second arrest by MIT campus cops of
Aimee Smith, a long time Palestine support activist.
2) U.S. Report to Say No WMD Found in Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Thu Sep 16, 2004 11:00 PM ET http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6260752&src=eDialog/
GetContent§ion=news
3) GIs claim threat by Army
Soldiers say they were told to re-enlist
or face deployment to Iraq
By Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News
COLORADO SPRINGS
September 16, 2004
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/
0,1299,DRMN_21_3185596,00.html
4) March & Rally for Immigrants Rights
Sat. October 16, 12noon
Olympic and Broadway, Los Angeles
5) ADC Update
22 Years Later, Sabra and Shatila Remembered
Washington DC, Sept 16
6) US may run out of guard and reserve
troops for war on terrorism: report
WASHINGTON (AFP)
Wed Sep 15, 4:14 PM ET
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/us_military_reserves
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
1) This announcement concerns the unprovoked second
arrest by MIT campus cops of
Aimee Smith, a long time Palestine support activist.
MIT hires private police agency to
investigate its own police abuses.
MIT has hired Pinkerton Inc., a for-hire
police agency, to investigate the second
false arrest, by the same MIT police officer
Joseph D'Amelio, of MIT alumna Aimee
Smith (PhD '02). Aimee Smith was first
falsely arrested by officer D'Amelio for
handing out flyers on a public sidewalk
before Commencement ceremonies on
June 4, 2004. MIT subsequently dropped
those charges. On August 25, the same
officer again falsely arrested Aimee and
attacked her after she discussed the First
Amendment with three MIT police officers.
The same day, Aimee filed a
complaint with MIT against D'Amelio.
MIT has claimed that they have brought
in an "independent third-party investigator
to examine the case." MIT has not stated
how much they are paying the Pinkerton
corporation, a private police agency with
a history of violently suppressing union
organizing and spying on political activists
(see web links below) and now in the
business of protecting the interests and
investments of large companies. How can
a private police agency, paid by MIT, be
independent in its judgment of abuse by
MIT police? Many Pinkerton employees are
recruited from the ranks of the police and
the FBI. The Pinkertons are known to
cooperate closely with law enforcement
agencies and sell intelligence on a range
of groups, including political organizations.
It is as if a private mercenary company were
asked to investigate complaints about war
crimes committed by a state army.
The outcome of any report from
Pinkerton is certain to be a whitewash.
The MIT police, while paid by MIT, are
deputized by the County of Middlesex
and, therefore, have jurisdiction over the
whole county. Nevertheless, any public
(i.e. democratic) oversight of the MIT
police is non-existent. Unlike the Cambridge
police, there is no publicly accountable
police over-sight board, made up of
representatives from the citizenry, to
investigate police misconduct.
It is unacceptable that MIT has hired a
private police agency to investigate abuses
by its own police force. It is absurd that
MIT claims that this investigation is being
performed by an "independent third-party."
Please write to President Vest and demand
that a truly independent committee composed
of people from the general public and not paid
for by MIT, is assembled to investigate MIT
police abuse. Furthermore, demand that MIT
drop the charges of this second false arrest
of Aimee Smith and that these charges be
fully expunged from her record.
Please cc peace-request@mit.edu on
any correspondence with the MIT administration.
For more information about the false arrests
visit: http://web.mit.edu/justice also ask
president Vest: ~ is it MIT policy to arrest
someone for discussing First Amendment
rights with MIT police officers? ~ Is it MIT
policy to allow MIT police to arrest someone
because they don't like what they're saying
or because they have a personal dislike for
them? ~ Why wasn't D'Amelio removed from
the MIT police force the first time he abused
his authority. ~ How long will the MIT
administration continue to allow female
members of its community to be threatened,
bullied, harassed, and physically assaulted
by a predominantly male campus police
force? ~ When will MIT ensure that the MIT
police force is subject to the Cambridge
Police Review Board, as a first step to establishing a
fully effective complaint/review process of the police at MIT?
Please cc
peace-request@mit.edu
on any correspondence with
the MIT administration. For more information about the
false arrests visit:
http://web.mit.edu/justice
Also ask president Vest:
~ Is it MIT policy to arrest someone for discussing First
Amendment rights with MIT police officers?
~ Is it MIT policy to allow MIT police to arrest someone because
they don't like what they're saying or because they have a personal
dislike for them?
~ Why wasn't D'Amelio removed from the MIT police force the first
time he abused his authority.
~ How long will the MIT administration continue to allow female
members of its community to be threatened, bullied, harassed,
and physically assaulted by a predominantly male campus police
force?
