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BARRIO UNIDO FOR GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL!
EMERGENCY PICKET LINE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007, 4:00 - 7:00 P.M.
FEDERAL BUILDING
450 GOLDEN GATE AVE.
BETWEEN POLK AND LARKIN STREETS, S.F.
STOP THE ICE RAIDS! FREE THE WORKERS!
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!
THE WORKERS SHOULD GET THEIR JOBS BACK!
WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE, GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL! DEFEND THE RIGHT OF
ALL WORKERS TO ORGANIZE UNIONS IN THEIR OWN DEFENSE
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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) What are they scared of?
by Kevin Cooper
[via email...bw]
2) FBI: Recruiters caught in drug probe
December 17, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061217/ap_on_re_us/military_recruiters_cocaine
3) Offer to Invest in Delphi Adds to Pressure on Union
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
December 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/business/19delphi.html?ref=business
4) Suit filed to reinstate referendum against Redevelopment Plan
for Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco
SF Bay View
editor@sfbayview.com
[via email...bw]
5) Perpetual War for Peace?
…Iraq…Iran…& the Corporate Agenda
http://www.traprockpeace.org/traprock_video/index.php/2006/12/16/perpetual-war-for-peace-part-1/
6) Indict, Convict, & Jail the Killer Cops!
Stop the Raids and Intimidation Against the Community!
Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation!
No more Stolen Lives!
[This is only one of at least four demonstrations scheduled this week
throughout New York. Too many have suffered at the hands of the
NYPD. I hope these demonstrations are massive...bw]
The October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the
Criminalization of a Generation calls on you to join in a
M A S S P R O T E S T
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 6pm
Corner of Archer Avenue & Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens
(E/J/Z train to Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue)
7) Why we stand for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq
Chomsky, Zinn et al: US Out of Iraq Now!
please sign and circulate widely
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow/
[Unfortunately, you can't sign this petition without donating
money through PayPall. Not good...bw]
8) Only the Jailers Are Safe
New York Times Editorial
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/opinion/20wed1.html?hp
9) Bush Concedes Iraq War More Difficult Than He Expected
By JOHN HOLUSHA
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/washington/20cnd-prexy.html?hp&ex=1166677200&en=51f2a36039e215ed&ei=5094&partner=homepage
10) Why Unions Must Support The Immigrant Rights Movement
By Karega Hart
Guest Commentator
http://www.blackcommentator.com/210/210_unions_immigrant_rights_hart_guest.html
11) Troops Out Now Coalition
The Decisive Battle this Spring - The Challenge for the Antiwar Movement
March on Washington
On Jan. 27 and March 17 (the 4th Anniversary of the War)
How You Can Help:
Endorse the call for unity for March 17
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/mar17endorse.html
Volunteer
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/mar17volunteer.html
Become an OrganizingCenter
http://troopsoutnow.org/mar17orgcentsignup.html
Donate
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/donate.html
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1) What are they scared of?
by Kevin Cooper
[via email...bw]
An overseer told a visitor to his plantation: “Some Negroes are
determined never to let the white man whip them and will resist
you when you attempt it; of course you must kill them in that case.”*
WHAT WERE THEY SCARED OF?
The above statement was then, and will always be, indicative of the
mindset of the U.S. government when it comes to dealing
with strong Black people.
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
This is why, throughout the history of our being in this country,
certain Black men and women have been, and still are, targets
of the government. The government – and many white people
in general – fear the rise of the Black man. Especially a Black
man who is loved, respected and honored by his people.
WHY ARE THEY SCARED?
In their minds the love and respect given to that Black man today
can lead to revolution and rebellion tomorrow. This mindset
is why they are truly scared of a “Black Messiah” – a great Black leader!
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
So whenever the government finds out about a Black man or woman
who “will not let the white man whip them,” he or she is targeted.
WHY?
Not to let the white man whip you is more than just a metaphor.
It shows the determination and will of Black people, who survived
slavery and continue to struggle on amidst institutional
and economic slavery.
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
Strong Blacks will not let the white man whip them mentally,
emotionally, spiritually or psychologically, or otherwise
dehumanize them.
Whenever one of ours gains the respect and love of the
community and becomes a leader, the government does
what it has always done – tries to kill him.
ARE THEY STILL SCARED?
Dec. 4, 1969, will live in infamy. On that day, the government
of the United States, with the help of a traitor, assassinated
Our Black Messiah, Our Great Leader, Our Teacher, Our Soldier,
Our Brother, Our Loved One – the Honorable Chairman
Fred Hampton Sr.
WHAT WERE THEY SCARED OF?
So powerful are his words, work and commitment to us – his
people – that 37 years after his murder, the city of Chicago
is trying to kill him all over again.
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
This time they are trying to kill his memory by refusing to name
a street after him. This in spite of the fact that they put the faces
of ex-slave owners on their most treasured items – the dollar bill.
But we will never forget Chairman Fred Hampton Sr.
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
It’s apparent that they still haven’t learned a very important lesson
about us. They can’t tell us who our heroes are, or should be!
But because Chairman Fred Hampton Sr. refused to be a slave –
refused to let the white man whip him – he was murdered,
and the collective memory of him is being obliterated.
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
We cannot and will not let this second murder happen. While we
could not stop what happened in 1969, we as a people can most
definitely stop his murder in 2006 by the city of Chicago.
We must get involved and see to it that the right thing is done
and Chairman Fred Hampton Way comes into existence.
They are lucky we are not asking for a neighborhood or the whole
city to be renamed after him, after what they did to him
and his family – and to us as a people.
As Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without
a demand. It never did and it never will.”
WHAT ARE THEY SCARED OF?
We demand our respect and the naming of West Monroe
to Chairman Fred Hampton Way!
In struggle from death row at San Quentin Prison,
Kevin Cooper
*Taken from Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of The United States,”
Chapter 9, “Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation
Without Freedom,” Page 175.
Kevin Cooper is a renowned opponent of the death penalty who
has always maintained his innocence and fought for his own life
as well as the lives of all others sentenced to death. All who can
should pack the courtroom for a hearing on his case scheduled
for Jan. 9 (see the sidebar for details), and meanwhile your words
of encouragement to Kevin would be much appreciated. Write to:
Kevin Cooper, C-65304, 3-EB-82, San Quentin State Prison,
San Quentin CA 94974. Hear an interview with Kevin by Minister
of Information JR’s POCC: Block Report Radio on Flashpoints,
KPFA 94.1 fm, Thursday, Dec. 14, 5-6 p.m., or anytime at
www.flashpoints.net
SIDEBAR:
Kevin Cooper at his preliminary hearing in 1983
Kevin Cooper granted hearing on appeals
by Rebecca Doran, Socialist Action Newspaper
In August the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued
a decision that will allow a public hearing on all 10 appeals filed
by San Quentin Prison death-row inmate Kevin Cooper.
The hearings will be held on Jan. 9, 2007, at 1:30 p.m.
Supporters will gather at 1:00 outside the courthouse:
9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 95 Seventh St.,
San Francisco CA 94103.
Cooper supporters should fill the courtroom to let the justices
view for themselves the growing numbers of abolitionists
who are demanding an end to America’s vicious death machine.
Cooper, an African American, was sent to San Quentin’s
condemned row in 1985 on trumped-up charges that held
him responsible for what has become known as the 1983
Chino Hills, Calif., Massacre. Despite an expert’s opinion
that it would have been virtually impossible for one person
to commit this carnage and overwhelming evidence that the
murders were committed by three white men, Cooper was
tried and convicted in the midst of a racist San Diego circus.
The scene surrounding the courthouse included a toy gorilla
hung in effigy from a noose and signs that read, “Hang the
African troglodyte.” Nearby graffiti read, “Hang the nigger!”
News of the 9th Circuit’s decision to hear Cooper’s appeals
was well received by supporters, who have spent years
fighting for a hearing through which this racist police
frame-up could be exposed.
In February 2004, Cooper was scheduled to die by lethal
injection in San Quentin’s execution chamber, but a last-minute
emergency panel of 11 9th Circuit judges halted the execution
a mere three hours and 42 minutes before Cooper would have
been executed. Their order cited certain pieces of evidence that
would have to be tested before the court would feel comfortable
sending Cooper to the gurney.
No doubt, the independent, international mass movement that
rose up against the scheduled execution had weighed in on the
judges’ decision to halt the legal lynching.
The outcome of these hearings will rest heavily on the shoulders
of the movement. Kevin Cooper will either walk out of San Quentin
as a free man and much loved member of the struggle against
oppression, or he will be sent in shackles to the execution
chamber.
The movement that grew around Stan Tookie Williams’ execution
put the state of California on the defensive, and Big Took’s
appalling fate only continues to seep into the collective attitude
of America’s working class towards the so-called justice system.
The time is now for that movement to swell and move back into the
streets with demands to free Kevin Cooper and end the racist death
penalty; it should strike while the iron is hot and force California’s
crumbling legal system off its deadly throne.
Free Kevin Cooper! Free Mumia Abu-Jamal! End the death penalty!
This story is excerpted and modified from a story
in the Socialist Action Newspaper,
www.socialistaction.org/paper.htm . For more information
on Kevin Cooper, contact
www.myspace.com/freekevincooper
or the Campaign to End the Death Penalty at (510) 333-7966 or
www.savekevincooper.org
To reach the Bay View, email editor@sfbayview.com.
