BAUAW NEWSLETTER-FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2005

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

THE NEXT BAUAW MEETING:
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 11:30AM
474 VALENCIA STREET, SF
(FIRST FLOOR, TO THE LEFT AND ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE COMPAÑEROS DEL BARRIO CHILDREN'S CENTER)

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

BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR PRESENTS
A PREMIERE FILM SHOWING OF:

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
One man, one camera. Two sides of a story

TONIGHT, MARCH 18TH, 6 P.M.

FOUR STAR TWIN
220 CLEMENT ST. NEAR 23RD AVENUE
SAN FRANCISCO
415-666-3488

(There will be a short question and answer period
at 7:30 P.M. immediately following the film.)

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED is a gripping documentary
by veteran British journalist Sean Langan. Langan gets
up close and personal accounts of the war from U.S.
and coalition soldiers, Iraqi resistance fighters, and
captures Abu Ghraib prison abuses long before the
torture reached the popular Press.

The most powerful statement of the film is the
depiction of the total devastation brought to Iraq
by this war. It is the constant backdrop to the interviews
in the film as is the almost universal hatred exhibited
by the Iraqi people toward any U.S. presence in Iraq-both
from those interviewed and from those included among
the rubble in the background scenes. This film's a must
for anyone thinking of joining the military or who is
unsure of what our government is doing there in our name.

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

CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO -
www.VOICESINWARTIME.org -
LANDMARK THEATRES -
GLOBAL EXCHANGE -
THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN -
CORPWATCH -
BAY.AREA.UNITED.AGAINST.WAR

Invite you to join us for a special sneak preview of the
film "Voices in Wartime."

Wednesday, March 30, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Landmark Lumiere Theatre
1572 California St (near Polk)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Please RSVP via e-mail to VIWSF@ebcoms.com by March 26, 2005.
Include your name and number of guests in the subject line e.g.
"Your Name + 1."

Please note: Screening is FREE. Seating is limited, based
on RSVPs received. If we are not able to accommodate you,
we will let you know by return email. Please bring a copy
of this invitation with you.

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

MILITARY RECRUITERS WILL BE AT THE CAREER FAIR AT
GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
600 32nd Avenue between Geary and Balboa Sts.
TUESDAY, APRIL 5TH, 9:50AM-12:20PM
Come to the BAUAW meeting April 2 and help plan ways to
keep the military out all the career fairs and out
of our schools!
SAT. APRIL 2, 11:30 a.m.
474 VALENCIA STREET, SF
(FIRST FLOOR, TO THE LEFT AND ALL THE WAY BACK
TO THE COMPAÑEROS DEL BARRIO CHILDREN'S CENTER)

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

[This is the full text of a statement only partially given by
Tim Tuomey, a veteran, to the Board of Education meeting
last evening, March 17th. He was allowed only a minute.
But the board members, mesmerized by his quiet voice and
the power of his words, were captivated and let him go on
for at least another minute before they realized his time
was up. They cut him off in mid sentence. He left me
a copy of his statement:

Gang Way of Life

Just because they are government employees doesn't
mean they are looking out for your kid's better half.
No, they will look at taking care of the government's
better half.

By Tim Tuomey

I refer to these recruiters as gang members and animals
because in 1987 a Marine gang member approached me.
He also sold me on a better way of life. He sold me on
how I can be high speed and low drag by enlisting and
taking Recon indoct. He also told me of these benefits
I would be eligible for after I'm done servicing his machine.
It's his machine that has left me with horrors I still cannot
comprehend. What lives inside me is a screaming
white-hot anger that has made me a social recluse.
I'm afraid of the anger that lives inside. Fifteen years
later I still deal with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
and the inability to sleep through the night.

But what he didn't highlight was how I will give up everything
I know and what is good in this world to trade it in for
a violent and very mean view of life. I'm not going to preach
to you today about the lies they weave to hit quota.
No, what I am asking you for today is to consider this...
imagine your child, grandson, daughter, neighbor's
kids-children. See the mold of clay waiting to become
a work of art.

They're good kids.

Kids you love.

Kids who love you.

Kids with such promise.

Kids who just need a better understanding of what's
out there.

A kid who could be the next doctor to come up with
the answer for cancer...O.K., ya got that...?

