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ENDORSE THE A.N.S.W.E.R. CALL TO ACTION
March 17-18, 2007
GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON THE
4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR!
http://answer.pephost.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=3400&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&JServSessionIdr011=k7a3443r73.app8a

http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage

Please circulate widely
www.answercoalition.org

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Rights activist held in Oaxaca prison
Three students arrested and held incommunicado in Oaxaca
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/80142.html

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Subject: Forward Far and Wide ! Police Attack against
Activist Juanita Young
Contact: New York October 22nd Coalition, 866 235 7814,
oct22ny@yahoo.com
Steve Yip: 917-868-6007
Sally O'Brien 718-930-3625

PRESS CONFERENCE:

Defend Anti-Police Brutality Activist Juanita Young Against
Escalating and Continuing Police Attacks

Thursday, November 30, 2006
10:00am
Steps of City Hall, New York, NY

Sponsors: The October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality,
Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation and the
Justice Committee of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights

Speakers: Representatives of the Family of Juanita Young,
the October 22nd Coalition, the Justice Committee, Council
Member Charles Barron, Lynne Stewart, Djibril Toure of the
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Lourdes Hunter of Safe
OUTside the System (Audre Lorde Project), and others

* * *

On Thursday, November 30th at 10:00am, attorneys, city
council members, supporters and family members of Juanita
Young will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall
demanding an investigation of events leading to the brutality
and arrest of the anti-police brutality activist and that she
be immediately unshackled and released from handcuffs
as she lies helpless in her hospital bed.

On Sunday evening, November 26th, an ambulance was called
for Juanita's daughter. Cops came to the apartment first when
the ambulance arrived. Based on her previous bad experiences
with the police, Juanita wouldn't let the cops in and told them
to leave. The ambulance crew called for backup. Eight cops
barreled into the apartment, and the sergeant started grabbing
people. Juanta told them not to touch her daughter. The sergeant
grabbed Juanita and threw her in a room, and as one of them
tried to hold the door shut, others beat her. After she was able
to run out of the room, all eight of them jumped on her at once,
kicking her in the chest and back as they handcuffed her. Her
daughter pled for them to stop, telling them that Juanita has
asthma. Juanita was arrested and brought to the 43rd precinct.
Because she was having difficulties breathing, she was brought
to the emergency room at Jacobi Hospital, under police custody.
Since then, she has been handcuffed to the bed, guarded by
a cop at all hours, and not allowed phone calls, while suffering
from severe asthma triggered by trauma, pain from brutal
treatment, and the police that continually enter her rooom
to harrass her. Family and friends have not been allowed
in to see her, and her attorney was finally allowed access
only after obtaining a "pass" from the 43rd precinct. Just
after midnight this morning, she was shackled by the police
on duty - alleggedly "protocol" for "flight risks," according
to the a sergeant of the 49th precinct.

Juanita Young is a major activist and public speaker in the
fight to stop police brutality. She and her family have been
targets of police harassment on several occasions, including
an illegal eviction from her home executed by the NYPD.

Her son Malcolm Ferguson was killed by NYPD in March 2000,
a week after he was arrested for being part of a protest
against the verdict in the Amadou Diallo case. She has
been a key organizer of the October 22nd Coalition
to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization
of a Generation since 2000, for the Stolen Lives Project,
and as a member of the Justice Committee of the National
Congress for Puerto Rican Rights. She has stood with
and supported many victims of police violence.

***

Statement from Juanita Young, from her hospital bed
(from November 28, 2006):

This is not the first time the 43rd attacked me and my family.

In March of 2001, during a rally for my son Malcolm Ferguson,
the cops pushed me into the crowd, hoping to incite a riot.
It was evident that they have no intentions of releasing the
pressure they've put on me and my family based on all the
attacks they have put us through. Being the mother of five
children, my responsibility is to protect
the four children I have left, and still cry
out for justice for Malcolm.

Due to the excessive force that they applied to my body,
I'm now in the hospital in severe pain, handcuffed to the
hospital bed until my hand is swollen. The cops are harassing
me and still abusing me as I lay in my hospital bed in severe pain.

Thank you for all your support. Your help is needed.

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Dear Friends of Lynne Stewart,

I am pleased to announce that Lynne Stewart and Michael Ratner have
just accepted our invitation to tour the Bay Area. The confirmed
dates are February 23-25, 2007. Lynne, accompanied by her husband
Ralph Poynter, will stay on several more days for additional meetings.

Our first tour planning meeting to begin work on the tour is set for:

Saturday, December 2 at 10:30 AM
Socialist Action Bookstore
298 Valencia Street (14th and Valencia)
San Francisco

This will be a joint planning meeting of the tour co-sponsors and
friends including:
The Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
The National Lawyers Guild, Bay Are Chapter
The Middle East Children's Alliance
The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
KPFA

Everyone is welcome!

By agreement with Lynne and Michael, the tour proceeds are to be
divided by the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee and the Mobilization
to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. The basic themes of the tour will be defense
of civil liberties and democratic rights. Jeff Mackler will join
Lynne and Michaal to focus on Mumia's case and the associated issues.

Michael is the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the
organization that won the historic law suit in the U.S. Supreme
Court, in regard to Guantanamo detainees, defending the right of
habeas corpus. This victory was reversed by recent congressional
legislation that essentially legitimized torture, while redefining
it. Michael recently returned from Germany, where he and the Center
for Constitutional Rights are central to the effort to bring
President Bush and others in his administration to the German courts
to face charges of war crimes.

Lynne has informed us that federal prosecutors have filed an appeal
of the 2-year jail sentence issued by Federal District Court Judge
John Koeltl. The government, originally seeking to imprison Lynne for
30 years, is seeking a much longer sentence than 2 years and has
appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to get
it. Lynne is also in the early stages of appealing her original 2003
frame-up conviction on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism.

The tour of Lynne and Michael was initiated by the Mobilization to
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee a long
time ago. Unfortunately, the initial dates we confirmed, January
26-28, 2007 had to be changed. The February 23-25 dates are now
certain.

We have taken the initial steps to block out some of the main tour highlights.

1) With the help of Barbara Lubin and the Middle East Children's
Alliance we are in the process of securing King Middle School
(capacity 800) in Berkeley for the major East Bay meeting on Saturday
night, February 24. KPFA will be a co-sponsor.

2) The National Lawyers Guild will take central responsibility for
the first large evening meeting in San Francisco on Friday, February
23.

3) The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center has secured a large hall in
Palo Alto at the Unitarian Church for Sunday, 2-4 PM on February 25.

We have a huge job ahead of us to make this tour a smashing success.
The tour will include many other meetings, press conferences, special
receptions, media interviews, campus and law school engagements and
all the rest. To meet our highest expectations it must be the product
of our collective efforts.

Please don't miss this Saturday's first planning meeting.

