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Bay Area United Against War Newsletter
Table of Contents:
A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS
B. VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.
C. SPECIAL APPEALS AND ONGOING CAMPAIGNS
D. ARTICLES IN FULL
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A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS
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PROTEST ANOTHER BART MURDER!
Shut down the Murderous, Inept, Corrupt BART Police Department
Monday, July 11 at 4:30pm
Location: Civic Center BART - On the Platform
Last Sunday night, BART Police attacked and essentially executed a man so drunk he could barely stand! 2 BART Police officers responded to a call of a homeless man with an open container of alcohol described as stumbling and wobbling around civic center platform. Within 60 seconds of getting out of the train and onto the platform, these cops managed to shoot the man 3 times in the chest and kill him.
The BART police chief is... claiming he is 'comfortable' with this behavior. There is video that they are refusing to release. There are witnesses that contradict the police story (the lies they are using to try to cover this up). History does repeat itself, until we get angry enough to do something about it.
Join us to THIS MONDAY. ON THE CIVIC CENTER PLATFORM (yes, in the BART!). We will participate in a collective act of civil disobedience to demand:
1. The BART Board of Directors must shut down the corrupt, inept, disgraceful, and murderous BART police department, PERMANENTLY AND TOTALLY.
2. Both officers must be fired, and we demand an independent, PUBLIC investigation of this killing, and all applicable charges filed and prosecuted against the killers.
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July 12-22
THE UNIMAGINABLE JOURNEY of S. Brian Willson an American Peacemaker
BAY AREA TOUR DATES:
TUESDAY JULY 12 • SANTA ROSA 7:15pm - Santa Rosa Friends House, 684 Benicia Dr.
WEDNESDAY JULY 13 • WALNUT CREEK 7:00pm - Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center, 55 Eckley Ln.
THURSDAY JULY 14 • SEBASTOPOL 7:00pm - Community Church of Sebastopol, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy North (sponsored by Copperfields)
FRIDAY JULY 15 • SAN RAFAEL 7:30pm - First United Methodist Church, 9 Ross Valley Dr. (at Third)
SUNDAY JULY 17 • SAN FRANCISCO 12:30pm - First Unitarian Church, 1187 Franklin St. (at Geary)
MONDAY JULY 18 • BERKELEY 6:00pm (talk begins at 7) - Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. (at Bonita)
TUESDAY JULY 19 • SAN JOSE 7:00pm - San Jose Peace AND Justice Center, 48 S. 7th St.
WEDNESDAY JULY 20 • CAPITOLA 7:30pm - Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Ave., Capitola
FRIDAY JULY 22 • SEASIDE 5:00pm - Peace Resource Center, 1364 Fremont Blvd.
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS is available for purchase from your favorite bookseller or from PM Press: www.pmpress.org (ISBN 978-1-60486-421-2)• For more information: bloodonthetracks.info • "Like" the book page on Facebook!
Follow Brian's journey...from high school jock...to Viet Nam commander...to peace activist...seeking right livelihood...and now...cycling to your town with his new book!
SUMMER 2011 BOOK TOUR
SPONSORS
Global Exchange
Joanna Macy
Unitarian Universalists for Peace, San Francisco
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarians
Veterans For Peace San Francisco
Mt. Diablo Peace Center (Walnut Creek)
KPFA
ANSWER - SF Bay Area
Bay Area Latin America Solidarity Coalition (BALASC)
Peaceworkers (San Francisco)
Marin Task Force on the Americas
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Buddhist Peace Fellowship (Marin County)
School of the Americas Watch West (SOAWW)
The Metta Center
Pace e Bene
San Francisco Friends Meeting - Peace Committee
American Friends Service Committee Pacific Mountain Region
Progressive Democrats of America- San Francisco (PDA-SF)
Western States Legal Foundation
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center (Palo Alto)
VFW Bill Motto Post 5888
Veterans For Peace Santa Cruz
People United for Peace of Santa Cruz County
Resource Center for Nonviolence
GI Rights Hotline, Santa Cruz Node
Ecumenical Peace Institute (Berkeley)
CODE PINK
Marin Friends Meeting
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Physicians for a National Health Program California is having our 2nd annual California Single-Payer Health Care Summer Conference at USC's Tutor Campus Center Ballroom on Saturday, July 16th, 2011 from 9am - 5pm.
Summer Conference 2011 is designed to teach attendees about just, guaranteed, comprehensive health care for ALL who live in California. We are gearing this conference toward professionals working in health, policy, advocacy, education, and organizing arenas.
This year's conference will feature Dr. Carmen Rita Nevarez, Immediate Past President, American Public Health Association as our keynote speaker, plus three Leadership Institutes that will help you develop your skills to build the movement through public speaking, coalition building or grassroots advocacy.
Ticket prices are on a sliding scale, and people who are "new to the movement" receive a discount.
For more information and to register, go to healthisahumanright.eventbrite.com. Please also download our flyer here. Please help us spread the word!
If your organization would like to sponsor this event, you can download our sponsorship form here.
Hope you can join us this summer in Los Angeles. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thanks,
Molly Tavella, MPH
Shearer Student Fellow
Physicians for a National Health Program California
2344 6th Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 665-8523 office
(408) 892-1255 mobile
(510) 665-6027 fax
molly@pnhpcalifornia.org
www.cahpsa.org
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NATIONWIDE PROTEST AGAINST HYATT'S ANTI-WORKER ACTIONS!
July 21st, Thursday, 4:00pm
Grand Hyatt Hotel (Stockton and Sutter Streets)
San Francisco
PLEASE RSVP SO WE KNOW YOU'RE STANDING WITH HOTEL WORKERS ON THIS NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST, CLICK HERE:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFZqUEMtNGU2TndRcWZsUVNGaC0tb1E6MQ
On May 10th, Hyatt offered to sign the Hilton deal. However, for the previous 19 month since our contract expired, Hyatt had been insisting on ripping off our medical benefits, freezing our pension, eliminating the room service bussers, and keeping us in a recession with their cheap wage proposal.
Ever since our contract expired on August 2009, Hyatt joined with other Class A (bigger) hotels to refuse a new, fair Union Contract. Had it not been for the Hilton which took the lead in signing the deal, Hyatt would still be offering the garbage they were offering before the Hilton signed.
Hyatt is notorious nationally for its attacks on its immigrant work force.
In August 2009, Hyatt fired its entire housekeeping department in Boston. Women, mostly immigrants (many of whom had been working for Hyatt for more than 20 years) were fired and replaced by a subcontractor company which pays its workers close to minimum wage. Read more about the Boston housekeepers.
Hyatt has also distinguished itself as the company which loads more and more work on room cleaners, often resulting in high levels of worker injuries. Hyatt has been cited by the government for unsafe working conditions in housekeeping. Read more on housekeepers' injuries, click here.
Join us for a nationwide protest against Hyatt's anti-worker actions on July 21st, Thursday, 4:00pm in front of the Grand Hyatt hotel on Stockton and Sutter Streets, San Francisco.
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Millions March In Harlem
Against the Attack on African People
END
the Bombing of Libya
the Illegal Sanctions in Zimbabwe
Bloomberg's Destruction
of Education, Housing, Health Care, Jobs and more!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Pan Africanism Rising Against Imperialism!
Assemble at 10 AM
110th Street and Malcolm X Blvd
Harlem New York
Pan Africanism or Perish!
For more information and participation call (718) 398-1766
Forward to all your contacts and let us know how many will be attending!
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FREEDOM FROM VIOLENCE AND POLICE STATE TERROR
Saturday, August 20 at 2:00pm
Location: In front of SF City Hall, Polk Street side, between Grove & McAllister
On the 34th Birthday of Idriss Stelley, Killed by SFPD on 6-12-01 at the Sony Metreon Complex,
The event is meant to launch a citywide police accountability and transparency COLLECTIVE comprised of socially mindful grassroots entities , social/racial Justice activists, and "progressive "city officials, as well as mayoral candidates, HOLD THEM TO THEIR PROMISES!
Performances, music, spoken word, and speakers.
If you would like to speak or perform,
please contact Jeremy Miller at 415-595-2894, djasik87.9@gmail.com,
or mesha Monge-Irizarry at 415-595-8251
Please join our facebook group at
Idriss Stelley Foundation !
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Protest, March & Die-In on 10th Anniversary of Afghanistan War
Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, 4:30-6:30pm
New Federal Building, 7th & Mission Sts, SF
End All the Wars & Occupations-Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Libya, Haiti . . .
Money for Jobs, Healthcare & Schools-Not for the Pentagon
Friday, October 7, 2011 will be the exact 10th anniversary of the U.S./NATO war on the people of Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of Afghani people have been killed, wounded and displaced, and thousands of U.S. and NATO forces killed and wounded. The war costs more than $126 billion per year at a time when social programs are being slashed.
The true and brutal character of the U.S. strategy to "win hearts and minds" of the Afghani population was described by a Marine officer, quoted in a recent ANSWER Coalition statement:
"You can't just convince them [Afghani people] through projects and goodwill," another Marine officer said. "You have to show up at their door with two companies of Marines and start killing people. That's how you start convincing them." (To read the entire ANSWER statement, click here)
Mark your calendar now and help organize for the October 7 march and die-in in downtown San Francisco. There are several things you can do:
1. Reply to this email to endorse the protest and die-in.
2. Spread the word and help organize in your community, union, workplace and campus.
3. Make a donation to help with organizing expenses.
Only the people can stop the war!
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
http://www.AnswerCoalition.org
http://www.AnswerSF.org
Answer@AnswerSF.org
2969 Mission St.
415-821-6545
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(Please forward widely)
Save the dates of October 6, 15 to protest wars; and May 15-22, 2012--Northern California UNAC will be discussing plans for solidarity actions around the Chicago G-8 here.
United National Antiwar Committee
UNACpeace@gmain.com or UNAC at P.O. Box 123, Delmar, NY 12054
518-227-6947
www.UNACpeace.org
UNITED NATIONAL ANTIWAR COMMITTEE (UNAC) CALLS FOR ACTIONS IN OCTOBER
TO MARK 10 YEARS OF WAR ON AFGHANISTAN
On June 22, the White House defied the majority of Americans who want an end to the war in Afghanistan. Instead of announcing the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops, contractors, bases, and war dollars, Obama committed to removing only one twentieth of the US forces on the ground in Afghanistan over the next eight months. Another 23,000 will supposedly be withdrawn just in time to influence the 2012 elections. Even if the President follows thru on this plan, nearly 170,000 US soldiers and contractors will remain in Afghanistan. All veterans and soldiers will be raising the question, "Who will be the last U.S. combatant to die in Afghanistan?"
In truth, the President's plan is not a plan to end the war in Afghanistan. It was, instead, an announcement that the U.S. was changing strategy. As the New York Times reported, the US will be replacing the "counterinsurgency strategy" adopted 18 months ago with the kind of campaign of drone attacks, assassinations, and covert actions that the US has employed in Pakistan.
At a meeting of the United National Antiwar Committee's National Coordinating Committee, held in NYC on June 18, representatives of 47 groups voted to endorse the nonviolent civil resistance activities beginning on October 6 in Washington, D.C. and to call for nationally coordinated local actions on October 15 to protest the tenth anniversary of the US war in Afghanistan. UNAC urges activists in as many cities as possible to hold marches, picket lines, teach-ins, and other events to say:
· Withdraw ALL US/NATO Military Forces, Contractors, and Bases out of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya NOW!
· End drone attacks on defenseless populations in Pakistan and Yemen!
· End US Aid to Israel! Hands Off Iran!
· Bring Our War Dollars Home Now! Money for Jobs and Education, Not for War and Incarceration!
Note these dates of upcoming significant events:
· November 11-13 UNAC National Conference - a gathering of all movement activists to learn, share, plan future actions.
· May 15-22, 2012 International Protest Actions against war criminals attending NATO meeting and G-8 summit in Chicago.
Challenge the NATO War Makers in Chicago May 15-22, 2012
NATO and the G8 are coming to Chicago - so are we!
The White House has just announced that the U.S. will host a major international meeting of NATO, the US-commanded and financed 28-nation military alliance, in Chicago from May 15 to May 22, 2012. It was further announced that at the same time and place, there will be a summit of the G-8 world powers. The meetings are expected to draw heads of state, generals and countless others.
At a day-long meeting in New York City on Saturday, June 18, the United National Antiwar Committee's national coordinating committee of 69 participants, representing, 47 organizations, unanimously passed a resolution to call for action at the upcoming NATO meeting.
UNAC is determined to mount a massive united outpouring in Chicago during the NATO gathering to put forth demands opposing endless wars and calling for billions spent on war and destruction be spent instead on people's needs for jobs, health care, housing and education.
CHALLENGE THE NATO WAR MAKERS
Whereas, the U.S. is the major and pre-eminent military, economic and political power behind NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and
Whereas, the U.S. will be hosting a major NATO gathering in the spring of 2012, and
Whereas, U.S. and NATO-allied forces are actively engaged in the monstrous wars, occupations and military attacks on Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, the Middle East and elsewhere,
Be it resolved that:
1) UNAC, in conjunction with a broad range of groups and organizations that share general agreement with the major demands adopted at our 2010 Albany, NY national conference, initiate a mass demonstration at the site of the NATO gathering, and
2) UNAC welcomes and encourages the participation of all groups interested in mobilizing against war and for social justice in planning a broad range of other NATO meeting protests including teach-ins, alternative conferences and activities organized on the basis of direct action/civil resistance, and
3) UNAC will seek to make the NATO conference the occasion for internationally coordinated protests, and
4) UNAC will convene a meeting of all of the above forces to discuss and prepare initial plans to begin work on this spring action.
Resolution passed unanimously by the National Coordinating Committee of UNAC on Saturday, June 18, 2011
click here to donate to UNAC:
https://nationalpeaceconference.org/Donate.html
Click here for the Facebook UNAC group.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_157059221012587&ap=1
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B. VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.:
[Some of these videos are embeded on the BAUAW website:
http://bauaw.blogspot.com/ or bauaw.org ...bw]
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Short URL: http://con.st/10020583
horror stories
Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check. Except The Check Is Legit.
By Ben Popken on July 7, 2011 10:00 AM
http://consumerist.com/2011/07/chase-gets-man-thrown-in-jail-for-fraudulent-check-except-the-check-is-legit.html
Ikenna, a 28-year old construction worker, went to deposit a $8,463.21 Chase cashier's check at his local Chase branch, only for the teller to decide that neither he nor his check looked right and he got tossed in jail for forgery, KING5 reports. The next day, a Friday the bank realized its mistake and left a message with the detective. But it was her day off, so he spent the entire weekend in jail.
By the time he got out, he had been fired from his job for not showing up to work. His car had been towed as well. It ended up getting sold off at auction because he couldn't afford to get it out of the pound. He had been relying on that cashier's check for his money but it was taken as evidence and by the time he got it back it was auctioned off.
All this while the cashier's check had been issued by the very bank he was trying to cash it at.
Chase didn't even apologize, not even after a year. A lawyer volunteered to help write a strongly-worded letter requesting damages. After trying hard to get a response, they sent KING 5 a two-sentence reply: "We received the letter and are reviewing the situation. We'll be reaching out to the customer."
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Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden
By ALEXIS WILEY
WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/julie-bass-of-oak-park-faces-misdemeanor-charge-for-vegetable-garden-20110630-wpms
Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden: MyFoxDETROIT.com
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Radioactive Container Truck Spewing Gamma Rays Into Traffic on I-270 in Saint Louis, Missouri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm2fV0ag6tY&feature=player_embedded
All Rights Reserved, (c) 2011 www.POTRBLOG.com
We got stuck next to this truck during the 7pm July 1st holiday traffic on North bound I-270, after seeing the Radioactive warning placards we pulled out the Geiger Counter and Camera. Lesson learned, AVOID RADIOACTIVE TRUCKS!
The Geiger counter samples over a 30 second moving average, updated every 3 seconds. Notice how the reading on the Geiger Counter keeps moving upwards after we pass the truck; had we stayed next to the radioactive truck the readings would have went even higher.
Pray for the truck driver; the source of gamma rays appeared to be located almost directly behind the driver. One would think that these things would be much more heavily shielded, located further away from the driver, and that such materials would be transported when other people are not on the road.
The truck exited I-270 at Lilac Ave.
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Food, Inc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVFKEWL6DVU
Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner uses reports by FAST FOOD NATION author Eric Schlosser and THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA author Michael Pollan as a springboard to exploring where the food we purchase really comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations. By exposing the comfortable relationships between business and government, Kenner gradually shines light on the dark underbelly of the American food industry. The USDA and FDA are supposed to protect the public, so why is it that both government regulatory agencies have been complicit in allowing corporations to put profit ahead of consumer health, the American farmer, worker safety, and even the environment? As chicken breasts get bigger and tomatoes are genetically engineered not to go bad, 73,000 Americans fall ill from powerful new strains of E. coli every year, obesity levels are skyrocketing, and adult diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Perhaps if the general public knew how corporations use exploited laws and subsidies to create powerful monopolies, the outrage would be enough to make us think more carefully about the food we put into our bodies.
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CPS takes custody of 6 kids living with parents in storage shed
http://www.khou.com/news/Storage-Shed-CPS-Fight-125041524.html
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Class Dismissed: How TV Frames the Working Class [Full Film]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ZS91cqpa8
Narrated by Ed Asner
Based on the book by Pepi Leistyna, Class Dismissed navigates the steady stream of narrow working class representations from American television's beginnings to today's sitcoms, reality shows, police dramas, and daytime talk shows.
Featuring interviews with media analysts and cultural historians, this documentary examines the patterns inherent in TV's disturbing depictions of working class people as either clowns or social deviants -- stereotypical portrayals that reinforce the myth of meritocracy.
Class Dismissed breaks important new ground in exploring the ways in which race, gender, and sexuality intersect with class, offering a more complex reading of television's often one-dimensional representations. The video also links television portrayals to negative cultural attitudes and public policies that directly affect the lives of working class people.
Featuring interviews with Stanley Aronowitz, (City University of New York); Nickel and Dimed author, Barbara Ehrenreich; Herman Gray (University of California-Santa Cruz); Robin Kelley (Columbia University); Pepi Leistyna (University of Massachusetts-Boston) and Michael Zweig (State University of New York-Stony Brook). Also with Arlene Davila, Susan Douglas, Bambi Haggins, Lisa Henderson, and Andrea Press.
Sections: Class Matters | The American Dream Machine | From the Margins to the Middle | Women Have Class | Class Clowns | No Class | Class Action
http://www.mediaed.org
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Daily life in Fukushima: 'It was like visiting another universe'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5cvod4Tiw&feature=player_embedded
Uploaded by RussiaToday on Jul 3, 2011
Jan Beranek, who is with a team of Greenpeace activists investigating the fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster, says Japanese are encouraged to return to their normal lives unaware of the dangers they face in the contaminated area. "I personally find it very disturbing, because on the one hand you see the Japanese authorities forcing people and society to get back to normal... And yet at the same time there are still extremely high levels of radiation and the contamination of the soil, and also potentially in the food," the activist told RT. "This is just unbelievable because at those levels of exposure it certainly poses a risk to the lives and health of the people. If you draw a parallel to the Chernobyl disaster, then actually the Soviets decided to evacuate everyone living in the place, where radiation was three or four times lower than what we see in Fukushima City today," added Beranek, who personally visited the Chernobyl area after the 1986 disaster. Greenpeace is putting pressure on the Japanese government to gather and provide more information about the contamination in addition to doing its independent effort, Beranek said. "We've actually forced the government to, for example, extend the monitoring of the sea. And we also hear that the government is now revising at least some of the protective measures for children, which is definitely good to see. Yet the government is too slow and doing too little actually [compared to] what the situation would deserve," he said. The activist hopes the consequences of the Fukushima disaster will make Japan and other nations change their stance on nuclear energy and phase it out. There is such change already in Germany, Italy and Switzerland. "Nuclear power, as we have seen, is inherently unsafe. There is always an unpredictable combination of natural catastrophe, technological failure, human error that can result in a situation when a reactor gets out of control very fast. It's a question of a few hours before full meltdown happens. It's unsafe to take the bets and continue with nuclear power," Beranek believes.
RT on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RTnews
RT on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RT_com
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New Analysis of Unit 3 Fuel Pool Video Reveals Top of Fuel Bundle
http://fairewinds.com/content/new-analysis-unit-3-fuel-pool-video-reveals-top-fuel-bundle
New Analysis of Unit 3 Fuel Pool Video Reveals Top of Fuel Bundle from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
A video first released by TEPCO in April has been re-analyzed by Ian Goddard and appears to reveal a handle found atop a single nuclear fuel bundle. This raises more questions about the condition of any fuel still remaining in the Unit 3 fuel pool.
Hi I'm Arnie Gundersen from Fairewinds.
If you have been watching the site lately, it has been about 3 weeks since we have updated a video. During that time, Maggie and I have been on the road making a couple of presentations in Massachusetts, a couple of TV shows and some radio and print. That will be on the site over the next couple of weeks to inform you of what we have been up to. But something happened last night that I really wanted to share with you right now.
I got an email last night from Ian Goddard. And Ian is a long time watcher of this site and has done some really great analysis in the past as well. He took a look at an old TEPCO video. And Tokyo Electric had gone into the Unit 3 fuel pool just once. You remember that Unit 3 is the reactor that is blown to smithereens. The video showed a lot of damage. But Ian Goddard was able to find one spot where there is clearly something that appears to be discernible. It looks like the handle of a BWR fuel bundle.
Ian compares that bundle to other bundles which were looked at over in Unit 4 and it is pretty clear to me and a couple of other nuclear engineers I have shown it to, that this might be a single nuclear fuel bundle in the Unit 3 fuel pool.
