---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
People United For a General and Unconditional Amnesty
Barrio Unido Por una Amnistia General e Incondicional
474 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Contact Persons:
Cristina Gutierrez: 415-431-9945
Kati Sanchez: 415-368-2576
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
No matter what the decisions the lawmakers make to "reform" the
immigration laws, we know that they will make some immigrant
workers "legal" and others "illegal."
We will hold a rally June 19, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. at Palou Avenue
and Third Street in San Francisco to demand General and
Unconditional Amnesty for All Immigrants. We hold this rally
in celebration of the date of June 19th, 141 years ago when
it was declared the end of slavery by Black people in this country.
Our Black brothers and sisters continue to be a slave of racism
and injustice just as we immigrants. And the government
continues to put on Death Row the great leaders of the Black
movement such as Mumia Abu-Jamal.
We make a call for unity at this rally in the Bayview so we can
honor June 19th by making a commitment to sow the first
seeds together in order to make a reality the emancipation
of the Black people and the immigrants and to demand the
immediate freedom of the great leader of the Black people,
Mumia Abu-Jamal, innocent on Death Row.
Related:
Senate Passes Comprehensive Immigration Bill
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
May 25, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/washington/25cnd-immig.html?hp&ex=1148616000&en=510a31f6777e6e54&ei=5094&partner=homepage
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
ABOLISHING JROTC in SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOLS
There will be a special meeting in July when
the School Board will vote on this resolution.
The meeting date is to be announced.
School District Office
555 Franklin St
San Francisco
415/241-6427
Report and Open letter to the Board of Education regarding JROTC:
At the first reading of the resolution to rid the schools
of JROTC on the basis of the policy of "Don't ask, don't
tell" that discriminates against gay's in the military, which
was presented to the Board of Education meeting on May 23, the
JROTC teachers (all retired military officers) mobilized students
to speak on behalf of JROTC. Carole Seligman and I spoke to many
students in the lobby before the meeting began. Repeatedly they
expressed that they loved the program. It gives them confidence
in themselves, provides a supportive environment, encourages good
scholarship in school, and encourages comradeship among the members.
So much so, that a young girl had a silver-colored chain with a tiny
silver-colored and diamond studded bullet. I really couldn't believe
it was a bullet so I asked her if it was. She said, "oh! this? Yes,
it's a bullet. You know, it's between me and my friend, you know,
like, 'I'll take a bullet for you!'"
Need I say more about the virtues of JROTC?
Unfortunately, the resolution that follows says nothing of this
aspect of JROTC. Nothing about the war. Nothing about young people
being taught to "take a bullet for each other". Nothing about the
realities of war. Nothing about asking students, gay or not, to
risk their lives and take the lives of Iraqis for this inhuman
and illegal war brought about by an inhuman and illegal
government.
It was announced by gay supporters of JROTC at the meeting
that they expected the military to lift the prohibition on gays
in the military this year. If this is true this will make this
resolution obsolete before it can ever take effect. Are we to cheer
that our gay brothers and sisters will be able to fight in this war?
What is our plan to convince young gay and straight students that they can't
"be all they can be" if they are dead; or legless and armless; or with the
blood of too many dead in their hearts and head; or permanently
brain-damaged; burnt or blinded by exploding eyeballs and deafened by
exploding eardrums? Who will tell them of depleted uranium illness?
Who will tell them that although there is a very high survival rate for
our injured soldiers there is also a very high rate of survival with such
catastrophic injury and illness? Who will tell them that they are more
likely to be homeless after serving than in college? Who will tell
them about the logic of "following orders" and a "chain of command"
Instead of thinking and reasoning and making decisions for themselves
leads to disaster?
If you haven't seen it, I suggest you watch the HBO special,
"Baghdad ER". In fact it should be shown to all of our students
in middle and high school. (It's far too explicit for very young children.)
We and the majority of the voters in San Francisco want
the military out of our schools immediately!
Here are my comments for the meeting. I was cut off midway
through my timed one-minute delivery. The resolution
follows my comments. Please look at it again and see that a
vital antiwar message is missing from it and correct and
amend the resolution immediately to reflect opposition
to the militarization of our schools and the offering up of our
students as cannon fodder for this bloodthirsty and greedy
government and it's military might.
We want a world without war! How can we teach children
that violence is not the answer when the most powerful
and influential adults in the world--our government--
uses it as their ultimate tool to gain wealth and power
for themselves.
You must take a stronger antiwar stand! I don't care how many
antiwar resolutions you have passed. The proof of the pudding
is in the military presence in our schools!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Weinstein
Addressed to the President, Vice President and the
Commissioners of the San Francisco Board of Education:
I commend the board members who are bringing the motion
to rid our schools of JROTC forward. This is in line with the
wishes of the majority of the voters in San Francisco who
voted to get the military out of our schools this past November.
The military’s policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unacceptable.
Our obligation is to educate our children against prejudice
of all kinds—not turn a blind eye—and turn a bigoted military
loose on them. But that is not the only reason we want the
military and JROTC out.
We want our children to engage in physical education, in fact,
to find joy in it; and to study history—to learn how to avoid
the mistakes of the past; to gain satisfaction and experience
joy in learning so they can contribute to human knowledge
themselves as well as help fashion a better world!
We want our children to feel responsible to her or his
community. We want students to gain a sense of
responsibility and pride in a job well done by
contributing to the life and well being of their school,
their home and their community.
We don’t want to teach our children to blindly obey
a chain of command or to glorify war. In fact, it is our
duty to teach our children that blind obedience, violence,
greed, bigotry, prejudice, human inequality, torture, pre-
emptive war, profiting off of war and injustice, inequality
in the application of the law, and poverty in the face of
fantastic wealth is wrong, inhuman and intolerable and
we can do better!
We must rid our schools of the military and JROTC, hire
enough Physical Education teachers immediately, and
re-dedicate our schools to education and human
development—and reject the road to war and militarism.
Just one more thing, I want to correct the notion that the
new school policy regarding military recruiters has resulted
in less military presence in our schools. In fact, it has resulted
in more. Many schools did not invite the military on Career Day
and now they must, and that is a shame, because we want the
military out! We don’t want our children to study war or bigotry
any more! Not for one more second!
Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War,
www.bauaw.org, 415-824-8730
The resolution:
Introduction of Replacement Program for JROTC
--Commissioners Mark Sanchez and Dan Kelly
WHEREAS: It is the official policy of the San Francisco Unified School
District to oppose discrimination of any kind against any group
of people; and
WHEREAS: The District’s opposition to discrimination is articulated
in Board Policy 5163, which provides that the San Francisco Unified
School District shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion,
creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or handicapping
condition in the provision of educational programs, services, and
activities, in the admission of students to school programs and
activities; and in the recruitment and employment of personnel; and
WHEREAS: The San Francisco Unified School District deplores the
"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell" policy of the U.S. Department of Defense,
which requires the discharge of any member of the armed forces
if such service member has engaged in "homosexual acts," has
revealed that s/he is a homosexual or bisexual, or the member
has married or attempted to marry a person known to be of the
same biological sex; and
WHEREAS: The District believes that the "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell"
policy is an unjust, indefensible, unintelligent, state-sanctioned
act of homophobia; and
WHEREAS: The San Francisco Unified School District cannot justify
committing any funding to a JROTC program because its connection
to the U.S. Department of Defense suggests that discrimination
against some groups is tolerable.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Education of the
San Francisco Unified School District calls for the phasing –out
of the JROTC program of the United States Department of Defense
on San Francisco Unified School District campuses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Board of Education instructs
District staff to provide all JROTC units at SFUSD campuses with
one year notice that the programs will be terminated at all SFUSD
campuses after the 2006-2007 school year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Board of Education calls for the
creation of a special task force to develop alternative, creative,
career-driven programs which provide students with a greater
sense of purpose and respect for self and humankind.
Board has plan to oust ROTC from S.F. schools
Members want to cut program over 'Don't ask, Don't tell'
The students engage in physical training such as running, push-ups
and jumping jacks; and discipline training such as marching,
drill-practice and using a mock chain of command. They also
study military history and perform community service.
- Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/05/23/MNGIOJ0G7P1.DTL
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
San Francisco Unified School District
Office of Public Engagement and Information
555 Franklin Street, Room 305 ● San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 415.241.6565 ● Fax: 415.241.6036 ● www.sfusd.edu
http://portal.sfusd.edu/data/news/pdf/ACF1D3.pdf
Immigration Rally
Afternoon Report
May 1 Update
- The support plan for schools today went smoothly due to the
collaboration of central office departments and preparation over
the last week.
- Having analyzed the substitute requests before and during
the weekend, the district was prepared to provide coverage for
the roughly 750 teachers and staff who were absent today,
Monday, May 1.
- Over the course of the day, principals provided
the central office “Command Center” with updated
student enrollment, substitute and teacher absence
information. Based on this information, central office
staff and substitutes were re-deployed to sites that
needed additional support. At impacted school sites,
teachers and principals worked in collaboration with
central office support staff to provide coverage for
all students.
- Bus transportation lines were covered for all
schools with minimum disruption, though there were some
delays in the city due to the re-routing of traffic.
- 12,349 students were absent today from the school district
(approximately 22%).
- On a typical school day, 5% of students are absent in the district.
- 5311 students were absent from elementary and K-8 schools (20%)
- 2877 students were absent from middle schools (26%)
- 4161 students were absent from high schools (21%)
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Guantanamo Poets
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/weekinreview/21read1.html
Prisons make poets of many, no less so the detainees
of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. A few of their poems have been
declassifed by the Pentagon and are published in this week's
issue of Bookforum. Marc D. Falkoff, a lawyer who has worked
with the prisoners, arranged for the translations from Arabic
and Pashto. The first one reprinted here is by an ethnic Uighar,
a Chinese Muslim. The second is an excerpt from a longer
work by a Yemeni detainee.
"Even if the Pain"
By Saddiq Turkestani
Even if the pain of the wound increases
There must be a remedy to treat it.
Even if the days in prison endure
There must be a day when we will get out.
From "The Truth"
By Imad Abdullah Hassan
O History, reflect. I will now
Disclose the secret of secrets.
My song will expose the damned oppression,
And bring the system to collapse.
The tyrants, full-equipped and numbered,
Stand unmoved in the face of the Light.
They proceed in the Dark, led by
The Devil, in pride and arrogance.
They have turned their land of peace
Into a home for hypocrites.
They have exchanged piety
For cheap commodity.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
More Abu Ghraib Photos Posted
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
May 21, 2006
http://dahrjamailiraq.com
We have posted a new collection of Abu Ghraib images
from a variety of sources.
Afterdowningstreet.org
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/
supplied the images.
We have decided to post these in our continuing effort
to show the true face of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
Click here
http://209.97.202.24/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=abu_ghraib_torture_pictures_images_iraq_war
to view these images.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARTICLES IN FULL
LINKS ONLY
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act."
--George Orwell
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Great Counter-Recruitment Website
http://notyoursoldier.org/article.php?list=type&type=14
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
[Please read, respond and forward]
Action Alert: Release Sameeh Hammoudeh!
For Immediate Release
May 9, 2006
Talking Points:
* On 6 December 2005 a jury found
Sameeh Hammoudeh not guilty of all
charges brought against him.
Hence, there is no legal basis for
keeping him imprisoned by the
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement Service. He should
be released forthwith.
* Sameeh Hammoudeh wishes to
return to his home in Ramallah, Palestine. By
holding him prisoner, the ICE is
preventing him from exercising his
inalienable, natural and legal right
to return to his home.
E-MAIL, CALL and WRITE:
* Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales
E-MAIL: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
PHONE: 202-514-2001 and 202-353-1555
MAIL: U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
* Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Email: jeb.bush@myflorida.com
* Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist
The Capitol PL-01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050
Main office telephone numbers
Switchboard: 850-414-3300
Citizens Services: 850-414-3990
Florida Relay/TDD: 800-955-8771
Florida Toll Free: 1-866-966-7226
Fax: 850-410-1630
To obtain contact information for media outlets, go to:
http://newslink.org/
Please cc your correspondence to alerts@al-awda.org
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org
Memo to: All those who have the power
to free Sameeh Hammoudeh
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
jeb.bush@myflorida.com
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
GREAT FLASH FILM BY PINK
(I didn't know who she was. Now I do...BW)
http://thinkwebworks.com/redraidernation/TAPES/dear-mr.html
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
R A I L W A Y W O M E N
Exploitation, Betrayal & Triumph in the Workplace
by Helena Wojtczak
http://www.railwaywomen.co.uk/book.html
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
National Day of Out(r)age Against the Telcos!
Heads Up! on an upcoming rally - Let me know if you or your
organization would like to participate.
Peace, Nancy/CODEPINK
National Day of Out(r)age Against the Telcos!
Wednesday May 24, 2006 4:00-6:00pm
AT&T Building
600 Folsom Street (Btwn 2nd & 3rd Sts.)
San Francisco, CA
Join Media Alliance, Access-SF Center, CODEPINK and others for a
lively rally outside of the AT&T building where the National Security
Agency (NSA) set up a secret spy room to collect phone calls.
Recent news also has exposed the privacy violation of millions of
telephone users by AT&T and Verizon who willingly handed over call
records to the National Security Agency without proper legal
warrants. AT&T has also been in the news about it's collusion with
the NSA to install computers to track the internet traffic on their
Worldnet backbone. Now these same corporation want even more access
to homes throughout the country with their fiber networks. We demand
accountability and
better protections!
If you'd like to participate in a fun & creative action outside of
AT&T Ballpark on Weds. May 24th at 11:30am-12:30pm contact Jeff
jeffp123@gmail.com
For more info. contact Nancy codepinkbayarea at riseup.net
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Please circulate!
Break the Silence Mural Project and Members of the JIP Culture
Committee Invite you to attend:
CLOSING PARTY for
HOPE UNDER SIEGE
a collaborative photo exhibition depicting the Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land and people.
Friday, MAY 26, 6-9 PM
Michelle O'Connor Gallery
2111 Mission Street @ 17th St. in San Francisco
Admission is FREE (Donations welcome).
Refreshments, Spoken Word, Music, Break the Silence Presentation
Documentary photographers Aisha Mershani and Lisa Nessan capture
resistance to Israeli occupation and current life in Palestine. The
images in this diverse collection of photographs taken between 2002
and 2006 go beyond the headlines of the mainstream media toward
a deeper understanding of reality on-the-ground in West Bank,
Palestine.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Please join CODEPINK Women for Peace and Ti Couz Restaurant
for A Celebration of Resistance
Friday May 26, 2006 7:00-11:00pm
Ti Couz Too
3108 16th Street (@ Valencia Street)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Vive Le Resistance!
Join us for an evening of food, drinks, music and dancing as we
honor those Bay Area residents who have led the way of resistance
on different fronts.
with
Medea Benjamin, Co-founder of Global Exchange and
CODEPINK Women for Peace
Music by Los Nadies along with traditional Mexican dancers.
Evening Recognitions
Hunger Strikers' for Immigrant Rights, a broad Bay Area Coalition
launched a seven-day hunger strike at the U.S. Federal Building
in San Francisco to protest the Anti-Immigrant Specter Bill
pending in Congress. They are calling for fair and just
immigration reform, and denouncing Senator Arlen Specter's
bill that designates all undocumented immigrants as
aggravated felons.
San Francisco State University 10, Ten SFSU students protested
military recruitment at the university's career fair. Campus
police interrupted their protest and physically took the
students from the school's gymnasium where they were
protesting. The police then notified the students that they
were banned from campus. They were protesting the military's
recruiting of university students into careers that would foster
death, destruction and injustice.
