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Guantanamo Uncassified
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5E3w7ME6Fs

Blue Man Group on Global Warming
http://video. google.com/ videoplay? docid=8453442377 878175440

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TONIGHT! STOP THE RAIDS!
BARRIO UNIDO FOR A GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL AMNESTY

We make a call to the immigrant community and all those who are
in solidarity with our struggle to join us in front of the Federal Building
to protest the raids that we have been victims of and that are occurring
in different parts of the country.

They harass us as though we are animals of prey.
They lock us up in prisons for working for a miserable salary.
They steal our salaries that we earn with the sweat of our brow.
They separate us from our children leaving them traumatized for life......

We denounce the North American government for treating us like garbage
to be thrown away and taking advantage of our search for our daily bread
for their own political reasons.

We denounce the Mexican and Latin American governments for being
accomplices with the North American government for our misery and
for this involuntary exodus that has been forced upon us because
of the political, social, and economic conditions of our countries

We demand.......
To cease the immigration raids now!
To free all detained workers!
To return jobs to all those detained!
The right to all undocumented immigrants to unionize!

We demand a General and Unconditional Amnesty for all!

Protest the United States government

When: Friday, January 12, 2007
Where: 450 Golden Gate (Federal Building)
Time: 4pm to 7pm
Join in the struggle!

For more information call 415-431-9925

In Spanish:

BARRIÓ UNIDO POR UNA AMNISTÍA GENERAL E INCONDICIONAL
Hace un llamado a la población emigrante y a todos las que se
solidarizan con ella a un piquete enfrente del Edificio Federal
en protesta a las redadas de que estamos siendo victimas
en diferentes partes del país.
DONDE:
Se nos acosa como si fuéramos animales de caza.

Se nos encierra en prisiones para trabajar por sueldos de miseria.

Se nos roban los sueldos que hemos ganado con el sudor de
nuestra frente...

Se nos separa de nuestros hijos dej*ndolos traumados de por vida......

Denunciamos al gobierno Norte Americano por tratarnos como
basura desechable y utilizar nuestra búsqueda por el pan de cada
día para sus propósitos políticos...

Denunciamos a los gobiernos de México y América latina por ser
cómplices con el gobierno de Estados Unidos de nuestra miseria
y de este éxodo involuntario que las condiciones políticas,
sociales, y económicas de nuestros países nos ha obligado
a emprender.

Demandamos...

¡Cese a las redadas de la migra ahora!
¡Libertad a todos los trabajadores detenidos!
¡Regreso a su puesto de trabajo a todos los detenidos!
¡Derecho de los indocumentados a sindicalizarse!
¡Demandamos una Amnistía General e Incondicional para todos!

Piquete al Gobierno de Estados Unidos
Cuando: Viernes, 12 de Enero 2007
Dónde: 450 Golden Gate
Hora: 4pm a 7pm
Únete a la lucha
Para mas información llame a 415-431-9925

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REPORT BACK ON VENEZUELA

7:00 PM Saturday, January 13
522 Valencia Street, 3rd Floor Auditorium

Hear about:

-Factories run by workers

-The election turnout for Hugo Chavez

-Occupied factories

-Socialism of the 21st Century

See: A short film on current developments in Venezuela.

Speakers:

-John Peterson, National Secretary of US Hands Off Venezuela,
Participant in HOV’s International Delegation to Venezuela

-Mel Martynne and Mary Eliasar, participants in Global
Exchange’s Election Delegation in Venezuela

-Nell Myhand and Lori Nairne, Global Women’s Strike,
San Francisco Bay Area

An opportunity for discussion will follow the presentations.

Sponsored by Hands Off Venezuela

Hands Off Venezuela is an international organization dedicated
to the principle that the people of Venezuela have the right to
determine their own destiny without interference from foreign
countries.

Contact info: (415) 786-1680, email:
sfbay@ushov.org web www.ushov.org

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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) Déjà vu, 67 to 07
"... what happened on January 10, 1967 ...
alan pogue wrote:
alanpogue@mac. com
Thu, 11 Jan 2007
From: alan pogue
alanpogue@mac. com
To: Tomas Heikkala
tomas_heikkala@ yahoo.com
[VIA Email...bw]

2) George Bush once again proved that he is a mass killer.
By Don Vasicek, Producer of "The San Creek Massacre,"
a documentary film.
http://www.donvasicek.com
[VIA Email...bw]

3) Open Letter to Members of the United States Congress from
Former Special Forces Soldier Stan Goff:
[Via Email - www.marxmail.org ...bw]

4)  AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE JOINS AMERICA
SAYS NO TO THE PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR MORE TROOPS IN IRAQ
“Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar”
and Bring the Troops Home Now!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            
Contact:           
Sandra Schwartz cell (415) 999-2436
Stephen McNeil cell (415) 350-9305 
January 11, 2007
[VIA Email...bw]

5) Oaxaca Government Wants Police Back
January 11, 2007
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B1369D774-0BE2-4FC7-905F-1580013B196F%7D&language=EN

6) G.I.’s in Iraq Raid Iranians’ Offices
By JAMES GLANZ
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/world/middleeast/12raid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

7) Military Eases Its Rules for Mobilizing Reserves
By DAVID S. CLOUD
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12guard.html

8) Massachusetts Rescinds Deal on Policing Immigration
By KATIE ZEZIMA
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/us/12patrick.html

9) PENTAGON INTENSIFIES PRESSURE ON IRAN
By Jay Solomon
"Amid Push to Stabilize Iraq, U.S. Seeks to Curb Influence of Tehran
Throughout Region"
Wall Street Journal
January 12, 2007 Page A4
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116856948010274729.html
(subscribers only)

10) Why we stand for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq
We call on the U.S. to get out of Iraq — not in six months, not in a year, but now.
Sign the Petition at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow/

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1) Déjà vu, 67 to 07
"... what happened on January 10, 1967 ...
alan pogue wrote:
alanpogue@mac. com
Thu, 11 Jan 2007
From: alan pogue
alanpogue@mac. com
To: Tomas Heikkala
tomas_heikkala@ yahoo.com
[VIA Email...bw]

"... what happened on January 10, 1967 ...

The big news story that night? President Lyndon B. Johnson's State of the
Union address.

The topic that dominated all others: Vietnam.

I'm going to guide you to some excerpts of that address -- exactly 40 years
ago tonight.See how it compares to some of the excerpts from the Bush
speech,"... tonight victory wont be declared on deck of a battleship."

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: We have chosen to fight a limited war in Vietnam in an
attempt to prevent a larger war--a war almost certain to follow, I believe,
if the Communists succeed in overrunning and taking over South Vietnam by
aggression and by force. I believe, and I am supported by some authority,
that if they are not checked now the world can expect to pay a greater price
to check them later.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007*: Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States
are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global
war on terror and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline
tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the
fight against terror.

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: I wish I could report to you that the conflict is
almost over. This I cannot do. We face more cost, more loss, and more agony.
For the end is not yet. I cannot promise you that it will come this year--or
come next year. Our adversary still believes, I think, tonight, that he can
go on fighting longer than we can, and longer than we and our allies will be
prepared to stand up and resist.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007*: Our past efforts to secure Baghdad failed for two
principal reasons: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure
neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents. And there
were too many restrictions on the troops we did have.