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2) FBI: Recruiters caught in drug probe
December 17, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061217/ap_on_re_us/military_recruiters_cocaine
A dozen Army and Marine recruiters who visited high schools were
among the personnel caught in a major FBI cocaine investigation,
and some were allowed to keep working while under suspicion,
a newspaper reported Sunday.
None of the recruiters was accused of providing drugs to students.
The recruiters, who worked in the Tucson area, were targets of
a federal sting called Operation Lively Green, which ran from 2001
to 2004 and was revealed last year. So far, 69 members of the military,
prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees
have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine.
The Arizona Daily Star reviewed the investigation and court documents
and found that the FBI allowed many recruiters to stay on the job
even though they were targeted by the investigation. Some were
still recruiting three years after they were photographed running
drugs in uniform, the newspaper said.
Most of the recruiters pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March.
Some honorably retired from the military.
The sting began after the FBI received tips that a former Army
National Guardsman was taking bribes to fix military aptitude
tests for recruits, FBI Special Agent Adam Radtke said.
Military officials say they kept the recruiters on the job because
the FBI told them to leave the suspects alone to avoid jeopardizing
the sting. The military said it also didn't know some recruiters were
under investigation, the newspaper reported.
Military officials say the criminal acts by recruiters were rare out
of the thousands of recruiters working across the country. "This
was an isolated incident," said Marine Corps recruiting
spokeswoman Janice Hagar.
A governing board member of the Tucson Unified School District,
Judy Burns, criticized the FBI for allowing the recruiters to stay o
n the job so long.
"It's ludicrous to me that the FBI would leave these people in place
and allow them onto our high school campuses," Burns said.
Special Agent Deb McCarley said the FBI generally performs risk
assessments before deciding to keep suspects who work in public
positions on the job during undercover investigations.
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3) Offer to Invest in Delphi Adds to Pressure on Union
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
December 19, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/business/19delphi.html?ref=business
DETROIT, Dec. 18 — The United Automobile Workers union faces
a difficult choice: reach agreement on concessions with the Delphi
Corporation or risk seeing Delphi lose out on a deal that would
help it emerge from bankruptcy.
A group of private equity firms led by Appaloosa Management
and Cerberus Capital said on Monday that they were willing
to invest at least $1.4 billion and up to $3.4 billion when
Delphi emerges from Chapter 11.
But the offer hinges on Delphi’s reaching a new labor agreement
with its unions, led by the U.A.W., by Jan. 31.
Such an agreement has eluded Delphi since it filed for
bankruptcy protection in October 2005, saying that its
labor rates of about $27 an hour in the United States were
too high to allow it to compete with nonunion companies
who pay much less.
Union members at Delphi were paid essentially the same
wages and benefits as their counterparts at General Motors,
which owned Delphi until a spinoff in 1999.
But Delphi’s chief executive, Robert S. Miller, has proposed
terminating the union’s contract and imposing wages
as low as $12 an hour. The U.A.W. has fought the proposal;
meanwhile, 12,400 workers agreed to buyouts and retirement
incentives of up to $140,000 each this autumn.
On Monday, the U.A.W.’s president, Ron Gettelfinger, showed
no signs that he was in any rush.
Matters affecting Delphi workers “should be settled at the
negotiating table by consent of the parties concerned,
rather than by an order of the bankruptcy court,” Mr. Gettelfinger
said in a statement issued by the union. He added,
“Our membership will be heard.”
For months, U.A.W. members have been airing their displeasure
at Mr. Miller, setting up pickets outside his suburban Detroit
home. But he will not be in his current job much longer.
Delphi said Monday it had named Rodney O’Neal as chief executive,
effective Jan. 1, meaning that he will be overseeing talks with
the U.A.W. Mr. O’Neal is Delphi’s chief operating officer.
Mr. Miller will remain as executive chairman until Delphi
emerges from bankruptcy protection and a new board is formed.
A United States bankruptcy court judge will consider
the investment proposal on Jan. 5.
Five investors, Appaloosa Management, Cerberus Capital,
Harbinger Capital, Merrill Lynch and UBS Securities, would
invest an initial $1.2 billion and purchase $200 million in new
Delphi shares, giving them a 30 percent stake in the auto
parts company when it leaves bankruptcy.
They could spend up to $2 billion more if shareholders
do not participate in a planned rights offering
for 57 million shares.
A full $3.4 billion investment would give the investors 70 percent
of the company. But a Delphi spokeswoman, Claudia Piccinin,
said the company expected at least some of the offering
to be bought by other shareholders.
Delphi also said it had reached agreements with J. P. Morgan
Chase and other lenders to refinance its debtor-in-possession
financing, which it has used to operate while under bankruptcy.
The agreement had been expected. Appaloosa Management,
a $4.5 billion hedge fund led by David Tepper, is Delphi’s
biggest shareholder.
It has been one of the most active players in Delphi’s bankruptcy
case, heading an equity committee. There is also a creditors’
committee established by the bankruptcy court in the case.
Another investor, Cerberus, led a group that recently purchased
a 51 percent stake in the General Motors Acceptance Corporation,
the automaker’s financing arm.
This month, the chief executive of G.M., Rick Wagoner, said he did
not think a deal would be reached among his company, Delphi
and the U.A.W. by the end of the month. Mr. Gettelfinger told
workers last week that there had been little movement in the talks.
The U.A.W.’s contracts with Delphi and the Detroit auto companies
expire next fall and some analysts have speculated that the union
might try to avoid an agreement with Delphi until then. But the
Jan. 31 deadline set by investors could make that strategy
difficult to achieve.
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4) Suit filed to reinstate referendum against Redevelopment Plan
for Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco
SF Bay View
editor@sfbayview.com
[via email...bw]
What a thrilling surprise! While we searched high and low for a lawyer
willing and able to sue the City for throwing out the over 33,000
signatures on our referendum petition against the Bayview Hunters
Point Redevelopment Plan, Brian O'Flynn quietly hired an attorney
and, on Friday, filed the suit. Brian had joined our cause during
the hearings on the Redevelopment Plan because he had lost
property to the City's power of eminent domain and couldn't bear
to see a whole community suffer that agony. His support has
been and continues to be indispensable.
He's calling a press conference for today, Tuesday, Dec. 19 (exactly
three months since the City Attorney threw out our petitions,
infuriating many more San Franciscans than the 33,056 who
had signed them). It's at noon on the steps of San Francisco
City Hall. Despite this last minute notice, let's have a strong
showing.
PLEASE JOIN US IF YOU CAN AND SPREAD THE WORD! Brian's press
release follows, and the lawsuit is about to be sent as a separate
email. (The pdf is evidently too large to send with this message
and has been repeatedly rejected - oh well.)
Attention, all who were poised to grab our land and repeople
our community: BEWARE! YOU'VE AWAKENED THE SLEEPING
GIANT ... WE'RE FIGHTING BACK!
For more info:
Willie Ratcliff, (415) 671-0789 or cell (415) 571-1722
Brian O'Flynn, (415) 867-4370
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5) Perpetual War for Peace?
…Iraq…Iran…& the Corporate Agenda
http://www.traprockpeace.org/traprock_video/index.php/2006/12/16/perpetual-war-for-peace-part-1/
This feature length television program - with internationally known
experts Antonia Juhasz, Rostam Pourzal, and Raed Jarrar- is now
available for online viewing at
http://www.traprockpeace.org/traprock_video/
Traprock Peace Center produced this program (also available as a DVD)
on November 3, 2006, featuring speakers with the Just Foreign Policy
tour - www.justforeignpolicy.org
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org
Sunny Miller served as Moderator and Executive Producer. See
speaker biographies below. This 1 hour and 45 minute program
includes audience discussion.
If you would like a DVD of this entire program, contact Traprock
Peace Center at 413-773-7427.
“Perpetual War for Peace?” …Iraq…Iran…& the Corporate Agenda"
also featured an exhibit of 15 photographs of Iraq, Iran and
Lebanon by photojournalists.
These remarkable speakers and the photo display toured
throughout the Northeast, Nov. 1-12.
Speaker Biographies
Antonia Juhasz, activist, author, and policy-analyst
Antonia Juhasz is a visiting scholar at the Washington, DC-based
Institute for Policy Studies and author of The Bush Agenda: Invading
the World, One Economy at a Time (REGAN, HarperCollins, 2006).
The Bush Agenda has been described as “a resounding call to action,”
by John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.
The Organizer, one of India’s largest newspapers, called it “A meticulous
expose of corporate America’s intentions in the Gulf.” Juhasz reveals
the “oil time-line” now driving the end of the war and the corporate
globalization agenda in Iraq and throughout the Middle East while
offering specific actions we can take today to change the course
of history.
Juhasz served previously as the project director of the International
Forum on Globalization and as a legislative assistant to two United
States Members of Congress. A frequent media commentator and
award-winning writer, her work has appeared in dozens of newspapers
and publications including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post,
and New York Times. She is a contributing author to Alternatives
to Economic Globalization: A Better World is Possible (Berrett-Koehler,
2004) and the forthcoming book, A Game as Old as Empire
(Berrett-Koehler, 2007). She lives in San Francisco.