Clarence Thomas, is a long-time labor activist who has worked
consistently on a number of international issues. He travelled
to Iraq with a delegation from U.S. Labor Against the War.
He is the national co-chair of the Million Worker March
Movement and a member of International Longshore and
Warehouse Union, Local 10.
Elizabeth "Betita" Martinez, A long-time activist, author and
educator, Martinez has published six books and many articles
on social justice movements in the Americas. Best known
is her bilingual volume 500 Years of Chicano History in
Pictures, which became the basis for a video she co-directed.
In 1997 she co-founded and currently directs the Institute
for MultiRacial Justice in San Francisco, and was one of
a 1000 women nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
Additional honorees TBA
Space is limited so please RSVP now to Nancy Mancias at
codepinkbayarea@riseup.net
A request for donations of $10.00-100.00 sliding scale
will be made to Esteklal! Independence for Iraq! ad campaign.
With your help, we are sending a message of sorrow, friendship
and peace directly to the women of Iraq and their families
by challenging the free press in Iraq to print an advertisement
calling on people of both nations to work together to end the
occupation. www. esteklal.org
Special thanks to Sylvie Le Mer and Ti Couz staff.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
PUSH FOR PEACE
MEMORIAL DAY KICKOFF
MONDAY, MAY 29, 2006
GOLDEN GATE PARK, S.F.
(Exact location to be announced.)
Welcome to the Official Push for Peace Site!
http://www.pushforpeace.us/civic/index.php?q
The Push For Peace movement is geared to combine the efforts of
able-bodied activists to those with special needs or challenges,
so that all people can participate and be counted.
The Push for Peace logo shows a Navy veteran in a wheelchair
with a peace sign on the wheel, with people marching behind
him. It can be seen at:
http://www.pushforpeace.us/civic/index.php?q=node/71
Just in case we don't get to modify the map before the weekend,
I'll just name our proposed stops. We start, of course with Golden
Gate Park, from there we head south to Los Angeles. Turning
east we move to Phoenix, then on to Albuquerque. Now it's
north to Denver, and east to St Louis. North again to Chicago,
and east to Detroit. Continue east to Cleveland, and then NYC
if all goes well Central Park (Imagine), culminating at the gates
of the White House on July 4, 2006
Push For Peace is a collective of veterans, progressive activists,
and everyday citizens working together through education,
motivation, and truth to bring America's troops home from the
war in Iraq and to help bring healing and peace to our nation.
The Push For Peace movement is geared to combine the efforts
of able-bodied activists to those with special needs or challenges,
so that all people can participate and be counted. The Push
For Peace effort will include organized rallies and marches,
as well as appearances and performances by high-profile
speakers and entertainers, to rally the American people and
show them we stand united with our fellow citizen and soldier.
It is our goal to grow the base of participants each day resulting
in a cross-country Push culminating at the gates of the White
House on July 4, 2006. Events will be scheduled across the
country leading up to the big Push in July. So keep checking
the Push calendar for events near you. Mapping it all out...
[Website shows map of stops in US en route to DC on July 4, 2006...bw]
This is a tentative and unfinished P4P route and is only a work in progress.
The Push is set to leave Golden Gate Park on Memorial Day 2006 (currently
working on permits) and then we will Push our way across the country
to arrive in DC across from the White House gathering at Lafayette Park
(currently working on permits) on July 4th, 2006. Golden Gate Park,
San Francisco, California Las Vegas Nevada Phoenix, Arizona Denver,
Colorado Crawford, Texas New Orleans, Louisiana more states pending...
Pushing real Democracy! http://www.pushforpeace.us/civic/index.php?q=
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Fourth Annual International Al-Awda Convention
San Francisco - July 14-16, 2006
To register: http://al-awda.org/sf-conv_reserve.html
To flyer, the writing is on the wall: http://al-awda.org/pdf/flyer.pdf
For all other info: http://al-awda.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY.ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
http://www.indybay.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
FYI
According to "Minimum Wage History" at
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html "
"Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.
"A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
the state minimum wage at $4.35."
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
PRESERVE INTERNET NETWORK NEUTRALITY
Hi,
I can't imagine that you haven't seen this, but if you
haven't, please sign the petition to keep our access.
Everything we do online will be hurt if Congress
passes a radical law next week that gives giant
corporations more control over what we do and see on
the Internet.
Internet providers like AT&T are lobbying Congress
hard to gut Network Neutrality--the Internet's First
Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Right now,
Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which
websites open most easily for you based on which site
pays AT&T more. BarnesandNoble.com doesn't have to
outbid Amazon for the right to work properly on your
computer.
If Net Neutrality is gutted, many sites--including
Google, eBay, and iTunes--must either pay protection
money to companies like AT&T or risk having their
websites process slowly. That why these high-tech
pioneers, plus diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to
Gun Owners of America, are opposing Congress' effort
to gut Internet freedom.
So please! sign this petition telling your member of
Congress to preserve Internet freedom? Click here:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet?track_referer=706%7C1152463-5QFocRE05wmGUuh8yAMSzg
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Flash Film: Ides of March
http://isahaqi.chris-floyd.com/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
http://www.10reasonsbook.com/
Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
See this article from USA Today:
Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
February 13, 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-02-13-education-panel_x.htm
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
TELL BUSH AND CONGRESS: STOP THE WAR
ON IRAN BEFORE IT STARTS!
Please join the online campaign to
STOP THE WAR ON IRAN BEFORE IT STARTS!
YOUR EMERGENCY ACTION IS NEEDED NOW!
Send emails to President Bush, Vice President
Cheney, Secretary of State Rice, U.N. Secretary-
General Annan, Congressional leaders and
the media demanding NO WAR ON IRAN!
http://stopwaroniran.org/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
WHY WE FIGHT
A film by Eugene Jarecki
[Check out the trailer about this new film.
This looks like a very powerful film.]
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/decind.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805195.php
Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805182.php
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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) The Border War Comes Home
Our Lives are on the Line
By JUAN SANTOS
May 18, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/santos05182006.html
2) On Immigration
By Gregg Shotwell, Soldiers of Solidarity
Date: Thurs, May 18 2006 1:10am
From: GreggShotwell@aol.com
mailto:GreggShotwell@aol.com
3) Mexico to Protest U.S. Border Plan
By REUTERS
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/world/americas/19mexico.html
4) Autopsy Finds That Soldier Under Army Medical Care Died
From Painkiller Overdose (Fort Sill...bw)
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/us/19training.html
5) Gambling on a Weaker Dollar
New York Times Editorial
May 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/opinion/20sat1.html?hp
6) At Unforgiving Arizona-Mexico Border,
Tide of Desperation Is Overwhelming
By GINGER THOMPSON
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21border.html?hp&ex=1148184000&en=a319e1a5cf6dae63&ei=5094&partner=homepage
7) 100 Years in the Back Door, Out the Front
By NINA BERNSTEIN
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/weekinreview/21bernstein.html
8) These Guns for Hire
By TED KOPPEL
Washington
May 22, 2006
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/opinion/22koppel.html?hp
9) An Immigration Bottom Line
New York Times Editorial
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/opinion/21sun1.html
10) Message from Ricardo Alarcon,
President of the National Assembly
of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba
11) Where is the Global Outcry at This Continuing Cruelty?
Nearly 60 years after most Palestinians were first forced from our
homes, the killings and blockades carry on with impunity
by Ghada Karmi
Published on Monday, May 15, 2006 by the Guardian/UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1774765,00.html
12) His photo is an icon, his life a shambles
At home and suffering from stress disorder,
ex-Marine has turned against Iraq war
BY DAVID ZUCCHINO
Los Angeles Times
Posted on Mon, May. 22, 2006
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/14636241.htm
13) 'Swallowed by pain'
Jeffrey Lucey joined the Reserves to help pay for college;
he wasn't prepared for what happened next
By Mehul Srivastava
Dayton Daily News
http://www.daytondailynews.com/project/content/project/suicide/daily/1011lucey.html
14) 1 in 136 U.S. Residents Behind Bars
U.S. Prisons, Jails Grew by 1,000 Inmates a Week From '04 to '05;
1 in 136 Residents Behind Bars
by Elizabeth White
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0522-03.htm
15) First Female Conscientious Objector Sentenced
Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 11:02 am
Press Release:
23 MAY 2006 - for immediate release
16) A Sudden Taste for the Law
New York Times Editorial
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/opinion/24weds1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
17) Senate Advances Sweeping Immigration Bill
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/washington/24cnd-immig.html?hp&ex=1148529600&en=396eafcbc403e967&ei=5094&partner=homepage
18) Senate Advances Sweeping Immigration Bill
Under the provisions adopted on Tuesday, employers would be
required to enter the Social Security numbers or immigrant
identification numbers of all job applicants, including citizens,
into the computerized system, which would be created by the
Department of Homeland Security. The system would notify
businesses within three days whether the applicant was
authorized to work in the United States.
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/washington/24cnd-immig.html?hp&ex=1148529600&en=396eafcbc403e967&ei=5094&partner=homepage
19) USA: the Statistics That Shock
[The figures are even more shocking when you take into
consideration inflation and the fact that the rich are now paying
less taxes and the middle class, the working class, and the poor
are now forced to pay more taxes.
FYI: According to "The Inflation Calculator"
www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi
What cost $1.00 in 1973 would cost $4.42 in 2005 and more today!]
By Michael Roberts
Wednesday, 24 May 2006
http://www.marxist.com/usa-statistics-shock240506.htm
20) Laid Off and Left Out
By BOB HERBERT
May 25, 2006
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp
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1) The Border War Comes Home
Our Lives are on the Line
By JUAN SANTOS
May 18, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/santos05182006.html
He looked squarely into my eyes. "So, you see what's coming," he said.
I was speaking with one of the core leaders of the movement for
migrant's rights, and had laid before him a sketch of a plan of
resistance for the nation's barrios, for the protection of people
from the mass raids and mass deportations that will result from
new anti-migrant legislation being birthed in Washington.
"This is the calm before the storm; they're going to make it tough,"
Professor Armando Navarro had told LA's La Opinion. "They're
talking about raids, deportations. In every barrio we have to
organize migrant defense committees, and get ready for civil
disobedience."
The meeting we had just attended unanimously called for the
rejection of the so-called Hagel-Martinez "compromise" in the
US Senate, under which as many as 7 million migrants could face
deportation. Such a compromise would then have to be "reconciled"
with House bill 4437, an even more extreme measure inspired
by supporters of the ultra-Right and the racist shock troops
called the Minutemen.
The House bill calls for the universal deportation of every woman,
child and man in the country without papers, for an utterly
devastating depopulation -an ethnic cleansing - of the barrio,
and the destruction of much of its cultural and economic life.
The difference between the bills under consideration is the
difference between partial and virtually complete ethnic cleansing,
and any "compromise" between such measures will not change
the racist and quasi-genocidal nature of the result. A "compromise"
can only mean the deportation of millions and the legal
stigmatization and terrorization of millions more.
Under international law, ethnic cleansing means the expulsion
from a territory of one ethnic group by another, and pertains
to official policies aimed at the forcible removal of a targeted
group. The crime is considered a form of forced emigration,
deportation and genocide.
International law recognizes ethnic cleansing as a crime against
humanity when carried out in a time of literal warfare.
The US war on migrants is the moral equivalent of ethnic
cleansing. It is a crime against humanity.
Fittingly, the Bush administration has flatly stated its intent
to make "enforcement" the cutting edge of its new approach
to migrants, and to prove the point it recently initiated the
largest single mass arrest of migrants in US history, and put
a severe new focus on penalizing employers, as well.
Bush has already deported more people than any other
president in U.S. history.
Since he took office ICE has deported some 150,000 migrants
a year and had deported 881,478 people through 2005, figures
that do not include, for example, the 1.2 million people who
were arrested at the U.S.-Mexican border itself last year.
Now, in his Monday night speech, Bush has promised to fulfill
one of the Minutemen's most draconian hopes turning the
border into a green zone, a quasi-military zone occupied
by forces of the National Guard, backed by a super high
tech "virtual" wall a wall more deadly, and more effective,
than a mere fence.
And, in apparent defiance of the Posse Comitatus Act
which forbids the use of military troops within US borders -
the House recently passed legislation that, according to the
Pentagon, "gives authority to the Defense Department to
assign military members to assist Homeland Security
organizations in preventing the entry of terrorists, drug
traffickers and illegal aliens into the United States"
Migrant deaths at the border are expected to skyrocket,
and the State is already building mass detention centers
for migrants. Bush claims he's not "militarizing" the border.
His claim will mean nothing to the dead and the incarcerated.
Every version of the so-called "immigration reform laws"
now under renewed consideration in Washington also
authorizes and pays local police to act as immigration
agents and to oversee the deportation of those they arrest,
effectively adding a permanent quasi-military force of 650,000
for "internal enforcement" of immigration laws.
This is an example of the "middle ground" on migrants
trumpeted by the US's white colonial ruling elite: the state
will combine mass raids with the slow process of day by day
racial profiling to eliminate the migrant population. According
to an ICE plan called Operation Engame, they mean to deport
every "deportable" migrant by the year 2012.
In his Monday speech Bush said migrants are "beyond the
reach and protection of American law." Indeed, he means
to get them in his grasp, but their "protection" is nowhere
on the agenda.
The plan is to control and terrorize the migrants who will
remain in the US, and to incarcerate and deport the rest.
When that much is achieved, the ruling elites will find
themselves in a comfortable position to continuously
exploit the labor of a subjugated, highly controlled and
vulnerable ethnic under-caste, and they will have
provided themselves with the kind of ethnic scapegoat
essential to the development of a new US-style fascism.
False Hopes
The hopes of millions of migrants have been ignited by
the recent wave of protests, and by the hope that white
America will find them with their white t-shirts and
American flags -acceptable, tolerable, even welcome.
The shock will be immense.
Migrants will learn in a brutal fashion that the concern
of America's elite has never had anything to do with
surrender, white shirts, white dreams, or any other
indication of who, as people, migrants might be or wish
to be. The only concern of the ruling elites is their own
need for migrants as exploitable workers like the slave
master of the Old South they need their workers.
There is another motive as well: today's elites also fear
the very people they need - just like any slave master.
The fear is compounded by the knowledge that today's
master is not only an exploiter, he is also a usurper: the
land he thrives on was stolen from the very people he
degrades and dehumanizes with the epithet "illegal."
And it's not just Republicans and open white racists who
are afraid. It's many "liberals," too. Ed Schultz, the liberal
talk show host, recently offered two factors as a bottom
line on why migrants should stay: "the economy needs
them" and "they can make trouble."
The fear is so intense that, because of our mass protests,
the worst elements of the Sensenbrenner bill HR4437
were momentarily derailed as different elements of the
ruling class scrambled and bickered among themselves
to determine who will have the final say - to determine
who among them can assure the needs of their economy
while averting the threat that migrants represent to them all.
With every passing day, with every demonstration, with
each child who prays each night that her parents can come
out from the shadow of the stigma of being hunted and
despised, with each heartbeat of rising hope, the noose
around the neck of the ruling class gets just a little tighter;
the options contract.
With each day, each hour, the danger for the ruling elites
of crushing the life and death expectations of migrants
grows exponentially. Politically correct or not, every
American flag carried in the recent mass demonstrations
represents a rising, fluttering expectation, a sea of
expectations whose depths promise shipwreck for the
State, when, as it must, it betrays the promise of
"freedom" and racial "equality."
The crushing of those expectations could lead directly
to rebellion in the streets, following the example of the
recent rebellion of migrants in France, and of the African
American rebellions of the 1960s. When Martin Luther
King was overcome, when he lay dead of an assassin's
bullet in Memphis, a hundred cities burned across the
nation.
