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BAUAW NEWSLETTER Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Sunday, July 10, 2005
BAUAW NEWSLETTER-SUNDAY, JULY 10, 2005
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BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's one man show, MARX IN SOHO Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy. Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m. Saturday,August 6, 2:00 p.m. Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts 1519 Mission Street between 11th Street and South Van Ness* Advance tickets: $10 Door: $20.00 Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for Advance tickets. The premise of the play is that Marx dies yet he is able to see what's happening on earth for 100 years since his death in 1883. He is supposed to go back to Soho in London but, by mistake, is sent to Soho in New York and finds himself on stage before an audience. Imagine all Karl Marx would have to say after one hundred years of just being able to watch... The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy, who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater, Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play. WWW.BAUAW.ORG (FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL: 415-824-8730) *The Jon Sims Center is located at 1519 Mission Street (between 11th Street and South Van Ness), South of Market, San Francisco, CA 94103 BY CAR: From the East Bay: Take 80 North then 101 North to the Mission Street exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. From the South Bay: Take 101 North to the Mission Street Exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. From the North Bay: Take 101 South to Lombard, make a right on Van Ness and then a left onto Mission. Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. Parking: Daytime parking is very difficult. We encourage day users to take public transportation. In the evening, street parking along Mission Street, Minna Street and 11th Street is not horrible (in San Francisco terms) after 6:00 PM, but the closer you are to 6:00 PM, the better your chances of finding parking. There is no parking along Mission between 4-6 PM, and you will be promptly towed. VIA BART/MUNI/SAMTRANS: Go to http://www.transitinfo.org for more information about Bay Area public transportation. BART: Take BART to the Civic Center station, then transfer to the outbound Muni J,K,L,M or N train. Exit at the next stop (Van Ness Station). Walk 1 block south, cross Mission, and the Jon Sims Center is next to Firestone. MUNI: The Jon Sims Center is 1 block south of the Van Ness Muni underground station, accessible from any Muni streetcar. Additionally, the 14 Mission, 42 Loop 49 and 47 Van Ness bus stop at Mission and 11th Street, only 1/2 block from the Jon Sims Center. Current Muni fare is $1.25. SamTrans: The SamTrans DX, KX, MX, NX, PX, RX and TX buses stops at Mission and 9th Streets. Walk three blocks west (towards Sutro tower) to reach the Jon Sims Center. Current SamTrans fare is $1.10. Please note that SamTrans buses to the City only run during rush hours. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- Check out these anti-recruitment websites: www.draftresistance.org www.mothersagainstthedraft.org Check out this Doonesbury: http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/ ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- Cut all Public School Ties to the Military! Speak up and Picket the S.F. Board of Education the Fourth Tuesday of Each Month. Next picket line: Tuesday, July 27, 6:30 P.M.-7:30 P.M. (The July Board of Ed. meetings have been cancelled. But we will still hold a picket July 27 at 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in front of the Board of Education building.) The next picket line after July 27 is August 23, 6:30 P.M. -7:30 P.M. (just before school starts back.) August 23, 6:30 p.m.-7:30 P.M. 555 Franklin St., S.F, To get on the speakers list call: 415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000 (For more info call: 415-824-8730) ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 1) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15 Center for Political Education 522 Valencia, Third Floor, Near 16th Street, SF (not wheelchair accessible) Close the 16th Street BART $5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed 2) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD" A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins. JULY 16, PRECITA PARK MUSIC: 1:30 P.M. SHOW: 2:00 P.M. (This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed, insightful, full of content, and the music is the icing on the cake!...BW) SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR Help get the word out about the ballot proposition and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters! FREE! 3) BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's one man show, MARX IN SOHO Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy. Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 6, 2:00 p.m. Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts 1519 Mission Street between 11th Street and South Van Ness* Advance tickets: $10 Door: $20.00 Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for Advance tickets. 4) Editorial Judith Miller Goes to Jail Published: July 7, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07thu1.html?hp 5) Iranian-born LA filmmaker detained in Iraq by U.S. military JEREMIAH MARQUEZ Associated Press http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/12069728.htm 6) Action Alert: Organize July 23 "Downing Street Memo" Anniversary Events 7) Reflections on the London bombs Tony Hartin t.hartin@qmul.ac 8) US military reprisal in Afghanistan kills 17 civilians By Peter Symonds 8 July 2005 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jul2005/afgh-j08.shtml 9) A CALL FOR A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT CONTINGENT IN THE SEPTEMBER 24th PROTESTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND SAN FRANCISCO MILITARY RECRUITERS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS! U.S . TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ! 10) Israelis unleash Scream at protest New weapon knocks crowds off feet Sound blast triggers nausea, dizziness MITCH POTTER MIDDLE EAST BUREAU "JERUSALEM-The knees buckle, the brain aches, the stomach turns. And suddenly, nobody feels like protesting anymore." Jun. 6, 2005. 