In solidarity,

Jeff Mackler,
West Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
Co-Coordinator, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

O: 415-255-1080
Cell: 510-387-7714
H: 510-268-9429

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ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
Victoria Theatre, Mission District
2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

$5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
$10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

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JROTC WILL GO "POTLUCK" CELEBRATION!
CELEBRATE WITH BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006, 7 P.M.
COMPANEROS DEL BARRIO (First floor, to the left and all the
way back to the children's center.)
474 VALENCIA STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, NEAR 16TH STREET

Bring some food to share and let's celebrate a tremendous victory
in ridding our schools of JROTC. Let's put our heads together
and brainstorm:

--community involvement in alternative programs
--continued counter-recruitment activity in the schools
--repealing the No Child Left Behind Act up
for reauthorization in Congress in 2007
--other school, student, parent and community needs
--organizing antiwar work in the schools and the community

and any other ideas you have for future action. Any plans already
under way?

Everyone welcome--please circulate

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please circulate:

Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
of confidential sources.

Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

Thank you,

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
Join us in a campaign to expose and stop the use of these illegal weapons
http://poisondust.org/

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Oaxaca under attack:
APPO had planned a peaceful rally surrounding the city center where the
police are, but a PRI provocation has led to tear gas and broader
fighting initiated by the police.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaxacastudyactiongroup/messages

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URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS.
Call for action to save Iraq's Academics
A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic
liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative
estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many
hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country
in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain,
the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the
US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences
for the future of Iraq.
http://www.brussellstribunal.org/

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Condi and George W. are A Love Story
http://www.blackagendareport.com/

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TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
www.bauaw.org
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!VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARTICLES IN FULL
LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES

*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
Victoria Theatre, Mission District
2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

$5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
$10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

Films such as Century of the Self and The Corporation will
be shown, complemented by new cutting-edge films about
corporate power such as The Forest for the Trees, a documentary
about the legal case of Judy Bari made by the daughter of Bari's
attorney. The final program will be announced in November.

Speakers on Saturday night will begin at 7:00 pm and offer
further insight into the films, corporations, and the structure
of our economy as a whole. In addition, there will be a festival
after-party on the evening of Sunday, December 3 with
refreshments and entertainment.

CounterCorp is an anti-corporate nonprofit organization
accepting no corporate donations. All of your donations
go to exposing the truth about corporations and finding
Alternatives to corporate ownership of our communities.
If you would like to support us, please visit
www.countercorp.org/countercorp-support.htm
and click on "Donate Now." Every little bit helps. Thank you!

Built in 1908 as a vaudeville house, the 500-seat Victoria
Theatre is the oldest theater currently operation in San Francisco.
We thought this would be a perfect setting to begin to dream
beyond the memes of timed obsolescence and creative destruction
that corporations have injected into our societies, to a time before
the corporate agenda prevailed above all else. For directions
and info, please visit www.victoriatheatre.org.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Volunteering both before and/or during
the festival will earn you a FREE PASS to all films and parties!
Please contact volunteers@countercorp.org!

www.countercorp.org -for more info!

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please circulate:

Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
of confidential sources.

Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

Thank you,

Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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

Please forward widely:

Join military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned
community members taking public action!

National Days of Action to:
SUPPORT GI RESISTANCE & GI RIGHTS
END WAR & EMPIRE

RALLY & PROCESSION
SAT DEC. 9, 1pm

War Memorial Veterans Building
401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
(Civic Center BART)

Featuring:
Iraq War Resisters:
Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
Jeff Paterson, Gulf War 1 Marine resister
Also joining us will be members of IVAW and their cross-country bus!
more TBA

Plus:
Performance and word by:
Local High School Student activists with AWE Youth Action Team

Also join us earlier for a

PUBLIC FORUM 11am:
GI Rights, GI Resistance and Ending the War
War Memorial Veterans Building
401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
(Civic Center BART)

In-depth stories and discussion with:
Maxine Hong Kingston, author,poet and co-author of
the new book, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace”
Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
more TBA!

It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of
the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women GI’s who have
in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding
international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and
occupation and stood up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure
will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and
repression, and help protect their civil liberties and human rights. We
call for the following: 1) Support for War Objectors 2) Protect the
Right to Conscientious Objection 3) Protect the Liberties & Human Rights of
GI's 4) Sanctuary for War Objectors.

Your participation in these days of action—and beyond-- is crucial to
realizing these goals: together, we do have the power to end this war
and prevent the next one. As the antiwar movement builds its support for
these brave people and their important actions, we hope more will take a
stand if we show them they won't be alone.

Sponsored by: Courage to Resist, Watada Support Group (San Francisco),
Veterans for Peace-Chapter 69, AWE Youth Action Team

Days of Action Sponsored by (partial list):
Iraq Veterans Against the War, War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada),
Gold Star Families for Peace, and the Central Commitee for
Conscientious Objectors

Other Bay Area Events:

Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
College of Marin, Student Center
College Avenue, Kentfield, California, $5-10
Iraq Combat Veteran, turned war resister, Darrell Anderson
Plus segments of the new film “The Ground Truth"
Sponsored by Courage to Resist; College of Marin, Students for Social
Responsibility; and Marin Peace & Justice Coalition
Info: green-girl@comcast.net 415-454-5470 http://www.mpjc.org
Campus map: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/com/files/COM-MAP06.pdf

Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
Buena Vista United Methodist Church
2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
7:30 Film, "The Ground Truth"
8:30 Panel, Rev. Michael Yoshii moderator, with Bob Watada and Rosa
Sakanishi

Sat Dec 9, NOON - 4pm:
San Jose
Peace Vigil to Support Lt. Watada!
Gather in front of MLK, Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando St.
San Jose, CA
Sponsors: South Bay Mobilization, UFPJ in San Jose

For more info about the "National Days of Action to Support GI
Resistance and GI Rights" and an updated list of participating events nationwide
visit: http://www.CouragetoResist.org or contact: courage@riseup.net

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

"Ode to Joy and Struggle"
Event for Lynne Stewart and co-defendants
Saturday, December 9th ,
6:30 or 7:00 pm [I'm looking into that. -t.]
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
From: PatLevasseurP @ aol.com
Subject: Govt. seeking authorization to appeal Lynne Stewart‚s
sentence
Govt. seeking authorization from Solicitor General to appeal
Lynne Stewart's sentence (and that of her co-defendants)

Hello All,

I am writing to update you on that status of Lynne Stewart's
case after her sentencing on October 16th. While we were all
relieved that Lynne did not get 30 years, the Government has
announced that it has gone to the Solicitor General of the
United States Justice Department for authorization to appeal
her sentence and that of her co-defendants. They are not
challenging the bail pending appeal but state that they will
only agree to one 30 day adjournment of the filing of the
appeal because they want everyone serving their sentences
as soon as possible. What does all this mean for Lynne?
Lynne's attorneys are not surprised that the government wants
to appeal her sentence. Although sentences are not usually
appealed it does happen and case law in the 2nd Circuit
which governs Lynne's case shows that although rare, when
a sentence is appealed and the Circuit sends the case back
for resentencing the result is a far longer sentence. We are
hopeful that Judge Koeltl‚s meticulous sentencing decision
will carry the day but we have no guarantees and must
continue our vigilance in the face of this latest move
by the government. Of course Lynne's attorneys
will be filing the appeal of her conviction within the year.

Remember to save the date and join us in an
"Ode to Joy and Struggle
December 9th 6:30 to ?

