TODAY WE ALL STAND WITH LYNNE STEWART!
NO JAIL TIME FOR LYNNE!
PLEASE WRITE LETTERS TODAY:

SUGGESTION AS TO FORMAT OF LETTERS
TO BE WRITTEN ON BEHALF OF LYNNE STEWART

MARGIN: Please leave at least a one-inch left-hand margin to
allow us to bind the letter into the appendix to the sentencing
memorandum that is being filed on Lynne's behalf.

INSIDE ADDRESS: Honorable John G. Koeltl
United States District Judge
Southern District of New York
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl Street
New York, New York 10007

GREETING: Honorable Sir or Dear Judge Koeltl:

BODY: Briefly introduce yourself and set forth your relationship
to Lynne.

Briefly discuss yourself - your position in work and in society.

State that you are aware that Lynne is to be sentenced following
a jury verdict of guilty on serious charges: The remainder of your
letter should discuss whatever you believe to weigh in favor of no
jail time. If possible, you should tell of an incident where she helped
you out or engaged in commendable community service. Do not try
to argue that she is not guilty or was unfairly conviction. Focus on
the unfairness of the government's actions in bringing the charges;
the way in which the government portrayed her, etc.

* Typewritten letters if possible are preferred.
*
WHEN LETTER IS COMPLETED: Please mail the final product to the
following address:
Jill R. Shellow-Lavine, Esq.
2537 Post Road
Southport, CT 06890

Do not send your letters to the judge. We ask that you forward your
letter me so that the lawyers can present it to Judge Koeltl with the
other letters being written for this purpose. This is the manner in
which letters will have the greatest impact. If they are sent directly
to the Judge's chambers, they may have less of an impact and could
cause the judge a substantial inconvenience (and annoyance).

Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions, please
do not hesitate to contact the defense committee at
www.lynnestewart.org.

Sincerely,
Jill R. Shellow-Lavine
Attorney for Lynne Stewart
For more information go to:
www.LynneStewart.org

******************************************************

COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON ARE TWO POWERFUL
ANTIWAR MOVIES

COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON ARE TWO POWERFUL
ANTIWAR MOVIES

"Mission Accomplished" is a a brutally vivid documentary
filmed entirely on the ground in Iraq. The reality of this war
for American troops is contrasted to the overwhelming reality
of the devastation felt and experienced by the people of Iraq.

Mission Accomplished will open March 18th:

4 Star
2200 Clement St.
San Francisco, CA 94121
415.666.3488

Also, good news - we just confirmed "Voices In Wartime"
to play in S.F. on April 15th at:

Landmark Lumiere 3
1572 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

"Voices in Wartime" is a compelling portrayal of human experience
with war through poetry, both from the point of view of those who
were in combat and those who are left behind. This poem by
fourth-grader Cameron Penny was read by Marie Howe in this
very beautiful film directed by Rick King.

"If you are lucky in this life

A window will appear on a battlefield between two armies

And when the soldiers look into the window

They don't see their enemies

They see themselves as children

And they stop fighting

And go home and go to sleep

When they wake up, the land is well again."

By Cameron Penny

To learn more about this film visit

www.voicesinwartime.org

Both films are distributed by Cinema Libre Studio

******************************************************

MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS NOT WAR!
FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF SOCIAL SERVICES UNDER THE KNIFE
RIGHT NOW GO TO:
http://www.bauaw.org/2005/02/programs-eliminated-or-cut-in-2006.html

"The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all
concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest
struggle. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found
the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon
them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words
or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the
endurance of those whom they oppress."
--Frederick Douglass -

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

1) Violent Threats Against Samina Faheem Sundas of
American Muslim Voice! An Injury to One is an Injury to all!
From: "Blue Triangle Network SF"
We must not and will not be silent: On the threats to Samina Faheem

2) CALL:(415) 241-6493 TODAY AND TUESDAY, FEB. 22 TO GET ON THE
SPEAKERS LIST AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING!
NO MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS!
Notice to students, teachers, parents who oppose military
recruitment in the schools:
Please join with peace activists to speak out at the
S.F. Board of Education meeting on Feb. 22nd, 7 p.m,
at 555 Franklin St., 2nd floor (near Golden Gate).
To speak at the Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting call
(415) 241-6493 on Friday, Feb. 18 between 8 a.m. and
4 p.m. or Tuesday, Feb. 22 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tell them you want to speak at the meeting Feb. 22 and give
them your name. The general public is allowed to address
the meeting and the names will be called to speak
before 8:30 p.m. and the names will be called to
speak before 8:30 p.m.

