Stop the U.S.-Israeli Assault on the People of Palestine!
EMERGENCY PROTEST – MONDAY, JULY 3, 4:30 P.M.
CONSULATE OF ISRAEL, 456 MONTGOMERY ST., S.F.
End the Siege of Gaza / End All U.S. Aid to Israel / Boycott Israeli Goods
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched a brutal assault on the
entire population of Gaza in the early morning hours of June 28.
U.S.-supplied F-16 fighter-bombers destroyed the main power
station in Gaza and destroyed bridges on the only major roads
linking the northern and southern sections of the region. Round
-the-clock Israeli artillery shelling is taking place. Most of the
people of Gaza are now without water and electricity – Palestinians
are dying. The use of U.S. planes and other military equipment
against illegally occupied land is a violation of both international
and U.S. law. In a further act of act of colonial aggression, the
IOF has arrested a third of the members of the Palestinian
Authority governing body.
While a great outcry is heard in the mass media about one
captured Israeli soldier, the same media pays no attention
whatsoever to the 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners being
held illegally under terrible conditions in Israeli prisons. All of
them were abducted by the IOF. At least 335 of these prisoners
are children. Palestinian prisoners are systematically tortured
by Israel, the only country in the world that has legalized torture.
Deliberately attacking the civilian population, with the intent
of causing maximum suffering, is clearly a crime against
humanity. What we are witnessing today in Gaza is collective
punishment -- a war crime under international law --
against the entire population.
Israel's racist apartheid system and the latest assault on Gaza
is supported by the Bush regime, Congress and the corporate
media, because of Israel's vital role in Washington's project
of Middle East domination. Israel receives more military and
economic aid from the U.S. -- over $3 billion annually --
than any other country. Without that aid and support it
receives from Washington, Israel could not carry out its
crimes against the Palestinian people.
Sponsored by Al-Awda
www.al-awda.org
The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
To endorse please send an email to: host@al-awda.org
Letter of Endorsement Solidarity to Al-Awda
By Bonnie Weinstein
Dear Comrades of Al-Awda,
We stand in solidarity with you, the Palestinian people
in your just and righteous struggle to return to
your homeland and to struggle against the ongoing
torture and oppression you have been subjected to
by the racist government of Israel since and before
it's existence.
We condemn Zionist Israel--this inhuman and racist
government--for their murderous oppression of the
Palestinian people, the unlawful (by any humanitarian
standards) theft of your land and the demolition
of your way of life.
We also condemn Zionist Israel for their betrayal of
Jewish people everywhere for leading them into
believing in this un-holy path of bloodshed against
the people of Palestine. There can be no just argument that
allows the murderous expulsion of an entire people
--an entire nation--in the name of anyone's freedom!
No one can be free through the enslavement of another!
A wall enslaves those on both sides.
We call upon Jewish people everywhere to
speak up and take a firm stand against this
ongoing insanity conjured up by Zionists and
their Western allies--for their own power and
greed driven purposes--since before 1948!
We must ask the question, "Why did the U.S.
refuse entrance onto its shores during and
after WWII to Jewish people who were persecuted
by fascists ?" We must ask ourselves--all of us
--what kind of a government could perform
such an egregious act of inhuman denial at
a most desperate time of need with one fork of the
tongue; then materially and morally support
the formation of a separate Jewish state--
at the expense of the entire Palestinian nation--
with the other fork of the tongue?
It is incumbent upon all of us to examine carefully
this recent and rather well documented history
of the formation of Israel in 1948. Because upon
examination you will learn much about what
is going on right now, throughout the world and
from there, be able to formulate a better understanding
of how we can change things for the better.
The following quote will shed more light on the
matter. "Late Republican Senator Jesse Helms used
to call Israel 'America's aircraft carrier in the Middle
East,' when explaining why the U.S. viewed Israel
as such a strategic ally, saying that the military
foothold in the region offered by the Jewish State
alone justified the military aid that the U.S. grants
Israel every year. The new revelations also act to
weaken the argument for Israeli policy decisions
based on 'American pressure.'"
This quote can be found at:
Top Secret American Military Installations In Israel
Arutz7 News
January 28, 2004
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/2005/012805.htm
Your struggle is the struggle of all of us who wish
to live free of the U.S. threat of world annihilation solely
on behalf of the wealthiest one-tenth-of-one percent
of humanity. Where is the democracy in that?
Humanity's only hope lies in our solidarity and dedication
to the inalienable right of all people everywhere to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness, and equal rights, freedom,
democracy and justice for all.
We fully support the right of you, the Palestinian
people, to defend yourselves and to continue your
struggle until you have won against your oppressors
--until you can finally return to your rightful homeland.
To that end, we demand that all U.S. aid to Israel--
every last penny--be immediately ended.
We demand the immediate release of the imprisoned
elected leadership of the Palestinian people and of the
thousands of prisoners held unjustly by Israel.
And we call upon every lover of freedom,
democracy and human rights throughout the
world to take a stand in defense of Palestine today!
Because today, and until this tyranny is ended,
we are all Palestinians!
We send our warmest greetings of solidarity
to the upcoming Al-Awda convention.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War
www.bauaw.org
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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An open letter of outrage to UFPJ
by Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War
www.bauaw.org
In response to their newsletter entitled,
"Congress Takes Steps Toward Peace"
reprinted directly following this letter:
Dear UFPJ,
This newsletter entitled "Congress Takes Steps Toward
Peace" is dispicable! Do you not read the papers?
Have you not heard of the U.S. assault on Ramadi? Have you
not heard of American troops commandeering people's homes
and throwing them into the streets? Have you not heard of
the massive bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Do you honestly, for one minute, think that this
Congress is going to end the war? What about the war
on immigrants? What about the war on the poor? What about
the criminalization of our youth! What about the auto workers
forced to give up their own future and that of their children?
What about U.S. support to Israel's massive offensive against
those who they have robbed of a home and livelihood, the
Palestinian people? What about the demand that the elected
leadership of the Palestinian people, Hamas, be destroyed--
assassinated--murdered--bombed out of existence! Is this
democracy?
What about our human rights to life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness? What about our freedom to protest?
