1) Break the Fast Friendship Dinner
Monday, November 8 at 5 PM
Masjed Darussalam
20 Jones Street, San Francisco
(between Golden Gate and Market St.)
2) Targets of Empire Demo - November 13th, 24th & Mission
Planning meeting this Saturday Nov 6th - 1pm, Muddy Waters
(across from ADC office on Valencia).
3) Circle of Life presents WE THE PLANET FESTIVAL 2004
Featuring THE ROOTS, THE COUP, THIRD EYE BLIND,
MICHELLE SHOCKED & THE WAYBACKS, MICKEY HART,
JOAN BAEZ & FRIENDS
4) G.I.'s Itch to Prove Their Mettle in Falluja
By ROBERT F. WORTH
NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/international/middleeast/05cnd-falluja.htm
l?hp
5) U.S. Troops Urge Civilians
to Leave Iraqi Rebel City
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters)
Fri Nov 5, 2004 08:34 AM ET
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6728748&src=eD
ialog/GetContent§ion=news
6) Two U.S. Marines Killed in Volatile Western Iraq
Fri Nov 5, 2004 09:16 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6729336&src=eD
ialog/GetContent§ion=news
7) Three Black Watch troops killed in suicide attack
By Colin Brown, Robert Fisk, and Kim Sengupta in Baghdad
Published : 05 November 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=579658
8) Cuba Bashing
HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5
http://www.hardbeatnews.com/details2489.htm
9) Local Marijuana Initiatives and Questions Win in Ann Arbor,
Columbia, Oakland and Massachusetts 11/5/04
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/361/localvotes.shtml
10) Protesters March and Vote to Bring the Troops Home Now
in San Francisco
BY BONNIE WEINSTEIN
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
1) Break the Fast Friendship Dinner
Monday, November 8 at 5 PM
Masjed Darussalam
20 Jones Street, San Francisco (between Golden Gate and Market St.)
Join Rev. John Oda and the Pine United Methodist Church, and many
organizations and individuals in this Ramadan Iftar dinner. "Break
bread" in unity and solidarity with members of the SF Muslim
community and celebrate this Iftar dinner of vegetarian Japanese
and Middle Eastern food. In these times, coming together in
solidarity with a community under attack is vital. Our actions
can make a difference.
For more info: Rev. John Oda (415) 387-1800;
Souleman Ghali (415) 215-8929;
Samina Faheem Sundas (650) 387-1994.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
2) Targets of Empire Demo - November 13th, 24th & Mission
Planning meeting this Saturday Nov 6th - 1pm, Muddy Waters
(across from ADC office on Valencia).
Now that we know Bush is staying in the White House for the next
four years, the time is now to continue the fight against wars abroad
and oppression here at home. People will find themselves struggling
to get by because of the actions and inactions of the US government.
As people in Palestine and Iraq are killed by US made and funded
bombs and bullets, the people of Haiti will be kept from having
a democratically elected government, and prevented from trying
otherwise. As the US continues to reap havoc in Afghanistan and
threaten countries around the globe, people here at home will
struggle for housing, healthcare, education and jobs.
The Justice in Palestine coalition has called this demonstration to
call attention to these "Targets of Empire" and reassert the importance
of the unity between different groups through grassroots struggle.
Please save the date and get out the flyer (download at
www. justiceinpalestine.net). We are looking for others to endorse
and help build the protest with us. Please send your endorsements to
info@justiceinpalestine.net and come to the planning meeting
this Saturday, Nov 6th, at 1:00 PM at Muddy Waters cafe on
Valencia Street near the corner of 16th.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
3) Circle of Life presents WE THE PLANET FESTIVAL 2004
Featuring THE ROOTS, THE COUP, THIRD EYE BLIND,
MICHELLE SHOCKED & THE WAYBACKS, MICKEY HART,
JOAN BAEZ & FRIENDS
Co-hosted by eco-activist Julia Butterfly Hill and hip-hop poet Aya de
Leon
Green vendors, non-profits, music, and fun!