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: Our South Vietnamese allies are also being tested
tonight. Because they must provide real security to the people living in the
countryside. And this means reducing the terrorism and the armed attacks
which kidnaped and killed 26,900 civilians in the last 32 months, to levels
where they can be successfully controlled by the regular South Vietnamese
security forces. It means bringing to the villagers an effective civilian
government that they can respect, and that they can rely upon and that they
can participate in, and that they can have a personal stake in. We hope that
government is now beginning to emerge.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007*: Only the Iraqis can end the sectarian violence and
secure their people. And their government has put forward an aggressive plan
to do it.

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: This forward movement is rooted in the ambitions and
the interests of Asian nations themselves. It was precisely this movement
that we hoped to accelerate when I spoke at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore in
April 1965, and I pledged "a much more massive effort to improve the life of
man" in that part of the world, in the hope that we could take some of the
funds that we were spending on bullets and bombs and spend it on schools and
production.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007:* A successful strategy for Iraq goes beyond military
operations. Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see that military operations are
accompanied by visible improvements in their neighborhoods and communities.
So America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has
announced.

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: We have chosen to fight a limited war in Vietnam in an
attempt to prevent a larger war--a war almost certain to follow, I believe,
if the Communists succeed in overrunning and taking over South Vietnam by
aggression and by force. I believe, and I am supported by some authority,
that if they are not checked now the world can expect to pay a greater price
to check them later.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007*: The challenge playing out across the broader Middle
East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological
struggle of our timeŠIn the long run, the most realistic way to protect the
American people is to provide a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology
of the enemy by advancing liberty across a troubled region.

*LBJ, Jan. 10, 1967*: A time of testing--yes. And a time of transition. The
transition is sometimes slow; sometimes unpopular; almost always very
painful; and often quite dangerous. But we have lived with danger for a long
time before, and we shall live with it for a long time yet to come. We know
that "man is born unto trouble." We also know that this Nation was not
forged and did not survive and grow and prosper without a great deal of
sacrifice from a great many men.

*GWB, Jan. 10, 2007*: Victory will not look like the ones our fathers and
grandfathers achieved. There will be no surrender ceremony on the deck of a
battleshipŠA democratic Iraq will not be perfect. But it will be a country
that fights terrorists instead of harboring them and it will help bring a
future of peace and security for our children and grandchildren.

Not much to add here -- the words of Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush
pretty much speak for themselves.

Two things, though.

*First of all, ** 7,917 American troop had died in Vietnam through the
end of 1966* *, or ten days before Johnson's speech. From the beginning
of 1967 though the end of the war, an addition 50,285 -- more than six
times as many -- Americans would lose their lives*.

Also, and we're not endorsing this action by any means, then or now, but it
is interesting to note that in that 1967 SOTU, LBJ also called for a 6
percent surcharge on personal and corporate income taxes to pay for the cost
of the war. That's a level of responsibility -- and yes, sacrifice -- for
war that our current president is unwilling to take."
*"E-Day":It was 40years ago today*

January 10, 2006

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2) George Bush once again proved that he is a mass killer.
By Don Vasicek, Producer of "The San Creek Massacre,"
a documentary film.
http://www.donvasicek.com
[VIA Email...bw]

"On January 10, 2007, the President of the United States, George
Bush, once again proved that he is a mass killer. He ignored the
Iraq Study Group Report, complied and put together by some of the
greatest minds we have in America. He virtually thumbed his nose at
the report. He is closer to being a dictator, than any other
president in the history of the United States. He and his chronies
are direct threats to all that we, as Americans, hold dear. Amongst
other things that he stated on his televised speech, was that he
knows there will be more American and Iraqi casualties with the surge
of the 20,000 troops being placed in Iraq. He added, in so many of
his choice words, something like, that this is what is needed for us
to prevail in Iraq. Then, he moved on with his speech.

In my interpretation of this, I see it as an indictment against human
beings, human beings who will die because of one man's (Cheney and a
couple of other thugs as well) desire to "win" so that he can leave a
"positive" legacy about himself in history books. Our soldiers and
civilians in Iraq are victims of poor leadership. Victims of sick
leadership. Victims of a person who believes it is more vital to
"win" than to preserve human life. Victims of a person who spends
more money in Bagdad than in New Orleans, a city in the United
States of America. Victims of a power monger who does what he wants to do
when he wants to do it (see how he circumvented the law to get Thomas
Bolton, a thug, in my opinion, into the United Nations as US
Ambassador, as one example).

What has Bush learned since the Viet Nam War? He has proved to me
that he has learned nothing. He believes that might over right
works. While people were dying in Viet Nam, Bush was sniffing coke
and getting drunk, how could he have learned anything of the horrors
of war? One has to care before they can learn. One learns by living
in the trenches of everyday life in America to survive, not by living
in an elitist world where reality is composed of power brokering, at
the expense of human beings.

During his presidency, Bush (it is difficult for me to address him as
President Bush for it degrades the office of the Presidency in my
opinion) has always done what he's wanted to do, regardless of the
law, regardless of the loss of life, and regardless of the welfare
for the people of the United States. He also stated that if Iraqi
President Milaki doesn't conform to his wishes and take control of
the sectarian violence, that Milaki will lose the support of the
American people. This is outrageous! It is misleading. It is a
lie! I did not vote for this man. I have never supported the War in
Iraq, or any other war during my 66 years of life. I don't want this
man speaking for me. This man should be impeached and thrown out of
office. He should be put on trial for murder, just like Saddam
Hussein was. This man is a danger to the American way of life."

January 11, 2007

Donald L. Vasicek
Olympus Films+, LLC
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Vasicek,+Don
http://www.donvasicek.com
dvasicek@earthlink.net
303-903-2103

The Sand Creek Massacre Documentary Film Project
consists of eight parts and can be viewed at:

http:// www.donvasicek.com

1. Award-winning trailer (1:45) (completed)
Click on Sand Creek Massace, then Trailer.

2. Award-winning documentary short (6:37)(completed)
Click on Shop.

3. Educational Documentary Presentation (completed).
Click on Shop.

4. Two-hour, six part series documentary film titled "Ghosts of Sand
Creek" (goes into production when money is raised).
Click on Sand Creek Massacre, then on Proposal.

5. Book (will be written when money is in place.)

6. Interactive Media (goes into production when money is raised.)

7. Curriculum/Lesson Plans (completed and available.)
Click on Shop.

8. Study Guide (completed and available).
Click on Shop.

Donald L. Vasicek
Olympus Films+, LLC
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Vasicek,+Don
http://www.donvasicek.com
dvasicek@earthlink.net
303-903-2103

Letter to Don Vasicek
By Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org

Dear Don,

I just viewed your powerful documentary, The Sand Creek Massacre.
I can't get the words out of my mind, question to Rivington from
a soldier: "Should we kill the children?" answer, "Nits make lice."

This horror needs to be exposed. I am so honored that you sent this
to me. We are meeting this Monday evening and I will make the
proposal for a film festival. I want this to be first on the list.
Meanwhile, I will circulate this to our members for review over
the weekend.

I profoundly feel that this information has terrific relevance for
today.

We can't let this continue to slide!

Again, I am so honored. I thank you so much.

