BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's
one man show, MARX IN SOHO
Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx
Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy.
Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday,August 6, 2:00 p.m.
Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts
1519 Mission Street between 11th Street
and South Van Ness*
Advance tickets: $10
Door: $20.00
Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for
Advance tickets.
The premise of the play is that Marx dies yet he is
able to see what's happening on earth for 100 years
since his death in 1883. He is supposed to go back to
Soho in London but, by mistake, is sent to Soho
in New York and finds himself on stage before an
audience. Imagine all Karl Marx would have to say
after one hundred years of just being able to watch...
The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy,
who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College
and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro
since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally
directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater,
Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl
Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small
theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle
Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace
and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but
charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play.
WWW.BAUAW.ORG
(FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 415-824-8730)
*The Jon Sims Center is located at 1519 Mission Street
(between 11th Street and South Van Ness), South of Market,
San Francisco, CA 94103
BY CAR:
From the East Bay: Take 80 North then 101 North to the
Mission Street exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit.
Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon
Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
From the South Bay: Take 101 North to the Mission Street
Exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off
the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center
is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
From the North Bay: Take 101 South to Lombard, make
a right on Van Ness and then a left onto Mission. Jon Sims
Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
Parking: Daytime parking is very difficult. We encourage
day users to take public transportation. In the evening,
street parking along Mission Street, Minna Street and
11th Street is not horrible (in San Francisco terms) after
6:00 PM, but the closer you are to 6:00 PM, the better
your chances of finding parking. There is no parking
along Mission between 4-6 PM, and you will be
promptly towed.
VIA BART/MUNI/SAMTRANS:
Go to http://www.transitinfo.org for more information
about Bay Area public transportation.
BART: Take BART to the Civic Center station, then transfer
to the outbound Muni J,K,L,M or N train. Exit at the next
stop (Van Ness Station). Walk 1 block south, cross Mission,
and the Jon Sims Center is next to Firestone.
MUNI: The Jon Sims Center is 1 block south of the Van
Ness Muni underground station, accessible from any Muni
streetcar. Additionally, the 14 Mission, 42 Loop 49 and
47 Van Ness bus stop at Mission and 11th Street, only
1/2 block from the Jon Sims Center. Current Muni fare is $1.25.
SamTrans: The SamTrans DX, KX, MX, NX, PX, RX and
TX buses stops at Mission and 9th Streets. Walk three
blocks west (towards Sutro tower) to reach the Jon Sims
Center. Current SamTrans fare is $1.10. Please note that
SamTrans buses to the City only run during rush hours.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Check out these anti-recruitment websites:
www.draftresistance.org
www.mothersagainstthedraft.org
Check out this Doonesbury:
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Cut all Public School Ties to the Military!
Speak up and Picket the S.F. Board of Education
the Fourth Tuesday of Each Month.
Next picket line: Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 P.M.-7:30 P.M.
(The July Board of Ed. meetings have been cancelled. But we
will still hold a picket July 27 at 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
in front of the Board of Education building.)
The next picket line after July 27 is August 23, 6:30 P.M.
-7:30 P.M. (just before school starts back.)
August 23, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 P.M.
555 Franklin St., S.F,
To get on the speakers list call:
415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000
(For more info call: 415-824-8730)
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
1) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM
SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15
Center for Political Education
522 Valencia, Third Floor,
Near 16th Street, SF
(not wheelchair accessible)
Close the 16th Street BART
$5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed
2) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD"
A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
JULY 16, PRECITA PARK
MUSIC: 1:30 P.M.
SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music is the
icing on the cake!...BW)
SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
Help get the word out about the ballot proposition
and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters!
FREE!
3) BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's
one man show, MARX IN SOHO
Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx
Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy.
Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 6, 2:00 p.m.
Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts
1519 Mission Street between 11th Street
and South Van Ness*
Advance tickets: $10
Door: $20.00
Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for
Advance tickets.
4) Editorial
Judith Miller Goes to Jail
Published: July 7, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07thu1.html?hp
5) Iranian-born LA filmmaker detained in Iraq by U.S. military
JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
Associated Press
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/12069728.htm
6) Action Alert: Organize July 23 "Downing Street Memo"
Anniversary Events
7) Reflections on the London bombs
Tony Hartin t.hartin@qmul.ac
8) US military reprisal in Afghanistan
kills 17 civilians
By Peter Symonds
8 July 2005
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jul2005/afgh-j08.shtml
9) A CALL FOR A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT CONTINGENT IN THE
SEPTEMBER 24th PROTESTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND SAN FRANCISCO
MILITARY RECRUITERS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!
U.S . TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ!
10) Israelis unleash Scream at protest
New weapon knocks crowds off feet
Sound blast triggers nausea, dizziness
MITCH POTTER
MIDDLE EAST BUREAU
"JERUSALEM-The knees buckle, the brain aches, the stomach
turns. And suddenly, nobody feels like protesting anymore."
Jun. 6, 2005. 07:15 AM
http://www.torstarreports.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/
Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1118009416402&call_pageid=970599119419
11) Permits obtained for September 24!