The evening will be held at the beautifully renovated Judson
Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
(near Thompson St.) in the West Village, New York City.
The event is mostly one of joy but of course the struggle
continues. We will also be commemorating Mumia Abu Jamal's
25 years behind bars and to that end we will hear from:

Lynne Stewart - her case and current legal status

Pam Africa
Chair of International Concerned Family
and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is currently
determining whether Abu-Jamal will be granted a new trial
or sent back to death row, which is the district attorney's
preference. Speaking about this at our event is Pam Africa,
who will be joining us after the annual rally in Philadelphia,
which recognizes the day Mumia Abu Jamal was shot and framed.

and

Robert Meeropol
Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children

ABOUT ROBERT MEEROPOL

Robert Meeropol is the founder and Executive Director of the
Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC). For the last 30 years he
has been an activist, writer and public speaker. He has
successfully sued the federal government and through the
RFC, has assisted hundreds of children whose parents also
have been attacked for their social activism. Robert is also
the author of AN EXECUTION IN THE FAMILY (now available
in paperback from St. Martin's Press.) This political memoir
chronicles Meeropol's journey from childhood victim of
McCarthy-era repression; to 1960's militant activist; to politically
engaged parent and law student; to founder and leader of the
Rosenberg Fund for Children. ODE TO JOY AND STRUGGLE

Join Lynne Stewart and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee in

THANKING YOU !

for your support over these last 4+ years
and uniting for the struggle ahead

Saturday, December 9th , 7pm till .......
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
New York, NY

Speakers:

Lynne Stewart
Pam Africa, International Concerned
Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Robert Meeropol. Executive Director,
Rosenberg Fund for Children

Music by:

Selah Eric Spruiell and The Fort Greene Project
Urbano Sanchez, Latin Jazz
Professor Louie and Fast Eddy
Professor Irwin Corey and Randy Credico
and MUCH more
(comedy, Latin jazz, rap)

Great Food & Drink provided

Judson Memorial Church resides on the southern edge
of Washington Square Park between Thompson
and Sullivan Streets. Accessible by subway.

Trains: A, C, E, F to West 4th; R to 8th St.; 1 to
Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.

Mobility Handicapped please enter through
Thompson Street entrance.

Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
350 Broadway, Suite 700
New York, NY 10013
212-625-9696
www.lynnestewart.org

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Drums Across America for Peace
December 16, 2006 simultaneously across
the country at 11:00 to 11:30 A.M. PST
For More Information contact:
Marilyn Sjaastad
541-344-8088
Jade Screen Clinic

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UFPJ calls for march on DC Sat, Jan. 27, local
actions on March 17
www.unitedforpeace. org
212-868-5545
Please forward widely!
Tell the New Congress:
Act NOW to Bring the Troops Home!
Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington ,
D.C. , on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate
action to end the war.
On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate
for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
converge from all around the country in Washington , D.C. to send a
strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The
people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and
we want the troops brought home now!
Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who
are prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure
those who are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who
remain tied to a failed policy.
The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington ,
DC , to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
1) Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and
help give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring
for peace.
2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
January 27th.
3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
Click here to add your endorsement.
4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
transportation, housing, etc.
5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling
for local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will
soon be issuing more information about the plans for the 4th
anniversary.
Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
today.
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
www.unitedforpeace. org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace. org/email

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MARCH 17, 2007 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE WAR!
DEMONSTRATIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.; LOS ANGELES;
SAN FRANCISCO; SEATTLE; CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES AND
TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE
A.N.S.W.E.R. COALITION URGES EVERYONE IN THE ANTIWAR
MOVEMENT TO COME TOGETHER IN UNITY AGAINST THE
CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
http://www.pephost. org/site/ PageServer? pagename= ANS_homepage

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May Day 2007
National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers!
Web: http://www.MayDay2007.net
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

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

My Name is Roland Sheppard
This Is My ‘Blog’
I am is a retired Business Representative of Painters District
Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been a life long social activist
and socialist. Roland Sheppard is a retired Business Representative
of Painters District Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been
a life long social activist and socialist.
Prior to my being elected as a union official, I had worked
for 31 years as a house painter and have been a lifelong socialist.
I have led a unique life. In my retire age, I am interested in writing
about my experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black
Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social
movements.
I became especially interested in the environment when I was
diagnosed with cancer due to my work environment. I learned
how to write essays, when I first got a computer in order to put
together all the medical legal arguments on my breakthrough
workers’ compensation case in California, proving that my work
environment as a painter had caused my cancer. After a five-year
struggle, I won a $300,000 settlement on his case.
The following essays are based upon my involvement in the
struggle for freedom for all humanity. I hope the history
of my life’s experiences will help future generations
of Freedom Fighters.
For this purpose, this website is dedicated.
http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/Roland%27s%20Blog.html

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The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast
Robin Hood in Reverse
http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley11132006.html
More Info:
www.justiceforneworleans.org
For a detailed report:
Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast
by Rita J. King, Special to CorpWatch
August 15th, 2006
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14004

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

TAX FACT SHEET
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/901006_taxpolicy.pdf

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

Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney [and other cartoons) with
words by K. Marx and F. Engels--absolutely wonderful!...bw]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oGIffyVVk&NR

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

Asylum Street Spankers-Magnetic Yellow Ribbon
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=bfMgRHRJ- tc

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

Homer Simpson Joins the Army
Another morale-booster from Groening and company. [If you get
a chance to see the whole thing, it's worth it...bw]
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/12/video-the-simpsons-salute-the-lazy-and
-uneducated/

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A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
Clara Jeffery (May/June 2006 Issue
IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined.
Today, they re worth $1.13 trillion more than the GDP of Canada.
THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400.
The median household income
has also stagnated at around $44,000.
AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential
campaign, 72% gave to Bush.
IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires,
a 62% increase since 2002.
IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps,
a 49% increase since 2000.
ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed.
That's less than 1% of all estates
http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_article.pl?url=http://www.motherjon
es.com/news/exhibit/2006/05/perks_of_privilege.html

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Do You Want to Stop PREVENT War with Iran?

Dear Friend,

Every day, pundits and military experts debate on TV when, how and where
war with Iran will occur. Can the nuclear program be destroyed? Will the
Iranian government retaliate in Iraq or use the oil weapon? Will it take
three or five days of bombing? Will the US bomb Iran with "tactical"
nuclear weapons?

Few discuss the human suffering that yet another war in the Middle East
will bring about. Few discuss the thousands and thousands of innocent
Iranian and American lives that will be lost. Few think ahead and ask
themselves what war will do to the cause of democracy in Iran or to
America's global standing.

Some dismiss the entire discussion and choose to believe that war simply
cannot happen. The US is overstretched, the task is too difficult, and
the world is against it, they say.

They are probably right, but these factors don't make war unlikely. They
just make a successful war unlikely.

At the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), we are not going to
wait and see what happens.

We are actively working to stop the war and we need your help!

Working with a coalition of peace and security organizations in
Washington DC, NIAC is adding a crucial dimension to this debate - the
voice of the Iranian-American community.

Through our US-Iran Media Resource Program
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/ , we help
the media ask the right questions and bring attention to the human side
of this issue.

Through the LegWatch program

http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/ ,

we are building opposition to the war on Capitol Hill. We spell out the
likely
consequences of war and the concerns of the Iranian-American community
on Hill panels

http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/

and in direct meetings with lawmakers. We recently helped more than a dozen
Members of Congress - both Republican and Democrats - send a strong
message against war to the White House

http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/

But more is needed, and we need your help!

