, he says.
By February, he was facing a discharge for patterns of misconduct.
His drunk driving episode and other issues, such as failure to wear
a helmet while on guard duty, were used in the case to discharge him.
Yet in the mental health evaluation completed as part of the
discharge process, Lockwood screened positive for PTSD.
"Looking back, they cast me out," he says. "I was having problems
with day-to-day duties, so they just decided to get rid of me,
despite my service to this country."
Lockwood says he was facing too much mental turmoil to fight
the Army. As a result of his discharge, he has lost up to $36,000
in Montgomery GI Bill money and will have to explain his "patterns
of misconduct" every time he applies for a job. Had his discharge
gone through purely medical channels that caught his PTSD, he
might have been declared permanently or temporarily disabled,
receiving full benefits, including monthly pay.
"At the time, I was going through a lot, and I got to the point
where I just didn't care anymore," he says. He is currently being
treated for PTSD through limited Veterans Affairs benefits
at his home in Illinois.
Former Pvt. Alex Orum, who received a Certificate of Achievement
for "phenomenal" service as a gunner in Ramadi, also says the
Army forced him out.
By the time he returned to base last August, Orum was mourning
the loss of several friends and grappling with having witnessed
or participated in several combat deaths. (Read more about
Orum on page 15.) After his wife threatened divorce, he sought
psychological assistance from Fort Carson for his violent
outbursts, nightmares, alcohol abuse and other problems.
Orum, a corporal at the time, alleges that he was harassed by
a sergeant, who allowed word to circulate that Orum had visited
the mental health ward at Evans U.S. Army Hospital at Fort
Carson. Fellow soldiers began referring to Orum as "Psycho"
— and a "shitbag."
The 20-year-old says his sergeant shot him repeatedly with
a pellet gun — a story corroborated by a still-active Fort Carson
soldier interviewed by the Independent. The same sergeant and
other direct superiors began to find fault with Orum for things
like failing to carry a pen and notebook, according to his Army
records.
He says he had trouble keeping himself together because he
lacked sleep. Sometimes, he'd tremble in fear. Loud noises
still remind him of bombs in Ramadi and can leave him
crouching in a defensive posture, even crying.
"It's coming back that sucks," he says. "I can handle
war. Handling this is hard."
Though his medical records indicate "chronic" PTSD
among his problems, Orum was discharged in May for
patterns of misconduct. His numerous offenses included
missing a rent payment, not showing up in formation and
failing to write an acceptable essay about being a "decent
soldier," according to various Army documents.
"They never really addressed the situation with my PTSD," says
Orum, now a cook in a Colorado Springs restaurant. He has
not sought professional care for his condition.
Questions and answers
Col. Steven Knorr, chief of psychiatry with Evans Hospital,
says the onus is on commanders to be vigilant about looking
for possible PTSD cases, and to refer those cases to base
professionals for further psychological help. Or, soldiers
themselves can make an appointment during business hours.
Still, some aren't keeping their appointments at the hospital.
A publicly displayed chart noted 128 mental-health-related
appointments canceled in the month of June.
Lt. Brandon Anderson, a former 2nd Brigade Combat Team
commander who served a year in Ramadi, says mental health
services are widely available to Fort Carson soldiers who work
with their superiors. He says he scored high for PTSD when
he returned to Fort Carson, but has coped with his stress
by bonding with fellow soldiers and reading an inspirational book.
But Pvt. Corey Davis, an active-duty soldier in the 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, tells a different story. He says he scheduled
an appointment at Evans several weeks ago because of grinding,
recurrent nightmares of his service in Ramadi. He is still waiting
to been seen there.
With doubts nagging him, he recently left base to see a therapist.
A licensed professional counselor concluded Davis is suffering from
PTSD and is in need of treatment.
"It feels sad that it took that long for me to find out what was going
on with me," Davis says. "I had to go out and do it myself, without
the Army. The Army didn't step in when I was having other problems
and identify this issue for me."
Davis, 26, returned to Fort Carson in August 2005 after serving
a year as a machine gunner in Ramadi.
"There were explosions every day," he says.
He fell in with a group of soldiers who used drugs. Cocaine's effects
felt like the adrenaline rush he became addicted to in Ramadi.
At the same time, it made his nightmares fade and the days whiz by.
Finally, Davis got busted, testing positive in one urine analysis in
December, then another in June. He's been demoted from specialist
and is facing an "other than honorable" discharge — among the
least desirable types of discharge — for patterns of misconduct.