They burned because it had become clear to the African
American people that after more than a decade of struggle
nothing fundamental in the structure of oppression had
changed, that the changes that occurred had been mere
surface changes, compromises, like the Hagel-Martinez
bill today, aimed at silencing them, not at transforming
the conditions of their lives or the oppression that afflicted
them.
The ruling elites have not forgotten for a moment the mass
rebellion in Los Angeles of 1992. Migrant neighborhoods
were a focal point of intense uprisings; the unity between
Black and Brown was as palpably intense as the flames
that engulfed the city and utterly terrifying to all of those
whose daily task is to keep us down.
As if to underscore the point, police were all but invisible
in the recent pro-migrant marches in downtown LA
although over a million of us were in the streets. But in
Pico Union, where another million marched, riot squads
were visible everywhere, even until past midnight. Pico
Union was a storm center of the LA rebellion. Half of those
arrested in that period were Brown.
Is it any wonder, then, that the rulers have taken pause
for thought about just how far they dare to go in the war
on immigrants? Sensenbrenner went too far with HR4437
he awakened the threat. Now they must gauge a thing all
but impossible to gauge: just how far is too far?
No one on either side of the equation knows the answer
to that question.
One thing at least is clear no one in the white mainstream
is going to come to the support of migrants unless migrants
themselves stop wrapping themselves in the flag of the
oppressor, and dare to stand up to oppression and unless
they are willing to polarize the nation against their persecutors
and defiantly challenge their racism.
At the same time our demands must be made clear and
millions must be challenged to re-think their prejudices.
That's exactly how the Black movement for freedom did it,
and nothing less will do. The "problem," as one writer
recently put it, isn't at the border; the problem isn't with
immigration it's that migrants are being persecuted.
And voting won't change that, no matter what the "We
Are America" coalition claims. A vote in November and
face it, most migrants simply aren't eligible to vote will
change nothing for the child whose mother or father
is deported today. Even if the Democrats win in November,
there is absolutely no guarantee that they will take
up the question of immigration anew.
No. The harsh reality is that the Democrats have supported
extremely draconian anti-migrant measures in their
willingness to "compromise" with the overtly fascistic
elements of the Republican Party.
The "compromise" already accepted by the Democrats
includes mass deportations of up to several million people,
the indefinite detention of migrants without due process,
the treatment of minor offenses as "aggravated felonies"
which would trigger harsh mandatory detention and
deportation, and of course, unleashing the police as
migrant hunters in a program of daily terror against
our communities.
When the matter goes to the House/ Senate reconciliation
committee, it can only get worse. The Democrats are no
more likely to repeal the war on migrants than they have
been willing to reverse their criminal support for the unjust
colonial war of occupation against Iraq.
They will not relent unless we leave them no choice, unless,
like the forces of resistance in other places and other times,
we make the political price of continuing the war on migrants
too high.
The Ultimate Showdown
The National Immigrant Solidarity Network says it clearly.
"This is a critical moment for the immigrant struggle."
"We should brace ourselves," they say, "for the ultimate
showdown of the immigrant struggle soon, and we should
mobilize ourselves quickly to respond to the racist anti-
immigrant xenophobia that will go down."
The group is calling for emergency community meetings
to strategize rapid response to a possible nationwide
crackdown or attack on immigrants.
No matter what the rulers do, short of a general legalization,
they will present our people with unbearable choices, with
an unimaginable grief of separation; with the mass
destruction of what is most sacred to us; our families
and communities.
Will we allow the rulers of America to deport our children,
2/3 of whom are citizens of their nation? Will we allow
them to force us to leave our children behind? Will we let
our children live in fear that their parents may not come
home from work? That they will disappear? At what point
will the grief, fear and rage become unbearable, and
uncontainable? At what point must we say "¡Ya Basta!" ?
Flying the American flag has disarmed us. It is not our
willingness to live by the rules that impresses the slave
master his entire regime is designed to ensure our
compliance. What impresses him is our potential to
awaken, to shatter the framework, to throw away the "rules".
Flying the US flag means we don't understand the
ruthless nature of our enemies; it means a basic and
unconscious allegiance to the idea of getting ahead and
doing so on the backs of others, an unconscious allegiance
to and imitation of the very foundations of the oppressor's
outlook and his control of us, and an implicit acceptance
of his colonial rule over stolen land and subjugated peoples.
Our enemies want to split our allegiances, they want us
to grasp at individual chances for "acceptance" and
"freedom," and to ignore the well being of our people
as a whole. That, after all, is the real "American Dream"
private wealth and well being on the backs of other,
subjugated peoples.
But we can no longer leave the fate of our children
in their hands. We cannot allow our families to be
shattered and our dreams to be crushed. We must
refuse to live any longer in the shadows, refuse to live
under slavery in any form. It is time to take matters
into our own hands, to do once more what every
migrant has already done just by crossing the border
make the decision to live, to survive together, no matter
what they throw at us.
Let them deal with the ramifications of attempting mass
repression against a people in resistance here, while
they face a similar problem overseas. Let them worry
about alienating Latin America and their European
partners in war and conquest. Let them worry about
permanently alienating the millions Black and White -
who already support us, and who understand that the
powers that be are taking the nation toward fascism.
Let them worry what will happen when they invade our
barrios and workplaces in mass raids.
Let them worry while we organize; while we create mass
networks of direct action and resistance. Let us truly
follow the example of the Black Civil Rights Movement
and of the Black Power Movement that followed it. The
Black movement of the 1950s and 60s was a resistance
movement, one that both obeyed the law, and which,
through civil disobedience and other strategies, broke
the law, as necessary, in obedience to a Higher Law.
Black people of that era laid their lives on the line for
their freedom. We can do no less.
Let us put the slogan to the test: ¡Un Pueblo Unido
Jamás Será Vencido!
Si, se puede.
Juan Santos is an editor and writer in Los Angeles.
He can be reached at JuanSantos@Mexica.net
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
2) On Immigration
By Gregg Shotwell, Soldiers of Solidarity
Date: Thurs, May 18 2006 1:10am
From: GreggShotwell@aol.com
mailto:GreggShotwell@aol.com
What distrubs me about this immigrant
issue is that it is not fundamentally
about immigration. It is cloaked in
nationalism and racism but it is really
anti worker. If we allow one set of
workers to be treated like criminals, where
will it end? First they came for (fill
in the blank) and I didn't say anything
because I wasn't one.
Well, the way I see it, I am one. First,
foremost, and always, I am a worker.
The bossing class wants me to make
other workers my enemies but workers don't
cut wages, steal pensions, deprive
us of health care, monoplize natural
resources, and destroy our communities,
the bosses do. The real criminals are the
bastards that gave us NAFTA, which
exploited Mexican workers and US workers.
NAFTA displaced Mexican farmers by
dumping US corn grown by Corporate farms onto
the Mexican market. Even the small
tortilla makers lost jobs because of
NAFTA.
How is that capital can cross borders
at will to exploit workers but we can't
cross borders to buy drugs in Canada,
and workers who have been deprived of
jobs through no fault of their own are
treated like criminals because they want
to work for a living? NO WORKER IS MY ENEMY.
I volunteered for many years at a half
way house for federal prisoners. They
all told me about the Prison Industrial
Complex. Well, PIC wants more prison
labor. Who benefits when workers are
turned into criminals? It won't stop them
from crossing the borders. Criminalization
will just make it easier for bosses
to exploit them. Encouraging workers
to hate the latest set of immigrants is
a traditonal tool of bosses in America.
Sure, they were legal when they came
through Ellis Island, but then the bosses
found out that legal workers could
get organized, so they encouraged
illegal immigration.
It's the rich bastards that are depriving
us of national health care, and
stealing our pensions, and profiting
from war, and driving our wages down while
they rake in the profits. I will not
be tricked into believing poor underpaid
workers are my enemies. I know
who the enemy is. There's no dirt under his
fingernails, no sorrow in his eyes,
and he wouldn't risk his life and sacrifice
his own comfort in order to send
money home to his family.
Let us not lose our focus. Workers
are our allies. The bosses are trying to
whipsaw us against immigrant workers.
Criminalization plays into the bosses
hands. They want illegal workers.
They want all workers to be treated like
outlaws. They aren't going to stop
with Mexicans. Ask anybody who's ever been on a
picket line. Workers are outlaws in
America. It's no wonder they don't want us
to own guns.
sos, Gregg Shotwell
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3) Mexico to Protest U.S. Border Plan
By REUTERS
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/world/americas/19mexico.html
MEXICO CITY, May 18 — Mexico will formally complain to the United
States about plans to build security fences and deploy National Guard
troops on the border to curb illegal immigration, Mexico's foreign
minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez, said Thursday.
"There are 12 million Mexicans on the other side, 12 million people
who live every day in anguish about the need for a reform to let them
live peacefully," Mr. Derbez said. He said Mexico would send
a diplomatic note to the United States about American plans
for the border.
Such notes are often sent as a form of protest when nations are
at odds with each other.
Mexico wants the United States to make it easier for immigrants to
attain legal status, and supports a guest-worker program rather
than a tightening of the border.
The status of illegal immigrants in the United States is a major
political issue in Mexico. Opponents have criticized President
Vicente Fox as not protesting strenuously enough against
American efforts to tighten the porous frontier. Andrés Manuel
López Obrador, the leftist candidate in the presidential election,
which will be held in July, accused Mr. Fox on Wednesday
of being "a plaything, a puppet of foreign governments."
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4) Autopsy Finds That Soldier Under Army Medical Care Died
From Painkiller Overdose
By RALPH BLUMENTHAL
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/us/19training.html
HOUSTON, May 18 — An injured Army recruit who died while under
medical treatment at Fort Sill, in Lawton, Okla., succumbed to an
accidental overdose of the powerful narcotic painkiller fentanyl,
according to a military autopsy report released to the family on
Thursday. But a fellow soldier said he had warned the Army that
the recruit had been abusing the drug.
The death was the second drug fatality in two years in the Physical
Training and Rehabilitation Program, which is intended to treat new
recruits who are injured in basic training. Last week, The New York
Times reported that the Army had shaken up the therapy program
after repeated complaints from soldiers and their parents that
injured recruits were punished with physical abuse and medical
neglect.
The autopsy report, by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology,
found that the soldier, Pfc. Mathew Scarano, 21, of Eureka, Calif.,
died the night of March 18-19 from a blood concentration of
fentanyl of 0.09 milligrams per liter, at least three times the fatal
dosage cited in medical studies, the report said. "The manner
of death is accident," it concluded.
Col. William L. Greer, Fort Sill's chief of staff, said in a telephone
interview on Thursday that Private Scarano appeared to have abused
the medication by removing a three-day skin patch he had been
given and eating the fentanyl. While the investigation has not yet
been formally closed, Colonel Greer said, "the death will be ruled
an accident based on oral ingestion of the patch." He defended
the medical procedures as proper. "I'm not sure how we could
have prevented that," he said.
But a fellow soldier who was also in the therapy unit, and has since
been medically discharged from the Army, said he knew that Private
Scarano had been ingesting fentanyl from the skin patch, and had
told Army doctors about it.
"I told doctors he was not using the medication the way he should
have," said the former soldier, Clayton Howell. "But I don't know
why they didn't do anything."
Private Scarano's mother, Christen Scarano-Bailey, said the
findings left crucial questions unanswered. "It was negligence
or improperly prescribed," she said in a telephone interview.
"I think the Army was at fault."
Jon Long, the Army spokesman at Fort Sill, said the Criminal
Investigation Division Command at the post was completing its
inquiry into the death. Though the Army declined to release the
autopsy report, a copy was provided by Ms. Scarano-Bailey.
In the Army shake-up of the program, one drill sergeant was
disciplined and reassigned after soldiers said he had kicked
an injured recruit, and another was reassigned after soldiers
said he had ordered medicated soldiers repeatedly awakened
during the night.
Among the changes in the programs nationwide, commanders
said, was closer control of medications. A six-month limit on
stays in the recuperation program would also be enforced,
they said.
On Monday, the under secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, was
at Fort Sill on what the Army called a previously planned visit
to discuss base realignments. Mr. Geren visited the therapy
unit and talked to soldiers, and "recommended that the lessons
learned at Fort Sill be shared with the Army's other P.T.R.P. sites,"
said a Pentagon spokeswoman, Betsy J. Weiner.
Private Scarano had been in and out of the unit for more than
a year, after he injured his groin and then hurt his shoulder falling
off a rappelling tower, his family said. He was adamantly against
having Army surgeons operate on his shoulder, he wrote in letters
home. But he was dedicated to the Army, friends said, and planned
to re-enlist if he could get out long enough to have his shoulder
repaired at a civilian hospital.
Ms. Scarano-Bailey said that when she last saw her son, on
a Christmas furlough, he showed no signs of drug dependency
and, though in pain from his shoulder, took nothing stronger
than Tylenol.
Other soldiers in the therapy program said in recent interviews
that they thought Private Scarano showed signs of overmedication.
"I can't remember ever seeing him conscious after 6:30 p.m.," said
Pvt. Justin Nugent, 21, of Candor, N.Y. He said that Private Scarano
had to be awakened earlier than the others because it took him longer
to shake off sleep and that he might have taken unauthorized extra
medications, not realizing that doctors had already increased his dosage.
Pvt. Richard Thurman, now out of the unit, said Private Scarano had
often been so "doped up" that "somebody would have to hold him
up when he walked to final formation," and that his medication
schedule was adjusted so that he would get his dosage only after
the evening formation.
Private Thurman said that the night before Private Scarano died,
he was lying in his bunk on his back and that soldiers who knew
it was an uncomfortable position for him rolled him onto his stomach.
He was found dead the next morning.
"What we felt is that the P.T.R.P. did this to him," Private Thurman
said, "and that the system itself was flawed."
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
5) Gambling on a Weaker Dollar
New York Times Editorial
May 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/opinion/20sat1.html?hp
For some time now, shortsighted lawmakers in Congress have been
threatening China with tariffs for what they call its unfair currency
practices. The Bush administration, to its credit, has generally resisted
the protectionist rant, most notably by refusing to brand China
a "currency manipulator" in an official report to Congress last week.
China responded to the administration's responsible policy and
diplomatic courtesy this week when it loosened, a bit, the tether
that binds the Chinese currency, the yuan, to the dollar. A stronger
yuan implies a weaker dollar, as does the general strengthening
so far this year of the euro and the yen. By making foreign goods
sold here more expensive and American goods sold abroad cheaper,
a weaker dollar would, in theory, eventually help reduce the United
States' huge trade gap.
The problem is this: unless a falling dollar is paired with reductions
in the federal budget deficit, it could do more harm than good
by driving up interest rates, perhaps sharply. That's because the
foreign investors who finance the administration's "borrow as you
go" budget are likely to demand higher returns to invest in
a depreciating dollar.
But if budget deficits declined over the long run, the government's
reduced need to borrow would help keep interest rates low as the
dollar depreciated. Then, after a lag, the falling dollar would shrink
the trade deficit without risking big increases in interest rates
in the process.
Unfortunately, the incessant tax cutting of the past five years
precludes any serious attempt to reduce the budget deficit. So
to keep interest rates in check as the dollar falls, the administration
would have to persuade investors not to believe what they see:
a dollar that is declining even as the United States does nothing
to curb its borrowing.
That would be a difficult trick even for a Treasury Department that
commanded respect. It will be especially difficult for Mr. Bush's
Treasury team, which has suffered a diminution of esteem and
credibility.
