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  • BAUAW NEWSLETTER
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    Saturday, February 26, 2005
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER-FRIDAY, FEB. 25, 2005

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

    Resource:
    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

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

    1) NEXT BAUAW PLANNING MEETING TO GET THE MILITARY OUT OF
    OUR SCHOOLS IS: SATURDAY, FEB. 26, 11 AM AT 474 VALENCIA STREET
    The Board of Education, as a result of the Feb. 22 meeting,
    is organizing a "meeting of the whole" based on the topic
    of military recruitment in the Schools. Help plan strategy
    for the meeting this Saturday, Feb. 26 at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to
    the rear of the building at the cheerful, Companeros del Barrio
    childcare center.

    Plus:

    Report of the Tuesday, Feb.22 S.F. Board of Education Meeting:
    (see full item 1 below)

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

    3) The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
    Presents: Conscientious Objectors Discuss War
    Sunday, February 27 at the Humanist Hall, 390
    27th St. @ Broadway, Oakland 3pm-6:30pm
    Join CCCO and Conscientious Objector panelists;
    Aimee Allison, Dale Bartlett, David Harris, Rev.
    Dr. Dorsey Blake and Jeff Paterson, in a
    discussion on war, draft and conscience,
    moderated by Steve Morse, CCCO GI Rights Program
    Coordinator.
    Also, film maker Mark Manning, independent
    reporter Dahr Jamail and military mom Nadia
    McCaffrey offer reports about their recent trips
    to Iraq and Jordan.
    Refreshments.

    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) 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

    "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.
    "Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
    Landmark Lumiere 3
    1572 California Street
    San Francisco, CA 94109

    [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 these film visit
    Cinema Libre Studio
    http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

    6) PROTEST the Anniversary of the U.S.-led COUP in HAITI
    Monday, Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Rally in UN Plaza,
    San Francisco (under the Simon Bolivar statue at Hyde Street)
    - proceeding at 5 p.m. March stops at sites representing
    attempts to destroy democracy in Haiti, including SF Chronicle,
    the Chilean, Brazilian and French consulates, and U.S.
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.

    7) What: Anti-Recruitment Community Forum
    When: Saturday, Feb. 26 2pm-4pm
    Where: Audrey Lorde Room, Women's Building,
    3543 18th St. between Valencia and Guerrero

    8) The next meeting of the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    is confirmed for Sunday, February 27 at Noon At the
    Modern Times Bookstore at 888 Valencia Street,
    between 19th and 20th Streets.
    We will meet in the rear meeting room.

    9) Latin America Fails to Deliver on Basic Needs (link only)
    By JUAN FORERO
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/americas/22bolivia.html?hp&e
    x=1109134800&en=a0fbb2c9c35c0f8f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    10) Bush Says Russia Must Make Good on Democracy (link only)
    By ELISABETH BUMILLER
    BRUSSELS
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/europe/22prexy.html

    11) US Senator Says Afghan Bases Should Be Permanent (link only)
    By David Brunnstrom
    KABUL (Reuters)
    Tue Feb 22, 2005 06:32 AM ET
    http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7697958&src=eD
    ialog/GetContent§ion=news

    12) Some Inheritance (Social Security) (link only)
    EDITORIAL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/opinion/23wed1.html?hp

    13) Failure to Form Cabinet Signals Crisis
    for Palestinian Leaders
    By ALAN COWELL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/international/middleeast/23cnd-mideast.htm
    l?hp&ex=1109221200&en=c2f9ba17fa86cb77&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    14) Vonnegut at 80 (link only)
    By David Hoppe, NUVO
    Posted on January 10, 2003
    http://www.alternet.org/story/14919/

    15) Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; (link only)
    50-State Group Says It's Unconstitutional
    by Sam Dillon
    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

    16) Two good liberals visit bad country (link only)
    By Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson
    Special To The Examiner
    (Very interesting and favorable article about Cuba...bw)
    http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/02/24/opinion/20050224_op05_anderson
    .txt