It raises more questions than it answers. First of all, there should be a lot of bundles there. Yet, obviously, there is only one in this picture. Where are the other bundles? The other part of the question is, this should be under about 25 feet of water. It is not, it is very near to the surface. So what has happened to that particular bundle, or to the water level in the pool that caused it to come in such close contact with atmosphere?
Like I said, it raises more questions than it answers, but I really do want to thank Ian Goddard for discovering this. If you have any comments or questions or thoughts on what you think it might be, please send in through the comments section on the website.
Thanks, we will get back to you soon.
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Arnie Gundersen Discusses Situation at flooded Ft. Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Power Plants.
http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/gundersen-june-29-2011-video
Gundersen Discusses the Situation at the flooded Ft. Calhoun and Cooper Nuclear Power Plants. from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
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Las Conchas fire, evening flames threatening Los Alamos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCYl7HFmCzE&feature=player_embedded
Uploaded by MichaelZeiler on Jun 29, 2011
On this fourth day of the devastating Las Conchas fire which is threatening Los Alamos, New Mexico, the night sky finally cleared enough to see the flames licking all around the labs and the city.
This time-lapse video is comprised of 113 photographs taken 30 seconds apart. Each photograph is shown for one second. My vantage point is from my home on a ridge just to the north of Santa Fe.
You can see quick changes in the fires, stars in the sky, and emergency vehicles making their way on fire duties. The brightest lights are the headquarters of the Los Alamos labs and other technical areas are to the left. To the right is the Los Alamos town site. Below the headquarters is the suburb of White Rock.
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Let's torture the truth out of suicide bombers says new CIA chief Petraeus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sm02UbKNCKQ
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Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant Main Building Underwater, 10 Mile Mandatory Evacuation Area
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zosA6pPH_E&feature=player_embedded
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Labor Beat: Give It Back!
http://blip.tv/labor-beat/give_it_back-5315509
The Executive Summit of CEOs and CFOs at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago on June 14, 2011 was the target of a broad coalition of community and labor organizations, put together by Stand Up! Chicago. Several thousand protesters successfully pulled off 3 coordinated feeder marches (housing, jobs, education) that transformed the hub of corporate Chicago at Michigan and Wacker into protest central. We begin with the small band of movement artists (teachers, students and activists) as they plan the visuals and create the huge puppets (Kings of Corporate Welfare) which became the visual rallying points of the Give It Back march and rally. We show the process of how the big march came together and how working people were able to appropriate Chicago's showplace of big business and convert it into a movement theatrical backdrop. The CEOs at the Hyatt went on with their meeting, and a city-wide movement gained confidence in its organizing skills. Rod Wilson of the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization observed: "This is definitely the beginning, not the end, not the culminating, but the beginning." Length - 18:33. Produced by Labor Beat. Labor Beat is a CAN TV Community Partner. Labor Beat is a non-profit 501(c)(3) member of IBEW 1220. Views are those of the producer Labor Beat. For info: mail@laborbeat.org, www.laborbeat.org. 312-226-3330. For other Labor Beat videos, visit Google Video, YouTube, or blip.tv and search "Labor Beat". Labor Beat has regular cable slots in Chicago, Evanston, Rockford, Urbana, IL; St. Louis, MO; Philadelphia, PA; Princeton, NJ; and Rochester, NY. For more detailed information, send us a request at mail@laborbeat.org
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Japanese Anti-Nuc Song Gone Viral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AylBxsiUSws&feature=related
Kazuyoshi Saito On Ustream 2011/04/08
Song and Lyrics: Kazuyoshi Saito
"You have been telling a lie"
When we walk around this country,
we can find 54 Nuke power plants
My text book and CM always told me,
"It's SAFE"
You have been telling a lie,
then your excuse is just "UNEXPECTED"
I remember the clear sky,
but now, it turns black rain
You've been telling a lie,
it was exposed after all, I know
Yeah, it was a lie, "Nuke is completely safe"
You've been telling a lie,
I just wanna eat such a delicious spinach once again.
Yeah, it was a lie,
You should have noticed this ball game
We can't stop the contaminated wind anymore
Do you accept if you find it about how many people would be exposed by the radiation?
How do you think? I'm asking you, Jap Gov.
When you leave this town,
Could you find delicious water?
Tell me, whatever, there's no way to hide
They are all suck, Tepco, Hepco, Chuden and Kanden
We never dream a dream anymore
But they are all suck
They still keep going
They are truely suck
I wanna take action, how could I handle this feeling?
They are telling a lie....
We are all suck....
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Flood Alert: Brownsville,NE Levee Breach- Cooper Nuclear Plant
Jun 20, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcIrqrKLIyM
Brownsville NE levee is breaching at Brownsville Bridge -
Brownsville is where the Cooper Nuclear Plant is located
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Dr Helen Caldicott - Fukushima Nuclear Disaster- You won't hear this on the Main Stream News.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4ITrXVJMKeQ
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Choosing a Profession
An old country preacher had a teenage son, and it was getting time the boy should give some thought to choosing a profession. Like many young Men his age, the boy didn't really know what he wanted to do, and he didn't seem too concerned about it. One day, while the boy was away at school, his father decided to try an experiment. He went into the boy's room and placed on his study table four objects...
1. A Bible.....?
2. A silver dollar.....?
3. A bottle of whisky......?
4. And a Playboy magazine.....?
'I'll just hide behind the door,' the old preacher said to himself. 'When he comes home from school today, I'll see which object he picks up.
If it's the Bible, he's going to be a preacher like me, and what a blessing that would be!
If he picks up the dollar, he's going to be a business man, and that would be okay, too.
But if he picks up the bottle, he's going to be a no-good drunken bum, and Lord, what a shame that would be.
And worst of all if he picks up that magazine he's going to be a
skirt-chasing womanizer.'
The old man waited anxiously, and soon heard his son's foot-steps as he entered the house whistling and headed for his room.
The boy tossed his books on the bed, and as he turned to leave the room he spotted the objects on the table..
With curiosity in his eye, he walked over to inspect them. Finally, he picked up the Bible and placed it under his arm. He picked up the silver dollar and dropped into his pocket. He uncorked the bottle and took a big drink, while he admired this month's centerfold.
'Lord have mercy,' the old preacher disgustedly whispered.
'He's gonna run for Congress.'
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Stop Police Brutality: Justice for Eric Radcliff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB8GpiXuSV4&NR=1
22 year old Eric Radcliff was shot and killed by police officers from the 35th district on the morning of Saturday May 21st, 2011. According to witnesses he was unarmed. The incident took place on the 5800 Block of Mascher Street in the 5th and Olney Section.
OUR COMMUNITY DEMANDS JUSTICE
WE THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF ERIC RADCLIFF ARE CONCERNED THAT JUSTICE HAS NOT BEEN SERVED. WE BELIEVE THAT THE POLICE OFFICERS USED EXCESSIVE FORCE. ERIC DID NOT HAVE TO DIE.
OUR DEMANDS
1. Open An Investigation Into the May 21st Shooting Death of 22 year old Eric Radcliff by officers of the Philadelphia Police Department's 35th District.
2. End Police Brutality! Serve and Protect, Not Disrespect and Victimize!
3. LETS GET OUR HOUSE IN ORDER. Let's Unite for Real Security and To Build a Better Future for Ourselves
Please come Join in UNITY AND LOVE! God is Good, We ARE winning!
JusticeforEricRadcliff@gmail.com
215-954-2272 for more information
VIA Justice for Eric Radcliff
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Stop Police Brutality: Justice for Albert Pernell Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGyR9Y2LPss
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*High Alert* - Fire -Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant near Omaha Nebraska- Flooding Missouri River
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHZdub3n0mI&feature=player_embedded
\Five O'Clock Shadow" with Robert Knight and Arnie Gundersen from Fairewinds Associates
Fire knocks out spent fuel cooling pool at nuclear plant near Omaha - Operating under heightened alert level because of nearby flooding on Missouri River.
On June 6, 2011, the Fort Calhoun pressurized water nuclear reactor 20 miles north of Omaha, Nebraska entered emergency status due to imminent flooding from the Missouri River. A day later, there was an electrical fire requiring plant evacuation. Then, on June 8th, NRC event reports confirmed the fire resulted in the loss of cooling for the reactor's spent fuel pool.
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Empty Chairs
AFLCIONow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3juhx3GJQQ
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Hot Particles From Japan to Seattle Virtually Undetectable when Inhaled or Swallowed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBEipg81uLw&feature=player_embedded
Original estimates of xenon and krypton releases remain the same, but a TEPCO recalculation shows dramatic increases in the release of hot particles. This confirms the results of air filter monitoring by independent scientists. Fairewinds' Arnie Gundersen explains how hot particles may react in mammals while escaping traditional detection. Reports of a metallic taste in the mouth, such as those now being reported in Japan and on the west coast, are a telltale sign of radiation exposure.
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'Fukushima media cover-up - PR success, public health disaster'
June 11, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_rAX9TzY2A&feature=player_embedded
Residents of the Fukushima district, and those who lived near-by have not only faced radiation exposure but also social exclusion... That's according to Dr. Robert Jacobs, Professor of nuclear history, at the Hiroshima Peace Institute.
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QUEEN OF THE SUN: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis from Taggart Siegel, director of THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN. Taking us on a journey through the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, this engaging and ultimately uplifting film weaves an unusual and dramatic story of the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists and philosophers from around the world including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk and Vandana Shiva. Together they reveal both the problems and the solutions in renewing a culture in balance with nature.
Official Film Website: http://www.queenofthesun.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekoeQodrVoM
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Autopsy Released in Police Shooting of Man Holding Nozzle
Douglas Zerby was shot 12 times, in the chest, arms and lower legs.
Watch Mary Beth McDade's report
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-long-beach-belmont-shore-shooting,0,2471345.story
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I Wanna Be A Pirate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppynM1lcst8
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Detained for photography in Baltimore Parts 1 and 2:
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iMr76atjUA
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JOFwbiI8fQ
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Arrested for Filming Police in MD?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18ew29IFVHw&NR=1
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Woman 'detained' for filming police search launches high court challenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2MtGCp5scM&NR=1
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Adam Kokesh body slammed, choked, police brutality at Jefferson Memorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jUU3yCy3uI&feature=player_embedded#at=575
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Kim Ives & Dan Coughlin on WikiLeaks Cables that Reveal "Secret History" of U.S. Bullying in Haiti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0Dk21dC-M
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Operation Empire State Rebellion
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJvBlQcaaaU&feature=player_embedded#at=10
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20 Facts About U.S. Inequality that Everyone Should Know
Click an image to learn more about a fact!
http://www.stanford.edu/group/scspi/cgi-bin/facts.php
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THE AUDACITY OF HOPE
ustogaza1's Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/ustogaza1
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Licensed to Kill Video
http://nirs.org/multimedia/video/l2k.htm
Gundersen Gives Testimony to NRC ACRS from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
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Gundersen Gives Testimony to NRC ACRS
http://fairewinds.com/updates
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) held a special ACRS meeting Thursday May 26, 2011 on the current status of Fukushima. Arnie Gundersen was invited to speak for 5 minutes concerning the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident as it pertains to the 23 Mark 1 Boiling Water Reactors (BWR's) in the US and containment integrity. Mr. Gundersen was the first engineer to brief the NRC on the implication of Main Steam Isolation Valve (MSIV) Leakage in 1974, and he has been studying containment integrity since 1972. The NRC has constantly maintained in all of its calculations and reviews that there is zero probability of a containment leaking. For more than six years, in testimony and in correspondence with the NRC, Mr. Gundersen has disputed the NRC's stand that containment systems simply do not and cannot leak. The events at Fukushima have proven that Gundersen was correct. The explosions at Fukushima show that Mark 1 containments will lose their integrity and release huge amounts of radiation, as Mr. Gundersen has been telling the NRC for many years.
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Guy on wheelchair taken down by officers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdkJxw1mPoM
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Paradise Gray Speaks At Jordan Miles Emergency Rally 05/06/2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJOLz1EYDYE&feature=player_embedded
Police Reassigned While CAPA Student's Beatdown Investigated
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK-6IsP3dUg&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Pittsburgh Student Claims Police Brutality; Shows Hospital Photos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_j_AVsTXZc&feature=relmfu
Justice For Jordan Miles
By jasiri x
http://justiceforjordanmiles.com/
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Even though Pittsburgh Police beat Jordan Miles until he looked like this: (Photo at website)
And even though Jordan Miles, an honor student who plays the viola, broke no laws and committed no crimes, the Federal Government decided not to prosecute the 3 undercover Pittsburgh Police officers who savagely beat him.
To add insult to injury, Pittsburgh's Mayor and Police Chief immediately reinstated the 3 officers without so much as a apology. An outraged Pittsburgh community called for an emergency protest to pressure the local District Attorney to prosecute these officers to the fullest extent of the law.
Below is my good friend, and fellow One Hood founding member Paradise Gray (also a founding member of the Blackwatch Movement and the legendary rap group X-Clan) passionately demanding Justice for Jordan Miles and speaking on the futility of a war of terror overseas while black men are terrorized in their own neighborhoods.
For more information on how you can help get Justice For Jordan Miles go to http://justiceforjordanmiles.com/
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Tier Systems Cripple Middle Class Dreams for Young Workers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09pQW6TW8m4&feature=youtu.be
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Epidemiologist, Dr. Steven Wing, Discusses Global Radiation Exposures and Consequences with Gundersen
Epidemiologist, Dr. Steven Wing and nuclear engineer, Arnie Gundersen, discuss the consequences of the Fukushima radioactive fallout on Japan, the USA, and the world. What are the long-term health effects? What should the government(s) do to protect citizens?
http://vimeo.com/22706805
Epidemiologist, Dr. Steven Wing, Discusses Global Radiation Exposures and Consequences with Gundersen from Fairewinds Associates on Vimeo.
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New Video - Lupe Fiasco ft. Skylar Grey - 'Words I Never Said'
Thu, Apr 28 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22l1sf5JZD0
Lupe Fiasco addresses some heavy issues in the latest video for his new single, 'Words I Never Said,' featuring Skylar Grey. In the 5 minute and 45 second dose of reality, Lupe tackles issues such as the war on terrorism, devastation, conspiracy theories, 9/11 and genocide. From the opening lyrics of "I really think the war on terror is a bunch of bullsh*t", Lupe doesn't hold back as he voices his socio-political concerns.
"If you turn on TV all you see's a bunch of what the f-ks'
Dude is dating so and so blabbering bout such and such
And that ain't Jersey Shore, homie that's the news
And these the same people that supposed to be telling us the truth
Limbaugh is a racist, Glenn Beck is a racist
Gaza strip was getting bombed, Obama didn't say s-t
That's why I ain't vote for him, next one either
I'm a part of the problem, my problem is I'm peaceful."
Skylar Grey (who also lends her vocals to Dirty money's 'Coming Home' and Eminem's 'I Need A Doctor') does an excellent job of complementing the Alex Da Kid produced track.
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Union Town by Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ZT71DxLuM&feature=player_embedded
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BRADLEY MANNING "BROKE THE LAW" SAYS OBAMA!
"He broke the law!" says Obama about Bradley Manning who has yet to even be charged, let alone, gone to trial and found guilty. How horrendous is it for the President to declare someone guilty before going to trial or being charged with a crime! Justice in the U.S.A.!
Obama on FREE BRADLEY MANNING protest... San Francisco, CA. April 21, 2011-Presidential remarks on interrupt/interaction/performance art happening at fundraiser. Logan Price queries Barack after org. FRESH JUICE PARTY political action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfmtUpd4id0&feature=youtu.be
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Miss. Medical Examiner Dr. Adel Shaker On Frederick Carter Hanging (4/19/2011)
http://blip.tv/file/5057532
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Max Romeo - Socialism Is Love
http://youtu.be/eTvUs4rY4to
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Cuba: The Accidental Eden
http://video.pbs.org/video/1598230084/
[This is a stunningly beautiful portrait of the Cuban natural environment as it is today. However, several times throughout, the narrator tends to imply that if it werent for the U.S. embargo against Cuba, Cuba's natural environment would be destroyed by the influx of tourism, ergo, the embargo is saving nature. But the Cuban scientists and naturalists tell a slightly different story. But I don't want to spoil the delightfully surprising ending. It's a beautiful film of a beautiful country full of beautiful, articulate and well-educated people....bw]
Watch the full episode. See more Nature.
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VIDEO: SWAT Team Evicts Grandmother
Take Back the Land- Rochester Eviction Defense March 28, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2axN1zsZno&feature=player_embedded
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B. D. S. [Boycott, Divest, Sanction against Israel]
(Jackson 5) Chicago Flashmob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4tXe2HKqqs&feature=player_embedded
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The Kill Team
How U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan murdered innocent civilians and mutilated their corpses - and how their officers failed to stop them. Plus: An exclusive look at the war crime photos censored by the Pentagon
Rolling Stone
March 27, 3011
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-kill-team-20110327
Afghans respond to "Kill Team"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3guxWIorhdA
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BP Oil Spill Scientist Bob Naman: Seafood Still Not Safe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3VdxvMnDls
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Exclusive: Flow Rate Scientist : How Much Oil Is Really Out There?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsHl3kn63ZA&NR=1
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WikiLeaks Mirrors
Wikileaks is currently under heavy attack.
In order to make it impossible to ever fully remove Wikileaks from the Internet, you will find below a list of mirrors of Wikileaks website and CableGate pages.
Go to
http://wikileaks.ch/Mirrors.html
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Labor Beat: Labor Stands with Subpoenaed Activists Against FBI Raids and Grand Jury Investigation of antiwar and social justice activists.
"If trouble is not at your door. It's on it's way, or it just left."
"Investigate the Billionaires...Full investigation into Wall Street..." Jesse Sharkey, Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNUSIGZCMQ
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Oil Spill Commission Final Report: Catfish Responds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ZRdsccMsM
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Domestic Espionage Alert - Houston PD to use surveillance drone in America!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpstrc15Ogg
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo&feature=player_embedded
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Coal Ash: One Valley's Tale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E7h-DNvwx4&feature=player_embedded
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Flashmob: Cape Town Opera say NO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wElyrFOnKPk
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"Don't F*** With Our Activists" - Mobilizing Against FBI Raid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyG3dIUGQvQ
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C. SPECIAL APPEALS AND ONGOING CAMPAIGNS
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LEONARD PELTIER NEEDS OUR HELP!
On June 27, Leonard Peltier was removed from the general population at USP-Lewisburg and thrown in the hole. Little else is known at this time. Due to his age and health status, please join us in demanding his immediate return to general population.
Thomas Kane, Acting Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons
E-Mail: info@bop.gov
Web Site: www.bop.gov
Phone: (202) 307-3198
Fax: (202) 514-6620
Address: 320 1st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534
Launched into cyberspace by the
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
PO Box 7488, Fargo, ND 58106
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
contact@whoisleonardpeltier.info
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CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY SPECIAL CIRCULAR: PELICAN BAY HUNGER STRIKE BEGINS JULY 1
(Please post widely)
CONTENTS:
-- Introduction
-- Campaign to End the Death Penalty Solidarity Statement
-- CEDP Statement of Solidarity with Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers
-- Solidarity Statement from Corcoran State Prisoners
-- Take Action!
INTRODUCTION
Prisoners in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) of California's Pelican Bay state prison have announced that they will begin an indefinite hunger strike on July 1. Although prison officials aim to keep prisoners silenced and divided, the hunger strike has shown solidarity across racial, ethnic and religious lines and demands improvements in cruel and inhumane prison conditions.
In his statement "Why Prisoners are Protesting", prisoner Mutop DuGuya states, "Effective July 1st we are initiating a peaceful protest by way of an indefinite hunger strike in which we will not eat until our core demands are met.....we have decided to put our fate in our own hands. Some of us have already suffered a slow, agonizing death in which the state has shown no compassion toward these dying prisoners. Rather than compassion they turn up their ruthlessness. No one wants to die. Yet under this current system of what amounts to intense torture, what choice do we have? If one is to die, it will be on our own terms."
Prisons in this country stand as silent tombs. Millions are warehoused in "correctional" facilities that serve only to punish and dehumanize. These prisoners in Pelican Bay are standing bravely against tortuous conditions and those of us on the outside must stand with them and shine a light into the dark cages that politicians want us to forget.
CAMPAIGN TO END THE DEATH PENALTY SOLIDARITY STATEMENT
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty (CEDP) stands in solidarity with the prisoners of Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) who will be engaged in a hunger strike on July 1 in protest of their deplorable conditions.
The prisoners at Pelican Bay prison in California live in a world in which collective punishment is common, sunlight is rare, and food is used as a tool of coercion. They live in a world that is so unlike the world that most of us take for granted that it strains our comprehension. The world of the prisoners has one goal, to create passive, compliant prisoners; prisoners who will not clamor for more; prisoners who will not rock the boat; prisoners who will not threaten to expose just how rotten the prison system is.
This world has failed. While these demands show us a world turned upside down, they also show us a prison population that is fighting back against their appalling conditions. The prisoners have stated that their hunger strike will be indefinite until their demands are met. This means they could face serious health issues or even death. For them, a fighting death is preferable to the hell they are living.
The Campaign to End the Death Penalty supports the Pelican Bay hunger strikers and stand with all prisoners who seek to better their lives. We stand in solidarity with these brave fighters in their quest for justice and humanity.
The demands of the prisoners clearly show the capricious and dehumanizing conditions in which they the prisoners are calling for:
1. Eliminate group punishments. Instead, practice individual accountability. When an individual prisoner breaks a rule, the prison often punishes a whole group of prisoners of the same race. This policy has been applied to keep prisoners in the SHU indefinitely and to make conditions increasingly harsh.