Rostam Pourzal, President of the U.S. branch of the Campaign
Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
Rostam Pourzal is an independent researcher and organizer for
human rights and is the president of the US branch of the Campaign
Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran. He advocates
direct and sustained dialog without pre-conditions between Iran
and the United States. Mr. Pourzal visits Iran regularly and has
served on the boards of several Iranian-American organizations.
He has been interviewed on dozens of well-known broadcasts,
including CNN International, Pacifica Radio, Aljazeera, and MSNBC.
In 2004, he worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation to send
two goodwill delegations (three dozen American citizens) to Iran.
That ground-breaking initiative was widely reported on BBC,
CNN, and other world media.
Raed Jarrar, Iraq Project Director at Global Exchange, architect
Raed Jarrar was in Iraq during and after the 2003 invasion, and
took part in a number of humanitarian and political projects there
including two first-hand experiences in establishing and leading
volunteer grassroots organizations and NGOs based in Iraq. Raed
Jarrar was the Country Director of CIVIC Worldwide, the only door
to-door casualty survey in Iraq after the US invasion in 2003.
He also established an NGO called “Emaar” that carried out work
in Baghdad and the nine cities of the south, coordinating with local
authorities, community leaders and other NGOs. He maintains
a popular web-log that includes analysis and news summaries
regarding Iraq and the Middle East. In addition, Raed promotes
The Iraq Reconciliation Plan, proposed by the Iraqi Parliament
in June 2006. Raed Jarrar most recently was part of a Global Exchange
delegation that brought together citizen activists from the US
and current Iraqi Parliamentarians in Jordan to share information
and strategies for ending the war. Find more at:
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com
Photo Exhibit by Award Winning Photo Journalists
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/tour/photos.html
(For permission to use photographs, please contact Just
Foreign Policy, 202 448-2898. When permission is granted,
please attribute appropriately.)
Lynsey Addario
Photojournalist from the United States sharing images from
Iraq. Addario’s work has been featured in the New York Times,
Associated Press, Time Magazine, Newsweek, among others.
Addario’s photo essays from Iraq, Darfur, India, Afghanistan,
Pakistan and Mexico have won her accolades around the globe.
Now based in Istanbul, Turkey, Addario is documenting conflict,
human interest stories, and people throughout the Middle
East and Africa.
Mohammad Kheirkhah
Photojournalist from Iran sharing images from Iran. Kheirkhah
is a freelance photographer working for United Press International
in Tehran. He is also a contributor photographer to document
IRAN Images.
Andrew Stern
Photojournalist based in New York City sharing recent images
of the war in Lebanon. Stern has photographed in over 20 countries
and his award winning work has appeared in The Guardian Weekend
Magazine, Readers Digest, Harper’s Magazine, The New York Times,
Internazionale, and many other publications domestically and
internationally. Stern is committed to documenting critical social
and political issues and is co-author of We Are Everywhere:
The Irresistible Rise of Global Anticapitalism Verso 2003.
Ramin Talaie
Photojournalist born in Iran now based in Brooklyn, New York
sharing images from Iran. Talaie has been published in The Guardian,
the New York Times, among others.
Copyright notice: This video is © 2006 Traprock Peace Center; all rights
reserved. Permission granted to copy in full only, without changes
and with attributions, for free distribution only, and notice that it is
used with permission of Traprock Peace Center, all rights reserved.
Such use does not require prior permission, but does require notice
to Traprock so we may gauge the reach of our programs. For notice,
questions or permissions, including requests for a DVD of this program,
contact: charles@traprockpeace.org or call Traprock at 413-773-7427.
Charles Jenks
Chair of Advisory Board
Traprock Peace Center
103 Keets Road
Deerfield, MA 01342
http://www.traprockpeace.org
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6) Indict, Convict, & Jail the Killer Cops!
Stop the Raids and Intimidation Against the Community!
Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation!
No more Stolen Lives!
[This is only one of at least four demonstrations scheduled this week
throughout New York. Too many have suffered at the hands of the
NYPD. I hope these demonstrations are massive...bw]
The October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the
Criminalization of a Generation calls on you to join in a
M A S S P R O T E S T
Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 6pm
Corner of Archer Avenue & Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens
(E/J/Z train to Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue)
Sean Bell ˆ a 23-year-old Black man executed in a hail of 50 police bullets
hours before his wedding in Jamaica, Queens; 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston,
shot and killed by Atlanta police who broke down her door and invaded
her home on a bogus drug bust -- The list of Stolen Lives, killed by law
enforcement agents nationwide, has been growing at an alarming rate.
These cases do not represent just "a few bad apples" or some isolated
incidents. It's a nationwide epidemic of police brutality and murder.
THIS MUST STOP. And it's only the people that can stop it ˆ through
massive, determined protest in the streets and other actions.
Family members of the long line of victims of police murder will expose
the crimes of the police and prosecutors and demand justice for
Sean Bell and all other victims of police brutality. As Nicholas Heyward,
Sr., whose 13-year-old son Nicholas Jr. was murdered by the NYPD in
1994, said, "I have no faith in a system that has allowed the cops who
murdered my son and so many others to escape prosecution. The only
way to stop police brutality is to expose the horrors of the system
and build resistance against a system that continues to exonerate
killer cops, regardless of how the clear the evidence against them is.
Come out and be part of this massive protest to demand justice
for Sean Bell."
Add your voice to this struggle for justice.
Phone (toll free): 866-235-7814
E-mail: oct22ny@yahoo.com
mailto:oct22ny@yahoo.com
Website: october22-ny.org
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7) Why we stand for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq
Chomsky, Zinn et al: US Out of Iraq Now!
please sign and circulate widely
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow/
THE U.S. occupation of Iraq has not liberated the
Iraqi people, but has made life worse for most Iraqis.
Tens of thousands of U.S. service people have been
killed or maimed, and hundreds of thousands of
innocent Iraqis have lost their lives as a result of
the U.S. invasion in 2003, the ongoing occupation, and
the violence unleashed by them.
Iraq’s infrastructure has been destroyed, and U.S.
plans for reconstruction abandoned. There is less
electricity, less clean drinking water, and more
unemployment today than before the U.S. invasion.
All of the justifications initially provided by the
U.S. for waging war on Iraq have been exposed as lies;
the real reasons for the invasion — to control Iraq’s
oil reserves and to increase U.S. strategic influence
in the region — now stand revealed.
The Bush administration has insisted again and again
that stability, democracy, and prosperity are around
the next bend in the road. But with each day that the
U.S. stays, the violence and lack of security facing
Iraqis worsen. The U.S. says that it cannot withdraw
its military because Iraq will collapse into civil war
if it does. But the U.S. has deliberately stoked
sectarian divisions in its ongoing attempt to install
a U.S.-friendly regime, thus driving Iraq towards
civil war.
The November elections in the United States sent a
clear message that voters reject the Iraq war, and
opinion polls show that seven in 10 Iraqis want the
U.S. to leave sooner rather than later. Even most U.S.
military and political leaders agree that staying the
course in Iraq is a policy that is bound to fail.
Yet all the various alternative plans for Iraq now
being discussed in Washington, including those
proposed by House and Senate Democrats, aren’t about
withdrawing the U.S. military from Iraq. Rather, these
strategies are about continuing the pursuit of U.S.
goals in Iraq and the larger Middle East using
different means.
Even the proposal to redeploy U.S. troops outside of
Iraq, a plan favored by many Democratic Party leaders,
envisions continued U.S. intervention inside Iraq.
With former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
insisting that a military victory in Iraq is no longer
possible and (Ret.) Lt. Gen. William Odom calling for
“complete withdrawal” of all U.S. troops, the antiwar
movement should demand no less than the immediate
withdrawal of the U.S. military — as well as
reparations to the Iraqi people, so they can rebuild
their own society and genuinely determine their own
future.
We call on the U.S. to get out of Iraq — not in six
months, not in a year, but now.
Ali Abunimah
ElectronicIraq.net
Gilbert Achcar
Author - Clash of Barbarisms
Michael Albert
Znet
Tariq Ali
Author - Bush in Babylon
Anthony Arnove
Author - Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal
Noam Chomsky
Author - Hegemony or Survival
Kelly Dougherty
Executive Director - Iraq Veterans Against the War*
Eve Ensler
Playwright - The Vagina Monologues
Eduardo Galeano
Author - The Open Veins of Latin America
Rashid Khalidi
Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies
Columbia University
Camilo Mejía
First Iraq War resister to refuse deployment
Arundhati Roy
Author - God of Small Things
Howard Zinn
Author - A People’s History of the United States
###
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8) Only the Jailers Are Safe
New York Times Editorial
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/opinion/20wed1.html?hp
Ever since the world learned of the lawless state of American military
prisons in Iraq, the administration has hidden behind the claim that
only a few bad apples were brutalizing prisoners. President Bush also
has dodged the full force of public outrage because the victims were
foreigners, mostly Muslims, captured in what he has painted as a war
against Islamic terrorists bent on destroying America.
This week, The Times published two articles that reminded us again
that the American military prisons are profoundly and systemically
broken and that no one is safe from the summary judgment and
harsh treatment institutionalized by the White House and the
Pentagon after 9/11.
On Monday, Michael Moss wrote about a U.S. contractor who was
swept up in a military raid and dumped into a system where everyone
is presumed guilty and denied any chance to prove otherwise.