Now imagine this kid goes and joins the military.
Let's use the United States Marine Corps (USMC). What
is it that you think they teach them? The first teach them
how to defend the constitution from aggressors both
foreign and domestic. Not how to work on seven tons...or
build radar systems, or how to rebuild Harrier jet turbines.
Things they are promised by the recruiter. No! The job
of the military personal-ya know, the good kid-is to
defend the constitution and our way of life 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. That means
job 1 is to kill until the killin is done. How do you think
they teach a good kid to kill? Good kids don't know the
first thing about killing. It's why they're good kids.
So what do you do...brainwash them to do it. That's
what boot camp is for. That son and daughter will
become a sanction government 03-killer at the end of
12 weeks of boot camp. Have you ever lived with a killer?
Probably not. But my wife and parents have.

To this day my mom doesn't recognize me as the same
person who left in 1987. Her words, "What happened
to you over there? You left me a happy and carefree
kid who loved being around people. And now you
come back as a mean, hateful, angry animal who
hates people. Where is my child?"

"I don't know mom, you need to ask the recruiter."

And the beast came to feed on my innocents. When
he was done he left me with anger and memories
of horror.

I come here today to speak to your group about the
hijacking of your kids and your efforts to create
a better world.

Question: Would any of you allow gang-bangers to
roam freely in your school districts? Or allow the
local crack dealer to sell his junk on your playgrounds?

Then why would you let something more dangerous
in your schools? I have no problem with the ROTC
programs. This program does have valid merits which
extend to things like leadership, and understanding
the difference between right and wrong. My gripe is
not with this organization but instead with the
recruiter itself.

Question: Is it frustrating to watch hard-earned work
go down the drain?

You people are educators, right?

I would assume somewhere in your mission statement
you try to give students the RIGHT tools for them to
go out in the world so their lives will be fulfilling end
enjoyable, RIGHT?

THEN WHY WOULD YOU LET THESE GOVERNMENT
GANG MEMBERS IN YOUR SCHOOLS TO TRY AND
PREACH THERE?

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

Volunteers are needed for March 19th!
Show up March 19th at Dolores Park
or Civic Center at 9:00 a.m.
and sign up at the A.N.S.W.E.R. volunteer table.

Or contact A.N.S.W.E.R. OFFICE AT:
2489 Mission St. #24, 415-821-6545

Hello to members of United for Peace and Justice Bay Area,

On March 19 UPJ-Bay Area will be meeting at 10:30 a.m. on
18th and Dolores Streets before marching down to Civic Center.
We will be carrying panels of the faces of the victims of the
war-American soldiers and Iraqi civilians-and need your help
in carrying them to Civic Center where we will have a table.
Please send out this request to your listserv.

Thanks.

Jackie Barshak
for UPJ-Bay Area
415.308.9416
jackie barshak jbarshak@hotmail.com

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

Saturday, March 19
10AM at 16th and Mission St.
(the 16th Street BART station)
***
AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY, military recruiters
were forced to leave early without any recruits because of
the hundreds of students that came out to protest their
presence at the school!

This is not an isolated incident. Seattle, Chicago, New York,
Madison, Connecticut, Minnesota. In community colleges,
high schools, and universities around the nation, students,
faculty, and campus workers have come out to protest the
BLACKMAILING of education. As billions are being diverted
from schools to the war, our students are being told that
they need to die before they see a dime of it.

THIS IS DEAD WRONG.

As recruiters are failing to meet quotas for the first time
in a decade, despite more than tripling signing bonuses,
we need to rebuild the anti-war movement by fighting
against the war where it is weakest.

Join students, parents, teachers, military families, veterans,
community members, and activists on the second anniversary
of the war at the 16th Street BART station at 10AM to march
up to Dolores Park together.

Sponsored by the Campus Anti-War Network and the College
Not Combat Committee.

Money for Jobs and Education! Not for War and Occupation!

For more info please contact: ragina@mac.com / 415.412.4540

sue sandlin design | srsndln@pacbell.net

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

Stop the Eviction Picket !!!
When: Monday, March 21
Time: 5:00 PM
Where: 1353-57 Folsom (between 9th & 10th Streets)

Hi
This from the Tenants Union...hope you can all join us
Monday...expose the lie of SFSOS and Plan C about TICs,
come see the human cost of this form of "homeownership"
in SF....
tommi

The Scoop: Â Uldarico is a 70 year-old Filipino immigrant
who lives with his family in a three-unit building in SOMA.
The building houses over 20 people including seniors and
young children. All are facing eviction under the Ellis Act.
Uldarico worked for the state for years before retiring in 1999.
He and his wife, Lolita (67), have lived in the building since 1979.
Their children and young grandchildren live with them—three
generations residing together in affordable, rent-controlled
housing. Amparo and Romulo, 72 years old, reside in another
apartment in the building. Their son Hector works for a local
landscaper. Hector has lived in the apartment for over a decade.
His parents are retired. Maria, age 62, and her family live in the
building as well. Her son Ricardo is a tow truck driver in San
Francisco. They are immigrants from Mexico. The family has
lived in the apartment for over a deca de. Now their new
landlords, Alda and Joe Chan, are evicting all the tenants
under the Ellis Act.