Plus! Pushing the Boundaries For A New World - especially since the
election, now is a critical time for progressives to get together and
discuss solutions for the future and take a positive step forward in
our activism. Join leading activists for workshops on topics such as:
Music, Art & Activism; Beyond Voting; Independent Media; Civil
Disobedience & Direct Action. 2-6pm across the street from Kaiser
Center at Laney College. Free with festival ticket. For details and to
rsvp see www.wetheplanet.org.
We The Planet 2004
Saturday, November 13
Henry J. Kaiser Center
10 Tenth St, Oakland, CA
6pm doors, 7pm show
www.inhousetickets.com
This is a zero-waste, zero-emissions festival of music, consciousness,
and activism! See www.wetheplanet.org for details.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
4) G.I.'s Itch to Prove Their Mettle in Falluja
By ROBERT F. WORTH
NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/international/middleeast/05cnd-falluja.htm
l?hp
NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5 - The marines crept forward, glancing
warily at each other as they approached a bomb-scarred building
covered with Arabic lettering. Suddenly, one of them shouted "Sniper!"
and another dropped to the ground as if wounded.
But instead of firing back, the men raised their guns and trilled their
tongues to imitate the sound of machine-gun fire. Within a few seconds,
one of them called out "Sniper neutralized!" and they lowered their
weapons.
It was one of the many urban warfare drills taking place in and
around this bleak desert encampment in recent days, where the
Marines expect to lead an all-out attack on Falluja soon. Peace
negotiations continue between the Iraqi government and delegates
from the city, but American commanders seem convinced that it is
only a matter of time before the Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi,
gives the order for them to retake the city, which has been held by
insurgents since the Marines withdrew in April.
In Brussels today, Dr. Allawi told leaders of the European Union that
"the window is closing'' on the opportunity for a peaceful settlement
in Falluja. "We intend to liberate the people,'' he said, according to
Reuters. "The insurgents and the terrorists are still operating there.
We hope they will come to their senses, otherwise we will have to
bring them to face justice.''
For many marines here, the order cannot come too soon. After a long
summer of cat-and-mouse games with shadowy insurgents, they are
hungry for a decisive battle.
"Locked, cocked and ready to rock," said Lance Cpl. Dimitri Gavriel, 29,
who left an investment banking job in Manhattan 18 months ago to
enlist, using a popular Marine expression. "That's about how we feel."
In the meantime, preparations continue at this makeshift military base.
Tanks rumble through a barren landscape littered with shrapnel and
husks of old vehicles, while helicopters throb overhead. Detonations
shake the ground at all hours - artillery units firing on guerrilla
positions, or other military units blowing up old explosives.
Occasional enemy mortars explode nearby. American jets soar
overhead on their way to and from bombing runs, and at night fires
glow on the horizon.
Many of the young marines expected to lead the attack have not yet
been part of a major battle. Most of those who took part in the
operation in Falluja in April have been sent home. And though
some of the commanders here fought the first phase of the war
last year, many of the rank and file arrived here for the first time
in June.
All of them, though, seem eager to prove their mettle and at last
confront the insurgency head on.
"It's kind of like the cancer of Iraq," said Lt. Steven Berch, a lanky
platoon commander, speaking of Falluja. "It's become a kind of
hotel for the insurgents. Hopefully getting rid of them will help
to stabilize the whole country."
Others point to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant who
is said to be using Falluja as a base.
"We're doing the right thing here," said First Lt. Christopher Wilkens,
pausing for breath during a drill. "These guys are terrorists, there
are connections to Al Qaeda, and fighting them is what we came
here to do."
The marines are housed in a network of bomb-scarred barracks
once used by Saddam Hussein to train an Iranian exile opposition
group. Arabic slogans meant to inspire the trainees remain on the
walls, and a mural of Mr. Hussein's face still stares down from the
wall of a converted mess hall.