You were satisfied not to march in NYC on Feb. 15 when the
world said NO to WAR before it began. You accepted being
penned in like caged animals. You acquiesced to allow half a million
people in the streets to be stuck in cages! Not allowed to leave even
to go to the bathroom and come back. What about the
whole permit process for protests that allows the
government to dictate to the movement how, when and
where we can protest? What about Lynn Stewart, a defense attorney
convicted of terrorism and facing thirty years behind
bars because she defended her client? What about
Mumia Abu-Jamal unjustly convicted by a racist
courtroom of a murder he did not commit--a murder
another has confessed to under a polygraph test? What about
all the atrocities this U.S. government, over the years,
has committed against humanity in the name of the almighty
dollar? This government's history is drenched in blood!
Has it ever been the members of Congress who were
responsible for ending any of these atrocities? Was it a guilty
conscience that ended the war in Vietnam? NO! It was masses
of people including masses of soldiers that came out into
the streets to say HELL NO WE WON"T GO! and U.S. OUT
NOW! BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW! BY BOAT, TRAIN
AND AIRPLANE! (A feat, I might add, that they accomplished
very quickly when they were forced to do so. Within a few
days all the troops were evacuated from Vietnam.) WE MUST
DEMAND THEY DO THIS TODAY! NOW! THIS WEEK! THREE
YEARS AGO!!!!
AND TODAY WE ADD TO THESE DEMANDS:
ABOLISH THE PATRIOT ACT!
END THE "WAR ON TERROR" WHICH IS NOTHING ELSE
BUT A WAR ON THE POOR ACROSS THE GLOBE FOR THE
BENEFIT OF THE WEALTHY OVERLORDS WHO REPRESENT
LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT OF THE HUMAN
POPULATION! WE MUST SAY NOT ANOTHER DROP
OF OUR BLOOD FOR THEIR PERSONAL PROFIT AND GAIN!
We must stand in outrage against these phonies! These
politicians, these bloodthirsty deceivers who calculate
their "protests" in such a way as to seem
helpless against their best intentions.
What a BIG LIE! If they were really against this war and the
lies that they are complicit with, they could have ended
this war before it began! THEY ALL KNEW THERE WERE
NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION--THIS GOVERNMENT
HAD JUST SPENT TEN YEARS DEMOLISHING THE ENTIRE
INFRASTRUCTURE OF IRAQ!
And the Iraqi people endured ten years of sanctions
and bombings against them. Actually, I should
say some Iraqi people endured. Hundreds
of thousands--especially children did not endure--they
were murdered by these sanctions. Now hey have no electricity
to speak of. No running water. Afghanistan is an
occupied wasteland! All it's people are considered
the enemy and fair game for target practice!
This Congress--this government--has nothing to do with
democracy! We can't share allegiance with these monsters
who have demolished all of our basic rights and have
bulldozed into oblivion everyone's human rights across
the world! U.S. businesses are owners of oil wells, diamond
mines, gold mines, water rights, land--anything they
can get hold of and make a profit off of across the planet!
They plunder, poison the environment, rape, murder and
pillage the surrounding countryside in their quest to
preserve their private fortunes. This government is of,
by and for them the wealthy bloodsuckers of the poor! Not us!
With the backing of the U.S. military they
exploit cheap labor everywhere they can and any
time they can. The unions have been decimated by their
anti-labor laws that tie the hands of workers behind
their backs and removes from them their basic right
to strike in solidarity with one another--to use the
most effective tool they have to fight back and defend their
livelihoods--labor solidarity. And the union
leadership might as well be on the bosses payroll.
The government and its media hacks promote
racial, ethnic, sexual and religious prejudice
whenever they can. And they fill the prisons with the
poor while the wealthy go to Betty Ford's!
I am disgusted with United for Peace and Justice! You lead
us no where but back to where we started! More deaths, more
oppression more dependence on the "sympathetic helplessness"
of our elected politicians who cry crocodile tears over the
misery of the poor and get elected according to how
much money they spend, period!
Meanwhile, because of UFPJs infatuation with a bunch of liars,
the streets are empty of protests. Dissatisfaction with the
war is at it's highest level yet and the streets are empty!
Ironically, the money spent on this war and on "homeland
security" and the entire military industrial complex and
on the development of more powerful,
tactical nuclear weapons and conventional weapons and
biological and chemical weapons and more police and more
jails could be used, instead, to alleviate the suffering of
billions. Yet these very same politicians move toward
even more restrictions of free speech and assembly
as they openly and overtly work to overturn our
constitution and any remnants of democracy we had
left or ever had.
While UFPJ kisses the asses of phony politicians those
same politicians inflict more oppression on the most
exploited and disadvantaged on the planet causing
more infant deaths more hunger more wars
and spend even more money--our money--taxpayer
money--not their money--on all of these inhuman
endeavors!
Their money is theirs! No one can touch
their private property! Even though it's stolen from all
of us who toil for a living. We pay for everything and
have a say over NOTHING! Except for the right to vote
for one or another of these liars! That is no say at all!
And UFPJ wants us to cheer and congratulate themselves
for trying to give these politicians a left cover after voting
for the war budget over and over again--challenging
this or that insignificant detail while leaving the bulk
of the money and the oppressive laws in place!
What hypocrisy!
Our voice can only be heard in the streets, en masse,
and INDEPENDENT OF AND OPPOSED TO ALL OF THESE
WARMONGERS.
United for Peace and Justice, you are not leading you are
asking us to follow you no where but to the dead end
of an American electoral farce--a hard cop, soft cop
charade that enables the whole system to continue
with its plundering of the poor to give to the rich.
With a massive, honest and united effort to organize
in the streets to bring the troops home now and
to use the military budget to solve human needs
instead of killing people, we could potentially organize
a force powerful enough to shut this country down.
This is what an antiwar leadership should have as its
goal--to shut this war machine down!
Talking about a backbone? Seems your even
missing a soft shell on the outside--your sell-out
guts are exposed and spilling out all over the place!
We need to organize a massive, independent,
democratically controlled, one voice, one
vote, majority rule, grass roots, controlled
by the rank and file, international antiwar
movement to demand:
STOP THE WAR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN!
BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL IMMIGRANTS!
END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
DEFEND THE RIGHT OF RETURN FOR THE PEOPLE OF
PALESTINE AND THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS!
STOP THE 'GENTRIFICATION' OF OUR COMMUNITIES!
(STOP REMOVING THE POOR TO MAKE MORE ROOM
FOR THE RICH)
END THE DEATH PENALTY!