In solidarity,

Bonnie Weinstein, www.buaw.org

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3) Open Letter to Members of the United States Congress from
Former Special Forces Soldier Stan Goff:
[Via Email - www.marxmail.org ...bw]
http://stangoff.com/?p=444

The Bush-Maliki Plan, now called The Surge, to deploy an additional 20,000
US troops to Iraq is a last-ditch effort to prevent a decisive US political
defeat in Iraq. The principle purpose of this „surge‰ is to destroy the
Mehdi Army of Muqtada al Sadr , who broke his alliance with the Maliki
government after Maliki met with George Bush to confirm Iraqi government
submission to US forces two months ago. Sadr enjoys immense local support
from almost 3 million Iraqis, and is a very popular figure through most of
the Southern half of Iraq. Not only will the attempt to use this „surge‰
to destroy the Mehdi Army inflict massive civilian casualties in the
tightly-packed warrens of Sadr City, it will ignite a popular rebellion
among Shia, from Baghdad to Um Qasr, that will effectively destroy what is
left of the legitimacy of the Maliki „government.‰

Opposing this „surge‰ is not only politically smart for Democrats; it is a
moral imperative because of the civilian casualties that are certain to
accrue. But it is also a maneuver to dodge the larger issue of the war
itself, and of the 2006 election‚s implicit demand that the US withdraw
from Iraq. Now is the time to put as much local pressure as possible on
both parties‚ Senators and Representatives in order to accelerate the
inevitable US withdrawal from Iraq at the least costing lives. It is in
that spirit that this Open Letter to Members of the United States Congress
is offered.

Please distribute this Open Letter to Members of the United States Congress
as widely as possible, with the suggestions for using it.

Suggestion 1: Sign a copy and send it by email and paper mail to your own
Congressperson.

Suggestion 2: Have a group from the same Congressional district sign it
and send it to your Representatives and Senators.

Suggestion 3: Circulate the letter to as many people and organizations as
possible in your city, county, or state, and send copies to both Senators
and all Representatives.

Suggestion 4: Set up local web sites and lists to garner signatures, and
publish the letter and signatories in the local liberal entertainment
weekly. Then send copies of the paper to both Senators and all
Congresspersons.

Suggestion 5: Come up with more creative suggestions∑ and implement them, now.

***

Open Letter to Members of the United States Congress

We the undersigned are opposed to the Bush administration‚s continuing war
in Iraq, but we are also disappointed with much of Congress – Republican
and Democrat – as well as with much of the media, for failing to explain
the real situation in Iraq and refusing to take decisive steps to halt the
US-led occupation.

Media and therefore Congressional representations of the situation in Iraq
are not just over-simplified; they are deceptive.

(1) There is never any mention of oil in these accounts. Both the media
and most members of Congress are pretending that the US government‚s
preoccupation with Iraq has nothing to do with fossil energy reserves; but
most people in the US know that were it not for oil, the US government
would have little interest in the region or its people. We do not believe
that continuing the US addiction to oil (five percent of the world‚s
population consuming 25% of its oil) is a valid reason to bomb and invade
other nations and engage in wars of aggression.

(2) Media and Congressional accounts of the war almost always suggest that
the war in Iraq – however „flawed‰ – is part of something called the Global
War on Terrorism. But there can be no such thing as a war on a tactic, so
we have to ask ourselves if this is not just another one-size-fits-all
pretext for future military adventures. Iraq is not now nor has it ever
been a threat to the security of people in the United States.

(3) There is no such thing as an Iraqi government except inside the Green
Zone. Congressional and the media accounts constantly refer to the Iraqi
government as the entity that requires US military assistance to become the
guarantor of Iraqi security. But the relationship of all Iraqi forces
demonstrates that this is a dangerous fantasy. The Maliki government – or
any other government that relies on US military protection to survive for a
week – commands the loyalty of only a fraction of the armed actors in
Iraq. The armed forces being trained for that „government‰ are themselves
loyal to factions with agendas, and these forces are filled with
opportunists and infiltrators. With 80% of Iraqis now asking for an end to
the Anglo-American occupation, and the Iraqis themselves identified not
merely as Sunni or Shia (as simplified accounts have it), but of three
major armed Shia factions, two major Sunni armed factions, and a Kurdish
militia of 100,000 that resides in the north itself is divided into two
camps, there is no possibility of one faction gaining the acquiescence of
the whole Iraqi population and the various armed expressions of
populations. The Ma.liki-Bush „surge‰ plan is designed to eliminate
Maliki‚s Shia and Sunni opposition inside Baghdad.

(4) The various sectors of the Iraqi population share one goal: they want
stability to rebuild. This goal cannot be accomplished without
negotiations between the various groups. With most Iraqis now supporting
armed resistance to the Anglo-American occupation, no sector that is
identified with the occupation can gain legitimacy in the eyes of most
Iraqis. American support for any Iraqi „government‰ is not preventing
so-called „sectarian‰ violence, it is incubating it. There may be some
fighting in Iraq after a US withdrawal, but the balance of forces and their
geographical dispersion are more likely to produce negotiations than
protracted civil war. At any rate, it is not the role of the US government
to shape the future of Iraq. What our government has already done to the
future of Iraqis is quite enough, thank you. Iraqis are far more qualified
to figure this out than the US Departments of State and Defense.

(5) An exit is not a strategy; it is a command. Elaborate plans about how
to withdraw are the responsibility of the military commanders, not
Congress. Most members of Congress wouldn‚t know how to run a rifle
platoon for an hour, much less the en masse redeployment of 150,000
troops. Leaving is a technical and tactical exercise. What is required,
and what requires the political will of Congress – by de-funding the war –
is the order to withdraw. Your job is the what, not the how.

(6) Half-measures happen while people continue to die. Opposing a „surge‰
in troop levels, but failing to oppose the war, is a half-measure.

(7) It has been said that „cutting and running‰ would send the „wrong
message‰ to the world about the US∑ as if being ground down in a
humiliating series of daily defeats hasn‚t already accomplished this.
That‚s what they are. Defeats. Speak plainly. Military success is not
predicated on tactical outcomes; but on political outcomes. By this
measure, the US has already lost the war in Iraq. We never should have
gone there in the first place. If this is about preserving the „national
masculinity,‰ then every life lost in this effort is a pure sin. This
machismo is the ideology of gangsters.

(8) De-funding the war will not put troops in danger. Specific conditional
allocations of funds can be made available for the sole purpose of
conducting a re-deployment. Much of the money being used in Iraq is paying
exorbitant prices to private contractors. The war is what is putting
troops in danger, not cutting funds to continue an illegal and immoral war.

In November 2006, the majority of voting Americans expressed its opposition
to the war by putting Democrats back in control of Congress. You must
understand that this was a „vote against,‰ not a „vote for.‰
Many of us have been disappointed and even angered by Democratic complicity
in this criminal war.

Quit reading the wind, and start reading the weather. Since this horror
began, support for US aggression in Iraq has gone from 90% to 30%. Ask
yourself what the pattern is here. Republicans are already breaking ranks
with the war. Democratic equivocation is establishing the basis for a
historical reversal on the political question of the war. Those who are
reading the weather will succeed in 2008. Those who are merely reading
today's winds will be caught in the storm.

We want out of Iraq. By 2008, the majority of voters will want out of
Iraq, and want out immediately, as we do now. They will remember who had
the courage to say this before it crossed the 50% tipping point.
They will also remember those who had their eyes fixed on today‚s
anemometer. You have one weapon to use against this administration – the
power of the purse – and you must use it.

Not one more day; not one more dime; not one more life; not one more lie.

