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Saturday, November 06, 2004
BAUAW NEWSLETTER-SATURDAY, NOV. 6, 2004
1) ALL OUT FOR
January 20 Counter-Inaugural & March 19/20 Global Day of Protest on 2nd Anniversary of the war 2) Emergency demonstration to protest a new U.S. invasion of Fallujah The United States has positioned 10,000 troops outside the city of Fallujah. A bombing campaign is being carried out in preparation of a new invasion. There will be an emergency protest the day following the U.S. invasion. Powell and Market in San Francisco Monday-Friday at 5pm Saturday or Sunday at 12 noon 3) National Guard fighter jet strafes New Jersey school in late-night mistake WAYNE PARRY LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) 02:03 AM EST Nov 05 http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/041104/w1104107.html 4) H A I T I: Hidden from the Headlines with Pierre Laboissiere, founding member, Haiti Action Committee; 5) Two Car Bombs Kill 21 in Samarra By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) Filed at 9:55 a.m. ET November 6, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html 6) All Sides Prepare for American Attack on Falluja By DEXTER FILKINS and JAMES GLANZ NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq November 6, 2004 BATTLE PLANS http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/international/middleeast/06falluja.html?ei =5094&en=60dfe7c7468dd1c8&hp=&ex=1099803600&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnl x=1099757063-KIkga/dbapPI7KrCGHkW3g 7) Prayers and tears in Falluja Story from BBC NEWS: The Iraqi city of Falluja is braced for an assault by US forces massed on its outskirts. The BBC News website spoke by phone to a reporter in Falluja, who described how people left in the city live on through siege and bombardment. He is not named for security reasons. Published: 2004/11/05 14:48:48 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3986085.stm 8) Military hospital preparing for Fallujah battle Marines say the toll is expected to rival those seen in Vietnam War By TOM LASSETER Knight Ridder Tribune News Nov. 5, 2004, 12:29AM http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2885271 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) ALL OUT FOR January 20 Counter-Inaugural & March 19/20 Global Day of Protest on 2nd Anniversary of the war It is time to take a close look at what actually happened with the election of Bush and the defeat of Kerry. We should cut through the myths, clichés and banalities that are pumped out by the politicians and TV punditry - the establishment propaganda machine - and then too frequently echoed even by progressive people. It is also an important moment to make another commitment to organize and mobilize for the January 20 and March 19/20 mass actions against the criminal war being waged in Iraq. That war is about to escalate sharply as the Pentagon prepares a murderous reign of terror against the people of Fallujah and other Iraqi cities, and all people of conscience must take action. It is more than ironic that Bush can openly prepare to make the streets and alleyways of Fallujah run red with blood so Iraq can have "democratic elections" in January. More than 100,000 Iraqis have died since March 20, 2003, as a consequence of the U.S. invasion and occupation of their country. At least 10,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed or wounded according to the official figures. The death toll will grow higher on both sides as the nationalist insurgency of the Iraqi people deepens. A Shared Vision for War and Conquest - Why the Truth Was Never Spoken This is not just Bush's war. The Democrats, including Kerry, complain only that the criminal war has been badly managed. Kerry's program was to bring in other imperialist countries, give them a share of the contracts (also known as the loot) and share the burden of aggression and occupation with others. There are millions of people including many "conservative" working people in swing states who are either opposed to, or apprehensive about, the war. Just as in the Vietnam War, millions of people can turn actively against the war - and can even become its most militant opponents - once they come to understand that they have been lied to by the government. Their children and spouses and neighbors are being sent to kill and be killed. For people to learn the truth and accept the fact that the government that they pledged allegiance to is really a bunch of lying criminals takes a process. It requires people who know the truth to tell it and to speak plainly so that there is no misunderstanding. Kerry has always known that Iraq was not a "grave and imminent threat" to the people of the United States. He also knows that the war was a brazen act of lawless aggression and that every life lost in Iraq constitutes an act of homicide by the officials who planned and ordered the war, who should all be tried for war crimes. Instead of stating clearly that Bush was lying, instead of telling the people that this was a war of aggression for the power and enrichment of Corporate America, Kerry voted for the war, agreed that he would do it all over again, and then asked people to vote for him because he had a "better plan" to win the war. How could anyone think that such a confused and disingenuous position could appeal to traditionally Republican voters who are, in fact, deeply worried about the escalating war in Iraq? Kerry decided instead to wrap himself in the flag, tout his war record in Vietnam, dress up in fatigues and go duck hunting for a day. Only a rich liberal aristocrat and his Democratic Party operatives could believe that working people are going to find this convincing. The Real Divide Millions of hard-working people did everything they could to help Kerry get elected and to fight against racist disenfranchisement. They registered new voters, passed out literature, went door-to-door, acted as election monitors. Many were labor activists, others were from the antiwar movement, for many it was their first political experience. Now, that Kerry has been defeated by the concerted effort of the right wing political machine, many in the Democratic Party leadership are promoting an absolutely false reason for his defeat. They are blaming gay marriage, and the so-called liberalism of the Party on "social and cultural issues." The Democratic Party leadership has, in fact, proven itself incapable of defeating the right-wing once again. At the same time, the pundits are announcing a "divided America," arguing that the people of the U.S. are split into two sectors - the progressive, open-minded, peace-loving people, and the hateful, ignorant, warmongering bigots. But the post-electoral pundits' certification of this national divide misses the real divide, in the same way that the Democratic Party and many progressive organizations ignored the real divide in the United States during the electoral fight. The vast majority of people in the United States, who voted either for Kerry or Bush, are working people, far from rich. This is the unexposed divide. But this divide did not determine the election because it could not, as neither candidate represented the interests of this majority. The Bush campaign fostered a divide of fear and bigotry. The only way to overcome this strategy would have been to openly counter it, to tell the truth about what the real divide- and-conquer program was, to openly support progressive issues and undemonize the demonized by raising the curtain on the real workings and intentions of the political and corporate establishment. This could not happen. Kerry, and many of the progressive organizations that supported him, accepted the belief that Kerry had to "speak to the right" on social issues and pander to this falsely created "moral" divide, with the quiet assurance that he would not be as regressive on social issues as Bush is sure to be. But once one accepts and panders to the Bush program and its fostered social divide, how can anyone be educated or be won from it? The Unspoken Unity Inside of the political and economic establishment, the ones who financed Bush's and Kerry's campaigns are not "sharply divided," rather they are united. Both candidates and both parties are advocates of "winning" in Iraq, unconditional support for Israel's war against the Palestinians, the ouster of Aristide in Haiti, the maintenance of a half-trillion dollar annual military budget, implementation of so-called free trade agreements and the outsourcing of jobs that are destroying the lives of working people everywhere, opposition to equal marriage rights. Kerry said repeatedly that he would simply manage Bush's program better. Both are almost identical in class representation. Not only did all four candidates for president and vice president possess vast personal wealth, but both candidacies were funded by the largest big banks and financial corporations, and Bush and Kerry shared four of the same ten largest donors. The Big Business imprint on the election was total and complete. Think about that unity. This is the unity of both Bush and Kerry and both of their parties, and the unity of all the corporations and banks and media corporations, including the newspapers, as well as the entire Military-Industrial Complex. If they weren't completely beholden to the same big business interests as the Republicans, Kerry could have easily captured a section of the Republican working class base that voted against their own interests. Many of those who voted for Bush were opposed to the Iraq war or had serious misgivings, and are also facing a concerted drive by Corporate America to slash health care benefits, pensions, cut wages and attack unions. Kerry could not make a strong, convincing appeal to these voters because both the Democrats and Republicans are imperialist parties and, as such, are united in wanting to conquer Iraq and are united in their view that working people in the U.S. should give back their hard won economic gains. Why would a voter leaning toward Bush on some other issue break away and vote for Kerry because of Iraq, when Kerry announced over and over again, "we are not talking about leaving [Iraq] we are talking about winning." Today Bush is set to unleash new attacks in Fallujah and other cities throughout Iraq that will kill thousands, mainly civilians. Kerry will support this offensive even though many more will die. Young soldiers are going to be used as faceless cogs in a racist war. The corporate powers and the politicians don't care what happens to the Iraqi people or to the soldiers. Nor do they wish to see a united base of working people in the U.S. who join together for their real shared interests. Why the Election Shows the Strength of Opposition to the War Given their united political position on Iraq and the political, economic and media power that they wield it is a testament to the strength of the antiwar mood in the country that nearly half the population has broken from that position. Of the 54 million people who voted against Bush, opposition to the Iraq war was a central issue even though by voting for Kerry they were supporting a candidate who embraces the U.S. occupation and vows to "win not leave" Iraq. The electoral outpouring against Bush does not indicate a continuing trend toward the political right. The opposite is true. One need only think back to the political climate on September 12, 2001, or even just eighteen months ago when Bush was sporting an approval rating of over 70% when he landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft carrier dressed up as a soldier and proudly standing under the banner "Mission Accomplished." If the 2004 election had taken place 18 months ago, Bush would have won the largest landslide ever. With each passing day the war in Iraq becomes more inflamed, more violent and huge parts of the country are under the control of the Iraqi resistance. The Bush plan for Iraq and the Middle East is politically premised on imperial arrogance and driven by the desire for Empire. The growing hatred of the occupation force inside of Iraq will only increase and every day more people in this country, including many in uniform and their families, will join the ranks of the antiwar movement. Voting for Kerry, for most progressive people, was a way of showing repudiation of the Bush administration and its warmongering, anti-people program, and that was an important message to send. But Kerry offers no hope for progressive change and his defeat does not mean that the true progressive movement in the United States is weak. It means simply that Kerry was not, and could never have been, its standard bearer nor able to win people to a movement for true historic social change he was not part of. The Next Steps for People of Conscience What is the perspective of the antiwar movement in the face of the growing escalation of war in Iraq and repression at home? Are we supposed to now just hang our heads, lament the victory of the right, wallow in despair, and proclaim "we are too weak," in the face of the triumph of Bush? We do not have the luxury of taking a break for despondency and despair. The antiwar movement must merge the struggle for peace with a militant fightback movement at home to defend women's rights that are on the chopping block as Bush and company try to reverse Roe v. Wade. The antiwar movement must be part and parcel of the