If you don't wish to see Iran turn into yet another Iraq, please make a
contribution online or send in a check to:

NIAC
2801 M St NW
Washington DC 20007

Make the check out to NIAC and mark it "NO WAR."

ALL donations are welcome, both big and small. And just so you know,
your donations make a huge difference. Before you leave the office
today, please make a contribution to stop the war.

Sincerely,
Trita Parsi
President of NIAC

U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)

www.uslaboragainstwar.org
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/
Email: info@uslaboragainstwar.org

PMB 153
1718 "M" Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Voicemail: 202/521-5265

Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
Virginia Rodino, Organizer
Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff

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

Enforce the Roadless Rule for National Forests
Target: Michael Johanns, Secretary, USDA
Sponsor: Earthjustice
We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
This past September, Earthjustice scored a huge victory for our roadless
national forests when a federal district court ordered the reinstatement
of the Roadless Rule.
The Roadless Rule protects roadless forest areas from road-building
and most logging. This is bad news for the timber, mining, and oil
& gas industries ... And so they're putting pressure on their friends
in the Bush Administration to challenge the victory.
Roadless area logging tends to target irreplaceable old growth forests.
Many of these majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
By targeting old-growth, the timber companies are destroying
natural treasures that cannot be replaced in our lifetime.
The future of nearly 50 million acres of wild, national forests
and grasslands hangs in the balance. Tell the secretary of the
USDA, Michael Johanns, to protect our roadless areas by enforcing
the Roadless Rule. The minute a road is cut through a forest, that
forest is precluded from being considered a "wilderness area," and
thus will not be covered by any of the Wilderness Area protections
afforded by Congress.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/112283692?z00m=6687205&z00m=668720
5<l=1162406255

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Mumia Abu-Jamal - Reply brief, U.S. Court of Appeals (Please Circulate)

Dear Friends:

On October 23, 2006, the Fourth-Step Reply Brief of Appellee and
Cross-Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal was submitted to the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn,
U.S. Ct. of Appeals Nos. 01-9014, 02-9001.)

Oral argument will likely be scheduled during the coming months.
I will advise when a hearing date is set.

The attached brief is of enormous consequence since it goes
to the essence of our client's right to a fair trial, due process
of law, and equal protection of the law, guaranteed by the Fifth,
Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The issues include:

Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process
of law and a fair trial because of the prosecutor’s “appeal-after
-appeal” argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the
presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err
on the side of guilt.

Whether the prosecution’s exclusion of African Americans
from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal’s right
to due process and equal protection of the law,
in contravention of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).

Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal
protection of the law during a post-conviction hearing
because of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo,
who was overheard during the trial commenting that
he was “going to help'em fry the nigger."

That the federal court is hearing issues which concern
Mr. Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial is a great milestone
in this struggle for human rights. This is the first time
that any court has made a ruling in nearly a quarter
of a century that could lead to a new trial and freedom.
Nevertheless, our client remains on Pennsylvania's death
row and in great danger.

Mr. Abu-Jamal, the "voice of the voiceless," is a powerful
symbol in the international campaign against the death
penalty and for political prisoners everywhere. The goal
of Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and
I is to see that the many wrongs which have occurred
in this case are righted, and that at the conclusion
of a new trial our client is freed.

Your concern is appreciated

With best wishes,

Robert R. Bryan

Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
2088 Union Street, Suite 4
San Francisco, California 94123

Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal

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

Antiwar Web Site Created by Troops
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A small group of active-duty military members opposed to the war
have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures
of other service members. People can submit their name, rank and
duty station if they support statements denouncing the American
invasion. “Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price,”
the Web site, appealforredress.org, says. “It is time for U.S. troops
to come home.” The electronic grievances will be passed along
to members of Congress, according to the Web site. Jonathan
Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., who set up the Web
site a month ago, said the group had collected 118 names and
was trying to verify that they were legitimate service members.
October 25, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/washington/25brfs-005.html

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

Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Child Rape Photos
Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-10-23 20:54. Evidence
By Greg Mitchell, http://www.editorandpublisher.com
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14864

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

Profound new assault on freedom of speech and assembly:
Manhattan: New Rules for Parade Permits
By AL BAKER
After recent court rulings found the Police Department's
parade regulations too vague, the department is moving
to require parade permits for groups of 10 or more
bicyclists or pedestrians who plan to travel more than
two city blocks without complying with traffic laws.
It is also pushing to require permits for groups of 30
or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws.
The new rules are expected to be unveiled in a public
notice today. The department will discuss them at
a hearing on Nov. 27. Norman Siegel, a lawyer whose
clients include bicyclists, said the new rules
"raise serious civil liberties issues."
October 18, 2006
http://www.nytimes. com/2006/ 10/18/nyregion/ 18mbrfs-002. html

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Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America
Jessica Murray
Format: Paperback (6x9)
ISBN 1425971253
Price: $ 13.95
About the Book
Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but
Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together to provide a perspective
as extraordinary as the times we are living in. Using the principles
of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation,
this book invites us to look at the USA from the biggest possible
picture: that of cosmic meaning. With a rare blend of compassion,
humor and fearless taboo-busting, Soul-Sick Nation reveals
America's noble potential without sentiment and diagnoses
its neuroses without delusion, shedding new light on troubling
issues that the pundits and culture wars inflame but leave
painfully unresolved: the WTC bombings, the war in Iraq,
Islamic jihad, media propaganda, consumerism and the
American Dream.
In her interpretation of the birth chart of the entity born
July 4, 1776, Murray offers an in-depth analysis of America's
essential destiny--uncovering , chapter by chapter, the greater
purpose motivating this group soul. She shows how this
purpose has been distorted, and how it can be re-embraced
in the decades to come. She decodes current astrological
transits that express the key themes the USA must learn
in this period of millennial crisis—including that of the
responsibility of power—spelling out the profound lessons
the nation will face in the next few years.
Combining the rigor of a political theorist with the vision
of a master astrologer, this keenly intelligent book elucidates
the meaning of an epoch in distress, and proposes a path
towards healing—of the country and of its individual citizens.
Murray explains how each of us can come to terms with this
moment in history and arrive at a response that is unique
and creative. This book will leave you revitalized, shorn
of illusions and full of hope.
About the Author
"Jessica Murray's Soul-Sick Nation raises the symbol-system
of astrology to the level of a finely-honed tool for the critical
work of social insight and commentary. Her unflinching,
in-depth analysis answers a crying need of our time. Murray's
application of laser beam-lucid common sense analysis
to the mire of illusions we've sunken into as a nation is
a courageous step in the right direction... Just breathtaking! "
--Raye Robertson, author of Culture, Media and the Collective Mind
" Jessica Murray,..a choice-centered, psychospiritually- oriented
astrologer.. . has quietly made a real difference in the lives of her
clients, one at a time. In "Soul Sick Nation," she applies exactly those
same skills to understanding America as a whole. Starting from
the premise that the United States is currently a troubled adolescent,
she applies an unflinching gaze to reach an ultimately compassionate
conclusion about how we can heal ourselves and grow up."
- Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky
http://www.authorho use.com/BookStor e/ItemDetail~ bookid~41780. aspx

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Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
and its people?
Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?
Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
Palestinian refugees?
Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
http://al-awda. org/shop. html
and help support a great organization and cause!!
Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
(in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.
Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
Visit http://al-awda. org/shop. html for these great items, and more!
The Educational Supplies Division
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda. org
WWW: http://al-awda. org
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.