07:15 AM http://www.torstarreports.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1118009416402&call_pageid=970599119419 11) Permits obtained for September 24! 12) A Call for a Unity from the Virginia Anti-War Network 13)Call For A United Antiwar Movement - We Must All March Together on September 24! [For individuals and organizations wishing to sign this statement, please see below.] 14) The Price of Occupation By Tariq Ali Friday July 8, 2005 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523821,00.html?gusrc=rss 15) Lest We Forget; These Were Blair's Bombs By John Pilger t r u t h o u t | Perspective Sunday 10 July 2005 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071005X.shtml 16) JROTC EXPANSION 2001 There are currently 716 schools waiting for approval of JROTC programs. Why Question the Military's JROTC Program? http://awol.objector.org/jrotc.html 17) SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit SSP statement on London bombings 07/07/05 18) London Hit as Skepticism Grows on 'Terror War' by Jim Lobe Published on Friday, July 8, 2005 by Inter Press Service http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0708-04.htm 19) Join the Farm workers march against Gallo... Sunday July 17: United Farm Workers Rally and March. Come show your support for the UFW struggle against Gallo and our appreciation for UFW's support for queers over the years. How well I remember Cesar Chavez speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington, I was on the press flatbed and got some pics of him for the Philly Gay News, even got to shake his hand...now our shared history of supporting each other (my GLF group in the early 70s supported the grape boycott) is being raised to another level... queers are making a special effort to be visible in Sunday's march...please let me know if you can join us. I am trying to recruit 25 people... The March assembles at 11:30 in Dolores Park. nos vemos Domingo! Si se puede! tommi Mecca44@aol.com 20) THE CONSTITUTION & "DEEP THROAT" [Col. Writ. 6/4/05] Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal 21) Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage By Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | Perspective Saturday 09 July 2005 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070905X.shtml 22) Are You a Survivor of Police Brutality? Come to a Free Workshop & Legal Clinic WHEN: Thursday July 28, 2005 5:30-7:30pm WHERE: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights 344 40th Street (at Broadway) Oakland, CA 94609 (6 blocks from MacArthur BART) ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 1) HANDS OFF VENEZUELA SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM SHOWING: 7:00 PM, FRIDAY JULY 15 Center for Political Education 522 Valencia, Third Floor, Near 16th Street, SF (not wheelchair accessible) Close the 16th Street BART $5/$3 Students, Seniors, Unemployed ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 2) SAN FRANCISCO MIME TROUPE PRESENTS: "DOING GOOD" A play based loosely on the book, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man", by John Perkins. JULY 16, PRECITA PARK MUSIC: 1:30 P.M. SHOW: 2:00 P.M. (This play is fresh, new, brilliantly performed, insightful, full of content, and the music is the icing on the cake!...BW) SPONSORED BY BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR Help get the word out about the ballot proposition and upcoming antiwar events. Free antiwar posters! FREE! ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 3) BAUAW Benefit Presentation of Howard Zinn's one man show, MARX IN SOHO Starring Jerry Levy as Karl Marx Directed by Michael Fox Kennedy. Thursday, August 4, 7:00 p.m. Friday, August 5, 7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 6, 2:00 p.m. Jon Sims Center for the Performing Arts 1519 Mission Street between 11th Street and South Van Ness* Advance tickets: $10 Door: $20.00 Call:415-824-8730 or email: giobon@sbcglobal.net for Advance tickets. The premise of the play is that Marx dies yet he is able to see what's happening on earth for 100 years since his death in 1883. He is supposed to go back to Soho in London but, by mistake, is sent to Soho in New York and finds himself on stage before an audience. Imagine all Karl Marx would have to say after one hundred years of just being able to watch... The single actor in this one-man play is Jerry Levy, who has been teaching sociology at Marlboro College and been acting with the Actors' Theater of Brattleboro since he moved there from Chicago in 1975. Originally directed by Michael Fox Kennedy of the Actors' Theater, Levy has been on the road with Zinn's version of Karl Marx for a year, performing at benefits, colleges, small theaters and other venues around the state. At Middle Earth he was sponsored by the Bradford-based Coos Peace and Justice Alliance and performed free of charge but charged with mighty talent and a bottomless love of the play. WWW.BAUAW.ORG Contact person: Bonnie Weinstein 415-824-8730-office/home 415-990-4237-cell *The Jon Sims Center is located at 1519 Mission Street (between 11th Street and South Van Ness), South of Market, San Francisco, CA 94103 BY CAR: From the East Bay: Take 80 North then 101 North to the Mission Street exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. From the South Bay: Take 101 North to the Mission Street Exit. Stay on the right hand side of the exit. Turn right off the exit, and stay on Mission Street. The Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. From the North Bay: Take 101 South to Lombard, make a right on Van Ness and then a left onto Mission. Jon Sims Center is two blocks past Van Ness, next to Firestone. Parking: Daytime parking is very difficult. We encourage day users to take public transportation. In the evening, street parking along Mission Street, Minna Street and 11th Street is not horrible (in San Francisco terms) after 6:00 PM, but the closer you are to 6:00 PM, the better your chances of finding parking. There is no parking along Mission between 4-6 PM, and you will be promptly towed. VIA BART/MUNI/SAMTRANS: Go to http://www.transitinfo.org for more information about Bay Area public transportation. BART: Take BART to the Civic Center station, then transfer to the outbound Muni J,K,L,M or N train. Exit at the next stop (Van Ness Station). Walk 1 block south, cross Mission, and the Jon Sims Center is next to Firestone. MUNI: The Jon Sims Center is 1 block south of the Van Ness Muni underground station, accessible from any Muni streetcar. Additionally, the 14 Mission, 42 Loop 49 and 47 Van Ness bus stop at Mission and 11th Street, only 1/2 block from the Jon Sims Center. Current Muni fare is $1.25. SamTrans: The SamTrans DX, KX, MX, NX, PX, RX and TX buses stops at Mission and 9th Streets. Walk three blocks west (towards Sutro tower) to reach the Jon Sims Center. Current SamTrans fare is $1.10. Please note that SamTrans buses to the City only run during rush hours. