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!VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL!
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Silence is Not Golden: A report on the September 16th “Amnesty
for All” Rally in Solidarity with Mexican and Latin American
Independence Day

By Bonnie Weinstein

September 17, 2006
San Francisco, CA

After sabotaging our demonstration by denying us permits, the police
made an intimidating showing at the corner of 24th and Mission Streets
on Saturday, September 16th to make sure we would not have amplified
sound over 10 decibels (bullhorns) or “take to the streets.”

After a waiting game for about half-an-hour, Officer Mark Solomon
of the Mission Police Station approached me with another officer
(can’t remember his name) as I stood with representatives from The
People United for General and Unconditional Amnesty For All, who had
gathered at the rally site to let the community know that our permits
were denied and why.

We had taken every precaution not to endanger undocumented workers
and planned nothing illegal. We came with bullhorns, signs, banners
and flyers that explained what was taking place in the community
and the Police Department’s role in prohibiting free speech and
assembly.

Officer Solomon was the Mission Police Department’s representative
at the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation
(ISCOTT) hearing (the city committee that has the last say on granting
permits) 9 o’clock, last Thursday morning, September 14, 2006 at the
Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) offices on the 7th floor at
1 South Van Ness Avenue at the corner of South Van Ness and Market
Streets. His report to the committee was full of “inaccuracies”, namely:

--that major arteries of The Mission would have to be disrupted
for three hours. THAT IS NOT TRUE!: only the bus going up 24th Street
would have to be re-routed only around one block for the two
hours of the rally.

--that our group lied about our estimation of the number of
people that would turn out for a demonstration we called
April 10, 2006. THAT IS NOT TRUE! We can't see the future,
and, the outpouring of protest during April and May of this year
was spontaneous. No one could have or did predict it!

--that to prove of our dishonestly, Officer Mark Solomon,
reported to the committee that we had set up a sixty-foot,
flatbed truck with giant speakers across Mission Street on April 10th.
THAT IS NOT TRUE: We had half of a 100-watt, battery operated,
portable speaker held up by two men who helped to balance
it on a broomstick, and, we stood up on a rickety, old wooden
chair to address the thousands who showed up. We obviously
came totally unprepared for the number of people who turned out
on April 10th of this year.

As a result of Officer Solomon’s testimony and the Mission Police
Department’s negative recommendation to the committee based
on that testimony, our permit application was denied by the
ISCOTT committee.

On September 16th, the day the rally was scheduled to take place,
motorcycle police were stationed on 24th and Mission Streets,
directly across Mission Street from us and more were stationed
in the back of the BART Plaza kitty-corner to the one we were
standing in. Even more squad cars and vans were parked along
Valencia Street for all to see, and police were riding up and down
Mission Street constantly. I overheard many people remark on the
police being all around them and then witnessed them split the
area quickly.

Thousands of dollars of Police Department overtime was being
expended to make sure we would not break the law, God forbid,
and use a sound system that would allow us to be heard over the
racket and traffic of Mission Street, or speak from a platform where
we could be seen! Instead we used a bullhorn and stood, precariously,
on the cement platform of the lamp post on the corner of Mission
and 24th—a favorite canine relief point.

Since I was the representative of the group at the ISCOTT hearing,
Officer Solomon finally came over from across the street and
addressed me by name and asked what our plans for the day were.
I told him that we were planning to address those in attendance
(those who were not intimidated to stay around and listen while
the police amassed across the street and on the block behind us)
with bullhorns, then lead them on an orderly march, on the sidewalk,
to the Mission Police Station at 17th and Valencia Streets where we
would hold a peaceful picket line in protest of their denial of our
permits.

Officer Solomon interrupted me to say that they had not denied our
permits, they just recommended that they be denied, and that it
was the ISCOTT committee that denied our permits.

I pointed out to him, again, that it was upon his false statements
to the committee that our permits were denied. I also conveyed
to him what was told to me by his own Captain Goldberg, i.e.,
that the committee never went against a police department
recommendation.

Officer Solomon then stated that he, indeed, was “mistaken” about
the “60-foot flatbed truck” that he told the ISCOTT committee we
used to block Mission Street on April 10th—thus proving our dishonesty
(because we had to have rented it ahead of time in knowledge of the
thousands of people that we preternaturally knew would turn out.)

He said he was there to admit openly and apologize to me that he
was wrong about the truck and, further, that he would personally
make a statement at the next ISCOTT hearing stating that he was
wrong about it.

I then told him that he also was “wrong” about the so-called “disruption”
of “major arteries” in the Mission that he testified to, when he knew our
rally only required the bus going up 24th street to be re-routed around
only one block—from Mission to Bartlet on 24th Street—for the two
hours the rally was scheduled, and, that neither Mission nor Valencia
Streets would have been impacted. And, by the way, Cindy Shambam
of DPT, also knew that neither Mission nor Valencia Streets would be
affected but she, dishonestly or cowardly, or both, failed to speak up
about this deception perpetrated by Officer Solomon and the Mission
Police Station at the time.

Office Solomon was also “wrong” that we intentionally and criminally
lied about our estimate of the crowd before April 10th as we had been
accused of by Captain Goldberg in a letter in black-and-white. In fact,
I told him, all evidence shows that it was abundantly clear that, indeed,
we were totally unprepared for the number of people who turned out
April 10th, as was everyone. Basically, I indicated that he should admit
that all of his testimony was wrong!

Officer Solomon stated that he was there, also, to “start fresh,” put
the past behind us, and cooperate more closely in the future and he
asked me to give him a call at the station. He offered the help of the
Mission Station that day for any reason—if someone tried to disrupt
us or anything, they were there to help!

Of course, the damage had already been done. We had spent months
of delaying our publicity for the rally since every site we suggested
was denied during months of ongoing negotiations. In fact, after
failing to come to any agreement before the ISCOTT hearing, finally,
on August 28th 2006, we sent out our first news announcement about
the September 16th Rally after a meeting where a unanimous vote was
taken to go ahead with the rally as planned until our permits were
actually turned down. The announcement would simply state the
nature and purpose of the rally and that the rally would take place
at 24th and Mission Street at 1-3 P.M., September 16, 2006.

By that time the Mission Police Station and DPT had made it pretty
clear that we, upon police recommendation, would be denied our
permit. In addition, by that time, our hearing was delayed until
September 14th—just two days before the rally was to occur. And,
by that time, there was nothing else we could do but tentatively
advertise our rally. Unable to guarantee it was permitted, our news
releases were not covered by the media. And, we were left to build
this rally by handing out flyers in the community advertising an
event that we knew, may or, most likely, wouldn’t take place; or,
if it did, could be subject to an attack by the police.

We were severely hampered by not being able to announce that
this would be a peaceful and legal rally. In all good conscience,
we had to consider the possible danger to undocumented workers
that an illegal rally would present. After all, it is not as if raids are
not happening here in California and around the whole country
against undocumented workers. People are being evicted, fired,
arrested and deported. Whole towns are being impacted by the
arrests of thousands of undocumented workers at a time, leaving
whole towns virtually unoccupied.

And, according to reports by some immigrant workers, this is
happening right here in San Francisco. Friends and relatives without
papers are being fired from their jobs and evicted from their apartments.
Some are being deported without fanfare—they just disappear and their
families find out later—after they are missing for a few days or weeks—
that they are back in Mexico, or Guatemala, or Nicaragua...

So, here we are just where the government wants us to be—living in
fear and intimidation if we dare to even attempt to speak out against
this oppression in our own community—even when we jump through
all the outrageously unconstitutional and expensive whips, hoops and
jingles required of us by such permit applications! Is this not infringement
on the right to free speech and assembly?

I can’t say enough about the respect and admiration I have for those
who did dare to attend this rally and I was so proud to be among
those who marched down Mission Street to 17th, and up 17th Street
to Valencia Street to picket in front of the Mission Police Station in defiance.

I am outraged that such a climate is allowed to exist in our city!

Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org

People United for General and Unconditional Amnesty for All!
Barrio Unido Por una Amnistia General e Incondicional
474 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Contact Persons:
Cristina Gutierrez: 415-431-9925
Bonnie Weinstein: 415-824-8730

Background:

The following is a detailed report:

September 16th, 2006 Amnesty for All Rally Permit Denied

A Report by Bonnie Weinstein

September 14, 2006 Interdepartmental Staff Committee
on Traffic and Transportation (ISCOTT) Hearing denied a Permit for
Rally Saturday, September 16, 2006, on 24th Street between Mission
and Bartlett Streets between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. sponsored by
People United for General and Unconditional Amnesty for All!

I have just come from the ISCOTT hearing where, with the help and
assistance of the ACLU--who agreed with the S. F. Police department
that, although we had the right to free speech, the Police and this
committee had the right to determine where and when we can
exercise it--we were denied a permit to hold a rally in the Mission
on September 16th, in celebration and solidarity with Mexican and
Latin American Independence Day and for general and unconditional
amnesty for all immigrants.