Cut the funds for the war, and bring the troops home now.

www.marxmail.org

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4)  AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE JOINS AMERICA
SAYS NO TO THE PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR MORE TROOPS IN IRAQ
“Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar”
and Bring the Troops Home Now!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            
Contact:           
Sandra Schwartz cell (415) 999-2436
Stephen McNeil cell (415) 350-9305 
January 11, 2007
[VIA Email...bw]

San Francisco, CA—The American Friends Service Committee calls
on all Americans to voice their opposition to both the call for more
troops in Iraq as well as the forthcoming funding supplemental for
the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The U.S. public has clearly called
for a new direction, and this is not it.  We call upon Congressional
leadership to stop giving the Administration a blank check.  We call
upon all to recognize in action that military force is not the solution
to the war in Iraq.  Rebuilding Iraq remains an obligation under
international law and cannot proceed until a political solution
is achieved.  Contact you members of Congress:

Senators Diane Feinstein at 415-393-0707
Barbara Boxer at 415-403-0100
Nancy Pelosi at 415-556-4862
Ellen Tauscher at 925-932-8899
Barbara Lee at 510-763-0360
Tom Lantos at 415-566-5257

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5) Oaxaca Government Wants Police Back
January 11, 2007
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B1369D774-0BE2-4FC7-905F-1580013B196F%7D&language=EN

Mexico, Jan 11 (Prensa Latina) Ulises Ruiz, governor of the Mexican
state of Oaxaca, requested that the Secretariat of Government on
Thursday return the federal forces to help deal with the intensification
of the social movement.

At his first meeting with Francisco Ramirez, secretary of Government,
Ruiz asked for a security boost in Oaxaca capital as the Popular
Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca (APPO) reactivated its protest
actions.

The encounter came two days after denunciations against sexual
abuse of fifteen APPO members, detained on Nov 25, by federal
officers.

It also coincides with the presentation of those events before
the Chamber of Deputies and with the decision of legislators
of the Democratic Revolution Party to take such denunciations
to the international court The Hague.

Ruiz's request is due to the new action plan by the social movement
since the Secretariat of Government refused to resume talks on
Monday, saying that APPO lacks a concrete agenda to transform
Oaxaca.

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6) G.I.’s in Iraq Raid Iranians’ Offices
By JAMES GLANZ
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/world/middleeast/12raid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

ERBIL, Iraq, Jan. 11 — American troops backed by attack helicopters
and armored vehicles raided an Iranian diplomatic office in the dead
of night early Thursday and detained as many as six of the Iranians
working inside.

The raid was the second surprise seizure of Iranians by the American
military in Iraq in recent weeks and came a day after President Bush
bluntly warned Iran to quit meddling in Iraqi affairs.

There was a tense standoff later in the day between the American
soldiers and about 100 Kurdish troops, who surrounded the American
armored vehicles for about two hours in this northern Iraqi city.

The attack was denounced by senior Kurdish officials, who are
normally America’s closest allies in Iraq but regarded the action
as an affront to their sovereignty in this highly tribal swath of the
country. Iran’s Foreign Ministry reacted in Tehran with a harsh
denunciation that threatened to escalate tensions with the Bush
administration.

The American military said that it had been “conducting routine
security operations in Erbil Jan. 11 and detained six individuals
suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraqi and
coalition forces. One individual was released and five remain
in custody.”

American officials have long accused Iran of sending weapons
and money into Iraq. In late December the American military
detained a number of Iranians in Baghdad, including two
diplomats and two who turned out to be senior Iranian military
officials. The diplomats were released but the others were forced
to leave Iraq under suspicion that they had been working with
Shiite militias. The incident also comes at a time when tensions
are high between the United States and Iran over its nuclear
program.

The incident was a major embarrassment for the Iraqi government,
which has been trying to foster initiatives with its neighbor for
improving regional security and trade, as well as other issues,
and it calls into question the extent of Iraqi control over its
own affairs.

In Thursday’s raid, attack helicopters roared above the normally
placid neighborhood here, as American troops backed by armored
vehicles broke into the office at around 3:30 a.m., carrying away
documents and computer equipment.

American Black Hawk helicopters also swooped over the confrontation
with the Kurdish troops, and at least two landed, said an American
witness. But there were no reports of shots being fired, and the
incident ended peacefully.

Witnesses said the attack was directed at a building that an American
official described as a liaison office that was properly accredited with
Iraq as an Iranian government facility. It was unclear whether the
Iranians who were arrested carried diplomatic passports and whether
the office was supposed to share some of the immunities enjoyed
by embassies and consulates.

Local residents said the main function of the office was to process
papers for people who want to go to Iran for visits or medical
treatment.

Muhammad Ahmad, who lives near the neighborhood, known as
Old Korea, said that he was awakened by shooting and helicopters.
“These kinds of actions are totally unacceptable and the Kurdish
leadership is very angry,” said Fuad Hussein, the spokesman for
the president of the semiautonomous territory, Massoud Barzani.
Mr. Hussein called the raid an “abduction.”

The Iranian government said the raid violated international law
and demanded the detainees’ release.

“This is a provocative action by the United States and is against
all international laws and regulations,” said the Foreign Ministry
spokesman, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the state-run radio reported.

“The Americans are following two aims,” he said. “They want to
continue their pressure against Iran and, secondly, to create tension
among Iraq’s neighbors.”

He added: “The provocative and mischievous actions cannot damage
the friendly relations with Iraq.”

A senior State Department official said that the Iranian office in
Erbil was not technically a consulate, but rather a liaison office
which also provided some consular services.

He said that American officials believed that the Iranians intended
to turn the office into a consulate at some point, but that had
not yet happened. Therefore, he said, the State Department
does not consider the office to be Iranian territory.

Thursday afternoon, the Kurdish interior minister, Karim Sinjari,
appeared surprised when an American reporter asked him during
a meeting with American businessmen to confirm the raid
on the liaison.

“Yes,” Mr. Sinjari said tightly. “It was American-led.” Asked for
further details, he said: “We have no information. They did it
by themselves.” He then cut off questions.

The standoff began around 11 a.m. in Einkawa, a pleasant and
predominantly Christian suburb of Erbil where many Western
officials live and keep offices. Possibly angered by the earlier
raid, the Kurdish forces refused to let several American Humvees
through a checkpoint.

“It was the Americans’ fault,” said a Kurdish guard from the
checkpoint, who refused to give his name. “We asked them
to stop but they did not stop. That is why we pointed our
guns at each other.”

The standoff, while tense, was carefully controlled by the
Kurds. The American who witnessed it said that as the lines
of traffic lengthened on the blocked road, the Kurds began
waving cars through and they drove directly past the
stopped Humvees.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the Iraqi and Swiss
ambassadors in Tehran in protest, and demanded the
immediate release of what it called diplomats, the state-
run television reported.

The Swiss represent American interests in Tehran. The United
States has had no embassy in Iran since 1979, when radical
students attacked the American Embassy in Tehran and took
44 diplomats hostage.

Mr. Hosseini told state-run television on Thursday that the
consulate in Erbil was set up after coordination with Iraqi
officials and that “it was involved in consulate work.”

A measured statement late in the day from Mr. Barzani’s
office expressed “its sadness over these actions,” indicating
that it believed the building had diplomatic immunity.
“It is better to inform the Kurdistan government before
taking actions against anybody,” the office said.

The American military said in a statement that “the
documents and equipment that were removed will be
examined to determine the extent of the alleged illegal
or terrorist activity. Based on the outcome of that investigation,
appropriate action will be taken regarding the detainees.”

Reporting was contributed by Yerevan Adham from Erbil, Iraq,
Helene Cooper from Washington and Nazila Fathi from Tehran.