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 4) Editorial Judith Miller Goes to Jail Published: July 7, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/opinion/07thu1.html?hp ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 5) Iranian-born LA filmmaker detained in Iraq by U.S. military JEREMIAH MARQUEZ Associated Press http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/12069728.htm ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 6) Action Alert: Organize July 23 "Downing Street Memo" Anniversary Events Millions of people in the United States still don't know about the Downing Street Memo, a secret British government document that provides new and compelling evidence that the Bush Administration deceived and misled the U.S. Congress and the American people about the basis for going to war against Iraq. If true, this conduct constitutes a High Crime under the U.S. Constitution and could provide grounds for the impeachment of the president. We must insist that our Congressional representatives and the U.S. media investigate and report the truth about the Downing Street Memo and hold the Bush administration accountable for its actions. Saturday, July 23 is the three-year anniversary of the meeting between high-level U.S. and British officials that the Downing Street Memo summarizes. According to the memo, "Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." Is the U.S. public is ever to learn about the existence of the Downing Street Memo, it will be because we-the people who opposed the war from the very beginning-shine a spotlight on it through our actions and persistence. Please join United for Peace and Justice by taking action on July 23. TAKE ACTION - ORGANIZE TOWN HALL MEETINGS AND HOUSE PARTIES ON SATURDAY, JULY 23 Several Congress Members have agreed to host events in their home districts on July 23, the third anniversary of the famous meeting on Downing Street. On that day, all over the country, there will be town hall meetings, dramatic readings of the Downing Street Minutes, study circles, and house parties. Congressman John Conyers and others will be on a conference call that people at house parties can call into from their events. Please join UFPJ, the After Downing Street Coalition (which includes many UFPJ member groups), and others in hosting and attending events on July 23. We hope you and your organization will work with other organizations to form a coalition and hold one large event in your area. Resources and tips for holding an effective town hall meeting are available at http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/526. Be sure to invite your Congress Member and Senators, but there's no reason to make the event dependent on their coming. You should certainly hold it, even without them. Where you cannot organize a large event, organize some friends and hold a house party. Please list your events at http:// www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/526. We also encourage you to join the After Downing Street coalition, which is dedicated to pushing for a Congressional resolution of inquiry-the first step in the impeachment process-into the Downing Street Memo and related documents. According to a recent Zogby poll, 42 percent of voters polled said they would support impeaching President Bush if it were established that he lied about his reasons for the Iraq war. Let's push for the inquiry that would get to the bottom of this issue once and for all. United for Peace and Justice • http://www.unitedforpeace.org 212-868-5545 Post: UFPJ@lists.mayfirst.org List info: https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/ufpj ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 7) Reflections on the London bombs Tony Hartin t.hartin@qmul.ac.uk Yesterday was tragedy followed by farce as our brave politicians, partying in Gleneagles and Singapore, bravely leapt to our verbal defence. "The security response plan was performing perfectly!" - at least the bit that involves mopping up body parts was. Actually for an hour after the first bomb the "authorities" persisted in the fable that it was a "power surge" and loaded everyone onto buses. Fortunately only one of those exploded. Never mind, we were "defiantly going about our business".. I felt many thing yesterday, as I suppose did others, but defiance wasn't one of them. Shock, nausea, relief (at still being alive) - but no surprise. Noone was left in terror wondering who might have done it for what crazy reason. Everyone knew it was because of the barbarism Britain was helping to visit on Afghanistan and Iraq. I suppose people were more resigned yesterday - its been expected for 2 years. The Chickens coming home to Roost was a sensible explanation for what happened yesterday - not a mad, agitational slogan I didn't feel particularly free yesterday either, as the mayor emotionally informed the world's media. The bombs didn't stop the boss from expecting me at work, while other businesses made a tidy profit from the captive and suddenly needy audience trapped in the city. "In light of todays events staff should feel free to leave at 4pm - as long as they notify their line managers first" writes the Principal. Thanks very much. I wonder what has to happen to get the afternoon off? "Muslims should stay indoors in case of reprisals" the BBC helpfully notified us (and the BNP) yesterday. That wont happen in London - it is simply too multicultural and too mindful of recent mass anti-war demos. I don't think most people will feel the urge to "revive the spirit of the blitz" or "teach them a lesson" either - the list of countries