"No one really talks to me at all now," he says. "I'm lucky to get
a head nod from the people I served with in Iraq. ... They call me
a shitbag. As far as they're concerned, I'm on my way out,
whatever my issues are."
Davis now wonders whether his problems could have been avoided
if Fort Carson had done a better job in identifying his PTSD.
The week he returned from Iraq, Fort Carson gave Davis and other
soldiers in his platoon the standard mental health questionnaire.
The form inquired whether they'd had experiences that were so
frightening, horrible or upsetting that they led to nightmares
or unwanted thoughts about the experience, avoidance of situations,
a feeling of constant vigilance and/or numbness or detachment
from others.
Davis says he answered yes to such questions. He believes he
should have been detained and referred immediately to mental
health counselors for assessment.
Of the roughly 11,000 soldiers who returned to Fort Carson
from Iraq in 2005, approximately 10 percent were referred to
a behavioral health specialist based on questionnaire answers,
according to Fort Carson spokeswoman McNutt. But those
referrals came in response to a range of issues, from marital
difficulties to suspected PTSD, she says.
About 275 soldiers required immediate referral to a psychologist
or psychiatrist. She is unable to identify how many cases involved
PTSD.
In a report issued two months ago, congressional investigators
for the Government Accountability Office found that 77 percent
of Army soldiers wrestling with combat stress upon returning
from Iraq or Afghanistan never received a referral for mental help.
The report states that the military "cannot reasonably assure that
service members who need referrals receive them."
Close calls?
A large body of research indicates a heightened risk of suicide
among soldiers with PTSD, with the highest rates among those
who were repeatedly injured or who are experiencing survivor guilt.
Last year, 83 active-duty Army soldiers committed suicide —
58 of them outside war zones. That's a 24 percent increase over
the prior year and the highest rate since 1993.
Fort Carson was unable to provide the number of on-base suicides
by deadline.
A mental health worker at Fort Carson estimates that three soldiers
a day are placed on watch at various psychiatric clinics in Colorado
Springs because they threaten suicide or violence to others.
Fort Carson's Col. Knorr cannot confirm the number, but
acknowledges a "few to several" soldiers each week are
transported to city clinics for further evaluation.
"It shows we're caring about the soldiers," Knorr says. "We're
saying, "OK, we need to get this soldier hospitalized.' We're
going to get him the treatment."
But one woman, who asked that her identity be withheld to
protect her son, who fought in Ramadi last year, says the base's
mental health program is failing.
Last month, she says her son called home agitated, depressed
and lonely, talking about the war. The conversation was so
incoherent that she encouraged him to visit Evans Hospital
for help.
"The only thing they did was verify his medications and tell him
to attend group therapy beginning the next week," she says.
"He needed more than that. He doesn't respond to group sessions.
He wants show he is macho. He doesn't talk openly about his
issues. When he needed immediate help, they shoved him aside."
Just two weeks earlier, following a suicide threat, her son had
been transported from Fort Carson to Penrose-St. Francis
Health Services, a private hospital that contracts with the base.
A doctor there wrote that the soldier appeared to have acted
impulsively, but "wonders sometimes if it would just be OK
if he did not wake up."
His mother thinks the base should begin the process to
determine whether her son is disabled with PTSD, which could
have resulted from a rollover accident, or guilt over surviving
deadly combat when other soldiers did not. Instead, she says,
the base is pursuing a personality-disorder discharge against
her son.
"I'm concerned about that, because this will be on his permanent
records," she says. "He's going to be branded."
Personality disorder made national headlines recently when Steven
D. Green, a former Army private based at Fort Campbell, Ky., was
accused of raping and slaying an Iraqi woman and killing her family.
Green was discharged with an unspecified personality disorder."
The clinical term antisocial" was added to his diagnosis by the
Army after the slayings.
Involuntary discharges — those prematurely initiated by the Army
— for personality disorder at Fort Carson have risen roughly
threefold since the war began in March 2003, according to data
obtained by the Independent via a Freedom of Information request.
The 170-plus discharges at Fort Carson for personality disorder
since the war's start represent about 18 percent of all early discharges.
Col. Knorr won't comment on the data because he hasn't seen it.
But Kaye Baron, a licensed professional counselor who treats
local soldiers with PTSD, fears Fort Carson may be misdiagnosing
soldiers. Scarcely has she diagnosed personality disorder in her
soldier and civilian patients, she says.
"It's considered a very rare condition," Baron adds.