12) A Call for a Unity from the Virginia Anti-War Network
13)Call For A United Antiwar Movement - We Must All March
Together on September 24!
[For individuals and organizations wishing to sign this
statement, please see below.]
14) The Price of Occupation
By Tariq Ali
Friday July 8, 2005
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523821,00.html?gusrc=rss
15) Lest We Forget; These Were Blair's Bombs
By John Pilger
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Sunday 10 July 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071005X.shtml
16) JROTC EXPANSION 2001
There are currently 716 schools waiting for approval
of JROTC programs.
Why Question the Military's JROTC Program?
http://awol.objector.org/jrotc.html
17) SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
SSP statement on London bombings
07/07/05
18) London Hit as Skepticism Grows on 'Terror War'
by Jim Lobe
Published on Friday, July 8, 2005 by Inter Press Service
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0708-04.htm
19) Join the Farm workers march against Gallo... Sunday July 17:
United Farm Workers Rally and March. Come show your support
for the UFW struggle against Gallo and our appreciation for UFW's
support for queers over the years. How well I remember Cesar
Chavez speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington,
I was on the press flatbed and got some pics of him for the
Philly Gay News, even got to shake his hand...now our shared
history of supporting each other (my GLF group in the early 70s
supported the grape boycott) is being raised to another level...
queers are making a special effort to be visible in Sunday's
march...please let me know if you can join us. I am trying to
recruit 25 people...
The March assembles at 11:30 in Dolores Park.
nos vemos Domingo!
Si se puede!
tommi
Mecca44@aol.com
20) THE CONSTITUTION & "DEEP THROAT"
[Col. Writ. 6/4/05] Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal
21) Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage
By Norman Solomon
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Saturday 09 July 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070905X.shtml
22) Are You a Survivor of Police Brutality?
Come to a Free Workshop & Legal Clinic
WHEN: Thursday July 28, 2005 5:30-7:30pm
WHERE: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
344 40th Street (at Broadway) Oakland, CA 94609
(6 blocks from MacArthur BART)
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
1) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM
SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15
Center for Political Education
522 Valencia, Third Floor,
Near 16th Street, SF
(not wheelchair accessible)
Close the 16th Street BART
$5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
2) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE
PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD"
A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins.
JULY 16, PRECITA PARK
MUSIC: 1:30 P.M.
SHOW: 2:00 P.M.
(This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed,
insightful, full of content, and the music is the
icing on the cake!...BW)
SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
Help get the word out about the ballot proposition
and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters!
FREE!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
3) BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's
one man show, MARX IN SOHO
Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx
Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy.
Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 6, 2:00 p.m.
Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts
1519 Mission Street between 11th Street
and South Van Ness*
Advance tickets: $10
Door: $20.00
Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for
Advance tickets.
The premise of the play is that Marx dies yet he is
able to see what's happening on earth for 100 years
since his death in 1883. He is supposed to go back to
Soho in London but, by mistake, is sent to Soho
in New York and finds himself on stage before an
audience. Imagine all Karl Marx would have to say
after one hundred years of just being able to watch...
The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy,
who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College
and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro
since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally
directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater,
Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl
Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small
theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle
Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace
and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but
charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play.
WWW.BAUAW.ORG
Contact person: Bonnie Weinstein 415-824-8730-office/home
415-990-4237-cell
*The Jon Sims Center is located at 1519 Mission Street
(between 11th Street and South Van Ness), South of Market,
San Francisco, CA 94103
BY CAR:
From the East Bay: Take 80 North then 101 North to the
Mission Street exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit.
Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon
Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
From the South Bay: Take 101 North to the Mission Street
Exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off
the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center
is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
From the North Bay: Take 101 South to Lombard, make
a right on Van Ness and then a left onto Mission. Jon Sims
Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone.
Parking: Daytime parking is very difficult. We encourage
day users to take public transportation. In the evening,
street parking along Mission Street, Minna Street and
11th Street is not horrible (in San Francisco terms) after
6:00 PM, but the closer you are to 6:00 PM, the better
your chances of finding parking. There is no parking
along Mission between 4-6 PM, and you will be
promptly towed.
VIA BART/MUNI/SAMTRANS:
Go to http://www.transitinfo.org for more information
about Bay Area public transportation.
BART: Take BART to the Civic Center station, then transfer
to the outbound Muni J,K,L,M or N train. Exit at the next
stop (Van Ness Station). Walk 1 block south, cross Mission,
and the Jon Sims Center is next to Firestone.
MUNI: The Jon Sims Center is 1 block south of the Van
Ness Muni underground station, accessible from any Muni
streetcar. Additionally, the 14 Mission, 42 Loop 49 and
47 Van Ness bus stop at Mission and 11th Street, only
1/2 block from the Jon Sims Center. Current Muni fare is $1.25.