to bomb or threaten is already unwieldy. When peoples emotions turn to anger I expect there will be an obvious target in Blair and the government's eternal warmongering. The day before yesterday was the "victory" of the Olympic bid decision, and I was in the city. A posse of jets with red white and blue contrails roared over so quickly that it wasn't possible to take more than a couple of steps before they had come and gone. Today I can't stop imagining what it would be like to have those jets dropping bombs on you if you were caught in the open. And I can't stop thinking about Fallujah last November - when British troops threw up a cordon around that city while Marines went in to slaughter its people Tony Hartin London 8/7/05 Marxism mailing list Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 8) US military reprisal in Afghanistan kills 17 civilians By Peter Symonds 8 July 2005 http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/jul2005/afgh-j08.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 9) A CALL FOR A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT CONTINGENT IN THE SEPTEMBER 24th PROTESTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND SAN FRANCISCO MILITARY RECRUITERS OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS! U.S . TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ! Sponsored by the Campus Antiwar Network, College Not Combat, Educators to Stop the War, Left Hook, Prospect-Lefferts Voices for Peace, Suffolk Peace Network's Counter Military Recruiting Committee, Traprock Peace Center, United Federation of Teachers to Stop the War Endorsed by: ANSWER - New Hampshire; Bronx Greens; Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors; Chapter 60 Veterans for Peace; Coney Island Avenue Project; International Socialist Organization; Louisiana Activist Network; National Lawyers Guild - San Francisco/Bay Area; People Against the Draft; Vets Speak Out NYC; Carl Webb, military resister; Victor Paredes, brother of war resister Pablo Paredes; Cindy Sheehan, founding member of Gold Star Families for Peace; David Mitchell, Vietnam draft resister active in Rockland Coalition for Peace and Justice; Gloria Mattera, Green Party candidate for Brooklyn Borough President; Justino Rodriguez, Hadas Thier and Nick Bergreen of the City College 4 - who were arrested for opposing the military at their school; Katrina Yeaw, Michael Hoffman, and Pardis Esmaeili - the SFSU 3, who were targeted by the school administration for opposing recruiters The sponsor/endorsement list is in formation. ALL are welcome to co-sponsor or endorse to form an inclusive, strong and diverse contingent. To sponsor, endorse, or for more info, email: recruitersout@yahoo.com For info on the Military Out of Our Schools buses from New York to D.C. on 9/24: Email: recruitersout@yahoo.com For info on the Peace Train going to D.C. from across the South, contact the Louisiana Activist Network: http:// www.newdemocracyrising.com/ Exact time & location for buses and rally point in Washington D.C./San Francisco is t.b.a. ## ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 10) Israelis unleash Scream at protest New weapon knocks crowds off feet Sound blast triggers nausea, dizziness MITCH POTTER MIDDLE EAST BUREAU "JERUSALEM-The knees buckle, the brain aches, the stomach turns. And suddenly, nobody feels like protesting anymore." Jun. 6, 2005. 07:15 AM http://www.torstarreports.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/ Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1118009416402&call_pageid=970599119419 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 11) Permits obtained for September 24! The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, on behalf of the September 24 National Coalition, has obtained permits for the September 24 March on Washington at the White House. We have obtained the permits for both Lafayette Park on the North Side of the White House and the Ellipse on the South Side. We expect a sea of protestors to surround the White House in a vivid demonstration of the growing opposition to the criminal war and occupation of Iraq. Marching under the banner "Stop the War Against Iraq, Bring the Troops Home Now, End Colonial Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti and Everywhere," communities from throughout the United States will converge in a unified display of what now represents majority sentiment: opposition to the U.S. government's war drive. Obtaining the permits at the White House will allow the largest number of people to participate, exercise their First Amendment rights, and speak out against the Bush administration and its war for Empire. Please make a donation today We urgently need your help to bring this war to an end. The Bush administration has billions of dollars that they have taken from us to fund their war and line the pockets of war profiteers. It is up to us to fund the fight for true justice and peace. Please take a moment to make a donation through our secure server, where you can also obtain information to write a check. For more information on the formation of the September 24th National Coalition, click here. Get Involved * Read the Call to Action * Demands of the demonstration * Endorse * View Endorsers * List Transportation * NEW Buses, vans and car caravans from across the U.S. * Spread the word - Downloadable flyers * Donate * More information A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Act Now to Stop War & End Racism http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org info@internationalanswer.org National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389 New York City: 212-533-0417 Los Angeles: 323-464-1636 San Francisco: 415-821-6545 For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 12) A Call for a Unity from the Virginia Anti-War Network The steering committee of the Virginia Anti-War Network met June 5 in Blacksburg. Among other issues, we discussed our participation in national actions being called for this fall in Washington, D.C. We would like to communicate the conclusions of our discussion to the national anti-war coalitions. U.S. activists from across the political spectrum have made it plain that they can all agree on one fundamental demand: The U.S. must immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its forces from Iraq. Whatever