Further, the permits were denied based on blatant and outright lies
told by the Mission Police Department representative to the ISCOTT
committee. First, that we lied to them about our estimation of the
number of people who would turn out for a demonstration we
sponsored on April 10th, 2006 in order to avoid the permit process
and, second, that we are lying now about our estimate of the number
that may turn out on September 16th. Of course, since this hearing
was part of this permit process they could not accuse us of trying
to avoid it this time.

To understand what is going on a little background information is
necessary.

Parents and teachers from the Compañeros Del Barrio Children's
Center in the heart of the Mission District organized themselves into
a group to fight for general amnesty for all immigrants. Our first action
was to be a procession, called by the 40 families who came together
to form this group-around 90 people all-together from the children's
center and other friends, such as myself who have committed themselves
to help immigrants in their struggle-to plan a procession April 10th
at 5:00 p.m. from 16th and Mission Street to 24th and Mission Street.
It was organized to be a procession of the 40 families with children
(90 or so people) up Mission Street for a small rally at 24th Street.
Having no resources or funding, we set our first goals very small.
A successful procession of families up Mission Street would be
a good beginning.

In-between the time our group called for the April 10th demonstration
several weeks earlier, and the day of the march, there occurred a giant
upsurge in the Immigrant Rights movement. Literally millions of people
spontaneously demonstrated in the streets across the country during
those weeks in April and May-a half-a-million in Chicago and over
a million in Los Angeles just to name two.

We had no way to estimate how many people would turn out April 10
to our little procession--even though we sent out announcements
and distributed flyers in the days before the action. On April 10th
the Children's center proceeded to 16th and Mission Street-children
and parents with candles and handmade signs and banners-to the
BART Plaza, with nothing more than bullhorns-obviously unprepared
for thousands of people. I was waiting at 24th and Mission Street with
our little portable speaker that I brought myself in expectation for
the procession to arrive up the sidewalk to our rallying point on 24th
and Mission. We didn't have a permit for this speaker so we were
prepared not to use it if the police told us not to.

To my wonder, I saw thousands stretched clear across Mission Street
from sidewalk to sidewalk. I was amazed when they finally came into
view, which took quite some time! The bullhorn we had would have
been useless and even our little speaker was ineffectual in reaching
the numbers of people who showed up. Obviously we had not planned
on this number of people turning out!

At the hearing today, the officer representing the Mission Police
Department stated that we "deceived them" about the numbers that
were expected April 10th. Further, as proof of his claim, he told the
committee hearing that we had a "60-foot flatbed truck with giant
speakers" that we had to have arranged for ahead of time and
therefore, we, indeed, did expect a large turnout April 10th and
we lied to him about it.

But, as a matter of fact, we had no flatbed truck April 10th. We only
had that half of a 100-watt, battery operated, portable speaker that
I brought--barely louder than a bullhorn--and an old wooden chair
to stand on. We had a priest and six parents scheduled to speak but
politicians miraculously appeared and asked to address the crowd
that turned out in the thousands.

The A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, active members of the community, seeing
that we were, in fact, totally unprepared for such a gathering dashed
off to their office a few blocks away and came back with around nine
or ten volunteer monitors and extra monitor-vests to help aid the
orderliness of the rally. We welcomed their help, as did the police
at the time.

We appointed monitors that cooperated with the police in all they
asked of us at the time. The police did not ask us not to use the
speaker. Two men held the speaker up for the length of the rally
by balancing it on a broomstick. It ran out of juice toward the end
of the rally and we ended the rally with the use of our bullhorn.

All of this evidence points to the truth of the matter-we were totally
unprepared for the turnout-very pleasantly surprised and inspired
as were with the turnout and the politicians that clambered to
speak-but certainly, we were totally unprepared because it was
unexpected. And that's the truth!

Inconsistent rights

We called another rally on May 1, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. and secured
a sound permit from the Entertainment Commission. We were
directed to cooperate with the Northern Police Station about the
street-closure and the specifics for the rally. We planned to and
did rent a flatbed truck that day and a 2000-watt speaker system
all of which was outlined in our sound permit application. The
Northern Police Station felt that it was our free-speech right to
have the street closure and did not require us to apply for the
ISCOTT permit through Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT).

The officers from Northern Police Station were waiting for our
truck May 1st when we arrived at McAllister and Golden Gate at
5:00 p.m. and quickly and efficiently closed the street off to traffic.
In fact, both the police of the Northern Police Station and our
volunteer monitors (again, the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition and
volunteers from those present at the rally recruited on the
spot) worked as a team in complete cooperation with each
other. The rally went off smoothly, within the time limits of
our permit and without incident.

After applying for a sound permit through the Entertainment
Commission for September 16th, we were directed to the Mission
Police Station to coordinate with them. When I called the station
for the first time we were immediately met with hostility. We were
told that since we had deceived them about the April 10th rally
that we had to go through the DPT permit procedure and, further,
that they would recommend to the ISCOTT hearing that our permit
for a street closure in the Mission be denied. When I asked Captain
Goldberg whether the commission ever went against the police
department recommendation he said, "No."

In preparation for September 16th, after a few weeks of negotiations
in which every configuration or street we requested was turned
down by Captain Goldberg, he sent us a letter. He put his
accusations in writing and threatened us with criminal charges
if we underestimated the number we expected to turn out
September 16th and insisted that we go through DPT.

We were in a predicament. We are not clairvoyant and have no
idea how many people may or may not turn out on Sept. 16th.
In my search for some location that the police department would
approve of, I called Sandy Lee of the Recreation and Parks Department
about a recommendation for a suitable park location in The Mission
for a crowd the police estimated, for April 10th, to be 7,000 people-
an estimate we were warned not to go under. Even Dolores Park has
a cap of 5,000 although many demonstrations in that park had many
more than that in attendance, technically, we were told we could not
apply for that park if our estimate was above 5,000 people.

And, we did not want to have a demonstration at Dolores Park anyway.
That park really is on the outskirts of the Mission. We wanted to have
a venue in the community most affected by immigration issues. Our
reasoning was that many undocumented workers do not feel secure
coming to a rally on the outskirts of their community-many believe
that it could expose them to persecution or deportation if they were
seen to consciously go to such a demonstration. Having a rally in
the community itself, where they already are, there is much less
of perceived risk of being singled out as an "agitator" or an "illegal
alien."

We decided to go through the DPT process after all, in the hopes
that we could come to some kind of compromise at the hearing itself.
We drastically scaled down our request for space. We secured toilet
facilities and tried to comply with all the requirements of the
ISCOTT 17-page application, in addition to paying all the permit
application fees totaling over $700.00. We also scaled back on our
speaker system deciding not to rent a truck or powerful speakers
such as we had May 1st and use the same small system we used
April 10th. (Part of the reason for this is that, as an immigrant
group, we have no more money.)

At the hearing this morning I stated that our estimation of the
number of people that would actually come out on Sept. 16th
was far fewer than the numbers that did turn out either April 10th
or May 1st. I stated to the committee that the numbers at that time
were spurred on by that huge outpouring "of the moment" and that
we are not in that same situation now. In fact, we went through
the process for May 1st because we did, indeed, expect larger
crowds that evening-especially since another immigrant rights
rally held during the day on May 1 just a block away would be
letting out at about the same time as our rally began and our
rally had been announced to those people in attendance at the
earlier event.

We repeated this identical process for the Sept. 16th rally
because we wanted to abide by all the requirements necessary
to have a legal and peaceful rally. This morning I stated that we
did not expect anywhere near those numbers-perhaps one or
two hundred people at the most--and we don't even know if
we will need a street closure for this rally.

Then the officer representing the Mission Police Station, again,
stated we were being deceitful, and that thousands could turn
out! Then, within the same breath, he stated that we could have
held the rally at Justin Herman Plaza or at Horace Mann Middle
School. I stated that Justin Herman Plaza, certainly, can't be
considered "The Mission" and that, by the Police Department's
own admonition, we couldn't have estimated our crowd small
enough to even get use of Horace Mann Middle School or Delores
Park or any park or plaza in the area, and, that in any case, the
school would have cost several hundred dollars more than the
$700.00 we have already paid and, would have taken even
longer to apply for.

Our permit was denied without a single dissenting voice or
vote from the ISCOTT committee.

I regret also to say that we had no legal support at the hearing
what so ever and that was extremely disappointing since the
police did blatantly lie to the committee and now there is only
me as a witness to it.

TEXT OF FLYER DISTRIBUTED ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2006 :

POLICE DENY PERMITS TO THE IMMIGRANTS OF THE PEOPLE
UNITED PREVENTING US FROM ORGANIZING IN OUR OWN
NEIGHBORHOOD IN ORDER TO DEMAND UNCONDITIONAL
AND GENERAL AMNESTY

The People United has been engaged in the application
process since May 10th in order to celebrate our national
holidays and find a real solution to our problems as immigrants
and specifically for undocumented immigrants. The police have
completely blocked all of the attempts we have made in having
an assembly in our own neighborhood. There has been no
possible negotiation, and furthermore the police had lied
at the public hearing in order to deny us our permits.