2. Abolish the debriefing policy and modify active/inactive gang status criteria.
Debriefing produces false information - wrongly landing other prisoners in SHU, and can endanger the lives of debriefing prisoners and their families.
3. End long-term solitary confinement. Segregation should be used as a last resort and prisoners require access to adequate healthcare and natural sunlight.
4. Provide wholesome, nutritious meals and access to vitamins.
5. Expand and provide constructive programming such as photos of loved ones, weekly phone calls, extension of visitation time, calendars, and radios, etc.
You can read the prisoner's full text of their demands here: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/take-action/
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT FROM CORCORAN STATE PRISONERS
Statement of Solidarity with the Pelican Bay Collective Hunger Strike on July 1st.
From: the N.C.T.T. Corcoran SHU
Greetings to all who support freedom, justice, and equality. We here of the N.C.T.T. SHU stand in solidarity with, and in full support of the July 1st hunger strike and the 5 major action points and sub-points as laid out by the Pelican Bay Collective in the Policy Statements (See, "Archives", P.B.S.P.-SHU-D corridor hunger strike).
What many are unaware of is that facility 4B here in Corcoran SHU is designated to house validated prisoners in indefinite SHU confinement and have an identical ultra-super max isolation unit short corridor modeled after corridor D in Pelican Bay, complete with blacked out windows a mirror tinted glass on the towers so no one but the gun tower can see in [into our cells], and none of us can see out; flaps welded to the base of the doors and sandbags on the tiers to prevent "fishing" [a means of passing notes, etc. between cells using lengths of string]; IGI [Institutional Gang Investigators] transports us all to A.C.H. [?] medical appointments and we have no contact with any prisoners or staff outside of this section here in 4B/1C C Section the "short corridor" of the Corcoran SHU. All of the deprivations (save access to sunlight); outlines in the 5-point hunger strike statement are mirrored, and in some instances intensified here in the Corcoran SHU 4B/1C C Section isolation gang unit.
Medical care here, in a facility allegedly designed to house chronic care and prisoners with psychological problems, is so woefully inadequate that it borders on intentional disdain for the health of prisoners, especially where diabetics and cancer are an issue. Access to the law library is denied for the most mundane reasons, or, most often, no reason at all. Yet these things and more are outlined in the P.B.S.P.-SHU five core demands.
What is of note here, and something that should concern all U.S. citizens, is the increasing use of behavioral control (torture units) and human experimental techniques against prisoners not only in California but across the nation. Indefinite confinement, sensory deprivation, withholding food, constant illumination, use of unsubstantiated lies from informants are the psychological billy clubs being used in these torture units. The purpose of this "treatment" is to stop prisoners from standing in opposition to inhumane prison conditions and prevent them from exercising their basic human rights.
Many lawsuits have been filed in opposition to the conditions in these conditions ... [unreadable] yet the courts have repeatedly re-interpreted and misinterpreted their own constitutional law ... [unreadable] to support the state's continued use of these torture units. When approved means of protest and redress of rights are prove meaningless and are fully exhausted, then the pursuit of those ends through other means is necessary.
It is important for all to know the Pelican Bay Collective is not (emphasis in original) alone in this struggle and the broader the participation and support for this hunger strike, the other such efforts, the greater the potential that our sacrifice now will mean a more humane world for us in the future. We urge all who reads these words to support us in this effort with your participation or your voices call your local news agencies, notify your friends on social networks, contact your legislators, tell your fellow faithful at church, mosques, temple or synagogues. Decades before Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Pelican Bay and Corcoran SHUs were described by Congressman Ralph Metcalfe as "the control unit treatment program is long-term punishment under the guise of what is, in fact, pseudo-scientific experimentation."
Our indefinite isolation here is both inhumane and illegal and the proponents of the prison industrial complex are hoping that their campaign to dehumanize us has succeeded to the degree that you don't care and will allow the torture to continue in your name. It is our belief that they have woefully underestimated the decency, principles, and humanity of the people. Join us in opposing this injustice without end. Thank you for your time and support.
In Solidarity,
N.C.T.T. Corcoran - SHU
4B/1C - C Section
Super-max isolation Unit
TAKE ACTION!
Pelican Bay Prisoners Go On Hunger Strike to Protest Grave Conditions July 1, 2011
Lawyers, Advocates, Organizations Hold Press Conference, Voice Prisoner Demand
Press Contact: Isaac Ontiveros
Communications Director, Critical Resistance
Office: 510 444 0484; Cell: 510 517 6612
The Hunger Strikers need support from outside of prison bars. Here are a few things you can do:
Sign the Petition. http://www.change.org/petitions/support-prisoners-on-hunger-strike-at-pelican-bay-state-prison
Get the word out about the hunger strike and the prisoner's demands to your family, friends, church, community groups, and over social networking sites.
Attend protests in solidarity. Rallies planned in San Francisco, Eureka, CA, Montreal, Toronto and New York. Send protest info to: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/take-action/ to be listed!
Stay informed. Check the blog regularly for updates http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/.
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Keep the Arboretum Free
Dear Arboretum Supporter,
It's been a few months since the Board of Supervisors extended the non-resident fee at the Arboretum until September 30th, 2013. Such policy and ongoing decisions are continuing to greatly impact our neighborhoods and city resources and out of this widespread concern a new coalition has formed - Take Back Our Parks. Community and park advocates have joined together from across the city, including representatives from Keep Arboretum Free, with the common goals of keeping parks and recreation facilities open and accessible to all, stopping privatization of public park properties, protecting the natural character of our parklands and ensuring inclusive community input in planning and decision-making.
This past week a key effort was made towards some of these goals when four City Supervisors placed a measure on the November ballot to put a moratorium on fees for park resources and the long-term leasing of club-houses to private organizations. The Parks For The Public measure can be an important step towards ending the loss of access and growing privatization that is a fallout of the Recreation and Park Department's strategy of using parks as a revenue source and which has imposed policies such as the Arboretum fee.
Please visit the TBOP website to learn more about the Parks For The Public ordinance available for voters on the ballot this fall: http://www.takebackourparks.org/
It is vital that the public have a chance to shape the issues regarding our parks. We encourage you to write to the four sponsoring Supervisors (Avalos, Campos, Mar and Mirkarimi) to thank them for introducing Parks For The Public and let them know that you support limiting the privatization and unwarranted commercialization of our parks.
Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org
John.Avalos@sfgov.org
Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
David.Campos@sfgov.org
Please help spread the news about this measure to your community in the city and thank you very much for your continued support.
Sincerely,
The Campaign to Keep The Arboretum Free
www.keeparboretumfree.org
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Supporter of Leak Suspect Is Called Before Grand Jury
By SCOTT SHANE
June 15, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/us/politics/16brfs-Washington.html?ref=world
A supporter of Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, who is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of documents to WikiLeaks, was called before a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., on Wednesday, but he said he declined to answer any questions. The supporter, David M. House, a freelance computer scientist, said he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, because he believes the Justice Department is "creating a climate of fear around WikiLeaks and the Bradley Manning support network." The grand jury inquiry is separate from the military prosecution of Private Manning and is believed to be exploring whether the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, or others in the group violated the law by acquiring and publishing military and State Department documents.
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Justice for Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace: Decades of isolation in Louisiana state prisons must end
Take Action -- Sign Petition Here:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/justice-for-albert-woodfox-and-herman-wallace
For nearly four decades, 64-year-old Albert Woodfox and 69-year-old Herman Wallace have been held in solitary confinement, mostly in the Louisiana State Penitentiary (known as Angola prison). Throughout their prolonged incarceration in Closed Cell Restriction (CCR) Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace have endured very restrictive conditions including 23 hour cellular confinement. They have limited access to books, newspapers and TV and throughout the years of imprisonment they have been deprived of opportunities for mental stimulation and access to work and education. Social interaction has been restricted to occasional visits from friends and family and limited telephone calls.
Louisiana prison authorities have over the course of 39 years failed to provide a meaningful review of the men's continued isolation as they continue to rubberstamp the original decision to confine the men in CCR. Decades of solitary confinement have had a clear psychological effect on the men. Lawyers report that they are both suffering from serious health problems caused or exacerbated by their years of close confinement.
After being held together in the same prison for nearly 40 years, the men are now held in seperate institutions where they continue to be subjected to conditions that can only be described as cruel, inhuman and degrading.
Take action now to demand that Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace be immediately removed from solitary confinement
Sign our petition which will be sent to the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, calling on him to:
* take immediate steps to remove Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace from close confinement
* ensure that their treatment complies with the USA's obligations under international standards and the US Constitution.
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WITNESS GAZA
http://www.witnessgaza.com/
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Stop Coal Companies From Erasing Labor Union History
http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-coal-companies-from-erasing-labor-union-history
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One year after Bradley's detainment, we need your support more than ever.
Dear Friends,
One year ago, on May 26, 2010, the U.S. government quietly arrested a humble young American intelligence analyst in Iraq and imprisoned him in a military camp in Kuwait. Over the coming weeks, the facts of the arrest and charges against this shy soldier would come to light. And across the world, people like you and I would step forward to help defend him.
Bradley Manning, now 23 years old, has never been to court but has already served a year in prison- including 10 months in conditions of confinement that were clear violation of the international conventions against torture. Bradley has been informally charged with releasing to the world documents that have revealed corruption by world leaders, widespread civilian deaths at the hands of U.S. forces, the true face of Guantanamo, an unvarnished view of the U.S.'s imperialistic foreign negotiations, and the murder of two employees of Reuters News Agency by American soldiers. These documents released by WikiLeaks have spurred democratic revolutions across the Arab world and have changed the face of journalism forever.
For his act of courage, Bradley Manning now faces life in prison-or even death.
But you can help save him-and we've already seen our collective power. Working together with concerned citizens around the world, the Bradley Manning Support Network has helped raise worldwide awareness about Manning's torturous confinement conditions. Through the collective actions of well over a half million people and scores of organizations, we successfully pressured the U.S. government to end the tortuous conditions of pre-trial confinement that Bradley was subjected to at the Marine Base at Quantico, Virginia. Today, Bradley is being treated humanely at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. T hanks to your support, Bradley is given leeway to interact with other pre-trial prisoners, read books, write letters, and even has a window in his cell.
Of course we didn't mount this campaign to just improve Bradley's conditions in jail. Our goal is to ensure that he can receive a fair and open trial. Our goal is to win Bradley's freedom so that he can be reunited with his family and fulfill his dream of going to college. Today, to commemorate Bradley's one year anniversary in prison, will you join me in making a donation to help support Bradley's defense?
http://bradleymanning.org/donate
We'll be facing incredible challenges in the coming months, and your tax-deductible donation today will help pay for Bradley's civilian legal counsel and the growing international grassroots campaign on his behalf. The U.S. government has already spent a year building its case against Bradley, and is now calling its witnesses to Virginia to testify before a grand jury.
What happens to Bradley may ripple through history - he is already considered by many to be the single most important person of his generation. Please show your commitment to Bradley and your support for whistle-blowers and the truth by making a donation today.
With your help, I hope we will come to remember May 26th as a day to commemorate all those who risk their lives and freedom to promote informed democracy - and as the birth of a movement that successfully defended one courageous whistle-blower against the full fury of the U.S. government.
Donate now: bradleymanning.org/donate
In solidarity,
Jeff Paterson and Loraine Reitman,
On behalf of the Bradley Manning Support Network Steering Committee
www.bradleymanning.org
P.S. After you have donated, please help us by forwarding this email to your closest friends. Ask them to stand with you to support Bradley Manning, and the rights of all whistleblowers.
View the new 90 second "I am Bradley Manning" video:
I am Bradley Manning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-P3OXML00s
Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave. #41
Oakland, CA 94610
510-488-3559
couragetoresist.org
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Drop the Charges Against Carlos Montes, Stop the FBI Attack on the Chicano and Immigrant Rights Movement, and Stop FBI Repression of Anti-War Activists NOW!Call Off the Expanding Grand Jury Witchhunt and FBI Repression of Anti-War Activists NOW!
Cancel the Subpoenas! Cancel the Grand Juries!
Condemn the FBI Raids and Harassment of Chicano, Immigrant Rights, Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists!
STOP THE FBI CAMPAIGN OF REPRESSION AGAINST CHICANO, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, ANTI-WAR AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ACTIVISTS NOW!
Initiated by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression stopfbi.net stopfbi@gmail.com
http://iacenter.org/stopfbi/
Contact the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
at stopfbi.net
stopfbi@gmail.com
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Mumia Wins Decision Against Re-Imposition Of Death Sentence, But...
The Battle Is Still On To
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!
The Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
PO Box 16222 • Oakland CA 94610
www.laboractionmumia.org
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Abolish the Death Penalty Blog
http://www.ncadp.org/blog.cfm?postID=165
Abolish the Death Penalty is a blog dedicated to...well, you know. The purpose of Abolish is to tell the personal stories of crime victims and their loved ones, people on death row and their loved ones and those activists who are working toward abolition. You may, from time to time, see news articles or press releases here, but that is not the primary mission of Abolish the Death Penalty. Our mission is to put a human face on the debate over capital punishment.
You can also follow death penalty news by reading our News page and by following us on Facebook and Twitter.
1 Million Tweets for Troy!
Take Action! Tweet for Troy!
When in doubt, don't execute!! Sign the petition for #TroyDavis! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Too much doubt! Stop the execution! #TroyDavis needs us! www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No room for doubt! Stop the execution of #TroyDavis . Retweet, sign petition www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
Case not "ironclad", yet Georgiacould execute #TroyDavis ! Not on our watch! Petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
No murder weapon. No physical evidence. Stop the execution! #TroyDavis petition: www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition
7 out of 9 eyewitnesses recanted. No physical evidence. Stop the execution of Troy Davis www.tinyurl.com/troyepetition #TroyDavis
Thanks!
Exonerated Death Row Survivors Urge Georgia to:
Stop the Execution of Troy Davis
Chairman James E. Donald
Georgia State Board of Pardons & Paroles
2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 458, Balcony Level, East Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
May 1, 2011
Dear Chairperson Donald and Members of the Board:
We, the undersigned, are alive today because some individual or small group of individuals decided that our insistent and persistent proclamations of innocence warranted one more look before we were sent to our death by execution. We are among the 138 individuals who have been legally exonerated and released from death rows in the United States since 1973. We are alive because a few thoughtful persons-attorneys, journalists, judges, jurists, etc.-had lingering doubts about our cases that caused them to say "stop" at a critical moment and halt the march to the execution chamber. When our innocence was ultimately revealed, when our lives were saved, and when our freedom was won, we thanked God and those individuals of conscience who took actions that allowed the truth to eventually come to light.
We are America's exonerated death row survivors. We are living proof that a system operated by human beings is capable of making an irreversible mistake. And while we have had our wrongful convictions overturned and have been freed from death row, we know that we are extremely fortunate to have been able to establish our innocence. We also know that many innocent people who have been executed or who face execution have not been so fortunate. Not all those with innocence claims have had access to the kinds of physical evidence, like DNA, that our courts accept as most reliable. However, we strongly believe that the examples of our cases are reason enough for those with power over life and death to choose life. We also believe that those in authority have a unique moral consideration when encountering individuals with cases where doubt still lingers about innocence or guilt.
One such case is the case of Troy Anthony Davis, whose 1991 conviction for killing Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail rested almost solely on witness testimony. We know that today, 20 years later, witness evidence is considered much less reliable than it was then. This has meant that, even though most of the witnesses who testified against him have now recanted, Troy Davis has been unable to convince the courts to overturn his conviction, or even his death sentence.
Troy Davis has been able to raise serious doubts about his guilt, however. Several witnesses testified at the evidentiary hearing last summer that they had been coerced by police into making false statements against Troy Davis. This courtroom testimony reinforced previous statements in sworn affidavits. Also at this hearing, one witness testified for the first time that he saw an alternative suspect, and not Troy Davis, commit the crime. We don't know if Troy Davis is in fact innocent, but, as people who were wrongfully sentenced to death (and in some cases scheduled for execution), we believe it is vitally important that no execution go forward when there are doubts about guilt. It is absolutely essential to ensuring that the innocent are not executed.
When you issued a temporary stay for Troy Davis in 2007, you stated that the Board "will not allow an execution to proceed in this State unless and until its members are convinced that there is no doubt as to the guilt of the accused." This standard is a welcome development, and we urge you to apply it again now. Doubts persist in the case of Troy Davis, and commuting his sentence will reassure the people of Georgia that you will never permit an innocent person to be put to death in their name.
Freddie Lee Pitts, an exonerated death row survivor who faced execution by the state of Florida for a crime he didn't commit, once said, "You can release an innocent man from prison, but you can't release him from the grave."
Thank you for considering our request.
Respectfully,
Kirk Bloodsworth, Exonerated and freed from death row Maryland; Clarence Brandley, Exonerated and freed from death row in Texas; Dan Bright, Exonerated and freed from death row in Louisiana; Albert Burrell, Exonerated and freed from death row in Louisiana; Perry Cobb, Exonerated and freed from death row in Illinois; Gary Drinkard, Exonerated and freed from death row in Alabama; Nathson Fields, Exonerated and freed from death row in Illinois; Gary Gauger, Exonerated and freed from death row in Illinois; Michael Graham, Exonerated and freed from death row in Louisiana; Shujaa Graham, Exonerated and freed from death row in California; Paul House, Exonerated and freed from death row in Tennessee; Derrick Jamison, Exonerated and freed from death row in Ohio; Dale Johnston, Exonerated and freed from death row in Ohio; Ron Keine, Exonerated and freed from death row in New Mexico; Ron Kitchen, Exonerated and freed from death row in Illinois; Ray Krone, Exonerated and freed from death row in Arizona; Herman Lindsey, Exonerated and freed from death row in Florida; Juan Melendez, Exonerated and freed from death row in Florida; Randal Padgett, Exonerated and freed from death row in Alabama; Freddie Lee Pitts, Exonerated and freed from death row in Florida; Randy Steidl, Exonerated and freed from death row in Illinois; John Thompson, Exonerated and freed from death row in Louisiana; Delbert Tibbs, Exonerated and freed from death row in Florida; David Keaton, Exonerated and freed from death row in Florida; Greg Wilhoit, Exonerated and freed from death row in Oklahoma; Harold Wilson, Exonerated and freed from death row in Pennsylvania.
-Witness to Innocence, May 11, 2011
http://www.witnesstoinnocence.com/view_news.php?Exonerated-Death-Row-Survivors-Urge-George-to-Stop-the-Execution-of-Troy-Davis-181
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"A Fort Leavenworth mailing address has been released for Bradley Manning:
Bradley Manning 89289
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027
The receptionist at the military barracks confirmed that if someone sends Bradley Manning a letter to that address, it will be delivered to him."
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/update-42811
This is also a Facebook event
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207100509321891#!/event.php?eid=207100509321891
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Committee to Stop FBI Repression
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY -- ANY DAY
to Fitzgerald, Holder and Obama
The Grand Jury is still on its witch hunt and the FBI is still
harassing activists. This must stop.
Please make these calls:
1. Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300 . Then dial 0
(zero) for operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
2. Call U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder 202-353-1555
3. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111
Suggested text: "My name is __________, I am from _______(city), in
______(state). I am calling _____ to demand he call off the Grand Jury
and stop FBI repression against the anti-war and Palestine solidarity
movements. I oppose U.S. government political repression and support
the right to free speech and the right to assembly of the 23 activists
subpoenaed. We will not be criminalized. Tell him to stop this
McCarthy-type witch hunt against international solidarity activists!"
If your call doesn't go through, try again later.
Update: 800 anti-war and international solidarity activists
participated in four regional conferences, in Chicago, IL; Oakland,
CA; Chapel Hill, NC and New York City to stop U.S. Attorney Patrick
Fitzgerald's Grand Jury repression.
Still, in the last few weeks, the FBI has continued to call and harass
anti-war organizers, repressing free speech and the right to organize.
However, all of their intimidation tactics are bringing a movement
closer together to stop war and demand peace.
We demand:
-- Call Off the Grand Jury Witch-hunt Against International Solidarity
Activists!
-- Support Free Speech!
-- Support the Right to Organize!
-- Stop FBI Repression!
-- International Solidarity Is Not a Crime!
-- Stop the Criminalization of Arab and Muslim Communities!
Background: Fitzgerald ordered FBI raids on anti-war and solidarity
activists' homes and subpoenaed fourteen activists in Chicago,
Minneapolis, and Michigan on September 24, 2010. All 14 refused to
speak before the Grand Jury in October. Then, 9 more Palestine
solidarity activists, most Arab-Americans, were subpoenaed to appear
at the Grand Jury on January 25, 2011, launching renewed protests.
There are now 23 who assert their right to not participate in
Fitzgerald's witch-hunt.
The Grand Jury is a secret and closed inquisition, with no judge, and
no press. The U.S. Attorney controls the entire proceedings and hand
picks the jurors, and the solidarity activists are not allowed a
lawyer. Even the date when the Grand Jury ends is a secret.
So please make these calls to those in charge of the repression aimed
against anti-war leaders and the growing Palestine solidarity
movement.
Email us to let us know your results. Send to info@StopFBI.net
**Please sign and circulate our 2011 petition at http://www.stopfbi.net/petition
In Struggle,
Tom Burke,
for the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
FFI: Visit www.StopFBI.net or email info@StopFBI.net or call
612-379-3585 .
Copyright (c) 2011 Committee to Stop FBI Repression, All rights
reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
PO Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55415
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Call for EMERGENCY RESPONSE Action if Assange Indicted,
Dear Friends:
We write in haste, trying to reach as many of you as possible although the holiday break has begun.......This plan for an urgent "The Day After" demonstration is one we hope you and many, many more organizations will take up as your own, and mobilize for. World Can't Wait asks you to do all you can to spread it through list serves, Facebook, twitter, holiday gatherings.