SamTrans: The SamTrans DX, KX, MX, NX, PX, RX and
TX buses stops at Mission and 9th Streets. Walk three
blocks west (towards Sutro tower) to reach the Jon Sims
Center. Current SamTrans fare is $1.10. Please note that
SamTrans buses to the City only run during rush hours.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
4) Editorial
Judith Miller Goes to Jail
Published: July 7, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07thu1.html?hp
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
5) Iranian-born LA filmmaker detained in Iraq by U.S. military
JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
Associated Press
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/12069728.htm
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
6) Action Alert: Organize July 23 "Downing Street Memo"
Anniversary Events
Millions of people in the United States still don't know about
the Downing Street Memo, a secret British government document
that provides new and compelling evidence that the Bush
Administration deceived and misled the U.S. Congress and
the American people about the basis for going to war against
Iraq. If true, this conduct constitutes a High Crime under the
U.S. Constitution and could provide grounds for the impeachment
of the president.
We must insist that our Congressional representatives and the
U.S. media investigate and report the truth about the Downing
Street Memo and hold the Bush administration accountable for
its actions.
Saturday, July 23 is the three-year anniversary of the meeting
between high-level U.S. and British officials that the Downing
Street Memo summarizes. According to the memo, "Military
action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam,
through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism
and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed
around the policy."
Is the U.S. public is ever to learn about the existence of
the Downing Street Memo, it will be because we-the people who
opposed the war from the very beginning-shine a spotlight on
it through our actions and persistence. Please join United
for Peace and Justice by taking action on July 23.
TAKE ACTION - ORGANIZE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND HOUSE PARTIES
ON SATURDAY, JULY 23
Several Congress Members have agreed to host events in their
home districts on July 23, the third anniversary of the famous
meeting on Downing Street. On that day, all over the country,
there will be town hall meetings, dramatic readings of the
Downing Street Minutes, study circles, and house parties.
Congressman John Conyers and others will be on a conference
call that people at house parties can call into from their
events.
Please join UFPJ, the After Downing Street Coalition
(which includes many UFPJ member groups), and others
in hosting and attending events on July 23.
We hope you and your organization will work with other
organizations to form a coalition and hold one large event
in your area. Resources and tips for holding an effective
town hall meeting are available at
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/526.
Be sure to invite your Congress Member and Senators, but
there's no reason to make the event dependent on their
coming. You should certainly hold it, even without them.
Where you cannot organize a large event, organize some
friends and hold a house party. Please list your events at http://
www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/526.
We also encourage you to join the After Downing Street
coalition, which is dedicated to pushing for a Congressional
resolution of inquiry-the first step in the impeachment
process-into the Downing Street Memo and related documents.
According to a recent Zogby poll, 42 percent of voters
polled said they would support impeaching President Bush
if it were established that he lied about his reasons
for the Iraq war. Let's push for the inquiry that would
get to the bottom of this issue once and for all.
United for Peace and Justice •
http://www.unitedforpeace.org
212-868-5545
Post: UFPJ@lists.mayfirst.org
List info: https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/ufpj
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
7) Reflections on the London bombs
Tony Hartin t.hartin@qmul.ac.uk
Yesterday was tragedy followed by farce as our brave politicians,
partying in Gleneagles and Singapore, bravely leapt to our verbal
defence. "The security response plan was performing perfectly!" - at
least the bit that involves mopping up body parts was. Actually for an
hour after the first bomb the "authorities" persisted in the fable that
it was a "power surge" and loaded everyone onto buses. Fortunately only
one of those exploded.
Never mind, we were "defiantly going about our business".. I felt many
thing yesterday, as I suppose did others, but defiance wasn't one of
them. Shock, nausea, relief (at still being alive) - but no surprise.
Noone was left in terror wondering who might have done it for what crazy
reason. Everyone knew it was because of the barbarism Britain was
helping to visit on Afghanistan and Iraq. I suppose people were more
resigned yesterday - its been expected for 2 years. The Chickens coming
home to Roost was a sensible explanation for what happened yesterday -
not a mad, agitational slogan
I didn't feel particularly free yesterday either, as the mayor
emotionally informed the world's media. The bombs didn't stop the boss
from expecting me at work, while other businesses made a tidy profit
from the captive and suddenly needy audience trapped in the city. "In
light of todays events staff should feel free to leave at 4pm - as long
as they notify their line managers first" writes the Principal. Thanks
very much. I wonder what has to happen to get the afternoon off?
"Muslims should stay indoors in case of reprisals" the BBC helpfully
notified us (and the BNP) yesterday. That wont happen in London - it is
simply too multicultural and too mindful of recent mass anti-war demos.
I don't think most people will feel the urge to "revive the spirit of
the blitz" or "teach them a lesson" either - the list of countries to
bomb or threaten is already unwieldy. When peoples emotions turn to
anger I expect there will be an obvious target in Blair and the
government's eternal warmongering.
The day before yesterday was the "victory" of the Olympic bid decision,
and I was in the city. A posse of jets with red white and blue contrails
roared over so quickly that it wasn't possible to take more than a
couple of steps before they had come and gone. Today I can't stop
imagining what it would be like to have those jets dropping bombs on you
if you were caught in the open. And I can't stop thinking about Fallujah
last November - when British troops threw up a cordon around that city
while Marines went in to slaughter its people
Tony Hartin
London
8/7/05
Marxism mailing list
Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
8) US military reprisal in Afghanistan
kills 17 civilians
By Peter Symonds
8 July 2005
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jul2005/afgh-j08.shtml
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
9) A CALL FOR A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT CONTINGENT IN THE
SEPTEMBER 24th PROTESTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND SAN FRANCISCO
MILITARY RECRUITERS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!