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

Before You Enlist
Excellent flash film that should be shown to all students.
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=ZFsaGv6cefw

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

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

In an interview in March 1995 entitled, "Jesse Helms: Setting the
Record Straight" that appeared in the Middle East Quarterly, Helms
said, "I have long believed that if the United States is going to give
money to Israel, it should be paid out of the Department of Defense
budget. My question is this: If Israel did not exist, what would
U.S. defense costs in the Middle East be? Israel is at least the
equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without
Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would
be badly off indeed."
(Jesse Helms was the senior senator from North Carolina and the
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.)
http://www.meforum. org/article/ 244

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

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

http://againstthecr imeofsilence. de/english/ copy_of_mumia/ legalarchive/

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

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

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

Asylum Street Spankers-Magnetic Yellow Ribbon
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=bfMgRHRJ- tc

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

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

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

and:

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

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

In solidarity,

Bonnie Weinstein

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

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

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

Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
Status! Checks can me made out to
ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
http://mysite. verizon.net/ vzeo9ewi/ idrissstelleyfou ndation/
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/isf23/
Report Police Brutality
24HR Bilingual hotline
(415) 595-8251
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Justice4As a/

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

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

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

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/

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace
                nickmottern@earthlink.net

Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in
endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and
Mechanisms for Accountability."
 
The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October.

"This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an
invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the
evidence and an astute examination of international law.
- Howard Zinn. 

The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the
consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen
Parker, JD, is available for free download at 
http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf

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

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

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

Oklahoma U's First African-American Speaker

Dear Representative Johnson:

Congratulations on your bill for creating an
African-American Centennial Plaza near the
Capitol.

I have a suggestion for including an important
moment in Oklahoma African-American
history in the displays.

The first African-American speaker at the
University of Oklahoma was Paul Boutelle,
in 1967.

He is still alive but has changed his name
to Kwame Somburu. I believe it would be
very appropriate also to invite Mr. Somburu
to attend the dedication ceremony for
this plaza. I correspond with him by email.

Here is a 1967 Sooner magazine article about his appearance:

http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p25-27_1967v40n2_OCR.pdf

Sincerely,

Mike Wright
Norman
329-6688

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

Interesting web site with many flash films. The site is managed
by veteran James Starowicz, USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country
'70-'71 Member: Veterans For Peace as well as other Veterans
and Pro-Peace Groups. Also Activist in other Area's, Questioning
Policies that only Benefit the Few, supporting Policies that Benefit
the Many and Move Us Forward as a Better Nation and World!
Politics: Registered Independent
http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/

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

Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone has a new Internet
address: http://www.takingaimradio.com

THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
The full text of the book can be found for free at the
new Taking Aim web address:
http://www.takingaimradio.com

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

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

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

Visit the Traprock Peace Center Video Archive at:
http://www.youtube.com/TraprockPeaceTV
Visit the Traprock Peace Center
Deerfield, MA
http://www.traprockpeace.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.freethef ive.org/

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

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

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

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The Cost of War
[Over three-hundred- billion so far...bw]
http://nationalprio rities.org/ index.php? optionfiltered=com_
wrapper&Itemid= 182

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

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"It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
- Emilano Zapata
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Join the Campaign to
Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
Go to:
http://www.shutitdo wn.org/
to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERco alition.org http://www.actionsf .org
sf@internationalans wer.org
2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
San Francisco: 415-821-6545

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

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DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
CIVIL RIGHTS!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"The International"
Lots of good information over at Wikipedia, as often the case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale

What I've always found fascinating is the wide variety of translations (or
perhaps it would be better to call them "interpretations" or "variations")
that exist, even in English. It's also fascinating to read all the different
verses of the song.

One thing I learned at Wikipedia is that the original intention was that the
song would be sung to the tune of the Marseillaise, but that shortly
thereafter different music was written. Good thing, in my opinion, I'd hate
to see the identities of two stirring songs be confused. Each deserves their
own place in history.

Lyrics to the Marseillaise are here - pretty stirring in their own right. As
with the Internationale, all sorts of unknown verses:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marseillaise

Eli Stephens
Left I on the News
http://lefti.blogspot.com

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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
Bay Arera Reporter
by Heather Cassell
h.cassell@ebar.com
Published November 30, 2006
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
By NICK BUNKLEY
November 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
By EDWARD WONG
November 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
By JOE DeRAYMOND
http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
http://www.stopwaroniran.org

6) That Our Children May Have Peace
By Gregg Shotwell
Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Times Staff Writer
November 30, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

8) Business Becomes a Big Casualty
Inter Press Service
Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
http://dahrjamailiraq.com

9) THE ROAD FROM OAXACA
[Col. Writ. 11/9/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

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1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
Bay Arera Reporter
by Heather Cassell
h.cassell@ebar.com
Published November 30, 2006
http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

Mara Kubrin, the student who was pictured in the Bay Area Reporter
delivering a petition signed by more than 800 students in support of
phasing out the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and told the
Board of Education that many students were afraid to attend the meeting
on November 14, began receiving e-mail threats directly to her private
MySpace account three days later.

The board voted 4-2 earlier this month to phase out the JROTC program
in part because of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that
prohibits gays from serving openly.

Reportedly, students allegedly hacked into Kubrin's account posting her
personal information on a bulletin board on the Web with photos and a
disclaimer "by viewing this you agree to release said author from all
damages resulting from any physical or mental damages resulting from
violence as a result of this bulletin," according to Marc Norton, Kubrin's
mother's partner, and her father David Kubrin. The bulletin also
provided an easy link to post the information on other bulletin boards. Mara
Kubrin reported the incident to the police, but after three follow-up
phone calls to police the family hasn't received any information
regarding the progress of the investigation into the alleged threats, David
Kubrin told the B.A.R. Police didn't respond to a call from the B.A.R.
seeking comment.

Mara Kubrin brought the threats to the attention of Doug Bullard, the
JROTC instructor at Lowell High School. "Mara came to me at the end of
last week and showed me something that she had downloaded from her Web
site," Bullard said, but admitted that he hadn't alerted Amy Hanson,
principal of Lowell, nor had he informed Robert Powell, director of Army
instruction for the San Francisco Unified School District, as of Monday,
November 27.

"I wasn't sure it was a threat. I was trying to find out where it came
from and who might have sent something like that and I had asked
students in my program about it and none of them know anything about it,"
said Bullard, who said he assumed Mara Kubrin had taken it to school
administrators.

When the B.A.R. asked Powell about the situation he was surprised and
stated that he would be shocked if any of the JROTC students were
involved. He repeatedly denied that JROTC instructors could take any
disciplinary actions to reprimand the students even within the program.

"We would inform the principal, just like any other disciplinary action
that occurs in high school. We don't have any authority to discipline
any kid other than the high school rules and regulations," Powell said.

Mark Sanchez, a commissioner on the school board who voted in favor of
phasing out the JROTC program, also received a threatening e-mail that
was forwarded to him by Commissioner Eric Mar. The e-mail message was
forwarded to the board's legal counsel. Sanchez mentioned that incoming
board member Jane Kim also received a harassing e-mail, but she was
unavailable for comment at press time.