Commanders would not reveal any details of how or when an attack
might happen. But the invading force will certainly be larger than the
one that struck at the insurgents here in April, and marines will be
backed up by Iraqi troops as well as Army units.
Iraqi soldiers are already training here alongside the marines, and
officers said their discipline has improved in recent months. After
the Marines withdrew from Falluja in April, the Iraqi security forces
there quickly collapsed.
"We are improving day by day," said Major Abdul Jabar, executive
officer of one of the Iraqi companies that will take part in the attack,
as his men practiced disembarking from armored personnel carriers
in the hot afternoon sun.
Before the fighting ends, American civil affairs units will move into
the city to begin working on health and reconstruction projects, for
which at least $20 million has been set aside, American officers said.
Marine lawyers will be ready to handle compensation claims for battle
damage and to help verify any violations of the laws of warfare. The
goal, commanders emphasize, is to hand over control of the city to
Iraqi security forces.
Commanders say they expect the insurgents to use plenty of terrorist
-style tactics like suicide bombs in cars or trucks. Last Saturday, nine
marines were killed and nine wounded when a suicide bomber in a car
rammed their convoy near here, in the deadliest day for American
troops in more than half a year.
The marines also expect heavy house-to-house fighting once they
enter the city, and they are fully aware of the risks. During drills they
do test runs of their arrival in Falluja, running out the back of the
armored personnel carriers that will bring them into the city while
carrying all their weapons and a 45-pound pack.
None of the dangers seem to rattle their confidence. Between drills,
they do pull-ups and play touch football. In the evening, laughter
echoes around the barracks where they live, along with heavy metal
music blasting from CD players.
"I don't think about it," said Pfc. Anthony Mells, a 20 year-old marine
from Queens, when asked about the risks of battle. "It's all about
motivation. Getting wounded is not in my job description."
Copyright 2004 The New York Times
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
5) U.S. Troops Urge Civilians
to Leave Iraqi Rebel City
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters)
Fri Nov 5, 2004 08:34 AM ET
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6728748&src=eD
ialog/GetContent§ion=news
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces warned residents of Falluja
through loudspeakers and leaflets on Friday that they would detain
any man under 45 trying to enter or leave the rebel-held Iraqi city.
U.S. troops also urged residents, in Arabic, to help them capture
"terrorists" and warned women and children to leave the Sunni
Muslim city, locals said.
The U.S. military had no immediate comment.
U.S. troops are poised for a major offensive on Falluja and the
nearby rebel stronghold of Ramadi to crush foreign militants and
Saddam Hussein loyalists they say are entrenched there.
Witnesses said U.S. troops blocked roads around Falluja and
clashed with insurgents on the eastern and southeastern edges
of the city on Friday.
(c) Copyright Reuters 2004
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
6) Two U.S. Marines Killed in Volatile Western Iraq
Fri Nov 5, 2004 09:16 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6729336&src=eD
ialog/GetContent§ion=news
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two U.S. Marines have been killed and
four wounded in action in a volatile area west of Baghdad, the
U.S. military said on Friday.
"Two Marines assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force
were killed in action and four others were wounded in action
yesterday while conducting increased security operations in the
Al Anbar province," a U.S. spokesman said in a statement.
He declined to give details.
U.S. forces are poised for a major assault on the cities of
Falluja and Ramadi, rebel strongholds in the mostly Sunni
Muslim Anbar province, to crush an insurgency ahead of
elections due in January.
(c) Copyright Reuters 2004.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
7) Three Black Watch troops killed in suicide attack
By Colin Brown, Robert Fisk, and Kim Sengupta in Baghdad
Published : 05 November 2004
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=579658
An Iraqi suicide bomber killed three soldiers from the Black
Watch regiment, and their interpreter, at a vehicle checkpoint
close to Baghdad yesterday. Eight more soldiers were injured.
The British troops, less than a week into their controversial
extended mission north of Basra, were killed after they were
deployed against insurgents who had been firing rockets and
mortars at their sprawling Camp Dogwood base.