workers' movement to defend our unions and to launch a broader struggle against the merciless attacks on health care benefits and pensions. The antiwar movement must unite with the anti-racist movement in defense of affirmative action and civil rights and liberties. We know full well what the Bush administration has in mind regarding civil rights. The threatening opening salvo by the government's IRS against the NAACP for the crime of criticizing Bush should be understood as a harbinger. The unrelenting assault on the Muslim and Arab American community doesn't give that community the luxury to take a break from the struggle for justice. The rights of the entire elderly working class in the United States are also in the cross-hairs of Bush's Wall Street gunslingers. They want their hands on that social security money for the investment portfolio of the banks and corporations. The antiwar movement must speak plainly: instead of spending $270 million a day to make Iraq safe for Halliburton and Citibank, those tax dollars should be used to protect social security and to build schools and provide health care. We can bet that the Democrats will head for the hills on equal marriage rights as Bush and the ultra-right unleash a wave of bigotry. The antiwar movement must stand openly against all divide-and-conquer bigotry. The past three years have been an awakening for many people in the United States, a realization of the role and aggression of the U.S. in world affairs and also a realization that people of the United States have the right and obligation to fight to change the direction of the country towards justice, equality, and in support of self-determination for others. Many people participated in mass action, for the first time in their lives taking to the streets, organizing educational events and petition drives, and doing outreach in their communities to their neighbors and co-workers. During this period of great drive and excitement, there was a growing hope that the global antiwar movement could bring about monumental change, and a growing political consciousness. This hope is real, and remains. This global movement is strengthened not by looking up to the corporations that fund the two primary U.S. parties to raise up a leader to offer mild reforms, but from people standing side by side and engaging in collective action around positions of principle. This is the true democracy, and the only source for hope for our collective future. The A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition calls on all people who believe in justice to double our commitment to building the struggle against war and empire abroad, and for justice at home. January 20, 2005 Counter-Inaugural Demonstration in Washington DC initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition On January 20, 2005, thousands will be lining the inaugural route in mass protest. There will be simultaneous protests in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities on January 20. We urge you sponsor, support and organize for January 20. Pledge now to support the January 20 demonstration against the war. Click here to endorse and say Bring the Troops Home Now! If you are planning to organize buses, vans or car caravans to be in Washington DC, San Francisco or Los Angeles on January 20, fill out the Transportation Form to help spread the word. March 19/20, 2005 Global Day of Coordinated Actions on the 2nd Anniversary of the "Shock and Awe" Invasion of Iraq initiated by antiwar organizations worldwide including the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition in the United States On March 19/20 there will be mass demonstrations in Washington DC and in other cities. This is the second anniversary of the opening of the criminal aggression against Iraq. The whole world will be marking this day with mass actions. We urge you to sponsor, support and organize for the March 19/20 protests. More information about the March 19/20 demonstrations in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere will be available soon. We will demand: 1) US Out of Iraq Now, End the Occupation - Bring the Troops Home Now! 2) End Colonial Domination from Palestine to Haiti, and Everywhere! 3) Health Care, Education, Housing, and a Job at a Living Wage Must be a Right! Please make a commitment today to fight for change. The anti-war and social justice movement does not have the billions of dollars of the corporate campaigns, yet its role and power in changing the political climate in the United States and around the world is unmatched. A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Act Now to Stop War & End Racism http://www.answercoalition.org/ info@internationalanswer.org National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389 New York City: 212-533-0417 Los Angeles: 323-464-1636 San Francisco: 415-821-6545 For media inquiries, call 202-544-3389. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 2) Emergency demonstration to protest a new U.S. invasion of Fallujah The United States has positioned 10,000 troops outside the city of Fallujah. A bombing campaign is being carried out in preparation of a new invasion. There will be an emergency protest the day following the U.S. invasion. Powell and Market in San Francisco Monday-Friday at 5pm Saturday or Sunday at 12 noon There will be work sessions this weekend to make signs and banners starting at 11 am on Saturday and noon on Sunday. Come by to help or to pick up flyers and posters to distribute. Our office located at 2489 Mission St., #24 at 21st St. Call the ANSWER Coalition for updates at 415-821-6545 or www.actionsf.org ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 3) National Guard fighter jet strafes New Jersey school in late-night mistake WAYNE PARRY LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) 02:03 AM EST Nov 05 http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/041104/w1104107.html LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) - A National Guard F-16 fighter jet on a nighttime training mission strafed an elementary school with 25 rounds of ammunition, authorities said Thursday. No one was injured. The military is investigating the incident that damaged Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School in southern New Jersey shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday. The school is a few kilometres from a military firing range. Police were called when a custodian - the only person in the school - heard what sounded like someone running across the roof. Police Chief Mark Siino said officers noticed punctures in the roof. Ceiling tiles had fallen into classrooms and there were scratch marks in the asphalt outside. The pilot of the single-seat jet was supposed to fire at a ground target on the firing range almost six kilometres from the school, said Col. Brian Webster, commander of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, which is responsible for the range. He did not know what led to the school getting strafed. The plane was about 2,100 metres in the air when the shots were fired. The gun, an M61-A1 Vulcan cannon, is located in the plane's left wing. It fires five-centimetre-long bullets that are made of lead and do not explode, said Webster. "The National Guard takes this situation very seriously," said Lt.-Col. Roberta Niedt, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "The safety of our people and the surrounding communities are our foremost concern." The jet that fired the rounds was assigned to the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The plane returned there after firing the shots, Webster said. He would not identify the pilot or detail possible disciplinary measures. Mike Dupuis, president of the township's board of education, said school workers are mindful that the firing range is nearby. "Being so close to the range, that's always in the back of our minds," Dupuis said. "It is very scary. I have children in that school and relatives that work there." Schools in New Jersey were closed Thursday because of a teachers convention. The 970-hectare Warren Grove range, about 50 kilometres north of Atlantic City, has been used by the military since the end of the Second World War, long before the surrounding area was developed. In 2002, an Air National Guard F-16 that had been practising attacks at the range crashed along the Garden State Parkway. The plane's pilot ejected safely, and no one on the ground was hurt. Errant practice bombs were blamed for forest fires that burned about 4,500 hectares of the Pine Barrens near the range in 1999 and about 650 hectares in 2002. (c) The Canadian Press, 2004 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 4) H A I T I: Hidden from the Headlines with Pierre Laboissiere, founding member, Haiti Action Committee; Dave Welsh, San Francisco Labor Council delegate; and Sasha Kramer, member, Human Rights delegation to Haiti Tuesday, November 9th, 2004, 6:00 pm SEIU Local 715 Hall, 2nd Floor Great Room 2302 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95131 Suggested donation $10 - $20 No one turned away for lack of funds! All proceeds go to Haiti Action Committee to support the people of Haiti What news we hear about Haiti is biased and distorted, and most of the time events in Haiti are completely absent from U.S. media. Yet violence and repression in Haiti is growing at an alarming pace. On Sept. 30th, police opened fire on pro-democracy demonstrators, and since then several hundred people have been killed, hundreds of Lavalas activists arbitrarily arrested without warrants, and union leaders intimidated and imprisoned. Even in this climate of terror, the Haitian people continue to take to the streets to demand the return of their democratically elected president and an end to the political repression. Join us for a discussion with three delegates recently returned from labor, human rights, and fact-finding missions to Haiti. Pierre Labossiere, founding member of the Haiti Action Committee. Pierre will provide a historical perspective and share his views of the current situation. Dave Welsh, San Francisco Labor Council delegate, traveled to Haiti in March on a fact finding delegation to learn how the coup has affected labor. Dave will speak on the relationship between labor and politics in Haiti. Sasha Kramer, Ecology graduate student at Stanford, recently returned from a human rights delegation to Haiti. The delegation was able to meet with labor leaders, community organizers, political prisoners, and elected officials who have been forced into hiding. Sasha will show a slideshow and share the stories of the people she met. For more information on the event, contact info@southbaylaborforpeace.org. For updates on Haiti, see http://www.haitiaction.net Sponsored by: Haiti Action Committee http://www.haitiaction.net info@haitiaction.org (510) 483-7481 SEIU Local 715 African American Caucus (AFRAM) afram715@yahoo.com South Bay Labor for Peace and Justice http://www.southbaylaborforpeace.org info@southbaylaborforpeace.org (408) 476-8298 South Bay Mobilization http://www.southbaymobilization.org sbm@southbaymobilization.org (408) 998-8504 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 5) Two Car Bombs Kill 21 in Samarra By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) Filed at 9:55 a.m. ET November 6, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq.html NEAR FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Insurgents set off at least two car bombs and attacked a police station Saturday in the central Iraqi town of Samarra, killing at least 21 people and wounding 22 in what could be an effort to take pressure off Fallujah, where U.S. forces are gearing up for an assault. Elsewhere, 20 American soldiers were wounded in the Sunni Triangle city of Ramadi, the U.S. command said without elaborating. Residents of that insurgent stronghold, located 70 miles west of Baghdad, reported clashes and explosions throughout the day. The attacks in Samarra, 60 miles northeast of Fallujah, occurred in a city that U.S. and Iraqi forces reclaimed from insurgents in September and had sought to use as a model for pacifying restive Sunni Muslim areas of the country. Early Saturday, however, armed militants stormed a police station, killing 12 policemen and injuring one. In other attacks, a suicide car bomber detonated explosives inside a stolen police car near the mayor's office, a second car bomb exploded near a U.S. base and a mortar fell on a crowded market. The dead included an Iraqi National Guard commander, Abdel Razeq Shaker al-Garmali, hospital officials said. The town's mayor was reportedly injured in the car bombing. Residents said U.S. forces, using loudspeakers to make the announcement, imposed an indefinite curfew on Samarra. American warplanes and helicopters were heard roaming overhead. In western Baghdad, a suicide car bomber detonated an explosion that killed an Iraqi civilian and wounded three coalition troops and an Iraqi, the U.S. military said. The bomber was killed and another occupant in the car was wounded. Witnesses said the blast hit about 300 yards from a security checkpoint on the road to the international airport. The new violence could be aimed at relieving U.S. pressure on Fallujah as American commanders shift their forces for an anticipated showdown there. More than 10,000 American soldiers and Marines are massed for an expected offensive against