CLOSE THE JAILS AND CREAT MASSIVE
REHABILITATION CENTERS THAT ARE
FREE AND AVAILABLE TO ALL WHO NEED IT
WHENEVER AND AS OFTEN AS THEY NEED IT!
GET AT THE ROOT OF CRIME AND DRUG DEPENDENCY
BY GUARANTEEING GOOD-PAYING JOBS, AFFORDABLE
AND QUALITY HOUSING FOR ALL! FREE EDUCATION
AND HEALTHCARE FOR ALL!
ORGANIZE TO DEFEND WORKERS EVERYWHERE! WE ARE ONLY
AS STRONG AS OUR WEAKEST LINK! AN INJURY
TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!
TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD A WORLD WHERE
HUMAN NEEDS COME BEFORE PROFIT!
Let's hear what these lying politicians have to say to these
demands!
Sincerely,
Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War
www.bauaw.org
From UFPJ:
Congress Begins Moving: Our Work Is Far From Over
www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545 |
Please forward widely!
While both houses of Congress still lag dramatically
behind the people of this country and Iraq in opposing
the war, we've recently seen a sharp rise in Congressional
willingness to talk about peace. Votes in both the House
and the Senate have forced members to go on record
on troop withdrawal, permanent bases, and other war-
related issues. More members than ever before went
on record for peace, or at least against the war without
end that Bush has been peddling.
Your calls, faxes and emails, your participation in public
protests have all helped to create significant movement
in Congress. They voted; now we have to hold them
accountable. It is critical that our elected representatives
know we are paying attention, and that we will continue
to pressure them to take action to end the war in bring
all the troops home, now!
Email or phone your Senators and Representative today!
No Permanent Bases
For the second time this year, both the House and Senate
have voted overwhelmingly against permanent bases in
Iraq. It was a huge victory for the peace movement, with
a majority of Republicans voting against the Bush
administration. Even one pro-war Republican, Rep.
Bill Young (R-FL), had this to say about the bases:
"It sends the wrong message. Not only to the people
of Iraq, not only to the people of America, but to the
people of other Muslim nations who might say ... hey,
are we next? Are we going to be occupied? Are we going
to have American troops in our streets?"
Bring the Troops Home
On June 15, the House leadership responded to the
peace movement's calls for a debate on the war. They
gave us a carefully orchestrated series of speeches on
a bill that was pure propaganda for the war. The
Republican leadership is so afraid of the antiwar
movement that they refused to let even Republicans
offer alternative proposals to the Bush policy. The
only vote they allowed was on a simplistic piece
of propaganda in support of the war, freedom and
the U.S. troops.
In spite of the war mongers' best efforts, we can take
heart in the fact that 158 members of Congress voted
"no" (or lodged a protest "present" vote) to this
outrageous political maneuver. Still, 256 members
of Congress proved how out of touch they are with
the rest of the country by voting to support war without limit.
See if your Representative voted for war without end.
What Does This All Mean?
If you just took the word of the mainstream media,
you might think there's been no movement in Congress.
But in fact, the change in the Senate has been phenomenal.
To understand how far we have come, it is helpful to
see where we were just a few months ago, when the
only antiwar legislation was a very weak measure asking
Bush to come up with a plan on Iraq. That's all, just
a plan ... and only two Senators dared to support it!
Two weeks ago, we asked you to contact your Senators
and ask them to vote to end the war. Since then, the
Senate has voted on three different amendments calling
for the withdrawal of troops. Even the weakest of these
amendments was stronger than what we have seen previously.
The strongest stand was taken by Senators Feingold,
Kennedy, Boxer, Kerry, Harkin and Byrd, who voted
to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of the year.
A weaker amendment sponsored by Boxer, Kerry and
Feingold, calling for the withdrawal of all troops by next
summer, got 13 votes. Although neither of these
amendments supports the UFPJ position of 'out now,'
Senators who voted for them should be thanked, and
encouraged to work for an immediate end to the war.
Sen. Levin's non-binding resolution calling for the troops
to begin to withdraw by the end of this year got the
support of 38 Democrats and one Republican. This
considerably weaker amendment still takes the Senate
closer to ending the war. Most Senators who supported
this amendment will now consider their work on the war
done. It is not. They need to be told that a vote for the
Levin amendment was not nearly enough.
The votes in the Senate and the House over the last weeks
leave the door open to us to push them farther than they
have been willing to go before to end the war. We have
to make the most of this opportunity to let them know
that the peace movement is watching them, and we are
not satisfied with theatrics and rhetoric. We will only be
satisfied with an immediate and complete withdrawal
of U.S. troops.
Write or call your Senators today.
Background
For a more complete summary of Congressional actions
on Iraq in the last 2 weeks, please visit our website.
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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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/idrissstelleyfoundation/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/isf23/
Report Police Brutality
24HR Bilingual hotline
(415) 595-8251
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Justice4Asa/
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Sign the petition to save Bayview Hunters Point: No more Fillmore!
Editorial by Willie Ratcliff,
http://www.sfbayview.com/060706/signthepetition060706.shtml
As urban Black displacement grows, Bayview kicks off referendum
drive to stop Redevelopment by Randy Shaw,
http://www.sfbayview.com/060706/displacement060706.shtml
Hands off Bayview Hunters Point!
An open letter to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
http://www.sfbayview.com/050306/handsoff050306.shtml
When times got tough, Fred Hampton Sr., considered by many
the greatest of the great organizers produced by the Black Panther
Party, used to say, “It’s terrible but it’s fine.” He knew that adversity
inevitably threatens movements for freedom and justice. Setbacks
can stall or stop a movement or fuel a great leap forward.
It’s up to us.
First the good news: Not just 7,000 as we reported Wednesday,
but now 10,000 signatures have been gathered in the petition
drive to stop the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency from
grabbing and “repeopling” (a term Redevelopment lists as one
of its goals) Bayview Hunters Point, a neighborhood that’s
91 percent people of color.
Shattering the myth that our community is divided, people –
especially Black people – are lining up to sign, but we need
lots more signature gatherers. Can you commit to a few
hours with a clipboard or to passing petitions among
your co-workers, friends and family? Give us a call at
(415) 671-0789 or an email at editor@sfbayview.com.
Now for what we’re up against: The Bay View newspaper
has been too broke to help finance the petition campaign,
very few contributions have come in and bills are overdue.