3) PLEASE FORWARD - PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY - PLEASE FORWARD
CRITICAL Hearing February 18, 2005, 9:30 AM
SHEILA DETOY, 17-Year-Old Girl Shot In Head By Rogue Cop
In 1998 ...
LAST CHANCE FOR JUSTICE!
Superior Court
CIVIC CENTER COURTHOUSE
400 McAllister Street Dept. 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
CASE # CPF04-504029
for SHEILA DETOY-17-Year-Old Girl Shot In Head
By Rogue Cop In 1998 ...

4) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation ˆ Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People‚s Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

5) In a message dated 2/17/05 3:55:47 PM,
Iolmisha@cs.com writes:
Dear fellow activists,
Please post / spead widely
"POLICING IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?"
A forum on Community Policing
SATURDAY
Feb. 19, 2005, at 1 P.M.
(Doors open at 12:30p.m.)
CENTER FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT
5048 THIRD ST (Corner of Revere), SF

6) Bush Nominates Iraq Envoy as Nation's (link only)
1st Intelligence Chief
By DAVID STOUT
and MARK GLASSMAN
WASHINGTON
February 17, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/politics/17cnd-
inte.html?hp&ex=1108702800&en=22d49d39c86fff47&ei=5094&partner=homepage

7) Wal-Mart Earnings Topped $10 Billion in 2004 (link only)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)
Filed at 11:36 a.m. ET
February 17, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Earns-Wal-
Mart.html?hp&ex=1108702800&en=d0ac26362887c4cd&ei=5094&partner=homepa
ge

8) Regaining My Humanity (link only)
By Camilo Mejia
[Great news! Camilo Mejia Released from Prison
We were delighted to receive a phone call yesterday, February 15,
from Camilo Mejia, letting us know that he has just been released
from prison. Some of you might remember Camilo, a courageous
soldier who spent more than 7 years in the military, 8 months
fighting in Iraq, came home for a 2-week furlough, and decided
that he could not-in good conscience-return to Iraq. He applied
for Conscientious Objector status, and was declared a Prisoner
of Conscience by Amnesty International. But the US military
convicted him of desertion, and sent him to serve a one-year
prison sentence in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This happened the same
day that Spc. Jeremy Sivits was court-martialed and sentenced to
a year in prison for abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, an
order Camilo had refused to obey. For more information on
Camilo go to: http://freecamilo.org/ ]

Regaining My Humanity
By Camilo Mejia
http://www.codepinkalert.org/National_Actions_Camilo.shtml
CODEPINK, 2010 Linden Ave, Venice, CA. 90291
(310) 827-4320
info@codepinkalert.org /webmistress@codepinkalert.org

9) Pentagon prepares to build £70bn robot army (link only)
By Francis Harris in Washington
(Filed: 17/02/2005)
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/17/
wrobot17.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/17/ixworld.html

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

1) Violent Threats Against Samina Faheem Sundas of
American Muslim Voice! An Injury to One is an Injury to all!
From: "Blue Triangle Network SF"
We must not and will not be silent:
On the threats to Samina Faheem

The following statement was written
after a hastily called meeting of
people who have worked with Samina
Faheem over the past few years. This
included people from the religious, legal,
and civil liberties organizations.
Please endorse the statement and help
get it out broadly. Thanks.

We Must Not and Will Not Be Silent

If anyone needed more reminders of just what kind of repressive
and hateful environment is building in this country, it came in the
form of several e-mails to Samina Faheem Sundas, a courageous
voice from the Muslim/South Asian community (and founder of
American Muslim Voice). Since 9-11, Samina has struggled
tirelessly and righteously in gatherings large and small to
denounce the round-ups, detentions, forced registrations,
deportations, hate crimes and endless lies directed at Muslim,
Arab and South Asian communities, while building friendships
and ties among people across cultural, religious and social lines.

This week several e-mails appeared on the list serve of United
for Peace and Justice--one, a rabid, hateful diatribe against Muslims
and Arabs, and the other, a very personal threat to Samina herself,
the most chilling of which was that he knows where she lives.
Samina runs a small family childcare center out of her home.
This was followed with many other angry messages. The
particularities of the messages and the person behind them are
not important here, but we are trying to find out more about him
and what his connections may be. Steps are also being taken to
inform local authorities about this racist threat, but in a real sense,
whether the work of a lone lunatic or some organization, this
reflects what is coming from the highest reaches of political
power in this country.