Our proposal is very very simple, and you can use the following announcement to mobilize - or write your own....
ANY DAY NOW . . . IN THE EVENT THAT THE U.S. INDICTS JULIAN ASSANGE
An emergency public demonstration THE DAY AFTER any U.S. criminal indictment is announced against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Spread the word and call people to come out, across the whole range of movements and groups: anti-war, human rights, freedom of information/freedom of the press, peace, anti-torture, environmental, students and youth, radicals and revolutionaries, religious, civil liberties, teachers and educators, journalists, anti-imperialists, anti-censorship, anti-police state......
At the Federal Building in San Francisco, we'll form ourselves into a human chain "surrounding" the government that meets the Wikileaked truth with repression and wants to imprison and silence leakers, whistleblowers and truthtellers - when, in fact, these people are heroes. We'll say:
HANDS OFF WIKILEAKS! FREE JULIAN ASSANGE! FREE BRADLEY MANNING!
Join the HUMAN CHAIN AROUND THE FEDERAL BUILDING!
New Federal Building, 7th and Mission, San Francisco (nearest BART: Civic Center)
4:00-6:00 PM on The Day FOLLOWING U.S. indictment of Assange
Bring all your friends - signs and banners - bullhorns.
Those who dare at great risk to themselves to put the truth in the hands of the people - and others who might at this moment be thinking about doing more of this themselves -- need to see how much they are supported, and that despite harsh repression from the government and total spin by the mainstream media, the people do want the truth told.
Brad Manning's Christmas Eve statement was just released by his lawyer: "Pvt. Bradley Manning, the lone soldier who stands accused of stealing millions of pages secret US government documents and handing them over to secrets outlet WikiLeaks, wants his supporters to know that they've meant a lot to him. 'I greatly appreciate everyone's support and well wishes during this time,' he said in a Christmas Eve statement released by his lawyer...." Read more here:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/mannings-message-christmas-eve-i-gr/
Demonstrations defending Wikileaks and Assange, and Brad Manning, have already been flowering around the world. Make it happen here too.
Especially here . . .
To join into this action plan, or with questions, contact World Can't Wait or whichever organization or listserve you received this message from.
World Can't Wait, SF Bay
415-864-5153
sf@worldcantwait.org
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DEFEND LYNNE STEWART!
http://lynnestewart.org/
Write to Lynne Stewart at:
Lynne Stewart #53504 - 054
Unit 2N
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, TEXAS 76127
Visiting Lynne:
Visiting is very liberal but first she has to get people on her visiting list; wait til she or the lawyers let you know. The visits are FRI, SAT, SUN AND MON for 4 hours and on weekends 8 to 3. Bring clear plastic change purse with lots of change to buy from the machines. Brief Kiss upon arrival and departure, no touching or holding during visit (!!) On visiting forms it may be required that you knew me before I came to prison. Not a problem for most of you.
Commissary Money:
Commissary Money is always welcome It is how Lynne pay for the phone and for email. Also for a lot that prison doesn't supply in terms of food and "sundries" (pens!) (A very big list that includes Raisins, Salad Dressing, ankle sox, mozzarella (definitely not from Antonys--more like a white cheddar, Sanitas Corn Chips but no Salsa, etc. To add money, you do this by using Western Union and a credit card by phone or you can send a USPO money order or Business or Govt Check. The negotiable instruments (PAPER!) need to be sent to Federal Bureau of Prisons, 53504-054, Lynne Stewart, PO Box 474701, Des Moines Iowa 50947-001 (Payable to Lynne Stewart, 53504-054) They hold the mo or checks for 15 days. Western Union costs $10 but is within 2 hours. If you mail, your return address must be on the envelope. Unnecessarily complicated? Of course, it's the BOP !)
The address of her Defense Committee is:
Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
1070 Dean Street
Brooklyn, New York 11216
For further information:
718-789-0558 or 917-853-9759
Please make a generous contribution to her defense.
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In earnest support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange:
http://readersupportednews.org/julian-assange-petition
rsn:Petition
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KEVIN COOPER IS INNOCENT! FREE KEVIN COOPER!
Reasonable doubts about executing Kevin Cooper
Chronicle Editorial
Monday, December 13, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/13/EDG81GP0I7.DTL
Death penalty -- Kevin Cooper is Innocent! Help save his life from San Quentin's death row!
http://www.savekevincooper.org/
http://www.savekevincooper.org/pages/essays_content.html?ID=255
URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
17 December 2010
Click here to take action online:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=15084
To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa25910.pdf
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Free the Children of Palestine!
Sign Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41467.html
Published by Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition on Dec 16, 2010
Category: Children's Rights
Region: GLOBAL
Target: President Obama
Web site: http://www.al-awda.org
Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41467.html
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"Secret diplomacy is a necessary tool for a propertied minority, which is compelled to deceive the majority in order to subject it to its interests."..."Publishing State Secrets" By Leon Trotsky
Documents on Soviet Policy, Trotsky, iii, 2 p. 64
November 22, 1917
http://www.marxists.org/history/ussr/government/foreign-relations/1917/November/22.htm
FREE JULIAN ASSANGE! FREE BRADLEY MANNING! STOP THE FBI RAIDS NOW!
MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR!
To understand how much a trillion dollars is, consider looking at it in terms of time:
A million seconds would be about eleven-and-one-half days; a billion seconds would be 31 years; and a trillion seconds would be 31,000 years!
From the novel "A Dark Tide," by Andrew Gross
Now think of it in terms of U.S. war dollars and bankster bailouts!
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Courage to Resist needs your support
Please donate today:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
"Soldiers sworn oath is to defend and support the Constitution. Bradley Manning has been defending and supporting our Constitution."
-Dan Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistle-blower
Jeff Paterson
Project Director, Courage to Resist
First US military service member to refuse to fight in Iraq
Please donate today.
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
P.S. I'm asking that you consider a contribution of $50 or more, or possibly becoming a sustainer at $15 a month. Of course, now is also a perfect time to make a end of year tax-deductible donation. Thanks again for your support!
Please click here to forward this to a friend who might
also be interested in supporting GI resisters.
http://ymlp.com/forward.php?id=lS3tR&e=bonnieweinstein@yahoo.com
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Add your name! We stand with Bradley Manning.
"We stand for truth, for government transparency, and for an end to our tax-dollars funding endless occupation abroad... We stand with accused whistle-blower US Army Pfc. Bradley Manning."
Dear All,
The Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage to Resist are launching a new campaign, and we wanted to give you a chance to be among the first to add your name to this international effort. If you sign the letter online, we'll print out and mail two letters to Army officials on your behalf. With your permission, we may also use your name on the online petition and in upcoming media ads.
Read the complete public letter and add your name at:
http://standwithbrad.org/
Courage to Resist (http://couragetoresist.org)
on behalf of the Bradley Manning Support Network (http://bradleymanning.org)
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
510-488-3559
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Committee to Stop FBI Repression
P.O. Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Please make a donation today at stopfbi.net (PayPal) on the right side of your screen. Also you can write to:
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
P.O. Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55414
This is a critical time for us to stand together, defend free speech, and defend those who help to organize for peace and justice, both at home and abroad!
Thank you for your generosity! Tom Burke
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Short Video About Al-Awda's Work
The following link is to a short video which provides an overview of Al-Awda's work since the founding of our organization in 2000. This video was first shown on Saturday May 23, 2009 at the fundraising banquet of the 7th Annual Int'l Al-Awda Convention in Anaheim California. It was produced from footage collected over the past nine years.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTiAkbB5uC0&eurl
Support Al-Awda, a Great Organization and Cause!
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D. ARTICLES IN FULL (Unless otherwise noted)
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1) Mexican Citizen Is Executed as Justices Refuse to Step In
By ADAM LIPTAK
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08execute.html?ref=world
2) Hunger Strike by Inmates Is Latest Challenge to California's Prison System
By IAN LOVETT
"We believe our only option of ever trying to make some kind of positive change here is through this peaceful hunger strike," Todd Ashker, one of the Pelican Bay inmates who organized the strike, said in a statement conveyed through a lawyer. "And there is a core group of us who are committed to taking this all the way to the death if necessary."
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08hunger.html?ref=us
3) Egg Producers and Humane Society Urging Federal Standard on Hen Cages
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/business/egg-producers-and-humane-society-urging-federal-standard-on-hen-cages.html?ref=us
4) Questions Are Raised on Restraint Training
"Incidents of restraint (in which a child's movement is restricted), seclusion (in which a child is involuntarily confined alone in a room) and other behavioral episodes in California schools more than doubled to 21,076 between the 2005-6 and 2009-10 school years, according to California Department of Education figures."
By JENNIFER GOLLAN
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08bcrestraint.html?ref=education
5) Death Penalty, Still Racist and Arbitrary
By DAVID R. DOW
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/opinion/09dow.html
6) Egypt's Tahrir Square Again Echoes With Cries for Justice
By KAREEM FAHIM
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/middleeast/09egypt.html?ref=world
7) Georgia: Photographers Still Jailed
By MZIA KUPUNIA
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/europe/09briefs-Georgiabrief.html?ref=world
8) California Cuts Weigh Heavily on Its Colleges
"Tuition is expected to rise roughly 20 percent next year, just the latest in series of steep increases. Yearly in-state tuition at California State University will average about $5,500, while at the University of California, it is expected to be $13,200 if the increases are approved this month. Programs all over the state are being shuttered, star professors are leaving for colleges in other states, faculty positions are being left unfilled and class sizes are continuing to grow. While the state's spending on the system is down to a level not seen since the late-1990s, the campuses enroll tens of thousands more students."
By JENNIFER MEDINA
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/us/09uc.html?ref=us
9) Shutdown in Minnesota Ripples Out to Day Care
By TALYA MINSBERG and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
"Without that stipend, a parent with two children, for instance, would have to pay $300 or $400 a week, a significant amount for women who often work jobs that pay less than $10 an hour."
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/us/politics/09minnesota.html?ref=us
10) Somehow, the Unemployed Became Invisible
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
And with apologies to Karl Marx, the workers of the world, particularly the unemployed, are also no longer uniting.
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/the-unemployed-somehow-became-invisible.html?ref=business
11) Major Health Problems Linked to Poverty
By EMILY RAMSHAW
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/us/10tthealth.html?hp
12) Wichita Doctor Takes Up Fight for Abortions
By A. G. SULZBERGER
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/us/10abortion.html?hp
13) Geithner Says Hard Times to Continue for Many
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/10/us/politics/AP-US-Geithner-Economy.html?hp
14) Strong Earthquake Rattles Tsunami-Weary Japan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/09/world/asia/AP-AS-Japan-Earthquake.html?ref=world
15) Choices for Greece, All of Them Daunting
By TYLER COWEN
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/economy/greeces-choices-in-debt-crisis-are-all-daunting-economic-view.html?src=busln
16) Anti-Zionism growing among Jews
Pro-Palestine Jewish activists and organisations blame Israel for 'crimes against humanity'
By As'ad Abdul Rahman, Special to Gulf News
July 9, 2011
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/anti-zionism-growing-among-jews-1.835395
17) Georgia PSC Can't Silence Nuclear Power Debate
By: GLORIA TATUM
"The original two reactors built, Vogtle 1 and 2, were budgeted at under one billion dollars, but the final bill was nearly nine billion. The ratepayers picked up most of the difference."
July 10, 2011
http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/interspire/news/2011/07/10/georgia-psc-cant-silence-nuclear-power-debate.html
18) Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden
By ALEXIS WILEY
WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/julie-bass-of-oak-park-faces-misdemeanor-charge-for-vegetable-garden-20110630-wpms
19) No, We Can't? Or Won't?
By PAUL KRUGMAN
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/opinion/11krugman.html?hp
20) Economy Faces a Jolt as Benefit Checks Run Out
By MOTOKO RICH
"In Florida, where nearly 476,000 people are collecting unemployment benefits, employers have added only 11,200 jobs in the last year. In Michigan, employers have added about 40,000 jobs since May 2010, but about 267,000 people are claiming jobless benefits. Throughout the recession and its aftermath, government benefits have helped keep money in people's wallets and, in turn, circulating among businesses. Total government payments rose to $2.3 trillion in 2010, from $1.7 trillion in 2007, an increase of about 35 percent."
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/business/economy/as-government-aid-fades-so-may-the-recovery.html?hp
21) Panetta Says U.S. Presence in Iraq Will Endure
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
July 11, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/world/middleeast/12military.html?ref=world
22) Message From a Charter School: Thrive or Transfer
By MICHAEL WINERIP
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/nyregion/charter-school-sends-message-thrive-or-transfer.html?ref=nyregion
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1) Mexican Citizen Is Executed as Justices Refuse to Step In
By ADAM LIPTAK
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08execute.html?ref=world
WASHINGTON - In a 5-to-4 decision that split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court on Thursday evening rebuffed a request from the Obama administration that it stay the execution of a Mexican citizen on death row in Texas. The inmate, Humberto Leal Garcia Jr., was executed about an hour later.
The administration had asked the court to delay the execution so that Congress might consider recently introduced legislation that would provide fresh hearings on whether the rights of Mr. Leal and about 50 other Mexican citizens on death row in the United States had been violated.
In his last moments, Mr. Leal repeatedly said he was sorry, and shouted twice, "Viva Mexico!" The Associated Press reported.
In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague found that the inmates had been denied their rights under the Vienna Convention. The convention requires that foreigners detained abroad be told they may contact consular officials.
In 2008, the Supreme Court acknowledged that the international court's ruling was binding but said that the president acting alone could not compel states to comply with it. Congress also had to act, the court said.
On Thursday, in an unsigned majority opinion, the Supreme Court said that Congress had had plenty of time to act and that the court would not now "prohibit a state from carrying out a lawful judgment in light of unenacted legislation."
"Our task," the majority wrote, "is to rule on what the law is, not what it might eventually be."
The majority also noted that "the United States studiously refuses to argue that Leal was prejudiced by the Vienna Convention violation," suggesting that a fresh hearing would do Mr. Leal no good. He was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 16-year-old girl.
"We decline," the majority wrote, "to follow the United States' suggestion of granting a stay to allow Leal to bring a claim based on hypothetical legislation when it cannot even bring itself to say that his attempt to overturn his conviction has any prospect of success."
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, in a dissent joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, wrote that the government's request was modest, given that allowing the execution to proceed would, in the solicitor general's words, "cause irreparable harm" to "foreign-policy interests of the highest order" and endanger Americans traveling abroad.
The court should defer to the executive branch's assessment, Justice Breyer wrote, as "the Court has long recognized the president's special constitutionally based authority in matters of foreign relations."
He proposed issuing "a brief stay until the end of September" to allow Congress time to act.
"In reaching its contrary conclusion," Justice Breyer wrote, "the Court ignores the appeal of the president in a matter related to foreign affairs, it substitutes its own views about the likelihood of congressional action for the views of executive branch officials who have consulted with members of Congress, and it denies the request by four members of the Court to delay the execution until the Court can discuss the matter at conference in September. In my view, the Court is wrong in each respect."
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2) Hunger Strike by Inmates Is Latest Challenge to California's Prison System
By IAN LOVETT
"We believe our only option of ever trying to make some kind of positive change here is through this peaceful hunger strike," Todd Ashker, one of the Pelican Bay inmates who organized the strike, said in a statement conveyed through a lawyer. "And there is a core group of us who are committed to taking this all the way to the death if necessary."
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08hunger.html?ref=us
LOS ANGELES - Thousands of inmates at prisons throughout California have been refusing state-issued food in a mass hunger strike to protest conditions at the state's highest-security prisons, where some inmates are kept in prolonged isolation.
The protest was organized by inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison's security housing unit, where prisoners are kept in isolation more than 22 hours a day. They stopped eating on July 1, and prisoners around the state have imitated their campaign. About 1,700 prisoners in all were continuing to refuse at least some state-issued meals on Thursday, down from a peak of 6,600 last weekend, according to the State Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Although most prisoners have resumed eating, a group of at least two dozen at Pelican Bay, some of whom have been kept in the security housing unit for decades, said they were prepared to starve to death.
"We believe our only option of ever trying to make some kind of positive change here is through this peaceful hunger strike," Todd Ashker, one of the Pelican Bay inmates who organized the strike, said in a statement conveyed through a lawyer. "And there is a core group of us who are committed to taking this all the way to the death if necessary."
The hunger strike is only the latest problem for a state prison system that has lurched from one crisis to another in recent years. In May, the United States Supreme Court ordered the state to reduce the population of its overcrowded prisons by more than 30,000 inmates; and in 2005 a court appointed a federal administrator to take control of the faltering prison health care system.
Most of the prisoners who remain on hunger strike are in security housing units like the one at Pelican Bay, where they are kept alone in windowless, soundproof concrete cells. To communicate, they have to yell from one cell to the other, although prisoner-rights activists in contact with the prisoners did not know if this was how they had organized the strike. The lack of human contact often leads to depression and bouts of rage, psychologists say.
Prisoners and activists say that such conditions are cruel and unusual punishment. Most inmates end up in these extreme isolation blocks because of ties to gang activities. To get back into the general prison population, activists say, they are pressured to divulge information about other gang members in prison, a process known as "debriefing," which can jeopardize their safety.
"We do see this long isolation and debriefing process as torture," said Carol Strickman, a staff lawyer with Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, an advocacy group in San Francisco. "These are inhumane conditions designed to extract information from someone."
But a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman, Terry Thornton, said that the restrictive conditions at Pelican Bay had been litigated numerous times.
A federal judge appointed a court monitor in 1995 to oversee changes at the security housing unit, including the removal of mentally ill prisoners from the block and an end to the use of excessive force. But he did not order changes to day-to-day conditions there.
Ms. Thornton said the department had received the prisoners' list of demands, which was being "reviewed and evaluated very thoroughly," and administrators met with Prison Focus, a prisoner-rights group, on Thursday. But she added that gang members were leading the hunger strike, which only showed the need to separate them from the general prison population.
"The department is not going to be coerced or manipulated," she said. "That so many inmates in other prisons throughout the state are involved really demonstrates how these gangs can influence other inmates, which is one of the reasons we have security housing units in the first place."
The hunger strike has transcended the gang and geographic affiliations that traditionally divide prisoners, with prisoners of many backgrounds participating.
But not all were prepared to take the protest as far as Mr. Ashker. All have continued to drink liquids, and some have refused to eat the state-issued food but have drunk Ensure or bought food from the canteen.
Still, if the strike continues - even if only among a handful of inmates at Pelican Bay - doctors may soon have to decide whether to force-feed protesters.
About 2,000 inmates are being medically monitored, with nurses conducting cell-to-cell rounds. At Pelican Bay, most prisoners have refused to meet with doctors.
Every inmate has the right to decline both food and medical care, and he can issue a directive to a doctor not to force-feed him even if he later becomes delirious from starvation. If he does not issue a directive, however, doctors must make judgment calls.
"Doctors have strict ethical guidelines they have to follow about making sure the patient has given informed consent," said Nancy Kincaid, a spokeswoman for the federal health care administrator. "But if they never said, 'Don't feed me,' they have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis."
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3) Egg Producers and Humane Society Urging Federal Standard on Hen Cages
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/business/egg-producers-and-humane-society-urging-federal-standard-on-hen-cages.html?ref=us
Two groups that are usually squawking at each other - egg farmers and animal welfare advocates - announced an unusual agreement on Thursday to work together to seek a federal law that would require larger cages and other improved conditions for the nation's 280 million laying hens.
The deal comes after the egg industry has been put increasingly on the defensive. Animal welfare groups have clandestinely recorded videos showing poor conditions on farms, and various states have sought to set more humane standards for hens. Egg producers have also been struggling to improve their image after tainted eggs from several farms in Iowa sickened thousands of people in a nationwide salmonella outbreak last year.
The agreement was announced by the nation's main egg industry group, the United Egg Producers, which represents farmers who own about 80 percent of the nation's laying hens, and the Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization.
The groups said they would ask Congress to pass a law enacting the new standards, which they said would be the first federal law addressing the treatment of farm animals and would pre-empt efforts in several states to set their own standards.
The proposed federal standards would include cages that give hens up to 144 square inches of space each, compared with the 67 square inches that most hens have today. They would also include so-called habitat enrichments, like perches, scratching areas and nesting areas, that allow the birds to express natural behavior.
"We always feel that if we can work with the folks who are handling the animals and get them to agree to improve standards, that's the best outcome," said Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society. "We don't have to be locked in combat forever. That's not our goal. Our goal is the welfare of animals."
The industry said the changes, in most cases, would be phased in over the next 18 years at a cost of $4 billion.
It is far from clear whether such a law could be passed. One potential obstacle is opposition from other poultry or livestock farmers, who may be worried that similar laws could some day apply to them.
In a statement Thursday, the National Pork Producers Council said that a federal law regulating living conditions for hens "would set a dangerous precedent for allowing the federal government to dictate how livestock and poultry producers raise and care for their animals."
Robert L. Krouse, chairman of United Egg Producers, acknowledged the difficulties ahead.
"That's part of what we have to do, as United Egg Producers, is talk with these other groups and hopefully get them to see our point of view," said Mr. Krouse, an Indiana egg farmer. "We understand their concerns, but this is about egg producers, this is a solution that we've found for us."
Mr. Krouse said that the group would also have to persuade its members to support the plan, since the negotiations were kept secret until Thursday's announcement.
The egg producers said they wanted a federal law that would take the place of laws and regulations popping up piecemeal in several states, often with varying or inconsistent standards. One of the most significant state laws is a ballot measure passed in California in 2008, which says that laying hens, veal calves and pregnant sows must have enough room to stand up, turn around, lie down and fully extend their limbs.