U.S . TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ!
Sponsored by the Campus Antiwar Network, College Not Combat,
Educators to Stop the War, Left Hook, Prospect-Lefferts Voices
for Peace, Suffolk Peace Network's Counter Military Recruiting
Committee, Traprock Peace Center, United Federation of Teachers
to Stop the War
Endorsed by: ANSWER - New Hampshire; Bronx Greens; Central
Committee for Conscientious Objectors; Chapter 60 Veterans
for Peace; Coney Island Avenue Project; International Socialist
Organization; Louisiana Activist Network; National Lawyers
Guild - San Francisco/Bay Area; People Against the Draft;
Vets Speak Out NYC; Carl Webb, military resister; Victor
Paredes, brother of war resister Pablo Paredes; Cindy Sheehan,
founding member of Gold Star Families for Peace; David Mitchell,
Vietnam draft resister active in Rockland Coalition for Peace
and Justice; Gloria Mattera, Green Party candidate for Brooklyn
Borough President; Justino Rodriguez, Hadas Thier and Nick
Bergreen of the City College 4 - who were arrested for opposing
the military at their school; Katrina Yeaw, Michael Hoffman,
and Pardis Esmaeili - the SFSU 3, who were targeted by the
school administration for opposing recruiters
The sponsor/endorsement list is in formation.
ALL are welcome to co-sponsor or endorse to form an inclusive,
strong and diverse contingent.
To sponsor, endorse, or for more info, email:
recruitersout@yahoo.com
For info on the Military Out of Our Schools buses from
New York to D.C. on 9/24:
Email: recruitersout@yahoo.com
For info on the Peace Train going to D.C. from across
the South, contact the Louisiana Activist Network: http://
www.newdemocracyrising.com/
Exact time & location for buses and rally point in
Washington D.C./San Francisco is t.b.a.
##
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
10) Israelis unleash Scream at protest
New weapon knocks crowds off feet
Sound blast triggers nausea, dizziness
MITCH POTTER
MIDDLE EAST BUREAU
"JERUSALEM-The knees buckle, the brain aches, the stomach
turns. And suddenly, nobody feels like protesting anymore."
Jun. 6, 2005. 07:15 AM
http://www.torstarreports.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/
Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1118009416402&call_pageid=970599119419
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
11) Permits obtained for September 24!
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, on behalf of the September 24
National Coalition, has obtained permits for the September 24
March on Washington at the White House. We have obtained the
permits for both Lafayette Park on the North Side of the
White House and the Ellipse on the South Side. We expect
a sea of protestors to surround the White House in a vivid
demonstration of the growing opposition to the criminal war
and occupation of Iraq. Marching under the banner "Stop the
War Against Iraq, Bring the Troops Home Now, End Colonial
Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti and Everywhere,"
communities from throughout the United States will converge
in a unified display of what now represents majority sentiment:
opposition to the U.S. government's war drive.
Obtaining the permits at the White House will allow the
largest number of people to participate, exercise their
First Amendment rights, and speak out against the Bush
administration and its war for Empire.
Please make a donation today
We urgently need your help to bring this war to an end.
The Bush administration has billions of dollars that they
have taken from us to fund their war and line the pockets
of war profiteers. It is up to us to fund the fight for
true justice and peace. Please take a moment to make
a donation through our secure server, where you can
also obtain information to write a check.
For more information on the formation of the September 24th
National Coalition, click here.
Get Involved
* Read the Call to Action
* Demands of the demonstration
* Endorse
* View Endorsers
* List Transportation
* NEW Buses, vans and car caravans from across the U.S.
* Spread the word - Downloadable flyers
* Donate
* More information
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New York City: 212-533-0417
Los Angeles: 323-464-1636
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
12) A Call for a Unity from the Virginia Anti-War Network
The steering committee of the Virginia Anti-War Network met
June 5 in Blacksburg. Among other issues, we discussed our
participation in national actions being called for this fall
in Washington, D.C. We would like to communicate the conclusions
of our discussion to the national anti-war coalitions.
U.S. activists from across the political spectrum have made it
plain that they can all agree on one fundamental demand: The
U.S. must immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its
forces from Iraq. Whatever differences exist on other issues,
there is no disagreement here. This is the one overriding
demand that must be brought home as forcefully as possible
to the seats of power.
VAWN is committed to mobilizing as many people as possible
to attend national actions called for this September. But
we have decided, for now, to postpone endorsing any single
action.
VAWN has no organizational affiliation with any of the national
anti-war coalitions. However, that doesn't mean we view our
network as a movement unto itself. A number of our founding
organizations mobilized for last October's Million Worker
March. Less than two weeks after our founding conference,
we attended the counter-inaugural protests in Washington,
marching with the D.C. Anti-War Network and standing with
International A.N.S.W.E.R along Pennsylvania Avenue. And we
were a contingent in the March 19 march in Fayetteville, N.C.,
which was strongly endorsed by United for Peace and Justice.