There is a real and very dangerous trend under way in this country
and it is gaining momentum. The trial and guilty verdict in the case
of progressive attorney Lynne Stewart, the persecution of Native
American University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill, and the
attacks against Northeastern University professor Shahid Alam are
the latest in a list of accelerating events whose aim is the crushing
of dissent and opposition to the imperial ambitions of the Bush
regime and the transforming of this society and, ultimately, this
world, into a place that few of us would find tolerable to live in.

We, a few of the many friends and associates of Samina Faheem
Sundas, have taken the step to put out this statement because these
threats against her must be taken seriously and must be taken on
and understood in the broader context. We face a huge challenge,
to build a movement of resistance far broader and more determined
than exists at this time. We understand that while there are dangers
in speaking out, the far greater danger is pulling back or backing
down. Samina has clearly expressed her determination to continue
to speak out and struggle for a more just society and world and we
stand with her. We're resolved to use this attack to intensify our
own efforts to speak out for her and with her.

We are calling on others, individuals and organizations, to sign this
statement as a show of determination to continue to speak out and
act out against the forces coming down on the Muslim, Arab and
South Asian communities and on dissent generally.

(If you or your organization wish to endorse this statement please
send an e-mail to amvoice@amuslimvoice.org )

We Will Defend Samina! We Shall Not Be Moved!
-a statement by Bay Area United Against War

The Bay Area United Against War stands in solidarity with our sister,
Samina Faheem Sundas against the racist and threatening attacks
she has received over the internet. Even though this person(s) has,
so far, confined his violence to verbal assaults over the internet, he/she
has ominously added Samina's home address to these messages. And
this makes it personal. This person has not just spread his/her/their
hatred over email to all of us, but has singled out one of our own
and has threatened her life!

While these are still just verbal attacks filled with violence, they have
clearly crossed the line between nuisance and criminal behavior. Of
course we must demand that the authorities apprehend this person or
persons and put a stop to their violent threats. There is a big difference
between heaving epithets against political beliefs and making personal
racist and violent threats against an individual. The line has been
crossed and this violent offender must be stopped.

In the meantime, they will silence no one. Justice and freedom cannot
be bullied into silence. Samina has worked tirelessly against injustice
and bigotry. We have protested these with her and will continue to do
so, boldly, proudly and without hesitation.

As I write these words an old song keeps running through my mind:

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

CHORUS
We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
The union is behind us,
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
We're fighting for our freedom,
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
We're fighting for our children,
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
We'll building a mighty union,
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Black and white together,
We shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Young and old together,
We shall not be moved

We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Samina!
And we shall not be moved!

In peace and solidarity,

Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War (BAUAW)

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

2) CALL:(415) 241-6493 TODAY AND TUESDAY, FEB. 22 TO GET ON THE
SPEAKERS LIST AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING!
NO MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS!
Notice to students, teachers, parents who oppose military
recruitment in the schools:
Please join with peace activists to speak out at the
S.F. Board of Education meeting on Feb. 22nd, 7 p.m,
at 555 Franklin St., 2nd floor (near Golden Gate).
To speak at the Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting call
(415) 241-6493 on Friday, Feb. 18 between 8 a.m. and
4 p.m. or Tuesday, Feb. 22 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Tell them you want to speak at the meeting Feb. 22 and give
them your name. The general public is allowed to address
the meeting and the names will be called to speak
before 8:30 p.m.

Notice to students, teachers, parents who oppose military recruitment
in the schools: Please join with peace activists to speak out at the S.F.
Board of Education meeting on Feb. 22nd, 7 p.m., at 555 Franklin St.,
2nd floor (near Golden Gate).

We passed Proposition N in S.F. by 63 percent. It called for the
immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. But S.F. high
school students are being actively recruited by the U.S. military on
campus through direct recruitment and through the Junior Reserve
Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program. Many recent City graduates
are currently serving in Iraq. This must end. Schools must not be used
to recruit youngsters to kill or be killed in this illegal, immoral war!
Please help spread the word. Let us know if you will speak at the
Board meeting.