For its part, the Humane Society agreed to give up on a push to ban cages entirely in exchange for the opportunity to work toward a single, nationwide standard mandating better conditions. The group also said it would shelve efforts to get initiatives onto the ballot in Washington and Oregon, and would agree not to conduct undercover investigations at large egg farms unless it was aware of especially egregious practices.
The groups said they had not yet sought to round up support in Congress for their proposal.
A federal law would be intended to pre-empt state laws. But the groups said it would have to include a faster transition timetable for California egg farmers to match the schedule approved in the ballot measure there, which requires larger cages by 2015.
Mr. Pacelle said that the activists' strategy of seeking to enact changes through ballot initiatives had limits because some of the biggest egg-producing states, including Iowa and Indiana, did not have a mechanism to submit proposed laws directly to voters.
Aaron S. Gross, the founder of Farm Forward, a farm animal welfare group that was not involved in the agreement, said it represented a landmark shift in thinking for a segment of the farming industry.
"The industry moving from saying anything goes to saying there should be legal limits at the federal level is an enormous difference," Mr. Gross said.
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4) Questions Are Raised on Restraint Training
"Incidents of restraint (in which a child's movement is restricted), seclusion (in which a child is involuntarily confined alone in a room) and other behavioral episodes in California schools more than doubled to 21,076 between the 2005-6 and 2009-10 school years, according to California Department of Education figures."
By JENNIFER GOLLAN
July 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/us/08bcrestraint.html?ref=education
Corporal punishment is illegal in California public schools, but physically restraining unruly students is not. As incidents of restraint, seclusion and other emergency interventions have soared in recent years, schools have relied on training programs and physical restraint protocols developed by private companies that in many cases appear to have few qualifications.
Although restraint training is directed at some of the most difficult and sensitive situations that school personnel encounter, the companies operate with little oversight. Federal law imposes strict rules on the use of restraints and seclusion in federally-financed hospitals and treatment centers, but the laws do not address their use in schools.
Restraint companies now work with dozens of school districts across California and elsewhere, training teachers and counselors to use controversial restraint maneuvers. Students involved in restraint situations usually have serious behavioral problems or developmental disabilities. More than half the incidents reported statewide in the 2009-10 school year occurred in the Bay Area, most of them in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties.
"We don't know why this is happening," said Fred Balcom, director of the California Department of Education's special-education division.
The San Francisco Unified School District contracts with a company called Handle With Care Behavior Management System to train teachers and administrators - who then train their colleagues - on how to restrain students properly.
Bruce Chapman, the company's founder and president, is a onetime psychiatric-hospital technician who said he had developed his "take down" restraint during a confrontation with an aggressive patient and refined it as a martial arts devotee who earned a black belt.
The Oakland Unified School District and the Mount Diablo Unified School District are among those that work with Pro-ACT, a company founded in 1975 by Paul Smith, a psychologist. The program's methods are largely based on Mr. Smith's graduate-level psychology work more than 30 years ago, said Kim Warma, Pro-ACT's co-owner.
The San Mateo County Office of Education, for its part, works with the Crisis Prevention Institute to teach some staff techniques to handle problem students.
The company was founded in 1980 by AlGene Caraulia Sr., who has a background in martial arts, and Gene Wyka, who holds a bachelor's degree in psychology. They initially developed their program for psychiatric institutions, and it has changed little over the last 30 years, according to Randy Boardman, executive director of research and development at the company. It is now used by employees of group homes, prisons, elderly homes and schools.
Maggie Roberts, an associate managing attorney at Disability Rights California, a nonprofit advocacy organization for the disabled in Sacramento, said that school districts see the restraint training as a bigger need than ever because they have big class sizes and less money and are feeling overwhelmed. "I have certainly seen a number of situations where people clearly don't know what they are doing, where they weren't trained well enough," Ms. Roberts said.
Incidents of restraint (in which a child's movement is restricted), seclusion (in which a child is involuntarily confined alone in a room) and other behavioral episodes in California schools more than doubled to 21,076 between the 2005-6 and 2009-10 school years, according to California Department of Education figures.
Under state law, restraints and seclusion in schools are considered "emergency interventions" that can be employed to control spontaneous behavior that "poses clear and present danger" to the student or others. Educators are not permitted to lock children away in a room or use mechanical restraints.
School districts are required to have some kind of training program for the use of restraints, and state Department of Education policies specify that only properly trained personnel should use restraint and seclusion.
But there are no rules governing the training programs or what restraint techniques are recommended.
"Right now, there isn't any oversight of whether the districts are using a good company or they are following up on their training," said Connie Cushing, a special-education consultant for the Mount Diablo Unified School District.
Several recent incidents illustrate how efforts at restraint can go awry. Last year, at George Hall School in San Mateo, teachers restrained a first grader with an anxiety disorder who had wandered away from campus and returned him to school. He then climbed on top of a cabinet and refused to get down. Teachers called the police, who pepper-sprayed the boy in the face and had him involuntarily committed to the San Mateo Medical Center, court records show. A psychiatrist released the boy to his parents a few hours later.
The parents reached a settlement agreement with the school district and the county. Pamela Bartfield, George Hall's principal, did not return two telephone calls requesting comment.
Efforts to limit the use of restraint and seclusion in California schools have been met with resistance from powerful interest groups. Assemblyman Roger Hernández, Democrat of San Gabriel Valley, introduced a bill in February that would ban the use of isolation rooms and impose strict limits on how teachers use restraint. But the bill was tabled after running into stiff opposition from the California Department of Education, the California Teachers Association, the California School Boards Association and the California Alliance of Child and Family Services, which represents more than 130 foster homes and other agencies for troubled youth.
Federal legislation, prompted in part by fatalities in Texas and other states, has run into similar opposition, including that of Mr. Chapman of Handle With Care.
In a letter to members of the House of Representatives in February 2010, Mr. Chapman criticized federal legislation sponsored by Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, that called for limits on the use of physical restraint and encouraged restraint training for teachers.
Mr. Miller's legislation proposed that states approve only crisis intervention training programs that rely on evidence-based techniques that have been "shown to be effective." The programs would also have to train teachers in de-escalation practices, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The bill passed the House but never made it to the Senate floor. Mr. Miller reintroduced the bill in the spring.
"Tragically, we have seen that restraint and seclusion can get out of hand. Children have died and have been traumatized as a result of being locked away in a closet," said Mr. Miller, his party's ranking member of the House Education and the Work Force Committee. "Clearly, training is a very important component of this. I don't think that it is sufficient."
The programs typically run for several days, and teachers then return to their schools to train others.
Handle With Care, according to its literature, has "created safer human service environments in over 1,000 organizations and schools in all 50 states and internationally" since its founding in 1984. Aside from Mr. Chapman, the company has three full-time employees and roughly 20 "master instructors" who lead seminars.
Mr. Chapman got his start in restraint training after dropping out of community college. At age 20, he took a job as a psychiatric technician in the in-patient unit at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, where he "received a lot of in-service training in the form of practical experience," Mr. Chapman said during a deposition in a 1999 lawsuit.
Mr. Chapman said that a chance encounter with an aggressive psychiatric patient in 1974 helped him develop a maneuver that is now central to his training program. The man reached for a brick, and Mr. Chapman restrained him by grabbing his upper arms from behind.
"The hold just kind of came instinctively at the time," Mr. Chapman said in a telephone interview. "Any time I had to physically restrain a patient over the next seven years, I used this hold. It offers a tremendous mechanical advantage."
Mr. Chapman said he went on to refine his restraint technique through martial arts classes.
"There is no university-based program or academic program that will help you get someone to the ground safely," Mr. Chapman said.
Mr. Chapman is sought out for his training techniques. But a video that was posted on YouTube showing him firing a pistol while making anti-homosexual slurs raises questions about the school districts' association with him.
Mr. Chapman defended the video as "a funny vignette that I did for a production to entertain skydivers. It was a skit not unlike 'Saturday Night Live.' It does not reflect my feelings about gays or transgenders." He added, "That was a satire against homophobes." The video, which was available at least until August 2009, has since been removed.
Hilary Adler, Mr. Chapman's lawyer and vice president of Handle With Care, added in an e-mail that her client and Handle With Care "have been staunch supporters of gay, transsexual and transgender rights."
Handle With Care's literature says its restraint technique is "versatile, effective, painless, safe and easy to apply."
But at least one deadly incident raises questions.
A 14-year-old boy died in 1998 after being restrained by counselors at a Pennsylvania facility for children with emotional and behavioral problems. Staff at the facility, KidsPeace National Center for Kids in Crisis, had been trained to use Handle With Care techniques. The boy's mother and her lawyers were awarded a $1.2 million settlement in 2006 from KidsPeace. KidsPeace subsequently stopped using Handle With Care's training program.
Handle With Care, which was initially named as a defendant but later dropped from the suit, was not implicated. Mr. Chapman said his techniques were not dangerous, and his company was not responsible for what happened.
jgollan@baycitizen.org
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5) Death Penalty, Still Racist and Arbitrary
By DAVID R. DOW
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/opinion/09dow.html
Houston
LAST week was the 35th anniversary of the return of the American death penalty. It remains as racist and as random as ever.
Several years after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, a University of Iowa law professor, David C. Baldus (who died last month), along with two colleagues, published a study examining more than 2,000 homicides that took place in Georgia beginning in 1972. They found that black defendants were 1.7 times more likely to receive the death penalty than white defendants and that murderers of white victims were 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks.
What became known as the Baldus study was the centerpiece of the Supreme Court's 1987 decision in McCleskey v. Kemp. That case involved a black man, Warren McCleskey, who was sentenced to die for murdering a white Atlanta police officer. Mr. McCleskey argued that the Baldus study established that his death sentence was tainted by racial bias. In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that general patterns of discrimination do not prove that racial discrimination operated in particular cases.
Of course, the court had to say that, or America's capital justice system would have screeched to a halt. Georgia is not special. Nationwide, blacks and whites are victims of homicide in roughly equal numbers, yet 80 percent of those executed had murdered white people. Over the past three decades, the Baldus study has been replicated in about a dozen other jurisdictions, and they all reflect the same basic racial bias. By insisting on direct evidence of racial discrimination, the court in McCleskey essentially made the fact of pervasive racism legally irrelevant, because prosecutors rarely write e-mails announcing they are seeking death in a given case because the murderer was black (or because the victim was white).
In Texas, though, they do come close. In 2008, the district attorney of Harris County, Chuck Rosenthal, resigned after news emerged that he had sent and received racist e-mails. His office had sought the death penalty in 25 cases; his successor has sought it in 7. Of the total 32 cases, 29 involve a nonwhite defendant.
Since 1976, Texas has carried out 470 executions (well more than a third of the national total of 1,257). You can count on one hand the number of those executions that involved a white murderer and a black victim and you do not need to use your thumb, ring finger, index finger or pinkie.
Well, you might need the pinkie. On June 16, Texas executed Lee Taylor, who at age 16 beat an elderly couple while robbing their home. The 79-year-old husband died of his injuries. Mr. Taylor was sentenced to life in prison; there he joined the Aryan Brotherhood, a white gang, and, four years into his sentence, murdered a black inmate and was sentenced to death. When Mr. Taylor was executed, it was reported that he was the second white person in Texas executed for killing a black person. Actually, he should be counted as the first. The other inmate, Larry Hayes, executed in 2003, killed two people, one of whom was white.
The facts surrounding Lee Taylor's execution are cause for further shame. John Balentine, a black inmate, was scheduled to die in Texas the day before Lee Taylor's execution. Mr. Balentine's lawyers argued that his court-appointed appellate lawyer had botched his case, and that he should have an opportunity to raise issues the lawyer had neglected. Less than an hour before Mr. Balentine was to die, the Supreme Court issued a stay.
Lee Taylor's lawyers watched the Balentine case closely; their client too had received scandalously bad representation, and, they filed a petition virtually identical to the one in the Balentine case. But by a vote of 5-to-4, the justices permitted the Taylor execution to proceed. If there were differences between the Balentine and Taylor cases, they were far too minor to form the boundary between life and death. But trivial distinctions are commonplace in death penalty cases. Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., one of the five justices in the McCleskey majority, retired from the court in 1991. Following his retirement he said he had voted the wrong way. If Justice Powell had changed his mind a year sooner, Warren McCleskey, who was executed in Georgia in 1991, would still be alive.
And because of a vote from a single Supreme Court justice, John Balentine lives while Lee Taylor died. When capital punishment was briefly struck down, in 1972, Justice Potter Stewart said the death penalty was arbitrary, like being struck by lightning.
It still is, and it's the justices themselves who keep throwing the bolts.
David R. Dow, a professor at the University of Houston Law Center, is the author, most recently, of a memoir, "The Autobiography of an Execution."
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6) Egypt's Tahrir Square Again Echoes With Cries for Justice
By KAREEM FAHIM
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/middleeast/09egypt.html?ref=world
CAIRO - One woman called for a new revolution. A man called for former President Hosni Mubarak to be executed. An angry crowd in an auditorium here on Thursday night listened to stories of protesters injured or killed during Egypt's revolution and in demonstrations since, and stood and applauded when a mother spoke of loss.
One of her sons was killed by a policeman's bullet in January, and another son sits in a military prison, after he was beaten and arrested in a protest last week. "I've grown tired," the mother, Amal Zine al Abadeen, told dozens who had gathered as a prelude to a rally of tens of thousands on Friday in Tahrir Square, where the uprising began.
"This revolution has done nothing for us," she said. "I don't want money. I don't want anything at all. All I'm asking for is justice."
For five months, Egyptians have shouldered a revolution's burdens - economic malaise, sectarian discord and fears of rising crime - and seen few of its rewards. Perhaps no issue has symbolized their disappointment or galvanized popular anger as much as the sluggish - some say empty - effort to punish those who attacked the protesters.
That anger forms the emotional, combustible core of a bigger complaint that sees a reluctance by the military rulers to seek the truth about crimes that occurred during Mr. Mubarak's rule, or to seek greater transparency, for instance, by lifting restrictions on televising trials.
Egypt's ruling military council has rushed to contain popular anger by arresting scores of public officials, including Mr. Mubarak. But protesters say the arrests are aimed at appeasement, not justice, and have blocked the kind of catharsis that would allow the country to move forward.
"The main reason we have not yet crossed into a new Egypt is because we haven't started dealing with past practices as a prelude to declaring, 'Never again,' " said Hossam Bahgat, the director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.
Friday's rally in Tahrir Square, drew members of all the major political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and showed little of the feuding about the constitution, elections and other wedge issues.
Dr. Sherine Ibrahim, 33, a pediatrician, said she felt compelled to attend the protest - her first since the revolution - "because nothing has changed."
"The justice system has not allowed any public access to the trials," she said. "Trial dates are being delayed, ex-ministers who are notorious for being corrupt are being acquitted, and we, the people, aren't allowed to be part of the process."
There have already been many high-profile arrests, including Mr. Mubarak's sons and many of his top officials: the country's hated interior minister, Habib el-Adly, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on corruption charges. Lawyers for some of the accused have blamed prosecutors for conducting a witch hunt. Other people counter with a sobering fact: Though at least 840 protesters died in the uprising, since then, only one person - a rank-and-file police officer - has been convicted, in absentia, of murder.
Mr. Adly's trial on charges of killing protesters has been delayed, a sign to some that the military council is unwilling to alienate Egypt's security services.
"They are trying to avoid doing this," said Hani Shukrallah, a political activist and the editor of Ahram Online, referring to the military council's attitude toward prosecuting ex-officials and police officers for killing protesters. "At a basic level, they are afraid that once they start punishing these people, the whole security apparatus is going to unravel. Parts of it will go rogue, which is something they have demonstrated that they are quite capable of doing."
Recent outbreaks of violence suggest the problems are getting worse. In Cairo, protesters, including relatives of people killed during the uprising, clashed with police officers in the worst violence since Mr. Mubarak's final days in power. And this week, there were further clashes after the release of seven officers on bail who are on trial in the killing of protesters in Suez.
In the calls for a "cleansing" in Tahrir Square on Friday, there seemed to be a recognition that Egypt's current rulers could not address past wrongs. "The army does not see Egypt as a country in need of transitional justice," Mr. Bahgat said.
The family of a protester who was killed said their efforts to find justice had been stymied by the same kinds of abuses that had fueled the revolution.
Relatives of Mohamed Sayed, who was killed on Jan. 29, said the trial in the case has been delayed three times, and several weeks ago, they said, a state security official offered them more than $16,500 to drop the case. Mr. Sayed's father, Sayed Abdul Latif, said they refused.
Mr. Abdul Latif took his anger to Tahrir Square, and camped out for a week. "We sleep in the street, and our children sleep in the dust, and the officer who killed my son is asleep in his house," he said.
Liam Stack and Dina Salah Amer contributed reporting.
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7) Georgia: Photographers Still Jailed
By MZIA KUPUNIA
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/world/europe/09briefs-Georgiabrief.html?ref=world
Responding to concerns raised by local rights groups and photojournalists, President Mikheil Saakashvili's administration denied Friday that the arrest this week of a group of photographers on suspicions of spying was made in retaliation for their journalistic work. Manana Manjgaladze, Mr. Saakashvili's spokeswoman, said the case "is about a serious leakage of information from our institutions, not about journalism or media activities." A civil rights group, the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, asked the Interior Ministry to publicly justify the secrecy concerning the case. One of the four remaining detainees, Giorgi Abdaladze, a freelancer, has announced a hunger strike, according to his lawyer. The police released a fifth, a photographer for The Associated Press, early Thursday.
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8) California Cuts Weigh Heavily on Its Colleges
"Tuition is expected to rise roughly 20 percent next year, just the latest in series of steep increases. Yearly in-state tuition at California State University will average about $5,500, while at the University of California, it is expected to be $13,200 if the increases are approved this month. Programs all over the state are being shuttered, star professors are leaving for colleges in other states, faculty positions are being left unfilled and class sizes are continuing to grow. While the state's spending on the system is down to a level not seen since the late-1990s, the campuses enroll tens of thousands more students."
By JENNIFER MEDINA
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/us/09uc.html?ref=us
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The doors to the state's newest medical school are already open, technically. A gleaming building with new labs is ready to house researchers and students. But when the state budget was approved last week, the plans to open the medical school at the University of California's campus here were shelved for at least another year.
The compromise to close the state's huge budget gap included cuts to state agencies of all kinds, but none were as deep as those to the state's public colleges and universities. The state's two systems were each cut by $650 million, and they each could lose $100 million more if the state's optimistic revenue expectations do not materialize. For both systems, the $650 million is roughly a 20 percent cut of operating money from the state.
This fall, for the first time, the University of California will take in more money from student tuition than from state finances.
The state's two-tier system has long been seen as a model of public higher education, with the University of California's 10 campuses as major research hubs and the California State University's network of 23 campuses graduating tens of thousands each year. But the cuts, which are the biggest in the state's history, threaten to erode the system's stellar reputation.
"There's no question that California has had the most emulated public universities in the nation, and for the rest of the world," said Terry W. Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education. "What we are seeing is the abandonment of the state's commitment to make California's education available to all its citizens."
Tuition is expected to rise roughly 20 percent next year, just the latest in series of steep increases. Yearly in-state tuition at California State University will average about $5,500, while at the University of California, it is expected to be $13,200 if the increases are approved this month. Programs all over the state are being shuttered, star professors are leaving for colleges in other states, faculty positions are being left unfilled and class sizes are continuing to grow. While the state's spending on the system is down to a level not seen since the late-1990s, the campuses enroll tens of thousands more students.
Schools, meanwhile, are stepping up their efforts to recruit students from other states, using their higher tuition payments to help fill the coffers at the expense of California applicants.
"The state has been a very unreliable partner in the last 20 years," said Mark G. Yudof, the president of the University of California. "We are losing sight of what we are supposed to be. The trends were bad before, and they are just abysmal now."
Last year, when budget cuts prompted a 26 percent tuition increase at the University of California, thousands of students protested, shutting down freeways and holding walkouts. The reaction this time has been more muted so far, partly because so many students are on summer break and the exact amount of the increases is still unknown.
An editorial this week in the Berkeley campus newspaper, The Daily Californian, however, placed the blame squarely on Sacramento.
"We cannot afford nor can we tolerate more cuts of this magnitude," the editorial read. "While recent efforts at protest have proved ineffective and disappointing, we hope that any efforts to express public anger is channeled at our state officials, not the regents. Tuition increases are a result of state disinvestment, and students must remember that."
While states across the country have tightened their belts, none of their higher education cuts have matched the severity of California's, Dr. Hartle said. Mr. Yudof said that he was comforted by knowing that hundreds of students still received millions of dollars in financial aid to help them pay for tuition.
To a large extent, the wealthiest and poorest students fare better, either because they can afford the hefty increases or because they have enough financial aid to cover them. But students from families with incomes in the low six figures often feel the biggest pinch, taking out more loans with each tuition increase.
"It starts to feel impossible really quick," said Alison Linton, 20, a sophomore at Riverside, who said she had taken out $30,000 in loans so far. "But there's nothing you can do besides say, 'I need more cash.' "
For the most part, students are paying more money for less service. In Riverside, the libraries close earlier, there are fewer teaching assistants and academic tutors, and it is often impossible to secure a spot in a class needed to graduate.
In some ways, the trouble is even more acute at the California State University system, which has historically been an attractive option for students who do not qualify for the more prestigious University of California. While getting into such schools was once taken for granted, all but a handful of the system's colleges now have a competitive admission process.
Officials once planned to enroll as many as 440,000 students at California State University campuses, but the cuts have scaled back those plans considerably, and next year's enrollment is expected to be 412,000 students. That is still 90,000 more students than were in the system in 1998, the last time the university had this level of financing.
"We're built for access, but there are students who we should be getting to come and we just can't afford for them to all come," said Charles B. Reed, the chancellor of the California State University system. "The worst thing we can do is admit students and not be able to serve them."