WHY?

Because The People United is the only organization in San
Francisco led by immigrants! Not by the sons of immigrants.
Not by any democratic nor republican parties. Not by any
so called left organizations or parties who claim they want
to save us but won't listen to our demands. Not by organizations
that receive governmental monies or who receive salaries
in order to supposedly help us immigrants get papers. Not
by democratic or republican parties who see us as their
future votes.

NO

We are a group of immigrants who demand a general
and unconditional amnesty for all, we are not talking
about using our people to go vote and elect people
who never fulfill their promises.

We denounce our governments of Mexico, Guatemala,
Nicaragua, Colombia, Peru, etc., for not providing jobs
in our countries and forcing us to leave them.

We denounce the government of the United States
for being an accomplice with the government of our
countries. They work together to bring us here as
a cheap source of labor and many times we are forced
to become scabs.

We denounce the government of the United States for
planning disenfranchisement and dehumanization keeping
us as an army of unemployed with no rights to health,
education, or dignity.

We denounce all the political parties and organizations
that look at us as objects in order to achieve their political
and economic needs and they deny us the right to organize
ourselves and represent our own struggle.

We denounce the police for the constant abuse of our
people of which the negation of this permit of this
assembly is just one more.

Immigrant brothers and sisters, unite in the struggle
for our rights and the general and unconditional
amnesty for all!!!!


MEETING

Date: Thursday, September 21st

Place: 474 Valencia St.

Time: 7pm


POLICIA NIEGA PERMISO A EMIGRANTES DE BARRIO
UNIDO PARA ORGANIZARNOS EN NUESTRO BARRIO
Y DEMANDAR UNA AMNISTIA GENERAL E INCONDICIONAL
PARA TODOS AHORA

Barrio Unido ha solicitado desde el diez de mayo un permiso
para celebrar las fiestas patrias organizándonos en busca de
una solución verdadera a nuestra problemática como emigrantes
en general y en particular para los emigrantes indocumentados.
La Policía ha bloqueado todos los esfuerzos que hemos hecho
para llevar acabo esta asamblea en nuestro barrio. No hubo
negociación posible, encima de todo mintieron para negarnos
el permiso.

PORQUE?

Porque Barrio Unido es la única organización en San Francisco
dirigida por emigrantes! No por los hijos de emigrantes. No por
los partidos democráticos ni republicanos. No por las organizaciones
o partidos supuestamente de izquierda que nos quieren salvar pero
no escuchan nuestras demandas. No por organizaciones que reciben
dinero del gobierno y reciben sueldos para supuestamente ayudarnos
a los emigrantes a conseguir papeles. No por partidos democráticos
o republicanos que nos ven como sus futuros votantes.

NO

Nosotros somos emigrantes que demandamos una amnistía
para todos, no hablamos de utilizar a nuestra gente para votar
y elegir personas que nunca cumplen lo que prometen.

Nosotros denunciamos a nuestros gobiernos México, Guatemala,
Nicaragua, Colombia, Perú, etc., por no proveer fuente de trabajo
en nuestros países y forzarnos a salir de allí.

Nosotros denunciamos al gobierno de los estados unidos
por ser cómplice con los gobiernos de nuestros países, ellos
trabajan en conjunto para traernos aquí como mano de obra
barata y convertimos muchas veces en esquiroles rompe huelgas.

Denunciamos a nuestro gobierno de los estados unidos
por planificar nuestro empobrecimiento y deshumanización
manteniéndonos como una ejercito de desempleados sin
ningún derecho a la salud, a la educación, y la dignidad.

Denunciamos a todos los partidos y organizaciones que nos
miran como objetos para lograr sus propósitos políticos y
económicos y nos niegan el derecho a organizarnos y a nuestra
propia representación.

Denunciamos a la policía por sus constantes abusos a nuestro
pueblo del cual la negación de permiso para esta asamblea
es solo uno más.

Hermanos y hermanas emigrantes, únete a la lucha por nuestros
derechos y por una amnistía general e incondicional.

Reunión

Día: jueves Septiembre 21

Lugar: 474 Valencia St.

Hora: 7pm

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

WE EXTEND OUR SOLIDARITY TO A.N.S.W.E.R. IN THEIR STRUGGLE
AGAINST THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO WHO, ACTING
AS A BODY, ARE INCREASINGLY LIMITING OUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
(INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO POST PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS) AND
THE RIGHT TO FREE ASSEMBLY!
The fees for permits have skyrocketed and the process is long
and complicated. The permit application for DPT is 17 pages long
and full of rules and regulations that must be followed. And both
the City and County and the ACLU have agreed that while we have
the right to free speech, the City and County does, indeed, have
the right to say when and where we may or may not exercise it.

WE SAY NO!

THE CITYS' OBLIGATION IS TO MAKE SURE OUR
RIGHT TO ORGANIZE, PUBLICIZE AND PROTEST IS PROTECTED!
AND THAT OUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH AND THE RIGHT TO
HAVE DIRECT CONTACT WITH OUR OWN CONSTITUENCY
IS GUARANTEED! We must be able to post public events,
and hold public events where the people are. The San Francisco
Police Department routinely protects the rights of the Zionists
when they want to hold counter-demonstrations to our
Antiwar actions. They also protect the "Right to Lifers" when
they want to march down San Francisco's Embarcadero--HERE
IN SAN FRANCISCO--A PRO-CHOICE CITY!
The San Francisco Police Department goes all out to
accommodate them! WHY NOT US!

RESCHEDULED: ANSWER Postering Case Hearing
We are appealing for your support as our free speech lawsuit
against the San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW)
reaches a critical stage. As you may be aware from articles that
have recently appeared in the Bay Guardian, the SF Weekly and
elsewhere, the DPW is attempting to impose fines that now total
more than $45,000 against the local ANSWER Coalition for
postering violations.

We just received word that the hearing for the ANSWER postering
case has been put off for 2 weeks. The new date of the hearing is
Thurs. Sept. 28, 9:30am at Superior Court, 400 McAllister St. (corner
Polk St., SF), 3rd Floor, Dept. 302. If you can, please join us at the
hearing two weeks from today to show your support.

If you would like to read a copy of attorney Ben Rosenfeld’s reply
to the city's response to our lawsuit, which summarizes the main
points of our position, please contact us at 415-821-6545 or
answer@actionsf.org.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

STOP THE WAR! BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR!
SATURDAY, 10/28
(TIME AND LOCATION TBA)

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

THIS JUST IN:

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The Democratic Party's redevelopment plan is stopped by Petition
campaign until 2000! House Speaker Pelosi's, the Board of Supervisor's,
and the Mayor's plans to help the housing profiteers is stopped.

"The Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Area, passed on by the
Board of Supervisors 7-4 , and signed into law by the Mayor on
June 1, 2006, is now officially suspended pending an election at
which the voters will be given the opportunity to decide.  The election
will most likely take place during a normally scheduled general
election in 2007."

SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

Just before 5 pm today, Tuesday, September 12, 2006, John Arntz,
Director of Elections for the City and County of San Francisco officially
certified that the  REFERENDUM PETITION opposing the creation
of a Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Area as successful.

The Department of Elections found that more than the minimum
number of 21,615 valid signatures were submitted by Petition
sponsors.  Sponsors had submitted in excess of  33,000 signatures 
on August 30th, 2006 after a 90 day signature gathering drive. 
San Francisco has not seen a successful referendum petition drive
in decades.  A referendum allows San Francisco  voters to decide
on the merits of legislation passed by the Board of Supervisors.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

The Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Area, passed on by the
Board of Supervisors 7-4 , and signed into law by the Mayor on
June 1, 2006, is now officially suspended pending an election
at which the voters will be given the opportunity to decide. 
The election will most likely take place during a normally
scheduled general election in 2007.

SUPPORTES HAIL VICTORY:

Petition supporters hailed the results as a victory for democracy
and echoed their campaign slogan "Let the Voters Decide!  
Petition supporter , Willie Ratcliff,publisher of the Bayview Newspaper
said "This special interest legislation was never about the benefiting
the community. Now ,finally,  the will of the voters can be expressed
democratically, at the ballot."

CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFO:   
Brian Murphy O'Flynn     415-867-4370

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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARTICLES IN FULL
LINKS ONLY

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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Free the Cuban Five!
September 23, 2006
Washington, DC
Breaking News...
On Aug. 9, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its en banc
decision denying a new trial to the Cuban Five. On August 10,
the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five, together with
the National Lawyers Guild, sponsored an emergency press
conference in Washington in response to the decision.
A partial transcript to that press conference, in English
and Spanish, is here.
A March on the White House will be held on September 23
to continue to press forward with efforts to free the Five.
We urge all supporters to make every effort to join us on
that march. A public demonstration of support for the Five,
and outrage at their continued imprisonment, has never
been more vital. Details of the march are found at the
website below.
Join us in Washington on Sept. 23! Free the Cuban Five!
http://www.freethefive.org/

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IRAN WAR PERIL — EX-CIA MAN’S SF TALK SEPT. 24

The "threat" from Iran: Are mushroom clouds ahead?
Ray McGovern, a CIA analyst for 27 years, addresses
that issue at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, September 24, in the
First Unitarian Universalist Church (Starr King Room),
Franklin and Geary Streets, San Francisco.