    17) Next Generation Peace Rally and March
    FUND OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT WAR!
    Friday, March 4, Rally 3 - 3:30 at the San Rafael Library
    March through town 3:30 - 5pm

    18) THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ (link only)
    Army Gives Halliburton $9.4 Million in Bonuses
    From Times Wire Services
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-halliburton25feb25,1,222
    0539.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=2&cset=true

    19) 10 Voters on Panel Backing Pain Pills (link only)
    Had Industry Ties
    By GARDINER HARRIS and ALEX BERENSON
    February 25, 2005
    "Ten of the 32 government drug advisers who last week
    endorsed continued marketing of the huge-selling pain pills
    Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx have consulted in recent years for
    the drugs' makers, according to disclosures in medical journals
    and other public records.

    If the 10 advisers had not cast their votes, the committee would
    have voted 12 to 8 that Bextra should be withdrawn and 14 to 8
    that Vioxx should not return to the market. The 10 advisers with
    company ties voted 9 to 1 to keep Bextra on the market and 9 to 1
    for Vioxx's return."
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25fda.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=2d
    0651f024ad5d31&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    20) Kansas Prosecutor Demands Files
    on Late-Term Abortion Patients
    By JODI WILGOREN
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25kansas.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en
    =590ef6d0a42ee0af&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    21) Thrown to the Wolves (link only)
    By BOB HERBERT
    OP-ED COLUMNIST
    OTTAWA
    February 25, 2005
    [Prison and torture America style-send them to Saudi Arabia where
    torture is legal...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp

    22) [Related to Lynne Stewart Case...bw] (link only)
    Terror Suspect's Family Protests Jail Rules
    By ERIC LICHTBLAU and JAMES DAO
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25terror.html

    23) Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    New York Amsterdam News
    Calling All Soldiers: Military Recruiters Face Resistance
    From Young Anti-War Activists
    by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

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

    1) NEXT BAUAW PLANNING MEETING TO GET THE MILITARY OUT OF
    OUR SCHOOLS IS: SATURDAY, FEB. 26, 11 AM AT 474 VALENCIA STREET
    The Board of Education, as a result of the Feb. 22 meeting,
    is organizing a "meeting of the whole" based on the topic
    of military recruitment in the Schools. Help plan strategy
    for the meeting this Saturday, Feb. 26 at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to
    the rear of the building at the cheerful, Companeros del Barrio
    childcare center.

    Plus:

    Report of the Tuesday, Feb.22 S.F. Board of Education Meeting:
    (see full item 1 below)

    The Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting at the S.F. Board of Education turned
    out to be a great success. Representatives from many groups and
    individuals gave strong reasons why San Francisco schools should
    not allow the military access to our children on school grounds.

    The members of the board clearly showed concern and interest
    about what we were saying. They expressed their antiwar sentiment
    as well by voting to sponsor the American Friends Service
    Committee's "Eyes Wide Open" exhibition of the Iraq War, which
    will be at the Civic Center Friday, March 25, beginning at 11:00 a.m.,
    with an all night vigil; Saturday, March 26th, 10:00 a.m., until 5:00 p.m.,
    and at Union Square, Sunday, March 27th, (Easter Sunday)
    from 10:00 a.m., until dusk.

    They also announced the March 19th March and Rally against the
    War on Iraq that begins at 11: 00 a.m., at Dolores Park and marches
    to a Rally at 1:00 p.m., at the Civic Center. This demonstration is
    part of a worldwide protest of the war. Millions of people across
    the world will show their opposition in the streets March 19th and
    20th-the anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L.)

    We are going to the School Board meeting again, on Tuesday,
    March 8th to further discuss how we can prevent the military from
    turning our schools into hunting ground for cannon fodder for
    an illegal and immoral war. We are in the process of getting the
    point on the agenda at the March 8th meeting (or the "meeting of
    the whole"--date not set yet) so that the Board
    members themselves can participate in this very rich discussion
    we began on Feb. 22.