Each of the campuses is responsible for making its own cuts, which are based on the number of students enrolled. At Fresno State, 57 positions are going unfilled. In Long Beach, the mechanical engineering program may shut down because there are just a couple of professors still teaching.
Mr. Yudof and other administrators say that their biggest fear is that they will lose crucial faculty members - and not be able to hire anyone in their place. He said that the system had eliminated cost of living adjustments for faculty for the past four years and that faculty salaries were roughly 12 percent lower than at peer institutions.
Peter Wolynes went to the University of California, San Diego, in 2000, leaving his post at the University of Illinois for a chemistry department he thought would rapidly expand.
"It was an exciting time then; this was the place where you thought it would grow and you could have some influence," Dr. Wolynes said. But in recent years, he said, the number of support staff began to dwindle, making it hard for him to focus on his research.
Now, he is leaving for Rice University, one of a trio of engineering professors who are going to be getting more help with their laboratory work - along with bigger paychecks.
Last week, a medical accreditation board said that it could not grant the new school at the University of California, Riverside, accreditation without sufficient support from the state. Now, construction at the school continues, paid for by bond money and existing campus funds.
But Chancellor Timothy P. White is determined to buttonhole legislators and convince them that the medical school is sorely needed.
"Nobody says to me, 'Oh, I disagree!' " Dr. White said. "To say we need a medical school is as all-American as motherhood and apple pie. The problem is we have to pay for it."
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9) Shutdown in Minnesota Ripples Out to Day Care
By TALYA MINSBERG and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
"Without that stipend, a parent with two children, for instance, would have to pay $300 or $400 a week, a significant amount for women who often work jobs that pay less than $10 an hour."
July 8, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/09/us/politics/09minnesota.html?ref=us
LEXINGTON, Minn. - Among the thousands of people struggling with the state government shutdown here, 14-year-old Skye might be among the most unlikely.
She is not a state worker, nor does she receive direct state aid. But because the shutdown has led Minnesota to cut her mother's child care subsidy, Skye has been drafted to be the family baby sitter. Afternoons formerly spent playing softball are now spent looking after two of her younger siblings.
"I mean, I went from seeing my friends every day and hanging out to being home every day to take care of my sisters - it's hard," she said. "It put a big down on the summer."
For more than a week, Minnesota has stopped performing all services not deemed critical because Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature have been unable to agree on a state budget for this fiscal year.
Though the shutdown meant that about 22,000 government employees became suddenly unemployed, the most significant impact so far for Minnesotans who do not work for the government appears to be in the sort of everyday thing, like child care for the poor, that had been easy to overlook for those not dependent on it.
About 21,000 families with a total of 37,500 children in Minnesota receive day care subsidies that pay about half of the cost of child care at centers or in private homes. An additional 4,000 families are on a waiting list.
"Of the things involved in the shutdown, this is the one that could grow into a crisis because of all the people who rely on it," said Senator John Marty, a Democrat who represents a suburban district north of St. Paul. "This program has done tremendous things for women who had been on welfare."
Mr. Dayton has also deemed the program to be critical enough to continue during the shutdown, and his request is being considered by Kathleen Blatz, a former Minnesota Supreme Court justice and the court-appointed monitor who has been deciding during the shutdown what services are essential.
The loss of the subsidy, even after only a few days, has had an outsize impact on some of the state's day care centers, parents and staff members say.
At Creative Kids Academy in Lexington, a Minneapolis suburb, the number of children in day care has dropped to around 30, from 70 before the shutdown.
"It's like a ghost town," Gretchen Raymer, 29, the center's director, said Friday in a room full of toys and buckets with children's names on them that far outnumbered the children present.
Though the center is privately operated, most of the parents who use it receive the state subsidy. Without that stipend, a parent with two children, for instance, would have to pay $300 or $400 a week, a significant amount for women who often work jobs that pay less than $10 an hour.
"Most are single mothers; lots don't have a lot of family in the state, and they've been coming here a few years," said Ms. Raymer, who said she had twice gone to the Capitol in St. Paul to testify against proposed budget cuts. "They have a limited support system."
The center estimates it will lose $4,000 a week without the stipends. Employees are being encouraged to take vacations, Ms. Raymer said, and she has already laid off a part-time worker.
But she said she was mostly concerned about the parents and the children, whom she considers her extended family.
"It's stressful," Ms. Raymer said. "We have a close relationship with families, and it's horrible to see what the families are going through. How long can they last?"
As for Skye, she is more interested in saving her summer than in budgets and politics.
Her mother, Keri Rosas, 35, a single mother of four, works the night shift at a group home and has depended on Creative Kids Academy to watch her younger children so she can sleep during the day. Ms. Rosas said Ms. Raymer had been very supportive, even providing updates on the shutdown for parents.
Ms. Rosas said that her younger children did not understand what was going on but were eager to be with their friends again, and that Skye, her oldest, was just ready to get back to being a teenager.
"She is extremely upset," Ms. Rosas said. "She doesn't understand why the government can shut down the way it is."
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10) Somehow, the Unemployed Became Invisible
By CATHERINE RAMPELL
And with apologies to Karl Marx, the workers of the world, particularly the unemployed, are also no longer uniting.
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/the-unemployed-somehow-became-invisible.html?ref=business
GRIM number of the week: 14,087,000.
Fourteen million, in round numbers - that is how many Americans are now officially out of work.
Word came Friday from the Labor Department that, despite all the optimistic talk of an economic recovery, unemployment is going up, not down. The jobless rate rose to 9.2 percent in June.
What gives? And where, if anywhere, is the outrage?
The United States is in the grips of its gravest jobs crisis since Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House. Lose your job, and it will take roughly nine months to find a new one. That is off the charts. Many Americans have simply given up.
But unless you're one of those unhappy 14 million, you might not even notice the problem. The budget deficit, not jobs, has been dominating the conversation in Washington. Unlike the hard-pressed in, say, Greece or Spain, the jobless in America seem, well, subdued. The old fire has gone out.
In some ways, this boils down to math, both economic and political. Yes, 9.2 percent of the American work force is unemployed - but 90.8 percent of it is working. To elected officials, the unemployed are a relatively small constituency. And with apologies to Karl Marx, the workers of the world, particularly the unemployed, are also no longer uniting.
Nor are they voting - or at least not as much as people with jobs. In 2010, some 46 percent of working Americans who were eligible to vote did so, compared with 35 percent of the unemployed, according to Michael McDonald, a political scientist at George Mason University. There was a similar turnout gap in the 2008 election.
No wonder policy makers don't fear unemployed Americans. The jobless are, politically speaking, more or less invisible.
It wasn't always so. During the Great Depression, riots erupted on the bread lines. Even in the 1980s and 1990s, angry workers descended on Washington by the busload.
"There used to be a sense that unemployment was rich soil for radicalization and revolt," says Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor of labor history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "That was a motif in American history for a long time, but we don't seem to have that anymore."
But why? It's partly because of the greater dispersion of the unemployed, and partly because of the weakening of the institutions that previously mobilized them.
Unemployment doesn't necessarily beget apathy, Mr. McDonald says. Rather, demographic groups that are more likely to be unemployed also happen to be the same groups that are less likely to vote to begin with, such as the poor and the low-skilled.
Even so, numerous studies have shown that unemployment leads to feelings of shame and a loss of self-worth. And that is not particularly conducive to political organizing. As Heather Boushey, an economist at the liberal Center for American Progress, puts it, rather bluntly: "Nobody wants to join the Lame Club."
That's not to say that disillusionment about the economy will just fade away. But unless something changes, the unemployed seem unlikely to gain real political potency soon.
"There's an illusion that grass-roots activity just begins spontaneously, that people get mad and suddenly say, 'I'm not going to take it anymore!' " says Michael Kazin, a historian at Georgetown University. "But that's not how it happens."
Intellectuals used to play a big role in organizing labor. In the 1930s, Communists and socialists were a major force. Later, labor unions stepped in.
But today's unions are not set up to serve the unemployed; they generally organize around workplaces, after all.
Just ask Rick McHugh, who worked in Michigan as an employment lawyer for the United Automobile Workers from the 1980s through the 1990s. He represented workers who were appealing denials of unemployment insurance benefits. The union footed the bill for people he represented who were not, and had never been, U.A.W. members.
Today, however, many unions are fighting for their own survival. They no longer provide such support for nonmembers. "They just don't have the staff and the resources to support these programs and the recipients like they used to," says Mr. McHugh, now a staff attorney at the National Employment Law Project.
Workers have also become suburbanized. Back in the 1960s or even the 1980s, the unemployed organized around welfare or unemployment offices. It was a fertile environment: people were anxious and tired and waiting for hours in line.
"We stood outside of these offices, with their huge lines, and passed out leaflets that said things like: 'If you're upset about what's happening to you, come to this meeting at this church basement in two weeks. We'll get together and do something about this,' " recalls Barney Oursler, a longtime community organizer and co-founder of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee in the early 1980s. "The response just made your heart get big. 'Oh, my God,' they'd say, 'I thought I was alone.' "
The Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, which is based in Pittsburgh, helped organize workers in 26 cities across five states, simply by hanging around outside t unemployment offices and harnessing the frustration.
Today, though, many unemployment offices have closed. Jobless benefits are often handled by phone or online rather than in person. An unemployment call center near Mr. Oursler, for instance, now sits behind two sets of locked doors and frosted windows.
In other countries, workers have mobilized online. Unions here, too, have reached out on the Web. They include groups like Working America (the community affiliate of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.) and UCubed (created by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers).
But many Web sites geared toward the unemployed aren't about mobilizing workers. Many instead provide guidance about things like posting résumés online, or simply offer the comfort of an online community.
It's not clear why this is the case, when social networks have been so essential to organizing economic protests in places like Britain and Greece, not to mention political movements in the Middle East.
"You have to remember that technology is not independent of social structures, motivations and politics," Mr. Kazin says. "People can feel like they have their own community online, which is useful emotionally, but they also have to have the desire and demand to do something about their situation first before they start using that online presence to organize anything in person."
To the extent that frustrations are being channeled at all, they are being channeled largely through the Tea Party. But the Tea Party is mostly against devoting government resources to helping the unemployed.
Tea Party activists, for example, are more likely to believe that providing benefits to poor people encourages them to stay poor, and to believe that economic stimulus has made the economy worse.
Why populist anger over the poor economy is leaning right, rather than left, this time around is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps it is because Democrats, traditional friends of labor, control the White House and the Senate.
Mr. Lichtenstein, the historian, notes that it took awhile for the poor to mobilize in the Great Depression. Many initially saw President Roosevelt as an ally and only later became disillusioned. As Langston Hughes wrote in a 1934 poem, "The Ballad of Roosevelt":
The pot was empty,
The cupboard was bare.
I said, Papa,
What's the matter here?
I'm waitin' on Roosevelt, son,
Roosevelt, Roosevelt,
Waitin' on Roosevelt, son.
For the moment, jobless Americans are waiting on President Obama. If unemployment stays as high as many expect, and millions exhaust their benefits, they may just find their voice in 2012.
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11) Major Health Problems Linked to Poverty
By EMILY RAMSHAW
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/us/10tthealth.html?hp
PHARR - Laura knows what comfort feels like: Before leaving Reynosa, Mexico, for Texas a few years ago, she lived with her in-laws in a house with bedrooms and flushing toilets, with electricity and a leak-free roof.
Now, the 23-year-old - since deserted by her husband but still helped financially by his father - pays $187 a month to live in a dirt-floored shack that is part broken-down motor home, part splintered plywood shed. She bathes her five runny-nosed, half-clothed children, all under 10, with water siphoned from a neighbor's garden hose. And she scrubs their diapers and school uniforms in the same sink where she rinses their dinner beans.
As she glanced sheepishly at her feet, Laura, who declined to give her name because of her immigration status, pointed out the family's bathroom: a makeshift outhouse, only yards from the large scrap pile her youngest children scale like a mountain. She would return to a better life in Mexico, she said, if she were not sure her children would have a brighter future in the United States.
The conditions in which Laura and her children live are common for the roughly half-million people living in Texas' colonias. These impoverished communities are found in all border states, but Texas, with the longest border, has the most, an estimated 2,300. First established in the 1950s for migrant workers, many of the colonias (Spanish for "neighborhood" or "community") were created by unscrupulous or predatory developers.
Along the 1,248-mile Texas-Mexico border, in communities with names like Agua Dulce and Mexico Chiquito, the overwhelmingly Hispanic residents of the colonias tell identical stories: of migrating with dreams of safety and prosperity, of getting swindled or misled into buying worthless land with no modern infrastructure, of sticking it out so their children - most of them American citizens - will get educated.
And of getting sick.
At last count, nearly 45,000 people lived in the 350 Texas colonias classified by the state as at the "highest health risk," meaning residents of these often-unincorporated subdivisions have no running water, no wastewater treatment, no paved roads or solid waste disposal. Water- and mosquito-borne illnesses are rampant, the result of poor drainage, pooling sewage and water contaminated by leaking septic tanks. Burning garbage, cockroaches, vermin and mold lead to high rates of asthma, rashes and lice infestations.
And the poor diet so intrinsically linked to poverty contributes to dental problems, diabetes and other chronic conditions, which residents of the colonias rarely have the health insurance, money or access to regular health care to treat.
"If I see 50 kids, at least 30 of them are very sick," said Dr. Sarojini Bose, a pediatrician who operates several clinics in the Rio Grande Valley. "To see this in the United States, the most powerful country is the world, is heartbreaking."
In his 20 years as a border epidemiologist, Dr. Brian Smith, the South Texas regional director for the Department of State Health Services, has seen health trends that mirror the nation's, like the obesity, diabetes and heart disease linked to high-fat, low-cost diets. But he has also seen the unusual: rates of tuberculosis that are two times the state average and four times the national rate, and the lingering presence of Hansen's disease, or leprosy, almost unheard of in most of the country.
There are cases of Dengue fever and Lyme disease carried by mosquitoes and ticks, the result of flooding and non-air-conditioned homes where windows and doors stand open. There is the nagging asthma and bronchitis stemming from the agricultural dust that wafts from nearby sorghum, corn and cotton fields, and the trash burned in the colonias, which often have no waste collection. Public health departments report rates of cholera, hepatitis A, salmonellosis and dysentery in the colonias that far exceed the state average.
Dr. Smith and other border health officials have certainly seen improvements. In the last four years alone, the number of residents living in the worst conditions dropped by 17,000, according to state data; 250 more colonias got potable water, paved roads and wastewater systems. And clinic operators and philanthropic physicians have found some creative solutions, including a vaccination program that has sharply curbed rates of hepatitis A, housing programs that offer window screens to keep out mosquitoes and the installation of street lights to promote recreation.
The most successful of them have teamed with so-called "promotoras," Spanish-speaking volunteer nurses who block-walk the colonias offering free medical advice, notifying residents about public health screenings and teaching new mothers, who get free formula through the state's Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, the value of breast-feeding.
"We see the worst of the worst, but we also see rays of light," said Alix Flores, community development director for the Brownsville Community Health Center, which treats nearly 20,000 uninsured people a year.
Despite the progress, the challenges remain immense, and the biggest is access to health care. In border counties generally, roughly a third of people live in poverty, a fifth have been diagnosed with diabetes and nearly half have no health insurance. In the colonias, the uninsured rate is up to 80 percent. Despite explosive population growth in the region, Dr. Smith said, the capacity of health care providers and community clinics has stayed almost the same.
"People just delay care," Dr. Smith said, "or else they go without it."
While many children and young pregnant women get health care through Medicaid, the joint state-federal health insurer for the poor, and some elderly people qualify for Medicare, the federal insurer of the elderly, border medical providers say many of those between the ages of 19 and 64 fall through the cracks. Even those who do qualify for services often do not take advantage of them, either because of lack of trust, confusion over how to register or fear that any contact with a government program could lead to deportation.
According to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, an estimated 64 percent of colonia residents were born in the United States. Eighty-five percent of those under age 18 were born here.
When colonia residents do get medical treatment, there is little continuity of care. The biggest free health care event for the colonias is Operation Lone Star, a once-a-year medical training exercise run jointly by state agencies, the Texas State Guard and the Army and Air National Guards, where residents wait in line for hours over the course of two weeks to get basic medical and dental treatment.
Community advocates speak, with giant eye-rolls, of state and county vaccination programs, one postponed because health care providers would not work in a building with a broken air conditioner, another largely ineffective because female workers showed up wearing high heels to go door to door in a colonia without paved streets. Advocates talk of colonia residents pulling their own teeth because they cannot afford a dentist.
Those lucky enough to schedule a doctor's appointment often struggle to get there. There is little or no public transportation in many far-off colonias, and during the rainy season, the unpaved roads become impassably muddy. Even clinics with the best intentions have run into roadblocks: one promotora recalled a recent case in which a sick woman waited 60 days for an appointment with a doctor who offered pick-ups and drop-offs. But when the van showed up to get her - late, because her colonia had no street signs - there was no room for her young children to ride along with her, forcing her to forgo the appointment.
Then there are the cultural barriers, like the husbands who refuse to let their wives get hysterectomies, even when they are dying from advanced cervical cancer, or the taboo of acknowledging a mental health ailment. Shirley Arnolde, head of nursing for Proyecto Desarrollo Humano, a community empowerment group, said she often has to schedule secret appointments with women while their husbands are at work.
Ann Cass, executive director of Proyecto Azteca, a nonprofit affordable-housing organization in the Rio Grande Valley, said that several years ago, some of these burdens were lessened by easy travel into Mexico, where medical care and prescriptions are far cheaper. But escalating drug violence and a tightening of border security have deterred many from taking cross-border trips for health care.
The spread of drug violence into the colonias - responsible for at least two murders in the last year, advocates say - has had an impact, too: there is chronic fear, and far less recreation.
"People are afraid to walk outside of their homes because of gangs, because of fear of immigration raids," Ms. Cass said.
Laura, the young mother, lives with a lot of fear - of what would happen to her children if she were deported, of whether they will be able to thrive in school, of how they will grow up to be strong and healthy living in such conditions.
For now, the entire family sleeps in the same cramped room, and when someone falls ill, everyone gets it. When that happens, Laura tries to get a ride to a clinic, where the children are covered by Medicaid. When she gets sick herself, "I just pray," she said.
"I'm willing to live like this," Laura said, swatting dust from the laundry she was hanging as toddlers clung to her mud-splattered calves. "For them."
eramshaw@texastribune.org
This series was made possible by a grant from the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, and was produced as part of the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California.
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12) Wichita Doctor Takes Up Fight for Abortions
By A. G. SULZBERGER
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/us/10abortion.html?hp
WICHITA, Kan. - Not long ago, Dr. Mila Means, the physician trying to open an abortion clinic in this city, received a letter advising her to check under her car each morning - "because maybe today is the day someone places an explosive under it," the note said.
There was reason for concern: the last doctor to provide abortions here was shot to death because of his work. But rather than lower her profile, Dr. Means raised it by buying a car that nobody could miss: a bright-yellow Mini Cooper, emblazoned, appropriately enough, with lightning bolts.
"It's partly an in-your-face response," she explained. "You're looking for me. I'm here."
Two years have passed since this city, for decades the volatile epicenter of the national fight over abortion, was shaken by the murder of Dr. George R. Tiller - a controversial figure because of his willingness to perform later-term abortions - by a man who said he wanted to stop the killing of babies.
Since then, abortion rights advocates have hoped that someone would take Dr. Tiller's place to show that violence is not an effective way to stop abortions. Despite their vows to redouble their commitment, the murder of Dr. Tiller actually scared people away. Opponents, even those who criticized the killing, have noted with some satisfaction that no abortions have been provided here since.
Now a little-known physician has stepped into this tinderbox environment to take the mantle - indeed, the very instruments - of the man many abortion rights advocates regard as a martyr.
But Dr. Means is certainly not the ideological warrior many expected to fill his void. She said her decision to start performing abortions was as much about making money for her struggling practice as about restoring access to a constitutional right.
A second effort to establish an abortion clinic is under way, led by a group of prominent abortion rights advocates. The group has raised money but is still searching for a doctor willing to provide abortions in a city where doing so has in recent years required a bulletproof vest and an armored car.
"It's about restoring access and standing our ground," said Julie Burkhart, a former political director for Dr. Tiller who now runs the group Trust Women.
Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue, based in Wichita, said that abortion opponents were committed to blocking another clinic here, and that the level of protest facing anyone who participated in such an efforts would be "beyond anything anyone could imagine." He spoke with particular disdain for Dr. Means.
"We will ensure that this community remains abortion free," he said.
Indeed, the efforts to open new clinics face considerable obstacles. After enacting numerous pieces of anti-abortion legislation this year, the state recently denied licenses to two of the three remaining clinics in the state, down from 15 two decades ago. (A court has allowed the clinics to continue operating pending the outcome of a legal challenge to the new regulations.)
"It would have been difficult for Dr. Means to provide abortion care in Wichita, period," said Peter B. Brownlie, the president of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, which dropped plans to open an abortion clinic here after failing to find a local doctor willing to endure the expected harassment. "Now it's doubly difficult."
But Dr. Means decided last summer that she had little choice but to try.
She looked at the finances of her solo family practice and figured she might be the poorest doctor in the state. Though she lives modestly, she has had continuing problems managing money: her credit card companies have taken her to court, and her checks occasionally bounce. Determined to work alone, she did not have enough patients to cover the bills.
Offering abortions seemed the easiest way to keep the doors to her small office open, she said. The need was also there, she felt. The nearest provider was more than three hours away, and for the first time patients had been asking her where to go to end a pregnancy. (Statistics kept by the State of Kansas show that the number of women from the Wichita area who received abortions in the state dropped by nearly half.)