A discharge for personality disorder can happen much faster
than a medical board discharge — and disqualifies a soldier
from receiving a declaration of disability and permanent benefits,
because the Army considers the condition pre-existing. Yet Army
regulations also state that no soldier should be discharged with
a personality disorder as a result of "combat exhaustion."
Fort Carson was unable by deadline to provide data on the number
of soldiers who have been granted medical retirement as a result
of PTSD.
Still fighting
Tyler Jennings wonders why Fort Carson officials have mentioned
PTSD to him and offered him group counseling, but haven't
officially diagnosed the disorder or offered treatment similar
to what he is receiving off base.
His medical records indicate that in December he was referred
for PTSD group therapy when he "reported some symptoms of
PTSD" following a positive urine analysis test for cocaine. He
was referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program for treatment,
but there is nothing in his records indicating Fort Carson took
further steps to determine whether he was suffering from PTSD.
Sandeford, Jennings' therapist, says his patient should have
received a diagnosis for PTSD. He is currently preparing Jennings
for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, or EMDR,
treatment. The therapy, accepted by the Defense Department,
helps the brain reprocess trauma and can significantly reduce
or eliminate PTSD. But because the treatment is intense, Jennings
needs to be in a secure environment before he can begin,
Sandeford says.
As of late last week, the Army had sought to send Jennings
with the rest of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team to the Army
National Training Center in California. The brigade is currently
training to return to Iraq, perhaps as early as October.
Georg-Andreas "Andrew" Pogany, a former Fort Carson Special
Forces soldier who leads Operation Just One, a group that helps
Iraq war veterans obtain confidential, free counseling, says he
intervened on Jennings' behalf, informing superiors that Jennings
has received an outside diagnosis for PTSD.
"What happened right there shows there are big problems
identifying PTSD at Fort Carson," says Pogany. "They were ready
to send this guy into a situation that would do him more harm
than good. What about all the guys like him that we don't know
about? Are they going to send them back to Iraq next?"
"The nature of trauma is that he will be re-triggered in an
atmosphere that is like combat," Sandeford says. "He'd lose
the support he has [in his wife]."
Jennings says he wouldn't be useful to the Army in his condition.
The idea of being discharged for patterns of misconduct is looking
more attractive, he adds.
"I will do what I have to to make sure that I don't go back to combat,
including saying whatever they want or doing whatever they ask,"
he says. "I know it will follow me around, but if I have to take
a discharge that I don't agree with, I will, even though they
never really admitted I have PTSD."
— deyoanna@csindy.com
The Independent cooperated with the "CBS Evening News with
Bob Schieffer" while reporting this story. To see their report, visit
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/12/eveningnews/main1798343.shtml.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
4) Refugees Speak of Catastrophic Bombing
Inter Press Service
Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website
http://dahrjamailiraq.com
*LEBANON-SYRIA BORDER, Jul 14 (IPS) - Refugees fleeing Beirut in the
face of Israeli air attacks are speaking of "haphazard bombings" and a
crisis situation developing in the city.*
Israeli warplanes bombed the suburbs of Beirut overnight, killing three
people and wounding 55, according to Lebanese police. Residents reported
at least four Israeli missile strikes early Friday morning. The Lebanese
military responded with anti-aircraft fire.
According to reports from Beirut, a bridge in the area was hit, along
with the main highway to the airport. Lebanese police report that a fuel
storage tank at a power station on the coast was destroyed in the air
strikes, while Hezbollah targets near Hermel close to the Syrian border
were targeted.
Israeli military officials reported that Hezbollah fighters fired more
than 100 rockets into northern Israel Thursday, killing two people and
wounding 92. Some rockets struck Haifa, Israel's third largest city.
"The government has authorized the army to press on with its operation
in Lebanon and hit more targets," an Israeli government official said.
That was after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ordered his army to
continue its operations in Lebanon.
No immediate end to the fighting appeared in sight.
About 15,000 people are said to have crossed the Lebanese border into
Syria, seeking refuge from widespread bombings carried out by F-16
warplanes.
As in the days of the Lebanese civil war, the border between Syria and
Lebanon was a scene of chaos. Streams of buses and cars with luggage
tied to the roof queued to cross into Syria. Many people came walking,
carrying their luggage or pulling wheeled suitcases.
"I was in an area south of Beirut which was bombed heavily by the
Israelis," 55-year-old electrician Ali Suleiman told IPS. "There were so
many refugees in shelters near us, which was near an old hospital which
the Israelis bombed last night. It was terrifying at night when they
attacked our area."