~ When will MIT ensure that the MIT police force is subject to the
Cambridge Police Review Board, as a first step to establishing a
fully effective complaint/review process of the police at MIT?
Contact info
President Charles Vest
e-mail:
cmvest@mit.edu
phone: (617) 253-0148
address: 77 Mass Ave, Rm. 3-208
Cambridge MA, 02139
FAX: (617) 253-0036
[Goes to the Vice President's office across the hall. Label
with "Please deliver immediately to president Charles Vest"
and it should get to him.
President's House on Memorial Drive contact info:
FAX: (617) 253-3100
Provost Robert Brown
e-mail:
rab@mit.edu
phone: (617) 253-4500
address: 77 Mass Ave, Rm. 3-208
Cambridge MA, 02139
FAX: (617) 253-8812
Chancellor Phillip Clay
e-mail:
plclay@mit.edu
phone: (617) 253-6164
address: 77 Mass Ave, Rm 10-200
Cambridge MA, 02139
FAX: (617) 258-6261
Special assistant to the president
Kirk Kolenbrander
e-mail:
kdk@mit.edu
phone: (617)-253-3365
address: 77 Mass Ave, Rm 10-205
Cambridge MA, 02139
FAX: (617) 258-6261
Director of Security and Campus Police
John DiFava
e-mail:
jdifava@mit.edu
phone: (617) 252-1703
address: 77 Mass Ave, W31-114
Cambridge MA, 02139
FAX: (617) 253-8822
References on Pinkertons
* Ward Churchill places the origins of the police state not with
the founding of the FBI in 1913, but in 1852 with the creation
of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The Pinkerton Detective
Agency was a private investigative organization hired by both
the federal government and the leaders of private industry to
investigate labor dissent. It is here that Churchill finds the
first connection between industry and government, and all the
necessary ingredients that ultimately led to the establishment
of the FBI.
* Pinkerton early strike breakers, planted evidence, etc.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mh_blue.html
* FBI to award Pinkerton for assistance this October
http://www.ci-pinkerton.com/news/prConnelly9.26.html
* Pinkerton boasts about intelligence gathering on political movements:
http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/free/9-11/0225paydirt.htm
Political activists will be interested to know that Pinkerton
Global Intelligence Services (PGIS) sells
intelligence on a range of groups,
including political organizations. Its website
(www.ci-pinkerton.com/global/groupProfiles.html
explains:
"The Group Profiles provide a detailed overview of
high-profile fringe organizations and terrorist groups.
The Group Profiles highlight both global and domestic
organizations. PGIS covers the following groups:
politically-based, environmentalists, anti-globalists,
anti-Western groups, extremist religious factions,
recognized terrorists, among many others."
Similar claims at the bottom of the following website:
http://www.pinkerton-europe.com/business_intelligence_two.htm
"
Pinkerton is also able to provide specific information about a
range of terrorist and activist groups which operate in the
UK, Europe and worldwide."
Announce mailing list
Announce@onepalestine.org
http://mail.onepalestine.org/mailman/listinfo/announce_onepalestine.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
2) U.S. Report to Say No WMD Found in Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Thu Sep 16, 2004 11:00 PM ET http://www.reuters.com/
newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6260752&src=eDialog/
GetContent§ion=news
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A draft report by the top U.S. weapons
inspector in Iraq concludes no stockpiles of weapons of mass
destruction were found, but there was evidence Saddam Hussein
intended to resurrect weapons programs, U.S. government sources
said on Thursday.
Charles Duelfer, the CIA-appointed leader of the weapons hunt, was
still finalizing the roughly 1,500 page-report, which was expected
to say no stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons were found,
the sources told Reuters.
The perceived threat from weapons of mass destruction was the
main justification used by the Bush administration for the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in March 2003 that toppled Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein.
Duelfer is expected to complete the report in the next several weeks.
His predecessor, David Kay, said when he stepped down in January
that no large stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons existed
in Iraq when the United States went to war.
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Colin Powell told lawmakers he
now thought stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons would
probably never be found.
The most specific evidence of an illicit weapons program was
uncovered in labs operated by the Iraqi Intelligence Service,
which could have produced small quantities of chemical and
biological agents, The New York Times reported on its Web site,
citing government officials.
The report will leave open the possibility that illicit weapons may
have been moved to other countries, which has not been substantiated,
the newspaper said.
(c) Copyright Reuters 2004.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
3) GIs claim threat by Army
Soldiers say they were told to re-enlist
or face deployment to Iraq
By Dick Foster, Rocky Mountain News
COLORADO SPRINGS
September 16, 2004
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/
0,1299,DRMN_21_3185596,00.html
COLORADO SPRINGS - Soldiers from a Fort Carson combat unit say
they have been issued an ultimatum - re-enlist for three more years
or be transferred to other units expected to deploy to Iraq.