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7) Military Eases Its Rules for Mobilizing Reserves
By DAVID S. CLOUD
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12guard.html

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — The Pentagon announced steps Thursday
to make more reservists available for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan
by changing the policies that govern how often members of the
Army National Guard and Reserve can be mobilized.

The new rules mean that individual Guard members and entire units
that have already been deployed in the last five years may be called
up again for as long as 24 consecutive months, officials said. In
practice, the Pentagon intends to try to limit future mobilizations
to no more than a year, once every five years, Gen. Peter Pace, the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

The policy change was brought on by the prolonged American troop
commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military officials said
it would have been necessary even if President Bush had not decided
to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq.

The change, announced by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at
a White House news conference, will enable the Bush administration
to call up tens of thousands of Guard members who were off limits
under the previous rules, without having to issue another politically
delicate mobilization order.

The decision to send five active-duty combat brigades to Iraq in the
next few months means the Army will need to call up National Guard
combat brigades that have already done one-year tours in Iraq, and
to do so sooner, officials said.

A senior military official said that by "this time next year," the Pentagon
"probably will be calling again on Guard units that have previously
done combat tours."

General Pace told reporters that some of the Guard units “that will
be mobilized in the coming period will not have had five years since
their last mobilization.” Some, he said, will have been home for
four years and some for only three.

Until now, the Defense Department’s policy on employing Guard
and Reserve units was that soldiers’ time on active duty could not
exceed a cumulative total of 24 months in any five-year period.
Under the new rules, the cumulative limit is removed.

The result, officials said, is that soldiers who have already done
a tour in Iraq in the last five years can now be sent back to Iraq
if their entire unit is remobilized. The goal of limiting deployments
to a year is meant to offset the burden on Guard members, who
must leave civilian jobs to serve.

Until now, many members of the Army National Guard, which has
an authorized total strength of 350,000 soldiers, have been deployed
to Iraq or Afghanistan as individuals, sometimes for 18 months or longer.
Mr. Gates said the Pentagon would now mobilize units, not individuals.
Any soldiers who have already done tours will again be eligible,
regardless of previous deployments, if their units are called into service.

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8) Massachusetts Rescinds Deal on Policing Immigration
By KATIE ZEZIMA
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/us/12patrick.html

BOSTON, Jan. 11 — Gov. Deval L. Patrick said Thursday that as expected,
he had rescinded a new agreement between Massachusetts and federal
officials that empowered the state police to arrest illegal immigrants
on charges of violating immigration law.

The agreement was announced last month by Mitt Romney, who was
then governor and has since opened a campaign for the Republican
presidential nomination in 2008. Within nine days of the
announcement, Mr. Patrick, as the Democratic governor-elect,
said he would void the accord on the ground that state troopers
already had enough to do enforcing Massachusetts statutes and
should not have the added responsibility of dealing with federal law.

Mr. Patrick said at a news conference Thursday that he would
negotiate a new agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement
giving 12 Massachusetts corrections officers the power to search
for illegal immigrants in the state prison system and report them
to federal authorities for possible deportation.

These officers will be stationed at prisons in Concord and Framingham
that process all inmates in the system. The governor said he would
consider broadening this accord to include county and local jails,
depending on what happened at the state level.

Mr. Patrick said doing away with the arrangement negotiated by
Mr. Romney would allow state troopers to maintain a focus on gun,
drug and gang-related crime.

“The wisest and most practical course,” he said, “is for state troopers
to focus on enforcing Massachusetts laws.”

The governor was joined at the news conference by the Massachusetts
secretary of public safety, Kevin M. Burke, who said state police
officials had expressed concern that the increased responsibilities
would overburden their officers.

“It would definitely have affected, according to their analysis, their
ability to deal with their core mission” of enforcing state law,
Mr. Burke said.

There were no arrests under the Romney agreement, since,
Mr. Patrick said, the state troopers chosen to carry out the policy
had not yet begun a required six-week training course.

At least eight other jurisdictions have already partnered with
the federal government in helping enforce immigration law.
Arizona and five counties in California and North Carolina have
agreements with Washington involving state corrections officers,
while Alabama and Florida have arrangements involving the state police.

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9) PENTAGON INTENSIFIES PRESSURE ON IRAN
By Jay Solomon
"Amid Push to Stabilize Iraq, U.S. Seeks to Curb Influence of Tehran
Throughout Region"
Wall Street Journal
January 12, 2007 Page A4
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116856948010274729.html (subscribers only)

WASHINGTON -- Even as President Bush seeks larger numbers of troops to
stabilize Iraq, the Pentagon is intensifying operations there on another
front: challenging Iran over its alleged role in destabilizing its Arab
neighbor.

Yesterday, multinational forces including U.S. troops detained six Iranian
officials in Iraqi Kurdistan suspected of aiding Shiite Muslim militants in
Iraq. It was the second detainment by U.S.-led forces of Iranian officials
in Iraq in less than a month. The U.S. and its allies have also sought to
seal off Iran's ability to penetrate Iraq and ship arms there, with British
forces stepping up patrols along the Iran-Iraq border and U.S. warships and
aircraft carriers increasing patrols in the Persian Gulf. Mr. Bush, in his
speech to the nation Wednesday, announced the deployment of a second
aircraft-carrier battle group to patrol the Gulf.

And the Pentagon has significantly increased its intelligence activities
targeting suspected Iranian agents and Shiite Muslim militants, U.S.
intelligence officials said. Besides working with Iraqi security forces,
the U.S. has intensified information-sharing with dissident Iranian groups
such as Mujahedin-e Khalq, according to officials associated with the group.

U.S. officials say the intensifying actions targeting Iran are central to
the new White House push to underpin the shaky government of Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki. They come against a backdrop of growing, broader
tensions between Washington and Tehran, over Iran's suspected pursuit of
nuclear weapons, U.S. efforts to curb Iran's financial transactions and
Tehran's moves to increase its influence throughout the Middle East.

Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said the
administration is seeking to counter Iranian provocations across the region
as part of a broader strategy. "Iran needs to learn to respect us," he
said. "And Iran certainly needs to respect American power in the Middle
East."

Some U.S. lawmakers and many Arab officials fear the U.S.'s latest tactics
could stoke a broader regional conflict.

A number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers yesterday drew analogies to
the Vietnam War, when American military activities secretly moved into
neighboring Cambodia and Laos from Vietnam. These lawmakers said U.S.
efforts to target insurgents and alleged Iranian agents in Iraq could spill
over into Iran and Syria, and potentially spark wider, sectarian conflicts
between Sunni and Shiite Muslims around the region.

"When you set in motion the kind of policy that the president is talking
about here, it's very, very dangerous," said Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican
from Nebraska and a Vietnam veteran.

Mr. Bush Wednesday hinted at a significant hardening of policy toward Iran
and Syria, saying the U.S. "will seek out and destroy the networks providing
advanced training and weaponry to our enemies in Iraq." Mr. Bush and other
U.S. officials have regularly accused Iran and Syria of arming and funding
militants fighting in Iraq, charges both countries deny.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed an even-harder line toward Tehran
yesterday. Washington "will continue to work with the Iraqis and use all
our power to limit and counter activities of Iranian agents who are
attacking our people and innocent civilians in Iraq," she said.

The White House's emerging policy on Iran's role in Iraq directly counters
recommendations made last month by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. The
congressionally funded group, headed by former U.S. Secretary of State James
Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, had recommended that the U.S.
directly engage Tehran and Damascus to build a regional consensus on how to
stabilize Iraq.