So the petition drive needs financial help … and so does
the Bay View newspaper, desperately.
We’ve cut our expenses down to the bone and even deeper,
but producing both the printed paper and the website
requires cash money – and right now we have none.
We’ve also worked to collect our receivables, but it’s
hard times, and a number of those who owe us money
for ads can’t pay. We were promised a line of credit by
the bank, but after stringing us along for weeks, they
called on Saturday to decline.
The Bay View has faced many crises in the over 14 years
we’ve published it – eviction, death threats, never enough
money – yet readers have always come through, enabling
us to bounce back, tackle bigger issues and fight harder
than ever. We hate to beg, but WE NEED YOU NOW.
WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE AND SUBSTANTIAL LOAN, THE
BAY VIEW CANNOT CONTINUE. To discuss a loan, which
we can amply collateralize, please call us at (415) 671-0789;
we’re here 24/7. Tax-deductible contributions to our
nonprofit arm, the Hurricane Relief Information Network,
are also a big help to save the hopes and the lives
of survivors who depend on the Bay View for news and resources.
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Appeal for funds:
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailiraq.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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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARTICLES IN FULL
LINKS ONLY
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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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HEY! COME SEE THESE SHOWS!
I've not yet decided which performances I will be going to, but give me
a shoutback if you know when you would like to go, and I'll follow up if
a group is getting together.
Joel
First show:
We Are Not These Hands
by Sheila Callaghan
At: Ashby Stage, located at 1901 Ashby Ave in Berkeley.
(Across the street from Ashby BART!)
Previews (Pay What You Can):June 23, 24, 26
Opening Night and Gala ($30): June 27
Regular Performances ($20): Thursdays - Sundays, June 29 - July 16.
Showtimes: Sunday performances at 7:00pm, all other
performances at 8:00pm.
Second Show:
American Limbo
Written and performed by Deontay Wilson
At the Magic Theater
Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, San Francisco
Two weeks only!
June 29, 30 Previews
Saturday, July 1 GALA celebration
Sunday, July 2 Official Press Opening (matinee)
July 6,7,8 Regular Performances
All shows at 8pm
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DRCNet Alert:
Sources have informed us that the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical
marijuana vote in the House of Representatives is going to happen
NEXT WEEK. This amendment if passed will forbid the US Dept.
of Justice from interfering with state medical marijuana laws.
Your help is needed -- it is crucial that more members of Congress
vote for medical marijuana this year than did last year. Please visit
http://stopthedrugwar.org/medicalmarijuana/
to e-mail your member of Congress today!
http://stopthedrugwar.org/index.shtml
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PLEASE FORWARD ** PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY ** PLEASE FORWARD
SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, June 29 @ 1 pm
Stand with families who have lost children in California's
youth prisons
Sacramento (exact location TBA)
GOV SCHWARZENEGGER ON CA's YOUTH PRISON CRISIS
November 2004
"This will not just be dialogue, this will be action,
because I am the Action Governor."
November 2004 - present
All talk, no action...
When news of the human rights abuses in California's youth
prisons first made headlines, the governor promised to
"blow up the box" and reform the juvenile justice system.
He has not lived up to that promise.
The "Action Governor" has taken virtually no action at all.
Five young people have died in these monstrous youth prisons.
Many more have attempted suicide to escape the conditions.
Still, Schwarzenegger is content to "plan." He has even refused
to talk with families whose children died in his youth prisons,
on his watch.
Well, we've had enough waiting patiently while the governor
whiles away his time in office "planning" to fix the problem.
From June 27-June 29, families whose children have died
in California youth prisons will stand vigil at the state Capitol,
demanding that Schwarzenegger keep his promise to end
the suffering and abuse in the CYA.
SAVE THE DATE
On the last day, Thursday, June 29, we want you to join us
in Sacramento as we call on the governor to keep his word.
Stand with these families in demanding action from the
so-called "Action Governor."
We will e-mail you with more information about where and
when to meet in Sacramento, and about possible ridesharing
from the Bay Area and elsewhere. To get the latest information,
please contact Sumayyah Waheed:
Sumayyah Waheed, Books Not Bars Organizer
sumayyah@ellabakercenter.org
510.428.3939 x221
We look forward to seeing you in two weeks!
Many thanks,
Jakada "J" Imani
Director of Books Not Bars
* The Ella Baker Center can't survive without the
support of people like you.
Please take a moment to support us today:
http://www.ellabakercenter.org/donate
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LaborFest 2006 Schedule
July 1 (Saturday) 12-4:00 PM ($15-50)
(sliding scale donation to CounterPULSE requested. Bring a bag lunch!)
Labor Bike Tour with Chris Carlson of San Francisco©ˆs labor history
For more info: call Chris Carlsson carlsson.chris@gmail.com
http://www.laborfest.net/2006schedule.htm
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Fourth Annual International Al-Awda Convention
San Francisco - July 14-16, 2006
To register: http://al-awda.org/sf-conv_reserve.html
To flyer, the writing is on the wall: http://al-awda.org/pdf/flyer.pdf
For all other info: http://al-awda.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
ACTION ALERT - - M a s s - M o b i l i z i n g - M e e t i n g
WHEN: Tuesday, June 27 at 7 PM
WHERE: New College of California: 777 Valencia St. Rm.6 (at 18th St.),
San Francisco (a few blocks from 16th St. BART station)
In preparation for two events marking Indigenous Peoples Day
and the anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki by demanding an end to nuclear weapons and
war. At Bechtel and Livermore nuclear weapons lab we will
support the sovereignty and dignity of indigenous people
around the world and call for the global abolition of nuclear
weapons and the end to the war in Iraq
On the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima
-A Ritual and Nonviolent Action at Livermore
Nuclear Weapons Lab:
WHEN: Sunday, August 6 gather at 8 AM; march at 9 AM
WHERE: Vasco Rd & Patterson Pass, Livermore, CA.
Take 580, exit south at Vasco.
WHAT: A morning of action at one of the primary design labs
for nuclear weapons in the world - where new nuclear
weapons are designed.
On the UN International Day of the World's Indigenous
Peoples and the Anniversary of the Bombing of Nagasaki
-a Nonviolent Action at Bechtel Corporate Headquarters
in San Francisco:
WHEN: Wednesday, August 9 at 10 am
WHERE: Bechtel, 50 Beale St, San Francisco. Half a block
from Embarcadero BART.