    Some of the many, many groups were that were represented were,
    ANSWER, United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, BAUAW, AFSC, ISO,
    Campus Antiwar Network, representatives from San Francisco's Queer
    community, as well as many individuals, who all gave impassioned
    reasons for opposing the war and military recruitment at our schools.
    Everyone left the meeting feeling strong, unified and on the same
    page. Many members of the board seemed very receptive to the
    varied and well thought-out arguments.

    This meeting was a great beginning to public community dialogue
    about these issues that affect all of us.

    There will be a planning meeting to discuss further strategy this
    coming Saturday, Feb. 26, at 11:00 a.m., at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to the
    rear of the building at the Companeros del Barrio childcare center.

    Everyone is welcome.

    Peace and solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War

    The following is an article that was published in the Chronicle Feb.24.
    It describes a 50-State Group that challenges, as Unconstitutional,
    the "No Child Left Behind" law claiming it, "...had imposed an
    impractical 'one-size-fits-all' education accountability system
    across the country that was stifling local initiatives." Forcing schools
    to open their doors to the military in order to get federal funds
    is also part of the "No Child Left Behind" law.

    Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; 50-State Group Says
    It's Unconstitutional

    By Sam Dillon

    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle

    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

    A bipartisan group representing 50 state legislatures called
    Wednesday for major changes in President Bush's landmark
    education initiative, No Child Left Behind, which it lambasted as
    unconstitutional and impractical.

    Republican New York state Sen. Steve Saland, who co-chaired
    a task force that took 10 months to review implementation of
    No Child Left Behind, said the law had imposed an impractical
    "one-size-fits-all" education accountability system across the
    country that was stifling local initiatives.

    The task force's report, based on hearings in six cities, praised
    the law's goal of ending the gap in scholastic achievement
    between white and minority students. But most of the 77-page
    report, which the Education Department rebutted Wednesday,
    was devoted to a detailed inventory and discussion of the
    program's flaws.

    Over the past two years, more than a dozen state legislatures
    adopted resolutions criticizing the No Child Left Behind law
    and demanding changes. But the bipartisan nature of
    Wednesday's report marked a step-up in the war of words
    surrounding the law.

    The report said the law's accountability system, which
    punishes schools whose students fail to improve steadily on
    standardized tests, undermined school improvement efforts
    already under way in many states and relied on the wrong
    indicators.

    The report said the law's rules for educating disabled students
    conflict with another federal law. It also said the law presents
    bureaucratic requirements that fail to recognize the tapestry
    of educational challenges faced by teachers in the nation's
    15,000 school districts.

    "Under NCLB, the federal government's role has become
    excessively intrusive in the day-to-day operations of public
    education," the National Conference of State Legislatures
    said in the report, which was written by 16 state legislators
    and six legislative staff members.

    Nine state legislatures are considering challenges to the law,
    and the Utah Senate is about to vote on a bill, already approved
    by the Utah House, that would require state education officials
    to give higher priority to Utah's education laws than to the
    federal law. An Illinois school district filed suit against the
    Education Department this month in federal court, arguing
    that No Child Left Behind contradicts provisions of the federal
    Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

    The conference, which has criticized the federal law in the
    past, represents the nation's 50 state legislatures, has
    a membership that includes 3,657 Republicans, 3,656 Democrats,
    as well as a few dozen who were elected from smaller parties,
    as independents or without any party affiliation.

    In compiling its report, the task force conducted public
    hearings in Washington, Chicago, Salt Lake City, New York,
    Santa Fe, N.M., and Portland, Ore.

    An assistant secretary of education, Ray Simon, met with
    members of the task force in Washington on Wednesday
    to discuss the report.

    "The department will continue to work with every state to
    address their concerns and make this law work for their
    children," Simon said in a statement. "But the report could
    be interpreted as wanting to reverse the progress we've made."

    He added: "No Child Left Behind is bringing new hope and
    new opportunity to families throughout America, and we will
    not reverse course."