Suleiman said he saw Israeli warplanes bomb a bridge, and that two of
the main bridges which lead to southern Lebanon were destroyed.
"Both Syrian and Lebanese people are leaving now," he said. "There is no
more food, not even bread. There was no electricity or water in our
area. If this situation continues, it will be a giant catastrophe."
Nebham Razaq Hamed, a 22-year-old Lebanese student, said the situation
in southern Beirut was horrific.
"The bombing at night was continuous and has continued today, they are
using warplanes and sometimes artillery," he told IPS at the border.
"Everybody is in panic because of the haphazard bombing which is killing
so many civilians now. The Israelis are terrorizing the people
intentionally by not discriminating between fighters and civilians."
"This is an act of terrorism," said Rashid Khalaf, a 27-year-old
carpenter carrying his belongings in a large sack. "The Israelis are
bombing everywhere in the south, including much of Beirut now. I saw the
killing and destruction by the Israelis, they are bombing everywhere
they think the Hezbollah may be."
Fifty-five-year-old Sheiboub Azem from Saudi Arabia who was in the
mountains above Beirut on vacation with his family told IPS "there was
bombing and fire everywhere in Beirut before we left."
Azem said: "We watched from the balcony as they started bombing heavily
at 3.45 am last night, and we lost our electricity and water. The
Israelis must be bombing the water and electricity outlets."
A 50-year-old Kuwaiti man had driven with his family to the border
Friday morning from Beirut. "It's very bad there, as the Israelis are
attacking civilians, bombing police and petrol stations, and even the
fuel storage depots," he told IPS. "In fact, they have even bombed the
airport once again. I saw F-16s bombing and there is smoke everywhere.
This is a big disaster for the Lebanese."
Abdulla Zalqana, a 28-year-old Lebanese baker in the city of Baalbek in
the Bekaa Valley of central Lebanon told IPS that Israeli warplanes were
bombing Baalbek and much of the southern area of the Bekaa Valley.
"They bombed the two roads which connect the Bekaa to Beirut," he said.
"This is a big catastrophe."
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
LINKS ONLY
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Dahr Jamail | "This Is a Big Disaster for the Lebanese."
"A reported 15,000
people crossed the Lebanese border into Syria on Thursday, seeking refuge
from widespread bombings in Beirut, carried out by Israeli F-16
warplanes. Today, the situation continued, with reports of bombed petrol
stations, police stations, and a hospital. Interviewing people at the border
who had fled the bombs in Beirut, I felt like I was back in Iraq ..."
writes Dahr Jamail.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/071406A.shtml
Baghdad Starts to Collapse as Its People Flee a Life of Death
"I returned to Baghdad
on Monday after a break of several months, during which I too was
guilty of glazing over every time I read another story of Iraqi violence,"
reports James Hider. "But two nights on the telephone, listening to my
lost and frightened Iraqi staff facing death at any moment, persuaded me
that Baghdad is now verging on total collapse."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/071406B.shtml
Hugo Chávez
By Greg Palast
"Q: How do you respond to Bush's charge that you are destabilizing the
region and interfering in the elections of other Latin American countries?
Chávez: Mr. Bush is an illegitimate President. In Florida, his brother
Jeb deleted many black voters from the electoral registers. So this
President is the result of a fraud. Not only that, he is also
currently applying a dictatorship in the U.S. People can be put in
jail without being charged. They tap phones without court orders. They
check what books people take out of public libraries. They arrested
Cindy Sheehan because of a T-shirt she was wearing demanding the
return of the troops from Iraq. They abuse blacks and Latinos. And if
we are going to talk about meddling in other countries, then the U.S.
is the champion of meddling in other people's affairs. They invaded
Guatemala, they overthrew Salvador Allende, invaded Panama and the
Dominican Republic. They were involved in the coup d'état in Argentina
thirty years ago."
July 2006 Issue
http://progressive.org/mag_intv0706
Policy Rewrite Reveals Rift in Administration
Top Officials Split on Treatment of Detainees
By R. Jeffrey Smith and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, July 14, 2006; Page A04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/13/AR2006071301637.html?referrer=emailarticle
The Little Tramp's Classic Labor Lesson in Venezuela
By: Chris Kraul - Los Angeles Times
LOS TEQUES, Venezuela - In his classic 1936 film, "Modern Times,"
Charlie Chaplin has to work so fast tightening bolts in a steel factory
that he finally goes crazy. In a memorable scene that has become
a metaphor for labor exploitation, the Little Tramp is run through
the factory's enormous gears.