McGovern will touch on Iraq too: "How we got in and
how we get out." Last May in Atlanta, national TV
networks showed him accusing Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld of prewar lying about supposed Iraqi weapons
of mass destruction.

McGovern founded Veteran Intelligence Professionals
for Sanity. He served the Central Intelligence Agency
from the Kennedy Administration to that of George H.
W. Bush. Awarded an Intelligence Commendation Medal,
he returned it following the revelations of torture.

There will be a question period until about 2 p.m.
Optional lunch (bring it or buy it) precedes the
program at 12:15. Cosponsors are the church’s World
Community Advocates and the War and Law League (WALL).

Following the program, WALL conducts its biennial
meeting. It is a nonpartisan, all-volunteer, San
Francisco-based group that opposes presidential wars
and aims at the rule of law in U.S. foreign affairs.

Public transit to the Unitarian Church includes
Muni's 47 and 49 bus lines on Van Ness Avenue, one
block east of Franklin, and the 38-Geary bus(which
connects with BART at the Montgomery Street Station).

For further information: (415) 738-8298 or (415)
564-2083; warandlaw@yahoo.com; http://warandlaw.org.

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"No Thanks Bechtel!"
...for the Iraq war
...for undermining democracy
...for sick Iraqi children
...for destruction of the environment
...for nuclear weapons

Join us! Wednesday, Sept 27, 4:00 PM
Bechtel Corporate Headquaters, 50 Beale St, San Francisco
Half a block east from Embarcadero BART

DECLARE Peace - an end to war and war profiteering!
For more info on this event, please contact Lacy MacAuley at
Butterfly@Lacy.com.

For more info on Declaration of Peace, including a full calendar of events,
please visit:
http://www.declarationofpeace.org

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Urgent call from October 22 Coalition against Police Brutality, SF
October 22 Coalition against Police Brutality, Repression
and Criinalization of a generation
National Day of Protest, March and Rally in SF, Planning
NO MORE STOLEN LIVES ! NO MAS VIDAS ROBADAS !
Contact:
mesha Monge-Irizarry
Idriss Stelley Foundation
(415) 595-8251 24HR Bilingual Spa. Crisis line
iolmisha@cs. com
How: Already involved are : October 22 Bay Area, Idriss
Stelley Foundation, SF CEDP (Campaign to End the Death
Penalty, ISO (International Socialist Organization, Bay Area),
Bay Area Families of Victims and Survivors of Police brutality,
Code Pink
http://www.october22.org/
GET INVOLVED: To join our mailing list, please write to:
sf1022-talk-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

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U.S. Out of Iraq Now! We Are the Majority!
End Colonial Occupation from Iraq,
to Palestine, Haiti, and Everywhere!
October 28 National Day of Action
Locally Coordinated Anti-War Protests from Coast to Coast
Vote With Your Feet … and Your Voices, and Banners, and Signs!
Let Every Politician Feel the Power of the People!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7836

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October 28 National Day of Action
Locally Coordinated Anti-War Protests from Coast to Coast
Vote With Your Feet … and Your Voices, and Banners, and Signs!
Let Every Politician Feel the Power of the People!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7836
http://www.actionsf.org/
http://answer.pephost.org/site/News2?abbr=ANS_&page=NewsArticle&id=7869

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End Canada's Occupation of Afghanistan!
Call for action on October 28, 2006

This call for a pan-Canadian day of action, co-signed by the
Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Islamic Congress, the
Canadian Labour Congress and the Montreal coalition Echec
a la Guerre, is being distributed and discussed at the World Peace
Forum now taking place in Vancouver. -SV The Collectif Échec
à la guerre, Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Labour Congress,
and the Canadian Islamic Congress are jointly calling for a pan-
Canadian day of protest this October 28th, 2006, to bring Canadian
troops home from Afghanistan.

On that day, people all across the country will unite to tell
Stephen Harper that we are opposed to
his wholehearted support for Canadian and U.S. militarism.
This October marks the fifth anniversary of the invasion and
occupation of Afghanistan, and the people of that country are
still suffering from the ravages of war. Reconstruction in the
country is at a standstill and the needs of the Afghan people
are not being met. The rule of the new Afghan State, made
up largely of drug running warlords, will not realize the
democratic aspirations of the people there. In fact, according
to Human Rights Watch reports, the human rights record
of those warlords in recent years has not been better than
the Taliban.

We are told that the purpose of this war is to root out terrorism
and protect our societies, yet the heavy-handed approach of
a military occupation trying to impose a US-friendly
government on the Afghan people will force more Afghans
to become part of the resistance movement. It will also
make our societies more -- not less -- likely to see terrorist
attacks.

No discussion on military tactics in the House of Commons
will change that reality. Indeed, violence is increasing with
more attacks on both coalition troops and on Afghan civilians.
While individual Canadian soldiers may have gone to Afghanistan
with the best of intentions, they are operating under the
auspices of a US-led state building project that cares little
or the needs of the Afghan people. US and Canadian interests
rest with the massive $3.2 billion Trans Afghan Pipeline (TAP)
project, which will bring oil from the Caspian region through
southern Afghanistan (where Canada is stationed) and onto the
ports of Pakistan.

It has been no secret that the TAP has dominated US foreign
policy towards Afghanistan for the last decade. Now Canadian
oil and gas corporations have their own interests in the TAP.
Over the last decade, the role of the Canadian Armed Forces
abroad has changed, and Canadian foreign policy has become
a replica of the US empire-building rhetoric. The end result
of this process is now plain to see with the role of our troops
in Southern Afghanistan, with the enormous budget increases
for war expenditures and "security," with the Bush-style speeches
of Stephen Harper, and with the fear campaigns around
"homegrown terrorism" to foster support for those nefarious
changes.

It is this very course that will get young Canadian soldiers killed,
that will endanger our society and consume more and more
of its resources for destruction and death in Afghanistan.
We demand a freeze in defense and security budgets until
an in-depth public discussion is held on those issues across
Canada. The mission in Afghanistan has already cost Canadians
more than $4 billion. That money could have been used to fund
human needs in Canada or abroad. Instead it is being used
to kill civilians in Afghanistan and advance the interests
of corporations.

On October 28th, stand up and be counted.
Canadian Troops Out of Afghanistan Now!

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San Francisco Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday, November 14th, 7PM
555 Franklin Street, 1st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
415/241-6427
The Board will vote on a resolution to phase out JROTC.

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Close the SOA and Change Oppressive U.S. Foreign Policy
Nov. 17-19, 2006 - Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia

People's Movements across the Americas are becoming increasingly more
powerful. Military "solutions" to social problems as supported by
institutions like the School of the Americas were unable to squash their
voices, and the call for justice and accountability is getting louder each
day.

Add your voice to the chorus, demand justice for all the people of the
Americas and engage in nonviolent direct action to close the SOA and
change oppressive U.S. foreign policy.

With former SOA graduates being unmasked in Chile, Argentina, Colombia,
Paraguay, Honduras, and Peru for their crimes against humanity, and with
the blatant similarities between the interrogation methods and torture
methods used at Abu Ghraib and those described in human rights abuse cases
in Latin America, the SOA/WHINSEC must be held accountable!

Visit http://www.soaw.org to learn more about the November Vigil, hotel
and travel information, the November Organizing Packet, and more.

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!

Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
and its people?

Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?

Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
Palestinian refugees?

Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
http://al-awda.org/shop.html
and help support a great organization and cause!!

Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
(in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.

You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.

Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!

Visit http://al-awda.org/shop.html for these great items, and more!

The Educational Supplies Division
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.

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IN VOGUE:
Unspeakably grotesque, This spread was so galling I felt a primal
scream rising inside me. And it was not because I am a woman.
The link is
http://www.voguevan ity.it/cont/ 060hvg/default. asp
The wounds of "western civilization" inflict themselves over
and over...unapologetic , shameless...ditto BW
http://www.voguevanity.it/cont/060hvg/default.asp

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A CALL TO SUPPORT THE CASE OF ELVIRA ARELLANO
Stand in solidarity with all immigrants, documented and undocumented

The IAC urges you to support the case of Elvira Arellano. Elvira is
an undocumented worker who is taking a heroic stand against
deportations and fighting for her rights. She is a native of Michoacán,
Mexico who came to the U.S. like many of the other 12 million
undocumented in this country, in search of work and a better life.

In 2002, Elvira was detained by Homeland Security agents in an
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweep at O’Hare Airport
in Chicago under the guise of allegedly looking for “terrorists”. She
was detained by the Department of Homeland Security for using
a false social security number on her job at O’Hare.