The Bush tax cuts also make it harder for Americans as a nation
to bail themselves out of the trade deficit by saving more. Higher
personal savings would allow the government to finance its budget
deficit without outsized foreign borrowing — another safe route
to a cheaper dollar and a smaller trade gap. But the Republicans
who control Congress let a tax credit for low-income savers expire
this year to free up room in the budget for nearly $70 billion
in additional tax cuts for high-income Americans over the near
term.
That tax cut bill, signed into law this week by President Bush,
also commits an estimated $53 billion through the middle of
the century to help those same high earners shift their existing
savings into tax shelters. This adds not one cent of new savings
and presages big deficits far into the future.
A weakening dollar, on top of intractable budget deficits and
a chronic savings shortfall, is a recipe for recession. The
question now is whether the country will change direction
in time. The portents are not good.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
6) At Unforgiving Arizona-Mexico Border,
Tide of Desperation Is Overwhelming
By GINGER THOMPSON
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21border.html?hp&ex=1148184000&en=a319e1a5cf6dae63&ei=5094&partner=homepage
ARIVACA, Ariz., May 18 — All the talk in Washington about putting
walls and soldiers along the border with Mexico did not stop
Miguel Espindola from trying to cross the most inhospitable part
of it this week with his wife and two small children.
Their 6-year-old daughter, Karla, clutched her mother's back
pocket with one hand and a bottle of Gatorade with the other
as the family set out across the Sonora Desert on Thursday.
Miguelito, 7, lugged a backpack that seemed to weigh almost
as much as he did.
"Yes, there is risk, but there is also need," said Mr. Espindola,
explaining why he had brought his children on a journey that
killed 464 immigrants last year, and a 3-year-old boy this week.
Looking out at the vast parched landscape ahead, Mr. Espindola,
a coffee farmer, talked about the poverty he had left behind,
and said: "Our damned government forces us to leave our
country because it does not give us good salaries. The
United States forces us to go this way."
Here at ground zero for the world's largest and longest wave
of illegal migration, about the only thing that is clear is that
easy answers do not apply. During a drive along a narrow
highway that runs parallel to the line, it is hard to see how
increased law enforcement and advanced technologies will
stop an exodus made up predominantly of Mexicans willing
to risk everything.
Meanwhile, it becomes easier to understand the conflicting
attitudes about migrants that have not only strained relations
between the United States and its neighbors to the south,
but also tested America's identity as a melting pot.
In the last five years, Arizona has become the principal,
and deadliest, gateway for illegal migrants. It accounts
for nearly one-third of the 1.5 million people captured
for illegally crossing the border last year, and nearly half
the migrants who died, according to the United States
Border Patrol.
Those figures have inspired competing responses.
After the 3-year-old boy was found dead this week in the
desert, some local law enforcement authorities called for
charging his mother, Edith Rodriguez Reyes, with reckless
endangerment. The authorities at the Mexican consulate
here said Ms. Rodriguez was a victim of smugglers and
demanded that she be released.
The mesquite-covered landscape here was a base for the
Minuteman militias, who have threatened to take the law
into their own hands in defense of America's southern border.
It is also home to so-called border Samaritans, who scour
the desert in search of migrants in distress to deliver water,
medical attention and, sometimes, advice on how to avoid
detention.
"This is a token deployment of unarmed and grossly
inadequate numbers of National Guardsmen," a Minuteman
spokeswoman, Connie Hair, told The Arizona Daily Star.
Ms. Hair said the troops would be placed in the "same
demoralizing position as the Border Patrol, outmanned
and outgunned against international crime cartels."
Jim Walsh, a volunteer with the Samaritans, was not
optimistic either, but for different reasons. "With this
president and this Congress," he said, "it's not going
to be too humane."
Worried about the enormous drain on taxpayers, voters
here passed a ballot initiative intended to limit immigrants'
access to public services. Meanwhile, economists like
Marshall Vest at the University of Arizona said the illegal
immigrants were an important source of labor for the
booming construction and tourism industries that had
helped make Arizona the second-fastest growing state,
after Nevada.
When Mr. Bush deploys an estimated 6,000 National
Guard troops to the border, it is expected that most
will be sent here in an effort to seal off the desert.
So this is likely to be the place where the successes
and failures of the policy will unfold.
Arizona has been hurt by "bad immigration policies,"
said Laura Briggs, an associate professor of women's
studies at the University of Arizona, and a member of
the border Samaritans. "There is a long tradition of
hospitality in the borderlands, and this rising death
toll is stressing everybody out."
Those conflicting interests, and growing frustrations,
come to life on Arivaca Road, which runs about 14 miles
west of Interstate 19, on the way to Sasabe, Mexico.
Once a bucolic settlement of horse and cattle ranchers,
the area around the highway has been overrun, according
to residents, by illegal immigrants who move in groups
of up 80 at a time, and up to a thousand a day in the
peak winter season. Residents must also contend with
the buzz of Border Patrol agents in trucks and helicopters.
Frank Ormsby, a rancher, and his brother, Lloyd, said
that after living for more than a decade in the middle
of the buildup of the Border Patrol and the growing waves
of immigrants, they are just plain sick of all of it. There
are more backpacks littering the desert than rocks, they
said, and enough money is being spent on equipment
for the Border Patrol to rebuild New Orleans.
To them, illegal immigration is a huge business managed
by powerful interests to make money and political careers.
Among the beneficiaries, Frank Ormsby said, were immigrant
smugglers, whose fortunes increased every time a new law
enforcement effort was announced, and the Border Patrol,
whose budget has increased fivefold in 10 years.
"There are so many agents they could stand hand-in-hand
across the border and stop illegal immigrants if they really
wanted to," said Mr. Ormsby from beneath a wide black
cowboy hat. "The money we are spending on the Border
Patrol, in gas, in equipment, in technology, what do we
have to show for it?"
"I see so much waste," he added. "Ray Charles could see it."
A couple miles down the road, two sunburned men, their
clothes tattered and their lips severely chapped, look the
image of needy. Raúl Calderón, 60, and his 22-year-old
son Samuel, had been walking in the desert heat for four days.
Natives of the western Mexican state of Michoacán, they
said they had been abandoned by the smuggler — known
among immigrants here as "coyotes" — they had hired
on the second day of their journey.
On the third night, the men said, they lost track of the
10 other people traveling with them in the darkness. And by
the fourth morning, they had run out of food and water.
"Our government has forgotten about us," the father said.
Then nodding toward his son, he added, "Each generation
stays as poor as the last."
Mr. Calderón said his native town of Churintzio had been
nearly emptied by migration to the United States. He himself
had gone back and forth across the border for much of the
last two decades. But he said he had spent the last five years
in Mexico, trying to start his own restaurant.
His son, on the other hand, had made enough money working
in restaurants between San Antonio and Corpus Christi to
return to Michoacán and build a home. Now the two of them
were off to the United States again to seek more work,
this time in California.
Mr. Calderón said he had heard that President Bush "is going
to give work permits, and so I have come to get one."
He would not, however, get one this day. Border Patrol
helicopters buzzed overhead. A few minutes later came
the trucks. And without much of an exchange, Mr. Calderón
and his son were taken away.
"It's like saying we're going to stop crime," said a Border
Patrol spokesman, Gustavo Soto, when asked whether the
presence of the National Guard would stop undocumented
immigrants from coming. "It's hard to say that we will be
able to stop all people from coming across the border.
But we can achieve better control."
On the Mexican side of the border, where remittances have
become the second-largest source of income after oil,
Mexican immigration agents said they felt helpless in
stopping the immigrants, even though the law prohibits
citizens from leaving through unofficial ports.
Hundreds of people, carrying backpacks and gallon jugs
of water, filed into the desert on Thursday. Among them,
were Karla and Miguelito, neither one of them more than
four-feet tall.
In a speech cut short so that the migrants could be on
their way before sundown, Mario López, an agent in Grupo
Beta, a Mexican government agency that seeks to protect
the migrants, advised the men, women and children about
the dangers of their illegal journey and advised them of
their rights in case they were apprehended by the Border Patrol.
"This is a sad reality," he said. "We hate to see our people
leaving this way. But what can we do, except wish them luck."
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
7) 100 Years in the Back Door, Out the Front
By NINA BERNSTEIN
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/weekinreview/21bernstein.html
THE Texas cotton lobbyist tried to reassure Congress that the tens
of thousands of Mexicans who labored in the fields of the Southwest
were not a threat to national security. There "never was a more docile
animal in the world than the Mexican," he told the Senate committee.
Then he offered a way around the political problem the congressmen
faced in extending the program that had let the workers in.
"If you gentlemen have any objections to admitting the Mexicans
by law," he said, "take the river guard away and let us alone, and
we will get them all right."
They did — and that was in 1920. Almost a century later, the
debate over illegal immigration from Mexico often makes it
sound like a recent development that breaks with the tradition
of legal passage to America.
Quite the contrary, say immigration scholars like Aristide R. Zolberg,
who relates the anecdote about the Texas cotton grower in his new
book, "A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning
of America." A pattern of deliberately leaving the country's "back
door" open to Mexican workers, then moving to expel them and
their families years later, has been a recurrent feature of immigration
policy since the 1890's.
"Things are not the same today, but the basic dynamics do not
change," said Mr. Zolberg, a professor of political science at the
New School. "Wanting immigrants because they're a good source
of cheap labor and human capital on the one hand, and then
posing the identity question: But will they become Americans?
Where is the boundary of American identity going to be?"
Nearly every immigrant group has been caught at that crossroads
for a time, wanted for work but unwelcome as citizens, especially
when the economy slumps. But Mexicans have been summoned
and sent back in cycles for four generations, repeatedly losing
the ground they had gained.
During the Depression, as many as a million Mexicans, and even
Mexican-Americans, were ousted, along with their American-born
children, to spare relief costs or discourage efforts to unionize.
They were welcome again during World War II and cast as heroic
"braceros." But in the 1950's, Mexicans were re-branded
as dangerous, welfare-seeking "wetbacks."
In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent Gen. Joseph Swing
to "secure the border" with farm raids and summary deportations
that drove out at least a million people. At the same time, growers
were assured of a new supply of temporary workers through the
"braceros" program, which soon doubled to 400,000 a year.
The pattern grew during the years between the 1882 Chinese
Exclusion Act and the quotas of 1929, as rising legal barriers
drastically narrowed the nation's front door. The goal was to preserve
the country's "Nordic character" against Italians and Eastern European
Jews who had begun arriving in large numbers.
Yet Congress refused to close the back entrance to a growing flow
of Mexicans, even though by the lawmakers' own racial standards,
Mexicans were even more objectionable than the "degraded races"
of Asians and Southern Europeans whom they were increasingly
replacing in fields, factories and railroad work.
A convenient way was found to reconcile the contradiction, said
Camille Guérin-Gonzales, a professor of history at the University
of Wisconsin and the author of "Mexican Workers and American
Dreams." No quotas were necessary to keep Mexicans out because
they were not going to stay. "Not wanting to 'mongrelize the race,'
but needing cheap labor, Americans constructed Mexicans as
'birds of passage,' " she said, using the phrase coined to describe
Italian immigrants. "The proximity of the border made that even
more believable."
The cotton pickers cited by the Texas lobbyist had arrived by way
of a program intended to address World War I labor shortages.
But as commercial agriculture created "factories in the field,"
undocumented entry became the norm. Growers pointed out
that no willing field hand could afford the "head tax" that went
with legal entry. And employers regularly cited informal entry
as a feature that made Mexicans more desirable than cheap
foreign laborers like Filipinos, because they were easier to deport.
As one rancher quoted in Mr. Zolberg's book remarked to a Mexican
hand: "When we want you, we'll call you; when we don't — git."
The full, brutal weight of that formula hit in the Depression.
Roundups of Mexican families in public places, summary deportations
— and well-publicized threats of more to come — sent panic through
Mexican-American communities in 1931. The tactic was called "scare-
heading" by its architect, Charles P. Visel, the director of the Los Angeles
Citizens Committee on the Coordination of Unemployment Relief.
It worked. Even many legal immigrants were panicked into selling
their property cheap and leaving "voluntarily."
It was a time when crops went unharvested for lack of buyers and
white families like those in "The Grapes of Wrath" poured West,
desperate for work. "They gave you a choice: starve or go back to
Mexico," a resident of Indiana Harbor, Ind., recalled later, as Roger
Daniels relates in his book "Guarding the Golden Door." A Santa
Barbara woman said she would never forget seeing trains organized
by the railroad transporting families to the border in boxcars.
The same rail lines had long been maintained by Mexicans who
had settled not only in the Southwest, but in Indiana, Illinois
and eastward.
"I have left the best of my life and strength here, sprinkling with
the sweat of my brow the fields and factories of these gringos,
who only know how to make one sweat and don't even pay attention
to one when they see one is old," said one worker, Juan Berzunzolo,
interviewed in California in the 1920's by a Mexican anthropologist
and quoted by Devra Weber in "Dark Sweat, White Gold: California
Farm Workers, Cotton and the New Deal."
At the other side of the border, Ms. Guérin-Gonzales said, an
11-year-old American-born girl who had been "repatriated" from
California told an interviewer in the 1930's, "I would be in the fifth
grade there, but here, no, because I didn't know how to read and
write Spanish." A boy recounted how a Mexican policeman upbraided
him for speaking English. But by 1943, with the economy ascendant
and employers crying of wartime labor shortages, the cycle began
anew.
Today, the nature of the deal can no longer be disguised, said
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, co-director of Immigration Studies at
New York University. "It's a bad-faith pact," he said. "We can't have
it both ways — an economy that's addicted to immigrant labor, but
that's not ready to pay the cost."
And Mr. Zolberg said the old resort to mass expulsion is less likely,
since the naturalization of millions of Latinos, including those from
the 1986 amnesty, changed the rules of the game. "Mexicans, and
Latinos generally are more in the situation today that Italians and
Jews were in the 20's and 30's," he said. "They began to have some
electoral clout, because there were more people of that national
origin who could stand up."
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
8) These Guns for Hire
By TED KOPPEL
Washington
May 22, 2006
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/opinion/22koppel.html?hp
THERE is something terribly seductive about the notion of
a mercenary army. Perhaps it is the inevitable response of
a market economy to a host of seemingly intractable public
policy and security problems.
Consider only a partial list of factors that would make a force
of latter-day Hessians seem attractive. Among them are these:
• Growing public disenchantment with the war in Iraq;
• The prospect of an endless campaign against global terrorism;
• An over-extended military backed by an exhausted, even
depleted force of reservists and National Guardsmen;
• The unwillingness or inability of the United Nations or other
multinational organizations to dispatch adequate forces
to deal quickly with hideous, large-scale atrocities (see
Darfur and Congo);
• The expansion of American corporations into more remote,
fractious and potentially hostile settings.
Just as the all-volunteer military relieved the government
of much of the political pressure that had accompanied
the draft, so a rent-a-force, harnessing the privilege of
every putative warrior to hire himself out for more than
he could ever make in the direct service of Uncle Sam,
might relieve us of an array of current political pressures.
In the areas of logistics and support, this proposition is
already more than theoretical. In addition to the roughly
130,000 American troops now serving in Iraq, private
contractors have their own army of approximately 50,000
employees performing functions that used to be the
province of the military. The army used to cook its own
meals, do its own laundry, drive its own trucks. But after
the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Pentagon reduced
American armed forces by some 36 percent, anticipating
a peace dividend that was never fully realized.
So, if there are personnel shortages in the military (and
with units in their second and third rotations into Iraq
and Afghanistan, there are), then what's wrong with having
civilian contractors? Expense is a possible issue; but
a resumption of the draft would be significantly
more controversial.