Fallujah, and Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi warned the ``window is closing'' to avert an attack. As the Americans prepare for an offensive, U.S. planes dropped five 500-pound bombs at several targets in Fallujah early Saturday, including a factory as well as suspected weapons caches. The drone of U.S. aircraft heading toward Fallujah could be heard over Baghdad. The U.S. military said the main highway into Fallujah has now been completely sealed off. U.S. intelligence estimates there are about 3,000 insurgents dug in behind defenses and booby traps in Fallujah, a city of about 300,000 located 40 miles west of Baghdad. Military planners believe there are about 1,200 hardcore insurgents in Fallujah -- at least half of them Iraqis. They are bolstered by insurgent cells with up to 2,000 fighters in the surrounding towns and countryside. In Brussels, Belgium, Allawi warned that the ``window really is closing for a peaceful settlement'' in Fallujah. Allawi must give the final go-ahead for the offensive, part of a campaign to curb the insurgency ahead of national elections planned for January. Sunni clerics have threatened to boycott the election if Fallujah is attacked, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned U.S., British and Iraqi authorities that a military campaign and "increased insurgent violence'' could put elections at risk. Iraqi authorities closed a border crossing point with Syria, and U.S. troops set up checkpoints along major routes into the city. Marines fired on a civilian vehicle that did not stop, killing an Iraqi woman and wounding her husband, according to the U.S. military and witnesses. The car didn't notice the checkpoint, witnesses said. The insurgents struck back, killing one U.S. soldier and wounding five in a rocket attack. Clashes were reported at other checkpoints around the city and in the east and north of the city late in the day. An AC-130 gunship fired at several targets as U.S. forces skirmished with insurgents, the U.S. army said. Elsewhere, U.S. Cobra attack helicopters fired Friday on insurgents operating an illegal checkpoint south of Baghdad, killing or wounding an ``unknown number'' of people, the military said. Allawi, a secular Shiite Muslim with strong ties to the CIA and State Department, has demanded that Fallujah hand over foreign extremists, including Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his followers, and allow government troops to enter the city. Allawi faces strong opposition to a Fallujah offensive from the Sunni minority. The Sunni clerical Association of Muslim Scholars has threatened to boycott the January election and mount a nationwide civil disobedience campaign. A public outcry over civilian casualties prompted the Bush administration to call off a siege in April, after which Fallujah fell under control of radical clerics. In hopes of assuaging public outrage, Iraqi authorities have earmarked $75 million to repair the damage in Fallujah, Marine Maj. Jim West said. The strategy is similar to one used when U.S. troops restored government authority in the Shiite holy city Najaf in August after weeks of fighting with militiamen. Copyright 2004 The Associated Press ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 6) All Sides Prepare for American Attack on Falluja By DEXTER FILKINS and JAMES GLANZ NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq November 6, 2004 BATTLE PLANS http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/06/international/middleeast/06falluja.html?ei =5094&en=60dfe7c7468dd1c8&hp=&ex=1099803600&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnl x=1099757063-KIkga/dbapPI7KrCGHkW3g NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5 - American armored vehicles roared through the villages surrounding Falluja, the western town at the heart of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, on Friday as warplanes pounded rebel positions and ground forces ratcheted up their preparations for what appeared to be an imminent assault on the city. Within Falluja, insurgents who were hiding themselves by day among a dwindling and embittered populace set up a defensive perimeter around the city and said they would defeat the Americans or die in a cause they called just. Marines gathering outside the city practiced house-to-house fighting, while some American crews fitted their armored vehicles with front-loading shovels designed to unearth explosives buried in the roads on the way in. Marines fired artillery rounds throughout the day and night on positions around the city. "We are going to rid the city of insurgents," said Lt. Col. Gary Brandl, a battalion commander in charge of about 800 marines at a base outside the city. "If they do fight, we will kill them." Military intelligence officials say as many as 75 to 80 percent of the city's 250,000 residents have fled. That estimate was consistent with reports from inside Falluja. As battle preparations went forward, top American commanders in Iraq and senior Bush administration officials in Washington were conducting final reviews of their own. At the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md., President Bush was briefed Friday morning on the battle plans in a videoconference with his top national security advisers to discuss Iraq. American officials said the precise timing was being left to American commanders in the field and to Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of Iraq. "People here are asking, 'What about this issue?' or 'Have you thought about that?' But otherwise, they're leaving the planning up to the people on the ground," said a senior military officer in Washington. Visiting European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday, Dr. Allawi reiterated his warning that "the window is really closing" on chances for a peaceful settlement of the standoff. Negotiators for the two sides have not met in more than a week. At the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan confirmed that he had formally expressed concern about the effects any invasion of Falluja would have on stability in the country ahead of elections scheduled for January. His concerns could cloud prospects for a major United Nations role in Iraq in the elections and afterward. Dr. Allawi and American officials have insisted that they must reassert control over Falluja quickly in order to pave the way for the elections. Falluja lies squarely within a region of the country dominated by Sunni Arabs, a minority group whose participation in the elections is considered crucial if the outcome is to be accepted as legitimate. Favored under Saddam Hussein's rule, disenfranchised Sunnis are now leading the increasingly deadly insurgency. Outside the city, the Americans were setting up military checkpoints to choke off access roads. Warplanes conducted at least five major airstrikes on Friday. Insurgents inside the city continued their own preparations, filtering through waning crowds of ordinary people in the markets and on the streets. A man who had been encountered at a fortified position on the perimeter of the city a few days before was seen downtown on Friday morning wearing a T-shirt and pants from a track suit. He was driving a motorcycle and carrying a huge bag of clips for an automatic rifle. The man, who identified himself as Abu Muhammad, said the fighters were more numerous and better prepared than the last time they battled the Americans, in April. "We trust in God," he said, explaining why he thought that the insurgents were so strong. "We have two choices - victory or martyrdom." Beyond those sentiments, the insurgents appear to have the benefit of some fairly sophisticated military advice. They have built a layered perimeter with at least one inner fortified ring that would give them a place to retreat to should the outer ring be breached. American commanders in Iraq have expressed confidence they could complete their assault in a matter of days, but a senior officer said Friday that planners had no sure way of knowing how long insurgents would hold out. "Right now, they're hoping it doesn't go much longer than a week," the officer said. Meanwhile, the insurgents continued with their deadly attacks. An American soldier was killed and five were wounded in an attack on a base near Falluja on Friday, the United States military reported. The injuries were said to be "the result of an indirect fire attack," a term the military generally reserves for mortars or rockets. Two marines were killed during security operations around Ramadi, west of Falluja, on Thursday, while one soldier in the First Infantry Division died and another was wounded in Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, when an improvised bomb exploded near their vehicle. [A group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, an ally of Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility on Saturday for a car bombing that killed three British troops south of Baghdad on Thursday, Reuters reported. The men were among about 850 British soldiers sent to free up American forces for the attack on Falluja. Also on Saturday, two car bombs exploded in the town of Samarra north of Baghdad, killing at least 19 people and wounding at least 23, police said.] As preparations for the battle of Falluja sped forward, there were warnings that it could have devastating consequences far from the small piece of turf at issue. The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that Secretary General Annan of the United Nations had sent a letter to the governments of Britain, Iraq and the United States expressing concern that continued military attacks on the rebel-held city would alienate people and disrupt elections. The United Nations did not release the text of the letter and, in a corridor conversation with reporters, Mr. Annan confirmed its existence but declined to discuss it. Asked about United Nations worries about the effect on the elections of the American-led military assault on Falluja, Kieran Prendergast, the under secretary for political affairs, said, "It is important to understand that elections are not a stand-alone event, that the context in which they are held is very important if they are to have the effect of promoting stability in Iraq." American military officials said the exact timing of any attack on Falluja hinged on a range of factors. Officials in Washington said Dr. Allawi wanted more time to discuss with his cabinet, as well as religious and tribal leaders, the political and military ramifications of an American-led offensive. Some Sunni leaders have appealed to the interim government to call off any attack. Military officials said the remaining residents in Falluja needed a last warning to leave the city before any assault began. The chief Marine intelligence officer in Iraq, Col. Ronald S. Makuta, gave this description in an e-mail message from his headquarters at Camp Falluja, three miles east of the city: "Those remaining fall under the categories of not having enough money to move out or simply do not want to leave their homes and possessions for fear that these will be gutted and or robbed by the foreign fighters, local insurgents, and criminals. Insurgents continue to wage a brutal campaign of murder, assassination, terror, kidnapping, coercion, and intimidation. The criminal content has also taken advantage of the lawlessness in the city, and are pursuing similar means." The operation is shaping up to be the largest since the American invasion of the country 20 months ago. A senior military officer said that roughly 25,000 American and Iraqi troops were surrounding Falluja and Ramadi and the corridor between the two cities. Another senior military official said that from 10,000 to 15,000 of those troops were immediately around Falluja. They face an Iraqi insurgent force in the city that Colonel Brandl estimated at a few thousand fighters. It is all intended to set right the disastrous events of April, when a large force of marines attacked the city after the killing and mutilation of four American contractors there. Though the Americans were making steady progress in the city center, they were forced to halt their attacks when Iraqi leaders became unnerved over reports, largely unconfirmed, that hundreds of civilians had been killed there. That time, the fighting in Falluja helped fuel armed uprisings in other parts of the country against the American presence here. Iraqi leaders and American commanders say they are worried about similar risings now, particularly in volatile cities like Mosul, but they say that circumstances have shifted markedly since then. This time, with the American occupation formally over, Iraqi leaders are in charge and willing to take some of the political heat for the operations. American soldiers preparing to move into the city say they expect to find homemade bombs along roads and fortified positions around the city's perimeter. The Americans said they were preparing for close-quarters urban fighting. Thousands of Iraqi troops have moved into position with their American counterparts and are expected to take part. In the pattern set in similar operations in Najaf and Samarra, American soldiers are to do most of the fighting on the way in, clearing the way for the Iraqi security forces to take control once the insurgents are defeated. With this method, Iraqi and American leaders hope for the best of both worlds: American muscle and an Iraqi face. The performance of the Iraqi security forces is viewed as crucial to the success or failure of the mission in Falluja. In April, entire units of the Iraqi police and national guard disintegrated before uprisings in Falluja and southern Iraq. Now, American commanders say they have higher hopes, particularly because of the intensive training that Iraqi units have received. Dexter Filkins reported from near Falluja for this article, and James Glanz from Baghdad. Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, an Iraqi employee of The New York Times from Falluja, and Warren Hoge from the United Nations. Copyright 2004 The New York Times ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 7) Prayers and tears in Falluja Story from BBC NEWS: The Iraqi city of Falluja is braced for an assault by US forces massed on its outskirts. The BBC News website spoke by phone to a reporter in Falluja, who described how people left in the city live on through siege and bombardment. He is not named for security reasons. Published: 2004/11/05 14:48:48 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3986085.stm When I hear bombs falling around my neighborhood, I keep thinking - any moment now, I could be killed. It is worst during the night, when the bombardment is most intense. If a big bomb lands somewhere nearby, you often hear crying and wailing afterwards. It is a very strange feeling because in between the screaming, there is the sound of more missiles flying. That is when I think - I could be next. Another sound you hear during the bombing is that of prayers. People pray loudly because they are so scared. Sometimes, you hear people say quite unusual things - they improvise, making up their own prayers. US election We followed the US elections very closely from Falluja. It was a matter of life and death. Many people were hoping John Kerry would win because they felt he would not have allowed our city to be attacked like this. Of course, we also know that the US policy in Iraq at large is not going to change. We do not forget that George Bush and John Kerry are two sides of the same coin. Still, as far as our city is concerned right now, a Kerry victory would have brought some hope. Roads blocked I left my old house in the north of the city a month ago, when the Americans began bombing that area all the time. Now I live with a small group of friends near the centre of Falluja. We are just men here. All our wives and children have left the city - some we sent to Baghdad, others to quieter areas closer by. We cook and eat together and spend most of our time in the house. If you want to leave the house, the safest time to do so is between seven in the morning and one in the afternoon, when the Americans take a break from the bombing. The souk [market] in the centre of Falluja is open from morning to midday and, fortunately, it has not run out of food so far. But I can't see how long the supplies will last - two days ago, the government said it was cutting off the roads from Falluja to Baghdad and Ramadi. I don't know what we will eat then. I guess we might still be able to grab hold of some meat - I've seen a lot of goats in the city. There is only one road out of the city that is still open now - but it runs through a checkpoint manned by US soldiers. We think they're going to cut this route off quite soon as well. Hospitals A lot of people have left Falluja. Mostly only men remain. This used to be a city of 500,000 people. Now, my guess is there are about 100,000 still here. Some people who tried to leave earlier on found they had to come back because there was no way of surviving away from their homes. Iraq is a difficult place to live at the moment. There are not many opportunities. The hospitals I have seen are full of people but empty of supplies and medicine. The erratic electricity also makes operating difficult. Ten to 18 new cases are brought in every day. The injured know they won't get much treatment. They come just to be near the doctor, to hear the doctor talk to them. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3986085.stm Published: 2004/11/05 14:48:48 GMT (c) BBC MMIV ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 8) Military hospital preparing for Fallujah battle Marines say the toll is expected to rival those seen in Vietnam War By TOM LASSETER Knight Ridder Tribune News Nov. 5, 2004, 12:29AM http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2885271 WITH U.S. FORCES NEAR FALLUJAH, IRAQ - The number of dead and wounded from the expected battle to retake insurgent-controlled Fallujah probably will reach levels not seen since Vietnam, a senior surgeon at the Marine camp outside Fallujah said Thursday. Navy Cmdr. Lach Noyes said the camp's hospital is preparing to handle 25 severely injured soldiers a day, not counting walking wounded and the dead. The hospital has added two operating rooms, doubled its supplies, added a mortuary and stocked up on blood reserves. Doctors have set up a system of ambulance vehicles that will rush to the camp's gate to receive the dead and wounded so units can return to battle quickly. The plans underscore the ferocity of the fight the U.S. military expects in Fallujah, a Sunni Muslim city about 35 miles west of Baghdad, which has been under insurgent control since April. On Thursday, U.S. troops pounded Fallujah with airstrikes and artillery fire, softening up militants ahead of the expected assault. Loudspeakers at Fallujah mosques blared out Quranic verses and shouts of "Allahu akbar," or "God is great," during the assault, residents said. American aircraft blasted militant positions in northeastern and southeastern parts of the city, the military said. U.S. batteries later fired two to three dozen heavy artillery shells at insurgent positions, the military said. U.S. forces have been building up outside Fallujah for weeks in preparation for taking the city back. Military officials say they expect U.S. troops to encounter not just fighters wielding AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, but also heavy concentrations of mines, roadside bombs and possibly car bombs. "We'll probably just see those in a lot better concentration in the city," said Maj. Jim West, an intelligence officer with 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. West said he thinks there are some 4,000 to 5,000 fighters between Fallujah and nearby Ramadi, and they may try to draw troops into cramped urban areas in Fallujah that have been booby-trapped. More than 1,120 U.S. soldiers and Marines have died in Iraq since the war began. The deadliest month was April, when fierce fighting killed 126 U.S. troops, largely at Fallujah and Ramadi, before a cease-fire virtually turned Fallujah over to the insurgents. Even then, the death toll was far below the worst month of Vietnam, April 1969, when the U.S. death toll was 543 at the height of American involvement there. The toll in human suffering has already been grave. Staff Sgt. Jason Benedict was on a convoy heading to the Fallujah camp Saturday when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into the truck Benedict and his platoon mates were traveling in. A few minutes later, mortars and rifle fire rained down on the survivors. As he rolled toward the safety of a ditch, Benedict saw one of his friends crawling on all fours, with blood pouring from his face. "You've got to expect casualties," said Benedict, 28. The fight for Fallujah, he said, "is overdue." HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: World This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2885271
BAUAW NEWSLETTER-FRIDAY, NOV. 5, 2004
1) Break the Fast Friendship Dinner
Monday, November 8 at 5 PM Masjed Darussalam 20 Jones Street, San Francisco (between Golden Gate and Market St.) 2) Targets of Empire Demo - November 13th, 24th & Mission Planning meeting this Saturday Nov 6th - 1pm, Muddy Waters (across from ADC office on Valencia). 3) Circle of Life presents WE THE PLANET FESTIVAL 2004 Featuring THE ROOTS, THE COUP, THIRD EYE BLIND, MICHELLE SHOCKED & THE WAYBACKS, MICKEY HART, JOAN BAEZ & FRIENDS 4) G.I.'s Itch to Prove Their Mettle in Falluja By ROBERT F. WORTH NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/international/middleeast/05cnd-falluja.htm l?hp 5) U.S. Troops Urge Civilians to Leave Iraqi Rebel City FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) Fri Nov 5, 2004 08:34 AM ET http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6728748&src=eD ialog/GetContent§ion=news 6) Two U.S. Marines Killed in Volatile Western Iraq Fri Nov 5, 2004 09:16 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6729336&src=eD ialog/GetContent§ion=news 7) Three Black Watch troops killed in suicide attack By Colin Brown, Robert Fisk, and Kim Sengupta in Baghdad Published : 05 November 2004 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=579658 8) Cuba Bashing HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5 http://www.hardbeatnews.com/details2489.htm 9) Local Marijuana Initiatives and Questions Win in Ann Arbor, Columbia, Oakland and Massachusetts 11/5/04 http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/361/localvotes.shtml 10) Protesters March and Vote to Bring the Troops Home Now in San Francisco BY BONNIE WEINSTEIN ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) Break the Fast Friendship Dinner Monday, November 8 at 5 PM Masjed Darussalam 20 Jones Street, San Francisco (between Golden Gate and Market St.) Join Rev. John Oda and the Pine United Methodist Church, and many organizations and individuals in this Ramadan Iftar dinner. "Break bread" in unity and solidarity with members of the SF Muslim community and celebrate this Iftar dinner of vegetarian Japanese and Middle Eastern food. In these times, coming together in solidarity with a community under attack is vital. Our actions can make a difference. For more info: Rev. John Oda (415) 387-1800; Souleman Ghali (415) 215-8929; Samina Faheem Sundas (650) 387-1994. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 2) Targets of Empire Demo - November 13th, 24th & Mission Planning meeting this Saturday Nov 6th - 1pm, Muddy Waters (across from ADC office on Valencia). Now that we know Bush is staying in the White House for the next four years, the time is now to continue the fight against wars abroad and oppression here at home. People will find themselves struggling to get by because of the actions and inactions of the US government. As people in Palestine and Iraq are killed by US made and funded bombs and bullets, the people of Haiti will be kept from having a democratically elected government, and prevented from trying otherwise. As the US continues to reap havoc in Afghanistan and threaten countries around the globe, people here at home will struggle for housing, healthcare, education and jobs. The Justice in Palestine coalition has called this demonstration to call attention to these "Targets of Empire" and reassert the importance of the unity between different groups through grassroots struggle. Please save the date and get out the flyer (download at www. justiceinpalestine.net). We are looking for others to endorse and help build the protest with us. Please send your endorsements to info@justiceinpalestine.net and come to the planning meeting this Saturday, Nov 6th, at 1:00 PM at Muddy Waters cafe on Valencia Street near the corner of 16th. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 3) Circle of Life presents WE THE PLANET FESTIVAL 2004 Featuring THE ROOTS, THE COUP, THIRD EYE BLIND, MICHELLE SHOCKED & THE WAYBACKS, MICKEY HART, JOAN BAEZ & FRIENDS Co-hosted by eco-activist Julia Butterfly Hill and hip-hop poet Aya de Leon Green vendors, non-profits, music, and fun! Plus! Pushing the Boundaries For A New World - especially since the election, now is a critical time for progressives to get together and discuss solutions for the future and take a positive step forward in our activism. Join leading activists for workshops on topics such as: Music, Art & Activism; Beyond Voting; Independent Media; Civil Disobedience & Direct Action. 2-6pm across the street from Kaiser Center at Laney College. Free with festival ticket. For details and to rsvp see www.wetheplanet.org. We The Planet 2004 Saturday, November 13 Henry J. Kaiser Center 10 Tenth St, Oakland, CA 6pm doors, 7pm show www.inhousetickets.com This is a zero-waste, zero-emissions festival of music, consciousness, and activism! See www.wetheplanet.org for details. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 4) G.I.'s Itch to Prove Their Mettle in Falluja By ROBERT F. WORTH NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/05/international/middleeast/05cnd-falluja.htm l?hp NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq, Nov. 5 - The marines crept forward, glancing warily at each other as they approached a bomb-scarred building covered with Arabic lettering. Suddenly, one of them shouted "Sniper!" and another dropped to the ground as if wounded. But instead of firing back, the men raised their guns and trilled their tongues to imitate the sound of machine-gun fire. Within a few seconds, one of them called out "Sniper neutralized!" and they lowered their weapons. It was one of the many urban warfare drills taking place in and around this bleak desert encampment in recent days, where the Marines expect to lead an all-out attack on Falluja soon. Peace negotiations continue between the Iraqi government and delegates from the city, but American commanders seem convinced that it is only a matter of time before the Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, gives the order for them to retake the city, which has been held by insurgents since the Marines withdrew in April. In Brussels today, Dr. Allawi told leaders of the European Union that "the window is closing'' on the opportunity for a peaceful settlement in Falluja. "We intend to liberate the people,'' he said, according to Reuters. "The insurgents and the terrorists are still operating there. We hope they will come to their senses, otherwise we will have to bring them to face justice.'' For many marines here, the order cannot come too soon. After a long summer of cat-and-mouse games with shadowy insurgents, they are hungry for a decisive battle. "Locked, cocked and ready to rock," said Lance Cpl. Dimitri Gavriel, 29, who left an investment banking job in Manhattan 18 months ago to enlist, using a popular Marine expression. "That's about how we feel." In the meantime, preparations continue at this makeshift military base. Tanks rumble through a barren landscape littered with shrapnel and husks of old vehicles, while helicopters throb overhead. Detonations shake the ground at all hours - artillery units firing on guerrilla positions, or other military units blowing up old explosives. Occasional enemy mortars explode nearby. American jets soar overhead on their way to and from bombing runs, and at night fires glow on the horizon. Many of the young marines expected to lead the attack have not yet been part of a major battle. Most of those who took part in the operation in Falluja in April have been sent home. And though some of the commanders here fought the first phase of the war last year, many of the rank and file arrived here for the first time in June. All of them, though, seem eager to prove their mettle and at last confront the insurgency head on. "It's kind of like the cancer of Iraq," said Lt. Steven Berch, a lanky platoon commander, speaking of Falluja. "It's become a kind of hotel for the insurgents. Hopefully getting rid of them will help to stabilize the whole country." Others point to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant who is said to be using Falluja as a base. "We're doing the right thing here," said First Lt. Christopher Wilkens, pausing for breath during a drill. "These guys are terrorists, there are connections to Al Qaeda, and fighting them is what we came here to do." The marines are housed in a network of bomb-scarred barracks once used by Saddam Hussein to train an Iranian exile opposition group. Arabic slogans meant to inspire the trainees remain on the walls, and a mural of Mr. Hussein's face still stares down from the wall of a converted mess hall. Commanders would not reveal any details of how or when an attack might happen. But the invading force will certainly be larger than the one that struck at the insurgents here in April, and marines will be backed up by Iraqi troops as well as Army units. Iraqi soldiers are already training here alongside the marines, and officers said their discipline has improved in recent months. After the Marines withdrew from Falluja in April, the Iraqi security forces there quickly collapsed. "We are improving day by day," said Major Abdul Jabar, executive officer of one of the Iraqi companies that will take part in the attack, as his men practiced disembarking from armored personnel carriers in the hot afternoon sun. Before the fighting ends, American civil affairs units will move into the city to begin working on health and reconstruction projects, for which at least $20 million has been set aside, American officers said. Marine lawyers will be ready to handle compensation claims for battle damage and to help verify any violations of the laws of warfare. The goal, commanders emphasize, is to hand over control of the city to Iraqi security forces. Commanders say they expect the insurgents to use plenty of terrorist -style tactics like suicide bombs in cars or trucks. Last Saturday, nine marines were killed and nine wounded when a suicide bomber in a car rammed their convoy near here, in the deadliest day for American troops in more than half a year. The marines also expect heavy house-to-house fighting once they enter the city, and they are fully aware of the risks. During drills they do test runs of their arrival in Falluja, running out the back of the armored personnel carriers that will bring them into the city while carrying all their weapons and a 45-pound pack. None of the dangers seem to rattle their confidence. Between drills, they do pull-ups and play touch football. In the evening, laughter echoes around the barracks where they live, along with heavy metal music blasting from CD players. "I don't think about it," said Pfc. Anthony Mells, a 20 year-old marine from Queens, when asked about the risks of battle. "It's all about motivation. Getting wounded is not in my job description." Copyright 2004 The New York Times ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 5) U.S. Troops Urge Civilians to Leave Iraqi Rebel City FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) Fri Nov 5, 2004 08:34 AM ET http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6728748&src=eD ialog/GetContent§ion=news FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces warned residents of Falluja through loudspeakers and leaflets on Friday that they would detain any man under 45 trying to enter or leave the rebel-held Iraqi city. U.S. troops also urged residents, in Arabic, to help them capture "terrorists" and warned women and children to leave the Sunni Muslim city, locals said. The U.S. military had no immediate comment. U.S. troops are poised for a major offensive on Falluja and the nearby rebel stronghold of Ramadi to crush foreign militants and Saddam Hussein loyalists they say are entrenched there. Witnesses said U.S. troops blocked roads around Falluja and clashed with insurgents on the eastern and southeastern edges of the city on Friday. (c) Copyright Reuters 2004 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 6) Two U.S. Marines Killed in Volatile Western Iraq Fri Nov 5, 2004 09:16 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6729336&src=eD ialog/GetContent§ion=news BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two U.S. Marines have been killed and four wounded in action in a volatile area west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said on Friday. "Two Marines assigned to the I Marine Expeditionary Force were killed in action and four others were wounded in action yesterday while conducting increased security operations in the Al Anbar province," a U.S. spokesman said in a statement. He declined to give details. U.S. forces are poised for a major assault on the cities of Falluja and Ramadi, rebel strongholds in the mostly Sunni Muslim Anbar province, to crush an insurgency ahead of elections due in January. (c) Copyright Reuters 2004. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 7) Three Black Watch troops killed in suicide attack By Colin Brown, Robert Fisk, and Kim Sengupta in Baghdad Published : 05 November 2004 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=579658 An Iraqi suicide bomber killed three soldiers from the Black Watch regiment, and their interpreter, at a vehicle checkpoint close to Baghdad yesterday. Eight more soldiers were injured. The British troops, less than a week into their controversial extended mission north of Basra, were killed after they were deployed against insurgents who had been firing rockets and mortars at their sprawling Camp Dogwood base. Troops were ordered across the river Euphrates - into the so-called Triangle of Death - to clear the east bank, an area they had not patrolled before. The suicide bomber, a Sunni Muslim, drove a car at them before setting off his explosives. The soldiers then came under mortar attack. US forces helped to evacuate casualties. A source said: "It is, unfortunately, ideal ambush territory. They had to extend their area, because you can't sit in your camp being hit by rockets." The three deaths bring to 73 the number of British troops to have died in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict. It was the worst combat loss since three Royal Military Police were killed in the south 14 months ago. The Ministry of Defence today named the latest victims as Sergeant Stuart Gray, Private Paul Lowe and Private Scott McArdle. The casualties shocked MPs, sparking recriminations at Westminster. One minister said: "It is our worst fears. Unfortunately, it was not unexpected. We sent them into a dangerous area." The Armed Forces minister, Adam Ingram, said it would be a matter for commanders on the ground whether they continued to patrol on the east bank. "We always knew that there were risks involved in these engagements, but this is for the Iraqi people," he said. "Is it a price worth paying? Well, the Iraqis are the best judge of that." The troops are the first British troops to die in combat since the regiment was ordered out of the British-held area in Basra to provide back-up for US troops preparing for an assault on Fallujah. They are the first British troops to be killed by a suicide attack in Iraq. The British area of operations had been confined to a largely uninhabited - and so safer - area west of the river. After rockets were fired from the east, it was decided to cross the river, into a district largely controlled by insurgents, and to set up checkpoints. British troops had hoped the tactics they adopted in southern Iraq - checkpoints on the roads and personal contact with Iraqi drivers - would demonstrate a more friendly face than that shown by US forces who long since abandoned any checkpoints in the area. Yesterday's attack proved that the British are just as vulnerable as the Americans - and just as liable to attack - if they stray into the insurgents' zone. The suicide-bomber technique has been perfected in Iraq and has, in effect, driven US infantrymen and static patrols off the roads. If the British thought they would be immune from this side of the war, these events prove they will be treated with the same ruthlessness as US forces. Tony Blair had promised that the Black Watch would be "home by Christmas" but many said they were "angry and nervous" about being ordered 350 miles north to patrol routes into Fallujah. Many of those attacked were looking forward to going home last week, until they received their orders. Militant groups in Iraq threatened retribution on the British troops who have taken over the former US base between Hillah and Iskandariyah. Anti-war Labour MPs angrily accused Mr Blair of being partly to blame for the deaths, by agreeing to support President George Bush in deploying British troops to support the US attack on Fallujah. Mr Blair heard the news in Brussels. His spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's thoughts are with the Black Watch and the families of the Black Watch." Insurgents had earlier put a British patrol under heavy fire after exploding a mine under one of its Warrior armoured vehicles. The force of the blast rocked the vehicle, ripping the front wheels off and leaving its three crew and complement of troops stranded. As a second Warrior sped to the vehicle to rescue troops in the darkness, insurgents fired a mortar bomb that exploded feet away. The explosion caused the rescue vehicle to career into a ditch with troops escaping from the rear to check on their comrades in the first vehicle. Despite being under constant threat of more attacks, soldiers managed to get the second Warrior out of the ditch and retreated to safety. News of the fatalities was given to a sombre Commons in an emergency statement by Mr Ingram. Bruce George, chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Defence, said: 'I am shocked and very sad indeed. This is a dangerous place, and the soldiers, frankly, are heroes. It would be utterly wrong to seek to make political capital out of this tragedy." The SNP MP Angus Robertson warned the deaths would have "profound implications for public opinion in Scotland". (c) 2004 Independent News & Media (UK) Ltd. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 8) Cuba Bashing HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5 http://www.hardbeatnews.com/details2489.htm HBN, WASHINGTON, D.C., Fri. 5: Just two days after George Bush reclaimed the White House the U.S. State Department yesterday began its Cuba bashing. Going into the elections, Bush had pledged to Cuba-American voters to rid the island of President Fidel Castro. Yesterday the administration began firing. U.S. State Department Spokesperson, Richard Boucher, in a prepared statement, slammed the "Castro regime" and called for the administration to "... cease its repression and release all political prisoners." "Only a Cuba where fundamental freedoms are respected and independent civil society flourishes will be positioned to make a peaceful transition to democracy," added the statement. - Hardbeatnews.com ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 9) Local Marijuana Initiatives and Questions Win in Ann Arbor, Columbia, Oakland and Massachusetts 11/5/04 http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/361/localvotes.shtml Tuesday was a good day for local marijuana initiatives, with victories at the polls in Ann Arbor, Columbia, MO, and Oakland. Only an initiative in Berkeley that would have increased allowable quantities for medical marijuana patients appears to have lost, although organizers there were slow to concede defeat. Meanwhile, a Massachusetts effort to pass non-binding marijuana reform questions in legislative districts continued to maintain its perfect record of success in the third election of that campaign. In the Bay State, the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts ( http://www.dpfma.org ) and the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition ( http://www.masscann.org ) went 12 for 12 on marijuana decriminalization and medical marijuana questions in legislative districts, bringing the record for the overall campaign to let representatives know voters support marijuana law reform to 36 wins and no losses. In five districts, voters supported a question on medical marijuana, while in six others voters supported decriminalizing marijuana possession and in one district voters gave the thumbs up to a question calling for the legalized and regulated sale of marijuana. Margins of victory ranged from 58% to a high of 80%. Although the questions are non-binding, they allow voters to clearly signal support for marijuana law reform to their representatives. And that should allow marijuana reform legislation to get some traction at the statehouse next year, said Whitney Taylor, executive director of the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts, which ran nine of this year's question campaigns. "We have never lost a single one of these questions, and now over half the state has had a chance to take a stand on this," Taylor told DRCNet. "While in 2002 we focused on the Boston area, this time we targeted specific districts, for example, the medical marijuana questions where representatives or senators sit on the health committee and the decrim questions where representatives or senators are on the criminal justice or judiciary committees," she said. One exception was the 24th Middlesex representative district, where Rep. Anne Paulsen already supports decrim. "That is Gov. Romney's home district," Taylor explained. "His wife has Multiple Sclerosis, and we wanted him to see the question on the ballot when he voted." The victories this year will only strengthen the push to get marijuana reform through the legislature in the next session, said Taylor. "This is a new world for us. The old speaker, who was a real obstacle for us, is gone, and the new speaker, Sal DiMasi, is supportive. We will have many more opportunities to get things done," she said. While Massachusetts voters were approving pro-reform questions, voters in the college towns of Ann Arbor and Columbia gave overwhelming approval to medical marijuana measures, and Columbia also passed an initiative that will make small-time pot possession a municipal instead of a state offense, thus protecting students from losing financial aid under the Higher Education Act's anti-drug provision if they get caught with a joint or two. In Ann Arbor, which decriminalized marijuana possession back in the days when hippies walked the earth, residents okayed a measure that will waive fines for medical marijuana patients and caregivers who have the recommendation of a health care professional. The measure also lowers the maximum fine for third-offense and subsequent pot busts to $100. Supporters of the measure told the Michigan Daily they expected the measure's impact to be limited at first. "Initially, the proposal will help only a small number of people, and then it will grow to be quite a large amount once people realize how many ailments cannabis helps," said Scio Township Trustee Charles Ream, who promoted the measure. In Columbia, a measure approving medical marijuana won with 69% of the vote, while the decrim measure won 61%. "We are especially cheered by these results," said Students for Sensible Drug Policy ( http://www.ssdp.org ) chapter head Amanda Broz, who also heads the Columbia Alliance for Patient Education (CAPE), the umbrella group that led the initiative fight. A similar decrim measure was defeated two years ago, but this time, voters came around, said Broz. "I think educating people was critical to our success," she told DRCNet. "Once Columbians understood the issues, they were willing to stand up for the rights of patients and their fellow citizens." Proponents of the measures concentrated not only on marijuana's medicinal uses, but also on the deleterious impacts of marijuana busts. "People can lose financial aid, they can lose job opportunities, not to mention arresting people for small amounts of marijuana is a waste of police resources," said Broz. "People could understand that." That sentiment was echoed by the national leadership of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. "Forcing at-risk students away from education and into cycles of crime and failure is not a smart tactic in the effort to reduce our nation's drug problems," said SSDP executive director Scarlett Swerdlow. "While this misguided law remains on the books, citizens are taking action to prevent students from losing their financial aid and having their lives unnecessarily ruined." The education campaign was helped by $50,000 from the Marijuana Policy Project, Broz said, and the victories in Columbia could help pave the way for action on a medical marijuana bill in the state legislature. "We had a bill in the House last year, but it went nowhere. This year, we think we can do better." In Oakland, an initiative directing local law enforcement to make marijuana the lowest priority and directing city officials to tax and regulate marijuana sales as soon as is permitted by state and federal law ( http://www.yesonZ.org ) cruised to victory with 64% of the vote. Oakland had been the home of Oaksterdam, a cluster of medical marijuana clubs near downtown, until the city council earlier this year moved against it by restricting the number of clubs permitted to operate. "The citizens of Oakland voted to legalize marijuana," said Dale Gieringer, head of the California branch of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws ( http://www.yesonZ.org ) and one of the members of the Oakland Civil Liberties Alliance,the group behind the initiative. "The L-word was on the ballot, and that didn't scare Oakland voters. Oakland has become the first political entity anywhere to declare itself in favor of the tax and regulate model." The vote's immediate practical impact will be limited, Gieringer predicted. "The Oakland police have said they will obey the will of the voters, but they have also said marijuana is already a low priority with them, and I think that's probably true," he told DRCNet Thursday. And the city will not move to tax and regulate the trade until it is legal under state and federal law. But voter support for the initiative will strengthen reformers as they seek to revisit the question of Oaksterdam, said Gieringer. "Oaksterdam was shut down because of spurious and hysterical claims," he said, "but now the decrease in economic activity is noticeable and the business has moved south into unincorporated areas of Alameda County. We need to reexamine the Oaksterdam situation. We will go to the city council and say that the voters have said they support taxed and regulated marijuana, we can do medical marijuana under state law, and the city needs to remove these unwise, unwarranted restrictions on the cannabis clubs." But while voters in Oakland were giving the okay to legalization, next door in Berkeley it appears that an initiative to raise quantity limits on medical marijuana has gone down to defeat. While organizers there are holding onto an ever slimmer hope that a count of absentee and provisional ballots there will take them over the top, the measure continues to trail. Sponsored by the Berkeley Patients Group, the measure would have increased the 2.5 pound per patient limit, but city officials argued it would remove the city's ability to regulate cannabis dispensaries. -- END -- StoptheDrugWar.org: the Drug Reform Coordination Network, P.O. Box 18402, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 293-8340 (voice), (202) 293-8344 (fax), e-mail drcnet@drcnet.org . ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 10) Protesters March and Vote to Bring the Troops Home Now in San Francisco BY BONNIE WEINSTEIN [The following is a speech given to the Nov. 3 antiwar march and rally initiated by Not In Our Name and endorsed by almost every antiwar group in the area, to "End the Occupation! Out of Iraq Now! More than 2000 people showed up at 5:00 p.m. to show their opposition to the war. Also, on the ballot in San Francisco was an antiwar referendum that was approved by San Francisco voters. Bonnie Weinstein spoke on behalf of Bay Area United Against War, one of the endorsers and builders of this action and dedicated advocates of a Yes vote on Proposition N, the antiwar initiative.] Here's some good news: With 96 percent of precincts counted, San Francisco city residents supported, by a 64 to 36 percent margin, Proposition N, a measure calling on the U.S. government to withdraw troops and all other military personnel from Iraq immediately. That is probably the most truthful expression of the feelings of voters than who they voted for. I hate to say it. I think one of the things we should encourage is a vote like this all over the country. That is much more democratic than trying to choose between two war mongers who only differ on tactics. In fact, in his concession speech this afternoon Mr. Kerry said, and I quote, "In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion." I could agree with that, but he goes on, "I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters, but I ask them, all of you, to join me in doing that." And here's the real rub-he goes on to advise his supporters, "Now, more than ever, with our soldiers in harm's way, we must stand together and succeed in Iraq and win the war on terror." There, in short he said what his whole campaign has stood for. This is the trap voters were put in. That is why we can't be alarmed about this vote between war and war. Those were our only electoral choices anyway. I heard on KPFA public radio today that of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 25, only one in ten bothered to vote. Most couldn't see much of a difference between either candidate so they didn't bother to vote. Well I think they were right! It shows they are very bright, indeed! But we do have another choice to make. We can stay right here out in the street and tell the world that there are millions of Americans who join with people throughout the world to say no to this war no matter who carries it out. And it certainly is true that both candidates were prepared to carry out this war-escalate this war-increase funds to Israel- drastically cut all public resources for things like hospitals, schools, community service programs-all the things that take tax money-our money-away from the hundreds of billions needed to fund the war and the U.S.'s strategic ally, Zionist Israel. Meanwhile giant American corporations-contributors to both the Kerry and Bush campaigns-are making profits hand over fist. The weapons industry is booming while American corporations operating in Iraq are embroiled in corruption and gross mishandling of funds. Funds that are supposed to build schools for Iraqi children and hospitals for their poor, instead, are bringing death and destruction based on unmitigated lies. Over 100,000 people dead already in Iraq-innocent women and children and men trying to live their lives. And these same robber barons waging this war are as sloppy with the safety of U.S. troops as they are with the transportation and storage of their own oil, because their bottom line is profit. If a few extra hundred troops are killed for lack of proper equipment or if a few single-hulled vessels spill millions of gallons of oil, it's a problem only if they can't write it off on their taxes or if it cuts into the bottom line-again-profits. There is only one thing we can do. We must create an even broader unity against the war than we had before the war started. We must join in an international call of solidarity against U.S. aggression in Iraq and throughout the world. We must organize independently of the two war parties or any parties or individuals that supports their aim anywhere in the world! Already there have been calls for an international day of protest against the war. I received one from England. There's no reason why we can't begin to try and make national and international contacts within the next few weeks. I suggest we all come together-all of us who are opposed to the war-to organize a call for a unified date of mass protest in every major city in the world. Lets call a unified date for the spring for mass, peaceful protests in the streets. This is the kind of independently organized, grassroots antiwar movement that can gain the power and strength needed to put a stop to these bloodthirsty monsters that profit from war and the hardship of others. The U.S. quest for world dominance and control of the world's oil is relentless and international in scope. So must our movement be. We must demand that all the troops be withdrawn from Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere, and use those hundreds of billions of our tax dollars on human needs and building a better world, instead of war.