differences exist on other issues, there is no disagreement here. This is the one overriding demand that must be brought home as forcefully as possible to the seats of power. VAWN is committed to mobilizing as many people as possible to attend national actions called for this September. But we have decided, for now, to postpone endorsing any single action. VAWN has no organizational affiliation with any of the national anti-war coalitions. However, that doesn't mean we view our network as a movement unto itself. A number of our founding organizations mobilized for last October's Million Worker March. Less than two weeks after our founding conference, we attended the counter-inaugural protests in Washington, marching with the D.C. Anti-War Network and standing with International A.N.S.W.E.R along Pennsylvania Avenue. And we were a contingent in the March 19 march in Fayetteville, N.C., which was strongly endorsed by United for Peace and Justice. However, we are deeply disturbed that two separate mobilizations have been called for Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C. Both protests will demand "Bring the troops home now!" So why two competing mobilizations? This is a severe disservice not only to the anti-war movement as a whole but more importantly to the struggling people of Iraq and to the U.S. troops who increasingly are questioning this criminal war. A.N.S.W.E.R., in our view, without making a serious effort to achieve tactical unity, staked out a date for a national mobilization and then proceeded to collect a list of endorsers in order to present a fait accompli to the rest of the movement. This action was taken in complete disregard to the call for unity put forward by the U.S. Labor Coalition Against the War. Then, UFPJ not only called a competing mobilization but announced its decision to refuse to negotiate a unified action with either A.N.S.W.E.R. or the Troops Out Now Coalition. In our view, this is not a position that advances the strength and efficacy of the anti-war movement. To its credit, TONC recently put out a statement urging a unified action, but crafted the statement in a way that seemed almost designed to ensure it would not be accepted by significant sections of the movement. We agree with TONC that there can be no tactical unity based on abandoning the struggle of the Palestinian people, or any other struggle of oppressed peoples for self-determination. However, there is no reason why there can't be one general unity demand – "Bring the troops home now!" - along with a diverse range of progressive co-chairs, speakers, banners, signs, contingents and issues, allowing each organization to raise the struggles to which it is committed. The TONC statement contains this sentence: "The grassroots of the movement are looking to those of us who make decisions to put our differences aside in the interests of the struggle to get the U.S. the hell out of Iraq." Actually, some of us in the "grassroots" have also been making decisions. We have decided to dig in and build the movement to end this war and all other wars of U.S. intervention. We have decided to build a movement based on respect for the right of oppressed nations to self-determination, based on bringing together anti-war activists with those fighting for social justice here at home, based on a commitment to leaving no struggle behind, no matter how "controversial" to the right wing. And we are building that movement here in Virginia, a so-called "red state" that boosts the highest per capita military spending of any state in the country, a state that is home to the Pentagon, the CIA and the world's largest U.S. Navy base. If we can achieve tactical unity here, there is no excuse for not achieving it on a national level. We are calling on A.N.S.W.E.R., UFPJ, TONC and the MWMM to put aside their organizational differences and agree on one, unified fall mobilization. The struggling peoples of the world do not have the luxury of accommodating our disunity. TO BE SENT TO: International A.N.S.W.E.R.; Million Worker March Movement; Troops Out Now Coalition; United for Peace and Justice cc: Black Workers for Justice; Black Voices for Peace; D.C. Anti-War Network (DAWN); D.C. Labor Against the War; North Carolina Coalition for Peace and Justice; South Carolina Progressive Network; U.S. Labor Against the War; Democracy Now!; Mother Jones; National Newspaper Publishers Association; In These Times; The Progressive; Z Magazine The Virginia Anti-War Network was founded on Jan. 8, 2005, at a conference in Richmond, Va. VAWN is composed of 11 affiliated organizations as well as many individual activists in Aylett, Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Chesterfield County, Fredericksburg, Louisa County, Norfolk, Richmond, Staunton, Waynesboro, Williamsburg and Yorktown. The organization's principles of unity can be found at http://defendersfje.tripod.com/id29.html VAWN affiliates: Augusta Coalition for Peace and Justice; Coalition for Justice (Blacksburg); Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality (Richmond); New River Independent Business Association (Blacksburg); Pax Christi - Richmond; Prosser- Truth Division #456 UNIA-ACL (Richmond); Richmond Food Not Bombs; Richmond Independent Media Center; Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project; United Electrical Workers Union Local 160 (statewide); United Parents Against Lead National, Inc. (Richmond based) c/o Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, PO Box 23202, Richmond, VA 23223. (804) 644-5834. E-mail: DefendersFJE@hotmail.com ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 13) Call For A United Antiwar Movement - We Must All March Together on September 24! [For individuals and organizations wishing to sign this statement, please see below.] September 24, 2005 has been set as the date for national demonstrations by the U.S. antiwar movement. We will return to the streets of the nation's capital, and elsewhere, with a force determined to challenge the continuation of a brutal and immoral war and occupation. That the Iraqi War is the central issue in world politics today is not in dispute. Neither is the fact that there is a rapidly growing opposition to this war in the United States and across the globe. The potential for a truly massive turnout that can open the door wider than