Bush administration officials working on Middle East policy said the White
House's moves to confront Tehran directly in Iraq predates the ISG study,
having been in development for nearly six months. From the earliest days of
the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Pentagon officials have voiced fears that
Iran was using the fall of Saddam Hussein to increase its influence among
Iraqi Shiites, who constitute a majority in the country but had lived under
Sunni Muslim rule for decades prior to Mr. Hussein's fall.

And U.S. intelligence officials said that during the past year, they have
noticed a significant increase of munitions and designs for the construction
of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, coming across the Iranian border.
IEDs are the largest killers of U.S. soldiers in Iraq, according to the
Pentagon.

Of particular concern to Pentagon planners is the alleged role of Qods
Force, the international arm of Tehran's Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps,
in trafficking IEDs into Iraq, intelligence officials said. The guard corps
is believed to have developed close ties to both the Mahdi Army, a Shiite
militia headed by the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and the Badr Brigade,
the militant arm of Iraq's largest Shiite political party, the Supreme
Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

The Pentagon moves in Iraq to arrest Iranian diplomats in both Irbil and
Baghdad over the past month were directly aimed at trying to stanch the flow
of IEDs and other armaments into Iraq, U.S. officials involved in the
program said. The U.S. has alleged that the Revolutionary Guard corps has
used front companies and religious foundations to move some of these
armaments over the Iran-Iraq border. And U.S. officials said they have
extensive intelligence showing many of the diplomats detained were senior
members of the corps.

The Iranian government immediately protested the U.S. moves, while Iraqi and
Kurdish officials asked the U.S. to show restraint in confronting Iran.
Baghdad views Tehran as an increasingly important economic partner and
crucial to its internal stability. "Sometimes we pay the price for the
tension in relations between Iran and the U.S. and Syria," said Iraqi
government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, according to the Associated Press.

Aside from escalating strains between the U.S. and Iran, Middle East
analysts said Mr. Bush's new Iraq strategy -- such as adding more than
10,000 troops in Baghdad -- will inevitably increase tensions between
American forces and the Mahdi Army, which controls much of the Iraqi
capital, and that an escalation in fighting could turn Iraq's Shiite
majority even further against the U.S.

Of more concern to U.S. lawmakers is the potential that these U.S. actions
against Iran could escalate. Under one possible scenario, U.S. forces could
cross into Iran or Syria in pursuit of suspected insurgents or their allies,
or use alleged Iranian activities inside Iraq as a pretext for a wider
assault on Iran. The fear is that any such military activities could ignite
a wider conflict.

"The potential for sparking a wider conflict is great," said Trita Parsi, an
Iran analyst and president of the National Iranian American Council in
Washington. "I think that if we're going for a confrontation with Iran, the
pretext will be Iraq."

--Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com

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10) Why we stand for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq
We call on the U.S. to get out of Iraq — not in six months, not in a year, but now.
Sign the Petition at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow/

THE U.S. occupation of Iraq has not liberated the Iraqi people, but
has made life worse for most Iraqis.

Tens of thousands of U.S. service people have been killed or maimed,
and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have lost their lives as
a result of the U.S. invasion in 2003, the ongoing occupation, and
the violence unleashed by them.

Iraq's infrastructure has been destroyed, and U.S. plans for
reconstruction abandoned. There is less electricity, less clean
drinking water, and more unemployment today than before
the U.S. invasion.

All of the justifications initially provided by the U.S. for waging
war on Iraq have been exposed as lies; the real reasons for the
invasion — to control Iraq's oil reserves and to increase U.S. strategic
influence in the region — now stand revealed.

The Bush administration has insisted again and again that stability,
democracy, and prosperity are around the next bend in the road.
But with each day that the U.S. stays, the violence and lack of
security facing Iraqis worsen. The U.S. says that it cannot withdraw
its military because Iraq will collapse into civil war if it does. But
the U.S. has deliberately stoked sectarian divisions in its ongoing
attempt to install a U.S.-friendly regime, thus driving Iraq towards
civil war.

The November elections in the United States sent a clear message
that voters reject the Iraq war, and opinion polls show that seven
in 10 Iraqis want the U.S. to leave sooner rather than later. Even
most U.S. military and political leaders agree that staying the
course in Iraq is a policy that is bound to fail.

Yet all the various alternative plans for Iraq now being discussed
in Washington, including those proposed by House and Senate
Democrats, aren't about withdrawing the U.S. military from Iraq.
Rather, these strategies are about continuing the pursuit of U.S.
goals in Iraq and the larger Middle East using different means.

Even the proposal to redeploy U.S. troops outside of Iraq, a plan
favored by many Democratic Party leaders, envisions continued
U.S. intervention inside Iraq.

With former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger insisting that
a military victory in Iraq is no longer possible and (Ret.) Lt. Gen.
William Odom calling for "complete withdrawal" of all U.S. troops,
the antiwar movement should demand no less than the immediate
withdrawal of the U.S. military — as well as reparations to the
Iraqi people, so they can rebuild their own society and genuinely
determine their own future.

Ali Abunimah
ElectronicIraq.net
Gilbert Achcar
Author
Clash of Barbarisms
Michael Albert
ZNet
Tariq Ali
Author
Bush in Babylon
Anthony Arnove
Author
Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal
Noam Chomsky
Author
Hegemony or Survival
Kelly Dougherty
Executive Director
Iraq Veterans Against the War*
Eve Ensler
Playwright
The Vagina Monologues
Eduardo Galeano
Author
The Open Veins of Latin America
Rashid Khalidi
Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies
Columbia University
Camilo Mejía
First Iraq War resister to refuse redeployment
Arundhati Roy
Author
God of Small Things
Cindy Sheehan
Gold Star Families for Peace, mother of
Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, killed in Iraq
Howard Zinn
Author
A People's History of the United States

* for identification purposes only

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LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES
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Israeli forces confiscating hundreds of dunams of Hebron
land for settlement industry
"Official sources at the Hebron offices of the Land Defense Committee
in the West Bank are reporting that Israeli forces intend to confiscate
much of the town of Dahariya for settlement industry. More than
300 fertile dunams of Palestinian land is slated to be taken from
the southwestern area of the town."
http://english. pnn.ps/index. php?option= com_content&task=view&id=1414

Hackensack: Lawsuit in Police Shooting
By KAREEM FAHIM
The family of a 45-year-old man who was fatally shot last year by
a New Jersey Park Police officer filed a wrongful-death suit yesterday
in State Superior Court. The suit names the officer and several
colleagues, the State of New Jersey and the Park Police. The man,
Emil Mann, a member of the Ramapough Mountain Indians, had
been at a barbecue in the woods of Mahwah on April 1 when the
officer, Chad Walder, shot him twice without justification, the
suit alleges. Officer Walder, who has said he fired in self-defense,
and two other officers also delayed getting medical help to Mr. Mann,
the suit says. A lawyer for Officer Walder, Robert Galantucci, said
the shooting was justified. No criminal charges have been filed
in the case, and the Bergen County prosecutor’s office has said
the investigation is still open. Mr. Mann, who grew up on the
mountain where he was shot, lived in Monroe, N.Y., and had
three children.
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/nyregion/12mbrfs-emil.html