Troops were ordered across the river Euphrates - into the
so-called Triangle of Death - to clear the east bank, an area
they had not patrolled before. The suicide bomber, a Sunni
Muslim, drove a car at them before setting off his explosives.
The soldiers then came under mortar attack. US forces helped
to evacuate casualties.
A source said: "It is, unfortunately, ideal ambush territory.
They had to extend their area, because you can't sit in your
camp being hit by rockets."
The three deaths bring to 73 the number of British troops
to have died in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict. It was
the worst combat loss since three Royal Military Police were
killed in the south 14 months ago.
The Ministry of Defence today named the latest victims as
Sergeant Stuart Gray, Private Paul Lowe and Private Scott McArdle.
The casualties shocked MPs, sparking recriminations at Westminster.
One minister said: "It is our worst fears. Unfortunately, it was
not unexpected. We sent them into a dangerous area."
The Armed Forces minister, Adam Ingram, said it would be
a matter for commanders on the ground whether they continued
to patrol on the east bank. "We always knew that there were risks
involved in these engagements, but this is for the Iraqi people,"
he said. "Is it a price worth paying? Well, the Iraqis are the best
judge of that."
The troops are the first British troops to die in combat since the
regiment was ordered out of the British-held area in Basra to
provide back-up for US troops preparing for an assault on Fallujah.
They are the first British troops to be killed by a suicide attack in Iraq.
The British area of operations had been confined to a largely
uninhabited - and so safer - area west of the river. After rockets
were fired from the east, it was decided to cross the river, into
a district largely controlled by insurgents, and to set up checkpoints.
British troops had hoped the tactics they adopted in southern Iraq
- checkpoints on the roads and personal contact with Iraqi drivers
- would demonstrate a more friendly face than that shown by US
forces who long since abandoned any checkpoints in the area.
Yesterday's attack proved that the British are just as vulnerable
as the Americans - and just as liable to attack - if they stray into
the insurgents' zone.
The suicide-bomber technique has been perfected in Iraq and has,
in effect, driven US infantrymen and static patrols off the roads.
If the British thought they would be immune from this side of the
war, these events prove they will be treated with the same
ruthlessness as US forces.
Tony Blair had promised that the Black Watch would be "home
by Christmas" but many said they were "angry and nervous" about
being ordered 350 miles north to patrol routes into Fallujah. Many
of those attacked were looking forward to going home last week,
until they received their orders.
Militant groups in Iraq threatened retribution on the British troops
who have taken over the former US base between Hillah and
Iskandariyah.
Anti-war Labour MPs angrily accused Mr Blair of being partly to
blame for the deaths, by agreeing to support President George
Bush in deploying British troops to support the US attack on Fallujah.
Mr Blair heard the news in Brussels. His spokesman said: "The Prime
Minister's thoughts are with the Black Watch and the families of the
Black Watch."
Insurgents had earlier put a British patrol under heavy fire after
exploding a mine under one of its Warrior armoured vehicles.
The force of the blast rocked the vehicle, ripping the front wheels
off and leaving its three crew and complement of troops stranded.
As a second Warrior sped to the vehicle to rescue troops in the
darkness, insurgents fired a mortar bomb that exploded feet away.
The explosion caused the rescue vehicle to career into a ditch
with troops escaping from the rear to check on their comrades
in the first vehicle. Despite being under constant threat of more
attacks, soldiers managed to get the second Warrior out of the
ditch and retreated to safety.
News of the fatalities was given to a sombre Commons in an
emergency statement by Mr Ingram. Bruce George, chairman of
the Commons Select Committee on Defence, said: 'I am shocked
and very sad indeed. This is a dangerous place, and the soldiers,
frankly, are heroes. It would be utterly wrong to seek to make
political capital out of this tragedy."
The SNP MP Angus Robertson warned the deaths would have
"profound implications for public opinion in Scotland".