Moreover, contractors provide the bodyguards (most
of them veterans of the American, British, Australian,
Nepalese or South African military) and, in some cases,
the armored vehicles and even helicopters that have
become so necessary for the conduct of business by
foreign civilians in Iraq. Such protective services are
employed by practically every American news agency
and, indeed, are responsible for the security of the
American ambassador himself.
So, what about the inevitable next step — a defensive
military force paid for directly by the corporations that
would most benefit from its protection? If, for example,
an insurrection in Nigeria threatens that nation's ability
to export oil (and it does), why not have Chevron or
Exxon Mobil underwrite the dispatch of a battalion
or two of mercenaries?
Chris Taylor, the vice president for strategic initiatives
and corporate strategy for Blackwater USA, wanted to be
sure I understood that such a thing could only happen with
the approval of the Nigerian government and at least the
tacit understanding of Washington. But could Blackwater
provide a couple of battalions under those circumstances?
"600 people in a battalion," he answered. "I could source
1,200 people, yes. There are people all over the world who
have honorably served in their military or police organizations.
I can go find honorable, vetted people, recruit them, train
them to the standard we require."
It could have the merit of stabilizing oil prices, thereby
serving the American national interest, without even tapping
into the federal budget. Meanwhile, oil companies could protect
some of their more vulnerable overseas interests without the
need to embroil Congress in the tiresome question of whether
Americans should be militarily engaged in a sovereign third
world nation.
There are limits, of course. None of these security companies
is likely to undertake the full-scale military burden presented
by an Iran or a North Korea. But their horizons are expanding.
Cofer Black, formerly a high-ranking C.I.A. officer and now
a senior executive with Blackwater USA, has publicly said that
his company would be prepared to take on the Darfur account.
At whose expense and to what ultimate end is not altogether
clear. But Blackwater and other leading security companies are
seriously proposing to officials at very high levels of the
government that their private forces could relieve a number
of the burdens now being shouldered (or not) by American
troops. The underlying theory seems to be that where a host
government is unable to protect American business interests
overseas and where the American government may be
reluctant or unable to intervene, there is another option
conveniently available.
The Pentagon, which is anything but enamored of the prospect
of private armies operating outside its chain of command,
is nonetheless struggling to come to terms with what it now
calls "the long war." There is every expectation that the fight
against global terrorism and the most extreme forms of Islamic
fundamentalism will last for many years. This is a war that will
not necessarily require aircraft carriers, strategic bombers,
fighter jets or heavily armored tanks. It will certainly not
enable the United States to exploit its advantages in
nuclear weapons.
It is a war, indeed, that favors the highly mobile and adaptive
fighting skills of the former Special Forces soldiers and other
ex-commandos who have already taken early retirement
from the military in order to serve their country less directly,
if more profitably.
The United States may not be about to subcontract out the
actual fighting in the war on terrorism, but the growing
role of security companies on behalf of a wide range of
corporate interests is a harbinger of things to come. Is
what's good for companies like Exxon Mobil, Freeport-
McMoRan (the mining company that has paid the Indonesian
military to maintain security) or even General Motors
necessarily good for the United States?
The other morning on NBC's "Today" program, Rex Tillerson,
chairman and chief executive of Exxon, was asked by Matt
Lauer if his company would consider lowering profits
to help consumers this summer. Mr. Tillerson had the
good manners not to laugh. "We work for the shareholder,"
he said, adding, "Our job is to go out and make the most
money for ... those people."
What then if the commercial interests of a company or
foreign government hiring one of these security contractors
comes into conflict with the interests of the United States
government? Mr. Taylor of Blackwater doesn't even concede
the possibility. "At the end of the day," he said, "we consider
ourselves responsible to be strategic partners of the U.S.
government." To which he then added, perhaps a little more
convincingly: "If we went against U.S. government interests
we would never get another contract."
It is, however, an evolving relationship that requires far greater
scrutiny. There is, in the final analysis, no direct chain of
command from the government to units of Blackwater or
other security companies that have been hired by private
corporations or foreign governments. Chris Taylor insists:
"We are accountable. We are transparent." That's debatable.
But, he adds: "Given the global war on terror, this is a way that
a lot of these retirees (from the military) can contribute. We want
to have a discussion into how we fit into the total solution set."
By all means. Let the discussion begin.
Ted Koppel is a contributing columnist for The Times and
managing editor of the Discovery Channel.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
9) An Immigration Bottom Line
New York Times Editorial
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/opinion/21sun1.html
This week starts the endgame for immigration reform in the Senate.
Months of debate have come down to this: whether the
comprehensive solution at the core of the Senate bill will survive
the hostile attentions of those who do not want real reform at all.
A brace of amendments has already warped and weakened the bill
— though not fatally, thanks to a bipartisan coalition that has fended
off repeated attempts at sabotage. But there is still a danger that
any legislation will be further compromised or even gutted
to conform with the House's deplorable bill.
A good immigration bill must honor the nation's values and be
sensible enough to work. It must not violate the hopes of deserving
people who want to work toward citizenship. It must not create
a servant class of "guest workers" shackled to their employers
and forbidden to aspire to permanent legal status. It must give
newcomers equal treatment under the law and respect their rights
of due process. It must impose rigorous enforcement of labor
laws, so unscrupulous employers cannot exploit illegal workers.
And it must clear the existing backlogs of millions seeking to
enter the country legally, so that illegal immigrants do not
win an unfair place in line.
'Amnesty' and the Mythical Middle Ground. The Senate is the
only hope for real reform this year because the House has
already chosen its plan. It wants to wall off Mexico, turn 11
million or so illegal immigrants into an Ohio-size nation of
felons, and then pick them off through arrests, deportation
and an atmosphere of focused hostility until they all go home,
abandoning their families and jobs.
That spirit of wishful hunkering has infected the Senate, where
Democrats and moderate Republicans have had to struggle
against the obstinacy of those who join their counterparts
in the House in seeing immigration entirely as a pest-control
problem. President Bush has aligned himself with the thoughtful
reformers, but in a slippery way. "There's some people in our
party who think, you know, deportation will work," Mr. Bush
said on Thursday. "There are people in the other party that
want to have automatic amnesty. As I said in my speech,
I've found a good middle ground."
But nobody favoring the Senate bill wants automatic amnesty.
It imposes a long and difficult path to citizenship. Illegal
immigrants must have a clean record and a job, speak English
and pay a big fine. That is what the president wants, though
he tries not to say it. His mildness has only validated the
efforts of those who cling to the enforcement-only delusion,
and who have tried so hard to strip the Senate bill of any
meaningful paths to citizenship.
Mr. Bush should have joined the debate far earlier and more
assertively, insisting that the "middle ground" lies nowhere
near those who refuse any accommodation and favor mass
deportations.
The Border Fixation. An immigration solution cannot be focused
only on the border. We've tried that. Border enforcement has
swelled in the last 20 years, with no visible effect. Mr. Bush's plan
to send National Guard troops was seen on both sides, rightly,
as a ploy to placate the xenophobes. It would be good to expand
the Border Patrol. But the best help we can give it is to enforce
workplace rules, ease the pressure for visas and restore law
and order in a comprehensive way.
The Enforcement Gap. The value of illegal immigrants to many
employers is their fearful willingness to work for low pay in bad
conditions. People who are secure in their status will stand up
against abuses, leading to better treatment for all. Workplace
enforcement is one tactic. Employers who risk real punishment
will be less likely to flout the rules. But guest worker programs
without the citizenship option are also an invitation to worker
abuse, and a shameful abdication of America's values. Mr. Bush
has taken this path. Congress must not.
Fairness and Workability. The current bill divides the 11 million
to 12 million illegal immigrants into three groups. Those who
arrived less than two years ago would have to go home. Those
who have been here for two to five years would be treated
as guest workers, and would have to leave and re-enter the
country to keep that status. The rest would be able to seek
citizenship.
Will this cumbersome bureaucratic solution work? It depends
on the willingness of the two-to-five-year group to step forward.
For immigration reform to succeed it must lure people out of the
shadows — a goal that may be fatally compromised by the punitive
hoops the bill erects.
Another profound shortcoming of the bill is its harsh criminal-
justice provisions. It greatly expands the types of immigration-
related offenses that constitute "aggravated felonies" and thus
grounds for detention and deportation. People who use false
passports to flee persecution, for example, might be ensnared.
The bill increases penalties and the risk of deportation for minor
infractions, like failing to file a change of address form. It removes
judges' and immigration officers' discretion to weigh individual
circumstances, adding toughness at the cost of fairness and decency.
The Xenophobia Problem. The Senate's debate has laid bare
a hostility to immigrants that is depressing in its spitefulness
and vigor. From Senator James Inhofe's amendment declaring
English the national language to one from Jon Kyl that would have
barred low-skilled guest workers from seeking permanent status
to another from John Ensign that would have denied Social Security
credit for work done before an immigrant is legalized, the debate
has been littered with attempts to stifle, stymie or blow up the
process.
The bipartisan coalition pursuing thoughtfulness over such
simplistic hostility has proved sturdy so far. The senators who
have fashioned the consensus for comprehensive reform must
stick together, or the possibility of a solution this year will die,
along with the hopes of millions.
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10) Message from Ricardo Alarcon,
President of the National Assembly
of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba
Dear sisters and brothers:
On behalf of the revolutionary Government of Cuba and the Cuban
people I salute the organizers and all participants at the May 20
Hands off Venezuela and Cuba rally.
We appreciate your solidarity in our struggle for independence and
justice in the face or the imperialist aggression that our people
have been resisting, heroically and successfully for over 47 year. In
spite of the economic blockade our people has advanced dramatically
in building a new and better society and cooperating closely with our
brothers and sisters in Venezuela we are helping many others in Latin
America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia to improve their lives. We
strongly believe that free and universal health care and education, a
decent job and housing are inalienable rights that belong to
everybody including the millions deprived from those rights in the
United States.
We urge all of you to join us in demanding an end to the criminal and
hypocritical policy of the Bush administration that continue to
promote terrorism against the Cuban people as illustrated by their
protection of such cold blood killers like Orlando Bosch and Luis
Posada Carriles and maintain unjustly incarcerated Five Cuban heroes
that were detained almost 8 years ago precisely for their efforts
against those very same terrorist groups that operate with impunity
and with the official protection of the US authorities.
We call upon all of you to join in the international campaign against
US sponsored terrorism from September 12 when the Cuban Five will
have been deprived of their freedom for 8 years to October the 6th
that will mark the 30th anniversary of the destruction of a Cubana
civilian airplane and the assassination of all 73 persons on board.
We should also commemorate next September 21 the 30th anniversary of
the killing in Washington D.C. of Orlando Letelier and Ronnie Moffit.
Orlando Bosch was involved in the plot to murder Letelier and Moffit
as is clearly reflected in recently declassified U.S. official
documents but Bosch has never been questioned by FBI, and is living
in Miami still actively pursuing his criminal endeavors.
Luis Posada Carriles is a fugitive of the Venezuelan justice from
which he escaped with the help of the Reagan-Bush White House twenty
years ago. The U.S. Governmnet knows very well that he and Bosch
masterminded the destruction of our airplane in 1976. The U.S. has an
obligation to extradite Posada to Venezuela to continue his trial on
that heinous crime or has the obligation to prosecute him in the U.S.
for the same crime. There is no legal alternative according to
international conventions against terrorism that were signed and
ratified by the U.S. But Mr. Posada has been for more than a year
under U.S. official protection and so far he has not been estradited
or accused.
The detention of Gerardo, Ramon, Antonio, Fernando and Rene was
determined to be arbitrary and illegal by a unanimous decision of a
five member panel of U.N. human rights experts. Their convictions
were reversed also by a unanimous decision of three judges of the
Atlanta Court of Appeals. Those decisions were announced in May 2005
and August 2005, but the Five Cubans are still in prison subjected to
cruel and unusual treatment with severe violations of their human
rights including the denial of visas to the wives of Gerardo and Rene
that have not been permitted to enter the U.S. to visit them.
The Five Cubans must be liberated immediately. Posada Carriles and
Bosch must be prosecuted and punished as confessed and very well
documented terrorists.
The cynical "war on terrorism" of Bush has to be unmasked, denounced
and defeated.
The aggression against the Iraqi people has to be stopped forthwith.
The exploitation and discrimination against immigrant workers, the
war on poor people, must end.
The threats against Venezuela and the interventionist attempts
against other peoples in latin America have to be condemned and
rejected.
Let's fight together to build bridges of friendship, peace and
cooperation between the peoples of the United States and Latin
America and the Caribbean. Let's struggle untied, shoulder to
shoulder, towards a new and better world, a world of justice and
freedom for all.
Long live the American people. Long live the peoples of Latin America
and the Caribbean. In solidarity let's fight together until victory
forever.
Ricardo Alarcon
La Habana
May 20, 2006
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11) Where is the Global Outcry at This Continuing Cruelty?
Nearly 60 years after most Palestinians were first forced from our
homes, the killings and blockades carry on with impunity
by Ghada Karmi
Published on Monday, May 15, 2006 by the Guardian/UK
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1774765,00.html
Israel is 58 years old today. Israelis have already celebrated with
barbecues and parties. And so they should, for they've pulled off
an amazing stunt: the creation of a state for one people on the
land of another - and at their massive expense - without incurring
effective sanction. Some of those not celebrating, the Arab citizens
of Israel, were also there, demonstrating to remind the world that
Israel displaced 750,000 to take their land without compensation.
Millions more Palestinians will demonstrate today in the refugee
camps of Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring Arab states
against their expulsion by Israel. The world, however, is not
listening, any more than it did in 1948, when most of Palestine's
inhabitants were expelled to make way for Jewish immigrants.
My family was among those displaced and, though a child,
I vividly remember the panic and misery of that flight from our
home in Jerusalem on an April morning in 1948, with the scent
of spring in the air. Palestine by then had become a raging
battleground as Jews fought to seize our land in the wake of
the 1947 UN partition resolution. My parents decided to evacuate
us temporarily. "We will return," they insisted, "the world will
not let such injustice happen!" They were wrong: the world let
it happen and we never returned. Little comfort in knowing that
we were among many others, that we did not end up in tents,
that conflicts do such things. Our lives, our history and our
future had been traduced. In those early days, I would wonder
with anguish how the Jewish incomers who took over our house
could sleep at night, seeing our belongings, family photos,
children's toys. Subsequently, Israelis made much of the danger
they faced from five Arab armies in the 1948-49 war, but in
reality their forces were greater than all their opponents'
combined, and the latter ill equipped and poorly trained.
Growing up in Britain, I got no sympathy but rather kept being
told about the need to give Jews a state they could feel safe in.
But at whose expense was this generosity? We Palestinians had
no hand in the Holocaust, nor in persecuting Jews. But we were
transformed from a peaceable agrarian people into a nation
of beggars under occupation, refugees, exiles and second-class
citizens of Israel. Worse still, we are now labelled terrorists,
suicide bombers or Islamic extremists. Our crime? We were
in the wrong place at the wrong time. And for that we have
been repeatedly punished, most recently for electing the
"wrong" government, headed by a party the west, not
Palestinians, labels as terrorist.
I went to "Palestine" last month to see what 58 years of Israel
had done. It was also springtime, but this was a shadow of the
land I had known. I found a pathetically fragmented society,
clinging to a fading dream of statehood against the odds.
Israel's policies have broken up the Palestinian territories
into ghettoes behind barriers and checkpoints. Gaza, supposedly
liberated, is a big prison where, according to the World Bank,
75% are under the poverty line and a quarter of children are
malnourished. Since January, Israel has kept the cargo crossings
into Gaza closed most of the time. Flour ran out last month,
and now medicines. The UN has warned of a humanitarian
disaster. Now Israel is threatening to cut off fuel because of
outstanding Palestinian debts, normally paid from Palestinian
tax receipts, which Israel has illegally held back since January.