E-mail Bay Area United Against War at: giobon@sbcglobal.net

Draft Resolution for San Francisco Board of Education
Cut Ties with the Military:

WHEREAS, the United States military is actively recruiting high
school students into the military to fight in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, many young San Francisco high school alumni are
presently serving in military units fighting in Iraq; and
WHEREAS, it is San Francisco City policy by virtue of Proposition N,
to bring all U.S. troops home from Iraq now; and
WHEREAS, over 1,448 U.S. soldiers and approximately 100,000
Iraqis have been killed in this war and over 10,000 U.S. soldiers
and unknown thousands of Iraqis have been wounded; and
WHEREAS, the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on the war
have robbed our children of resources that should be spent on
education and other human needs; and
WHEREAS, military presence in our schools legitimizes the
message that violence is acceptable;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
It shall be the policy of the San Francisco Board of Education
to support cutting all ties with the United States military,
including, but not limited to: Ending military recruitment on
campuses; ending the Junior Reserved Officer Training Corps
(JROTC); and guaranteeing that all students and parents are
informed of their right to deny military recruiters access to
their names, addresses and telephone numbers.

Bay Area United Against War (BAUAW) • www.bauaw.org •
P.O. Box 318021, San Francisco, CA 94131-8021 •
414-824-8730

Flyer for meeting:

No military recruiting
in our schools!

Come to the School Board meeting Feb. 22, 7 p.m.
555 Franklin Street, Second Floor, San Francisco

In November 63 percent of San Francisco voters passed Proposition N,
demanding to bring our troops home from Iraq now. And yet, San
Francisco school children are being recruited to military service right
out of High School. These are not the job opportunities we want for
our children-or that our children want for themselves!

We want our children to have an opportunity to learn and thrive to
the best of their potential-not to kill and be killed. End all military
recruitment in public schools and institutions of higher learning.
Use our tax dollars for schools, healthcare, housing, jobs-all human
needs-not war!

We ain't gonna study war no more!

Parents: Come to the meeting of the S.F. Board of Education and
tell them we want our children to live, learn and prepare for the
future, not to be killed or injured in Iraq, or to kill and injure
Iraqi people.

Students: Come to the meeting of the S.F. Board of Education
and tell them we don't want our schools to be recruiting centers
for the U.S. military and its wars. School should be for learning
and preparing for adult life. We are not cannon fodder.

Community members: Come to the meeting of the Board of
Education. Remind them that San Francisco voted against the
war and we don't want our schools used to recruit children to
fight in Iraq!

Killing and being killed is not a career choice!

Next meeting: Saturday, Feb. 26, 11 a.m.,
474 Valencia Street, SF

Bay Area United Against War (www.bauaw.org)
(415) 824-8730 P.O. Box 318021, S. F., CA 94131-8021

Parar El reclutamiento military
En nuestras escuelas.

Vengan a la reunión de la meza directiva febrero 22, A las 7 p.m.
555 Franklin Street, Segundo Piso en San Francisco

Para hablar en la reunión de febrero 22 llame al (415) 241-6493 el
viernes febrero 18 entre las 8 a.m. y 4 p.m. el martes febrero 22 entre
8 a.m. y 3 p.m. Dígales que usted quiere hablar en la reunión y délas
su nombre. Al público se le permitirá hablar en la reunion: y llamaran
su nombre antes de las 8:30 p.m.

En Noviembre el 63 porciento de la población de San Francisco votaron
a favor de la proposición N, demandando que traigan nuestras tropes
a casa de Irak. A hora y sin embargo Los niños de las escuelas de San
Francisco están siendo reclutados.

Para prestar el servicio military en escuelas High Schools. Estos no
son las oportunidades de trabajo que queremos para nuestros hijos
ni nuestros hijos quieren ese tipo de oportunidades.

Nosotros queremos que nuestros hijos tengan oportunidades de
aprender y de hacer lo mejor con su potencial. No de matar ni de
ser asesinados. Que se termine todo el reclutamiento military en las
escuelas públicas en Instituciones de alto aprendizaje que se use
nuestros dólares de impuestos para escuelas, programas de salud,
vivienda, trabajo y para todas las necesidades humanas.
¡No queremos guerra!

¡No vamos a estudiar la Guerra nunca más!

Padres de Familia: Vengan a la junta de la meza directiva de
educación de S.F. y díganle a ellos que queremos, que nuestros
hijos vivan aprendan y se preparen para un futuro. No para morir
o ser heridos en Irak, matar o herir a la gente de Irak.

Estudiantes: Vengan a la junta de la meza directiva de educación de
S.F. y díganle que no queremos guerra ni que nuestros escuelas sean
centros de reclutamiento para el ejército militar de USA y sus
guerras. Que las escuelas sean lugares de aprendizaje que los
preparen a una vida de adulto, que nosotros no somos carne de cañon.