On August 18, 2006 Elvira Arellano and her seven year old son,
Saul who is a US citizen, took sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist
Church in Chicago instead of reporting for deportation, primarily
because Saul has health problems. She has pledged to live indefinitely
in the church until granted a reprieve.

Elvira is a well known activist, representing many families in
Congressional hearings and speaking on behalf of immigrant rights.
She worked to organize in July 2005 a march of 50,000 for immigrant
rights in Chicago, and went on a hunger strike to support workers who
were picked up by ICE prior to the historic May 1st boycott in 2006.
Arellano was a founder of both La Familia Latina Unida and the
Coalition of African Arab Asian European and Latino Immigrants
of Illinois (CAAAELII).

The case of Elvira Arellano is a just case

Elvira Arellano has become the symbol of resistance to the heartless
and callous deportations that are sweeping the country. Despite
a legislative standstill in Congress, not only are deportations
escalating, local officials around the nation are implementing
de facto immigration policy that amount to a witch-hunt against
immigrants. A case in point is the anti-immigrant ordinance that
passed in July in Hazelton, PA.

Due to her heroic stand, a group of Black ministers spoke last
week at Adalberto Methodist of the comparisons of Arellano
to Rosa Parks. Reverend Albert Tyson said he hopes “their
support would increase the bonds between Latinos and African-
Americans.” At the meeting Arellano said, “I don’t only speak
for me and my son, but for millions of families like mine.”
Supporters from the predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood
chanted, “Luchando mano y mano, Boriqua y Mexicano!”
(“Fighting hand in hand, Puerto Rican and Mexican!”)

Elvira Arellano is the perfect example that the anti-immigrant
hysteria sweeping the country is an inhumane situation that
has become intolerable. The human rights of immigrants are
being cruelly violated under the guise of fighting terrorism
or stopping “illegal” immigration. In fact, no human being
is illegal and whether in the U.S. documented or undocumented,
immigrants have a right to live in peace, without fear of evictions
from their homes or the country.

How you can help Elvira:

1. Write letters to Illinois Senators Richard Durbin and Barack
Obama as well as your own legislator urging them to prevent
her deportation.

For Senator Durbin visit: http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm#contact
For Senator Obama: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/index.php

2. Send Letters to the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune
asking them to stop demonizing Elvira as well as all immigrants.
Their emails are letters@suntimes.com and ctc-tribletter@tribune.com.

3. Send letters of support directly to Elvira at the organization she works
with and who has been spearheading her support, Sin Fronteras
at Centro Sin Fronteras 2300 S. Blue Island Ave., Chicago IL 60608
or visit the website: www.legalizationyes.com .
For Spanish speakers visit:
www.legalizacionsi.com

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"The Ground Truth" opens Friday, September 15

Host a "Ground Truth Gathering"

From October 4th - 11th, join 1000's as we gather across America
in churches, universities, community centers, town halls, coffee
houses and living rooms to screen THE GROUND TRUTH, engage
in conversation, and listen to Iraq veterans.

THE GROUND TRUTH depicts with ferocious honesty the terrible
conflict in Iraq, a prelude to the even more challenging battles
fought by soldiers when they return home to personal demons,
an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government.

Theatrical opening Friday, September 15, 2006
at Landmark Theaters in the following cities:
Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Austin,
Washington, D.C., San Francisco

*Additional screening nationwide -
For details, go to: www.thegroundtruth. net

Purchase a DVD through this link and VFP recieves
a portion of the proceeds. Price is $14.98
http://groundtruthstore.seenon.com/?pa=vfp

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Global Chalk4Peace
Sept 16/17th
OUR STREETS are OUR MEDIA
WE have TOTAL access
We CAN Make THE Difference
ON THE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 16 & 17th Chalk4Peace!
On the pavements and sidewalks of our towns and cities
You are invited to Take Action!
To Participate in this GLOBAL outpouring of public art. Where we make
our personal statements for peace on the pavements and sidewalks of
our cities all over our world.
http://www.infinitepossibility.org/chalk2006/

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TWO AMICUS BRIEFS FILED FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL WITH
THE 3RD CIRCUIT FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IN JULY 2006

These pdf files can be found on Michael Schiffmann's web site at:

http://againstthecrimeofsilence.de/english/copy_of_mumia/legalarchive/

The first brief is from the National Lawyers Guild.
The second brief is from the NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, Inc.

Howard Keylor
For the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
www.laboractionmumia.org.

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My Only Son: United States Marine

American Service Men and Women Dead - 2,656*

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments
leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess
and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."

George W. Bush
President of the United States
State of the Union Address
January 28, 2003

Six years old
I wait for sound of car motor,
for light beams splashing across my blue walls,
for footsteps thumping across front porch,
in a few moments for my bedroom lamp snapped on.
My Dad fills the diameter of my door.
"There's my good boy," he booms.
I prop myself up for his offering,
bowl heaped with strawberry ice cream

I turn my car into driveway,
see headlights splash across window
of my six-year-old son's bedroom,
wonder if he hears thumping of my footsteps.
In a few moments
I fill diameter of his door.
"There's my good boy," I laugh.
He props himself up,
his hands reach for my offering,
bowl heaped with strawberry ice cream

I can't sleep tonight,
flip on television for Jay Leno's wisdom,
flick dials for rest of Ted Kopell's "Night Line,"
find something engrossing on Public Broadcasting.
Irritable from multitudes of sound, I turn it off,
slip off, wake up, doze, sit up.
I hear car coming slowly up the road
I lie still. . .
"Keep going. . . . . . . Keep Going!" It does
I lie back. Toss, tangle myself in sheet, blankets

A little after three
I hear car coming slowly up the road.
"Keep going. . . . . . . Keep going!"
Car turns into driveway,
lights splash across my blue walls,
thumping of steps on front porch.
I run down downstairs.
In crisply pressed dress blues
they fill diameter of my door.
Three United States Marines

*September 5, 2006

Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr. ©
Permission Given to Use Poem with Author Credit
E-mail: Maxwell623@aol.com

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When Your Soldier Comes Back Home
by Martha Ann Brooks, wife of an OIF Veteran with PTSD
Click here to listen
http://www.broadjam.com/player/playerhosting.asp?play_file=19161_164607

When your soldier comes back home
You will be happy
You want things to be like they were before
But your soldier has been forged through trial by fire
After all he lived through war
Be patient when you see he’s not the same
Your soldier’s changed
When your soldier comes back home
He will be different
He’ll think about those that gave their lives
He might be feelin guilty that he’s living
He will keep that guilt inside
It may show sometimes in things he’ll say and do
Please help him through
Chorus:
War is never over
For the ones who fought side by side
They are bruised and battered
The deepest wounds don’t show outside
You may think that time will heal
There is no healing
The days are like sandbags around him
But ghosts will not be held back by a wall
Bad memories always win
If you love him you must be the one who stays
You must be strong
When your soldier comes back home
Chorus:
War is never over
For the ones who fought side by side
They are bruised and battered
The deepest wounds don’t show outside

Story Behind the Song

Veterans often come home from war to family members
who expect them to pick up where they left off. For the
combat vet, that is not always possible. I wrote this song
in the hope that it will help families and friends of returning
veterans embrace them with understanding.
The song is currently #2 on Neil Young's website.
http://www.neilyoung.com/lwwtoday/index.html

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SIR! NO SIR!
I urge everyone to get a copy of "Sir! No Sir!" at:
http://www.sirnosir.com/
It is an extremely informative and powerful film
of utmost importance today. I was a participant
in the anti-Vietnam war movement. What a
powerful thing it was to see troops in uniform
leading the march against the war! If you would
like to read more here are two very good
publications:

Out Now!: A Participant's Account of the Movement
in the United States Against the Vietnam War
by Fred Halstead (Hardcover - Jun 1978)

and:

GIs speak out against the war;: The case of the
Ft. Jackson 8; by Fred Halstead (Unknown Binding - 1970).

Both available at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/103-1123166-0136605?search-alias=books&rank=+availability,-proj-total-margin&field-author=Fred%20Halstead

In solidarity,

Bonnie Weinstein

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Endorse the following petition:
Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/664280276?z00m=99090&z00m=99090<l=1155834550

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SUPPORT "TAKING AIM":
KPFA RADIO is considering airing the very informative program,
"Taking Aim," produced by Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone. We
encourage everyone who has heard and appreciated this show
to contact KPFA's Tracy Rosenberg and let her know you want the
show to air:

tracyrose@gmail.com

Here's my letter:

In solidarity,
Bonnie Weinstein

Dear Tracy,

The program, "Taking Aim", with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone
is a one-of-a-kind, powerfully informative program. Schoenman
and Shone are leading experts in the history of the Middle East with
years of experience living in the region. They are both important
reporters for news that the mainstream media tries to hide or
distort. "Taking Aim" would be a very valuable addition to the fine
programing already on KPFA.