WHAT: Bechtel is one of the top profiteers of the war in Iraq,
violator of indigenous rights, and nuclear weapons profiteer.
Ceremony will be led by Western Shone spiritual leader
Corbin Harney.
http://www.trivalleycares.org
http://www.wslfweb.org
http://www.treatycouncil.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
SAVE THE DATE AND JOIN US!!!!!
THIS IS A RESIDENT-LED EFFORT BY SURVIVORS WHO HAVE BEEN
SOME OF THE MOST IMPACTED BY THE KATRINA DISASTER AND
WHO HAVE RECEIVED THE LEAST ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCES
FROM FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ANDTHEIR
AGENCIES. THEY WANT TO KNOW IF YOUR ADVOCACY, ACTIVIST,
OR PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATION WANTS TO SUPPORTTHIS AND
HAVE ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE ON BEHALF
OF YOUR ORGANIZATION TO PULL THIS OFF THEY WANT OUR
HELP AND SUPPORT!!!
Come Back Home Campaign
Washington, D.C. August 24, 25, and 26, 2006
Baton Rouge, August 27-28, 2006
New Orleans, August 29, 2006
On August 24-26, 2006, Survivors who are still displaced and
scattered all across the U.S. will be traveling to D.C., pitching
tents, and camping out on the federal government to demand
their right to returnhome
On August 27-28, 2006, these Survivors will be traveling to
Baton Rouge, pitching their tents in front of the state capitol,
and putting pressure on the state government of Louisiana
for their right to return home
On August 29, 2006, the anniversary of the Katrina Disaster,
Survivors will make their demands to return home heard
by the city council of New Orleans and camp
out on city hall
We are planning to have at least of 5,000 Katrina survivors
bused into D.C., Baton Rouge, and New Orleans from all across
the U.S. We are focusing our efforts on bringing residents
in from seven states in the Southern Region:
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas,
Georgia, Florida.
We are specifically reaching out to those who are public
housing residents, renters, and home owners that the city,
state and federal government are trying
to keep from returning home We need help with food,
housing, medical providers, logistics, showers/toilets,
entertainment, & advertising
For more info, contact the following organization representatives:
Makani, Praxis Project (202) 234-5921,
info@praxisproject.org
Ishmael, Advancement Project and People's Organizing
Committee (504) 872-9591, poc_information@yahoo.com
Please visit our website: www.peoplesorganizing.org
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
OCTOBER 28 LOCALLY COORDINATED
ANTIWAR ACTIVITIES: A CALL TO ACTION
The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition has initiated a call for locally
coordinated protests on Saturday, October 28th, just
days before the pitiful charade known as the 2006 mid
-term elections. The people will force the issue of the
Iraq war onto the U.S. political stage by taking to streets
in demonstrations in cities and towns throughout the
United States. Tens of thousands of people will take
to the streets in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago,
Seattle, New York, Miami, Washington D.C. and in
other large and small cities and towns throughout
the United States.
http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
End Canada's Occupation of Afghanistan!
Call for action on October 28, 2006
This call for a pan-Canadian day of action, co-signed by the
Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Islamic Congress, the
Canadian Labour Congress and the Montreal coalition Echec
a la Guerre, is being distributed and discussed at the World Peace
Forum now taking place in Vancouver. -SV The Collectif Échec
à la guerre, Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Labour Congress,
and the Canadian Islamic Congress are jointly calling for a pan-
Canadian day of protest this October 28th, 2006, to bring Canadian
troops home from Afghanistan.
On that day, people all across the country will unite to tell
Stephen Harper that we are opposed to
his wholehearted support for Canadian and U.S. militarism.
This October marks the fifth anniversary of the invasion and
occupation of Afghanistan, and the people of that country are
still suffering from the ravages of war. Reconstruction in the
country is at a standstill and the needs of the Afghan people
are not being met. The rule of the new Afghan State, made
up largely of drug running warlords, will not realize the
democratic aspirations of the people there. In fact, according
to Human Rights Watch reports, the human rights record
of those warlords in recent years has not been better than
the Taliban.
We are told that the purpose of this war is to root out terrorism
and protect our societies, yet the heavy-handed approach of
a military occupation trying to impose a US-friendly
government on the Afghan people will force more Afghans
to become part of the resistance movement. It will also
make our societies more -- not less -- likely to see terrorist
attacks.
No discussion on military tactics in the House of Commons
will change that reality. Indeed, violence is increasing with
more attacks on both coalition troops and on Afghan civilians.
While individual Canadian soldiers may have gone to Afghanistan
with the best of intentions, they are operating under the
auspices of a US-led state building project that cares little
or the needs of the Afghan people. US and Canadian interests
rest with the massive $3.2 billion Trans Afghan Pipeline (TAP)
project, which will bring oil from the Caspian region through
southern Afghanistan (where Canada is stationed) and onto the
ports of Pakistan.
It has been no secret that the TAP has dominated US foreign
policy towards Afghanistan for the last decade. Now Canadian
oil and gas corporations have their own interests in the TAP.
Over the last decade, the role of the Canadian Armed Forces
abroad has changed, and Canadian foreign policy has become
a replica of the US empire-building rhetoric. The end result
of this process is now plain to see with the role of our troops
in Southern Afghanistan, with the enormous budget increases
for war expenditures and "security," with the Bush-style speeches
of Stephen Harper, and with the fear campaigns around
"homegrown terrorism" to foster support for those nefarious
changes.
It is this very course that will get young Canadian soldiers killed,
that will endanger our society and consume more and more
of its resources for destruction and death in Afghanistan.
We demand a freeze in defense and security budgets until
an in-depth public discussion is held on those issues across
Canada. The mission in Afghanistan has already cost Canadians
more than $4 billion. That money could have been used to fund
human needs in Canada or abroad. Instead it is being used
to kill civilians in Afghanistan and advance the interests
of corporations.
On October 28th, stand up and be counted.
Canadian Troops Out of Afghanistan Now!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
ALERT:
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
"Operation Return to Sender" Police-ICE Raid Against Immigrants
From: dorindamoreno@comcast.net
mailto:dorindamoreno@comcast.net
"Operation Return To Sender" is a team of "POLICE ICE"
has just arrested and deported over 150 undocumented
immigrants . The immigrants are from Vista, Ca.
Police ICE looks for the following:
1. Mexican congregating at local bars speaking Spanish
and no English.