(c) 2004 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
8) Cuba Bashing
HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5
http://www.hardbeatnews.com/details2489.htm
HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5: Just two days after George Bush
reclaimed the White House the U.S. State Department yesterday
began its Cuba bashing.
Going into the elections, Bush had pledged to Cuba-American
voters to rid the island of President Fidel Castro. Yesterday the
administration began firing.
U.S. State Department Spokesperson, Richard Boucher, in
a prepared statement, slammed the "Castro regime" and called
for the administration to "... cease its repression and release
all political prisoners."
"Only a Cuba where fundamental freedoms are respected and
independent civil society flourishes will be positioned to make
a peaceful transition to democracy," added the statement. -
Hardbeatnews.com
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
9) Local Marijuana Initiatives and Questions Win in Ann Arbor,
Columbia, Oakland and Massachusetts 11/5/04
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/361/localvotes.shtml
Tuesday was a good day for local marijuana initiatives, with victories
at the polls in Ann Arbor, Columbia, MO, and Oakland. Only an initiative
in Berkeley that would have increased allowable quantities for medical
marijuana patients appears to have lost, although organizers there were
slow to concede defeat. Meanwhile, a Massachusetts effort to pass
non-binding marijuana reform questions in legislative districts
continued to maintain its perfect record of success in the third
election of that campaign.
In the Bay State, the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts
( http://www.dpfma.org ) and the Massachusetts Cannabis
Coalition ( http://www.masscann.org ) went 12 for 12 on
marijuana decriminalization and medical marijuana questions
in legislative districts, bringing the record for the overall
campaign to let representatives know voters support marijuana
law reform to 36 wins and no losses.
In five districts, voters supported a question on medical marijuana,
while in six others voters supported decriminalizing marijuana
possession and in one district voters gave the thumbs up to
a question calling for the legalized and regulated sale of
marijuana. Margins of victory ranged from 58% to a high of 80%.
Although the questions are non-binding, they allow voters to
clearly signal support for marijuana law reform to their
representatives. And that should allow marijuana reform legislation
to get some traction at the statehouse next year, said Whitney
Taylor, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of
Massachusetts, which ran nine of this year's question campaigns.
"We have never lost a single one of these questions, and now
over half the state has had a chance to take a stand on this,"
Taylor told DRCNet. "While in 2002 we focused on the Boston
area, this time we targeted specific districts, for example, the
medical marijuana questions where representatives or senators
sit on the health committee and the decrim questions where
representatives or senators are on the criminal justice or judiciary
committees," she said.
One exception was the 24th Middlesex representative district,
where Rep. Anne Paulsen already supports decrim. "That is Gov.
Romney's home district," Taylor explained. "His wife has Multiple
Sclerosis, and we wanted him to see the question on the ballot
when he voted."
The victories this year will only strengthen the push to get
marijuana reform through the legislature in the next session,
said Taylor. "This is a new world for us. The old speaker, who
was a real obstacle for us, is gone, and the new speaker,
Sal DiMasi, is supportive. We will have many more opportunities
to get things done," she said.
While Massachusetts voters were approving pro-reform questions,
voters in the college towns of Ann Arbor and Columbia gave
overwhelming approval to medical marijuana measures, and
Columbia also passed an initiative that will make small-time pot
possession a municipal instead of a state offense, thus protecting
students from losing financial aid under the Higher Education
Act's anti-drug provision if they get caught with a joint or two.
In Ann Arbor, which decriminalized marijuana possession back
in the days when hippies walked the earth, residents okayed
a measure that will waive fines for medical marijuana patients
and caregivers who have the recommendation of a health care
professional. The measure also lowers the maximum fine for
third-offense and subsequent pot busts to $100.
Supporters of the measure told the Michigan Daily they expected
the measure's impact to be limited at first. "Initially, the proposal
will help only a small number of people, and then it will grow to
be quite a large amount once people realize how many ailments
cannabis helps," said Scio Township Trustee Charles Ream,
who promoted the measure.