Another Unjust Ellis Eviction Done Within Days of The
Landlord Buying The Building !!!!

Clearly, this is an eviction for speculation and conversion
of the buildingâ€"the Chan's bought the building
March 12, 2004 and decided to "go out of the business
of Being a landlord " 18 days later on March 30, when,
they served the tenants eviction notices under the state
Ellis Act. Supposedly, Ellis allows landlords to "get out of
the rental business." If the Chan's didn't want to be in the
rental business, why did they buy this apartment building??
Probably because they can evict the tenants here and get
a huge profit by converting the building to condos. This is
exactly the type of abuse of the Ellis Act that Assembly
Member Mark Leno is seeking to stop with his legislation
(Assembly Bill 781) requiring a landlord to own a building
for at least 5 years before they can use Ellis to evict all of
the tenants to "get out of the business" of being a landlord.

To download flyer, go to www.sftu.org .

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

EYES WIDE OPEN EXHIBIT
STILL NEEDS SHOES:
* Tie each pair together, or, if no laces, securely attach
them together.
* Count the pairs of shoes and place in heavy-duty
garbage bags. Attach a tag with the count on it.
* Shoes will be donated at the end of the exhibit.
Children's and men's shoes are especially needed.
* Call Nabil at 415-565-0201 ext. 14 or email
shoes@peacefultomorrows.org
* Drop off shoes 9 am to 5 pm at AFSC, 65 Ninth St.
(between Mission and Market) until Thursday, March 24.
Last minute shoes may be brought to Civic Center Plaza
Friday, March 25. No shoes accepted after Friday.
* Collect phone cards for military personnel
We are also collecting telephone calling cards to donate to
military personnel and to returning Iraq war veterans in
a Bay Area hospital and the USOs at local airports. Please
purchase phone cards to donate with your shoes or bring
to the exhibit.

* To volunteer with the shoe project, call Nabil at
415-565-0201 ext. 14 or email
shoes@peacefultomorrows.org
* To volunteer to help with the exhibit call AFSC at
415-565-0201 ext. 15 or email sleeds@afsc.org

SAN FRANCISCO DATES:
March 25 (Friday), 11:00 am with all night vigil
Civic Center between Polk and Larkin
March 26 (Saturday), 10:00 am to 5 pm
Civic Center Voices and Requiem - 2 pm
March 27 (Easter Sunday), 10:00 am to dusk
Union Square (Powell and Geary)

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

1) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation of Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People's Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

2) COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON-POWERFUL ANTIWAR MOVIES

3) Iraqi War Veteran's Personal Journey of Conscience
Tuesday, March 22, 7:00 PM
Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church
55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek
Aidan Delgado, 23 year-old returned war veteran, relates the
personal journey of his deployment in Iraq at Abu Grhraib Prison,
and how he came to establish himself as a conscientious objector.
For more information call the Peace & Justice
Center 925/933-7850

4) Un-Volunteering: (LINK ONLY)
Troops Improvise to Find Way Out
By MONICA DAVEY
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/national/
18soldiers.html?hp&ex=1111208400&en=dba04a0271e65534&ei=5094&partner=h
omepage

5) TELL BUSH CONGRESS:HANDS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY!
STOP THE BUDGET CUTS!
FUND PEOPLE'S NEEDS - NOT WAR IN IRAQ!
SATURDAY, April 30, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in San Francisco with
Ramsey Clark and others
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in Washington, DC

6) On March 31, the Selective Service (LINK ONLY)
System will report to President
Bush that it is ready to implement
a draft within 75 days. We have to
organize now to stop the draft
before it starts.
http://www.NoDraftNoWay.org

7) US Army seeks longer enlistments (LINK ONLY)
as recruitment falters
Posted 10:24pm (Mla time) Mar 17, 2005
By Maxim Kniazkov
Agence France-Presse
http://news.inq7.net/world/index.php?index=1&story_id=30824

8) Military Recruiters Target Campus Activists
Hadas Their and Katrina Yeaw

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

1) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation ˆ Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People‚s Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center
[Volunteers are needed for March 19. Show up at Dolores Park
at 9:00am-or at the Civic Center at 9:00am and sign up at the
A.N.S.W.E.R. volunteer table or call the A.N.S.W.E.R. office
at 415-821-6545.