For President Hugo Chavez's socialist government, the film is more
than just entertainment: It's become a teaching tool. Since January,
in a bid to expose the evils of "savage capitalism," the Labor Ministry
has shown the Chaplin film to thousands of workers in places such
as this rundown industrial suburb of Caracas.
When the screenings at factories or meeting halls end, Labor Ministry
officials then take their cue, and use Chaplin's plight to spell out
worker rights under occupational safety laws passed last year and
now being applied. They are part of Chavez's sweeping reform
agenda that he calls Socialism for the 21st Century.
Sunday, Jul 09, 2006
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/print.php?artno=1773
4 More Soldiers Accused of Rape and Murder in Iraq
By KIRK SEMPLE
BAGHDAD, July 9 — American military investigators have formally
accused four more soldiers of the rape and murder of a teenage
Iraqi girl and the murder of her parents and younger sister
south of Baghdad, the American military said in a statement
today. A fifth soldier was formally accused of "dereliction
of duty" for failing to report the offenses, the military said.
July 9, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/world/worldspecial/10iraqcnd.html?hp&ex=1152504000&en=1265861dda7c61cb&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Venezuela To Offer Asylum For American
Military Deserters Fleeing Illegal Wars
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Russian Subscribers
July 7, 2006
http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index925.htm
FOCUS | Dahr Jamail: "Packing It In"
Dick Cheney: "No matter
how you carve it - you can call it anything you want - but basically,
it is packing it in, going home, persuading and convincing and
validating the theory that the Americans don't have the stomach for this fight."
Dahr Jamail: "Guess what, Dick - moral and sane Americans 'don't have
the stomach for this fight' because this fight should have never taken
place. And anyone with a soul, let alone a conscience, should be more
than happy to see US troops in Iraq 'packing it in.'"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070906Z.shtml
ORWELLIAN LANGUAGE EXPRESSES AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD
By Yossi Sarid
Haaretz (Israel)
July 7, 2006
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/735680.html
The Corporate Interests Fueling Conflict in Palestine
Profiting from the Occupation
By NICK DEARDEN
July 6, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/dearden07062006.html
John Pilger: Israel's war on Palestinian children
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/673/673p24.htm
Israeli "Retaliation" and Double Standards
By JONATHAN COOK
June 26, 2006
http://counterpunch.com/cook06262006.html
Israel's Appalling Bombing in Gaza
Starving in the Dark
By VIRGINIA TILLEY
June 30, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/
Greg Palast | Stealing Mexico
This Sunday in Mexico,
Greg Palast says that the "Bush Team" has helped their ruling party
"Floridize" the presidential election.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/063006R.shtml
Israel Steps Up Airstrikes
By GREG MYRE
July 2, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/world/middleeast/03mideastcnd.html?hp&ex=1151899200&en=322a92cbd8530d36&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Justices, 5-3, Broadly Reject Bush Plan to Try Detainees
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/washington/30hamdan.html
Palestinian Premier Says Israel Seeks to Cripple Government
By GREG MYRE and STEVEN ERLANGER
GAZA CITY, June 30 — The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail
Haniyah, today called Israel's seizure of 64 members of Hamas
"proof" that its recent offensive was not merely intended to
recapture a kidnapped soldier but was part of a "premeditated
plan" to cripple the Palestinian government.
Israeli soldiers took the Hamas members, who included a third
of the Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators, into custody
in the West Bank on Thursday.
The Israeli air offensive in Gaza continued today, as jet fighters
destroyed the office of the Palestinian interior minister.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=336de1ce453b1d6b&ei=5094&partner=homepage
In Mid-Atlantic, Flooding's Fury Goes Downriver
By ALAN FEUER
[This article shows photo of stranded family with a
sign hand-painted on a piece of sheet metal that says,
"Get us out of here." Sound familiar?...bw]
"It would seem that misery, like water, flows downstream.
A day after a nexus of swollen rivers spilled their banks in some
of the worst floods in the Mid-Atlantic region in decades, the waters
slowly started to recede yesterday. But trouble did not go with them."
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/nyregion/30flood.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=e8eea9c08fd1b54b&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The Road Back
In Battered Parish, Officials Bear the Brunt of Neighbors' Anguish
By DAN BARRY
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/us/30road.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=dbdcd7d2aff12b3d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Ruling Leaves Uncertainty at Guantánamo
By TIM GOLDEN
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba, June 29 — As the Supreme Court
prepared to rule on the Bush administration's plan to try terror
suspects before special military tribunals here, the commander
of Guantánamo's military detention center was asked what impact
the court's decision might have on its operations.