Commissioner Dan Kelly, who voted to phase out JROTC and will be ending
his 16-year tenure on the board in January, said about the incident, "I
think that's very sad. The adults need to put the disappointment into
perspective for the kids and not in a platform for their own anger,
their own resentment, and that's hard to do. It's important for us adults
to say when a decision has been made, 'OK, we disagreed with the
decision, but now it's time to move on.'"

It is unknown if any other students have been harassed or received
threats. Mara Kubrin was unavailable for comment.

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2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
By NICK BUNKLEY
November 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 29 — Thirty thousand Ford Motor Company
workers — nearly half of the automaker’s unionized work force —
have agreed to leave their jobs in exchange for a buyout or a
package of early retirement benefits, the company said this
morning.

All of the 75,000 Ford employees represented by the United
Automobile Workers union were offered eight different deals
worth as much as $140,000 in September, and had to decide
by Monday whether to accept.

In all, 38,000 U.A.W. workers at Ford have now agreed to take
buyouts this year, including 8,000 who accepted packages offered
at specific plants earlier in the year, before the company made
the deals available to its entire hourly work force.

The departures will leaves Ford with its smallest workforce
in decades.

Combined with almost 34,000 employees who took buyouts
over the summer — reducing G.M.’s hourly payroll by about
one-third — the Ford announcement brings tp 72,000 the number
of workers at Detroit’s automakers who have voluntarily agreed
to leave an industry that can no longer can guarantee them the
high wages and job security enjoyed by their parents and
grandparents.

The “take rate” at Ford surpassed the expectations both of
management and of Wall Street analysts, and will allow Ford
to reduce its costs faster than called for in the company’s
much-discussed overhaul plan, called the Way Forward. Ford
said earlier in the year that it needed to eliminate 25,000 to
30,000 jobs as it closes plants and sheds production capacity
left idle as the company’s market share in the United States declines.

Union leaders were apparently surprised by the high take rate
as well: before the Monday deadline, news reports said they
expected only about 15,000 workers to accept a buyout.

Investors reacted positively, bidding up Ford’s stock price by
about 20 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $8.35 a share in morning
trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

“While I know that, in many cases, decisions to leave the company
were difficult for our employees, the acceptances received through
this voluntary effort will help Ford to become more competitive,”
Ford’s new chief executive, Alan Mulally, said in a statement.
“We’d also like to thank the U.A.W. for working closely with us
in developing packages that will help employees to move
productively into a new phase of their lives. It is clear that
we were successful in providing appropriate options; this,
in turn, is helping the company to meet its cost objectives.”

Ford said “just over half” of the workers who accepted
buyouts chose a package that gives them a lump-sum
payment, plus tuition reimbursement or scholarship money
for family members, but absolved the company from having
to pay them retirement benefits. Other packages included cash
payouts of up to $35,000 and allowed workers to receive health
insurance and other benefits as if they had retired in the usual
manner.

Workers will begin leaving Ford in January and must be gone
by September.

Ford lost $7 billion through the first nine months of this year,
and has said it does not expect to earn a profit in North America
until 2009 at the earliest. On Monday, Ford said it planned
to mortgage most of its assets in the United States, along with
its stock in Volvo and the Ford Motor Credit Company, in order t
o raise $18 billion to finance its overhaul. Never before in its
103-year history had Ford pledged major assets to raise money.

The automaker has not said how much it expects the buyout
program to cost. G.M. has pegged the price of its buyouts at
$3.8 billion, or roughly $100,000 for each worker.

Ford also intends to eliminate about 14,000 salaried positions
through buyouts. Those workers still have time to decide whether
to accept a package and leave.

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3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
By EDWARD WONG
November 29, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

BAGHDAD, Nov. 28 — American troops killed five girls, including
at least one baby, and what the military described as either a boy
or a man, when the troops attacked a house Tuesday in volatile
Anbar Province after they suspected insurgents of firing at them
from the roof.

Another person, which the military described in a written statement
as either a girl or a young woman, was wounded in the attack and
refused treatment by the Americans.

The military said the killings occurred after the Americans spotted
two suspected insurgents before dawn near a roadside bomb
in the town of Hamaniyah, west of Baghdad. The men fled
to the roof of a nearby house. When the Americans began
defusing the bomb, the suspected insurgents began shooting,
the military said.

The military said the Americans returned fire with machine guns
and small arms and rounds from the main gun of one or more
tanks. After the firefight, the Americans discovered the six dead
Iraqis in the house.

It was unclear what happened to the suspected insurgents, but
the military said “it was reported” that one was wounded in the
fight and carried away by other insurgents.

“In a very tragic way, today reminds us that insurgents’ actions
throughout Iraq are felt by all,” Lt. Col. Bryan Salas, a Marine
spokesman, said in the statement. “Efforts are under way
to coordinate and offer available assistance to surviving family
members.”

Anbar Province, a vast swath of desert and Euphrates River
towns stretching from Baghdad to Iraq’s western border,
is the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency, which is battling
to drive out the Americans and unseat the majority Shiites
from the Iraqi government.

American troops in Anbar are fighting a holding action, unable
to make any real headway against the insurgency while facing
a mostly hostile civilian population. The pressures have already
led to prominent incidents of civilian deaths — one unit
of Marines is being investigated for whether it wrongfully
killed 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year.

In Baghdad, an Air Force spokesman, Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog,
said the military was still recovering parts from an F-16 fighter
jet that crashed near the capital on Monday. It was unclear
whether the jet and its pilot had been attacked, he said. Using
an aerial drone, the military had observed insurgents in the
area of the crash site, the general said.

The military said a marine died on Monday in Anbar from
combat injuries.

Violence continued to roil Iraq a day before a scheduled meeting
between President Bush and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki
in Amman, Jordan. At least 30 bodies were discovered in Baghdad,
an Interior Ministry official said. Four people were killed
and 40 wounded when two car bombs exploded behind
the morgue at Yarmouk Hospital in western Baghdad. A barrage
of mortar rounds in the Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliya
hurt at least 20 people.

At least 19 people were killed or found dead in Diyala Province,
a police official said. In Kirkuk, at least one civilian was killed
and 22 wounded when a suicide belt bomber exploded near
a convoy carrying the governor of Tamim Province.

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4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
By JOE DeRAYMOND
November 29, 2006
http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

"When you own a big chunk of the bloody third world, dead babies just
come with the scenery"
- Chrissie Hynde, from "Middle of the Road", by The Pretenders

In November of 2005, the United States used white phosphorus
munitions against the people of Fallujah, Iraq. Jeff Englehart, a
former marine who spent two days in Fallujah during the battle, said
he heard the order go out over military communication that WP was to
be dropped. Mr Englehart, now an outspoken critic of the war, says:
"I heard the order to pay attention because they were going to use
white phosphorus on Fallujah. In military jargon it's known as Willy
Pete ... Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the
way down to the bone ... I saw the burned bodies of women and
children." (as reported by Andrew Buncombe and Solomon Hughes: 15
November 2005, The Independent)

On November 3, 2006, on an off-ramp during rush hour in Chicago,
Malachi Ritscher immolated himself. News reports have made much of
the fact that his death had no immediate impact, since he was not
identified for many days, and because the national news did not pick
it up for several weeks. He is characterized as a troubled man. These
are the words he left behind in his suicide note: "Here is the
statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric
war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass
murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our
country... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to
say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am
ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."