    The law will come up for reauthorization in Congress in 2007.
    But task force members hoped to persuade Congress to make
    changes in the law before then.

    Several groups that strongly support the federal law disputed
    the report.

    "My big concern is they did a better job of pinpointing problems
    than identifying solutions," said Susan Traiman, a director at
    the Business Roundtable, a group that represents top corporate
    executives. "Most of what they call for would be a reversal that
    would turn back the clock on what NCLB is trying to accomplish,
    all in the name of federalism."

    One chapter of the report notes that the Constitution does not
    delegate powers to educate America's citizens to the federal
    government, thereby leaving education under state control. The
    report contends that No Child Left Behind has greatly expanded
    federal powers to a degree that is unconstitutional.

    "This assertion of federal authority into an area historically
    reserved to the states has had the effect of curtailing additional
    state innovations and undermining many that had occurred
    during the past three decades," the report says.

    "The task force does not believe that NCLB is constitutional,"
    the report said.

    But Steve Kelley, a Democrat who serves in the Minnesota Senate
    and is a co-chairman of the task force, said the conference had
    no intention of going to court over the law's constitutionality.

    The report also examines what the task force called conflicts
    between the federal law and the Individuals With Disabilities
    Education Act.

    Under No Child Left Behind, a disabled eighth-grader whom
    educators deem to be working at a sixth-grade level must take
    examinations for eighth-graders. The report said the requirement
    contradicted provisions in the disabilities act requiring school
    authorities to design a unique instructional program suited to
    the needs and abilities of each disabled child.

    "NCLB requires students with disabilities be tested by grade
    level, while IDEA mandates that students be taught according
    to ability," the report said.

    The Washington Post contributed to this report.

    (c) 2005 San Francisco Chronicle

    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

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

    2) 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

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

    3) The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
    Presents: Conscientious Objectors Discuss War
    Sunday, February 27 at the Humanist Hall, 390
    27th St. @ Broadway, Oakland 3pm-6:30pm
    Join CCCO and Conscientious Objector panelists;
    Aimee Allison, Dale Bartlett, David Harris, Rev.
    Dr. Dorsey Blake and Jeff Paterson, in a
    discussion on war, draft and conscience,
    moderated by Steve Morse, CCCO GI Rights Program
    Coordinator.
    Also, film maker Mark Manning, independent
    reporter Dahr Jamail and military mom Nadia
    McCaffrey offer reports about their recent trips
    to Iraq and Jordan.
    Refreshments.

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

    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) 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

    "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.
    "Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
    Landmark Lumiere 3
    1572 California Street
    San Francisco, CA 94109

    [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 these film visit
    Cinema Libre Studio
    http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

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

    6) PROTEST the Anniversary of the U.S.-led COUP in HAITI
    Monday, Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Rally in UN Plaza,
    San Francisco (under the Simon Bolivar statue at Hyde Street)
    - proceeding at 5 p.m. March stops at sites representing
    attempts to destroy democracy in Haiti, including SF Chronicle,
    the Chilean, Brazilian and French consulates, and U.S.
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.

    One year after democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
    was forced out of his country by the U.S., protesters are calling for the
    restoration of constitutional government in Haiti. The protest is
    sponsored by the Haiti Action Committee, East Bay Sanctuary
    Covenant and the ANSWER Coalition.
    Contact: 510-483-7481 or 415-821-6545

    FACES OF HAITI 2005 . . . a slide presentation and discussion
    scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2005, at the
    First United Methodist Church, 9 Ross Valley Drive
    (at Fourth Street), San Rafael.

    Two members of the Let Haiti Live Women;s Delegation . . .
    January 13-22
    [to] Port au Prince women's cooperatives and highly successful
    village community-based health clinic also their experience at
    the World Social Forum [where] MITF sponsored participation
    of Haitian nationals

    A $5-10 donation is requested. No one turned away for lack
    of funds. For more information, please call 415/924-3227.
    This venue is wheelchair accessible.