Miembros de la Comunidad: Vengan a la junta de la meza directiva de
educación para recordarles que los votantes de San Francisco están en
contra de la guerra y no queremos usar nuestras escuelas como
centros de reclutamiento para pelear en Irak.

El matar y el perder la vida no es un trabajo digno

La próxima reunion de Bay Área United Against War:
Sábado febrero 26, a las 11 a.m. 474 Valencia St., S.F.

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

3) PLEASE FORWARD - PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY - PLEASE FORWARD
CRITICAL Hearing February 18, 2005, 9:30 AM
SHEILA DETOY, 17-Year-Old Girl Shot In Head By Rogue Cop
In 1998 ...
LAST CHANCE FOR JUSTICE!
Superior Court
CIVIC CENTER COURTHOUSE
400 McAllister Street Dept. 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
CASE # CPF04-504029
for SHEILA DETOY-17-Year-Old Girl Shot In Head
By Rogue Cop In 1998 ...

LAST CHANCE FOR JUSTICE!

The San Francisco Police Department is trying to get away
with MURDER!!!

If the cops get their way, the Superior Court will DISMISS
THE CASE against killer cop GREGORY BRESLIN !!!

With no punishment for Breslin - or anyone - in the 1998
cold-blooded

police shooting of Sheila Detoy !!!

Don't let police murder go unpunished !!!

February 18, 2005, 9:30 AM
Superior Court
CIVIC CENTER COURTHOUSE
400 McAllister Street Dept. 301
San Francisco, CA 94102
CASE # CPF04-504029

SIX YEARS - NO JUSTICE FOR SHEILA DETOY

* May 13, 1998: San Francisco police officers shot up a car full
of unarmed teenagers and killed 17-year-old Sheila Detoy.
SFPD then blamed her friends for her death.

* The Office of Citizen Complaints found that Officer Gregory
Breslin is responsible for her death. The OCC also sustained
complaints against the other officers involved in Sheila's killing.

* In 2003 the San Francisco Police Commission decided they
wanted to file charges against the officers, but the Police
Officers Association is trying to get Breslin off on a
technicality but we say:
THERE IS NO TIME LIMIT ON PUNISHING KILLER COPS!!!

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

4) March 19, 2005 Global Day of Action
No to War Occupation ? Iraq, Palestine, Haiti,
Afghanistan, Cuba Everywhere!
Bring the Troops Home Now!
Money for People?s Needs, Not War!
San Francisco: March Assembles: 11 a.m. Dolores Park
Rally: 1 p.m. Civic Center

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

5) In a message dated 2/17/05 3:55:47 PM,
Iolmisha@cs.com writes:
Dear fellow activists,
Please post / spead widely
"POLICING IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY:
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE ?"
A forum on Community Policing
SATURDAY
Feb. 19, 2005, at 1 P.M.
(Doors open at 12:30p.m.)
CENTER FOR SELF-IMPROVEMENT
5048 THIRD ST (Corner of Revere), SF

* AACPRB proposal for Office of Community Policing in
SF will be revealed

* Thurdgood Marshall High School and MLK 03 Hunter's
Point police incidents will be revisited

* Open discussion / questions & answers period

For more info call: (415) 671-0662
or: (415) 970-3867

The AACPRB Board is formed and not opened t new
appointments... Lt Con Johnson is currently working on
a community policing protocole for San Francisco.

Let your voice and concerns be heard at this crucial meeting !

In struggle,

mesha Monge-Irizarry

Idriss Stelley Foundation
Campaign to End the Death Penalty Bayview Chapter
ACORN
(415) 595-98251 ISF 24HR Crisis Line.

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

6) Bush Nominates Iraq Envoy as Nation's (link only)
1st Intelligence Chief
By DAVID STOUT
and MARK GLASSMAN
WASHINGTON
February 17, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/17/politics/17cnd-
inte.html?hp&ex=1108702800&en=22d49d39c86fff47&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

7) Wal-Mart Earnings Topped $10 Billion in 2004 (link only)
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)
Filed at 11:36 a.m. ET
February 17, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Earns-Wal-
Mart.html?hp&ex=1108702800&en=d0ac26362887c4cd&ei=5094&partner=homepa
ge