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

2) BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR PRESENTS:
"Mission Accomplished" a brutally vivid documentary
filmed entirely on the ground in Iraq. The reality of this
war for American troops is contrasted to the
overwhelming reality of the devastation felt and experienced
by the people of Iraq.
"Mission Accomplished" will open Tonight, March 18th, 6pm:
The Four Star Twin
2200 Clement St. (near 23rd Ave.)
San Francisco, CA 94121
415.666.3488

CINEMA LIBRE STUDIO -
www.VOICESINWARTIME.org -
LANDMARK THEATRES -
GLOBAL EXCHANGE -
THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN -
CORPWATCH -
BAY.AREA.UNITED.AGAINST.WAR

Invite you to join us for a special sneak preview of the
film "Voices in Wartime."

Wednesday, March 30, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Landmark Lumiere Theatre
1572 California St (near Polk)
San Francisco, CA 94109

Please RSVP via e-mail to VIWSF@ebcoms.com by
March 26, 2005. Include your name and number of
guests in the subject line e.g. "Your Name + 1."

Please note: Screening is FREE. Seating is limited,
based on RSVPs received. If we are not able to
accommodate you, we will let you know by return
email. Please bring a copy of this invitation with you.

ABOUT THE FILM
==============
"Voices in Wartime" gives the gut-wrenching
experience of war a fresh perspective. It steps away
to look at all wars - not just the conflicts currently
in the news. The terrible beauty of poetry is its guide,
distilling the grim realities and complex emotions of
war. In addition soldiers, journalists, historians and
experts on combat are interviewed, adding diverse
perspectives on war's effects. History and literature
have shown that in times of war, poets can lead us
to greater truths and that the power of poetry can
help us understand the trauma, violence and death
caused by armed conflict.

EARLY REVIEWS
=============
"'Voices' is a compelling look at poets caught up
in the evils of war, with nowhere to hide but in the
solace of words. But these are not words to be locked
away. They are words to be shouted from the rooftop,
or better yet, from the movie screens of every town
in America.

The film relates a history of war poetry with
narratives that range from Sam Hamill 3-star
general William Lennox Jr., superintendant of
West Point.

This movie arrives just in time for the second
anniversary of "shock and awe". It may not be as
shocking, but actually, it's a lot more awesome." -
Karl Weyrauch, EZAAPP, from the Association of
American Physician Poets.


"A history of verse is laid alongside that of warfare,
and the ways in which they are braided together proves
fascinating." - Variety Magazine"

* * * * - Entertainment Insiders

www.VoicesInWartime.org
4509 Interlake Ave. N. #263 | Seattle, WA 98103-6782
www.CinemaLibreStudio.com

[This poem by fourth-grader Cameron Penny was read
by Marie Howe in this very beautiful film
directed by Rick King.

"If you are lucky in this life
A window will appear on a battlefield between two armies
And when the soldiers look into the window
They don't see their enemies
They see themselves as children
And they stop fighting
And go home and go to sleep
When they wake up, the land is well again."
By Cameron Penny]

Landmark
Lumiere 3
San Francisco
1572 California Street
50th St

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3) Iraqi War Veteran's Personal Journey of Conscience
Tuesday, March 22, 7:00 PM
Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church
55 Eckley Lane, Walnut Creek
Aidan Delgado, 23 year-old returned war veteran, relates the
personal journey of his deployment in Iraq at Abu Grhraib Prison,
and how he came to establish himself as a conscientious objector.
For more information call the Peace & Justice Center
925/933-7850

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

4) Un-Volunteering: (LINK ONLY)
Troops Improvise to Find Way Out
By MONICA DAVEY
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/18/national/
18soldiers.html?hp&ex=1111208400&en=dba04a0271e65534&ei=5094&partner=h
omepage

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

5) TELL BUSH CONGRESS:HANDS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY!
STOP THE BUDGET CUTS!
FUND PEOPLE'S NEEDS - NOT WAR IN IRAQ!
SATURDAY, April 30, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in San Francisco with
Ramsey Clark and others
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in Washington, DC

Thousands will demonstrate on March 19/20. The movement
is expanding. The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Action Plan includes
merging the struggle against endless war with resistance and
opposition to Bush's assault on Social Security, social programs,
unions and working people's rights at home. Please see below
for the next step after March 19/20, as well as an update on
demonstrations taking place this weekend across the country.