However, we are deeply disturbed that two separate mobilizations
have been called for Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C. Both protests
will demand "Bring the troops home now!" So why two competing
mobilizations? This is a severe disservice not only to the
anti-war movement as a whole but more importantly to the
struggling people of Iraq and to the U.S. troops who
increasingly are questioning this criminal war.
A.N.S.W.E.R., in our view, without making a serious effort
to achieve tactical unity, staked out a date for a national
mobilization and then proceeded to collect a list of
endorsers in order to present a fait accompli to the rest
of the movement. This action was taken in complete disregard
to the call for unity put forward by the U.S. Labor Coalition
Against the War.
Then, UFPJ not only called a competing mobilization but
announced its decision to refuse to negotiate a unified
action with either A.N.S.W.E.R. or the Troops Out Now Coalition.
In our view, this is not a position that advances the strength
and efficacy of the anti-war movement.
To its credit, TONC recently put out a statement urging a unified
action, but crafted the statement in a way that seemed almost
designed to ensure it would not be accepted by significant
sections of the movement.
We agree with TONC that there can be no tactical unity based on
abandoning the struggle of the Palestinian people, or any other
struggle of oppressed peoples for self-determination. However,
there is no reason why there can't be one general unity demand –
"Bring the troops home now!" - along with a diverse range of
progressive co-chairs, speakers, banners, signs, contingents
and issues, allowing each organization to raise the struggles
to which it is committed.
The TONC statement contains this sentence: "The grassroots of
the movement are looking to those of us who make decisions to
put our differences aside in the interests of the struggle to
get the U.S. the hell out of Iraq."
Actually, some of us in the "grassroots" have also been making
decisions. We have decided to dig in and build the movement to
end this war and all other wars of U.S. intervention. We have
decided to build a movement based on respect for the right of
oppressed nations to self-determination, based on bringing
together anti-war activists with those fighting for social
justice here at home, based on a commitment to leaving no
struggle behind, no matter how "controversial" to the right wing.
And we are building that movement here in Virginia, a so-called
"red state" that boosts the highest per capita military spending
of any state in the country, a state that is home to the Pentagon,
the CIA and the world's largest U.S. Navy base. If we can
achieve tactical unity here, there is no excuse for not
achieving it on a national level.
We are calling on A.N.S.W.E.R., UFPJ, TONC and the MWMM
to put aside their organizational differences and agree
on one, unified fall mobilization.
The struggling peoples of the world do not have the luxury
of accommodating our disunity.
TO BE SENT TO: International A.N.S.W.E.R.; Million Worker
March Movement; Troops Out Now Coalition; United for Peace
and Justice
cc: Black Workers for Justice; Black Voices for Peace; D.C.
Anti-War Network (DAWN); D.C. Labor Against the War; North
Carolina Coalition for Peace and Justice; South Carolina
Progressive Network; U.S. Labor Against the War; Democracy
Now!; Mother Jones; National Newspaper Publishers Association;
In These Times; The Progressive; Z Magazine
The Virginia Anti-War Network was founded on Jan. 8, 2005,
at a conference in Richmond, Va. VAWN is composed of 11
affiliated organizations as well as many individual activists
in Aylett, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Chesterfield County,
Fredericksburg, Louisa County, Norfolk, Richmond, Staunton,
Waynesboro, Williamsburg and Yorktown. The organization's
principles of unity can be found at
http://defendersfje.tripod.com/id29.html
VAWN affiliates: Augusta Coalition for Peace and Justice;
Coalition for Justice (Blacksburg); Defenders for Freedom,
Justice & Equality (Richmond); New River Independent Business
Association (Blacksburg); Pax Christi - Richmond; Prosser-
Truth Division #456 UNIA-ACL (Richmond); Richmond Food Not
Bombs; Richmond Independent Media Center; Richmond Reproductive
Freedom Project; United Electrical Workers Union Local 160
(statewide); United Parents Against Lead National, Inc.
(Richmond based)
c/o Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, PO Box 23202,
Richmond, VA 23223. (804) 644-5834. E-mail:
DefendersFJE@hotmail.com
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13) Call For A United Antiwar Movement - We Must All March
Together on September 24!
[For individuals and organizations wishing to sign this
statement, please see below.]
September 24, 2005 has been set as the date for national
demonstrations by the U.S. antiwar movement. We will return
to the streets of the nation's capital, and elsewhere, with
a force determined to challenge the continuation of a brutal
and immoral war and occupation. That the Iraqi War is the
central issue in world politics today is not in dispute.
Neither is the fact that there is a rapidly growing opposition
to this war in the United States and across the globe.
The potential for a truly massive turnout that can open the
door wider than ever to our movement's expressing the will
of tens of millions is within reach.
But we have been asked to divide our energies on September 24
between two competing antiwar coalitions, UFPJ and ANSWER.
Both have announced mass mobilizations in Washington, D.C.
on that date, but in different locations.