"If they rule against the government, I don't see how that is going
to affect us," the commander, Rear Adm. Harry B. Harris, said
Tuesday evening as he sat in a conference room in his headquarters.
"From my perspective, I think the direct impact will be negligible."
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/washington/30gitmo.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=c4e57afd0b0bd044&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Key Investor Urges G.M. to Explore 2 Bids
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
DETROIT, June 30 — The company controlled by General Motors'
biggest individual shareholder urged the automaker today to
explore a three-way partnership with Nissan of Japan and the
French automaker Renault, which controls Nissan.
Tracinda Corporation, which is owned by billionaire Kirk
Kerkorian, said it believed Renault and Nissan would be
interested in buying a minority stake in G.M., the world's
biggest auto company.
Such a combination stands to rank among the biggest deals
in recent automotive history, like the one that linked
Daimler-Benz and Chrysler in 1998 or Renault and
Nissan in 1999. It conceivably could keep G.M., which
is facing a stiff challenge from Toyota, at the top of the
automotive industry.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/business/30cnd-gm.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=24a48eac197114db&ei=5094&partner=homepage
On Arab Streets and Airwaves, Shock Over Seizures by Israel
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 29 — Arab streets and airwaves
reacted with shock on Thursday over Israel's seizure of many
Hamas members and the continued bombardment of Gaza.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30arab.html
Israel Appears to Delay Ground Forays in North Gaza; Airstrikes Go On
By GREG MYRE and IAN FISHER
GAZA, Friday, June 30 — With the seizure of dozens of senior Hamas
officials and its military hunkered down, Israel appeared to delay
any ground raid into northern Gaza on Thursday, but it continued
to pound Palestinian territory with artillery fire.
Israel carried out several airstrikes early Friday aiming at buildings
that included the Interior Ministry in Gaza City, which was set on
fire. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30mideast.html
Seizures Show New Israel Line Against Hamas
By STEVEN ERLANGER
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Friday, June 30 — Israeli troops seized
64 members of Hamas in the West Bank on Thursday, including
a third of the Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators, a move that
Israeli officials said indicated a significant change in Israel's
policy toward the Hamas government.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30palestinians.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=685180ef2c6e7b31&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Israel Threatens to Widen Conflict Over Captured Soldier
By IAN FISHER and STEVEN ERLANGER
June 28, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/world/middleeast/28cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1151553600&en=ecc2da17468b66a5&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Terror Expert: London Bomber Was Working For MI5
Khan used as informant for security services
Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com | June 27 2006
A noted terror expert has told the BBC that Mohammed Siddique Khan,
the alleged ringleader of the 7/7 London bombings, was working for
British intelligence agency MI5 as an informant at the time of the
attacks.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/index.html
Are Americans Finally Ready to Get Smart?
By MARK LANDLER
FRANKFURT, June 27 — Are Americans finally ready to get Smart?
DaimlerChrysler, which shelved an earlier plan to bring its Smart
mini-car brand to the United States, plans to announce on Wednesday
that it will introduce the tiny, two-seat vehicle to the American market
early in 2008, according to several executives at the company.
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/automobiles/27cnd-smart.html?hp&ex=1151467200&en=0ab7c9b76a339b6f&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Judge Halts Executions in Missouri (full article)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A federal judge halted executions in Missouri. The judge, Fernando
J. Gaitan Jr. of Federal District Court, said the state's lethal injection
procedure subjects condemned inmates to an unnecessary risk of
"unconstitutional pain and suffering." Judge Gaitan ruled in the
case of Michael Taylor. He gave the State Department of Corrections
until July 15 to come up with a new protocol. The judge also said
he was "gravely concerned" because the lone doctor in charge
of mixing the lethal cocktail in Missouri is dyslexic.
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/us/27brfs-003.html
Supreme Court Roundup
Justices Uphold Basic Right to Choose Defense Lawyers
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/washington/27scotus.html
U.S. Ends a Yearlong Effort to Obtain Library Records
Amid Secrecy in Connecticut
By ALISON LEIGH COWAN
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/nyregion/27library.html
'Breathtaking' Waste and Fraud in Hurricane Aid
By ERIC LIPTON
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/washington/27katrina.html
Military Fails Some Widows Over Benefits
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
"...laws exclude widows whose husbands died too early in the war
or were killed in training rather than in combat."
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/us/27benefits.html?hp&ex=1151467200&en=6e3a4c39045cb093&ei=5094&partner=homepage
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