The barrier wall, sealing off whole towns and villages, makes
normal life impossible.
The new, democratically elected Palestinian government is
paralysed because of Israeli and western sanctions. International
aid to the Palestinians, $1bn annually, has been stopped; $70m
donated by Arab states is blocked because banks, fearing
international sanctions, refuse to transfer the funds. Money
has run out for 150,000 public workers and their approximately
1 million dependants. I found deserted supermarkets and
shopkeepers in despair. Armed men roam the streets full
of anger at their loss of livelihood. Meanwhile, Israel's assault
on the Palestinians continues. Last week the army killed nine
and wounded 24. It mounted 38 incursions into Palestinian
towns and arrested 61 people, including 11 children.
The Quartet powers have agreed a three-month emergency
aid package. Because of the freeze on relations with Hamas,
the aid will bypass the government, though how essential
services can be run without a central administration is hard
to imagine. Arab foreign ministers have warned of a breakdown
in law and order if the Palestinian Authority collapses, but to
no avail. The world's silence in the face of this cruelty is
astonishing. There is no international outcry against a policy
whose transparent objective is to goad the Palestinians into
overthrowing the government they elected in favour of one
more pliant to Israel's designs. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
plan is to draw Israel's border "unilaterally", annexing the large
West Bank settlement blocs and keeping Jerusalem and the
Jordan Valley. The roads connecting it to Israel will bisect
Palestinian territory.
What remains, 14% at most, together with the Gaza prison,
will form the "Palestinian state". Olmert will be in Washington
soon, no doubt seeking a rubber stamp. The idea is presumably
that the Palestinians - dispersed and powerless - will then
no longer be in Israel's way. Anyone who believes this, as the
west's unthinking support for Israel seems to suggest, knows
nothing about history or the will of peoples to resist injustice.
The Palestinians are no exception.
Dr. Ghada Karmi is a research fellow at the Institute of Arab
and Islamic Studies, Exeter University, and a former consultant
to the Palestinian Authority. Email to: g.karmi@exeter.ac.uk
Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
12) His photo is an icon, his life a shambles
At home and suffering from stress disorder,
ex-Marine has turned against Iraq war
BY DAVID ZUCCHINO
Los Angeles Times
Posted on Mon, May. 22, 2006
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/14636241.htm
JONANCY, Ky. — Growing up in Jonancy Bottom, where coal trucks
grind their gears as they rumble down from the ragged green hills,
Blake Miller always believed there were only two paths for him: the
coal mines or the Marine Corps. He chose the Marines, enlisting
right out of high school.
The Marines sent him to Iraq, and then to Fallujah, where his life
was forever altered. He survived a harrowing all-night firefight in
November 2004, pinned down on a rooftop by insurgents firing
from a nearby house. Filthy and exhausted, he had just lighted
a Marlboro at dawn when an embedded photographer captured
an image that transformed Blake into an icon of the Iraq war.
His detached expression in the photo seemed to signify different
things to different people — valor, despair, hope, futility, fear,
courage, disillusionment. For Blake, the photograph represents
a pivotal moment in his life: an instant when he feared he would
never see another sunrise, and when his psychological foundation
began to fracture.
Blake, whose only brush with celebrity was as a star quarterback
in high school, became known as the Marlboro Man, a label he
detests. That same notoriety has carried over into his post-Iraq
life, where he is an icon of sorts for another consequence of the
war — post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
On Nov. 10, precisely one year after the photograph was flashed
around the world, Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller was medically
discharged from the Marine Corps, diagnosed with full-blown
PTSD. Three years after leaving the Kentucky hills for a career
in the Corps, he was back home. He feels adrift and tormented,
dependent on his new bride, his family and his military psychiatrist
to help him make sense of all that has happened to him.
CAN'T SLEEP
He barely sleeps. On most mornings, Blake says, he has no good
reason to get out of bed. Often, his stomach is so upset that he
can't eat. He has nightmares and flashbacks. He admits he's often
grouchy and temperamental. He knows he drinks and smokes
too much.
"He's not the same as before," said Blake's wife, Jessica, who has
known him since grade school. "I'd never seen the anger, the
irritability, the anxiety."
Blake says he feels guilty about taking money — $2,528 in monthly
military disability checks — for doing nothing. Yet he's also frustrated
that two careers made possible by his military training, police officer
or U.S. marshal, are out of reach because law enforcement is reluctant
to hire candidates with PTSD.
So he broods, feeling restless and out of options: "I'm only 21. I'm
able-bodied as hell, yet I'm considered a liability. It's like I had all
these doorways open to me, and suddenly they all closed on me.
It's like my life is over."
At a local restaurant one night last month, Blake became enraged
when he thought a man was staring at Jessica's rear end.
"I just wanted to grab his hair and smash his head against the table,"
he said later. "I was ready to kill him." But he restrained himself, he said.
Jessica, who graduates this spring from Pikeville College with
a psychology degree, has persuaded her husband to undergo
visualization techniques in which she helps him confront his
demons.
"It's understandable that Blake has PTSD, after all he's been through,"
she said. "Ordinary people can't comprehend what it's like to be
constantly shot at and have to kill other human beings. They need
to know what it means to send people like Blake out to fight wars.
You're going to have a lot of people breaking."
Five other members of his platoon of about three dozen have
been diagnosed with PTSD, Blake said. A dozen men from his
unit were killed in action. A Journal of the American Medical
Association study published in March found that more than
one-third of troops who served in Iraq sought help for mental
health problems within a year of returning home.
Sitting in the couple's spacious apartment above a furniture
store outside Pikeville, Ky., Jessica squeezed Blake's hand and
told him: "You've gone through so much, baby, that you just broke."
THE FAMOUS PHOTO
Blake was staring at the sunrise. He was on a rooftop in Fallujah,
sucking on a Marlboro and wondering whether he would live
to see Jessica and his father and brothers again.
Luis Sinco, a Los Angeles Times photographer, was crouched
next to the corporal, taking cover behind a rooftop wall. There
was a break in the all-night firefight after an Abrams tank,
radioed in by Blake, destroyed a house filled with insurgents.
Sinco pressed the shutter.
He did not consider the image particularly special. It was the
last shot he filed that day.
The photo appeared Nov. 10, 2004, and was distributed
worldwide. More than 100 newspapers published it. TV and cable
networks aired feature stories about the Marine's lost, distant look.
Some noted the trickle of blood on his nose — caused not by
enemy fire, but by Blake's rifle sight when it bumped his face.
Blake was unaware that Sinco had photographed him. Two days
later, he recalled, his gunnery sergeant told him: "Miller, your ugly
mug is on the front page of all the newspapers back home,
Marlboro Man."
The effect of the photo didn't fully register until a three-star
general showed up in Fallujah. Blake said the general suggested
moving him out of combat for fear that morale would plummet
if anything happened to the Marines' new media star, but he
refused to leave. Later, President Bush sent him a letter and
a cigar.
When Jessica saw the photo on the front page of the local paper,
she had not heard from Blake in a week.
"I was glad to know he was alive, but I couldn't stop crying," she
said. "The scared look on his face, his eyes — it tore me up."
In early January 2005, as Blake's unit prepared to leave Iraq, what
Marines call a "wizard" — a psychiatrist — gave a required "warrior
transitioning" talk about PTSD and adjusting to home life. Blake
didn't think much about it until he returned to Jonancy in late
January and his nightmares began.
He dreamed about the 40 enemy corpses that he counted after
the tank demolished the house, he said, and that he had been shot.
"He'd jump out of bed and fall to the floor," Jessica said. "I'd have
to hold him to get him to wake up, and then he'd hug me for the
longest time."
'I TEND TO DRINK A LOT'
Sometimes, Blake mutters Arabic phrases he learned in Iraq or
grimaces in his sleep, and Jessica will keep whispering his name
until he wakes up. Some nights, he doesn't sleep at all.
"I tend to drink a lot just to be able to sleep," Blake said. "Nothing
else puts me to sleep."
He decided last summer to see a military psychiatrist at Camp
Lejeune, N.C., where he was based. In August, he was diagnosed
with PTSD. But before he could be put on "non-deployable status,"
his unit was sent to New Orleans to assist with Hurricane Katrina
recovery.
While aboard a ship off the Louisiana coast, Blake was taking
a cigarette break when a petty officer made a whistling sound
like an incoming rocket-propelled grenade. Blake says he
remembers nothing about the incident, but was later told that
he slammed the officer against a bulkhead and attacked him.
By November, Blake was forced to take a medical disability
discharge. "They said they couldn't take the risk of me being
a danger to myself and others," he said.
He fears that he may have another blackout. "It's terrifying
that at any moment I could lose control and not know what
I'm doing," he said. "What if next time it's Jessica?"
In February, while smoking a cigarette and staring out Jessica's
dorm room window, Blake said, he thought he saw a dead Iraqi
man on the grass. Later, he had visions of an Iraqi father and
son fishing — a scene he'd witnessed in Iraq just before
a grenade exploded nearby.
"I can't tell anymore what really happened and what I dreamed,"
he said. "Sometimes I feel like I'm dying."
Blake visits a Veterans Administration psychiatrist in nearby
West Virginia and speaks with him by phone several times
a week. He said his psychiatrist told him that his PTSD has
to be managed; his disability will be re-evaluated next March.
Meanwhile, he has slowly turned against the war. "We've done
some humanitarian aid," Blake said, "but what good have we
actually done, and what has America gained except a lot of
deaths? It burns me up."
Jessica, who sports an "I Love My Marine" sticker on her car,
says she and Blake are behind the troops though they no
longer support the war.
Blake's military service is literally written on his body; his unit's
motto, "Angels of Death," is tattooed on his right forearm.
He had a life-sized cigarette tattooed on his left forearm
last year.
For Hillbilly Days, an annual street festival late last month in
Pikeville (population 6,304), Blake shaved his scruffy beard
and got a military "high and tight" haircut. He agreed to help
at a Marine Corps recruiting booth at the festival. Just putting
on his Marine fatigue pants and boots for the first time since
his discharge brought back more memories that he had
to tamp down.
'I CAN'T STAND TO LOOK AT IT'
He was so worried that the Marlboro Man photo would
dominate the recruiting booth that he begged the recruiters
not to display it. He also persuaded them to remove a large
version of the photo that had hung in the recruiting station
in downtown Pikeville.
"I can't stand to look at it anymore," he said. Even so, he says
the photo has provided him a platform to try to educate others
about PTSD.
Although he has turned against the war, he said, he often wishes
that he was back in the Corps and with his buddies. He still
recommends the Corps to potential recruits, but advises them
that it's a job, not a way of life. He recommends noncombat
positions.
"In order to do your job in combat, you have to lock up your
emotions," he said. "Basically, you're turning people into killers."
On Nov. 10, precisely one year after the photograph was flashed
around the world, Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller was medically
discharged from the Marine Corps, diagnosed with full-blown
post-traumatic stress disorder.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
13) 'Swallowed by pain'
Jeffrey Lucey joined the Reserves to help pay for college;
he wasn't prepared for what happened next
By Mehul Srivastava
Dayton Daily News
http://www.daytondailynews.com/project/content/project/suicide/daily/1011lucey.html
BELCHERTOWN, Mass. | This is the paraphernalia of Jeffrey Lucey's life.
On one wall of his bedroom: a large, framed photograph of him and
his Marine Reserves unit.
On the opposite wall, a much smaller group photo of his Chestnut
Hill Community Class of 1995 hangs just a little askew.
On his bookshelf, at the top of two neat stacks, are the books Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions and Living Sober. Bottles of cologne are
arranged in a small semi-circle on top of his dresser — Abercrombie
and Fitch, Baryshnikov, Nautica, Acqua di Gio, Obsession.
On his bed, his mother has placed a DVD of one of his favorite movies,
The Passion of the Christ, and near his dresser, there are six empty
bottles: two Heinekens, one Mr. Boston Blackberry Flavored Brandy
and the rest are of a beer called EKU-28 with the label, "EKU-28 is
the one whenever something good and strong is needed."
And here, in front of the dust-covered TV, the faint light from the
shuttered windows reveals more of the paraphernalia of Jeffrey
Lucey's life. Brown spots stain the unwashed carpet.
It is the color of dried blood.
"It is our 53rd day of activation and we've been incountry four
weeks to the day." — Jeffrey Lucey's journal
Going to Iraq was never in Lucey's plans. He wanted to be a cop.
He wanted to marry his high-school girlfriend. He wanted what
most want in this town of 2,300 people.
He went to Holyoke Community College, trying to rack up enough
credits for a degree. Too small for football, too slow for track,
Lucey spent most of his time with friends, driving 4-wheelers
on the paths near his house. He got into some trouble, his
mother remembers, but no more than most kids his age.
He wasn't sure he wanted to join the Marine Reserves. But
some of his friends were joining, and there was a chance he
could get some money to pay for college. He talked about
it with his parents. Back then, before Sept. 11, 2001, there
wasn't a war to worry about, so he signed up.
In the next two years, everything changed. The country was
at war, and young men like Lucey were being sent to fight an
enemy halfway across the world. His unit was activated on
Jan. 11, 2003.
Many in America's armed forces are like Lucey: young,
impressionable with a slight wild streak. Inexperienced in
the world and unsure of themselves at home. He was a good
soldier. But something else was going on inside Lucey and
the war would only make it worse.
"I should have realized all our lives were about to change,"
Lucey wrote in his journal.
Lucey's unit was sent to Camp Pendleton, south of Los Angeles,
where they spent the days moving equipment from the motor
pool, getting weapons training and taking hand-to-hand
combat courses — all preparations for their deployment in Iraq.
At night, they partied.
"When each day came to an end, it was like our barracks were
suddenly changed into a college dorm," Lucey wrote. "Alcohol
and drinks flooded the area. You could smell steaks, hot dogs
and burgers cooking outside on our makeshift barbecues.
Everyone enjoying what we knew would be our last hurrah."
In the relatively safe confines of the camp, Lucey saw the first
of his buddies die. He wrote about seeing a Marine killed in
a car crash. Three others were injured. The day after this accident,
some of the Marines from his battalion went down to Tijuana.
"On their way back, their vehicle somehow flipped, paralyzing
one of the Marines from the neck down," Lucey wrote.
After a month in California, Lucey's unit left on a 22-hour flight
to Kuwait, stopping once in Maine and again in Germany.
"Our first stop was in Bangor, which was difficult, knowing my
home, my family and my girl Julie, who I love and cherish more
than anything in the world, was only a couple of hours drive
away," he wrote.
In Kuwait, Lucey was stationed at Camp Shuiba, where he helped
maintain the trucks, humvees and trailers that would be used
in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
It was tough in the desert. The heat. The toilets with water filled
all the way to the top. The boredom. The food that was never
hot enough, the water that was never cool enough. The sandstorms.
The nights spent awake.
"Three days would go by," Lucey wrote, "and your total sleep
would be under 6 hours. This made the days seem like weeks."
On March 18, Marine Reservist Lucey celebrated his 21st birthday.
He was 5,000 miles from Belchertown, his family, his girlfriend
—and although he may not have known it, the war was about
to begin.
The day after his birthday, American forces launched a "decapitation
strike" in hopes of taking out Saddam Hussein. Two days later, the
famous "shock and awe" campaign began with three Tomahawk
cruise missiles from the USS Donald Cooke. In the next two days,
more than 800 missiles were launched on targets across Iraq,
softening up the Iraqi defense for the ground assault.
At Camp Shuiba, Lucey felt the ground shake.
"At 10:30 p.m. a scud landed in our vicinity," Lucey wrote. "We
were just falling asleep when a shock wave rattled through our tent.