2. Mexicans having a party in large groups and the
undercover police officer hearing ONLY Spanish spoken
about their home country. This is a give away for the
immigrant.
3. They are hitting the apartments where large numbers
of Mexican live and work in the agriculture fields.
4. They hone in on Home Depot areas, 7/11 stores, and
others categorized Mexican corners.
5. Be prepared if they take on the K-12 schools and
colleges.
6. Be prepared if ICE takes on the Mexican patients in
the hospitals.
7. ICE will be targeting Mexicans in any undisclosed
area. The hit will come as a surprise in the early
morning hours and when Mexican least expect the visit.
8. ICE comes in para-military uniforms in white with
black bullet proof jackets. They work in teams of five
to ten to an apartment complex and have their trucks
parked half a block away.
9. This information was on our San Diego local news
and might be in the National News tonight.
10. Being 23 miles from the Mexican border I see all
kinds of Mexican round-ups and massive deportations.
11. What I find most disturbing is that ICE might next
hit our schools in September, 2006. All large cities
with Mexicans populations might see extensive raids.
I hope the immigrant community now start to acquire
their USA documents.
Pedro Olivares
Related:
Immigration Sweep Brings Fear to Community
By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press Writer
June 18, 2006
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/photos/8/84cd1c7d-2976-4559-846e-171afc930239.html?SITE=NVLAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE
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
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
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.indymedia.org/oaxaca
http://www.mexico.indymedia.org/oaxaca
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
DEFEND SPC. SUZANNE SWIFT WHO SAID NO TO THE WAR!
At 9:50 AM -0700 6/12/06 Larry Hildes, attorney
for Suzanne Swift, wrote:
SPC. Suzanne Swift has been diagnosed with PTSD as a result
of constant and pervasive sexual harassment by multiple sergeants,
both in Iraq, and then back here, one of whom coerced her into
a long-term sexual relationship. She complained to command
about these sergeants; only one was disciplined, and then only
with a reprimand.
She finally reached her limit and went AWOL in January.
We've been attempting to resolve the situation with command,
and have built up the documentation of her PTSD and were getting
ready to negotiate her turning herself in when she got picked
up by the Eugene, Oregon, police at 11:00 last night.
The police forced their way in to the house, assaulted Suzanne's
mother, and took Suzanne to the Lane County, Oregon, jail where
she is right now. The Army indicated they're expecting to pick
her up in the next day or two and ship her back to Ft. Lewis,
Washington.
More publicity is needed. Also calls to the Lane County Jail
(541)682-2245, and to Lt. Col Switzer, her commander
at Ft. Lewis-(253) 967-4921.
Thanks,
Larry Hildes (360) 715-9788,
P.0. Box 5405, Bellingham, WA 98227
Related:
A Moment of Silence Is Not Enough
By Sara Rich
t r u t h o u t | Statement
On March 18th Sara Rich, mother of an AWOL US soldier,
gave this address at an antiwar rally
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/032006S.shtml
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
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
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Iraq Body Count Press Release 13
For current totals, see our database page.
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/press/pr13.php
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
"The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
- Mort Sahl
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
- Emilano Zapata
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Please circulate widely
Join the Campaign to
Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
Go to:
http://www.shutitdown.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.ANSWERcoalition.org http://www.actionsf.org
sf@internationalanswer.org
2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Great Counter-Recruitment Website
http://notyoursoldier.org/article.php?list=type&type=14
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
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.
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Join the call by reproductive rights activists to send
a letter to
Defend Oglala Sioux President Cecilia Fire Thunder
After taking a courageous stance against the ban on
abortion in South Dakota, Cecilia Fire Thunder, first
female president of the Oglala Sioux tribe, has been
attacked by members of the Tribal Council, who are
attempting to remove her from office.
Background:
After abortion was banned in South Dakota, Fire
Thunder, a healthcare provider, announced that she
would personally help set-up Sacred Choices Women's
Clinic on her own land, within the boundaries of the
Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota
has no jurisdiction. The clinic would provide
reproductive health care to all women. In an interview
she said, "Ultimately, this is a much bigger issue
than just abortion. It's time for women to reclaim
their bodies." and "As Indian women, we fight many
battles. This is just another battle we have to
fight." Read an interview, "The Power of Thunder" on
Altnet at http://www.alternet.org/story/34314
The Complaint:
On May 30 the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council banned
abortions on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and
suspended President Fire Thunder for 20 days until an
impeachment hearing can take place. The complaint is
that Fire Thunder improperly used her title to solicit
donations for the clinic. Fire Thunder has said that
donations for the proposed private clinic have been
unsolicited, though she has welcomed nationwide
support. The surprise vote was called when Fire
Thunder was out of town getting an annual checkup of
the cochlear implants that restored her hearing. Read
more at http://indianz.com/News/2006/014231.asp
Fire Thunder said the people who brought this
complaint are the same people who have opposed her
since she was elected in November 2004. Fire Thunder
ran on a platform of fiscal accountability, the Oglala
Sioux Tribe was in financial trouble and listed as a
financial high risk. Since Fire Thunder became
president there have been audits that go back into
1997 (see
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096412970
) And she took tribal employees off the roles for jobs
that had been defunded by the federal government. (see
analysis by Elizabeth Castle at the end of this
message.). For her brave stance, Fire Thunder has been
suspended and cleared before, see
http://indianz.com/News/2005/010954.asp
Support Fire Thunder:
President Fire Thunder's supporters are organizing on
the reservation. They would like letters, especially
from indigenous people, to the tribal council in
support of President Fire Thunder and opposing the
tribe's ban on abortions. Message should reach the
council before Monday, June 19.
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council
PO Box 2070
Pine Ridge, SD 57770-2070
fax: 605-867-1449
phone 605-867-5821
and send a copy to
President Cecelia Fire Thunder
PO Box 2070
Pine Ridge, SD 57770-2070
If you have any questions about this issue, please
contact Radical Women at 415-864-1278 or
rwbayarea@yahoo.com Thank you for your support!
In solidarity,
Toni Mendicino
Bay Area Radical Women and
Bay Area Coalition for Our Reproductive Rights
Below is an excerpt from an email from Elizabeth
Castle, UC Berkeley History Professor and personal
historian to Madonna Thunder Hawk.
...there are many complicated political factors behind
this action. This is the third time it has happened
and the danger is that this time the Tribal Council is
using the abortion issues as leverage.