TELL BUSH CONGRESS:HANDS OFF SOCIAL SECURITY!
STOP THE BUDGET CUTS!
FUND PEOPLE'S NEEDS - NOT WAR IN IRAQ!
SATURDAY, April 30, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in San Francisco
with Ramsey Clark and others

SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2005
National People's Speak-Out in Washington, DC

Bush has launched a taxpayer funded campaign, complete
with a strategizing "war room," to push through his plan
to privatize Social Security. Bush and his corporate advisors
are falsely crying "crisis" to scare younger workers into
accepting "reforms." What is really going on is a scheme
to channel hundreds of billions of dollars to the big Wall
Street banks and investment firms at our expense. Currently
Bush is on a 60-day, 60-city tour to convince people around
the country to support his plan to destroy this vital social
program.

The Bush administration intends to slash virtually all
remaining social services, including Social Security, to
fund unlimited war and occupation in Iraq, Palestine,
Afghanistan, Haiti and more. They continue to spend
more than $200 million a day on the war in Iraq, while
targeting over 150 vital health, housing, education and
jobs programs for complete elimination in this year's
budget. The impact would be devastating for millions
of people, and we must stop them in their tracks.

Here's what you can do:

1) If you are organizing or attending a March 19/20
Event, help spread the word about the campaign to
defend social security, stop the budget cuts, and fund
people's needs - not war.
For downloadable flyers and fact sheets, click here:
http://www.pephost.org/downloads

2) You can endorse the call to say "Hands Off Our Social
Security! Fund People's Needs, Not War in Iraq!" Endorsements
from organizations and individuals are welcome. To
endorse, click here:
http://www.pephost.org/May7Endorse

3) Organize or join the protests in every city of Bush's
"Destroy Social Security" tour. The AFL-CIO and other
organizations are mobilizing protesters, young and old,
to meet Bush and say "Hands Off Social Security!" A.N.S.W.E.R.
calls the antiwar movement and all activists to join these
demonstrations and connect the issue of Iraq and militarism
with the fight to defend Social Security and to defeat the Bush
budget cuts. If Bush is coming to your city, contact our National
Office in Washington DC at 202-544-3389.

4) Contact us to find a Speak-Out near you or for assistance
and resources to organize your own action. Fact sheets and
other materials can be downloaded from our website at
www.ANSWERcoalition.org .
Fill out the Event Listing form to help spread the word
about your action:
http://www.pephost.org/A30M6SpeakOut

5) Come to the National People's Speak-Out in San Francisco
on Saturday April 30 at Mission High School at 3750 18th St.
at 7:00 pm. On May 7 in Washington, DC we will stand together
at Bush's doorstep to say "Hands Off Our Social Security! Fund
People's Needs, Not War in Iraq!" Join us! Call us at 415-821-6545
or email answer@actionsf.org
if you are organizing a bus, car pool, or transportation to
San Francisco on April 30 from your area.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
Downloadable PDF flyers and fact sheets:
http://www.pephost.org/downloads

Downloadable PDF flyer for San Francisco April 30 National
People's Speak out:
http://www.actionsf.org/images/pdf-files/ssflyer.pdf


MARCH 19/20 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION:
Nearly 600 actions in every U.S. state!

On March 19/20, actions will take place in hundreds of cities
across the U.S. and around the world as part of the Global
Day of Action on the second anniversary of the "shock and
awe" invasion of Iraq.

* View the list of actions (updated daily):
http://www.pephost.org/m19actions

* Fill out the Event Listing form for your event:
http://www.pephost.org/M19event

* Show your support for the March 19/20 Global Day of Action:
http://www.pephost.org/M1920endorse

If you are organizing or attending a March 19/20 Event, help
spread the word about the campaign to defend social security,
stop the budget cuts, and fund people's needs - not war.
For downloadable flyers and fact sheets, click here:
http://www.pephost.org/downloads

This week:
STUDENTS YOUTH MOBILIZE AGAINST WAR RACISM

The Students Youth Week of Resistance initiated by The
Global Resistance Network and Youth Student A.N.S.W.E.R.
is taking place this week!