Donald Vance, a 29-year-old Navy veteran from Chicago, was
a whistle-blower who prompted the raid by tipping off the F.B.I.
to suspicious activity at the company where he worked, including
possible weapons trafficking. He was arrested and held for 97 days
— shackled and blindfolded, prevented from sleeping by blaring
music and round-the-clock lights. In other words, he was subjected
to the same mistreatment that thousands of non-Americans have
been subjected to since the 2003 invasion.
Even after the military learned who Mr. Vance was, they continued
to hold him in these abusive conditions for weeks more. He was
not allowed to defend himself at the Potemkin hearing held to
justify his detention. And that was special treatment. As an
American citizen, he was at least allowed to attend his hearing.
An Iraqi, or an Afghani, or any other foreigner, would have been
barred from the room.
This is not the handiwork of a few out-of-control sadists at Abu
Ghraib. This is a system that was created and operated outside
American law and American standards of decency. Except for
the few low-ranking soldiers periodically punished for abusing
prisoners, it is a system without any accountability.
Yesterday, David Johnston reported that nearly 20 cases in which
civilian contractors were accused of abusing detainees have been
sent to the Justice Department. So far, the record is perfect:
not a single indictment.
Administration officials said that prosecutors were hobbled by
a lack of evidence and witnesses, or that the military’s cases were
simply shoddy. This sounds like another excuse from an administration
that has papered over prisoner abuse and denied there is any connection
between Mr. Bush’s decision to flout the Geneva Conventions and the
repeated cases of abuse and torture. We hope the new Congress will
be more aggressive on this issue than the last one, which was more
bent on preserving the Republican majority than preserving American
values and rights. The lawless nature of Mr. Bush’s war on terror
has already cost the nation dearly in terms of global prestige,
while increasing the risks facing every American serving in the military.
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9) Bush Concedes Iraq War More Difficult Than He Expected
By JOHN HOLUSHA
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/washington/20cnd-prexy.html?hp&ex=1166677200&en=51f2a36039e215ed&ei=5094&partner=homepage
President Bush acknowledged today that the war in Iraq has been
more difficult than he anticipated, but insisted that it could still
be won. He said the “extremists and radicals” behind the bombing
and attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq “can’t run us out
of the Middle East.”
Speaking at a White House news conference, Mr. Bush said he
would await the results of a review of the administration’s policy
on Iraq before announcing a new strategy for the “war on terrorism.”
But he said he would support a measure to send a surge of fresh
troops to the country, as long as there was “a specific mission”
for the additional forces. He also said it was essential to “adjust
tactics” in Iraq and have Iraqis “do more soon.”
The president also said he had asked his new defense secretary,
Robert M. Gates, to explore increasing the “permanent size”
of the United States Army and the Marine Corps.
“We have an obligation to ensure our military has the capacity
to sustain this war over the long haul,” the president said.
He acknowledged that his hand might be forced by the
Democratic-controlled Congress when it convenes in January.
“People in Congress are interested in this issue,” he said.
Although his tone was restrained, Mr. Bush did express confidence
in the ultimate outcome in Iraq. Responding to a question about
a remark he made in an interview with The Washington Post that
America is not winning, he said, “I believe we are going to win.
I believe that — and, by the way, if I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t
have our troops there. That’s what you got to know. We’re going
to succeed.”
On the domestic front, Mr. Bush said he would support a $2.10 increase
in the minimum wage, a top Democratic issue, over two years, as long
as it was coupled with tax and regulatory relief for small business.
On Iraq, Mr. Bush said he would not make predictions about 2007
other than to say that the war “would require difficult choices and
additional sacrifices because the enemy is merciless and violent.”
The president said he was willing to talk to Iran and Syria, as advocated
recently by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, but only with conditions.
He said Iran would have to stop its program to enrich uranium, which
could allow it to develop nuclear weapons, before discussions could begin.
Syria, he said, would have to stop sending funds to insurgents in Iraq
and stop interfering in neighboring Lebanon.
Mr. Bush said he was willing to study what went wrong in Iraq as part
of the effort to adjust tactics in the country. The “sectarian violence
is brutal” between the country’s Islamic sects, he said.
The president is expected to announce the specifics of the
administration’s new plan for Iraq early next year.
As the president spoke, his new defense secretary was in Baghdad,
where he planned to meet with military leaders and Iraqi officials
to assess the situation as the administration considers new strategies.
Mr. Gates has warned that an American failure in Iraq could lead
to a wider regional conflict in the Middle East.
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10) Why Unions Must Support The Immigrant Rights Movement
By Karega Hart
Guest Commentator
http://www.blackcommentator.com/210/210_unions_immigrant_rights_hart_guest.html
"The essence of trade unionism is social uplift. The labor movement
has been the haven for the dispossessed, the despised, the neglected,
the downtrodden, the poor."
- A. Philip Randolph
When A. Phillip Randolph spoke the above words during the
20th century, he was the leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping
Car Porters. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was a union
mainly of African American workers. Other unions refused to
organize African American workers and accused African
Americans of taking jobs, lowering wages and strikebreaking.
Today’s labor movement is faced with some of the same
challenges, should we organize the dispossessed, the neglected,
downtrodden and the poor? Should we organize undocumented
immigrant workers? Should we continue to organize African
American workers? The U.S. Labor Movement can not survive
unless we are willing to organize undocumented immigrant
workers, African American workers, Latinos and women
throughout the South and the Southwest, everywhere. Union
density will continue to decline, unless organizing is escalated
and combined with a broad new social and economic justice
vision and agenda.
In 1955, organized labor was 35% of the workforce, today it
is only 12.5% of the workforce. Technological changes, combined
with the moving of work abroad and other factors has contributed
to the decimation of union density. High wages and benefits cannot
be sustained for any union as long as undocumented immigrant
workers, African Americans, Latinos and the poor remain outside
the organized labor movement. Union members should be tireless
supporters of the immigrant rights movement and advocate support
for civil and human rights struggles. Standing along side undocumented
workers, for civil and human rights should be seen as a badge of honor
in unions and not issues that organized workers reluctantly support.
But this will not happen unless discussion, debate and education
takes place at the deepest roots of the Labor Movement. Avoiding
discussions and debates on immigrant rights, and organizing the
poor and workers of color, will only lead the Labor Movement
further and further into self-centeredness and decline.
While expanding union-worker membership is important, we must
stand firmly on the side of those in the fight for social and economic
justice, concretely this means supporting the rights of undocumented
immigrant workers, African American workers, Latinos, women,
and the poor. The organized Labor Movement must do more than
fight for the rights of union members. Masses of people, most are
workers, many are women and workers of color, all are being forced
into poverty. Organized labor cannot win in a fight with Global
Corporations without allies from other exploited and oppressed
classes and communities.
Does The Organized Labor Movement Have Enemies?
Many union members have been educated to believe that the system
of Global capitalism supports the existence of trade unionism
and will assist hard working American workers. Workers have been
taught that problems in the organized labor movement exist
because we just have some bad employers.
Today’s Global Capitalist and neo-liberals see unionism as their
class enemy and are committed to putting the nails in the coffin
of organized labor. Shallow discussions among union members
about bad employers will not raise the level of awareness
of workers concerning the true nature of the problems that
workers and the oppressed are facing.
Intense, deep and substantive discussions need to be held
at work sites, schools and communities about immigration
reform and rights. Avoiding the discussion on immigration
reform will only contribute to further weakening of the organized
labor movement, the attacks on immigrants and the erosion
of worker/civil and human rights. The real enemy of organized
labor is not immigrants, it is Global Capitalism. Global Capitalism
continually drives workers from poorer countries abroad,
displaces more workers and forces them into deeper and
deeper poverty.
Immigrant Rights Are Workers' Rights
Immigrants are fighting for basic rights, such as the right to
organize, equal wages and benefits and a path to citizenship
without obstacles and more. Immigrant bashing, violence,
exclusion and discrimination is as deadly as White Supremacy.
Make no mistake, these attacks are meant to crush the spirit and
subjugate and neutralize union and unorganized workers. The Labor
Movement has an opportunity to rise up and play a leading role
in the fight for the rights of immigrants. And, the Labor Movement
should never forget the unfinished business of organizing and
fighting for the rights of the millions of African American workers
and Latino workers in the South and Southwest.
Karega Hart is a member of the Bay Area Black Radical Congress
and a Labor Activist in the Oakland/San- Francisco, California
area. Click here
http://www.blackcommentator.com/contact_forms/karega_hart/gbcf_form.php
to contact Mr. Hart.
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11) Troops Out Now Coalition
The Decisive Battle this Spring -
The Challenge for the Antiwar Movement
March on Washington
On Jan. 27 and March 17 (the 4th Anniversary of the War)
How You Can Help:
Endorse the call for unity for March 17
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/mar17endorse.html
Volunteer
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/mar17volunteer.html
Become an OrganizingCenter
http://troopsoutnow.org/mar17orgcentsignup.html
Donate
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/donate.html
WE MUST FORCE CONGRESS TO
CUT OFF WAR FUNDING
And we can if we move from symbolic protest to mass resistance
Not One MoreDollar for War and Occupation!
Bring ALL theTroops Home Now!