More importantly, the information disseminating from this program
and the serious work of Schoenman and Shone, provide invaluable facts
that KPFA listeners need to hear--truth that is told nowhere else.

The more in-depth information that is made available to the general
public--your listeners--from "Taking Aim" will help to further
educate your well-informed audience.

I strongly urge you to add this program to your broadcasts.

In my opinion, "Taking Aim" and the work of Schoenman and Shone
compares well with Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now." I wish it could
be on every day.

Sincerely,

Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War
www.bauaw.org

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END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
Personalize the message text on the right with
your own words, if you wish.
Click the Next Step button to send your letter
to these decision makers:
President George W. Bush
Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
Your Senators
Your Representative
Go here to register your outrage:
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?
JServSessionIdr003=cga2p2o6x1.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=177

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Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
Status! Checks can me made out to
ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeo9ewi/idrissstelleyfoundation/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/isf23/
Report Police Brutality
24HR Bilingual hotline
(415) 595-8251
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Justice4Asa/

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VICTORY! REFERENDUM AGAINST REDEVELOPMENT OF
THE BAYVIEW WILL BE ON THE BALLOT!
Update on the petition to save Bayview Hunters Point:
No more Fillmore!
Editorial by Willie Ratcliff,
http://www.sfbayview.com/060706/signthepetition060706.shtml

In a message dated 9/2/06 11:25:12 AM, editor@sfbayview.com writes:
Redevelopment referendum update: Claiming the victory: Mirroring
New Orleans’ protests against ethnic cleansing, a second line-style
funeral procession arrived at San Francisco City Hall Wednesday,
the band playing “St. James Infirmary,” the hearse containing
a coffin marked “Redevelopment RIP” to mark the death of the
Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Plan. During a rally and
press conference on the steps of City Hall, all the leading
candidates for District 10 Supervisor opposing incumbent
Sophie Maxwell – Marie Harrison, Espanola Jackson and Charlie
Walker – spoke out strongly against the Plan.

On Aug. 30, the deadline for the referendum petition drive
against the Plan to turn in the required 20,972 signatures
of San Francisco voters, petition drive supporters are turning
in 32,820 signatures, demonstrating the overwhelming
opposition to the Plan in Bayview Hunters Point and throughout
the City. Within 30 days, City Hall will validate the signatures,
then send the referendum to the Board of Supervisors
for reconsideration, where the Plan will either be killed
or placed on the ballot in November 2007. At that point,
the Chronicle wrote in its lead editorial Wednesday, “San
Francisco voters may well choose to side with them
(the referendum organizers).” The mood at the rally was
jubilant, with everyone dancing as the band played, “When
the Saints Go Marching In” to City Hall for a new era
of Black and Brown Power!

Website update: What's happening with SFBayView?
The Bay View’s website, www.sfbayview.com
http://www.sfbayview.com/
Give us a call at
(415) 671-0789 or an email at editor@sfbayview.com.
Now for what we’re up against: The Bay View newspaper
has been too broke to help finance the petition campaign,
very few contributions have come in and bills are overdue.
So the petition drive needs financial help … and so does
the Bay View newspaper, desperately.
The Bay View has faced many crises in the over 14 years
we’ve published it – eviction, death threats, never enough
money – yet readers have always come through, enabling
us to bounce back, tackle bigger issues and fight harder
than ever. We hate to beg, but WE NEED YOU NOW.
WITHOUT AN IMMEDIATE AND SUBSTANTIAL LOAN, THE
BAY VIEW CANNOT CONTINUE. To discuss a loan, which
we can amply collateralize, please call us at (415) 671-0789;
we’re here 24/7. Tax-deductible contributions to our
nonprofit arm, the Hurricane Relief Information Network,
are also a big help to save the hopes and the lives
of survivors who depend on the Bay View for news and resources.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Appeal for funds:
Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailiraq.com
Request for Support
Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
operating expenses.
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

New Flash Film
From Young Ava Over At 'Peace Takes Courage'
http://www.peacetakescourage.com/page-blog.htm
http://letter.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Save the Lebanese Civilians Petition
http://epetitions.net/julywar/index.php
http://donations.tayyar.org/
To The Concerned Citizen of The World:
http://epetitions.net/julywar/index.php

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Legal update on Mumia Abu-Jamal’s case
Excerpts from a letter written by Robert R. Bryan, the lead attorney
for death row political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal.
...On July 20, 2006, we filed the Brief of Appellee and Cross
Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, in the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.
http://www.workers.org/2006/us/mumia-0810/

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Today in Palestine!
For up to date information on Israeli's brutal attack on
human rights and freedom in Palestine and Lebanon go to:
http://www.theheadlines.org

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

For a great car magnet--a black ribbon with the words, "Bring
the troops home now!" written in red, and it also comes in a
lapel pin!--go to:
(Put out by A.N.S.W.E.R.)
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Ecommerce?store_id=1621

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
The full text of the book can be found for free at:
http://www.marxists.de/middleast/schoenman/

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Note: Thanks to Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh for sharing this information.
qumsi001@hotmail.com writes:

"My awareness of the essential nature of Judaism resists the idea of a
Jewish state with borders, an army, and a measure of temporal power, no
matter how modest. I am afraid of the inner damage Judaism will sustain -
especially from the development of a narrow nationalism within our own
ranks, against which we have already had to fight strongly, even without a
Jewish state." Albert Einstein
http://globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/other/einstein.htm

"Among the most disturbing political phenomena of our time is the
emergence in the newly created state of Israel of the "Freedom Party"
(Tnuat Haherut, precursor to the Likud-MQ), a political party closely
akin in its organization, methods, political philosophy and social
appeal to the Nazi and Fascist parties. It was formed out of the
membership and following of the former Irgun Zvai Leumi,
a terrorist, right-wing, chauvinist organization in Palestine.
The current visit of Menahem Begin, leader of
this party to the United States is obviously calculated to give the
impression of American support for his party in the coming Israeli
elections, and to cement political ties with conservative Zionist elements
in the United States." From a letter signed by prominent Jews including
Einstein published in the NY Times Dec. 2, 1948
(http://www.qumsiyeh.org/einsteinetalonbegin/)

When approached to sign a petition to condemn the Arab revolt
in Palestine and to support the settlement of Jews Sigmund
Freud wrote in response: "I cannot do as you wish. I am unable
to overcome my aversion to burdening the public with my name,
and even the present critical time does not seem to me to warrant
it. Whoever wants to influence the masses must give them
something rousing and inflammatory and my sober judgment
of Zionism does not permit this. I concede with sorrow that
the baseless fanaticism of our people is in part to be blamed
for the awakening of Arab distrust. I can raise no sympathy
at all for the misdirected piety which transforms a piece
of a Herodian wall into a national relic, thereby offending the feelings of
the natives. Now judge for yourself whether I, with such
a critical point of view, am the right person to come forward as the
solace of a people deluded by unjustified hope."
Freud's Letter to Dr. Chaim Koffler Keren HaYassod, Vienna: 26 February
1930; posted at the Freud Institute in UK website:
http://www.freud.org.uk./arab-israeli.html

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE
For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
www.lynnestewart.org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
www.lynnestewart.org

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
Who are the Cuban Five?
The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
Fernando González and René González.
The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
charges.
But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
The Five’s actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
weapons while in the United States.
The Cuban Five’s mission was to stop terrorism
For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
have died as a result of these terrorists’ attacks.

Gerardo
Hernández
2 Life Sentences

Antonio
Guerrero
Life Sentence

Ramon
Labañino
Life Sentence

Fernando
González
19 Years

René
González
15 Years

Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
http://www.freethefive.org/

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Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
elsewhere, the website is:
www.mexico.indymedia.org/oaxaca
http://www.mexico.indymedia.org/oaxaca

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY.ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
http://www.indybay.org

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Iraq Body Count
For current totals, see our database page.
http://www.iraqbodycount.net/press/pr13.php

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

The Cost of War
[Over three-hundred-billion so far...bw]
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

"The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
- Mort Sahl

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
- Emilano Zapata
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Join the Campaign to
Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
Go to:
http://www.shutitdown.org/
to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org http://www.actionsf.org
sf@internationalanswer.org
2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
San Francisco: 415-821-6545

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Great Counter-Recruitment Website
http://notyoursoldier.org/article.php?list=type&type=14

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
CIVIL RIGHTS!

Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
condition from the Arizona desert.

Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!

Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
and those who support them!

For more information call 415-821- 9683.
For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
visit www.nomoredeaths.org.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

FYI
According to "Minimum Wage History" at
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html "

"Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.

"A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
the state minimum wage at $4.35."