In March of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of
napalm against the people of Vietnam. Napalm is a burning gel that
sticks to the skin, and made flame throwers and incendiary explosives
a staple of the US arsenal against Vietnam. A Business Week article
(February 10, 1969) termed the chemical "the fiery essence of all
that is horrible about the war in Vietnam."

On November 2, 1965, Norman Morrison immolated himself within sight
of Robert McNamara's window at the Pentagon, to protest the war in
Vietnam. Norman did not leave a suicide note. His friend John Roemer
described his action as follows, "I don't know. I don't know. He
fought the war more and more deeply. I mean, when are you one of the
Germans?...You have to be mentally different to fly in the face of
received wisdom in this country. He played it out in his mind, I
think, in terms of being a moral witness", and, "In a society where
it is normal for human beings to drop bombs on human targets, where
it is normal to spend 50 percent of the individual's tax dollar on
war, where it is normal...to have twelve times overkill capacity,
Norman Morrison was not normal. He said, 'Let it stop' ".

The Vietnamese canonized Norman Morrison. Streets were named after
him, a postage stamp was printed with his image, poems were written
in his memory. The most quoted, by To Huu, includes this stanza:

McNamara!
Where are you hiding? In the graveyard
Of your five-cornered house
Each corner a continent.
You hide yourself
From the flaming world
As an ostrich hides its head in the
burning sand.

Norman was one of several people who chose to become a victim of the
fire of the Vietnam War. Others include Vietnamese Buddhist monks,
Quang Duc, June 1963, in Saigon; an unnamed monk in Phanthiet,
August, 1963; Thich Nu Thanh Quang, in Hue, 1966. Each death
galvanized opinion and resistance to the war within Vietnam. On March
16, 1965, Alice Herz, an 82 year old pacifist, immolated herself on a
Detroit street corner. She stated in her suicide note, that she was
protesting "the use of high office by our President, L.B.J., in
trying to wipe out small nations." And "I wanted to call attention to
this problem by choosing the illuminating death of a Buddhist." A
week after Norman Morrison's death, Roger LaPorte burned himself in
protest in front of the United Nations in New York. In May of 1970,
George Winne, Jr., burned himself in protest of the Vietnam War on
the University of California campus in San Diego. (See Frances
Farmer's Revenge.)

Coverage of the sacrifice of Malachi Ritscher has been obsessively
concerned with his sanity. The AP article on his death includes this
conclusion, "Mental health experts say virtually no suicides occur
without some kind of a diagnosable mental illness." Our government
and its experts expect that rational citizens living rational United
States lives understand that the burning of civilians is just part of
the scenery, a necessary element of foreign policy. A person who
actually takes responsibility for the purposes to which his/her tax
monies are being devoted is by definition insane. It is a world
turned upside down, in which torture, napalm and white phosphorus are
"legal", and peaceful protest criminal. It is no mystery to me that
there are human souls who cannot bear the light of truth, and choose
to join the victims of our culture's madness.

Joe DeRaymond lives in Freemansburg, PA. He can be reached at:
jderaymond@rcn.com

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5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
http://www.stopwaroniran.org
Help build a movement to stop a war on Iran:
Sign the Petition
http://stopwaroniran.org/petition.shtml
Donate
http://stopwaroniran.org/donate.shtml
Tell a Friend
http://stopwaroniran.org/friend.shtml
For updated news,see the Stop War on Iran
http://stopwaroniran.blogspot.com/ blog

The following resolution, opposing U.S. military action and threats
against Iran, was passed unanimously by the San Francisco
Labor Council.

This is an important victory for antiwar activists in the labor
movement. Let's keep the momentum going--We encourage
you to work to get similar resolutions passed in your unions,
Labor Councils, City Councils, churches, schools, student
governments, clergy associations, tenant organizations,
community groups, etc. Send us copies of the resolutions
you pass--ALL these resolutions will be posted on Stop War
on Iran web site. (Send them to resolutions @ stopwaroniran.org.)

San Francisco Labor Council Resolution - Adopted by
Unanimous Vote Nov. 27, 2006

Resolution on Threat of Military Action Against Iran

Whereas, no evidence has been offered that Iran possesses
weapons of mass destruction, even after many inspections
by the International Atomic Energy Agency; yet the Bush
administration continues to threaten aggressive measures
against Iran on the grounds that Iran may be developing
nuclear weapons; and

Whereas, the U.S. government seeks to impose U.N.
sanctions on Iran for continuing to develop its uranium
enrichment program, which Iran asserts is strictly for
non-military production of nuclear energy. At least ten
other nations enrich uranium in order to produce
nuclear energy, and the US is not threatening to
attack them; and

Whereas, Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty
and was the first state to call for a Nuclear-Free Zone
in the Middle East; and

Whereas, Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, as well
as China, France, the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain --
all have nuclear weapons, with the U.S. possessing
a larger stockpile than of all the rest of the world
combined; and

Whereas, the U.S. government campaign against Iran's
development of enriched uranium appears to be much
like the misinformation campaign waged by the Bush
administration before the war on Iraq to justify its
unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq; now the
Bush administration once again seeks to stoke unjustified
fears to win public support for military action against Iran; and.

Whereas, the U.S. government has dispatched a Navy carrier
group to the Persian Gulf off Iran's western coast, as well
as ships capable of mining harbors, for naval exercises that
some observers believe could serve as the prelude to an
attack or other military action, such as mining Iran’s
harbors; and

Whereas, published reports of intelligence recently
gathered by U.S. Special Operations forces in Iran suggest
that the U.S. has identified hundreds of targets in Iran,
in preparation for a possible military attack on that country; and

Whereas, the U.S. government has a long history of
interference in the internal affairs of Iran, including the
well-documented CIA-engineered 1953 overthrow of Iran's
democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh,
who nationalized Iran's oil; and the US role in installing
and backing the brutal regime of the Shah of Iran;

Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor
Council, AFL-CIO, hereby declares its opposition to U.S.
military action against Iran, and urges all organizations with
which it is affiliated to demand that Congress take measures
to prevent any such military assault, and rather, to promote
diplomatic non-military solutions to any disputes with Iran; and

Be it finally resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council
join with other antiwar forces to organize mass popular
opposition to any military assault on Iran, and to respond
rapidly should such an assault occur.

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6) That Our Children May Have Peace
By Gregg Shotwell
Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

“In the progress of politics, as in the common occurrences of life,
we are not only apt to forget the ground we have traveled over,
but frequently neglect to gather up experience as we go.”
—Tom Paine

The bad news is, I have a long commute since I transferred back
to GM from Delphi. The good news is, I’m working the road to rule.
I drive slower than a mule with hot cargo and expired plates. Screw
the oil companies. I get forty miles to the gallon. I relax like
a poor man with a radio and nowhere to go. I lean like a lowrider
whose vehicle is the destination. I pause in motion with an unlikely
simile—a silo in a wind— knowing I’ve already arrived where I am.

I treat the highway of American industry and commerce like a place
of idleness and repose. This isn’t Zen, it’s revolt. My time is worth
more than money to me because I can’t earn any more of it…
I can only spend it wisely.