There can be no justification for such a division. It is
unthinkable that we can most effectively confront the warmakers
by marching separately in what will inevitably be portrayed
as two rival protests. People who want to end the war and
occupation will never understand.
Is the destruction of Iraq and its people to rage on while
our movement divides its energies? While billions are spent
daily to make Iraq a virtual colony? While the same billions
are looted from social programs at home? While U.S. soldiers
die for corporate profits and while the American people are
rapidly learning that the war was a lie from start to finish?
We cannot offer those who oppose the war and occupation
a divided house. The divisions in our movement must give
way to united action. There is still time!
We the undersigned propose that both coalitions join in
support of these unifying demands: Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for Jobs, Education, Health Care and Housing, Not for
War and Occupations!
This appears to be a sound basis for unity, in accord with
what both coalitions have always championed.
The ANSWER coalition has called for a number of additional
demands going beyond Iraq including: End Colonial Occupation
from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti; Support the Palestinian
People's Right of Return; Stop the Threats Against Venezuela,
Cuba, Iran, and North Korea; and U.S. Out of the Philippines.
The unifying demands in bold above provide the framework
for advancing these demands, which can be reinforced by
speakers, banners, contingents, signs and leaflets. It is
understood that both ANSWER and UFPJ, through their own
coalitions, would be free to express their demands as they
see fit.
We are convinced that new forms must be employed to ensure
that we do not constantly repeat the present divisive
scenario so that the democratic expression of the ranks
of the antiwar movement, which urgently call for unity,
can be brought to bear.
Our differences pale before the power we can marshal with
a united, independent and massive movement that visibly
expresses our strength and unity.
We offer our good will and experience to help resolve the
differences now and move forward united and stronger.
We propose to meet as soon as possible with representatives
of the national antiwar coalitions to resolve all
outstanding issues. There is no time to waste.
Issued by the Emergency Ad Hoc Committee For A United
Demonstration in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 2005.
Initiators
[Titles and organizations for purpose of identification only]
Kevin Akin - State Chair, California Peace and Freedom Party
Mike Alewitz - Labor Art and Mural Project
Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma'at - Foundations for Our Nu
Alkebulan/Afrikan Millennium (FONAMI)
Khalil Barhoum - Palestinian Scholar
Patricia Behrend - Co-Chair, National Network on Cuba
Alan Benjamin - Member, Office and Professional Employees
International Union Local 3; Member, Executive Board, San Francisco
Labor Council AFL-CIO; Member, Steering Committee, United States Labor
Against the War
Dennis Bernstein - Producer, Flashpoints, KPFA, Berkeley, CA
Peter Camejo - Green Party
Dr. Colia Clark - Longtime civil rights activist,
co-organizer with Medgar Evers of Mississippi NAACP Voter
Project in early 1960s; Fighter for reparations and against war
Greg Coleridge - Program Director, Northeast Ohio American Friends
Service Committee; Coordinator, Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition
Alan Dale - Member, Iraq Peace Action Coalition (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
Chris Farrand - President, Graphic Communications Union Local 546M
Mike Ferner - Member, Veterans for Peace; Former Member, Toledo City
Council
Conny Ford - Secretary-Treasurer, Office and Professional Employees
International Union Local 3
Christine Gauvreau - Organizing Committee, Connecticut United for Peace
Kathleen Geathers - Coordinator, Women for Racial and Economic Equality
Paul George - Director, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA
Jerry Gordon - Former International Representative, United Food and
Commercial Workers Union; Member, Steering Committee, United States
Labor Against the War
Andy Griggs - Board of Directors, United Teachers Los Angeles; Member,
Steering Committee, United States Labor Against the War
Milly Guzman - Latinos Contra La Guerra
Jeremy Haiken - Organizer, UNITE HERE Local 217
Fred Hirsch - Vice President, Plumbers and Fitters Local 393
Abdeen Jabara - Past President, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee
Walter Johnson - Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus, San Francisco Labor
Council AFL-CIO
Vicki Knight - Convenor, Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice
Tom Lacey - Northern State Chair, California Peace and Freedom Party
Jeff Mackler - Founder, Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice; West
Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
Mel Mason - President, Monterey Peninsula Branch-NAACP, CA
Justine McCabe - International Committee of the Green Party, US
Robert Meeropol - Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children
Saladin Muhammad - Black Workers for Justice
Hasan Newash - Director, Palestine Office, Michigan
Bill Onasch - Retired Vice President, Amalgamated Transit Union Local
287; Chair, Kansas City Labor Against the War
Carolyn Park - Member, American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees Local 1938; Delegate to the Cincinnati AFL-CIO
Jan Pierce - Retired International Vice President, Communications Workers
of America
Ralph Poynter - New York Community Activist
Jack Rasmus - Chair, National Writers Union, San Francisco Bay Area
Chapter
Don Rojas - Journalist; Past General Manager, Station WBAI
Ed Rosario - Business Agent, Amalgamated Lithographers of America Local
#1; Member, United States Labor Against the War
Meg Scata - Organizing Committee, Connecticut United for Peace
Dallas Sells - Director, Ohio State Council UNITE HERE Union
Chris Silvera - Secretary-Treasurer and Chairman, Teamsters National Black
Caucus
Michael Smith - New York Chapter, National Lawyers Guild
Lynne Stewart - Attorney
Clarence Thomas - Co-Chair, Million Worker March Movement
Jerry Tucker - Former International Executive Board Member, United Auto
Workers Union
Nalda Vigezzi - Co-Chair, National Network on Cuba
Barbara Walden - Vice Chair, Ohio State Labor Party
Leonard Weinglass - Civil Liberties Attorney
Kevin Zeese - Director, Democracy Rising
Howard Zinn - Professor, Radical Historian, Progressive Political Theorist,
Social Activist and Author
Signers
[Organizations and individuals wishing to subscribe to the above
statement are urged to write
than July 31 asking that your name be added to the list. Please
be sure to include city and state, phone number and e-mail address.]