In Columbia, a measure approving medical marijuana won with
69% of the vote, while the decrim measure won 61%. "We are
especially cheered by these results," said Students for Sensible
Drug Policy ( http://www.ssdp.org ) chapter head Amanda Broz,
who also heads the Columbia Alliance for Patient Education
(CAPE), the umbrella group that led the initiative fight.
A similar decrim measure was defeated two years ago, but this
time, voters came around, said Broz. "I think educating people
was critical to our success," she told DRCNet. "Once Columbians
understood the issues, they were willing to stand up for the
rights of patients and their fellow citizens." Proponents of the
measures concentrated not only on marijuana's medicinal uses,
but also on the deleterious impacts of marijuana busts. "People
can lose financial aid, they can lose job opportunities, not to
mention arresting people for small amounts of marijuana is
a waste of police resources," said Broz. "People could
understand that."
That sentiment was echoed by the national leadership of Students
for Sensible Drug Policy. "Forcing at-risk students away from
education and into cycles of crime and failure is not a smart
tactic in the effort to reduce our nation's drug problems," said
SSDP executive director Scarlett Swerdlow. "While this misguided
law remains on the books, citizens are taking action to prevent
students from losing their financial aid and having their lives
unnecessarily ruined."
The education campaign was helped by $50,000 from the
Marijuana Policy Project, Broz said, and the victories in Columbia
could help pave the way for action on a medical marijuana bill
in the state legislature. "We had a bill in the House last year,
but it went nowhere. This year, we think we can do better."
In Oakland, an initiative directing local law enforcement to make
marijuana the lowest priority and directing city officials to tax
and regulate marijuana sales as soon as is permitted by state
and federal law ( http://www.yesonZ.org ) cruised to victory with
64% of the vote. Oakland had been the home of Oaksterdam,
a cluster of medical marijuana clubs near downtown, until the
city council earlier this year moved against it by restricting
the number of clubs permitted to operate.
"The citizens of Oakland voted to legalize marijuana," said
Dale Gieringer, head of the California branch of the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
( http://www.yesonZ.org ) and one of the members of the
Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance,the group behind the initiative.
"The L-word was on the ballot, and that didn't scare Oakland
voters. Oakland has become the first political entity anywhere
to declare itself in favor of the tax and regulate model."
The vote's immediate practical impact will be limited, Gieringer
predicted. "The Oakland police have said they will obey the will
of the voters, but they have also said marijuana is already a low
priority with them, and I think that's probably true," he told
DRCNet Thursday. And the city will not move to tax and regulate
the trade until it is legal under state and federal law.
But voter support for the initiative will strengthen reformers as
they seek to revisit the question of Oaksterdam, said Gieringer.
"Oaksterdam was shut down because of spurious and hysterical
claims," he said, "but now the decrease in economic activity is
noticeable and the business has moved south into unincorporated
areas of Alameda County. We need to reexamine the Oaksterdam
situation. We will go to the city council and say that the voters have
said they support taxed and regulated marijuana, we can do medical
marijuana under state law, and the city needs to remove these
unwise, unwarranted restrictions on the cannabis clubs."
But while voters in Oakland were giving the okay to legalization,
next door in Berkeley it appears that an initiative to raise quantity
limits on medical marijuana has gone down to defeat. While
organizers there are holding onto an ever slimmer hope that
a count of absentee and provisional ballots there will take them
over the top, the measure continues to trail. Sponsored by the
Berkeley Patients Group, the measure would have increased the
2.5 pound per patient limit, but city officials argued it would
remove the city's ability to regulate cannabis dispensaries.
-- END --
StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network,
P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice),
(202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail drcnet@drcnet.org .
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
10) Protesters March and Vote to Bring the Troops Home Now
in San Francisco
BY BONNIE WEINSTEIN
[The following is a speech given to the Nov. 3 antiwar march and rally
initiated by Not In Our Name and endorsed by almost every antiwar
group in the area, to "End the Occupation! Out of Iraq Now! More
than 2000 people showed up at 5:00 p.m. to show their opposition
to the war. Also, on the ballot in San Francisco was an antiwar
referendum that was approved by San Francisco voters. Bonnie
Weinstein spoke on behalf of Bay Area United Against War, one
of the endorsers and builders of this action and dedicated
advocates of a Yes vote on Proposition N, the antiwar initiative.]