Forcing Congress to vote to cut off further war funding is the
defining issue for the antiwar movement this spring and it is
a struggle that we can win if we are bold enough to take
it seriously.
The Troops Out Now Coalition
http://www.troopsoutnow.org
calls on everyone to join the antiwar march on January 27...and
come back on March 17...and come ready to STAY in DC!
ON MARCH 17, ASSEMBLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND MARCH
TO THE U.S. CONGRESS -- AND STAY THERE UNTIL THEY CUT
OFF WAR FUNDING
An Appeal for Unity in the Antiwar Movement
Our chance of winning are greater if the antiwar coalitions unite!
A crucial factor in our ability as a movement to rise to this challenge
is the willingness for all antiwar forces nationwide--especially the
national coalitions--to renew a commitment to work for unity with
each other. We appeal to all antiwar forces to take the high road
and work together this Spring. The time has come for us to
coordinate our efforts, and avoid competing dates and plans.
If we work and plan together--our chances of success will
be greater.
More than at any time since the start of war, the antiwar movement
is in a position to force congress to vote no on war funding.
The people are on our side, the momentum is on our side, the
whole world is on our side; the only question is whether we have
the conviction and the courage to take our struggle against the
war from the level of symbolic protest to real mass resistance.
Some time between now and early February, Bush is going to ask
Congress to approve between $130 to $200 billion more dollars
to finance the war to add to the close to a half a trillion dollars
in war funding Congress has approved in a series of votes over
the past three and a half years.
Sometime between February and May 2007, Congress will vote
nay or yea to this request. This vote will be the most important
war vote in Congress since a majority of both Republican and
Democratic Party members of Congress voted to authorize
the war in
Clearly, Congress has the authority to cut off spending for the
war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and effectively make it impossible
for the criminal carnage to continue. What makes the next war
funding vote different from all the previous ones is that on
Nov. 7, people voted to end the war.
As a result of the massive antiwar vote, Democratic Party
politicians will take control of both houses of Congress on
January 4. When that happens, the authority to either carry
out the mandate of the elections to end the war and occupation
of Iraq by completely cutting off all war funding or to betray
the people by approving more funds to continue it, will shift
to the leadership of the Democratic party.
The top Democratic Party leaders in Congress have already
indicated that they are preparing to betray the antiwar mandate.
Some members of Congress say they will support resolutions
introduced in Congress that call for a phased redeployment of
troops from Iraq or a time table for withdrawing most troops.
But such resolutions are little more than symbolic, half- measures
that won’t end the war. However, the real fight is the war funding
vote and we must force Congress to vote NO.
In the past, members of Congress who claimed to be opposed
to the war have justified their votes for war funding by claiming
they had to keep up the funding to “support the troops”. It’s
time for us to reject all excuses and rationalizations for voting
for war funding. A vote for war funding is a VOTE FOR WAR.
Moreover, voting to approve more funds for war will only ensure
that more U.S. troops and many more Iraqis will be killed
and maimed.
IN MARCH – WE MUST BE READY TO STAY IN WASHINGTON
We will be in Washington on January 27 and we will come back
on March 17. And when we come back in March, this time we
must be prepared to stay there in the thousands to force Congress
to vote NO on more war funding. If Congress tries to rush a vote
on war funding before March 17, this time we must be prepared
to come to Washington in mass to make sure that the war
funding is voted down.
PAY THE PEOPLES’ BILLS - NOT FOR WAR & OCCUPATION; BRING
YOUR BILLS WITH YOU TO WASHINGTON
We are asking people to bring their medical, rent, heating and
utility bills; student loan bills; credit card bills, and food bills that
they can’t afford to pay as well as shut-off notices, mortgage
foreclosures, eviction notices to the march on Washington. It must
be made clear to Congress that feeding more money to the war while
more and more people cannot pay for their basic living expenses
is a crime. The cost of the war is not the only reason why we oppose
the war. We oppose the war because it is an imperialist war for
colonial conquest and plunder. Yet the cost of the war is important
because it’s paid for by money stolen from providing social needs.
The money that has paid for death and destruction in Iraq could
have gone towards reconstruction in New Orleans and the Gulf
Coast after Hurricane Katrina.
In his famous speech declaring his opposition to the Vietnam war
almost 40 years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “It is disgraceful
that a Congress that can vote upwards of $35 billion a year for
a senseless immoral war in Vietnam cannot vote a weak $2 billion
dollars to carry on our all too feeble efforts to bind up the wound
of our nation’s 35 million poor. This is nothing short of a Congress
engaging in political guerilla warfare against the defenseless poor
of our nation…”
MARCH AGAINST THE WAR AT HOME
STOP RACIST POLICE TERROR - STOP THE RAIDS AGAINST
IMMIGRANT WORKERS
As we march to end the war abroad, we must also demand an end
to the war at home. We must demand an end to the raids on
immigrant workers like the recent massive military raid carried
out by thousands of Homeland Security/Immigration and Custom
Enforcement police on mostly Latin@ workers at six Swift and Co.
meat processing plants. We must demand an end to the racist police
brutality and terror that recently killed 23 year-old unarmed Sean
Bell in New York City and 93 year-old Kathryn Johnston in Atlanta,
both of them African American.
Immediate, Unconditional and Complete Withdrawal from Iraq--Out Now!
End Colonial Occupation and Imperialist Aggression from Africa
to Asia, from Iraqto Palestine, to Afghanistan, to Haiti, to the
Philippines, to Puerto Rico
No New WarsAgainst Iran, Syria, North Korea
Hands Off Cuba,Venezuela, Bolivia, & Lebanon
Solidarity withImmigrant Workers and Katrina Survivors
Stop the War atHome -- Stop Racist Police Terror -- Stop ICE raids
MilitaryRecruiters Out of Our Schools and Communities -- No Draft
--Education, Not War
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LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES
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Marines Charged in Killing of 24 Iraqi Civilians
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122106R.shtml
Agency to Test Military Draft Machinery
By KASIE HUNT
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 21, 2006; 9:45 PM
http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dyn/content/ article/2006/ 12/21/AR20061221 01327.html
"I'm Jealous of Cuba"
An Interview with Gore Vidal
By ROSA MARIAM ELIZALDE
Havana
December 21, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.com/mariam12212006.html
Chavez Landslide Tops All In US History
by Stephen Lendman
Wednesday, 20 December 2006
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/490/81/
URGENT Support is requested from Dine Elders and Youth!
Sithe Global & DPA are proposing to build the Desert Rock
power plant, a 1,500 MW Coal Fired plant in the Four Corners
area on the Navajo Reservation. This is an area already polluted
by 2 other major coal power plants. Local Navajo residence and
community members oppose this project for many harmful
reasons!! This Desert Rock power plant is still in the environmental
review process and has NOT yet been permitted.
http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org/urgent_Dine121406.html
Bush "Developing Illegal Bioterror Weapons"
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/122006R.shtml
Climate Change vs Mother Nature: Scientists reveal that bears
have stopped hibernating
Bears have stopped hibernating in the mountains of northern Spain,
scientists revealed yesterday, in what may be one of the strongest
signals yet of how much climate change is affecting the natural world.
December 21, 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2091875.ece
Raising the Floor on Pay
By LOUIS UCHITELLE
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/business/20minwage.html?ref=business
Goldman CEO's $53.4M Bonus Breaks Record
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Goldman-Sachs-Bonuses.html
Goldman Chairman Gets a Bonus of $53.4 Million
By JENNY ANDERSON
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/business/20wall.html?ref=business
Fear and Hope in Immigrant’s Furtive Existence
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
December 20, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/20/us/20veronica.html?hp&ex=1166677200&en=e9be2f8580c85b6c&ei=5094&partner=homepage
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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS (IN FULL DETAIL)
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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BARRIO UNIDO FOR GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL!
EMERGENCY PICKET LINE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007, 4:00 - 7:00 P.M.
FEDERAL BUILDING
450 GOLDEN GATE AVE.
BETWEEN POLK AND LARKIN STREETS, S.F.
STOP THE ICE RAIDS! FREE THE WORKERS!
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!
THE WORKERS SHOULD GET THEIR JOBS BACK!
WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE, GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL! DEFEND THE RIGHT OF
ALL WORKERS TO ORGANIZE UNIONS IN THEIR OWN DEFENSE!
All human beings have basic, inalienable human rights to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. If your family is starving and you
can not find work, you have the right to find someplace where you can
feed, clothe and house your family.
If capital can go all over the world exploiting workers, then workers
have the right to move to find work for their family's basic survival.
IMMIGRANT WORKERS ARE GUILTY OF NOTHING
BUT WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR FAMILIES.
From South America, Latin America, China, Africa, India--in countries
all over the world, not to speak of the war in Iraq--a war of blood
for oil--U.S. businesses are raking in huge profits off the backs of workers
who earn slave wages and work under the most dangerous working conditions
at best, and under a state of war at worse.
Meanwhile, here at home, they are laying off workers, closing factories, doing
away with benefits and working conditions won by worker's struggles
in the past--installing two, three, many-tiered pay scales--driving down
wages to below the scale parents are earning--leaving our children
with the heritage of a guaranteed life of poverty without union
representation.
WORKERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE UNIONS!
And now they launch an all-out war against the most vulnerable workers
--who are driven to work in these meatpacking plants. Whether
documented or not, this is brutal, dangerous and difficult work.