BAUAW NEWSLETTER-WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3, 2004
1) Ten reasons to join us in the streets: Not in Our Name sponsored Anti-War March and Rally End the Occupation-Out of Iraq Now! TONIGHT, Wednesday night, November 3 5 PM: Powell and Market, San Francisco (event details below) 2) Bush Plans to Address Nation After Kerry Speaks in Boston By ADAM NAGOURNEY November 3, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/politics/campaign/04electcnd.html?hp&ex=10 99544400&en=ba992171a995deaf&ei=5094&partner=homepage?hp 3) Insurgents Blow Up an Iraqi Oil Pipeline By EDWARD WONG BAGHDAD, Iraq November 3, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/international/middleeast/03iraq.html 4) Full transcript of bin Ladin's speech Saturday 30 October 2004 11:28 AM GMT Forwarded: I just received this email today. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/79C6AF22-98FB-4A1C-B21F-2BC36E87F61F. htm Bin Ladin directed his message at the American people 5) Using Vietnam-era tactics, Army maxing helicopters in counterinsurgency war By Jim Krane, Associated Press TAJI, Iraq (AP) 11/1/2004 02:10 http://www.boston.com/dailynews/306/world/Using_Vietnam_era_tactics_Army:.sh tml 6) No end in sight to Ramadi's urban war ordeal RAMADI (AFP) http://jordantimes.com/tue/news/news6.htm 7) Thurs. Nov. 4, 7:30pm ATA 992 Valencia St. at 21st San Francisco ANSWER Film Series: "Incident at Oglala: the Leonard Peltier Story" 8) * * * Secret Afghan Envoy Tells All * * * Give Him an "F" in the War on Terror How Bush Was Offered Bin Laden and Blew It By ALEXANDER COCKBURN and JEFFREY ST. CLAIR www.counterpunch.com November 2, 2004 CounterPunch Exclusive 9) Bush or Kerry? None! World People's Resistance Movement (Britain) wprm_britain@yahoo.co.uk BM Box 7970 London WC1N 3XX 10)***SPREAD THE WORD***PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY*** PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS, LISTSERVS AND ORGANIZATIONS FREE "Onward! A Post-Election Town Hall Meeting" Join Amy Goodman host of Democracy Now!, and a panel of Stanford scholars for an open discussion of the November 2 presidential election. For more info aurorforum.org 11) BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights Press Release, 2 November 2004 (E/38/04) Six weeks of anniversaries 12) 3 Palestinians Extra-Judicially Killed by Israeli Occupation Forces in Nablus bayareapalestine Main Page Palestinian Centre for Human Rights Press Release Ref: 160/2004 Date: 02 November 2004 Time: 08:30 GMT 13) Bamboozling Morality, by Kim Petersen at 2:35 AM -0800 11/2/04, Sunil/Dissident Voice distributed: From: "Barbara Deutsch" One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves - that we've been so credulous. Carl Sagan 14) Message from the people of Fallujah Yahoo News Groups Bristol Stop The War News - U.K 31st October 2004 This letter was sent by representatives of the people of Fallujah to UN secretary general Kofi Annan ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) Ten reasons to join us in the streets: Not in Our Name sponsored Anti-War March and Rally End the Occupation-Out of Iraq Now! TONIGHT, Wednesday night, November 3 5 PM: Powell and Market, San Francisco (event details below) Ten reasons to join us in the streets: "The people are the decision-makers in society, not just on Election Day, but everyday. In this election between two pro-war candidates there has been massive voter disenfranchisement and voter intimidation targeting working class people, communities of color, young people and immigrants who vote Democrat. With outright, public efforts to undermine one of the most basic rights in a democratic society, we take to the streets to exercise our power and announce to the world that we will fight back. Siafu, Global Intifada and the Heads Up Collective have called for an Anti-Imperialist Contingent at the November 3 march sponsored by Not in Our Name to make visible struggles for justice in the US and around the world." Anti-Imperialist Contingent: Siafu, Global Intifada & Heads Up Collective "Our current administration has divided us by creating a culture of fear, confusion, anger, frustration, anxiety, humiliation, suspicion among its citizens and total despair. They have destroyed faith in humanity. We need to replace it with a culture of understanding, mutual respect, friendship, faith, peace and harmony in our world and hope for a better future. On behalf of the targeted community I would like to thank Not in Our Name for their leadership in our support and resisting the UN Patriot acts of our government. My urgent appeal to all of my fellow Americans is to please join us to strengthen our voices on November 3rd when we say no to injustice." Samina Faheem Sundas, American Muslim Voice "American Friends Service Committee encourages all to rally and march on November 3rd. Do this with force and dignity as a witness to the suffering of the people of Iraq who face their "elections 2005" in the midst of carnage and mounting insecurity. Do not forget the price paid for over ten years of sanctions. Vote for Proposition N in San Francisco ("Withdraw US Troops") and march for true democracy here and in Iraq/Middle East." Stephen McNeil, American Friends Service Committee "Bay Area United Against War feels it is urgent that we continue to build a massive anti-war movement that is independent of both parties of war and repression. This war is eating up all of our tax dollars. The corporations aren't paying they are profiting from U.S. military ventures throughout the world. A united, international antiwar movement is the power needed to bring about the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces and corporations from Iraq, Afghanistan and the whole world over. We join with you to demand, "Not In Our Name! Stop the war now! Bring all the troops home now! All out for November 3!" Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War "Whoever wins the election, it's safe to say that the unjust occupation of Iraq will continue within the context of a ever expanding war on the world. So it's no wonder many anticipate the return of a military draft. If Kerry and Bush actually ruled out forced military conscription, they would move to end the selective service program. But with over 1,100 U.S. troops killed and 10,000 already wounded in Iraq, they want to keep their options open. We need a preemptive strike on November 3rd that declares hell no, we won't go-get out of Iraq now!" Jeff Paterson, former Marine and first Gulf War military objector "On November 3rd we stand in solidarity with the people of Iraq, who yearn for peace, sovereignty, and true democracy just as many of us do in the U.S. Millions of Koreans in the north and south, and throughout the Korean diaspora, are intently awaiting the results of the U.S. election. We hope that the next U.S. administration will help, rather than hinder, our efforts to forge a future of peace and reunification on our own terms. Regardless of who is elected President of the U.S., we call on all allies to support us in building true democracy." Sujin Lee, Korean Americans United for Peace "Radical Women stands firmly behind the call put out by Not in Our Name for a united anti-war march and rally on November 3, demanding an immediate end to the occupation of Iraq. As socialist feminists and internationalists, we say that now is the time for women everywhere to stay in the streets protesting the killing machine unleashed in Iraq. Military conquest is never in the interests of women and children-they are the vast majority of fatalities in Iraq due to bombs, bullets, hunger and disease, while this immoral U.S. war crusade also drains the lifeblood out of badly needed social services here at home." Toni Mendicino, Bay Area Radical Women "From Baghdad to the US/Mexico border, women, children and elders suffer and die every day because of the so-called 'War on Terrorism.' Bush has created and aided this plan for empire and Kerry has not pledged to stop it. We, as an immigrant community, must be out in the streets on November 3, in defense of democracy and in solidarity with other third world immigrants, and with the people of the world- from Port-au-Prince to West Oakland." Lupe Arreola, St. Peter's Housing Committee and a member of Siafu "The lives of children around the world-especially in Palestine and Iraq-are in danger every day because of the militarism and misguided foreign policies of both political parties. Meanwhile, those who speak up for children and provide humanitarian aid are coming under increasing scrutiny and pressure. The Middle East Children's Alliance is proud to join Not in Our Name in its call to stand up to war and injustice-for the sake of all our children" Barbara Lubin, Middle East Children's Alliance "There are millions and millions of us in this country who know this whole direction is DEAD WRONG! The war is unjust! The deaths are immoral! Any electoral "mandate" they claim for this direction is illegitimate! . . . We refuse to accept the terms of an election where the continued occupation of Iraq is not to be questioned and the Patriot Act should be enhanced or repaired. Our will to stop this course will not be stifled . . . We must repudiate their plan and their logic, and stand with the people of the world-no matter who is elected and no matter what the empire-builders have in store." (complete text) From "NOvember 2004" statement, Not in Our Name Anti-war March and Rally Also in SF on Nov. 3: "Health Care NOT Warfare!" 