ever to our movement's expressing the will of tens of millions is within reach. But we have been asked to divide our energies on September 24 between two competing antiwar coalitions, UFPJ and ANSWER. Both have announced mass mobilizations in Washington, D.C. on that date, but in different locations. There can be no justification for such a division. It is unthinkable that we can most effectively confront the warmakers by marching separately in what will inevitably be portrayed as two rival protests. People who want to end the war and occupation will never understand. Is the destruction of Iraq and its people to rage on while our movement divides its energies? While billions are spent daily to make Iraq a virtual colony? While the same billions are looted from social programs at home? While U.S. soldiers die for corporate profits and while the American people are rapidly learning that the war was a lie from start to finish? We cannot offer those who oppose the war and occupation a divided house. The divisions in our movement must give way to united action. There is still time! We the undersigned propose that both coalitions join in support of these unifying demands: Bring the Troops Home Now! Money for Jobs, Education, Health Care and Housing, Not for War and Occupations! This appears to be a sound basis for unity, in accord with what both coalitions have always championed. The ANSWER coalition has called for a number of additional demands going beyond Iraq including: End Colonial Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti; Support the Palestinian People's Right of Return; Stop the Threats Against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea; and U.S. Out of the Philippines. The unifying demands in bold above provide the framework for advancing these demands, which can be reinforced by speakers, banners, contingents, signs and leaflets. It is understood that both ANSWER and UFPJ, through their own coalitions, would be free to express their demands as they see fit. We are convinced that new forms must be employed to ensure that we do not constantly repeat the present divisive scenario so that the democratic expression of the ranks of the antiwar movement, which urgently call for unity, can be brought to bear. Our differences pale before the power we can marshal with a united, independent and massive movement that visibly expresses our strength and unity. We offer our good will and experience to help resolve the differences now and move forward united and stronger. We propose to meet as soon as possible with representatives of the national antiwar coalitions to resolve all outstanding issues. There is no time to waste. Issued by the Emergency Ad Hoc Committee For A United Demonstration in Washington, D.C. on September 24, 2005. Initiators [Titles and organizations for purpose of identification only] Kevin Akin - State Chair, California Peace and Freedom Party Mike Alewitz - Labor Art and Mural Project Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma'at - Foundations for Our Nu Alkebulan/Afrikan Millennium (FONAMI) Khalil Barhoum - Palestinian Scholar Patricia Behrend - Co-Chair, National Network on Cuba Alan Benjamin - Member, Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 3; Member, Executive Board, San Francisco Labor Council AFL-CIO; Member, Steering Committee, United States Labor Against the War Dennis Bernstein - Producer, Flashpoints, KPFA, Berkeley, CA Peter Camejo - Green Party Dr. Colia Clark - Longtime civil rights activist, co-organizer with Medgar Evers of Mississippi NAACP Voter Project in early 1960s; Fighter for reparations and against war Greg Coleridge - Program Director, Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee; Coordinator, Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition Alan Dale - Member, Iraq Peace Action Coalition (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Chris Farrand - President, Graphic Communications Union Local 546M Mike Ferner - Member, Veterans for Peace; Former Member, Toledo City Council Conny Ford - Secretary-Treasurer, Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 3 Christine Gauvreau - Organizing Committee, Connecticut United for Peace Kathleen Geathers - Coordinator, Women for Racial and Economic Equality Paul George - Director, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA Jerry Gordon - Former International Representative, United Food and Commercial Workers Union; Member, Steering Committee, United States Labor Against the War Andy Griggs - Board of Directors, United Teachers Los Angeles; Member, Steering Committee, United States Labor Against the War Milly Guzman - Latinos Contra La Guerra Jeremy Haiken - Organizer, UNITE HERE Local 217 Fred Hirsch - Vice President, Plumbers and Fitters Local 393 Abdeen Jabara - Past President, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Walter Johnson - Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus, San Francisco Labor Council AFL-CIO Vicki Knight - Convenor, Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice Tom Lacey - Northern State Chair, California Peace and Freedom Party Jeff Mackler - Founder, Mobilization for Peace, Jobs and Justice; West Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee Mel Mason - President, Monterey Peninsula Branch-NAACP, CA Justine McCabe - International Committee of the Green Party, US Robert Meeropol - Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children Saladin Muhammad - Black Workers for Justice Hasan Newash - Director, Palestine Office, Michigan Bill Onasch - Retired Vice President, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 287; Chair, Kansas City Labor Against the War Carolyn Park - Member, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1938; Delegate to the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Jan Pierce - Retired International Vice President, Communications Workers of America Ralph Poynter - New York Community Activist Jack Rasmus - Chair, National Writers Union, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Don Rojas - Journalist; Past General Manager, Station WBAI Ed Rosario - Business Agent, Amalgamated Lithographers of America Local #1; Member, United States Labor Against the War Meg Scata - Organizing Committee, Connecticut United for Peace Dallas Sells - Director, Ohio State Council UNITE HERE Union Chris Silvera - Secretary-Treasurer and Chairman, Teamsters National Black Caucus Michael Smith - New York Chapter, National Lawyers Guild Lynne Stewart - Attorney Clarence Thomas - Co-Chair, Million Worker March Movement Jerry Tucker - Former International Executive Board Member, United Auto Workers Union Nalda Vigezzi - Co-Chair, National Network on Cuba Barbara Walden - Vice Chair, Ohio State Labor Party Leonard Weinglass - Civil Liberties Attorney Kevin Zeese - Director, Democracy Rising Howard Zinn - Professor, Radical Historian, Progressive Political Theorist, Social Activist and Author Signers [Organizations and individuals wishing to subscribe to the above statement are urged to write than July 31 asking that your name be added to the list. Please be sure to include city and state, phone number and e-mail address.] ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 14) The Price of Occupation By Tariq Ali Friday July 8, 2005 The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523821,00.html?gusrc=rss During the last phase of the Troubles, the IRA targeted mainland Britain: it came close to blowing up Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet in Brighton. Some years later a missile was fired at No 10. London's financial quarter was also targeted. There was no secret as to the identity of the organisation that carried out the hits or its demands. And all this happened despite the various Prevention of Terrorism Acts passed by the Commons. The bombers who targeted London yesterday are anonymous. It is assumed that those who carried out these attacks are linked to al-Qaida. We simply do not know. Al-Qaida is not the only terrorist group in existence. It has rivals within the Muslim diaspora. But it is safe to assume that the cause of these bombs is the unstinting support given by New Labour and its prime minister to the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. One of the arguments deployed by Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, when he appealed to Tony Blair not to support the war in Iraq was prescient: "An assault on Iraq will inflame world opinion and jeopardise security and peace everywhere. London, as one of the major world cities, has a great deal to lose from war and a lot to gain from peace, international cooperation and global stability." Most Londoners (as the rest of the country) were opposed to the Iraq war. Tragically, they have suffered the blow and paid the price for the re-election of Blair and a continuation of the war. Ever since 9/11, I have been arguing that the "war against terror" is immoral and counterproductive. It sanctions the use of state terror - bombing raids, torture, countless civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq - against Islamo-anarchists whose numbers are small, but whose reach is deadly. The solution then, as now, is political, not military. The British ruling elite understood this perfectly well in the case of Ireland. Security measures, anti-terror laws rushed through parliament, identity cards, a curtailment of civil liberties, will not solve the problem. If anything, they will push young Muslims in the direction of mindless violence. The real solution lies in immediately ending the occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. Just because these three wars are reported sporadically and mean little to the everyday lives of most Europeans does not mean the anger and bitterness they arouse in the Muslim world and its diaspora is insignificant. As long as western politicians wage their wars and their colleagues in the Muslim world watch in silence, young people will be attracted to the groups who carry out random acts of revenge. At the beginning of the G8, Blair suggested that "poverty was the cause of terrorism". It is not so. The principal cause of this violence is the violence being inflicted on the people of the Muslim world. And unless this is recognised, the horrors will continue. . Tariq Ali's latest book is Speaking of Empire and Resistance. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 15) Lest We Forget; These Were Blair's Bombs By John Pilger t r u t h o u t | Perspective Sunday 10 July 2005 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071005X.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 16) JROTC EXPANSION 2001 There are currently 716 schools waiting for approval of JROTC programs. Why Question the Military's JROTC Program? http://awol.objector.org/jrotc.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 17) SSP Research, Policy & Media Unit SSP statement on London bombings 07/07/05 The Scottish Socialist Party today sends it's condolences to the families of those killed and injured in today's bombings in London. The SSP condemns outright the bombings which were targeted at working class Londoners going about their daily lives. Many of those dead and injured would have participated in anti-war protests and would have taken part in the Make Poverty History protests over the past week. Meanwhile, the men responsible for the war on Iraq and the massacre of 100,000 civilians were safely cocooned behind fortified walls 500 miles away, protected by thousands of police and armed forces. Today's horrific events further expose the falsity of the claims by Tony Blair and George Bush that the wars on Afghanistan and Iraq have turned the world into a safer place. Exactly the opposite: the world is now darker and more dangerous than ever before. Today's wave of destruction also underlines the futility of trying to defeat terror by ever more repressive legislation. As the escalating violence in Iraq and Afghanistan illustrates, even the most ferocious repression cannot quell violence and terror. The most effective action Tony Blair could now take to make the UK a safer place is to pull all British troops out of Iraq. We note that neo-Nazi extremists are already trying to exploit today's tragedy to whip up fear and hatred towards the Muslim population, the vast majority of whom completely reject acts of violence carried out against innocent civilians. The SSP pledges to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim community against all forms of racism and Islamosphobia. Today's horrific events are a further indictment of the world that the G8 leaders have created. Until the swamps of poverty, war and injustice are