And not so coincidentally, these same workers just happen
to be in the midst of a fight to win union recognition!
THESE ARRESTS ARE A THREAT TO ALL WORKERS
AND ALL UNIONS!
These mass arrests are terrorist tactics designed as a warning
to all workers that if they struggle for a better life and better
working conditions, they will be persecuted in every way
imaginable.
This is an all-out assault on every worker and it is being
executed by a terrorist government--the U.S. Government--
who uses pre-emptive war based upon outright lies to further
their oil profits; who will stop at nothing to increase their
rate of profit.
The ultimate goal of the U.S. Government is for American big
business to continue to accumulate unimaginable wealth
at the expense of the hardworking majority all over the
world--nothing is off-limits to them in this, their fundamental
pursuit!
STOP THE ICE RAIDS! FREE THE WORKERS!
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!
THE WORKERS SHOULD GET THEIR JOBS BACK!
WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE, GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL! DEFEND THE RIGHT OF
ALL WORKERS TO ORGANIZE UNIONS IN THEIR OWN DEFENSE!
An injury to one is an injury to all! We are only as strong as our
weakest link. If we allow these terrorists from ICE to continue
to carry out these assaults against the basic human rights
of any of us--no matter what our immigration status--they
will not hesitate one second to use these same tactics of mass
firings, arrest, etc. against all of us who dare to struggle
in our own defense and in our own, basic human interests and
for our own basic rights as workers and human beings!
It's up to us to organize and fight back! If we are united, we cannot loose!
WE ENCOURAGE ALL WORKERS AND ALL LABOR AND COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS TO ENDORSE THIS ACTION AND COME OUT TO
PICKET THE FEDERAL BUILDING TO PROTEST THESE RAIDS!
BRING YOUR OWN BANNERS AND SIGNS!
For more information contact:
Barrio Unido por una Amnistia
General e Incondicional
Cristina Gutierrez,
415-431-9925
companeros98@hotmail.com
Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org
415-824-8730
bonnieweinstein@yahoo.com
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ACT NOW TO END THE WAR!
SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2007
Washington, D.C.
VOLUNTEER Live in NYC or DC? We need your help
before and during the protest. Call 212-868-5545
STAYINFORMED Visit www.unitedforpeace.org for
updated information and to sign up for our action alerts
DONATE Whether you can contribute $10, $100, or
$1000, we need your support to help end the war!
Call 212-866-5545 or visit www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
Join us for a massive
march on Washington
to tell the new Congress:
unitedforpeace&justice
www.unitedforpeace.org (212)868-5545
On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic,
unmistakable mandate for peace. Now it's time for action.
On Jan. 27, 2007, help send a strong, clear message to
Congress and the Bush Administration:
Bring the troops home now!
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MARCH ON THE PENTAGON
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007
U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW
From Iraq to New Orleans, Fund the People's Needs NOT THE
WAR MACHINE! End Colonial Occupation: Iraq, Palestine, Haiti and
everywhere! Shut Down Guantanamo
AnswerCoalition.org
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UFPJ calls for march on DC Sat, Jan. 27, local
actions on March 17
www.unitedforpeace. org
212-868-5545
Please forward widely!
Tell the New Congress:
Act NOW to Bring the Troops Home!
Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington ,
D.C. , on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate
action to end the war.
On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate
for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
converge from all around the country in Washington , D.C. to send a
strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The
people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and
we want the troops brought home now!
Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who
are prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure
those who are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who
remain tied to a failed policy.
The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington ,
DC , to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
1) Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and
help give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring
for peace.
2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
January 27th.
3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
Click here to add your endorsement.
4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
transportation, housing, etc.
5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling
for local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will
soon be issuing more information about the plans for the 4th
anniversary.
Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
today.
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
www.unitedforpeace. org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace. org/email
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LYNNE STEWART AND MICHAEL RATNER IN BAY AREA
FEBRUARY 23-25 (Lynne and her husband Ralph will
stay on several more days. Stay tuned for complete
schedule of events.)
Dear Friends of Lynne Stewart,
I am pleased to announce that Lynne Stewart and Michael Ratner have
just accepted our invitation to tour the Bay Area. The confirmed
dates are February 23-25, 2007. Lynne, accompanied by her husband
Ralph Poynter, will stay on several more days for additional meetings.
In solidarity,
Jeff Mackler,
West Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
Co-Coordinator, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
O: 415-255-1080
Cell: 510-387-7714
H: 510-268-9429
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May Day 2007
National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers!
Web: http://www.MayDay2007.net
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990
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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
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A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
Join us in a campaign to expose and stop the use of these illegal weapons
http://poisondust.org/
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You may enjoy watching these.
In struggle
Che:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqcezl9dD2c
Leon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukkFVV5X0p4
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FIGHTBACK! A Collection of Socialist Essays
By Sylvia Weinstein
http://www.walterlippmann.com/sylvia-weinstein-fightback-intro.html
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URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS.
Call for action to save Iraq's Academics
A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic
liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative
estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many
hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country
in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain,
the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the
US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences
for the future of Iraq.
http://www.brussellstribunal.org/
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END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?
JServSessionIdr003=cga2p2o6x1.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=177
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ENDORSE THE A.N.S.W.E.R. CALL TO ACTION
March 17-18, 2007
GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON THE
4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/Survey?
SURVEY_ID=3400&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&JServSessionIdr011=
k7a3443r73.app8a
http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage
Please circulate widely
www.answercoalition.org
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Sand Creek Massacre
Hello, Everyone,
On November 29, 1864, 700 Colorado troops savagely slaughtered
over 450 Cheyenne children, disabled, elders, and women in the
southeastern Colorado Territory under its protection. This act
became known as the Sand Creek Massacre. This film project
("The Sand Creek Massacre" documentary film project) is an
examination of an open wound in the souls of the Cheyenne
people as told from their perspective. This project chronicles
that horrific 19th century event and its affect on the 21st century
struggle for respectful coexistence between white and native
plains cultures in the United States of America.
Listed below are links on which you can click to get the latest news,
products, and view, free, "THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" award-
winning documentary short. In order to create more native
awareness, particularly to save the roots of America's history,
please read the following:
Some people in America are trying to save the world. Bless
them. In the meantime, the roots of America are dying.
What happens to a plant when the roots die? The plant dies
according to my biology teacher in high school. American's
roots are its native people. Many of America's native people
are dying from drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, hunger,
and disease, which was introduced to them by the Caucasian
male. Tribal elders are dying. When they die, their oral
histories go with them. Our native's oral histories are the
essence of the roots of America, what took place before
our ancestors came over to America, what is taking place,
and what will be taking place. It is time we replenish
America's roots with native awareness, else America
continues its decaying, and ultimately, its death.
You can help. The 22-MINUTE SAND CREEK MASSACRE
DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION/EDUCATIONAL DVD IS
READY FOR PURCHASE! (pass the word about this powerful
educational tool to friends, family, schools, parents, teachers,
and other related people and organizations to contact
me (dvasicek@earthlink.net, 303-903-2103) for information
about how they can purchase the DVD and have me come
to their children's school to show the film and to interact
in a questions and answers discussion about the Sand
Creek Massacre.
Happy Holidays!
Donald L. Vasicek
Olympus Films+, LLC
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Vasicek,+Don
http://www.donvasicek.com
dvasicek@earthlink.net
303-903-2103
"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FEATURED AT NATIVE AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/local/16035305.htm
(scroll down when you get there])
"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING
WRITER/FILMMAKER DONALD L. VASICEK REPORT:
http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/sandcreekmassacre.html
"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FINALIST IN DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL COMPETITION (VIEW HERE):
http://www.docupyx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=41
VIEW "THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FILM MOVIE OF THE WEEK FOR FREE HERE:
http://twymancreative.com/twymanc.html
SHOP:
http://www.manataka.org/page633.html
BuyIndies.com
donvasicek.com.
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MUST SEE: PBS VIDEO NOTEBOOK: A DAY AT THE PLANT
NOW's Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa takes us inside the
world's largest pork processing plant, located in Tar Heel, North
Carolina. As the first TV journalist ever allowed to film inside the
plant, owned by The Smithfield Packing Company, Hinojosa gives
us an insider's view of what conditions are like in a plant that
slaughters over 33,000 hogs per day.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/250/smithfield.html
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Rights activist held in Oaxaca prison
Three students arrested and held incommunicado in Oaxaca
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/80142.html
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TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
www.bauaw.org
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The following quote is from the 1918 anti-war speech delivered
in Canton, Ohio, by Eugene Debs. The address, protesting World War I,
resulted in Debs being arrested and imprisoned on charges of espionage.
The speech remains one of the great expressions of the militancy and
internationalism of the US working class.
His appeal, before sentencing, included one of his best-known quotes:
"...while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal
element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."
Read the complete speech at:
http://douglassarchives.org/debs_a78.htm
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!VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
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My Name is Roland Sheppard
This Is My `Blog'
I am is a retired Business Representative of Painters District
Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been a life long social activist
and socialist. Roland Sheppard is a retired Business Representative
of Painters District Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been
a life long social activist and socialist.
Prior to my being elected as a union official, I had worked
for 31 years as a house painter and have been a lifelong socialist.