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14) The Price of Occupation
By Tariq Ali
Friday July 8, 2005
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523821,00.html?gusrc=rss
During the last phase of the Troubles, the IRA targeted mainland
Britain: it came close to blowing up Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet
in Brighton. Some years later a missile was fired at No 10. London's
financial quarter was also targeted. There was no secret as to the
identity of the organisation that carried out the hits or its demands.
And all this happened despite the various Prevention of Terrorism Acts
passed by the Commons.
The bombers who targeted London yesterday are anonymous. It is assumed
that those who carried out these attacks are linked to al-Qaida. We
simply do not know. Al-Qaida is not the only terrorist group in
existence. It has rivals within the Muslim diaspora. But it is safe to
assume that the cause of these bombs is the unstinting support given by
New Labour and its prime minister to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
One of the arguments deployed by Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London,
when he appealed to Tony Blair not to support the war in Iraq was
prescient: "An assault on Iraq will inflame world opinion and jeopardise
security and peace everywhere. London, as one of the major world cities,
has a great deal to lose from war and a lot to gain from peace,
international cooperation and global stability."
Most Londoners (as the rest of the country) were opposed to the Iraq
war. Tragically, they have suffered the blow and paid the price for the
re-election of Blair and a continuation of the war.
Ever since 9/11, I have been arguing that the "war against terror" is
immoral and counterproductive. It sanctions the use of state terror -
bombing raids, torture, countless civilian deaths in Afghanistan and
Iraq - against Islamo-anarchists whose numbers are small, but whose
reach is deadly. The solution then, as now, is political, not military.
The British ruling elite understood this perfectly well in the case of
Ireland. Security measures, anti-terror laws rushed through parliament,
identity cards, a curtailment of civil liberties, will not solve the
problem. If anything, they will push young Muslims in the direction of
mindless violence.
The real solution lies in immediately ending the occupation of Iraq,
Afghanistan and Palestine. Just because these three wars are reported
sporadically and mean little to the everyday lives of most Europeans
does not mean the anger and bitterness they arouse in the Muslim world
and its diaspora is insignificant. As long as western politicians wage
their wars and their colleagues in the Muslim world watch in silence,
young people will be attracted to the groups who carry out random acts
of revenge.
At the beginning of the G8, Blair suggested that "poverty was the cause
of terrorism". It is not so. The principal cause of this violence is the
violence being inflicted on the people of the Muslim world. And unless
this is recognised, the horrors will continue.
. Tariq Ali's latest book is Speaking of Empire and Resistance.
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15) Lest We Forget; These Were Blair's Bombs
By John Pilger
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Sunday 10 July 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071005X.shtml
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16) JROTC EXPANSION 2001
There are currently 716 schools waiting for approval
of JROTC programs.
Why Question the Military's JROTC Program?
http://awol.objector.org/jrotc.html
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17) SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit
SSP statement on London bombings
07/07/05
The Scottish Socialist Party today sends it's condolences to the
families of those killed and injured in today's bombings in London.
The SSP condemns outright the bombings which were targeted at working
class Londoners going about their daily lives. Many of those dead and
injured would have participated in anti-war protests and would have
taken part in the Make Poverty History protests over the past week.
Meanwhile, the men responsible for the war on Iraq and the massacre
of 100,000 civilians were safely cocooned behind fortified walls 500
miles away, protected by thousands of police and armed forces.
Today's horrific events further expose the falsity of the claims by
Tony Blair and George Bush that the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq have
turned the world into a safer place. Exactly the opposite: the world
is now darker and more dangerous than ever before.
Today's wave of destruction also underlines the futility of trying to
defeat terror by ever more repressive legislation. As the escalating
violence in Iraq and Afghanistan illustrates, even the most ferocious
repression cannot quell violence and terror.
The most effective action Tony Blair could now take to make the UK a
safer place is to pull all British troops out of Iraq.
We note that neo-Nazi extremists are already trying to exploit
today's tragedy to whip up fear and hatred towards the Muslim
population, the vast majority of whom completely reject acts of
violence carried out against innocent civilians.
The SSP pledges to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim
community against all forms of racism and Islamosphobia.
Today's horrific events are a further indictment of the world that
the G8 leaders have created.