Having lived in Wichita since she was a young girl, including the "Summer of Mercy" two decades ago when thousands of protesters blockaded clinics, Dr. Means was aware that Dr. Tiller had endured several attacks as well as decades of protest and legal challenges before his death, efforts that also succeeded in closing the other clinics in the city. But she hoped - naïvely, she now says - that she would receive less attention by doing abortions part time and only early in the pregnancy.
She bought much of Dr. Tiller's medical equipment and office furniture for $20,000. Her goal was to continue her family practice and also start performing abortions of fetuses up to 15 weeks.
By her own admission, it was a sharp reversal for Dr. Means, 54. Though she had grown up supporting abortion rights - she remembers her father instructing her that she would have to have an abortion if she got pregnant in high school - she eventually became a regular churchgoer who taught abstinence classes to Christian youths.
In 2001, she even interviewed to work at a local pregnancy crisis center that counsels women not to have abortions (she did not get the job, according to both parties, because she expressed her belief that abortion was acceptable in cases of rape or incest). A decade later and no longer a regular churchgoer, she disavows her old views as the result of "religious brainwashing."
After buying the equipment last year, Dr. Means found a clinic in Kansas City, Kan., that taught her, free of charge, how to perform abortions, an arrangement that emerged out of a shared belief that Wichita should have an abortion provider.
The first time Dr. Means arrived at the clinic, protesters outside pleaded with her not to have an abortion. The second time, one shouted, incredulously, "You can't be pregnant again." After that, they were calling her by name, having conducted background checks using her car registration. Soon protesters were showing up at her home and business.
"We already had contacts from the Tiller days, and we got it going again," said Mark Holick, pastor of Spirit One Christian Ministry, who soon began distributing a flier with her name and address that described her as accepting "blood money for violently slaying the innocent." (Another Wichita doctor who had also been participating in the training quit.)
In the flood of mail urging Dr. Means to reconsider providing abortions, the letter mentioning a possible car bomb arrived from Angel Dillard, a Christian songwriter who had befriended Scott Roeder after he was imprisoned for killing Dr. Tiller. That led the Justice Department to file a lawsuit against Ms. Dillard under a federal law protecting access to abortion clinics.
On the Internet, opponents publicized Dr. Means's personal history, from her money problems to her marriage. (Her husband, a longtime family friend, is bipolar and gay, she said - they married so he could have health insurance. He was also her patient, leading a state medical board to reprimand her.)
About 100 of her patients switched to other doctors. Among them was Susan Lear, the head of the Pregnancy Crisis Center of Wichita, who had interviewed Dr. Means for a job there a decade earlier.
At her last appointment in December, Ms. Lear said, Dr. Means spent more than 40 minutes explaining her change of heart on abortion, speaking in a confessional tone. "I heard a person who step by step by step had gotten to this place," Ms. Lear said. "She was on a mission, she knew what she was getting into."
"I said, 'You've made the loneliest choice,' " Ms. Lear recalled telling her.
Dr. Means's work in Kansas City ended abruptly last month, after she had performed about 50 abortions, half her training goal, when the clinic shifted its focus to trying to stay open under the new state regulations that dictate requirements for the size of rooms at abortion clinics, the stocking of emergency equipment, medications and blood supplies, and ties to hospitals.
Even before those new restrictions, there had been an obstacle: her landlord had taken her to court to block her from performing abortions in her offices, and she had been unable to find anyone willing to rent her new space. Buying or building a facility would cost as much as $1 million; she is setting up a nonprofit organization to raise money.
The soonest she could begin offering abortions would be another 12 to 18 months, she said.
She says she will persist. She is already receiving calls from women seeking abortions, though she cannot yet provide them. Though her plan to make money has become a drain, she has focused increasingly on her belief that women should have easy access to abortion in her hometown.
Her opponents have predicted her defeat. The upside, Dr. Means said: "They're not harassing me as much."
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13) Geithner Says Hard Times to Continue for Many
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/10/us/politics/AP-US-Geithner-Economy.html?hp
WASHINGTON (AP) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (GYT'-nur) says many Americans will face hard times for a long time to come.
He says President Barack Obama rescued the United States from a second Great Depression and will keep working to strengthen the economy. But Geithner says will be some time before many people feel like the country is recovering.
Geithner tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that it's a very tough economy. He says that for a lot of people "it's going to feel very hard, harder than anything they've experienced in their lifetime now, for a long time to come."
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14) Strong Earthquake Rattles Tsunami-Weary Japan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/07/09/world/asia/AP-AS-Japan-Earthquake.html?ref=world
TOKYO (AP) - A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hit Japan's northeastern coast on Sunday, prompting a brief tsunami warning for the area still recovering from a devastating quake and killer wave four months ago.
Residents in coastal areas were warned to evacuate for about two hours after the quake, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake hit at 9:57 local time (0057 GMT), and a warning of a tsunami was issued for most of the northeastern coastline. The epicenter of the quake was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan's main island, Honshu, at a depth of about 20 miles (30 kilometers).
Japanese officials predicted the quake could generate tsunami of up to 20 inches (50 centimeters), but the initial waves were only about 4 inches (10 centimeters). The tsunami warning was lifted after the forecast arrival time of the waves passed in most areas without any tsunami being recorded.
Japan's Meteorological agency at first estimated the strength of the quake at 7.1, but later revised that to 7.3. It also revised the depth estimate from 10 to 30 kilometers.
Japan's northeastern coastline was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left nearly 23,000 dead or missing and touched off a nuclear crisis at a badly damaged facility in Fukushima.
Officials said there were no reports of abnormalities at the Fukushima plant caused by Sunday's quake, though workers were instructed to move to high ground. Airports in the area were also functioning normally.
Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. Dozens of strong aftershocks have been felt since the March 11 disaster, which measured a 9.0 magnitude and was the strongest in Japanese history.
Sunday's quake registered 4 on the Japanese scale of 7, meaning it was felt as moderately strong. Because of the damage from the March quake and tsunami, however, many buildings in the area are structurally weak and seawalls have been destroyed, making the region more vulnerable to relatively weaker quakes.
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15) Choices for Greece, All of Them Daunting
By TYLER COWEN
July 9, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/economy/greeces-choices-in-debt-crisis-are-all-daunting-economic-view.html?src=busln
WITHOUT outside help, Greece is probably insolvent right now. In evaluating the country's prospects, it's worth asking what it would take for Greece to pay all of its bills and what kind of damage we might expect along the way.
The answers are to be found not only in statistics - like the debt-to-G.D.P. ratio, now running at more than 140 percent for Greece, and headed higher - but also in human sentiments and solidarities. A considerable amount of Greek patience and German flexibility and sacrifice are minimum prerequisites for turning back a major disaster in the making.
To put matters in perspective, the Greek economy is less than 2 percent of the overall economy of the European Union. That seems a manageable size for an aid-based solution; estimates in the neighborhood of 200 billion euros in aid (close to $300 billion) are common. The real difficulty is in maintaining global financial confidence while the losses are distributed in an orderly manner.
That isn't as easy as it may sound. About 30 percent of the Greek debt is held by Greek sources, including the banks and the Greek government, in its social security funds. A default on the latter assets would mean that the Greek government was defaulting on itself. It would still have to come up with much of that money or face a total political and economic meltdown.
The private sector can be persuaded to realize some losses on Greek debt, but there is a risk of setting off a Lehman Brothers-like financial panic, especially if there is a judgment of complete or selective default from the credit agencies. Standard & Poor's warned of such a judgment last week. Big penalties for private creditors may also have weighty implications, because of the potential for a chain reaction - in which credit dries up for Ireland and for Portugal, which ran into fresh trouble when Moody's downgraded its debt last week. Furthermore, the private sector holds only about a third of the Greek debt total - and that involvement is falling rapidly - so bondholders cannot be the only fall guys.
Then there is the European Central Bank, which holds about 18 percent of the debt. The wealthier European Union nations could transfer funds to Greece and the central bank as permanent debt relief, rather than continuing with debt rollovers that may look similar to Ponzi schemes. As it stands, vulnerable countries are being pushed into ever-higher debt levels. Yet the central bank has strict rules, including a no-bailout clause and price stability as the sole goal of monetary policy, while the European Union often requires member unanimity for major changes.
In other words, these rules were written to prevent what is now the only coherent response to Greece's troubles - namely, a timely recognition of the losses and an agreement that they will be shared jointly in some way.
And don't forget that more than 40 percent of the European Union's budget is taken up by subsidies to farmers, leaving little room for subsidies required in an emergency like this. The union was not designed to turn on the proverbial dime.
The closer you look, the worse it gets. German politicians promised their voters that the euro would never lead to fiscal union or tax increases, yet aid to Greece would put those issues on the table. Political support for costly transfers also seems weak in the Netherlands, Finland and other northern European nations.
Furthermore, for Greece, such a bailout would not count as a long-term solution. Paying back one's creditors is not the same as resuming economic growth, and the country would still face the fallout not only from its spending cuts and tax increases, but also from sharing a monetary policy and exchange rate that for it is deflationary. Relative to the size of its economy, the total Greek spending cuts now being contemplated are proportional to the United States government cutting $1.75 trillion. (Even if you believe government needs to shrink, it would be hard to pull off such a big change on short notice.) Right, now Greece's gross domestic product is falling at a rate of more than 3 percent a year.
Even if a Greek default didn't wreck broader markets, it wouldn't cure Greece's problems. The Greeks are still borrowing, so a default would dry up some of their funds and force the government to make even bigger spending cuts.
If it left the euro zone, Greece could reap the substantial benefits of a currency depreciation, but doing so would also set off huge runs on banks. And the country has no alternative paper currency ready for use.
If you are a euro optimist, you might believe that the day of reckoning for Greece will be stalled long enough for Portugal, Ireland, Spain and possibly Italy and Belgium to recapitalize their banks and trim their government budgets. You might believe that of the Greeks will eventually default, but that by the time the contagion effects are checked, the Greeks will have pulled in some aid, and the global impact will be a mere hiccup instead of a new financial crisis. But that still will leave Greece with no clear economic path forward. For a best-case scenario, that's not very good.
If you are a pessimist, you might see such a response as an unworkable plan of naïve technocrats. Here's your line of reasoning: At some point along the way, democracy is likely to intervene: either Greek voters will refuse further austerity and foreign domination, or voters from northern Europe will send a clear electoral message that they don't support bailouts. And there's a good chance one or both of those events will happen before a broader European bank recapitalization can be achieved. In the meantime, who wants to put extra capital into those ailing Irish, Portuguese, and Spanish banks anyway?
In an even bleaker scenario, bank recapitalization won't be realized anytime soon and those same economies will show few signs of growing out of their debts. A broader financial crash will result, and it won't be contained by an easily affordable bailout.
Those are the choices playing out now, in the streets of Athens and in the halls of power centers like Washington, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin. Stay tuned. There's a lot of news on the way, but probably very little of it will be good.
Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University.
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16) Anti-Zionism growing among Jews
Pro-Palestine Jewish activists and organisations blame Israel for 'crimes against humanity'
By As'ad Abdul Rahman, Special to Gulf News
July 9, 2011
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/anti-zionism-growing-among-jews-1.835395
A large group of Jewish activists opposed to the Zionist ideology are challenging Israel's occupation, racist and colonial policies against Palestinians and calling for the return of Palestinian refugees.
The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) of organisations and activists in western countries firmly support the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel as a moral tool in response to Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands.
The state of Israel, the manifestation of Zionism, declares IJAN, is "a colonial project that dishonours the memories of the European Jews who perished in the genocide in Europe".
Rejecting the Zionist ideology and institutions as "unjust.... leading to further entrenchment of an apartheid system and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people", the Network further indicates that such policies are implicating every Jew "in the oppression of the Palestinian people and in the debasement of Jewish heritages, struggles for justice and alliances with fellow human beings".
Along this line, IJAN has been launching campaigns to draw support to its activities, with one targeting and seeking to halt support to the National Jewish Fund, responsible since the early years of the twentieth century for capturing Palestinian lands or seizing their ownership papers.
In June 2010, IJAN hosted in Detroit, USA, the first anti-Zionist gathering, the 'Assembly of Jews: Confronting Racism and Israeli Apartheid'. The gathering was declared a success. IJAN activists also joined campaigns in 2009 and 2010 in the USA, held in support of the BDS movement, led by a Palestinian coalition of civil society organisations.
Earlier in February 2009, IJAN published an appeal by an anti-colonialist Israeli citizen calling on Unesco to 'revoke Israel's membership'. In fact, when in February, 2011, the Zionist organisations in America and around the world issued a statement condemning the BDS campaign, IJAN's 34 anti-Zionist Jewish individuals and organisations issued a counter statement declaring: (a) The BDS activities "are a moral tool of non-violent, peaceful response to more than 60 years of Israeli colonialism, and (b) "Rightfully place accountability on Israeli institutions (and their allies and partners) that use business, culture and academic ties to white-wash Israel's responsibility for continuing crimes against humanity".
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These anti-Zionist Jewish activists and organisations put the blame for 'crimes against humanity' on Israel and its colonial structure in order to prevent blaming all Jews for the actions of Israel.
They have categorically rejected the label of anti-Semitism attached by the Zionists to the BDS campaigns, saying such "campaigns the world over are not rooted in anti-Jewish sentiment against the daily, brutal occupation of Palestine and military threat to the region by the state of Israel."
False claims of anti-Semitism, according to IJAN, "distort the true nature of the Palestinian struggle and are an affront to, and betrayal of the long history of Jewish survival and resistance to persecution".
Such groups of Jewish activists are asserting the need "for justice in Palestine which does not include the domination and colonisation of the Palestinian people which have made Israel a racist state that is only for the privilege of Jews".
Law of reciprocity
These groups of Jews around the world have always considered themselves as the voice of conscience that should sound the danger bell against persecution based on gender, race, creed, colour or ethnicity. When a certain community was being persecuted by a racist/colonial system, Jews were the first to oppose it fearing they might be the next in line to face such an action.
Conscientious Jews take to their hearts the certainty of the law of reciprocity, sent down to Moses and which stood behind the 'Golden Rule' that says: "Treat thy neighbour as thyself". The law of reciprocity is commonly known as "what goes around shall come around".
In the Torah it says: "Who lives by the sword shall die by the sword". Where the Zionist entity is concerned, it means that who live by dispossessing others of their lives and lands, shall be dispossessed in the same way. Ending the Israeli apartheid system is the strategy of the BDS campaign backed by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, a strategy that once brought an end to South Africa's racist regime.
Indeed, conscientious Jews are opposed to the Zionist ideology being aware of the fact that its basic principle is racist and discriminatory and is bound to lead to the destruction of the Zionist entity. They are trying to protect Jewish communities from the aftermath of the predicted destruction being anticipated by every Christian fundamentalist in the West, and by Western intelligence agencies.
'The war against terrorism' is a battle with multiple fronts designed to prevent the use of mass destruction weapons hitting Tel Aviv and major western cities, especially New York City and Washington D.C.
This is why the safety and survival of the Palestinian people are linked to Jewish survival, both, according to IJAN, are being threatened by Israel's racist and colonial Zionism.
Professor As'ad Abdul Rahman is the Chairman of the Palestinian Encyclopedia.
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17) Georgia PSC Can't Silence Nuclear Power Debate
By: GLORIA TATUM
"The original two reactors built, Vogtle 1 and 2, were budgeted at under one billion dollars, but the final bill was nearly nine billion. The ratepayers picked up most of the difference."
July 10, 2011
http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/interspire/news/2011/07/10/georgia-psc-cant-silence-nuclear-power-debate.html
(APN) Doug Everett, Member of the Georgia Public Service Commission, attempted to limit the scope of public remarks at a recent meeting of the PSC, on Wednesday, July 06, 2011, but could not prevent citizens from stating they do not want two new nuclear power reactors in Georgia at Plant Vogtle.
The nuclear disaster at Fukushima is a wake-up call that Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and other nations have heard; they are now saying no to nuclear energy.
But as these nations pause to rethink the dangers of nuclear energy and halt their nuclear plans, Georgia Power ignores the warnings and continues to push ahead with plans to build the two new reactors in Georgia.
Wednesday the PSC heard arguments on a risk sharing mechanism (RSM), a plan intended to protect consumers from cost over-runs on the two nuclear plants planned at Plant Vogtle.
The RSM would change the policy so that Georgia Power is held accountable for their budget overruns.
The PSC will vote on the matter August 02.
The majority who testified did not want expansion of nuclear energy in Georgia because of the dangers it poses to the environment and people's health.
"It is the ratepayers who are paying the price for the ever-increasing cost of high-risk nuclear reactors," Bobbie Paul, Executive Director of Georgia Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), said during her remarks.
"Georgia Power has chosen this high-risk energy and they should be the ones who pay: their stockholders, their executives, and not the ratepayers," Paul said.
Georgia Power is already earning more than a billion dollars of early profit through Construction Work in Progress (CWIP). Most of that money goes directly to Georgia Power and their shareholders with only a small part of this tariff actually going to cover up-front costs.
This money is non-refundable even if the project is not completed. Now Georgia Power wants ratepayers to pay for even more of the costs if things go wrong.
Georgia ratepayers have already been soaked for 108 million dollars in unexpected over-budget expenditures to settle a contract dispute between Georgia Power and Westinghouse-Shaw.
"The public is not served by granting profit-seeking companies pickpocket access to the public treasury. Nuclear technology is expensive, risky, polluting, and dangerous. It's time to consider solar, wind, and conservation," Tom Ferguson testified.
PSC member Doug Everett interrupted Ferguson, "We are not here to discuss whether or not we are going to build a nuclear plant - that has already been decided.
We are here today to discuss risk sharing on the construction project. I want you to keep your remarks to that subject because the plant is going to be built."
"The public has a right to say what they want to say," Glenn Carroll, Coordinator with Nuclear Watch South, told Everett. "Let's talk about risk sharing. This is my analogy. You are going to shoot me and you're going to let me pick whether it's with a .22 or .45. I'm still going to negotiate for you not to shoot me."
"This is the first time we have met since the multiple meltdowns in Japan. Now we understand the dangers of four reactors at one site. Out of this unimaginable tragedy they are turning off two-thirds of their nuclear plants and replacing their nuclear power with solar and wind energy. In 2010, renewables like solar, wind, and geothermal contributed more to the global energy picture than nuclear," Carroll said.
"Southern Company got sold a bill of goods by the federal government and then got a flawed reactor design from Westinghouse. How can the PSC help Georgia Power get off the hook for this lousy deal?" Carroll asked.
If Georgia Power keeps its share of construction costs below 5.8 billion dollars, the PSC has a plan to allow them to earn more money from the new reactors. But if building costs exceed 6.4 billion dollars, the PSC would lower the company's earnings.
"We're trying to get something the Commission would be more comfortable adopting. It's better than no risk sharing mechanism," Tom Newsome, an internal consultant with the PSC, testified.
The original two reactors built, Vogtle 1 and 2, were budgeted at under one billion dollars, but the final bill was nearly nine billion. The ratepayers picked up most of the difference.
Paul said the cost-sharing discussion is a reasonable time to try to block the reactors' construction altogether, even though the Commission has already approved it.
"The expansion of Vogtle is not a done deal for four reasons," Paul said. "First, no license to construct and operate these plants has been issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)," Paul said.
"Secondly, Vogtle 3 & 4 exists on paper only and is now in their eighteenth design revision. The NRC has yet to rule on their safety. The Westington AP 1000 reactor has been legally challenged in court as not safe," Paul said.
"Third, there is no resolution on the legal intervention to challenge the federal loan guarantee with the Department of Energy (DOE) for Vogtle. They have gotten 8.3 billion dollars and have everything in place and it's still not enough," Paul said.
"Fourth, no decision on the emergency petition filed with the NRC to put a stop on re-licensing of new nuclear reactors. Since Fukushima and in light of the new information under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by law they must stop and have a study on the new information," Paul explained.
Two corporate executives testified separately that the utility would not have considered expanding its nuclear plant if the profit-trimming proposal had been adopted before their decision.
"As a member of the management team of the company, if this mechanism had been part of the original certification, we very likely would have not proceeded," Ann Daiss, Georgia Power's chief accounting officer, said during her remarks.
This was an apparent admission that Georgia Power cannot build the two new reactors within the projected budget and they do not want to be responsible for any budget overruns.
No insurance company will issue a policy against a nuclear accident. It will be the ratepayers and all the residents in Georgia who will bear the financial cost and health consequence of a nuclear accident.
Atlanta Progressive News has previously reported extensively on the dangers of nuclear power in Georgia in terms of water usage and radioactive pollution.
Additional dangers are listed in a report "U.S. Nuclear Accidents" by Allen Lutins.
"In 1988, The National Research Council panel released a report listing 30 'significant unreported incidents' at the Savannah River production plants over the previous 30 years," the report states.
"In 1989, scientists discovered a fault running under the entire Savannah River site through which contaminants reached the underground aquifer, a major source of drinking water for the southeast. Turtles in nearby ponds were found to contain radioactive strontium of up to 1,000 times the normal background level," the report states.
(END / 2011)
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18) Oak Park Woman Faces 93-Days in Jail For Planting Vegetable Garden
By ALEXIS WILEY
WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/julie-bass-of-oak-park-faces-misdemeanor-charge-for-vegetable-garden-20110630-wpms
OAK PARK, Mich. (WJBK) - "The price of organic food is kind of through the roof," said Julie Bass.
So, why not grow your own? However, Bass' garden is a little unique because it's in her front yard.
"We thought it'd be really cool to do it so the neighbors could see. The kids love it. The kids from the neighborhood all come and help," she said.
Bass' cool garden has landed her in hot water with the City of Oak Park. Code enforcement gave her a warning, then a ticket and now she's been charged with a misdemeanor.