I have led a unique life. In my retire age, I am interested in writing
about my experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black
Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social
movements.
I became especially interested in the environment when I was
diagnosed with cancer due to my work environment. I learned
how to write essays, when I first got a computer in order to put
together all the medical legal arguments on my breakthrough
workers' compensation case in California, proving that my work
environment as a painter had caused my cancer. After a five-year
struggle, I won a $300,000 settlement on his case.
The following essays are based upon my involvement in the
struggle for freedom for all humanity. I hope the history
of my life's experiences will help future generations
of Freedom Fighters.
For this purpose, this website is dedicated.
web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/RolandSheppardsBlog.html
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The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast
Robin Hood in Reverse
http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley11132006.html
More Info:
www.justiceforneworleans.org
For a detailed report:
Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast
by Rita J. King, Special to CorpWatch
August 15th, 2006
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14004
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TAX FACT SHEET
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/901006_taxpolicy.pdf
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Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney [and other cartoons) with
words by K. Marx and F. Engels--absolutely wonderful!...bw]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oGIffyVVk&NR
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Asylum Street Spankers-Magnetic Yellow Ribbon
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=bfMgRHRJ- tc
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Homer Simpson Joins the Army
Another morale-booster from Groening and company. [If you get
a chance to see the whole thing, it's worth it...bw]
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/12/video-the-simpsons-salute-the-lazy-and
-uneducated/
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A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
Clara Jeffery (May/June 2006 Issue
IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined.
Today, they re worth $1.13 trillion more than the GDP of Canada.
THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400.
The median household income
has also stagnated at around $44,000.
AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential
campaign, 72% gave to Bush.
IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires,
a 62% increase since 2002.
IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps,
a 49% increase since 2000.
ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed.
That's less than 1% of all estates
http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_article.pl?url=http://www.motherjon
es.com/news/exhibit/2006/05/perks_of_privilege.html
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Do You Want to Stop PREVENT War with Iran?
Dear Friend,
Every day, pundits and military experts debate on TV when, how and where
war with Iran will occur. Can the nuclear program be destroyed? Will the
Iranian government retaliate in Iraq or use the oil weapon? Will it take
three or five days of bombing? Will the US bomb Iran with "tactical"
nuclear weapons?
Few discuss the human suffering that yet another war in the Middle East
will bring about. Few discuss the thousands and thousands of innocent
Iranian and American lives that will be lost. Few think ahead and ask
themselves what war will do to the cause of democracy in Iran or to
America's global standing.
Some dismiss the entire discussion and choose to believe that war simply
cannot happen. The US is overstretched, the task is too difficult, and
the world is against it, they say.
They are probably right, but these factors don't make war unlikely. They
just make a successful war unlikely.
At the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), we are not going to
wait and see what happens.
We are actively working to stop the war and we need your help!
Working with a coalition of peace and security organizations in
Washington DC, NIAC is adding a crucial dimension to this debate - the
voice of the Iranian-American community.
Through our US-Iran Media Resource Program
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/ , we help
the media ask the right questions and bring attention to the human side
of this issue.
Through the LegWatch program
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/ ,
we are building opposition to the war on Capitol Hill. We spell out the
likely
consequences of war and the concerns of the Iranian-American community
on Hill panels
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
and in direct meetings with lawmakers. We recently helped more than a dozen
Members of Congress - both Republican and Democrats - send a strong
message against war to the White House
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
But more is needed, and we need your help!
If you don't wish to see Iran turn into yet another Iraq, please make a
contribution online or send in a check to:
NIAC
2801 M St NW
Washington DC 20007
Make the check out to NIAC and mark it "NO WAR."
ALL donations are welcome, both big and small. And just so you know,
your donations make a huge difference. Before you leave the office
today, please make a contribution to stop the war.
Sincerely,
Trita Parsi
President of NIAC
U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)
www.uslaboragainstwar.org
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/
Email: info@uslaboragainstwar.org
PMB 153
1718 "M" Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Voicemail: 202/521-5265
Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
Virginia Rodino, Organizer
Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff
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Immigration video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tacK8MAfuAs
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Enforce the Roadless Rule for National Forests
Target: Michael Johanns, Secretary, USDA
Sponsor: Earthjustice
We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
This past September, Earthjustice scored a huge victory for our roadless
national forests when a federal district court ordered the reinstatement
of the Roadless Rule.
The Roadless Rule protects roadless forest areas from road-building
and most logging. This is bad news for the timber, mining, and oil
& gas industries ... And so they're putting pressure on their friends
in the Bush Administration to challenge the victory.
Roadless area logging tends to target irreplaceable old growth forests.
Many of these majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
By targeting old-growth, the timber companies are destroying
natural treasures that cannot be replaced in our lifetime.
The future of nearly 50 million acres of wild, national forests
and grasslands hangs in the balance. Tell the secretary of the
USDA, Michael Johanns, to protect our roadless areas by enforcing
the Roadless Rule. The minute a road is cut through a forest, that
forest is precluded from being considered a "wilderness area," and
thus will not be covered by any of the Wilderness Area protections
afforded by Congress.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/112283692?z00m=6687205&z00m=668720
5<l=1162406255
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Mumia Abu-Jamal - Reply brief, U.S. Court of Appeals (Please Circulate)
Dear Friends:
On October 23, 2006, the Fourth-Step Reply Brief of Appellee and
Cross-Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal was submitted to the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn,
U.S. Ct. of Appeals Nos. 01-9014, 02-9001.)
Oral argument will likely be scheduled during the coming months.
I will advise when a hearing date is set.
The attached brief is of enormous consequence since it goes
to the essence of our client's right to a fair trial, due process
of law, and equal protection of the law, guaranteed by the Fifth,
Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The issues include:
Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process
of law and a fair trial because of the prosecutor's "appeal-after
-appeal" argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the
presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err
on the side of guilt.
Whether the prosecution's exclusion of African Americans
from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal's right
to due process and equal protection of the law,
in contravention of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).
Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal
protection of the law during a post-conviction hearing
because of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo,
who was overheard during the trial commenting that
he was "going to help'em fry the nigger."
That the federal court is hearing issues which concern
Mr. Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial is a great milestone
in this struggle for human rights. This is the first time
that any court has made a ruling in nearly a quarter
of a century that could lead to a new trial and freedom.
Nevertheless, our client remains on Pennsylvania's death
row and in great danger.
Mr. Abu-Jamal, the "voice of the voiceless," is a powerful
symbol in the international campaign against the death
penalty and for political prisoners everywhere. The goal
of Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and
I is to see that the many wrongs which have occurred
in this case are righted, and that at the conclusion
of a new trial our client is freed.
Your concern is appreciated
With best wishes,
Robert R. Bryan
Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123
Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal
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Antiwar Web Site Created by Troops
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A small group of active-duty military members opposed to the war
have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures
of other service members. People can submit their name, rank and
duty station if they support statements denouncing the American
invasion. "Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price,"
the Web site, appealforredress.org, says. "It is time for U.S. troops
to come home." The electronic grievances will be passed along
to members of Congress, according to the Web site. Jonathan
Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., who set up the Web
site a month ago, said the group had collected 118 names and
was trying to verify that they were legitimate service members.
October 25, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/washington/25brfs-005.html
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Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Child Rape Photos
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-10-23 20:54. Evidence
By Greg Mitchell, http://www.editorandpublisher.com
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14864
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Profound new assault on freedom of speech and assembly:
Manhattan: New Rules for Parade Permits
By AL BAKER
After recent court rulings found the Police Department's
parade regulations too vague, the department is moving
to require parade permits for groups of 10 or more
bicyclists or pedestrians who plan to travel more than
two city blocks without complying with traffic laws.
It is also pushing to require permits for groups of 30
or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws.
The new rules are expected to be unveiled in a public
notice today. The department will discuss them at
a hearing on Nov. 27. Norman Siegel, a lawyer whose
clients include bicyclists, said the new rules
"raise serious civil liberties issues."
October 18, 2006
http://www.nytimes. com/2006/ 10/18/nyregion/ 18mbrfs-002. html
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Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America
Jessica Murray
Format: Paperback (6x9)
ISBN 1425971253
Price: $ 13.95
About the Book
Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but
Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together to provide a perspective
as extraordinary as the times we are living in. Using the principles
of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation,
this book invites us to look at the USA from the biggest possible
picture: that of cosmic meaning. With a rare blend of compassion,
humor and fearless taboo-busting, Soul-Sick Nation reveals
America's noble potential without sentiment and diagnoses
its neuroses without delusion, shedding new light on troubling
issues that the pundits and culture wars inflame but leave
painfully unresolved: the WTC bombings, the war in Iraq,
Islamic jihad, media propaganda, consumerism and the
American Dream.
In her interpretation of the birth chart of the entity born
July 4, 1776, Murray offers an in-depth analysis of America's
essential destiny--uncovering , chapter by chapter, the greater
purpose motivating this group soul. She shows how this
purpose has been distorted, and how it can be re-embraced
in the decades to come. She decodes current astrological
transits that express the key themes the USA must learn
in this period of millennial crisis—including that of the
responsibility of power—spelling out the profound lessons
the nation will face in the next few years.