Hundreds of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team were
presented with that message and a re-enlistment form in a series
of assemblies last Thursday, said two soldiers who spoke on
condition of anonymity.
The effort is part of a restructuring of the Army into smaller, more
flexible forces that can deploy rapidly around the world.
A Fort Carson spokesman confirmed the re-enlistment drive is under
way and one of the soldiers provided the form to the Rocky Mountain
News. An Army spokesmen denied, however, that soldiers who don't
re-enlist with the brigade were threatened.
The form, if signed, would bind the soldier to the 3rd Brigade until
Dec. 31, 2007. The two soldiers said they were told that those who
did not sign would be transferred out of the 3rd Brigade Combat
Team.
"They said if you refuse to re-enlist with the 3rd Brigade, we'll send
you down to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is going to
Iraq for a year, and you can stay with them, or we'll send you to Korea,
or to Fort Riley (in Kansas) where they're going to Iraq," said one
of the soldiers, a sergeant.
The second soldier, an enlisted man who was interviewed separately,
essentially echoed that view.
"They told us if we don't re-enlist, then we'd have to be reassigned.
And where we're most needed is in units that are going back to Iraq
in the next couple of months. So if you think you're getting out, you're
not," he said.
The brigade's presentation outraged many soldiers who are close to
fulfilling their obligation and are looking forward to civilian life, the
sergeant said.
"We have a whole platoon who refuses to sign," he said.
A Fort Carson spokesman said Wednesday that 3rd Brigade
recruitment officers denied threatening the soldiers with Iraq duty.
"I can only tell you what the retention officers told us: The soldiers
were not being told they will go to Iraq, but they may go to Iraq,"
said the spokesman, who gave that explanation before being told
later to direct all inquiries to the Pentagon.
Sending soldiers to Iraq with less than one year of their enlistment
remaining "would not be taken lightly," Lt. Col. Gerard Healy said
from the Pentagon Wednesday.
"We realize that we deal with people and with families, and that's
got to be a factor," he said.
"There's probably a lot of places on post where they could put
those folks (who don't re-enlist) until their time expires. But I don't
want to rule out the possibility that they could go to a unit that
might deploy," said Healy.
Under current Army practice, members of Iraq-bound units are
"stop-lossed," meaning they could be retained in the unit for an
entire year in Iraq, even if their active-duty enlistment expires.
A recruiter told the sergeant that the Army would keep them "as
long as they needed us."
Extending a soldier's active duty is within Army authority, since
the enlistment contract carries an eight-year obligation, even if
a soldier signs for only three or four years of active duty.
The 3rd Brigade recruiting effort is part of the Army's plan to
restructure large divisions of more than 10,000 soldiers into
smaller, more flexible, more numerous brigade- sized "Units of
Action" of about 3,500 soldiers each.
The Army envisions building each unit into a cohesive whole and
staffing them with soldiers who will stay with the unit for longer
periods of time, said John Pike, head of the defense analysis think
tank Global Security.
"They want these units to fight together and train together. They're
basically trying to keep these brigades together throughout
training and deployment, so I can understand why they would
want to shed anybody who was not going to be there for the
whole cycle," Pike said.
But some soldiers presented with the re-enlistment message last
week believe they've already done their duty and should not be
penalized for choosing to leave. They deployed to Iraq for a year
with the 3rd Brigade last April.
"I don't want to go back to Iraq," said the sergeant. "I went through
a lot of things for the Army that weren't necessary and were risky.
Iraq has changed a lot of people.''
The enlisted soldier said the recruiters' message left him troubled,
unable to sleep and "filled with dread."
"For me, it wasn't about going back to Iraq. It's just the fact that
I'm ready to get out of the Army," he said.
Soldiers' choice at Fort Carson
WHAT THE FORM SAID
€"Elect not to extend or re-enlist and understand that the soldier
will be reassigned IAW (in accordance with) the needs of the Army
by Department of the Army HRC (Human Resources Command) . . .
or Fort Carson G1 (Personnel Office).''
WHAT IT MEANS
€Soldiers who sign the letter are bound to the 3rd Brigade Combat
Team until Dec. 31, 2007.
€Soldiers who do not sign the letter might be transferred out of
the brigade and possibly to Iraq.