Texas: Judge Blocks Ordinance on Immigrants
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A judge blocked an ordinance requiring landlords to verify the
citizenship of potential tenants, a day before it was to go into
effect in a Dallas suburb. The judge granted a temporary
restraining order after a claim that state open-meetings laws
had been violated when the ordinance was approved and
adopted by the City Council of Farmers Branch in November.
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/us/12brfs-LANDLORDS.html

U.S. Preparing for Trials of Top Qaeda Detainees
By DAVID JOHNSTON and NEIL A. LEWIS
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11 — The Bush administration has set up a secret
war room in a Virginia suburb where it is assembling evidence
to prosecute high-ranking detainees from Al Qaeda including
the man accused of being the mastermind of the September 2001
attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, government officials said this week.
January 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12terror.html?ref=us

Bush's tough tactics are a 'declaration of war' on Iran
By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor
Published: 12 January 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article2145136.ece

Democrats Risk Antiwar Wrath if They Waver on Iraq Exit
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0110-08.htm

Soldiers Doubt an Influx of American Troops Will Benefit Iraqi Army
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0110-04.htm

Bush to Face Street Protests over Iraq Escalation Plan
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0110-07.htm

YouTube User Spurs Iraq War Dialogue
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0110-01.htm

Robert Fisk: Bush's new strategy - the march of folly
So into the graveyard of Iraq, George Bush, commander-in-chief,
is to send another 21,000 of his soldiers. The march of folly
is to continue...
Published: 11 January 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2144057.ece

Rights of Unions and Nonmembers Vie at Court
By LINDA GREENHOUSE
January 11, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/washington/11scotus.html?ref=us

If you can stomach it:
Transcript of President Bush’s Address to Nation on U.S. Policy in Iraq
as recorded by The New York Times:
January 11, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/us/11ptext.html

Israel’s Purging of Palestinian Christians
by Jonathan Cook in Nazareth
www.dissidentvoice.org
January 9, 2007
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Jan07/Cook09.htm

Democrats Beef Police State With 9/11 Commission Bill
Political "opposition" also helping Bush gain traction for Iran military strike
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/100107democratsbeef.htm

Wage Increase Could Hinge on Tax Cuts
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
January 10, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/washington/10wage.html?hp&ex=1168491600&en=91d9820f1ef98a84&ei=5094&partner=homepage

Britain: An Increase in Profit at the London Stock Exchange
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
The London Stock Exchange, seeking to fend off a hostile takeover
by the Nasdaq Stock Market, reported a 9.9 percent increase in
third-quarter profit and forecast a “strong performance” in fiscal
2008. Net income rose to £31 million ($59.8 million) in the three
months ended Dec. 31, up from £28.2 million a year earlier, the
exchange said. Revenue increased 11 percent, to £89.9 million
($173.5 million). The third-quarter results “support the board’s
rejection of Nasdaq’s offer, which significantly undervalues the
business and the exchange’s unique strategic position,” the
exchange’s chief executive, Clara Furse, said. “Our strong growth
prospects will continue to enhance the quality of our markets.”
The exchange, Europe’s biggest equity market, released its
earnings about three weeks ahead of schedule and two days
before Nasdaq’s offer to pay £12.43 a share expires.
January 10, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/business/worldbusiness/10fobriefs-ANINCREASEIN_BRF.html

Venezuelan Plan Shakes Investors
By SIMON ROMERO and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
January 10, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/business/worldbusiness/10venezuela.html?ref=business

Mayor Finds Friendly Ears on Senate Homeland Security Panel
By SEWELL CHAN and ERIC LIPTON
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 — Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took his perennial
pitch for more security money to Congress on Tuesday, but this year,
for a change, lawmakers seemed poised to listen.
January 10, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/nyregion/10bloomberg.html?ref=nyregion

3 Relatives of Plotter Are Held by Officials
By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM
January 10, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/nyregion/10plot.html?ref=nyregion

Gas-Like Odor Permeates Parts of New York City
By CHRISTINE HAUSER and SEWELL CHAN
January 8, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/08/nyregion/08cnd-odor.html?hp&ex=1168318800&en=b688635a7be2e78d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

The Second Declaration of Havana
Walter Lippmann, CubaNews Los Angeles, California
This is one of the great political documents of all time. It was
presented to the Cuban people on February 4, 1962, following Cuba's
expulsion from the Organization of American States. It is printed
here in its entirety. [editorial note from Fidel Castro Speaks,
edited by James Petras and Martin Kenner, Grove Press, 1969.]
It is now web-posted in English here:
http://www.walterlippmann.com/fc-02-04-1962.html
Original Spanish:
http://www.cuba.cu/gobierno/discursos/1962/esp/f040262e.html


The universe gives up its deepest secret
It is the invisible material that makes up most of the cosmos.
Now, scientists have created the first image of dark matter
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 08 January 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2134891.ece

Blood and oil: How the West will profit from Iraq's
most precious commodity
The Independent (UK)
January 7, 2007
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2132574.ece

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SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS (IN FULL DETAIL)
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

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EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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BARRIO UNIDO FOR GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL!
EMERGENCY PICKET LINE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007, 4:00 - 7:00 P.M.
FEDERAL BUILDING
450 GOLDEN GATE AVE.
BETWEEN POLK AND LARKIN STREETS, S.F.

STOP THE ICE RAIDS! FREE THE WORKERS!
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!
THE WORKERS SHOULD GET THEIR JOBS BACK!
WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE, GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL! DEFEND THE RIGHT OF
ALL WORKERS TO ORGANIZE UNIONS IN THEIR OWN DEFENSE!

All human beings have basic, inalienable human rights to life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness. If your family is starving and you
can not find work, you have the right to find someplace where you can
feed, clothe and house your family.

If capital can go all over the world exploiting workers, then workers
have the right to move to find work for their family's basic survival.

IMMIGRANT WORKERS ARE GUILTY OF NOTHING
BUT WORKING HARD TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES
AND THEIR FAMILIES.

From South America, Latin America, China, Africa, India--in countries
all over the world, not to speak of the war in Iraq--a war of blood
for oil--U.S. businesses are raking in huge profits off the backs of workers
who earn slave wages and work under the most dangerous working conditions
at best, and under a state of war at worse.

Meanwhile, here at home, they are laying off workers, closing factories,
doing
away with benefits and working conditions won by worker's struggles
in the past--installing two, three, many-tiered pay scales--driving down
wages to below the scale parents are earning--leaving our children
with the heritage of a guaranteed life of poverty without union
representation.

WORKERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE UNIONS!

And now they launch an all-out war against the most vulnerable workers
--who are driven to work in these meatpacking plants. Whether
documented or not, this is brutal, dangerous and difficult work.

And not so coincidentally, these same workers just happen
to be in the midst of a fight to win union recognition!

THESE ARRESTS ARE A THREAT TO ALL WORKERS
AND ALL UNIONS!

These mass arrests are terrorist tactics designed as a warning
to all workers that if they struggle for a better life and better
working conditions, they will be persecuted in every way
imaginable.

This is an all-out assault on every worker and it is being
executed by a terrorist government--the U.S. Government--
who uses pre-emptive war based upon outright lies to further
their oil profits; who will stop at nothing to increase their
rate of profit.

The ultimate goal of the U.S. Government is for American big
business to continue to accumulate unimaginable wealth
at the expense of the hardworking majority all over the
world--nothing is off-limits to them in this, their fundamental
pursuit!