Combining the rigor of a political theorist with the vision
of a master astrologer, this keenly intelligent book elucidates
the meaning of an epoch in distress, and proposes a path
towards healing—of the country and of its individual citizens.
Murray explains how each of us can come to terms with this
moment in history and arrive at a response that is unique
and creative. This book will leave you revitalized, shorn
of illusions and full of hope.
About the Author
"Jessica Murray's Soul-Sick Nation raises the symbol-system
of astrology to the level of a finely-honed tool for the critical
work of social insight and commentary. Her unflinching,
in-depth analysis answers a crying need of our time. Murray's
application of laser beam-lucid common sense analysis
to the mire of illusions we've sunken into as a nation is
a courageous step in the right direction... Just breathtaking! "
--Raye Robertson, author of Culture, Media and the Collective Mind
" Jessica Murray,..a choice-centered, psychospiritually- oriented
astrologer.. . has quietly made a real difference in the lives of her
clients, one at a time. In "Soul Sick Nation," she applies exactly those
same skills to understanding America as a whole. Starting from
the premise that the United States is currently a troubled adolescent,
she applies an unflinching gaze to reach an ultimately compassionate
conclusion about how we can heal ourselves and grow up."
- Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky
http://www.authorho use.com/BookStor e/ItemDetail~ bookid~41780. aspx
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Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
and its people?
Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?
Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
Palestinian refugees?
Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
http://al-awda. org/shop. html
and help support a great organization and cause!!
Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
(in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.
Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
Visit http://al-awda. org/shop. html for these great items, and more!
The Educational Supplies Division
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
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.
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Before You Enlist
Excellent flash film that should be shown to all students.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=ZFsaGv6cefw
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
In an interview in March 1995 entitled, "Jesse Helms: Setting the
Record Straight" that appeared in the Middle East Quarterly, Helms
said, "I have long believed that if the United States is going to give
money to Israel, it should be paid out of the Department of Defense
budget. My question is this: If Israel did not exist, what would
U.S. defense costs in the Middle East be? Israel is at least the
equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without
Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would
be badly off indeed."
(Jesse Helms was the senior senator from North Carolina and the
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.)
http://www.meforum. org/article/ 244
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TWO AMICUS BRIEFS FILED FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL WITH
THE 3RD CIRCUIT FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IN JULY 2006
These pdf files can be found on Michael Schiffmann's web site at:
http://againstthecr imeofsilence. de/english/ copy_of_mumia/ legalarchive/
The first brief is from the National Lawyers Guild.
The second brief is from the NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, Inc.
Howard Keylor
For the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
www.laboractionmumi a.org.
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Asylum Street Spankers-Magnetic Yellow Ribbon
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=bfMgRHRJ- tc
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SIR! NO SIR!
I urge everyone to get a copy of "Sir! No Sir!" at:
http://www.sirnosir .com/
It is an extremely informative and powerful film
of utmost importance today. I was a participant
in the anti-Vietnam war movement. What a
powerful thing it was to see troops in uniform
leading the march against the war! If you would
like to read more here are two very good
publications:
Out Now!: A Participant' s Account of the Movement
in the United States Against the Vietnam War
by Fred Halstead (Hardcover - Jun 1978)
and:
GIs speak out against the war;: The case of the
Ft. Jackson 8; by Fred Halstead (Unknown Binding - 1970).
Both available at:
http://www.amazon. com/gp/search/ 103-1123166- 0136605?search- alias=books&
rank=
+availability, -proj-total- margin&field- author=Fred% 20Halstead
In solidarity,
Bonnie Weinstein
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Endorse the following petition:
Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 664280276?
z00m=99090&z00m= 99090<l= 1155834550
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END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
Personalize the message text on the right with
your own words, if you wish.
Click the Next Step button to send your letter
to these decision makers:
President George W. Bush
Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
Your Senators
Your Representative
Go here to register your outrage:
https://secure2. convio.net/ pep/site/ Advocacy?
JServSessionIdr003= cga2p2o6x1. app2a&cmd= display&page= UserAction& id=177
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Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
Status! Checks can me made out to
ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
http://mysite. verizon.net/ vzeo9ewi/ idrissstelleyfou ndation/
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/isf23/
Report Police Brutality
24HR Bilingual hotline
(415) 595-8251
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Justice4As a/
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Appeal for funds:
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailir aq.com
Request for Support
Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
operating expenses.
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.
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Legal update on Mumia Abu-Jamal's case
Excerpts from a letter written by Robert R. Bryan, the lead attorney
for death row political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal.
...On July 20, 2006, we filed the Brief of Appellee and Cross
Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, in the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.
http://www.workers. org/2006/ us/mumia- 0810/
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace
nickmottern@earthlink.net
Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in
endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and
Mechanisms for Accountability."
The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October.
"This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an
invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the
evidence and an astute examination of international law.
- Howard Zinn.
The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the
consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen
Parker, JD, is available for free download at
http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf
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Today in Palestine!
For up to date information on Israeli's brutal attack on
human rights and freedom in Palestine and Lebanon go to:
http://www.theheadl ines.org
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Oklahoma U's First African-American Speaker
Dear Representative Johnson:
Congratulations on your bill for creating an
African-American Centennial Plaza near the
Capitol.
I have a suggestion for including an important
moment in Oklahoma African-American
history in the displays.
The first African-American speaker at the
University of Oklahoma was Paul Boutelle,
in 1967.
He is still alive but has changed his name
to Kwame Somburu. I believe it would be
very appropriate also to invite Mr. Somburu
to attend the dedication ceremony for
this plaza. I correspond with him by email.
Here is a 1967 Sooner magazine article about his appearance:
http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p25-27_1967v40n2_OCR.pdf
Sincerely,
Mike Wright
Norman
329-6688
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Interesting web site with many flash films. The site is managed
by veteran James Starowicz, USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country
'70-'71 Member: Veterans For Peace as well as other Veterans
and Pro-Peace Groups. Also Activist in other Area's, Questioning
Policies that only Benefit the Few, supporting Policies that Benefit
the Many and Move Us Forward as a Better Nation and World!
Politics: Registered Independent
http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/
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Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone has a new Internet
address: http://www.takingaimradio.com
THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
The full text of the book can be found for free at the
new Taking Aim web address:
http://www.takingaimradio.com
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JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE - THE CASE IS NOT OVER!
For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
www.lynnestewart. org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
www.lynnestewart. org
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Visit the Traprock Peace Center Video Archive at:
http://www.youtube.com/TraprockPeaceTV
Visit the Traprock Peace Center
Deerfield, MA
http://www.traprockpeace.org/
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NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
Who are the Cuban Five?
The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
Fernando González and René González.
The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
charges.
But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
The Five's actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
weapons while in the United States.
The Cuban Five's mission was to stop terrorism
For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
have died as a result of these terrorists' attacks.
Gerardo Hernández, 2 Life Sentences
Antonio Guerrero, Life Sentence
Ramon Labañino, Life Sentence
Fernando González, 19 Years
René González, 15 Years
Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
http://www.freethef ive.org/
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Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
elsewhere, the website is:
www.mexico.indymedi a.org/oaxaca
http://www.mexico. indymedia. org/oaxaca
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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
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Iraq Body Count
For current totals, see our database page.
http://www.iraqbody count.net/ press/pr13. php
---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -
The Cost of War
[Over three-hundred- billion so far...bw]
http://nationalprio rities.org/ index.php? optionfiltered=com_
wrapper&Itemid= 182
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"The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
- Mort Sahl
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"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
- Emilano Zapata
---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -
Join the Campaign to
Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
Go to:
http://www.shutitdo wn.org/
to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERco alition.org http://www.actionsf .org
sf@internationalans wer.org
2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
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“It is reasonable and honorable to abhor violence and preach
against it while there is a visible and rational means of obtaining,
without violence, the indispensable justice for the welfare of man.
But, if convinced by the inevitable differences of character, by the
irreconcilable and different interests, because of the deep diversity
in the sea of the political mind and aspirations, there is not a peaceful
way to obtain the minimum rights of a people (…) or it is the blind
who against the boiling truth sustain peaceful means, or it is those
who doesn’t see and insist on proclaiming it that are untrue
to their people.”[2]
[2] José Martí “ Ciegos y desleales Obras Escogidas in III volumes;
Editorial Política 1981 Volume III p182
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Great Counter-Recruitment Website
http://notyoursoldi er.org/article. php?list= type&type= 14
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DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
CIVIL RIGHTS!
Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
condition from the Arizona desert.
Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!
Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
and those who support them!
For more information call 415-821- 9683.
For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
visit www.nomoredeaths. org.
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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."
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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.10reason sbook.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
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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.usconsti tution.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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"The International"
Lots of good information over at Wikipedia, as often the case:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale
What I've always found fascinating is the wide variety of translations (or
perhaps it would be better to call them "interpretations" or "variations")
that exist, even in English. It's also fascinating to read all the different
verses of the song.
One thing I learned at Wikipedia is that the original intention was that the
song would be sung to the tune of the Marseillaise, but that shortly
thereafter different music was written. Good thing, in my opinion, I'd hate
to see the identities of two stirring songs be confused. Each deserves their
own place in history.
Lyrics to the Marseillaise are here - pretty stirring in their own right. As
with the Internationale, all sorts of unknown verses:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marseillaise
Eli Stephens
Left I on the News
http://lefti.blogspot.com
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