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
http://www.10reasonsbook.com/
Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
See this article from USA Today:
Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
February 13, 2006
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-02-13-education-panel_x.htm

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/decind.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/declar.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805195.php

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
http://www.indybay.org/news/2006/02/1805182.php

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
ARTICLES IN FULL:
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

1) Raúl Castro Speaks Out Against U.S. at Summit Talks
By MARC LACEY
September 16, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/16/world/americas/16cuba.html

2) Immigration raid cripples Ga. town
By RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 15, 2:13 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_re_us/immigration_aftermath_1

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

1) Raúl Castro Speaks Out Against U.S. at Summit Talks
By MARC LACEY
September 16, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/16/world/americas/16cuba.html

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 15 — Raúl Castro, who is standing in as Cuba’s
leader while his brother, Fidel, recuperates from surgery, railed at
the United States during a summit meeting in Havana of nonaligned
nations on Friday, urging them to unite against “unacceptable acts
of aggression essentially motivated by insatiable appetite for strategic
resources.”

Mr. Castro’s first public speech since taking power in July was just as
stridently anti-Washington as those offered by his elder brother.
He spoke of the Bush administration’s “irrational pretensions for
world dominance” and called “absurd” its aggressive military spending
now that the cold war is over.

“With regard to international relations, we are not the decisive force
that we could be,” Mr. Castro, 75, told members of the 118-member
group of developing nations. “The Non-Aligned Movement now has
to wage courageous battles against unilateralism, double standards
and the impunity granted to those in power, for a fairer and more
equal international order.”

The United States declined observer status at the summit meeting.
In Miami, however, the Bush administration’s top Cuban-American
official, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, delivered his own
rebuke to Cuba’s government.

Condemning repression on the island and calling Raúl Castro “simply
another military dictator,” Mr. Gutierrez called on Cuba to hold
a referendum on its future leadership, a proposal that the
Communist government would surely dismiss.

“Why not ask the people?” Mr. Gutierrez said at conference on Latin
America’s economic future, which attracted leaders from throughout
the region. “Let the Cuban people speak. Let the Cuban people
determine their own destiny.”

Noticeably absent from the fray in Havana was Fidel Castro, 80,
who continued his recuperation. Cuban newspaper photographs
showed him clad in pajamas while meeting with Secretary General
Kofi Annan of the United Nations, and President Hugo Chávez
of Venezuela.

“Despite the rigor and will with which he pursues his treatment and
physical therapy, the doctors have insisted that he continue to rest,”
Felipe Pérez Roque, Cuba’s foreign minister, told reporters on Friday.

The Non-Aligned Movement began during the cold war, when many
nations were firmly allied with either the United States or the Soviet
Union. The group has lived on, and now has 118 members that see
themselves as the voice for the developing world.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

2) Immigration raid cripples Ga. town
By RUSS BYNUM, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 15, 2:13 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_re_us/immigration_aftermath_1

Trailer parks lie abandoned. The poultry plant is scrambling to
replace more than half its workforce. Business has dried up at
stores where Mexican laborers once lined up to buy food, beer
and cigarettes just weeks ago.

This Georgia community of about 1,000 people has become little
more than a ghost town since Sept. 1, when federal agents began
rounding up illegal immigrants.

The sweep has had the unintended effect of underscoring just
how vital the illegal immigrants were to the local economy.

More than 120 illegal immigrants have been loaded onto buses
bound for immigration courts in Atlanta, 189 miles away. Hundreds
more fled Emanuel County. Residents say many scattered into the
woods, camping out for days. They worry some are still hiding
without food.

At least one child, born a U.S. citizen, was left behind by his
Mexican parents: 2-year-old Victor Perez-Lopez. The toddler's
mother, Rosa Lopez, left her son with Julie Rodas when the raids
began and fled the state. The boy's father was deported to Mexico.

"When his momma brought this baby here and left him, tears
rolled down her face and mine too," Rodas said. "She said, `Julie,
will you please take care of my son because I have no money,
no way of paying rent?'"

For five years, Rodas has made a living watching the children
of workers at the Crider Inc. poultry plant, where the vast majority
of employees were Mexican immigrants. She learned Spanish,
and considered many immigrants among her closest friends.
She threw parties for their children's birthdays and baptisms.

The only child in Rodas' care now, besides her own son, is Victor.
Her customers have disappeared.

Federal agents also swarmed into a trailer park operated by
David Robinson. Illegal immigrants were handcuffed and taken
away. Almost none have returned. Robinson bought an American
flag and posted it by the pond out front — upside down, in protest.

"These people might not have American rights, but they've damn
sure got human rights," Robinson said. "There ain't no reason
to treat them like animals."

The raids came during a fall election season in which immigration
is a top issue.

Last month, the federal government reported that Georgia had
the fastest-growing illegal immigrant population in the country.
The number more than doubled from an estimated 220,000 in
2000 to 470,000 last year. This year, state lawmakers passed
some of the nation's toughest measures targeting illegal immigrants,
and Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue last week vowed a statewide
crackdown on document fraud.

Other than the Crider plant, there isn't much in Stillmore. Four
small stores, a coin laundry and a Baptist church share downtown
with City Hall, the fire department and a post office. "We're poor
but proud," Mayor Marilyn Slater said, as if that is the town motto.

The 2000 Census put Stillmore's population at 730, but Slater
said uncounted immigrants probably made it more than 1,000.
Not anymore, with so many homes abandoned and the streets
practically empty.

"This reminds me of what I read about Nazi Germany, the Gestapo
coming in and yanking people up," Slater said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Marc Raimondi
would not discuss details of the raids. "We can't lose sight
of the fact that these people were here illegally," Raimondi said.

At Sucursal Salina No. 2, a store stocked with Mexican fruit sodas
and snacks, cashier Alberto Gonzalez said Wednesday that the
owner may shutter the place. By midday, Gonzalez has had only
six customers. Normally, he would see 100.

The B&S convenience store, owned by Keith and Regan Slater,
the mayor's son and grandson, has lost about 80 percent
of its business.

"These people come over here to make a better way of life,
not to blow us up," complained Keith Slater, who keeps a portrait
of Ronald Reagan on the wall. "I'm a die-hard Republican,
but I think we missed the boat with this one."

Since the mid-1990s, Stillmore has grown dependent on the
paychecks of Mexican workers who originally came for seasonal
farm labor, picking the area's famous Vidalia onions. Many then
took year-round jobs at the Crider plant, with a workforce
of about 900.

Crider President David Purtle said the agents began inspecting
the company's employment records in May. They found 700
suspected illegal immigrants, and supervisors handed out letters
over the summer ordering them to prove they came to the U.S.
legally or be fired. Only about 100 kept their jobs.

The arrests started at the plant Sept. 1. Over the Labor Day
weekend, agents with guns and bulletproof vests converged
on workers' homes after getting the addresses from Crider's files.

Antonio Lopez, who came here two years ago from Chiapas,
Mexico, and worked at the Crider plant, said agents kicked
in his front door. Lopez, 32, and his 15-year-old son were
handcuffed and taken by bus to Atlanta with 30 others. Because
of the boy, Lopez said, both were allowed to return. In his back
pocket, he carries an order to return to Atlanta for a court
hearing Feb. 2.

But now, "there's no people here and I don't have any work,"
he said.

The poultry plant has limped along with half its normal workforce.
Crider increased its starting wages by $1 an hour to help recruit
new workers.

Stacie Bell, 23, started work canning chicken at Crider a week ago.
She said the pay, $7.75 an hour, led her to leave her $5.60-an-hour
job as a Wal-Mart cashier in nearby Statesboro. Still, Bell said she
felt bad about the raids.

"If they knew eventually that they were going to have to do that, they
should have never let them come over here," she said.

---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------
LINKS ONLY
---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------

U.S.-Mexico border fencing passes House - again
Republican Congress votes to build wall of shame
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday (9/14) voted in
favor of building a fence along portions of the border with Mexico,
the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061), this is no doubt a racist anti-
immigrant bill, the vote had more to do with election year politics
than solving immigration issues.
September 15, 2006
http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/

Iraq to Seal Off Baghdad Next Month
By EDWARD WONG
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 15 — The Iraqi government plans to seal
off Baghdad next month by ringing it with a series of trenches
and setting up dozens of traffic checkpoints to control movement
in and out of the city of seven million people, an Interior Ministry
spokesman said today.
September 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/world/middleeast/16iraqcnd.html?hp&ex=1158379200&en=e07a513eed965c9f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Ford Takes New Steps to Cut Costs
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 15 — The Ford Motor Company said
today that it would cut 10,000 more salaried jobs, close two
more factories and eliminate its stock dividend, as the latest
steps in a broad overhaul of its business that it calls the Way
Forward.
September 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/business/16fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1158379200&en=e3f03a9c648efed4&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Ford to Offer Buyouts
By REUTERS
Filed at 1:25 a.m. ET
DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. will offer buyout packages
of up to $140,000 to all of the more than 75,000 workers at its
U.S. plants, the United Auto Workers union said on Thursday,
a day before the automaker details a revised turnaround plan
in response to slumping sales.
September 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-autos-ford-buyout.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Daimler Seeks Partners in China to Build Cars
By KEITH BRADSHER
BEIJING, Sept. 15 — DaimlerChrysler is in talks with companies
in China and elsewhere for the export of subcompact cars to
North America, the company chairman, Dieter Zetsche,
said here today.
The company has concluded that it cannot build its own
subcompact cars in North America cheaply enough
to make money on them, and must import them instead,
Mr. Zetsche said.
September 15, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/business/16chinacnd.html