When she was elected she cleaned up house. This meant
taking tribal employees off the roles for jobs that
had been defunded by the federal government. In
addition to federal cuts, often the grants were lost
for these tribal programs because the employees had
not taken the necessary action to see their reports
were in and the grants were properly renewed. Fire
Thunder notified these individuals that they were
welcome back if they were able to get the program
funded again.
The ending of this "gravy train," created significant
enemies. These actions must be understood in the ever
relevant context of the continuing effects of
colonization. They are very real as in the welfare
mentality that reigns on the reservation makes
progressive change difficult. The federal government
not only knows this but encourages it as it makes the
pathway to terminating treaty obligations to tribes.
Though the full details are as of yet unknown, it is
easy to see that the Fire Thunder's bold leadership
makes her vulnerable not only to those right wing
individuals off the reservation in the racist state of
South Dakota but even more so at home in Pine Ridge.
With generations of boarding school christianity
drummed into the minds of many Native people, there is
little awareness of the Lakota's traditional practices
of reproductive control.
It would be easy to see "Abortion is not traditional"
signs popping up as a very patriarchal and inaccurate
reinvigoration of traditional practice. Also, in a
community where illegal sterilization was commonly
practiced, the link to organizing behind the right to
abortion will not be as easily made.
Please take a look at the links below to see how often
Fire Thunder has been attacked. It is dead clear that
she needs serious support. Website:
http://indianz.com/News/2005/010954.asp
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
FYI
According to "Minimum Wage History" at
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html "
"Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.
"A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
the state minimum wage at $4.35."
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
PRESERVE INTERNET NETWORK NEUTRALITY
Hi,
I can't imagine that you haven't seen this, but if you
haven't, please sign the petition to keep our access.
Everything we do online will be hurt if Congress
passes a radical law next week that gives giant
corporations more control over what we do and see on
the Internet.
Internet providers like AT&T are lobbying Congress
hard to gut Network Neutrality--the Internet's First
Amendment and the key to Internet freedom. Right now,
Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which
websites open most easily for you based on which site
pays AT&T more. BarnesandNoble.com doesn't have to
outbid Amazon for the right to work properly on your
computer.
If Net Neutrality is gutted, many sites--including
Google, eBay, and iTunes--must either pay protection
money to companies like AT&T or risk having their
websites process slowly. That why these high-tech
pioneers, plus diverse groups ranging from MoveOn to
Gun Owners of America, are opposing Congress' effort
to gut Internet freedom.
So please! sign this petition telling your member of
Congress to preserve Internet freedom? Click here:
http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet?track_referer=706%7C1152463-5QFocRE05wmGUuh8yAMSzg
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
Flash Film: Ides of March
http://isahaqi.chris-floyd.com/
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
http://www.10reasonsbook.com/
Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
See this article from USA Today:
Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
February 13, 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-02-13-education-panel_x.htm
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/decind.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805195.php
Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805182.php
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
ARTICLES IN FULL:
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
1) 5 G.I.'s Face Inquiry on Killing of Iraqi Family
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:42 p.m. ET
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq-Soldiers-Investigated.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=e5c030c1599e1889&ei=5094&partner=homepage
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
1) 5 G.I.'s Face Inquiry on Killing of Iraqi Family
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:42 p.m. ET
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq-Soldiers-Investigated.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=e5c030c1599e1889&ei=5094&partner=homepage
BEIJI, Iraq (AP) -- Five U.S. soldiers are being investigated for
allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three
relatives, an American military official said Friday, describing
the latest allegations of abuse of Iraqi civilians.
The soldiers also allegedly burned the body of the woman
they are accused of assaulting in the March incident, the
official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the case.
The U.S. command issued a sparse statement, saying
Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of coalition
troops in Baghdad, had ordered a criminal investigation
into the alleged killing of a family of four in Mahmoudiyah,
south of Baghdad. The statement had no other details.
The case represents the latest allegations against U.S.
soldiers stemming from the deaths of Iraqis. At least
14 U.S. troops have been convicted.
The United States also is investigating allegations that
two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians were killed by U.S.
Marines in the western town of Haditha on Nov. 19 in
a revenge attack after one of their own died in
a roadside bombing.
''The entire investigation will encompass everything
that could have happened that evening. We're not
releasing any specifics of an ongoing investigation,''
military spokesman Maj. Todd Breasseale said of
the Mahmoudiyah allegations.
''There is no indication what led soldiers to this home.
The investigation just cracked open. We're just beginning
to dig into the details.''
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he had no
additional details on the incident but added that the
military routinely investigates all allegations of misconduct.
However, a U.S. official close to the investigation said
at least one of the soldiers, all assigned to the 502nd
Infantry Regiment, has admitted his role and been arrested.
Two soldiers from the same regiment were slain this month
when they were kidnapped at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah.
The official told the AP the accused soldiers were from
the same platoon as the two slain soldiers. The military
has said one and possibly both of the slain soldiers
were tortured and beheaded.
The official said the mutilation of the slain soldiers stirred
feelings of guilt and led at least one of them to reveal
the rape-slaying on June 22.
According to a senior Army official, the alleged incident
was first revealed by a soldier during a routine counseling-
type session. The official, who requested anonymity because
the investigation is ongoing, said that soldier did not
witness the incident but heard about it.
A second soldier, who also was not involved, said he overhead
soldiers conspiring to commit the crimes, and then later
saw bloodstains on their clothes, the official said.
He also said the four people killed included three adults and
a child, and one of the adults was the woman who allegedly
was raped.
One of the accused soldiers already has been discharged and
is believed to be in the United States, several U.S. officials
said on condition of anonymity because the investigation is
ongoing. The others have had their weapons taken away and
are confined to Forward Operating Base Mahmoudiyah.
Senior officers were aware of the family's death but believed
it was due to sectarian violence, common in the religiously
mixed town, a U.S. official said.
The killings appeared to have been a ''crime of opportunity,''
the official said. The soldiers had not been attacked by insurgents
but had noticed the woman on previous patrols.
AP correspondent Ryan Lenz is embedded with the 101st
Airborne Division in Beiji, Iraq. He was previously embedded
with the 502nd Infantry Regiment in Mahmoudiyah.