Here's some good news: With 96 percent of precincts counted,
San Francisco city residents supported, by a 64 to 36 percent
margin, Proposition N, a measure calling on the U.S. government
to withdraw troops and all other military personnel from Iraq
immediately.
That is probably the most truthful expression of the feelings of
voters than who they voted for. I hate to say it. I think one of the
things we should encourage is a vote like this all over the country.
That is much more democratic than trying to choose between two
war mongers who only differ on tactics.
In fact, in his concession speech this afternoon Mr. Kerry said,
and I quote, "In the days ahead, we must find common cause.
We must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination,
without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for
a larger measure of compassion." I could agree with that, but he
goes on, "I hope President Bush will advance those values in the
coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan
divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters, but I ask
them, all of you, to join me in doing that." And here's the real
rub-he goes on to advise his supporters, "Now, more than ever,
with our soldiers in harm's way, we must stand together and
succeed in Iraq and win the war on terror."
There, in short he said what his whole campaign has stood for.
This is the trap voters were put in. That is why we can't be alarmed
about this vote between war and war. Those were our only electoral
choices anyway. I heard on KPFA public radio today that of eligible
voters between the ages of 18 and 25, only one in ten bothered to
vote. Most couldn't see much of a difference between either
candidate so they didn't bother to vote. Well I think they were
right! It shows they are very bright, indeed!
But we do have another choice to make. We can stay right here
out in the street and tell the world that there are millions of
Americans who join with people throughout the world to say
no to this war no matter who carries it out.
And it certainly is true that both candidates were prepared to
carry out this war-escalate this war-increase funds to Israel-
drastically cut all public resources for things like hospitals,
schools, community service programs-all the things that take
tax money-our money-away from the hundreds of billions
needed to fund the war and the U.S.'s strategic ally, Zionist
Israel.
Meanwhile giant American corporations-contributors to both
the Kerry and Bush campaigns-are making profits hand over fist.
The weapons industry is booming while American corporations
operating in Iraq are embroiled in corruption and gross mishandling
of funds. Funds that are supposed to build schools for Iraqi
children and hospitals for their poor, instead, are bringing death
and destruction based on unmitigated lies. Over 100,000 people
dead already in Iraq-innocent women and children and men trying
to live their lives.
And these same robber barons waging this war are as sloppy with
the safety of U.S. troops as they are with the transportation and
storage of their own oil, because their bottom line is profit. If a
few extra hundred troops are killed for lack of proper equipment
or if a few single-hulled vessels spill millions of gallons of oil, it's
a problem only if they can't write it off on their taxes or if it cuts
into the bottom line-again-profits.
There is only one thing we can do. We must create an even broader
unity against the war than we had before the war started. We must
join in an international call of solidarity against U.S. aggression in
Iraq and throughout the world. We must organize independently
of the two war parties or any parties or individuals that supports
their aim anywhere in the world!
Already there have been calls for an international day of protest
against the war. I received one from England. There's no reason
why we can't begin to try and make national and international
contacts within the next few weeks. I suggest we all come
together-all of us who are opposed to the war-to organize
a call for a unified date of mass protest in every major city
in the world. Lets call a unified date for the spring for mass,
peaceful protests in the streets. This is the kind of independently
organized, grassroots antiwar movement that can gain the power
and strength needed to put a stop to these bloodthirsty
monsters that profit from war and the hardship of others.
The U.S. quest for world dominance and control of the world's
oil is relentless and international in scope. So must our movement
be. We must demand that all the troops be withdrawn from Iraq,
Afghanistan and everywhere, and use those hundreds of billions
of our tax dollars on human needs and building a better world,
instead of war.
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