NASA Scientists See New Signs of Global Warming
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Scientists have long suspected that the recent melting of Arctic Ocean
ice in the summer might be a result of heat-trapping gases building
up in the atmosphere. But yesterday NASA scientists reported that
higher temperatures and a retreat of the sea ice over the last two
winters offered new evidence that the gases were influencing the
region’s climate.
While the summer melting could be a result of a number of
phenomena like the flow of warm water, the scientists said, the
reduction of winter ice two seasons in a row is harder to explain
without invoking the heat-trapping effects of gases like carbon
dioxide.
Such gases block the escape of some heat radiating from the ocean
or earth, like an insulating blanket, even in the depths of the dark
Arctic winter, said Josefino C. Comiso, a senior scientist at NASA’s
Goddard Space Flight Center who uses satellites to study Earth’s
frozen zones.
In the past two winters, the peak of sea ice growth in the Arctic
has been 6 percent below the average peak since the satellite
observations began, Dr. Comiso said. His findings are to be
published this month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
The observed winter changes occur after a string of years in which
the amount of sea ice around the Arctic Ocean has steadily shrunk.
Last year saw what some Arctic experts said was probably the most
open water in the Arctic in a century, and the most since the satellite
observations began in 1978.
Mark Serreze, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center,
said that this summer’s ice retreat was not quite as great as that
in 2005, but that there was still time, before the long Arctic night
begins this month, to see more melting.
Over all, Dr. Serreze said, it was hard to find an explanation for
the shifts other than human-caused warming.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/science/earth/14climate.html

Gay Groups Renew Drive Against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
By LIZETTE ALVAREZ
September 14, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/us/14gay.html?ref=us

Most Mideast Leaders Are Angry About U.S. in Iraq, Annan Says
By WARREN HOGE
September 14, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/world/middleeast/14nations.html

Cut Off, Gazan Economy Nears Collapse
By STEVEN ERLANGER
September 14, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/world/middleeast/14gaza.html?hp&ex=1158292800&en=9a96db5861ee6365&ei=5094&partner=homepage

The Battle for Guantánamo
By TIM GOLDEN
Note: This article will appear in the Sept. 17 issue of The Times Magazine.
September 17, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/17/magazine/17guantanamo.html

Florida: Cuban Exiles Avoid Trial With Plea
By TERRY AGUAYO
Two Cuban exiles who have vehemently opposed Fidel Castro
will avoid a trial on weapons charges after each pleaded guilty
to a single criminal conspiracy charge. The men, Santiago
Alvarez, 65, and Osvaldo Mitat, 64, were scheduled for trial
this week and would have faced up to 20 years in prison
if convicted. But prosecutors reduced the charges in a last-minute
plea deal, and the men now face a maximum sentence of five years.
The men were arrested last year after the Federal Bureau of Investigation
seized machine guns, a grenade launcher and thousands of rounds
of ammunition. They are scheduled for sentencing Nov. 14.
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/us/12brfs-005.html

President Bush’s Address to the Nation
Transcript
[Warning: Only for those with a strong stomach...bw]
September 11, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/11/washington/12bush_transcript.html

Florida: Shackling of Juveniles Is Opposed
By TERRY AGUAYO
The Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office filed motions
in juvenile court seeking to stop the practice of shackling
detained juveniles with handcuffs and leg irons in court.
Juveniles in the state appear in court wearing shackles
and handcuffs regardless of the alleged offense, said
Carlos Martinez, Miami-Dade’s chief assistant public
defender. “By allowing children to appear before them
in chains, judges are conveying a message to the children
that they are dangerous animals,” Mr. Martinez said.
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/us/12brfs-006.html

Chicago Mayor Vetoes Big-Store Minimum Wage
By MONICA DAVEY
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/us/12box.html?ref=us

Harvard Ends Early Admission
By ALAN FINDER and KAREN W. ARENSON
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/education/12harvard.html?adxnnl=1&ref=us&adxnnlx=1158080610-aURnm6fqdbD7Px/O7O6+nw

In Unpredictable District, Some Say Bush Is Politicizing Terrorism
By CARL HULSE
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/us/politics/12colorado.html?ref=us

Protesters in Lebanon Drown Out Blair’s Offers of Aid and Support
By CRAIG S. SMITH
September 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/12/world/middleeast/12lebanon.html?ref=world

Interrogation Methods Rejected by Military Win Bush’s Support
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0908-10.htm

'Gaza is a jail. Nobody is allowed to leave. We are all starving now'
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0908-07.htm

US Army Contemplates Redrawing Middle East Map to Stave-off Looming Global Meltdown
by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed
http://www.opednews.com
August 31, 2006 at 08:09:08
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_nafeez_m_060831_us_army_contemplates.htm

FOCUS | FBI Protests CIA Interrogation Tactics
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091006Y.shtml

Cheney and Rice Defend U.S. Wars
By BRIAN KNOWLTON International Herald Tribune
September 10, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/washington/11policycnd.html?hp&ex=1157947200&en=bbced78b880f7a7d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

At a Secret Interrogation, Dispute Flared Over Tactics
By DAVID JOHNSTON
September 10, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/washington/10detain.html?hp&ex=1157947200&en=7cd606c9fd4d23f9&ei=5094&partner=homepage

We have become rich countries of poor people
By Joseph Stiglitz
Published: September 8 2006 03:00
Last updated: September 8 2006 03:00
https://registration.ft.com/registration/barrier?referer=http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=We+have+become+rich+countries+of+poor+people&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&location=http%3A//www.ft.com/cms/s/7aba84d6-3ed6-11db-b4de-0000779e2340.html

SOS WON’T FADE AWAY
www.soldiersofsolidarity.com/files/relatednewsandreports/reportonSOSmeeting72306.html

Venezuelan Steelworkers' Protest Wins Freedom
of 5 Arrested Co-workers
By: Steven Mather - Venezuelanalysis.com
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006
www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=2067

UAW Local 292 Suspends Democratic Union Elections
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3094

Russian Autoworkers Fight For Recognition
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3159

Vote No At Ford Rouge
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3151

UAW Ends Health Talks With DCX
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3164

Meatpacking & Delphi
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=2967

Lou Dobbs On Delphi
http://www.forthecause.us/ftc-video-CNN-Delphi_060531.wmv

Snakes In Our Halls
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3114

Bereavement
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3107

IEB Decision In Appeal Of Ford Contract
http://futureoftheunion.com/?p=3097

The Legal Debate
Interrogation Methods Rejected by Military Win Bush’s Support
By ADAM LIPTAK
September 8, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/washington/08legal.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

Political Crime and Incompetence
The Fraud in Mexico
By RENÉ DRUCKER COLÍN
September 7, 2006
http://www.counterpunch.org/colin09072006.html

Army Tries Private Pitch For Recruits
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 6, 2006; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501508.html

US police chief says sorry after officers joked about shot woman
by Richard Luscombe in Miami
Aug 11, 2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,1842163,00.html

U.S. Threatens to Revoke Trade Preferences from Left-Leaning
South American Countries
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0906-04.htm

NYC Children Struggle with Hunger, Obesity
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0906-02.htm

Afghanistan: Campaign against Taliban 'Causes Misery and Hunger'
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0906-05.htm

A Top Cuban Leader Thinks Out Loud
Posted on Aug 29, 2006
By Tom Hayden
Veteran social activist Tom Hayden interviews Cuban National
Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060829_tom_hayden_alarcon/

Tireless on the Left,
The Great I.F. Stone
By Geoffrey Wheatcroft
http://www.observer.com/20060911/20060911_Geoffrey_Wheatcroft__culture_books.asp

All Governments Lie! The Life and Times of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone, by
Myra MacPherson. Scribner, 564 pages, $35.

The New York Times | A Sudden Sense of Urgency
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/090706J.shtml

Shares Retreat as Labor Costs Rekindle Inflation Fears
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
September 7, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/business/07stox.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1157652036-vsp/avo26qpWSPtbTDadIw

Labor Costs Shake a Pillar of Fed Policy
By JEREMY W. PETERS
September 7, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/business/07econs.html?ref=business

Gene Called Link Between Life Span and Cancers
By NICHOLAS WADE
September 7, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/science/07stem.html?ref=us

British Leader Announces Plans to Resign in Next Year
By ALAN COWELL
September 7, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/07/world/europe/08blaircnd.html?ref=world

Bush confirms use of CIA secret prisons
By Mark Silva, Washington Bureau. Stephen J. Hedges, Cam Simpson
and Andrew Zajac of the Tribune's Washington Bureau
contributed to this report
September 7, 2006
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609070159sep07,1,5717693.story?coll=chi-news-hed

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