The Associated Press News and Information Research Center
and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed t
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LINKS ONLY
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Justices, 5-3, Broadly Reject Bush Plan to Try Detainees
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/washington/30hamdan.html
Palestinian Premier Says Israel Seeks to Cripple Government
By GREG MYRE and STEVEN ERLANGER
GAZA CITY, June 30 — The Palestinian prime minister, Ismail
Haniyah, today called Israel's seizure of 64 members of Hamas
"proof" that its recent offensive was not merely intended to
recapture a kidnapped soldier but was part of a "premeditated
plan" to cripple the Palestinian government.
Israeli soldiers took the Hamas members, who included a third
of the Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators, into custody
in the West Bank on Thursday.
The Israeli air offensive in Gaza continued today, as jet fighters
destroyed the office of the Palestinian interior minister.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=336de1ce453b1d6b&ei=5094&partner=homepage
In Mid-Atlantic, Flooding's Fury Goes Downriver
By ALAN FEUER
[This article shows photo of stranded family with a
sign hand-painted on a piece of sheet metal that says,
"Get us out of here." Sound familiar?...bw]
"It would seem that misery, like water, flows downstream.
A day after a nexus of swollen rivers spilled their banks in some
of the worst floods in the Mid-Atlantic region in decades, the waters
slowly started to recede yesterday. But trouble did not go with them."
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/nyregion/30flood.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=e8eea9c08fd1b54b&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The Road Back
In Battered Parish, Officials Bear the Brunt of Neighbors' Anguish
By DAN BARRY
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/us/30road.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=dbdcd7d2aff12b3d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Ruling Leaves Uncertainty at Guantánamo
By TIM GOLDEN
GUANTÁNAMO BAY, Cuba, June 29 — As the Supreme Court
prepared to rule on the Bush administration's plan to try terror
suspects before special military tribunals here, the commander
of Guantánamo's military detention center was asked what impact
the court's decision might have on its operations.
"If they rule against the government, I don't see how that is going
to affect us," the commander, Rear Adm. Harry B. Harris, said
Tuesday evening as he sat in a conference room in his headquarters.
"From my perspective, I think the direct impact will be negligible."
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/washington/30gitmo.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=c4e57afd0b0bd044&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Key Investor Urges G.M. to Explore 2 Bids
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
DETROIT, June 30 — The company controlled by General Motors'
biggest individual shareholder urged the automaker today to
explore a three-way partnership with Nissan of Japan and the
French automaker Renault, which controls Nissan.
Tracinda Corporation, which is owned by billionaire Kirk
Kerkorian, said it believed Renault and Nissan would be
interested in buying a minority stake in G.M., the world's
biggest auto company.
Such a combination stands to rank among the biggest deals
in recent automotive history, like the one that linked
Daimler-Benz and Chrysler in 1998 or Renault and
Nissan in 1999. It conceivably could keep G.M., which
is facing a stiff challenge from Toyota, at the top of the
automotive industry.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/business/30cnd-gm.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=24a48eac197114db&ei=5094&partner=homepage
On Arab Streets and Airwaves, Shock Over Seizures by Israel
By HASSAN M. FATTAH
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 29 — Arab streets and airwaves
reacted with shock on Thursday over Israel's seizure of many
Hamas members and the continued bombardment of Gaza.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30arab.html
Israel Appears to Delay Ground Forays in North Gaza; Airstrikes Go On
By GREG MYRE and IAN FISHER
GAZA, Friday, June 30 — With the seizure of dozens of senior Hamas
officials and its military hunkered down, Israel appeared to delay
any ground raid into northern Gaza on Thursday, but it continued
to pound Palestinian territory with artillery fire.
Israel carried out several airstrikes early Friday aiming at buildings
that included the Interior Ministry in Gaza City, which was set on
fire. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30mideast.html
Seizures Show New Israel Line Against Hamas
By STEVEN ERLANGER
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Friday, June 30 — Israeli troops seized
64 members of Hamas in the West Bank on Thursday, including
a third of the Palestinian cabinet and 23 legislators, a move that
Israeli officials said indicated a significant change in Israel's
policy toward the Hamas government.
June 30, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/world/middleeast/30palestinians.html?hp&ex=1151726400&en=685180ef2c6e7b31&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Israel Threatens to Widen Conflict Over Captured Soldier
By IAN FISHER and STEVEN ERLANGER
June 28, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/28/world/middleeast/28cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1151553600&en=ecc2da17468b66a5&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Terror Expert: London Bomber Was Working For MI5
Khan used as informant for security services
Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com | June 27 2006
A noted terror expert has told the BBC that Mohammed Siddique Khan,
the alleged ringleader of the 7/7 London bombings, was working for
British intelligence agency MI5 as an informant at the time of the
attacks.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/index.html
Are Americans Finally Ready to Get Smart?
By MARK LANDLER
FRANKFURT, June 27 — Are Americans finally ready to get Smart?
DaimlerChrysler, which shelved an earlier plan to bring its Smart
mini-car brand to the United States, plans to announce on Wednesday
that it will introduce the tiny, two-seat vehicle to the American market
early in 2008, according to several executives at the company.
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/automobiles/27cnd-smart.html?hp&ex=1151467200&en=0ab7c9b76a339b6f&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Judge Halts Executions in Missouri (full article)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A federal judge halted executions in Missouri. The judge, Fernando
J. Gaitan Jr. of Federal District Court, said the state's lethal injection
procedure subjects condemned inmates to an unnecessary risk of
"unconstitutional pain and suffering." Judge Gaitan ruled in the
case of Michael Taylor. He gave the State Department of Corrections
until July 15 to come up with a new protocol. The judge also said
he was "gravely concerned" because the lone doctor in charge
of mixing the lethal cocktail in Missouri is dyslexic.
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/us/27brfs-003.html
Supreme Court Roundup
Justices Uphold Basic Right to Choose Defense Lawyers
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/washington/27scotus.html
U.S. Ends a Yearlong Effort to Obtain Library Records
Amid Secrecy in Connecticut
By ALISON LEIGH COWAN
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/nyregion/27library.html
'Breathtaking' Waste and Fraud in Hurricane Aid
By ERIC LIPTON
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/washington/27katrina.html
Military Fails Some Widows Over Benefits
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
"...laws exclude widows whose husbands died too early in the war
or were killed in training rather than in combat."
June 27, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/us/27benefits.html?hp&ex=1151467200&en=6e3a4c39045cb093&ei=5094&partner=homepage