9 AM: Justin Herman Plaza Noon: Federal Building rally More info: Beyond Voting, Direct Action to Stop the War, and Code Blue End the Occupation - Out of Iraq Now! No matter who is elected, we say no to war and repression! Wednesday, November 3 5 PM at Powell & Market, San Francisco (map) March to 24th & Mission. Bring flashlights, drums, and noisemakers. Permitted event featuring the Loco Bloco Drum and Dance Ensemble. On November 3rd, we will still be against the illegitimate occupation left in the aftermath of an unjust war, the police state restrictions of the Patriot Acts, and the ongoing attacks on our immigrant communities. Event initiated by Not in Our Name, endorsed by: * Anti-Imperialist Contingent: Siafu, Global Intifada and the Heads Up Collective * Middle East Children's Alliance * Veterans for Peace-SF Chapter 69 * International ANSWER-SF * American Muslim Voice * Northern California RAWA Supporters * American Friends Service Committee-SF * Bay Area United Against War * Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors * Queers for Peace and Justice * Jewish Voice for Peace * Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace * International Socialist Organization * Refuse & Resist! * Korea Solidarity Committee * Blue Triangle Network * War Resisters League-West * South Bay Mobilization to Stop the War * Haiti Action Committee * Socialist Action * East Bay Food Not Bombs * Alameda Peace Network * Bay Area Radical Women * Peninsula Peace and Justice Center * United for Peace and Justice-Bay Area Rock the boat-not just the vote! The Not in Our Name Project needs your support! Donate online donate.notinourname.net Or send your tax-deductible contribution today to: Not in Our Name 3945 Opal Street, Oakland CA 94609 phone: 510-601-8000 email: bayarea@notinourname.net local: bayarea.notinourname.net nat'l: www.notinourname.net ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 2) Bush Plans to Address Nation After Kerry Speaks in Boston By ADAM NAGOURNEY November 3, 2004 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/03/politics/campaign/04electcnd.html?hp&ex=10 99544400&en=ba992171a995deaf&ei=5094&partner=homepage?hp Senator John Kerry conceded the race for president this morning, calling President Bush at the White House to congratulate him after his aides conceded he would be unable to win a victory in Ohio. Mr. Kerry called Mr. Bush at 11 a.m. this morning at the White House, aides said. "He said, 'Congratulations, Mr. President,' '' Mr. Kerry's press secretary, Stephanie Cutter said. She said Mr. Kerry, in what she described as a "courteous conversation," told the president that he thought it was time to "unify this country.' Mr. Kerry scheduled a speech for 1 p.m. in Boston to offer a formal concession. Mr. Bush was planning to deliver his own speech later today. The call came after Mr. Bush's aides said that the president had won Ohio's 20 electoral votes, which, combined with his victory in Florida, would put him over the 270-vote threshold and guarantee him a second term. Early this morning, Senator John Edwards, Mr. Kerry's running- mate, had said that the Democrats wanted to wait until provisional ballots were counting, holding out the possibility that the Democrats could still pull out the state. Mr. Kerry's aides said that after reviewing the situation in Ohio, they decided it was now impossible that he would win. With 98 percent of the national vote reported as of 8 a.m. Eastern time, Mr. Bush was leading Mr. Kerry by a margin of 51 percent to 48 percent, giving the president an overall edge of about 3.5 million votes. In Ohio, with 99 percent of the vote reported, Mr. Bush was leading by a margin of 51 percent to 48.5 percent for Mr. Kerry, or an edge of about 130,000 votes. Senator Kerry had been pinning his hopes on as-yet-uncounted provisional ballots, which voters can cast if there is some question about their eligibility to vote when they appear at a polling station. Ohio officials said they knew of 135, 149 such ballots. In addition, a dozen counties had not yet totaled their provisional ballots, but in the past these counties accounted for about 10 percent of the provisional ballot total. President Bush currently holds a margin over Mr. Kerry of about 130,000 votes in Ohio. Mathematically, the 135,149 known provisional ballots, plus the 10 percent or so say, 13,000 to 15,000 estimated to have been cast in the dozen counties still to report them, would give Mr. Kerry an opportunity to overtake President Bush. But that would mean that nearly all the provisional ballots would need to be accepted which has not been the case in the past and then Mr. Kerry would need to win nearly all of them. Republicans said Mr. Bush was holding off a bit on declaring victory this morning in order to give Mr. Kerry time to concede. "I hope over the course of the day the obvious reality will become apparent" to Mr. Kerry, Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, said on CNN today. But earlier this morning, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Mr. Kerry's running mate, made a brief appearance in front of a crowd of supporters at Copley Square in Boston to announce that he and Mr. Kerry would not concede. "It's been a long time but we've waited four years for this victory,'' he said to thousands of people who earlier had been expecting Mr. Kerry to be delivering a victory speech on that very spot. "We can wait one more night." In what sounded like a hint of concerted legal action ahead, Mr. Edwards added tersely: "John Kerry and I made a promise to the American people that in this election, every vote would count and every vote would be counted. Tonight, we are keeping our word." Mr. Kerry's aides said they believed the Ohio vote could still be turned around once provisional ballots those submitted by people who were unable to vote because their names not on registration rolls had been tallied. "The vote count in Ohio has not been completed,'' said Mary Beth Cahill, Mr. Kerry's campaign manager. "There are more than 250,000 remaining votes to be counted. We believe when they are, John Kerry will win Ohio." But Mr. Card disputed that assertion and he said Ohio's top election official, Kenneth Blackwell, told him that the president's vote margin was a "statistically insurmountable lead, even after provisional ballots are considered." The dispute provided a chaotic conclusion to a long gyrating night of counting that vividly recalled the turmoil of four years ago. In addition to the problem in Ohio, Iowa officials said they would do a recount in that state, where Mr. Bush had a lead of 14,000 with 99 percent of the vote counted. An evening of confusion and deflation for Mr. Kerry's aides and Democrats across the country was caused in no small part by surveys of voters leaving the polls, which showed Mr. Kerry leading Mr. Bush by as much as 3 percentage points nationally. Taken together, it marked a glum night for the Democrats. Unlike 2000, Mr. Bush won with with the support of more than 50 percent of the country. In addition, Republicans gained seats in the House and in the Senate, and Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the minority leader, was defeated in his bid for re-election. Americans turned out in big numbers to vote, according to officials from both parties, lining up at polling places across the country from Ohio to Florida, from New York to Minnesota in an evocative conclusion to one of the most emotionally charged campaigns in a century. Polls taken up to the eve of the election showed Mr. Bush tied with Mr. Kerry, and party officials suggested that the turnout in this hard- fought election could match the modern-day record of 63 percent set in 1960. In Ohio, lines were so long that some polling places stayed open past the 7:30 p.m. closing time. One in seven people who voted yesterday did not participate in the 2000 election, and 60 percent of those voters said they supported Mr. Kerry, according to surveys of voters leaving the polls. A survey of voters leaving the polls suggested that the turnout was at least partly inspired by anger among Democrats lingering from Mr. Bush's disputed victory in 2000. But White House officials said they remained confident that the Republicans' own turnout effort aimed at evangelical Christians who Mr. Bush's advisers believed had failed to vote in 2000 was countering the opposition to Mr. Bush, and would rescue him from facing the fate of his father, who lost re-election to Bill Clinton in 1992. Mr. Bush won Florida, seizing one of the big three states that have become the focus of both parties for much of the year and the state that was at the emotional fulcrum of the battle of 2000. Mr. Kerry won the second of those three states, Pennsylvania. For all the concern before the voting about irregularities at the polls, there were few reports of problems as night fell across the country, even in states where Mr. Kerry and Mr. Bush had dispatched squads of lawyers, all briefed up but with no courts to go to. Late last night even before the polls had closed in Nevada and Iowa, two particularly competitive states, Mr. Bush summoned reporters and photographers to White House residence where he was watching election results with his family, including his father, the former president. "We're very upbeat, thank you," Mr. Bush said. "I believe I will win." A little while later, a senior Kerry adviser, Joe Lockhart, appeared before reporters to say much the same thing. "The first state that we believe will flip is New Hampshire," Mr. Lockhart said, referring to a state that Mr. Bush won in 2000 and that Democrats are confident of winning this time. But as the night churned on, facing excruciatingly close tallies in Ohio, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Iowa, aides to Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry were contemplating another inconclusive election night, though none suggested they were facing a repeat of the 36-day count of 2000. "We're counting all the votes,'' said Mike McCurry, Mr. Kerry's chief spokesman. "At the end of the day, we win. I'm not sure what day, but we win." Ralph Nader, the independent candidate who many Democrats believe effectively handed the White House to Mr. Bush in 2000 by drawing votes from Al Gore, was winning a min | |