I work in a warehouse which is a place where goods are stashed
and money is made literally hand over fist. It’s all in the turn over.
We produce nothing. We add no value. We receive the goods and
we ship the goods and the mark up for the time between makes
the loan sharks on Shake St. look like Saint Vincent DePaul. But the
magnum of profit doesn’t halt the speed up. We can’t march fast
enough for the General. There’s only one solution: shoot
the drummer.

Is it maximum profit or minimum conscience that drives our
nation to compete for the lowest standard of living? Even children
are sideswiped in the race to the bottom line. Schools are turned
into sweatshops. Hospitals are managed like maquiladoras.
Homelessness is mental health therapy. Prison is substance
abuse treatment. Every program or agency whose purpose
is to serve the public interest is underfunded, abused, and
degraded. Our families suffer under the yoke of double wage
earners without disposable income or time to spend with their
children. Meanwhile Congress debates whether a minimum
wage which snorkels the poverty line will ruffle the feathers
and furs on Wall Street.

The madness of the method isn’t just about money. The vultures
already have all the money. They have plans for all the money you
and I will ever make in our lifetime. They have plans for our pensions,
our 401k’s, the money that falls through the hole in the doughnut
they call prescription drug coverage for seniors. They have plans
to profit off the deaths of our brothers and sisters in Iraq and
Afghanistan. It’s not just about the money. It’s about control.

When the debt comes due, when the dollar deflates, when property
values tank, and the market collapses, what will the wealthiest
of the wealthy do? Seize everything of value. Buy up the homes
of workers for a dime on the dollar; snap up utilities at bargain
basement prices; then jack up rents and rates in tandem. They’ll
commandeer all the hard assets, the natural resources, the oil and
the gold. Just thinking about it makes me drive slower.

And the slower I go the more the knowledge of where I’ve been
and where I’m going comes into focus. The more I listen to the
radio spin circles around my vehicle, the more I notice what’s
missing from our conversation about the common good, namely,
the working class. There is no “middle class” and “lower class”
in America. There are only workers who have decent jobs, and
workers who don’t have decent jobs. Those who do hold decent
jobs are only one catastrophic illness, one plant closing,
or one indefinite layoff from destitution. The victims of capital’s
creative destruction aren’t strangers. They are working-class
Americans made destitute by a system that requires unemployment
to hold down inflation.

Lou Dobbs is wrong about the growing demise of the middle
class in America. There is no middle class to demise. The mantle
of middle class status presumes a degree of security and upward
mobility which doesn’t exist. The notion of safety draped like
the boss’s arm around one’s shoulder is based on the premise
that hard work pays off and loyalty is rewarded. The middle class
dream is as dead as the deer I see splattered on the highway
everyday. There is no middle class for special workers. There
is only a working class, and we—however special we may feel—
all work in the same demoralized place, under the same relentless
pressure to sacrifice our lives for the success of a godless
corporation. Where will it end?

Despite expectations to make a billion dollars in net profit,
Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee demanded the union impose
a two-tier wage and benefit cut in order to secure “new” work.
Union members voted the double-cross down soundly. But union
leaders pursued a vigorous campaign to promote the competitive
ideal. On the second try the traitor’s deal was narrowly ratified.

The soul of a union leader who pushes two tier is darker than
the pupil of a well digger’s eye. Every union leader knows there’s
no water at the bottom of that hole. Two tier is not just about
money, it’s about control. Harley-Davidson’s extortion didn’t
stop at the doorstep of the union hall. The state of Wisconsin
agreed to provide help with infrastructure improvements, training
costs, and even capital. The assault on workers is state sponsored.
Health, education, and social programs get slashed while the
corporate blitzkrieg on the working class is subsidized. Mussolini
would be impressed, but Tom Paine would shoulder the musket
of conviction: "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day,
that my child may have peace."

Two tier is not just about the money, it’s about who owns whose
soul. The most effective way to break the spirit of the working
class is to compromise our moral code by forcing a choice between
fighting back or betraying what is most precious—our children.

We stand at the crossroad knowing full well where both roads
lead. One road to leads to dishonor and the other to the dignity
of struggle. One road points to the hope and courage of collective
action and the other to shame, despair, and isolation.

After such knowledge, what forgiveness?

Will reduced wages mean the work will be safer or more humane?
Will reduced benefits mean more security? Or will it simply
mean the collective power of workers will be harnessed to serve
our masters’ driving passion—maximum profit for minimum wage.
The corpos must think we are dumber than horses. The yoke never
lightens, the hardship never wanes, and the hope for retirement
in dignity fades like a dope smoker’s dream.

Last year while Delphi was making headlines with threats and
intimidation, Hastings Piston Ring, an auto supplier in northern
Michigan, quietly and with the blessing of the Federal court,
cut off pension and health care for retirees. Production of piston
rings didn’t miss a beat and the profit kept pumping like
a flathead eight on a straightaway.

Two tier for new hires and a kick down the stairs for retirees.
That’s the refrain. Verses in between change only the names
not the scheme.

Hastings Piston Ring, Harley-Davidson, and Delphi are not
isolated cases. The degradation of the working class is chronic
and contagious. We need collective action not more concessions.
We need to try our souls in the temper of our times that our
children may have peace.

www.soldiersofsolidarity.com
Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006

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7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
By Patrick J. McDonnell
Times Staff Writer
November 30, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA — Allies of President Evo Morales on Wednesday
celebrated the surprising passage of an ambitious agrarian reform
bill, a cornerstone of Morales' provocative leftist agenda.

"The time of the humble ones has arrived," declared Sen. Felix Rojas
of Morales' Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS.
"They will inherit the land." But passage of the bill, signed into law
by an exuberant Morales near midnight Tuesday, also bared anew
the deep divides in South America's poorest nation.

Morales, a former leader of coca leaf cultivators, has presented
himself during his first year in office as a champion of the country's
impoverished indigenous masses, long beholden to an elite
of European and mixed-race ancestry.

Conservative forces fiercely opposed to Morales' socialist vision
vowed to continue efforts to block what they view as Morales'
proclivity toward authoritarian rule styled after Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez, Morales' political mentor.

"If the government continues in this manner, it is the beginning
of a dictatorship," said Fernando Messmer, opposition leader
in the Chamber of Deputies.

Incendiary political battles swirl around other Morales initiatives,
notably his efforts to exert control over autonomy-minded
provinces and his plan to dominate an assembly rewriting
Bolivia's Constitution. A general strike is planned for several
regions Friday to protest Morales' alleged power grab.

The sweeping reform bill could result in the redistribution
of 10,000 square miles of land. It was approved by the
Senate after thousands of Indians marched on the capital,
demanding 100 acres per family.

"We are suffering from hunger and misery, and many of
us must leave our homes for other countries," said Sofia
Martinez, 30, a mother of three from the southeast who
said she marched for several weeks to arrive at the capital.
"We are joining this fight, with our blood if necessary, to
recover our lands."

The march on La Paz appeared to turn the tide in the
contentious battle over the bill, which had been kept from
passage by a walkout of conservative lawmakers in the Senate.

The Morales-dominated lower house had approved the measure.

With the Senate stalled, Morales threatened to put the
law into effect via decree. Bu