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

8) Regaining My Humanity (link only)
By Camilo Mejia
[Great news! Camilo Mejia Released from Prison
We were delighted to receive a phone call yesterday, February 15,
from Camilo Mejia, letting us know that he has just been released
from prison. Some of you might remember Camilo, a courageous
soldier who spent more than 7 years in the military, 8 months
fighting in Iraq, came home for a 2-week furlough, and decided
that he could not-in good conscience-return to Iraq. He applied
for Conscientious Objector status, and was declared a Prisoner
of Conscience by Amnesty International. But the US military
convicted him of desertion, and sent him to serve a one-year
prison sentence in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This happened the same
day that Spc. Jeremy Sivits was court-martialed and sentenced to
a year in prison for abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, an
order Camilo had refused to obey. For more information on
Camilo go to: http://freecamilo.org/ ]
Regaining My Humanity
By Camilo Mejia
http://www.codepinkalert.org/National_Actions_Camilo.shtml
CODEPINK, 2010 Linden Ave, Venice, CA. 90291
(310) 827-4320
info@codepinkalert.org /webmistress@codepinkalert.org


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

9) Pentagon prepares to build £70bn robot army (link only)
By Francis Harris in Washington
(Filed: 17/02/2005)
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/17/
wrobot17.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/17/ixworld.html

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

posted 10:27 PM  0 comments

CALL:(415) 241-6493 TODAY AND TUESDAY, FEB. 22
TO GET ON THE SPEAKERS LIST AT THE BOARD OF
EDUCATION MEETING!

SPEAK AGAINST MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN SCHOOLS!

Please join with peace activists to speak out at the
S.F. Board of Education meeting on Feb. 22nd, 7 p.m,
at 555 Franklin St., 2nd floor (near Golden Gate).

A Black Veteran Speaks Out
BY MONIQUE CODE

Of all people, me? Speak out against
joining the military? Yes, indeed! Miracles do
happen, right? Well, I wasn't always this
way. I ask myself constantly what took me so
long, because so many people ask me what
was it like, why did I do it, and why speak
out now? Well, in these perilous times, it's
time for all of us to come clean and
address the behind-the-scenes of this
hidden world that no civilian knows about
unless they sign their name on the dotted line.

I served in the military for eight years.
I went into, of all branches, the Navy. You
figure, after the last boat ride Afrikan
people were forced to take, what in the world
would possess me to join the Navy? Well,
I had a better chance at travel and I hate
DIRT! Yeah, the Navy has planes like the Air
Force. I still don't like planes.

I need to make a few things very clear:

When you take the oath once all your
physicals are done, the SECOND TIME you take
the oath is when it counts. NOT the first
time. For those of you in high school, when
you sign up, you have at least two or three
opportunities to come out of there. Seize
the time!

Secondly, the Montgomery GI bill does NOT
pay for all of your college education. It
does help you, but it doesn't cover the
entire bill. You are still coming out of your
pockets and living on other scholarships
and loans in order to pay for your education.
Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is
the only way your education is paid for in
full. In return for that, you must give back
time. In other words, after four years of
education, you must commit to at least
four to six years of active service time.
If you do not complete school, you must
pay all of that money back. Yes, all of it! If
you fail a class, you have to pay that money
back as well. For those of you who want
an education through the military, do your
research!

Thirdly, the military tells you that you can
be all that you can be. Not true! You will be
all THE GOVERNMENT wants you to be.
What do they want you to be, you ask? They
want you to be dependent and complacent.
They want you to remain quiet about
issues that affect you. In English, protesting
is OUT! It took the Armed Forces until
1994 to allow Black women to wear braids!
Yes, 1994!

It's not just a job; it's an adventure, huh?
It's a job to manipulate you into thinking
that civilian life is worthless. In exchange
for three meals a day and free room and
board (depending on where you are stationed),
you get free clothing too. Damn,
sounds like jail, right?

The recruiters have to fulfill a quota
each month in order for the military to thrive.
They tell you anything to get you in.
They will say anything to you to keep you in. If
you're a young, naïve high school kid
thinking this is the way to go because school
can get paid for, think again. When you
go to boot camp, the best mind games are
played there. They break you down into
what you were and mold you into somebody
else. Profanity is almost normal
language in the military. That's a fact!
Most importantly, to all you veterans
out there: if you are not aged 55 and over, you
served in the military, and you have a
necessary skill that they might need in this war,
get this quick! The potential to call you is
still there! I just found this out from a non-
profit organization called Black Veterans
for Social Justice. I can verify this
information, too!

Am I proud that I served in the military?
Am I bragging about being a veteran? The
answer is a unanimous NO to both of
those questions. I am informing you of this so
that you are better informed about this
hidden world that no one wants to discuss
openly.