Until the swamps of poverty, war and injustice are drained, countless
thousands more innocent people will die needlessly in the months and
years to come.
[ends]
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18) London Hit as Skepticism Grows on 'Terror War'
by Jim Lobe
Published on Friday, July 8, 2005 by Inter Press Service
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0708-04.htm
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19) Join the Farm workers march against Gallo... Sunday July 17:
United Farm Workers Rally and March. Come show your support
for the UFW struggle against Gallo and our appreciation for UFW's
support for queers over the years. How well I remember Cesar
Chavez speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington,
I was on the press flatbed and got some pics of him for the
Philly Gay News, even got to shake his hand...now our shared
history of supporting each other (my GLF group in the early 70s
supported the grape boycott) is being raised to another level...
queers are making a special effort to be visible in Sunday's
march...please let me know if you can join us. I am trying to
recruit 25 people...
The March assembles at 11:30 in Dolores Park.
nos vemos Domingo!
Si se puede!
tommi
Mecca44@aol.com
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20) THE CONSTITUTION & "DEEP THROAT"
[Col. Writ. 6/4/05] Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal
If the media is to be believed, the Age of Watergate has been reborn in the revelation
of the identity of the figure known as "Deep Throat", the high government source who
divulged the criminal acts of the Nixon White House, leading to the fall of a President.
W. Mark Felt, his hair a brilliant white, his mind and apparently his memory dimmed
by over 90 winters, has announced that it was indeed he who was that important
historical figure. He gave data to reporters of *The Washington Post* that uncovered
the role of the White House in the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, the site of the
offices of the Democratic National Committee, and the subsequent cover-up.
There are those who say that this man, in betraying the Nixon White House, and his
boss, the Attorney General, was practicing a higher fidelity to the Constitution.
Those who say that apparently know little of whom they speak.
They hear or read that he headed the FBI's counterintelligence division, and their
mind conjures up shadowy images of undercover KGB spies, or spies of yet another
foreign power. They do not know that his job was to use the powers of the federal
government, through the FBI, to punish, and indeed destroy that which is allegedly
protected under the First Amendment -- the right to dissent.
W. Mark Felt, as Deputy Director of the FBI, led the ill-fated FBI program known as
COINTELPRO (for *C*ounter*intel*igence *Pro*gram), which targeted American
citizens for opposing the Vietnam War, for advocating changes in Central American
policies such as supporting brutal dictators, for supporting Civil Rights, Black
Liberation, Women's Rights, or socialism. His unit spied on law-abiding Americans,
broke into homes, ripped open and read mail, tapped phones, harassed, isolated,
threatened, and destroyed the lives of thousands of Americans, who merely opposed
the U.S. government's policies.
This guy cared about the Constitution so much that he was convicted of committing
crimes in violation of the Constitution, and other laws, like authorizing burglaries,
and authorizing break-ins of homes of dissidents.
In my book, *WE WANT FREEDOM: A Life in the Black Panther Party* (Cambridge, Ma.:
South End Press, 2004), I dedicate an entire chapter to the many and sordid crimes of
government, against American citizens, from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Fred
Hampton, to school teachers, and even actors who got on the FBI's bad side for
daring to support positions they didn't like. They hounded people, ran them out of
jobs, set them up, and sometimes, killed them. I have documented them, and W. Mark
Felt commanded many of those crimes. In November, 1980, two FBI officials were
convicted in federal court, of authorizing break-ins into the homes of people, who
were relatives, or friends of members of the radical Weather Underground. Those 2
FBI officials were Edward S. Miller, and W. Mark Felt. They were convicted of these
crimes because they ordered agents to enter people's homes without search warrants
or probable cause.
On April 15, 1981, then-President Ronald Reagan pardoned the two men, saying they
acted on "high principle." (This is the same actor-politician who called the contras of
Nicaragua, "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers.")
Months before the pardon, the U.S. government paid some $10,000 each to five
persons whose homes were burglarized by the FBI, or whose phones were illegally
wiretapped.
The federal convictions came years after Watergate, which proves that fidelity to the
Constitution wasn't the motivating factor in betraying the Nixon White House. In so
doing, he was instead protecting the agency uber alles, not the Constitution, nor any
other political entity. The agency committed crimes before Watergate, and certainly
after Watergate, and perhaps during it.
They were the Praetorian Guard, a power unto themselves, more powerful than the
Emperors. They still are.
Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal
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21) Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage
By Norman Solomon
t r u t h o u t | Perspective
Saturday 09 July 2005
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070905X.shtml
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22) Are You a Survivor of Police Brutality?
Come to a Free Workshop & Legal Clinic
WHEN: Thursday July 28, 2005 5:30-7:30pm
WHERE: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
344 40th Street (at Broadway) Oakland, CA 94609
(6 blocks from MacArthur BART)
Find out:
* Remedies to Police Misconduct
* Your rights when it comes to the police
* How to report incidents of police misconduct
PLEASE RSVP: 510.428.3939 ext 224 or e-mail:
malaika@ellabakercenter.org
Join a growing community-based network fighting for police
Accountability organized by Bay Area PoliceWatch
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