"I think it's sad that the City of Oak Park that's already strapped for cash is paying a lot of money to have a prosecutor bothering us," Bass told FOX 2's Alexis Wiley.
"That's not what we want to see in a front yard," said Oak Park City Planner Kevin Rulkowski.
Why? The city is pointing to a code that says a front yard has to have suitable, live, plant material. The big question is what's "suitable?"
We asked Bass whether she thinks she has suitable, live, plant material in her front yard.
"It's definitely live. It's definitely plant. It's definitely material. We think it's suitable," she said.
So, we asked Rulkowski why it's not suitable.
"If you look at the definition of what suitable is in Webster's dictionary, it will say common. So, if you look around and you look in any other community, what's common to a front yard is a nice, grass yard with beautiful trees and bushes and flowers," he said.
But when you look at front yards that are unsightly and overgrown, is Bass' vegetable garden really worth the city's time and money?
We asked Rulkowski what he would say to those who feel this is ridiculous.
"I would argue that you won't find that opinion from most people in Oak Park," he responded.
"I have a bunch of little children and we take walks to come by and see everything growing. I think it's a very wonderful thing for our neighborhood," said neighbor Devorah Gold.
"They don't have (anything) else to do (if) they're going to take her to court for a garden," said neighbor Ora Goodwin.
We did find one neighbor who wasn't a fan and thinks it needs to go.
"I know there's a backyard. Do it in the backyard," he said.
"They say, 'Why should you grow things in the front?' Well, why shouldn't I? They're fine. They're pretty. They're well maintained," said Bass.
It looks like this critical debate is headed for a jury trial and neither side is backing down.
"I could sell out and save my own self and just not have them bother me anymore, but then there's no telling what they're going to harass the next person about," Bass told us.
There's another pretrial scheduled for July 26. The next step could be a jury trial.
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19) No, We Can't? Or Won't?
By PAUL KRUGMAN
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/opinion/11krugman.html?hp
If you were shocked by Friday's job report, if you thought we were doing well and were taken aback by the bad news, you haven't been paying attention. The fact is, the United States economy has been stuck in a rut for a year and a half.
Yet a destructive passivity has overtaken our discourse. Turn on your TV and you'll see some self-satisfied pundit declaring that nothing much can be done about the economy's short-run problems (reminder: this "short run" is now in its fourth year), that we should focus on the long run instead.
This gets things exactly wrong. The truth is that creating jobs in a depressed economy is something government could and should be doing. Yes, there are huge political obstacles to action - notably, the fact that the House is controlled by a party that benefits from the economy's weakness. But political gridlock should not be conflated with economic reality.
Our failure to create jobs is a choice, not a necessity - a choice rationalized by an ever-shifting set of excuses.
Excuse No. 1: Just around the corner, there's a rainbow in the sky.
Remember "green shoots"? Remember the "summer of recovery"? Policy makers keep declaring that the economy is on the mend - and Lucy keeps snatching the football away. Yet these delusions of recovery have been an excuse for doing nothing as the jobs crisis festers.
Excuse No. 2: Fear the bond market.
Two years ago The Wall Street Journal declared that interest rates on United States debt would soon soar unless Washington stopped trying to fight the economic slump. Ever since, warnings about the imminent attack of the "bond vigilantes" have been used to attack any spending on job creation.
But basic economics said that rates would stay low as long as the economy was depressed - and basic economics was right. The interest rate on 10-year bonds was 3.7 percent when The Wall Street Journal issued that warning; at the end of last week it was 3.03 percent.
How have the usual suspects responded? By inventing their own reality. Last week, Representative Paul Ryan, the man behind the G.O.P. plan to dismantle Medicare, declared that we must slash government spending to "take pressure off the interest rates" - the same pressure, I suppose, that has pushed those rates to near-record lows.
Excuse No. 3: It's the workers' fault.
Unemployment soared during the financial crisis and its aftermath. So it seems bizarre to argue that the real problem lies with the workers - that the millions of Americans who were working four years ago but aren't working now somehow lack the skills the economy needs.
Yet that's what you hear from many pundits these days: high unemployment is "structural," they say, and requires long-term solutions (which means, in practice, doing nothing).
Well, if there really was a mismatch between the workers we have and the workers we need, workers who do have the right skills, and are therefore able to find jobs, should be getting big wage increases. They aren't. In fact, average wages actually fell last month.
Excuse No. 4: We tried to stimulate the economy, and it didn't work.
Everybody knows that President Obama tried to stimulate the economy with a huge increase in government spending, and that it didn't work. But what everyone knows is wrong.
Think about it: Where are the big public works projects? Where are the armies of government workers? There are actually half a million fewer government employees now than there were when Mr. Obama took office.
So what happened to the stimulus? Much of it consisted of tax cuts, not spending. Most of the rest consisted either of aid to distressed families or aid to hard-pressed state and local governments. This aid may have mitigated the slump, but it wasn't the kind of job-creation program we could and should have had. This isn't 20-20 hindsight: some of us warned from the beginning that tax cuts would be ineffective and that the proposed spending was woefully inadequate. And so it proved.
It's also worth noting that in another area where government could make a big difference - help for troubled homeowners - almost nothing has been done. The Obama administration's program of mortgage relief has gone nowhere: of $46 billion allotted to help families stay in their homes, less than $2 billion has actually been spent.
So let's summarize: The economy isn't fixing itself. Nor are there real obstacles to government action: both the bond vigilantes and structural unemployment exist only in the imaginations of pundits. And if stimulus seems to have failed, it's because it was never actually tried.
Listening to what supposedly serious people say about the economy, you'd think the problem was "no, we can't." But the reality is "no, we won't." And every pundit who reinforces that destructive passivity is part of the problem.
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20) Economy Faces a Jolt as Benefit Checks Run Out
By MOTOKO RICH
"In Florida, where nearly 476,000 people are collecting unemployment benefits, employers have added only 11,200 jobs in the last year. In Michigan, employers have added about 40,000 jobs since May 2010, but about 267,000 people are claiming jobless benefits. Throughout the recession and its aftermath, government benefits have helped keep money in people's wallets and, in turn, circulating among businesses. Total government payments rose to $2.3 trillion in 2010, from $1.7 trillion in 2007, an increase of about 35 percent."
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/business/economy/as-government-aid-fades-so-may-the-recovery.html?hp
An extraordinary amount of personal income is coming directly from the government.
Close to $2 of every $10 that went into Americans' wallets last year were payments like jobless benefits, food stamps, Social Security and disability, according to an analysis by Moody's Analytics. In states hit hard by the downturn, like Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Ohio, residents derived even more of their income from the government.
By the end of this year, however, many of those dollars are going to disappear, with the expiration of extended benefits intended to help people cope with the lingering effects of the recession. Moody's Analytics estimates $37 billion will be drained from the nation's pocketbooks this year.
In terms of economic impact, that is slightly less than the spending cuts Congress enacted to keep the government financed through September, averting a shutdown.
Unless hiring picks up sharply to compensate, economists fear that the lost income will further crimp consumer spending and act as a drag on a recovery that is still quite fragile. Among the other supports that are slipping away are federal aid to the states, the Federal Reserve's program to pump money into the economy and the payroll tax cut, scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
"If we don't get more job growth and gains in wages and salaries, then consumers just aren't going to have the firepower to spend, and the economy is going to weaken," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, a macroeconomic consulting firm.
Job growth has remained elusive. There are 4.6 unemployed workers for every opening, according to the Labor Department, and Friday's unemployment report showed that employers added an anemic 18,000 jobs in June.
In Arizona, where there are 10 job seekers for every opening, 45,000 people could lose benefits by the end of the year, according to estimates from the state Department of Economic Security. Yet employers in the state have added just 4,000 jobs over the last 12 months.
Some other states will also feel a disproportionate loss of income unless hiring revives. In Florida, where nearly 476,000 people are collecting unemployment benefits, employers have added only 11,200 jobs in the last year. In Michigan, employers have added about 40,000 jobs since May 2010, but about 267,000 people are claiming jobless benefits.
Throughout the recession and its aftermath, government benefits have helped keep money in people's wallets and, in turn, circulating among businesses. Total government payments rose to $2.3 trillion in 2010, from $1.7 trillion in 2007, an increase of about 35 percent.
While some of that growth was in Social Security and disability benefits as the population aged, the majority resulted from payments to people continuing to suffer from the recession, said Mr. Zandi. Unemployment benefits, including emergency and extended benefits, are more than three times their prerecession level, he said. The nearly 20 percent of personal income now provided by the government is close to a record high.
Approved by Congress last December, the final extension of jobless benefits - for a maximum of 99 weeks for each unemployed person - is scheduled to conclude at the end of this year. A handful of states, like Wisconsin and Arizona, have already cut off weeks 80 through 99 for their residents. Meanwhile, more of the long-term unemployed are bumping up against the 99-week limit.
Consumers account for an estimated 60 to 70 percent of the country's economic activity, but two years into the official recovery, businesses are still complaining that people simply are not spending enough.
"Regardless of why people have less money to spend, it affects all retailers in all industries," said Michael Siemienas, spokesman for SuperValu, which operates grocery chains including Cub Foods, Shop 'n Save and Save-A-Lot. Mr. Siemienas said that the number of SuperValu's customers using electronic benefit transfers to pay bills had grown over the last year.
Because benefit payments tend to be spent right away to cover basic needs like food and rent, they provide a direct boost to consumer spending. In a study for the Labor Department, Wayne Vroman, an economist at the Urban Institute, estimated that every $1 paid in jobless benefits generated as much as $2 in the economy.
For many of the nearly 7.5 million people collecting unemployment benefits, those payments are keeping them afloat. Laura Metz, 42, was laid off from a clerical job paying $15.30 an hour at a home health care provider near her home in Commerce, Mich., nearly 15 months ago. She has been collecting $362 a week in unemployment insurance and about $50 a month in food stamps.
That covers the basics. But Ms. Metz stopped making her mortgage payments last year on the modest home she shares with her 19-year-old son. A program that allowed her to make a lower monthly payment has expired, and she is waiting to see if the lender will modify her loan. She can no longer make her student loan payments for her bachelor's degree or master's in business administration, and she has downgraded her Internet and cable service and cut back on car trips and snacks.
Ms. Metz, who has been applying for administrative jobs, has been shocked at the dearth of opportunities. A decade ago, when she applied for clerical jobs, "as soon as I walked up, there was a sign saying 'We're hiring,' but it's not like that now," she said. "It's really, really difficult."
Businesses that rely heavily on low-income shoppers worry that their customers will have little to spend. Najib Atisha, who co-owns two small grocery stores in Detroit, said people receiving government assistance made up about a third of his customers downtown and as much as 60 percent at his store on the west side of the city.
"Of course, we're hoping that things will turn around, but it's always easier to lose jobs than it is to gain jobs," Mr. Atisha said. "I think it's going to take twice as long to rebound as it took to get where we are now."
Some business groups argue that extending unemployment benefits has had deleterious effects on employers and potential workers.
"It's having a chilling effect on hiring," said Wendy Block, director of health policy and human resources at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. "At one point, our unemployment taxes were just a blip on the balance sheet, but when you're talking over $500 a head, this is significant." Last year, Michigan spent $6.2 billion on jobless benefits, according to the National Employment Law Center.
Some economic studies show that people who collect unemployment benefits are less likely to look for or accept work until their benefits are close to running out.
"Unemployment insurance extends the typical amount of time that people will spend off the job and not looking for work," said Chris Edwards, an economist at the Cato Institute, a libertarian organization.
In Michigan, Ms. Metz said that if all else failed, she would have to move in with her parents, who live on a fixed income. But she is determined to find work before her benefits run out and plans to expand her search to include light industrial manufacturing. "It's getting close to the end," she said. "And I got to do what I got to do."
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21) Panetta Says U.S. Presence in Iraq Will Endure
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
July 11, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/12/world/middleeast/12military.html?ref=world
BAGHDAD - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta pressured Prime Minister Nuri Kamal-al Maliki of Iraq on Monday to tell the United States whether he wanted some American troops to remain in Iraq into 2012, although Mr. Panetta predicted that the United States military would have an "enduring presence" for many years in the Middle East.
"I'd like things to move a lot faster here, frankly, in terms of the decision-making process," Mr. Panetta told a gathering of American troops as he expressed exasperation with the Iraqi government and pushed Mr. Maliki to make a key government appointment. "Do they want us to stay, don't they want us to stay? Do they want to get a minister of defense or don't they want to get a minister of defense?" He concluded, "Dammit, make a decision."
Making his first visit to Iraq as defense secretary, Mr. Panetta also said flatly - before he and a Pentagon spokesman qualified his remarks - that United States forces were in Iraq because of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That was part of the narrative advanced by the Bush White House, particularly Vice President Dick Cheney, but it is now widely dismissed.
"The reason you guys are here is because on 9/11 the United States got attacked, and 3,000 not just Americans, but 3,000 human beings got killed, innocent human beings, because of Al Qaeda," Mr. Panetta told Army troops at Camp Victory, the sprawling American military base in Baghdad.
Later, Mr. Panetta told reporters that he was not speaking of the reasons for the 2003 American-led invasion but rather was referring to events afterward.
"I wasn't saying, you know, the invasion, or going into the issues or the justification of that," Mr. Panetta said. "It was more the fact that we really had to deal with Al Qaeda here."
In the run-up to the 2003 war, Bush administration officials repeatedly cited ties between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's Iraq, but a government investigation found no meaningful operational link between the two. After the invasion, Al Qaeda fighters did pour into Iraq to launch attacks on the American military.
Doug Wilson, a Pentagon spokesman traveling with Mr. Panetta, described Mr. Panetta as a "very plain-spoken defense secretary" who he said was not getting into the arguments over Iraq from 2002 and 2003. "I don't think he's going down that rabbit hole," Mr. Wilson said.
Mr. Panetta arrived in Iraq on Sunday from Afghanistan, and his visit was not announced in advance. He was scheduled to meet on Monday with Mr. Maliki. Defense officials said that Mr. Panetta's top priority in the meeting with Mr. Maliki - aside from pressing for a decision about American troops - was to urge him to go after Shiite militias that the United States says are using Iranian-supplied weapons to attack American forces in Iraq.
Mr. Panetta, who warned about the Iranian weapons on Sunday, intensified his words on Monday. Last month, 15 American troops died in Iraq, nine in attacks by rockets supplied by Iran, American officials said. The attacks made June the bloodiest month for American combat-related fatalities since June 2008.
"We cannot just simply stand back and allow this to continue to happen," Mr. Panetta said. "I assure you that this is not something we're just going to walk away from. We're going to take this on, straight on."
Mr. Panetta said that American forces were already responding to the threat "unilaterally," implying that they were taking offensive action on their own, without Iraqi troops alongside. American military officials would not specify what he meant.
All 46,000 remaining United States troops in Iraq are scheduled to leave by the end of this year under an agreement between the two countries, but both Iraqi and American military commanders believe that some American forces should stay beyond 2011. Few Iraqi politicians are willing to admit publicly that they need American help, but Obama administration officials say the United States will consider staying only if the Iraqis ask.
The subject is particularly sensitive because the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr helped the current government come to power. Mr. Sadr has said many times that the United States should leave immediately.
Mr. Panetta's remarks demanding that Mr. Maliki make a decision were the strongest on the subject to date from the Obama administration. American officials say that if the Iraqis wait too long to make a formal request, it will come too late, given the complexity of military withdrawals. Once the Americans withdraw completely, they say, it would be expensive and difficult politically in both the United States and Iraq to bring them back.
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22) Message From a Charter School: Thrive or Transfer
By MICHAEL WINERIP
July 10, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/11/nyregion/charter-school-sends-message-thrive-or-transfer.html?ref=nyregion
In 2008, when Katherine Sprowal's son, Matthew, was selected in a lottery to attend the Harlem Success Academy 3 charter school, she was thrilled. "I felt like we were getting the best private school, and we didn't have to pay for it," she recalled.
And so, when Eva S. Moskowitz, the former city councilwoman who operates seven Success charter schools in Harlem and the Bronx, asked Ms. Sprowal to be in a promotional video, she was happy to be included.
Matthew is bright but can be disruptive and easily distracted. It was not a natural fit for the Success charters, which are known for discipline and long school days. From Day 1 of kindergarten, Ms. Sprowal said, he was punished for acting out.
"They kept him after school to practice walking in the hallway," she said.
Several times, she was called to pick him up early, she said, and in his third week he was suspended three days for bothering other children.
In Matthew's three years of preschool, Ms. Sprowal said, he had never missed time for behavior problems. "After only 12 days in your school," she wrote the principal, "you have assessed and concluded that our son is defective and will not meet your school criteria."
Five days later, Ms. Sprowal got an e-mail from Ms. Moskowitz that she took as a veiled message to leave. "Am not familiar with the issue," Ms. Moskowitz wrote, "but it is extremely important that children feel successful and a nine-hour day with more than 23 children (and that's our small class size!) where they are constantly being asked to focus and concentrate can overwhelm children and be a bad environment."
The next week, the school psychologist evaluated Matthew and concluded he would be better suited elsewhere: "He may need a smaller classroom than his current school has available."
By then, Matthew was throwing up most mornings and asking his mother if he was going to be fired from school. Worn down, Ms. Sprowal requested help finding her son another school, and Success officials were delighted to refer him to Public School 75 on the Upper West Side.
At that point, Ms. Sprowal had come to believe her son was so difficult that she was lucky anyone would take him. She wrote several e-mails thanking Ms. Moskowitz, saying she hoped that Matthew would someday be well-behaved enough to return to her "phenomenal" school.
Three years later, looking back, Ms. Sprowal said she felt her son had been done an injustice. Matthew, who has had a diagnosis of an attention disorder, has thrived at P.S. 75. His second-grade teachers, Johanny Lopez and Chanté Martindale, have taught him many ways to calm himself, including stepping into the hallway for an exercise break. His report card last month was all 3s and 4s, the top marks; the teachers commented, "Matthew is a sweet boy who is a joy to have in the classroom."
Matthew's story raises perhaps the most critical question in the debate about charter schools: do they cherry-pick students, if not by gaming the admissions process, then by counseling out children who might be more expensive or difficult to educate - and who could bring down their test scores, graduation rates and safety records?
Kim Sweet, director of Advocates for Children of New York, said she had heard many such stories. "When we look at our cases where children are sent away from schools because of disabilities," she said, "there are a disproportionate number of calls about charter schools."
There is no more tenacious champion of charters than Ms. Moskowitz, whose students earn top test scores and who has plans to build a chain of 40 schools. She saw Matthew's experience in a far different light, as her spokeswoman, Jenny Sedlis, explained in two voluminous e-mails totaling 5,701 words.
"We helped place him in a school that would better suit his needs," Ms. Sedlis wrote. "His success today confirms the correctness of his placement. I believe that 100 percent of the time we were acting in Matthew's best interest and that the end result benefited him and benefited P.S. 75, which now has a child excelling."
Ms. Sedlis denied that Matthew had been suspended, and said he was not disciplined when he was kept after school.
"Practicing walking through the halls is the opposite of a punishment," she wrote. "Just as in math, when a child does not get a concept, we re-teach. We don't let the child fail. We ensure he gets it. We take the same approach with behavior. If a child is struggling, we re-teach. This is an example of when the school went out of its way to help Matthew be successful."
Ms. Sedlis noted that two Success board members were leaders of well-respected special-education schools, Donna Kennedy of Gillen Brewer and Scott Gaynor of the Stephen Gaynor School.
She also offered counterexamples, like Iris Ayala, whose 6-year-old son, Alexander, has an attention disorder and speech problem but has thrived at a Success school.
Ms. Ayala said Alexander often acted up, running out of the classroom. But the school gave him special-education help, she said, and now he is reading above grade level. "I love the school," Ms. Ayala said.
Alex or Matthew - whose experience is more emblematic? You would think data could help shed light here.
Indeed, Ms. Sedlis cited figures from the city Education Department's Web site showing that the attrition rate is lower at the Harlem Success schools than at traditional public schools in the same district.
On the other hand, every traditional public school that is housed with a Success charter has more special-education children as well as students for whom English is the second language, according to numbers posted on city and state Web sites. At Success 3, the school Matthew attended, 10 percent are in special education and 2 percent are English language learners, according to the publicly available data; Mosaic Prep Academy, a district school that shares its building, has 23 percent in special education and 13 percent learning English as a second language.
But Ms. Sedlis said that the Web sites were wrong, and that 7.6 percent of students at Success 3 had limited English. "It is imperative that you not use incorrect data," she wrote. "It is a complex system and I will walk you through it and produce voluminous documentation."
Even if not a single number on the Education Department's Web sites can be trusted, there is one indisputable fact: The traditional public schools handle the most severely disabled children, which Success charters do not serve. At Mosaic Prep, 58 percent of the special-education students - 46 children - are those requiring the "most restrictive environment" and are in classrooms of their own. At Success charters, the special-education children are classified as needing the "least restrictive environment" and are mainstreamed, though two of the charters will add classes strictly for special-education students in September.
Ms. Moskowitz has enormous political clout, and without my asking, Laura Rodriguez, a deputy chancellor, sent an e-mail saying the Success charters were getting better about special education. "Harlem Success has made a real commitment to improving services for students with disabilities," she wrote, "and we'll continue working with them to enroll and serve even more of these students moving forward."
Serving children with special needs lowers test scores. At P.S. 75, Matthew's new school, 17 percent are in special education, and for 17 percent, English is a second language. In 2009, 76 percent of the school's general education students were proficient in language arts. But when special-education scores were factored in, proficiency dropped to 69 percent.
Still, Robert O'Brien, who has been principal there for 14 years, says the most gratifying part of his work is with the children who lower his test scores.
E-mail: oneducation @nytimes.com
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