Copyright 2004, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
4) March & Rally for Immigrants Rights
Sat. October 16, 12noon
Olympic and Broadway, Los Angeles
Speakers include Dolores Huerta
Call to action on Immigrant Rights
Nearly ten years ago, on October 16, 1994, the Latino immigrant
community and its allies convened and held the largest ever mass
march and rally by Latinos in the history of the United States. The
main issue then was the movement to defeat Proposition 187, which
aimed to deny basic human services and constitutional and labor
rights to immigrants. That historic march united the Latino community
and their allies like never before and unleashed a rise in the political
consciousness of millions of people in California and throughout the
rest of the country.
To commemorate that historic march is important. We must also
elevate the level of struggle to win full rights for undocumented
workers and their families at this critical time.
Broad unity is needed
On October 16, 2004, everyone is invited to join the massive march
and rally in downtown Los Angeles to demand full rights for
undocumented workers, and to stop the raids and racism against
immigrants. We seek broad unity to build this event. All progressive
individuals and organizations who believe that the fight for immigrants'
rights is an important one are welcome and encouraged to participate.
A strong, united march and rally in downtown Los Angeles will
demonstrate the incredible strength and resolve of the movement
for immigrants' rights in the United States today.
This call for a demonstration on October 16, 2004 was initiated two
years ago by a pro-immigrant coalition led by Latino Movement USA
Hermandad Mexicana Nacional on October 22, 2002, during the rally
held at the Immigrant Rights March in downtown Los Angeles.
With continuing violent attacks by vigilantes and racist groupings
against immigrants, along the U.S.-Mexico border, on the rise; with
mass terrorizing raids in predominantly Latino communities by border
patrol agents, and other law enforcement units multiplying; with no
end in sight to the mass arrests of Latino immigrants at U.S. airports;
and with the prospect that this police terror campaign against immigrants
may increase in the aftermath of the November Presidential election,
the October 16 March and Rally represents a critical political test of
how we all understand our respective roles and political responsibilities
in the ongoing political battle to safeguard the human and labor rights
of the weakest sector of the U.S. working class, the undocumented worker.
Transportation and Flyers
Contact 415-821-6545 or answer@actionsf.org for information
regarding transportation from San Francisco to LA.
To download flyers for the March for Immigrants Rights, go to
www.answerla.org
Youth Student Contingent
If you are interested in joining the Youth Student A.N.S.W.E.R.
Contingent in the March for Immigrants Rights, contact Silvia or
Nathalie at 415-821-6545 or apriorchid@yahoo.com.
Endorsers
Organizations from around the country have endorsed this event,
including the following sponsors:
Latino Movement USA, Hermandad Mexicana Nacional,
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, Asociacion Nacional de Salvadorenos
Americanos, Alianza Hondurena de Los Angeles, Casa Nicaragua,
Ecuadorians Residing Abroad, Frente Civico Zacatecano, Federacion
de Clubes de Jalisco, Familias Unidas de Lynwood, Centro Azteca,
Free Palestine Alliance, National Committee to Free the Cuban Five,
Fuerza Revolucionaria Salvadorena, Dr. John Fernandez, Roosevelt
High School, Apostolic Church, Jovenes Inc., Coalicion Latinoamericana,
Moviemento Popular Inmigrante, Fundacion Pro-Inmigrante,
Club Ancon, Jornaleros del Valle de San Gabriel, Union Sin Fronteras,
National Network on Cuba (NNOC), California Congreso of U.S.-
Mexican Women Voters, Casa del Sinaloense, Zacatecanos en
Marcha, Federacion de Zacatecanos, American Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee (ADC), Palestinian American
Women's Association (PAWA), and many more.
To subscribe to the list, send a message to:
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---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
5) ADC Update
22 Years Later, Sabra and Shatila Remembered
Washington DC, Sept 16
Today, September 16, marks 22 years since of one of the bloodiest
and most brutal massacres in recent history, the 1982 massacre of
Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps.
Twenty two years ago, shortly after the Israeli army seized control
of West Beirut, Lebanon, right wing Phalangist militia forces, under
the direction of Israeli forces, made their way into the Palestinian
refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila located on the outskirts of the
city. Once in the camps the militias massacred hundreds of
defenseless men, women and children.
Israeli troops, who were in control of the area, allowed the
militias into the camps, prevented the refugees from fleeing for
their lives, and lit the night sky with a continuous series of
flares as the killing raged for two days. The US had pulled its
troops out of Beirut just days prior to the massacres, and had
given a guarantee of protection to the residents of the refugee
camps.
Following massive outrage and protest from the international
community as well as from Israeli citizens, the Israeli government
formed The Kahan Commision of Inquiry. The Commission found
that Israel was responsible for participating in the violence and
recommended the dismissal of the Army Chief of Staff. Rafual Eitan.