Keep this in mind: most military personnel,
once they are in the service full-time,
really do not know what's really going
on out here. When I left for Desert Storm in
1990, they fed us the pro-Amerikkkan
BS that goes with being a service person. They
also did not involve themselves in the
real politics of what was happening. They told
us: "You are here to serve your country
fighting this war." They never talked to us
about chemical warfare or none of the
things that are of concern with this upcoming
rich man's war.

Interestingly enough, I was watching
a press conference with that puppet Colin
Powerless. If he is not a puppet, I have
no idea what he is. He spoke and claimed that
the purpose of the war was to rid Iraq
of oppression and fear in the lives of Iraqi
people. Um, excuse me, Mr. Powell, what
about the war on your own people right
here in Amerikkka? Any solutions how to
stop the oppression here? Maybe he should
ask Massa Bush so he can pull some more
strings to make him dance some more.
As an Afrikan woman, I don't applaud the
decision for anyone to go in. I really had a
hard time fighting their mentality because
I didn't know any better. Once I began to
rebuild what I had lost and become
conscious, I became a threat to them and
dangerous in the process. I was almost
dismissed off a vessel because I was waking
up the lost minds of my brothers and
sistas who wanted to wake up like me. I
couldn't see the politics, but I was able to
relate it to our history and all the trials and
tribulations we endured as a people.

Today, I shout what Chairman Fred Hampton
said: "Everything is political." I thank so
much those who politicized me to where
I can have the strength to talk about this on
an open platform. It took a lot of discussion
and venting to get this out, but I don't
want to see anyone of you make the
mistake that I did and think that Amerikkka has
such a fine military. It doesn't.

I challenge all my Black veterans out
there to speak out. We must save our people by
any means necessary. You want to join
an Army? Join the People's Army and help
fight the war and terrorism on Afrikan
people on a daily basis!
Power to the People!

(Feb. 12)

Here are the 154 programs that President Bush wants to eliminate or cut in his 2006 budget proposal. Bush would terminate 99 programs and make major spending reductions in 55. Separately, the administration listed eight major reforms Bush proposed that also would produce spending cuts.

Of the terminations, Bush has recommended 59 of them before. Twenty-seven of the 55 programs targeted for spending reductions have been previously submitted to Congress.

TERMINATED:

Agriculture Department:
AMS Biotechnology Program
Forest Service Economic Action Program
High Cost Energy Grants
NRCS Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations
Research and Extension Grant Earmarks and Low Priority Programs

Commerce Department:
Advanced Technology Program
Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Program
Public Telecommunications Facilities, Planning and Construction Program

Education Department:
Comprehensive School Reform
Educational Technology State Grants
Even Start

(High School Program Terminations:)
Vocational Education State Grants
Vocational Education National Activities
Tech Prep State Grants
Upward Bound
Talent Search
GEAR UP
Smaller Learning Communities
Perkins Loans: Capital Contributions and Loan Cancellations
Regional Education Laboratories
Safe and Drug Free Schools State Grants

(Small Elementary and Secondary Education Programs:)
Javits Gifted and Talented Education
National Writing Project
School Leadership
Dropout Prevention Program
Close Up Fellowships
Ready to Teach
Parental Information and Resource Centers
Alcohol Abuse Reduction
Foundations for Learning
Mental Health Integration in Schools
Community Technology Centers
Exchanges with Historic Whaling and Trading Partners
Foreign Language Assistance
Excellence in Economic Education
Arts in Education
Women's Educational Equity
Elementary and Secondary School Counseling
Civic Education
Star Schools

(Smaller Higher Education Programs:)
Higher Education Demos for Students w/Disabilities
Underground Railroad Program
Interest Subsidy Grants

(Small Job Training and Adult Education Programs:)
Occupational and Employment Information
Tech-prep Demonstration
Literacy Programs for Prisoners
State Grants for Incarcerated Youth

(Small Postsecondary Student Financial Assistance Programs:)
LEAP
Byrd Scholarships
B.J. Stupak Olympic Scholarships
Thurgood Marshall Legal Opportunity

(Small Vocational Rehabilitation Programs:)
Vocational Rehabilitation Recreational Programs
Vocational Rehab (VR) Migrant and Seasonal Workers
Projects with Industry
Supported Employment
Teacher Quality Enhancement Program

Energy Department:
Hydropower Program
Nuclear Energy Plant Optimization
Nuclear Energy Research Initiative
Oil and Gas Programs