* View a list of events taking place across the country:
http://www.pephost.org/youthm1418events

FUNDS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED

Funds are urgently needed to help the antiwar movement
continue to get stronger. We can't do it without your help.
You can make a contribution through a secure server, where
you can also find information on how to contribute by check,
by clicking here:
http://www.pephost.org/ANSWERcontribute
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War End Racism
www.ANSWERcoalition.org
answer@actionsf.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 415-821-6545

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

6) On March 31, the Selective Service (LINK ONLY)
System will report to President
Bush that it is ready to implement
a draft within 75 days. We have to
organize now to stop the draft
before it starts.
http://www.NoDraftNoWay.org

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

7) US Army seeks longer enlistments (LINK ONLY)
as recruitment falters
Posted 10:24pm (Mla time) Mar 17, 2005
By Maxim Kniazkov
Agence France-Presse
http://news.inq7.net/world/index.php?index=1&story_id=30824


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

8) Military Recruiters Target Campus Activists
Hadas Their and Katrina Yeaw

On Wednesday, March 9, I and two other students from the City College of
New York (CCNY), Justino Rodriguez and Nicholas Bergreen, were
brutalized and arrested by campus security guards for peacefully
protesting the presence of military recruiters at CCNY's "career fair."
We were charged with misdemeanor counts of assaulting an officer,
resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace, among other things. Hospital
records from Mt. Sinai confirm that Bergreen and Rodriguez suffered
multiple contusions and post-concussion syndrome. Our court date is set
for April 5.

What was the reaction of CCNY's administration to these events? Without
so much as a phone call to see if we were alright, or to find out our
side of the story, Gregory H. Williams, the president of our college,
sent an email to the entire faculty and student body repeating the
allegations against us as if they were facts.

- (Read full)
- http://www.lefthook.org/Ground/Their031705.html
-
A Report on an Iraq Vet Speaking Out, and Some Reasons to be Optimistic

Derek Seidman

Over eighty students showed up to hear Iraq war veteran Patrick Resta
(Specialist E/4) speak at Brown University on Thursday, March 10th, and
about thirty people heard him speak the following night at the Cathedral
of St. John in Providence. Patrick returned from Iraq in November, 2004.
He is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and has been
speaking out against the war and occupation for a several months. As he
said in a recent interview, "I will continue to speak out until the last
soldier leaves Iraq."

In his talks, Patrick tried to give the attendees an idea of what he
experienced in Iraq, to present the reality of the war and occupation
that the US media refuses to show. He had a slide show with pictures he
took from Iraq- pictures he originally never intended to show to anyone
other than friends and family.

- (Read full)
- http://www.lefthook.org/Ground/Seidman031705.html
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Outsourcing Torture

Igor Volsky

Morality extends beyond the bedroom. Yet Americans are still focused on
the mating habits of their fellow citizens. When we have sex, with whom
we have sex and what results in the wake of that sex has preoccupied and
often outraged the public. On the contrary, America's direct
participation in humiliating, immoral and illegal prisoner abuse has
garnered only modest indignation. Popular media and Congressional
reactionaries have said relatively little of the moral implications of
such behavior.

- (Read full)
- http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Volsky031705.html
-
Restarting the Anti-War Movement

Ralph Nader

Political movements require momentum, they need to consistently build
and aggregate. When they take a lengthy break from organizing and stop
the momentum it is difficult to re-start.

During the Vietnam War there was a consistent expansion of anti-war
efforts. Every year the movement built and grew. Anti-war activists did
not take breaks during election years. In fact, they targeted members of
both political parties for their support for the war. Indeed, their work
led to a sitting president, Lyndon Johnson; dropping out during the
primaries as it became evident the Vietnam War would destroy his chances
of re-election. This occurred even though Johnson was elected in what
was the largest landslide ever in his previous 1964 campaign. And when
that election year was over even Richard Nixon was pressured to announce
a withdrawal plan.

- (Read full)
- http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Nader031705.html
-
Iraq and the United States Worse Off After Two Years of Occupation

Kevin B. Zeese

Both the United States and Iraq have had thousands of casualties as a
result of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, both countries are poorer, less
safe and less secure. The two year anniversary of the Iraq War should be
a time for facing up to the mistakes made and re-evaluation U.S.
occupation of Iraq.

In the last week I had the pleasure of interviewing an outspoken and
intelligent anti-war activist living in Baghdad, Ghazwan Al-Mukhtar.
Democracy Rising will be publishing his interview in the next week. As
we were exchanging emails one very basic point became evident: the
people in Iraq are clearly worse off today than they were under Saddam
Hussein. They are worse of economically, they are worse of politically
and they are less safe and less secure.

- (Read full)
- http://www.lefthook.org/Politics/Zeese031705.html
-
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