The noise was just short of blowing out your ear drums. Everyone's
heart truly skipped a beat and the reality of where we are and what's
truly happening hit home.
"It's now 11:30 and we still have no word of casualties, but from
the power encompassed in that blast the fear of the worst for
many is very real. We are now trying to go to sleep for at least
a couple of hours but anxiety is high and sleep seems close to
impossible."
And then, Lucey added three more lines: "We now just had a gas
alert and it is past midnight. We will not sleep. Nerves are on edge."
"Hazel, who is in the rack beside me, was looking at his 3 month
old baby boy when the scud hit... he picked up the picture off
the floor and gave me a look that seem to say that I hope I will
hold him again."
Sometime around March 21, Lucey's company, the 2nd Platoon,
Section A, 6th Motor Transportation Battallion rolled into Iraq,
slowly inching north toward Nasiriyah.
He wrote infrequently during his six months away from home.
His family took to watching CNN in hopes of catching a glimpse
of him.
Later, sitting on his back porch in Belchertown, Lucey told his
mother and his sister stories about his time in Iraq.
There was the story about the flag.
On a short assignment in Nasiriyah, when he volunteered to go
along with a convoy of Humvees, Lucey saw a dead child on the
side of the road. The boy clutched to his chest an American flag
stained with his blood. Lucey helped drag the body off the street
into an alleyway, and as he left to join his convoy, he kept the
flag for himself.
And then there's the story about the old couple.
Lucey told his mother about his nightmares where faceless old
people would run toward him asking for help, like the old couple
in Nasiriyah he says he watched get shot in the back as they ran
toward the shelter of their home. The nightmare came often,
keeping Lucey up until three or four in the morning, until the
last bottle of EKU-28 beer had run out, and he would finally
fall asleep.
And then there is the story. The story Lucey kept bottled up
inside him until last Christmas, when he finally let it out.
"Don't you understand?" he shouted at his sister, Debra. "Your
brother is a murderer."
That's when Debra Lucey first saw the dog tags. The ones Lucey
said he took off the necks of the two Iraqi soldiers he was forced
to shoot, one in the eye, the other in the back of the neck. The
dog tags were simple, with faint letters scratched into their
cheap metal, Debra remembers thinking. Lucey never took
the dog tags out, and this was the first time he had shown
them to the family.
The Marines have disputed some of these stories. They intially
told local papers in Massachusetts that as a Reservist in the 6th
Motor Transport Battalion, Lucey would most likely never have
come close to Iraqi prisoners. Later, the Marine Corps admitted
that in the confusion of Iraq, it was not only possible, but likely
that Lucey volunteered to help in transporting the prisoners.
A photograph that his parents developed from Lucey's camera
shows a bare-backed Iraqi sitting on the ground in front of
a truck with a black bag over his head. Two soldiers are standing
guard over the Iraqi.
"Uncertainty can drive any man crazy, the uncertainty about what's
going to change in your life upon your arrival home. Will all your
loved ones still be there. Was your significant other loving only
you while you were 8,000 miles away? Will your friends and loved
ones be the same people or will they have evolved into people
you know longer know. Most importantly, will we be the same
when we get back or will we have changed ourselves."
It takes about five minutes to walk from Lucey's house to a maple
tree he used to sit by for hours. The tree has a rope — a long,
ragged one with seven knots on it. As a child, Lucey would swing
out on the rope and jump into the brook that runs past the house.
Earlier this year, as he walked with his mother to the brook, he
took the headphones from his CD player off his head and made
her listen to a song about a soldier returning from war.
"Whatever happened to the young man's heart. Swallowed by pain,
as he slowly fell apart," the song's chorus goes. "And I am staring
down the barrel of a .45. Swimming through the ashes of another
life. No real reason to accept the way things have changed. Staring
down the barrel of a .45."
"I am listening to the words, and I am thinking, 'This is my son,
and he wants me to listen to this,' " Joyce Lucey recalled as she
walked down the path to the tree. "And he goes, 'No no no, I am
not going to do anything. Looking down the barrel of a .45 to
me represents looking down a long dark tunnel.' "
After he returned from Iraq, Lucey's drinking got worse. His private
therapist recommended he seek professional help from the VA.
His nightmares were more frequent, and Lucey had started
hallucinating. He would go to bed with a flashlight because
he felt spiders were crawling all over him.
The Luceys did what they could. They hid the knives in the house.
They secreted away his Marine Corps-issued knives to his sister's
house. They took turns sleeping so they could keep an eye on him.
Drunk, confused and abusive, Lucey was brought by his father and
sister to the VA medical center in Northampton, Mass., on May 28, 2004.
The same night that Lucey was involuntarily admitted, medical
records show that a doctor decided that he was "a clear and
present danger to self and others from PTSD (post-traumatic
stress disorder), depression with psychotic features and suicidal
ideation, acute alcohol intoxication."
For the next four days, Lucey was kept under observation, and
the medical records that his father now pores over night after
night show that the medical center had a pretty good idea of
what he was going through.
"When we left him at the VA, I think it gave us a sense of false
security," said his father, Kevin Lucey. "I felt as if the professionals
had things under control — things were out of my hands now."
On two separate occasions, different health care professionals
answered "yes" to questions about Lucey's suicidal tendencies.
In one chilling note, after checking yes to whether the patient
planned to kill himself, a further note described how Lucey "plan
ed (sic) to OD, hang himself or suffod=cate (sic) himself."
On June 1, the VA medical center discharged Lucey. They
diagnosed him with alcohol intoxication, alcohol dependence
and mood disorder secondary to alcohol intoxication.
"Jeff knew that he was drinking too much," said Dr. Mark Nickerson,
a private therapist that Lucey had been seeing at the same time.
"But it was the trauma that was really eating into him. As
inappropriate a crutch as it (the alcohol) was, it's about all
he really had. To me, it would make sense to try and treat
both the problems together, instead of focusing on the drinking."
Less than four days later, Lucey was back at the VA medical center.
His sister had come home after her college graduation ceremonies
to find him drinking at the house and talking about hanging himself.
She called the VA.
VA medical center rules say that for an involuntary admission
to take place, the patient must be on the premises, or be committed
by his family. Lucey refused to walk into the building, and VA staff
spoke to him outside. There wasn't much the staff could do: Records
state that the patient "showed no grounds to seek a commitment or
placement under protective custody by the VA police." The Luceys
had to bring him home.
Off and on, Lucey would ask for help when he was sober. Twice,
he asked his father if he could curl up in his lap. Even though he
thought his son's request odd, Kevin Lucey thought of those times
as progress. Just one week before Father's Day, he sat for a half-
hour in the family room, his 23-year-old son in his lap, and told
himself "we were crossing some kind of hurdle."
"It's funny how alcohol affects people and makes things more
interesting in a way."
Jeffrey Lucey's father came home from work June 22 to find the
TV on, his son's Iraqi dog tags on the bed and the cellar door open.
He walked the 10 steps down to the cellar, and saw a small semi-
circle of picture frames on the ground — photographs of Lucey
and his Marine unit flanked by pictures of his girlfriend and his
family. The glass in one of the frames was broken, and his mother
later found the shards on the floor of her son's room next to the
blood stains.
Kevin Lucey took another step and saw his son's feet hanging
two inches above the ground. He doesn't remember if he screamed
— he wanted to act quickly. He lifted his 165-pound son, took
the noose off his neck, and made a small pillow out of the rug
on the floor.
"He was in my lap again," said Kevin. "He looked so peaceful,
and I just held him, and tried to warm him up."
Lucey probably stood on a crumpled white cardboard box to get
his neck inside the noose. Had he wanted to save himself, all he
had to do was stretch his toes the two inches to the ground, take
the noose off his neck, go back up the cellar stairs into his room
and wait for his father to come home.
Instead, he left a note.
"Dear Dad, Don't look. Just call the cops."
Contact Mehul Srivastava at 225-2432.
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14) 1 in 136 U.S. Residents Behind Bars
U.S. Prisons, Jails Grew by 1,000 Inmates a Week From '04 to '05;
1 in 136 Residents Behind Bars
by Elizabeth White
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0522-03.htm
WASHINGTON - Prisons and jails added more than 1,000 inmates
each week for a year, putting almost 2.2 million people, or one
in every 136 U.S. residents, behind bars by last summer.
The total on June 30, 2005, was 56,428 more than at the same
time in 2004, the government reported Sunday. That 2.6 percent
increase from mid-2004 to mid-2005 translates into a weekly
rise of 1,085 inmates.
Of particular note was the gain of 33,539 inmates in jails, the
largest increase since 1997, researcher Allen J. Beck said. That
was a 4.7 percent growth rate, compared with a 1.6 percent
increase in people held in state and federal prisons.
Prisons accounted for about two-thirds of all inmates, or
1.4 million, while the other third, nearly 750,000, were in
local jails, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Beck, the bureau's chief of corrections statistics, said the
increase in the number of people in the 3,365 local jails is
due partly to their changing role. Jails often hold inmates
for state or federal systems, as well as people who have
yet to begin serving a sentence.
"The jail population is increasingly unconvicted," Beck said.
"Judges are perhaps more reluctant to release people pretrial."
The report by the Justice Department agency found that
62 percent of people in jails have not been convicted,
meaning many of them are awaiting trial.
Overall, 738 people were locked up for every 100,000
residents, compared with a rate of 725 at mid-2004. The
states with the highest rates were Louisiana and Georgia,
with more than 1 percent of their populations in prison
or jail. Rounding out the top five were Texas, Mississippi
and Oklahoma.
The states with the lowest rates were Maine, Minnesota,
Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Men were 10 times to 11 times more likely than women
to be in prison or jail, but the number of women behind
bars was growing at a faster rate, said Paige M. Harrison,
the report's other author.
The racial makeup of inmates changed little in recent years,
Beck said. In the 25-29 age group, an estimated 11.9 percent
of black men were in prison or jails, compared with 3.9 percent
of Hispanic males and 1.7 percent of white males.
Marc Mauer, executive director of The Sentencing Project,
which supports alternatives to prison, said the incarceration
rates for blacks were troubling.
"It's not a sign of a healthy community when we've come to
use incarceration at such rates," he said.
Mauer also criticized sentencing guidelines, which he said
remove judges' discretion, and said arrests for drug and parole
violations swell prisons.
"If we want to see the prison population reduced, we need
a much more comprehensive approach to sentencing
and drug policy," he said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press
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15) First Female Conscientious Objector Sentenced
Wednesday, 24 May 2006, 11:02 am
Press Release:
23 MAY 2006 - for immediate release
First Female Conscientious Objector Sentenced for Refusing Deployment
to Afghanistan
FT. BENNING, GA – Army National Guard Specialist Katherine Jashinski
received a bad conduct discharge today and was sentenced to 120 days
confinement after pleading guilty to the charge of "refusal to obey a
legal order." She was acquitted of the more serious charge of "missing
movement by design." With 53 days already served (on Fort Benning),
and 20 days off for good behavior, Ms. Jashinski has 47 days of
confinement remaining.
On November 17, 2005, Jashinski made a public statement of
conscientious objection on the eve of her scheduled deployment to
Afghanistan. Eighteen months after filing, the Army denied her
application for a discharge. She was then court-martialed for refusing
to train with weapons.
Jashinski's superiors testified that they believed in the sincerity of
her CO claim, and the Judge noted that he was convinced of the same.
Aidan Delgado and Camilo MejÃa, members of Iraq Veterans Against the
War, attended Ms. Jashinski's trial today to support her. They
described
the atmosphere of the courtroom as initially tense, but said that
Jashinski's powerful heartfelt testimony changed the tone of the room.
"Iraq Veterans Against the War supports the right of every soldier to
follow their conscience," said Delgado. "As the first woman GI to
publicly take a stand against this war and to declare herself a CO,
Katherine's actions are very significant. She is a fine example of a
young person standing up for her beliefs."
Ms. Jashinski is feeling triumphant and happy to have resolution.
After completing her sentence she will return to school at the
University of Texas at Austin and continue her work with the newly
founded Austin GI Rights Hotline.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
16) A Sudden Taste for the Law
New York Times Editorial
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/opinion/24weds1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
It's hard to say which was more bizarre about Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales's threat to prosecute The Times for revealing
President Bush's domestic spying program: his claim that
a century-old espionage law could be used to muzzle the press
or his assertion that the administration cares about enforcing
laws the way Congress intended.
Mr. Gonzales said on Sunday that a careful reading of some
statutes "would seem to indicate" that it was possible to
prosecute journalists for publishing classified material. He
called it "a policy judgment by Congress in passing that kind
of legislation," which the executive is obliged to obey.
Mr. Gonzales seemed to be talking about a law that dates
to World War I and bans, in some circumstances, the
unauthorized possession and publication of information
related to national defense. It has long been understood
that this overly broad and little used law applies to
government officials who swear to protect such secrets,
and not to journalists.
But in any case, Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Bush have not
shown the slightest interest in upholding constitutional
principles or following legislative guidelines that they
do not find ideologically or politically expedient.
Mr. Gonzales served as White House counsel and as
attorney general during the period Mr. Bush concocted
more than 750 statements indicating that the president
would not obey laws he didn't like, or honor the recorded
intent of those who passed them. Among the most
outrageous was Mr. Bush's statement that he did not
consider himself bound by a ban on torturing prisoners.
Mr. Gonzales was part of the team that came up with
the rationalization for torture, as well as for the
warrantless eavesdropping on Americans' e-mail
and phone calls.
If Mr. Gonzales has developed a respect for legislative
intent or a commitment to law enforcement, he could
start by using his department's power to enforce the
Voting Rights Act to protect Americans, rather than
challenging minority voting rights and endorsing such
obviously discriminatory practices as the gerrymandering
in Texas or the Georgia voter ID program. He could
enforce workplace safety laws, like those so tragically
uninforced at the nation's coal mines, instead
of protecting polluters and gun traffickers.
He could uphold the Geneva Conventions and the U.N.
Convention Against Torture, instead of coming up with
cynical justifications for violating them. He could repudiate
the disgraceful fiction known as "unlawful enemy combatant,"
which the administration cooked up after 9/11 to deny legal
rights to certain prisoners.
And he could suggest that the administration follow Congress's
clear and specific intent for the 1978 Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act: outlawing wiretaps of Americans without warrants.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
18) Senate Advances Sweeping Immigration Bill
Under the provisions adopted on Tuesday, employers would be
required to enter the Social Security numbers or immigrant
identification numbers of all job applicants, including citizens,
into the computerized system, which would be created by the
Department of Homeland Security. The system would notify
businesses within three days whether the applicant was
authorized to work in the United States.Those job applicants
determined to be illegal would have to be fired.
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/washington/24cnd-immig.html?hp&ex=1148529600&en=396eafcbc403e967&ei=5094&partner=homepage
WASHINGTON, May 24 — The Senate voted on Tuesday to require
employers to use a vast new employment verification system that
would allow businesses to distinguish between legal and illegal
workers.
The chances of the bill's passage increased sharply today, as
the Senate voted 73 to 25 to limit debate and the number of
amendments that can be offered. The cloture vote makes
it likely that final action on the bill, which would provide
at path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who have been
in the country for over five years, will take place.
However, the Senate's approach would have to be reconciled
with a bill passed last December by the House of Representatives
that focuses strictly on enforcement and would consider illegal
immigrants to be felons. Many conservative members of both
houses have said any provision allowing illegal immigrants
to gain citizenship is an amnesty that will only encourage
more undocumented immigration.
Under the provisions adopted on Tuesday, employers would be
required to enter the Social Security numbers or immigrant
identification numbers of all job applicants, including citizens,
into the computerized system, which would be created by the
Department of Homeland Security. The system would notify
businesses within three days whether the applicant was
authorized to work in the United States.