drained, countless thousands more innocent people will die needlessly in the months and years to come. [ends] ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 18) London Hit as Skepticism Grows on 'Terror War' by Jim Lobe Published on Friday, July 8, 2005 by Inter Press Service http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0708-04.htm ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 19) Join the Farm workers march against Gallo... Sunday July 17: United Farm Workers Rally and March. Come show your support for the UFW struggle against Gallo and our appreciation for UFW's support for queers over the years. How well I remember Cesar Chavez speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington, I was on the press flatbed and got some pics of him for the Philly Gay News, even got to shake his hand...now our shared history of supporting each other (my GLF group in the early 70s supported the grape boycott) is being raised to another level... queers are making a special effort to be visible in Sunday's march...please let me know if you can join us. I am trying to recruit 25 people... The March assembles at 11:30 in Dolores Park. nos vemos Domingo! Si se puede! tommi Mecca44@aol.com ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 20) THE CONSTITUTION & "DEEP THROAT" [Col. Writ. 6/4/05] Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal If the media is to be believed, the Age of Watergate has been reborn in the revelation of the identity of the figure known as "Deep Throat", the high government source who divulged the criminal acts of the Nixon White House, leading to the fall of a President. W. Mark Felt, his hair a brilliant white, his mind and apparently his memory dimmed by over 90 winters, has announced that it was indeed he who was that important historical figure. He gave data to reporters of *The Washington Post* that uncovered the role of the White House in the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, the site of the offices of the Democratic National Committee, and the subsequent cover-up. There are those who say that this man, in betraying the Nixon White House, and his boss, the Attorney General, was practicing a higher fidelity to the Constitution. Those who say that apparently know little of whom they speak. They hear or read that he headed the FBI's counterintelligence division, and their mind conjures up shadowy images of undercover KGB spies, or spies of yet another foreign power. They do not know that his job was to use the powers of the federal government, through the FBI, to punish, and indeed destroy that which is allegedly protected under the First Amendment -- the right to dissent. W. Mark Felt, as Deputy Director of the FBI, led the ill-fated FBI program known as COINTELPRO (for *C*ounter*intel*igence *Pro*gram), which targeted American citizens for opposing the Vietnam War, for advocating changes in Central American policies such as supporting brutal dictators, for supporting Civil Rights, Black Liberation, Women's Rights, or socialism. His unit spied on law-abiding Americans, broke into homes, ripped open and read mail, tapped phones, harassed, isolated, threatened, and destroyed the lives of thousands of Americans, who merely opposed the U.S. government's policies. This guy cared about the Constitution so much that he was convicted of committing crimes in violation of the Constitution, and other laws, like authorizing burglaries, and authorizing break-ins of homes of dissidents. In my book, *WE WANT FREEDOM: A Life in the Black Panther Party* (Cambridge, Ma.: South End Press, 2004), I dedicate an entire chapter to the many and sordid crimes of government, against American citizens, from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Fred Hampton, to school teachers, and even actors who got on the FBI's bad side for daring to support positions they didn't like. They hounded people, ran them out of jobs, set them up, and sometimes, killed them. I have documented them, and W. Mark Felt commanded many of those crimes. In November, 1980, two FBI officials were convicted in federal court, of authorizing break-ins into the homes of people, who were relatives, or friends of members of the radical Weather Underground. Those 2 FBI officials were Edward S. Miller, and W. Mark Felt. They were convicted of these crimes because they ordered agents to enter people's homes without search warrants or probable cause. On April 15, 1981, then-President Ronald Reagan pardoned the two men, saying they acted on "high principle." (This is the same actor-politician who called the contras of Nicaragua, "the moral equivalent of our founding fathers.") Months before the pardon, the U.S. government paid some $10,000 each to five persons whose homes were burglarized by the FBI, or whose phones were illegally wiretapped. The federal convictions came years after Watergate, which proves that fidelity to the Constitution wasn't the motivating factor in betraying the Nixon White House. In so doing, he was instead protecting the agency uber alles, not the Constitution, nor any other political entity. The agency committed crimes before Watergate, and certainly after Watergate, and perhaps during it. They were the Praetorian Guard, a power unto themselves, more powerful than the Emperors. They still are. Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 21) Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage By Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | Perspective Saturday 09 July 2005 http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070905X.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- 22) Are You a Survivor of Police Brutality? Come to a Free Workshop & Legal Clinic WHEN: Thursday July 28, 2005 5:30-7:30pm WHERE: Ella Baker Center for Human Rights 344 40th Street (at Broadway) Oakland, CA 94609 (6 blocks from MacArthur BART) Find out: * Remedies to Police Misconduct * Your rights when it comes to the police * How to report incidents of police misconduct PLEASE RSVP: 510.428.3939 ext 224 or e-mail: malaika@ellabakercenter.org Join a growing community-based network fighting for police Accountability organized by Bay Area PoliceWatch ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*-------- ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
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