Health and Human Services Department:
ACF Community Service Programs
ACF Early Learning Opportunities Fund
CDC Congressional Earmarks
CDC Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant
CDC Youth Media Campaign
Direct Service Worker Delivery Grants
HRSA Emergency Medical Services for Children
HRSA Health Facilities Construction Congressional Earmarks
HRSA Healthy Community Access Program
HRSA State Planning Grant Program
HRSA Trauma Care
HRSA Traumatic Brain Injury
HRSA Universal Newborn Hearing Screening
Real Choice Systems Change Grants

Housing and Urban Development Department:
HOPE VI

Interior Department:
BLM Jobs-in-the-Woods Program
LWCF State Recreation Grants (NPS)
National Park Service Statutory Aid
Rural Fire Assistance (BLM, NPS, FWS, BIA)

Justice Department:
Byrne Discretionary Grants
Byrne Justice Assistance Grants
COPS Hiring Grants
COPS Interoperable Communications Technology Grants
COPS Law Enforcement Technology Grants
Juvenile Accountability Block Grants
National Drug Intelligence Center

Other State/Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program Terminations:
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP)

Labor Department:
Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker Training Program
Reintegration of Youthful Offenders

Transportation Department:
National Defense Tank Vessel Construction Program
Railroad Rehabilitation Infrastructure Financing Loan Program

Enviromental Protection Agency:
Unrequested Projects
Water Quality Cooperative Agreements

National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
Hubble Space Telescope Robotic Servicing Mission

Other Agencies
National Veterans Business Development Corporation

Postal Service: Revenue Forgone Appropriation

SBA: Microloan Program

SBA: Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Participating Securities Program

MAJOR REDUCTIONS:

Agriculture Department
Federal (In-House) Research
Forest Service Capital Improve and Maintenance
Forest Service Wildland Fire Management (incl. supp. and emergency funding)
Biomass Research and Development
Broadband
CCC - Bioenergy
CCC - Market Access Program
Farm Bill Programs (EQIP
Farm Bill Programs (CSP)
Farm Bill Programs (WHIP)
Farm Bill Program (Farm and Ranchland Protection)
Farm Bill Programs (Ag. Management Assistance)
IFAS
Renewable Energy
Rural Firefighter Grants
Rural Strategic Investment Program
Rural Business Investment Program
Value-added Grants
Watershed Rehabilitation
NRCS Conservation Operations
NRCS Resource Conservation and Development Program
Water and Wastewater Grants and Loans

Commerce Department:
Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Education Department:
Adult Education State Grants
State Grants for Innovation

Energy Department:
Environmental Management

Health and Human Services Department:
HRSA Children's Hospitals GME Payment Program
HRSA Health Professions
HRSA Rural Health
SAMHSA Programs of Regional and National Significance
State, Local & Hospital Bioterrorism Preparedness Grants

Housing and Urban Development Department:
Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Native American Housing Block Grant
Public Housing Capital Fund
Interior Department
Bureau of Indian Affairs School Construction
National Heritage Area Grants
Payments in Lieu of Taxes
USGS, Mineral Resources Program

Justice Department:
Federal Bureau of Prisons Construction Program
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program
Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Assistance Programs

Labor Department:
International Labor Affairs Bureau
Office of Disability Employment Policy
Workforce Investment Act Pilots and Demonstrations

State Department:
Assistance for the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union

Transportation Department:
FAA - Facilities and Equipment
FAA - Airport Improvement Program (Oblim)
FRA - Next Generation High Speed Rail

Treasury Department:
Internal Revenue Service - Taxpayer Service

Environmental Protection Agency:
Alaska Native Villages
Clean Water State Revolving Fund

National Aeronautics and Space Administration:
Aeronautics: Vehicle Systems Program
Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter

Other Agencies

Archives: National Historical Publications & Records Commission

U.S. Institute of Peace, Construction of New Building

MAJOR REFORMS

Agriculture: Rural Telephone Bank
Commerce: Economic and Community Development Programs
Homeland Security: State and Local Homeland Security Grants
Homeland Security: Transportation Security Administration, Recover Aviation Security Screening Costs Through Fees
Labor: Job Training Reform, Consolidate Grants Program
Transportation: Amtrak
Army Corps of Engineers (Civil Works): Performance Guidelines for Funding Construction Projects
U.S. Agency for International Development and Department of Agriculture: International Food Aid

02-12-05 09:35 EST

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