Those job applicants determined to be illegal would have
to be fired. The measure, approved 58 to 40, is included
in a bill that would legalize the vast majority of the nation's
illegal immigrants, which is expected to pass the Senate
later this week.
The new requirements would result in a broad operational
shift for employers who have relied almost entirely on
a paper system — the collection of identity documents
— to determine the legal status of their workers. The
measure is considered a linchpin of the current immigration
legislation because it is designed to deter illegal immigration
by making it extremely difficult for undocumented
immigrants to find work.
Without such a provision, senators say, American businesses
would remain a powerful magnet for millions of illegal immigrants.
The legislation calls for creating documents that would be
resistant to counterfeiting for legal immigrants and stiff fines
for violations by employers. It requires the verification system
to be operational and in use by all businesses within
18 months once Congress appropriates the money for it.
"This is probably the single most important thing we can
do in terms of reducing the inflow of undocumented workers,"
Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, said of the measure,
which was pushed ahead by Senator Charles E. Grassley,
Republican of Iowa.
Mr. Grassley hailed the measure as an effort "to balance the
needs of workers, employers and immigration enforcement."
But some administration officials, employers and other
lawmakers raised sharp questions about the amendment,
which was developed in consultation with the American
Civil Liberties Union.
Officials at the United States Chamber of Commerce applauded
the plan, but expressed doubts that homeland security officials
could speedily create such a system.
"This is a massive undertaking on the part of the federal
government," said Randy Johnson, vice president at the
chamber. "Our conversations with the administration have
indicated that 18 months is too short."
Officials at the Department of Homeland Security sent
e-mail messages to senators saying they had concerns
about the system's "workability and implementation."
White House officials declined to comment, but
participants in negotiations on the amendment said
officials were concerned with a provision that would
require the federal government to reimburse workers
who were fired because of a mistake involving the system.
Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, said homeland
security officials feared the system would allow many illegal
workers to continue working when a definitive finding
of legal status could not be made.
The vote in favor of employment verification came as the
Senate rejected several amendments intended to help
refugees and illegal immigrants affected by the legislation.
Lawmakers defeated a measure, sponsored by Senator
Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, that would have
legalized all illegal immigrants, regardless of how long they
have lived here. They also voted down an amendment to
toughen workplace and safety standards and another to
help refugees whose resettlement here has been delayed
because their indirect support for armed rebels opposed
to their repressive governments has put them in technical
violation of American antiterrorism laws.
Critics say the legislation would increase the burdens on
asylum seekers, eliminate federal review of deportation
orders and leave millions of illegal immigrants in the
shadows. Human rights groups are particularly concerned
about a measure that would allow asylum seekers to be
deported even while their claims were under review by
federal courts.
"The impact on asylum seekers would be devastating
and potentially irreversible," said Eleanor Acer, director
of the asylum program at Human Rights First, an advocacy
group. "You would essentially be deporting refugees back
to their countries of persecution."
Difficult negotiations lie ahead between the Senate and House,
where many Republicans strongly oppose legalization
of illegal immigrants.
Hoping to narrow the gap between Senate and House
Republicans on this issue, the leader of the House conservative
caucus announced a bill that would allow the illegal immigrants
to participate in a guest worker plan, but would not grant them
permanent residency or citizenship.
The measure, sponsored by Representative Mike Pence, Republican
of Indiana, would require the nation's estimated 11 million illegal
immigrants to leave the country to apply for a slot in the program,
which would be administered by private employment agencies
licensed by the American government.
House Republicans expressed lukewarm support for the bill, which
was promptly attacked by conservative critics of guest worker
programs. But the bill was praised by White House officials.
Under the employment verification provision, job applicants
deemed illegal would have 10 days to challenge that determination
with the Department of Homeland Security. If homeland security
officials failed to confirm that determination within 30 days,
the applicant would be considered legal to work.
John Holusha contributed reporting from New York for this article.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
19) USA: the Statistics That Shock
[The figures are even more shocking when you take into
consideration inflation and the fact that the rich are now paying
less taxes and the middle class, the working class, and the poor
are now forced to pay more taxes.
FYI: According to "The Inflation Calculator"
www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi
What cost $1.00 in 1973 would cost $4.42 in 2005 and more today!]
By Michael Roberts
Wednesday, 24 May 2006
http://www.marxist.com/usa-statistics-shock240506.htm
I was so shocked by the statistics and studies that have been recently
released on the incomes and wealth of the ordinary Americans that
I had to tell you about them.
I'm not talking about the slave labour wages that new immigrants
in America get for working "illegally' to clean, tidy and maintain the
homes of the super-rich in their 'gated communities' across the
nicest parts of the real estate; or the below poverty wages that
the likes of the mega supermarket chain of Wal-Mart pays its
checkout and warehouse staff. Have you seen the recent film
documentary, Wal-Mart, the high cost of low price? There isn't
one aspect that this film doesn't show Wal-Mart as vicious and
oppressive in: employee welfare, customer welfare, the
environment, even racism and sexism.
No, I'm not talking about the poorest sections of the community
but the average household where there are one or two 'good'
jobs and apparently good lifestyle. I'm talking about middle
America, the so-called middle class in white-collar professional
and service sector jobs.
The median wage is that wage or salary which is the most
common. It is not the average salary. That is the wage that
divided all the incomes of the super rich by those of the poor.
That average is not what most people in the US earn. The
median income is. And according to the latest statistical
survey of Americans, in a period since 1998 when the US
economy has expanded by 25%, the median wage, that
earned by middle fifth of Americans, has fallen by 3.8%
and in fact, since 1973 has stagnated.
At the beginning of May, the US economy was in its fifth
year of economic growth, stock markets were nearly back
to the levels last seen in the great hi-tech boom of 2000
and profit margins were at record levels after five consecutive
quarters of double-digit growth.
But the 'prosperity' has not 'trickled down to the ranks of
middle America, let alone the industrial working-class and
poor and dispossessed. At the same time, stagnating incomes
for middle America have been accompanied by soaring inequality.
Again, according to the new study, since 1973 annual income
growth for the top 1% of Americans was 3.4% and for the
top 0.1% it was 5.2% each year. But for the 90% below them,
it grew just 0.3% a year since 1973! So much for the American
dream!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
20) Laid Off and Left Out
By BOB HERBERT
May 25, 2006
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp
You don't hear much from the American worker anymore.
Like battered soldiers at the end of a lost war, ordinary
workers seem resigned to their diminished status.
The grim terms imposed on them include wage stagnation,
the widespread confiscation of benefits (including pensions
they once believed were guaranteed), and a permanent state
of employment insecurity.
For an unnecessarily large number of Americans, the workplace
has become a hub of anxiety and fear, an essential but
capricious environment in which you might be shown the
door at any moment.
In his new book, "The Disposable American: Layoffs and
Their Consequences," Louis Uchitelle tells us that since 1984,
when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started monitoring
"worker displacement," at least 30 million full-time workers
have been "permanently separated from their jobs and their
paychecks against their wishes."
Mr. Uchitelle writes on economic issues for The Times. In his
book, he traces the evolution of that increasingly endangered
species, the secure job, and the effect that the current culture
of corporate layoffs is having on ordinary men and women.
He said he was surprised, as he did the reporting for the book,
by the extensive emotional fallout that accompanies layoffs.
"There's a lot of mental health damage," he said. "The act of
being laid off is such a blow to the self-esteem. Layoffs are
a national phenomenon, a societal problem — but the laid-off
workers blame themselves."
In addition to being financially strapped, laid-off workers and
their families are often emotionally strapped as well. Common
problems include depression, domestic strife and divorce.
Mr. Uchitelle's thesis is that corporate layoffs have been carried
much too far, that they have gone beyond a legitimate and
necessary response to a changing economy.
"What started as a necessary response to the intrusion of foreign
manufacturers into the American marketplace got out of hand,"
he writes. "By the late 1990's, getting rid of workers had become
normal practice, ingrained behavior, just as job security had
been 25 years earlier."
In many cases, a thousand workers were fired when 500 might
have been sufficient, or 10,000 were let go when 5,000 would
have been enough. We pay a price for these excesses. The losses
that accrue to companies and communities when many years
of improving skills and valuable experience are casually and
unnecessarily tossed on a scrap heap are incalculable.
"The majority of the people who are laid off," said Mr. Uchitelle,
"end up in jobs that pay significantly less than they earned before,
or they drop out altogether."
At the heart of the layoff phenomenon is the myth, endlessly
repeated by corporate leaders and politicians of both parties,
that workers who are thrown out of their jobs can save themselves,
can latch onto spiffy new jobs by becoming better educated
and acquiring new skills.
"Education and training create the jobs, according to this way
of thinking," writes Mr. Uchitelle. "Or, put another way, a job
materializes for every trained or educated worker, a job
commensurate with his or her skills, for which he or she
is appropriately paid."
That is just not so, and the corporate and political elite need
to stop feeding that bogus line to the public.
There is no doubt that the better-educated and better-trained
get better jobs. But the reality is that there are not enough
good jobs currently available to meet the demand of college
-educated and well-trained workers in the United States,
which is why so many are working in jobs for which they
are overqualified.
A chapter in "The Disposable American" details the plight of
exquisitely trained airline mechanics who found themselves
laid off from jobs that had paid up to $31 an hour. Mr. Uchitelle
writes: "Not enough jobs exist at $31 an hour — or at $16 an
hour, for that matter — to meet the demand for them. Jobs
just don't materialize at cost-conscious companies to absorb
all the qualified people who want them."
The most provocative question raised by Mr. Uchitelle is whether
the private sector is capable of generating enough good jobs
at good pay to meet the demand of everyone who is qualified
wants to work.
If it cannot (and so far it has not), then what? If education and
training are not the building blocks to solid employment,
what is? These are public policy questions of the highest
importance, and so far they are being ignored
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
LINKS ONLY
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Chavez One, Bush Zero
by Audrey Sasson; May 22, 2006
ZNet | Venezuela
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=10308
Military to Report Marines Killed Iraqi Civilians
By THOM SHANKER, ERIC SCHMITT and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
May 26, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/26/world/middleeast/26haditha.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Arundhati Roy on India, Iraq, U.S. Empire and Dissent
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/23/1358250
Gilded Paychecks | Ties That Bind
With Links to Board, Chief Saw His Pay Soar
By JULIE CRESWELL
May 24, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/business/24board.html
Iraq War Provoking Terror: Amnesty International
"The war on terror and the way it has unfolded is actually premised on
the principle that by eroding human rights you can reinforce security,"
said Amnesty International's Secretary-General Irene Khan. "And that is
why as part of the war on terror we see restrictions being placed on
civil liberties around the world."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052306A.shtml
Ford Layoffs Hit
Black Auto Workers Hardest
CHRIS NISAN / Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/2006/Ford-Black-Layoffs1feb06.htm
Rice's Appearance Draws Protests in Boston
By KATIE ZEZIMA
May 23, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/us/23boston.html
Nigerian Monkeys Drop Hints on Language Origin
By NICHOLAS WADE
May 23, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/science/23lang.html
Judge Steps In for Poor Inmates Without Justice
By LESLIE EATON
The public defenders' office, run not by City Hall but by a parish
board, is basically broke. Louisiana, alone among the states, relies
mainly on local court fees — mostly surcharges on traffic tickets —
to finance its public defenders, according to the National Legal Aid
and Defender Association.
It is a financing system that Judge Hunter and Calvin Johnson,
the chief judge of the criminal court in New Orleans, have recently
found to be unconstitutional because it forces poor people to pay
for the system. The Louisiana attorney general's office says it plans
to appeal those decisions.
May 23, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/us/23court.html
Failed Amnesty Legislation of 1986 Haunts the
Current Immigration Bills in Congress
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
May 23, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/washington/23amnesty.html
Dahr Jamail | Easily Dispensable: Iraq's Children
Dahr Jamail implores us to understand: "That women and children
suffer the most during times of war is not a new phenomenon. It is
a reality as old as war itself. What Rumsfeld, Rice and other war
criminals of the Cheney administration prefer to call "collateral
damage" translates in English as the inexcusable murder of and
other irreparable harm done to women, children and the elderly
during any military offensive."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052206A.shtml
Breaking point: Inside Story of the Guantanamo Uprising
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0521-01.htm
Americans Don't Like President Bush Personally Much Anymore, Either
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0521-04.htm
The Dixie Chicks: America Catches Up With Them
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0521-05.htm
Iraq is Disintegrating as Ethnic Cleansing Takes Hold
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0520-04.htm
McCain Gets Cantankerous Reception at Commencement
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0520-05.htm
AMID WAR, TROOPS SEE SAFETY IN REENLISTING
By Faye Fiore
The military offers steady wages, housing and a health plan
-- benefits that many service members find scarce in civilian life.
Los Angeles Times
May 21, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-enlist21may21,0,3677295.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Gonzales Says Prosecutions of Journalists Are Possible
By ADAM LIPTAK
The government has the legal authority to prosecute journalists
for publishing classified information, Attorney General Alberto
R. Gonzales said yesterday.
May 22, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/washington/22gonzales.html
Rising Ocean Temperatures Threaten Florida's Coral Reef
By RICK LYMAN
May 22, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/us/22coral.html
Poisoned Air Killed 3 Miners, Tests Suggest
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:19 p.m. ET
May 22, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Mine-Explosion.html?hp&ex=1148356800&en=30604d9e34a2fe75&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Supreme Court Backs Police in Emergencies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 11:55 a.m. ET
May 22, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Scotus-Police-Search.html
Middle America: Welcome to the Center of the USA
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0519-05.htm
4 Guantanamo Prisoners Attempt Suicide in One Day
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0519-01.htm
ALERT - EXTREME DANGER TO FOOD MANUFACTURING WORKERS
The Occupational Health Branch is trying to reach workers in the
food flavoring manufacturing industry, their employers, and their
health care providers, to alert them about two cases of a life-
threatening lung disease, bronchiolitis obliterans, among workers
(both English fluent Latinos) in companies located in southern
California. Food flavoring companies that may have exposed
workers are also located in northern California. The disease
is associated with inhalation exposure to diacetyl, a butter
flavoring chemical. The lung disease is also known as "microwave
popcorn lung disease" based on cases among workers
in that industry.
http://www.worksafe.org/news/3_14_06.cfm
Lawsuit Is Filed to Force FEMA to Continue Housing Vouchers
By SHAILA DEWAN
May 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/us/20vouchers.html
Explosion at Kentucky Mine Kills 5 Workers
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
May 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21mine.html?hp&ex=1148184000&en=adc4b3951c5f9259&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Ecological Extortion in the National Forests
http://www.counterpunch.org/juel05192006.html
New Century Of Thirst For World's Mountains
By the century's end, the Andes in South America will have less than
half their current winter snowpack, mountain ranges in Europe and
the U.S. West will have lost nearly half of their snow-bound water,
and snow on New Zealand's picturesque snowcapped peaks will
all but have vanished.
Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
May 19, 2006
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060519102250.htm
Dead soldiers flown home as British presence in Basra is questioned
By Kim Sengupta
Five military coffins, bearing the latest British dead from Iraq, arrived
home yesterday. At the same time, 105 people died during two days
of carnage in Afghanistan the next battleground for British forces.
Published: 19 May 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article548113.ece
Detective Was 'Walking Camera' Among City Muslims, He Testifies
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/nyregion/19herald.html
Senate Votes to Set English as National Language
By CARL HULSE
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/washington/19immig.html
Italy Calls Iraq War 'Grave Error'
By IAN FISHER
May 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/world/europe/19italy.html
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