STOP THE ICE RAIDS! FREE THE WORKERS!
STOP THE DEPORTATIONS!
THE WORKERS SHOULD GET THEIR JOBS BACK!
WE DEMAND IMMEDIATE, GENERAL AND UNCONDITIONAL
AMNESTY FOR ALL! DEFEND THE RIGHT OF
ALL WORKERS TO ORGANIZE UNIONS IN THEIR OWN DEFENSE!

An injury to one is an injury to all! We are only as strong as our
weakest link. If we allow these terrorists from ICE to continue
to carry out these assaults against the basic human rights
of any of us--no matter what our immigration status--they
will not hesitate one second to use these same tactics of mass
firings, arrest, etc. against all of us who dare to struggle
in our own defense and in our own, basic human interests and
for our own basic rights as workers and human beings!

It's up to us to organize and fight back! If we are united, we cannot loose!

WE ENCOURAGE ALL WORKERS AND ALL LABOR AND COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS TO ENDORSE THIS ACTION AND COME OUT TO
PICKET THE FEDERAL BUILDING TO PROTEST THESE RAIDS!
BRING YOUR OWN BANNERS AND SIGNS!

For more information contact:

Barrio Unido por una Amnistia
General e Incondicional
Cristina Gutierrez,
415-431-9925
companeros98@hotmail.com

Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org
415-824-8730
bonnieweinstein@yahoo.com

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REPORT BACK ON VENEZUELA
7:00 PM Saturday, January 13
522 Valencia Street , 3rd Floor Auditorium
Hear about:
-Factories run by workers
-The election turnout for Hugo Chavez
-Occupied factories
-Socialism of the 21st Century
See: A short film on current developments
in Venezuela .
Speakers:
-John Peterson, National Secretary
of US Hands Off Venezuela (recently
returned from Venezuela )
-A speaker from Global Exchange
-A speaker from Global Women’s
Strike, San Francisco Bay Area
-An opportunity for discussion will follow
the presentations.
Sponsored by Hands Off Venezuela
Hands Off Venezuela is an international
organization dedicated to the principle
that the people of Venezuela have the
right to determine their own destiny
without interference from foreign
countries.
Contact info:
phone (415) 786-1680
email sfbay@ushov.org
web www.ushov.org

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ACT NOW TO END THE WAR!
SATURDAY JANUARY 27, 2007
Washington, D.C.
VOLUNTEER Live in NYC or DC? We need your help
before and during the protest. Call 212-868-5545
STAYINFORMED Visit www.unitedforpeace.org for
updated information and to sign up for our action alerts
DONATE Whether you can contribute $10, $100, or
$1000, we need your support to help end the war!
Call 212-866-5545 or visit www.unitedforpeace.org/donate
Join us for a massive
march on Washington
to tell the new Congress:
unitedforpeace&justice
www.unitedforpeace.org (212)868-5545
On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic,
unmistakable mandate for peace. Now it's time for action.
On Jan. 27, 2007, help send a strong, clear message to
Congress and the Bush Administration:
Bring the troops home now!

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MARCH ON THE PENTAGON
SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2007
U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW
From Iraq to New Orleans, Fund the People's Needs NOT THE
WAR MACHINE! End Colonial Occupation: Iraq, Palestine, Haiti and
everywhere! Shut Down Guantanamo
AnswerCoalition.org

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LYNNE STEWART AND MICHAEL RATNER IN BAY AREA
FEBRUARY 23-25 (Lynne and her husband Ralph will
stay on several more days. Stay tuned for complete
schedule of events.)
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.
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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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
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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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You may enjoy watching these.
In struggle
Che:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqcezl9dD2c
Leon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukkFVV5X0p4

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FIGHTBACK! A Collection of Socialist Essays
By Sylvia Weinstein
http://www.walterlippmann.com/sylvia-weinstein-fightback-intro.html

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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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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.
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?
JServSessionIdr003=cga2p2o6x1.app2a&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=177

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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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Sand Creek Massacre
Hello, Everyone,
On November 29, 1864, 700 Colorado troops savagely slaughtered
over 450 Cheyenne children, disabled, elders, and women in the
southeastern Colorado Territory under its protection. This act
became known as the Sand Creek Massacre. This film project
("The Sand Creek Massacre" documentary film project) is an
examination of an open wound in the souls of the Cheyenne
people as told from their perspective. This project chronicles
that horrific 19th century event and its affect on the 21st century
struggle for respectful coexistence between white and native
plains cultures in the United States of America.

Listed below are links on which you can click to get the latest news,
products, and view, free, "THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" award-
winning documentary short. In order to create more native
awareness, particularly to save the roots of America's history,
please read the following:

Some people in America are trying to save the world. Bless
them. In the meantime, the roots of America are dying.
What happens to a plant when the roots die? The plant dies
according to my biology teacher in high school. American's
roots are its native people. Many of America's native people
are dying from drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, hunger,
and disease, which was introduced to them by the Caucasian
male. Tribal elders are dying. When they die, their oral
histories go with them. Our native's oral histories are the
essence of the roots of America, what took place before
our ancestors came over to America, what is taking place,
and what will be taking place. It is time we replenish
America's roots with native awareness, else America
continues its decaying, and ultimately, its death.

You can help. The 22-MINUTE SAND CREEK MASSACRE
DOCUMENTARY PRESENTATION/EDUCATIONAL DVD IS
READY FOR PURCHASE! (pass the word about this powerful
educational tool to friends, family, schools, parents, teachers,
and other related people and organizations to contact
me (dvasicek@earthlink.net, 303-903-2103) for information
about how they can purchase the DVD and have me come
to their children's school to show the film and to interact
in a questions and answers discussion about the Sand
Creek Massacre.

Happy Holidays!

Donald L. Vasicek
Olympus Films+, LLC
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Vasicek,+Don
http://www.donvasicek.com
dvasicek@earthlink.net
303-903-2103

"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FEATURED AT NATIVE AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/local/16035305.htm
(scroll down when you get there])
"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING
WRITER/FILMMAKER DONALD L. VASICEK REPORT:
http://www.digitalcinemareport.com/sandcreekmassacre.html
"THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FINALIST IN DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL COMPETITION (VIEW HERE):
http://www.docupyx.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=28&Itemid=4
1
VIEW "THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE" AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY
SHORT FILM MOVIE OF THE WEEK FOR FREE HERE:
http://twymancreative.com/twymanc.html

SHOP:
http://www.manataka.org/page633.html
BuyIndies.com
donvasicek.com.

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MUST SEE: PBS VIDEO NOTEBOOK: A DAY AT THE PLANT
NOW's Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa takes us inside the
world's largest pork processing plant, located in Tar Heel, North
Carolina. As the first TV journalist ever allowed to film inside the
plant, owned by The Smithfield Packing Company, Hinojosa gives
us an insider's view of what conditions are like in a plant that
slaughters over 33,000 hogs per day.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/250/smithfield.html

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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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TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
www.bauaw.org
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The following quote is from the 1918 anti-war speech delivered
in Canton, Ohio, by Eugene Debs. The address, protesting World War I,
resulted in Debs being arrested and imprisoned on charges of espionage.
The speech remains one of the great expressions of the militancy and
internationalism of the US working class.

His appeal, before sentencing, included one of his best-known quotes:
"...while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal
element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."

Read the complete speech at:
http://douglassarchives.org/debs_a78.htm

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!VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
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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.
web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/RolandSheppardsBlog.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

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

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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

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

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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

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Immigration video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tacK8MAfuAs

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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

and:

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

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

In solidarity,

Bonnie Weinstein

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Endorse the following petition:
Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
http://www.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
Vi