Then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was also forced to resign after
the Commission concluded that he bore personal responsibility for
the massacre, and should never hold public office again. Sharon is
now the Prime Minister of Israel.
ADC President Mary Rose Oakar said, "We must take the time on
September 16 to remember the victims of the horrific Sabra and
Shatila massacre. The massacre is a reminder to us all of the
tragedy of exile of Palestinian refugees who have been excluded
from their homeland for more than half a century and their
vulnerability as a stateless people. It underlines the necessity for
a just settlement to the refugee issue based on the Right of Return,
which is enshrined for all refugees in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the Fourth Geneva Convention, and was
specifically applied to the Palestinian refugees in UN Resolution 194."
To learn more, see the BBC's documentary on the Sabra and Shatila
massacre and also the court case against Ariel Sharon:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/audiovideo/programmes/panorama/1381328.stm
http://indictsharon.net/massacres.shtml
ADC DC Chapter Participating in Lebanon's 22nd
Commemoration of the Sabra & Shatila Massacre
The Washington, DC Chapter of the American-Arab Anti
Discrimination Committee helped to coordinate and is part
of a delegation participating in the 22nd Anniversary of the
Sabra and Shatila massacre. Lebanese and Palestinian NGOs in
Lebanon are hosting delegations from around the world from
September 10 - 19. The nine-day tour provides the opportunity
for a deeper understanding of Lebanon as a country, and provides
the means to engage in dialogue with local Lebanese and Palestinian
leaders and activists. Some itinerary highlights include: visiting the
Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, participating in UNESCO events,
meeting with the support committee regarding the case brought in
Belgium against Ariel Sharon, and touring the area. For more
information contact the ADC- Washington DC Area Chapter at
adcdcarea@yahoo.com.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
6) US may run out of guard and reserve
troops for war on terrorism: report
WASHINGTON (AFP)
Wed Sep 15, 4:14 PM ET
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=afp/us_military_reserves
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military may run out of national
guard and reserve troops for the war on terrorism because of
existing limits on involuntary mobilizations, a congressional
watchdog agency warned in a report.
Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the government
has considered changing the policy to make members of the
1.2 million-strong guard and reserve subject to repeated involuntary
mobilization so long as no single mobilization exceeds 24 consecutive
months.
In commenting on the report, however, the Department of
Defense ( news -web sites ) (DOD) said it planned to keep
its current approach.
"Under DOD's current implementation of the authority, reserve
component members can be involuntarily mobilized more than
once, but involuntary mobilizations are limited to a cumulative
total of 24 months," the report said.
"If DOD's implementation of the partial mobilization authority
restricts the cumulative time that reserve component forces can
be mobilized, then it is possible that DOD will run out of forces,"
the report said.
The guard and reserves are crucial to the US war effort because
they include specialized units such as military police, intelligence
and civil affairs that are in high demand but short supply in the
active duty force.
The Pentagon ( news -web sites ) also has turned to guard and
reserve to ease the strain on active duty infantry divisions that have
had to deploy repeatedly to Iraq ( news -web sites ).
More than 47,600 members of the guard and reserve were serving
in Iraq as of August 1, about a third of the 140,000-member US
force there. When those who are deployed in Afghanistan ( news -
web sites ) and rear areas are added, the total is in excess of 66,000,
according to Pentagon figures.
Since September 11, 2003, more than 335,000 guard and reserves
have been involuntarily mobilized for active duty -- 234,000 from the
army alone, according to the report.
"The Department of Defense cannot currently meet its global
commitments without sizeable participation from its national
guard and reserve members," the GAO said in a cover letter to
the report.
The GAO said the Pentagon has projected it will continuously
have about 100,000 to 150,000 reserve members mobilized
over the next three to five years.
The Pentagon considered increasing the pool of available guard
and reserve troops by changing its mobilization policy.
"Under such a revised implementation, DOD could have mobilized
its reserve component forces for less than 24 consecutive months,
sent them home for an unspecified period and then remobilized
them, repeating this cycle indefinitely and providing an essentially
unlimited flow of forces," the report said.
Piecemeal policy changes already undertaken to increase the pool
of available guard and reserve troops have created uncertainties
among reservists that could affect retention, recruitment and the
long-term viability of the reserves, the report noted.
"There are already indications that some portions of the force are
being stressed," it said.
The army national guard, for instance, has failed to meet recruiting
goals in 14 of 20 months from October 2002 through May 2004,
the report said. It was 7,800 soldiers below its recruiting goal at
the end of fiscal 2003.
Copyright (c) 2004 Agence France Presse
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