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

    7) What: Anti-Recruitment Community Forum
    When: Saturday, Feb. 26 2pm-4pm
    Where: Audrey Lorde Room, Women's Building,
    3543 18th St. between Valencia and Guerrero

    Description: Join teachers, students, anti-war
    activists, veterans, Ramon Leal from Iraq Veterans
    Against the War, Aimee Allison, Gulf War Conscientious
    Objector and candidate for Oakland City Council, Susan
    King from the San Francisco Green Party, and members
    of the Campus Anti-War Network as they discuss forming
    a coalition opposed to military recruitment in our
    schools.

    WEDNESDAY, MAR 2:

    What: Political Pub Quiz
    When: 3/2 8-10pm
    Where: Dylan's Pub, 19th and Harrison
    Description: Join Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi & Chris
    Daly, School Board Members Mark Sanchez, Eric Mar and
    Sarah Lipson, activists Lisa Feldstein, Michael
    Goldstein and Calvin Welch, playwright Terry Baum and
    others. Categories include Famous San Franciscans, SF
    Landmarks, LGBT and Political Scandals. Free and
    winning team gets a better than cash value prize.

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

    8) The next meeting of the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    is confirmed for Sunday, February 27 at Noon At the
    Modern Times Bookstore at 888 Valencia Street,
    between 19th and 20th Streets.
    We will meet in the rear meeting room.

    Lynne's sentencing date has been changed from July 15 to September,
    giving us more time to mount the campaigns that are needed to
    maximize the chances that Lynne is not sentenced to jail time. She
    faces up to 35 years in prison. At this time our campaign is geared
    to mobilizing mass forces to convince the judge, whose record
    indicates he tends toward light sentences, to grant Lynne probation
    as opposed to jail. The fact that the judge has this discretion is
    due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected mandatory
    sentences. Letter writing will be a major focus of the campaign but
    we understand that there will be a mass mobilization near the
    courthouse when the Judge is scheduled to decide. We will urge West
    Coast attendance at this rally.

    Lynne's appeal is in preparation. Her aim, our aim, of course, is to
    reverse the conviction and win her freedom.

    Her plan to visit the Bay Area for a major April 24 rally organized
    by the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal at Mission H.S. is firm.
    Lynne says that she is confident that Judge Koeltl will grant her
    travel rights.

    Our agenda on Sunday will include:

    a) a legal update report
    b) campaign for mass letter writing regarding the sentence beginning
    immediately but focusing on April 24 and all other such meetings
    where people gather in large numbers. This includes the upcoming
    March 19 antiwar march/rally from Dolores Park to the Civic Center.
    c) distribution of the new fact sheet
    d) organization of major meeting with prominent speaker in the Bay
    Area between now and April 24
    e) collaboration with the National Lawyers Guild to reach out to the
    legal community
    f) broadening our defense committee
    g) speaking at meetings to explain Lynne's case
    h) building the April 24 meeting where Lynne will be joined by Amy
    Goodman and a concert with Michael Franti
    i) exploration of a SF Board of Supervisors resolution supporting
    Lynne's democratic rights and civil liberties and welcoming her to
    San Francisco
    j)other items to be determined

    We expect the April 24 mass rally to be a barn burner with Lynne the
    major speaker.

    In solidarity,

    Jeff

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

    9) Latin America Fails to Deliver on Basic Needs (link only)
    By JUAN FORERO
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/americas/22bolivia.html?hp&e
    x=1109134800&en=a0fbb2c9c35c0f8f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    10) Bush Says Russia Must Make Good on Democracy (link only)
    By ELISABETH BUMILLER
    BRUSSELS
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/europe/22prexy.html

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

    11) US Senator Says Afghan Bases Should Be Permanent (link only)
    By David Brunnstrom
    KABUL (Reuters)
    Tue Feb 22, 2005 06:32 AM ET
    http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7697958&src=eD
    ialog/GetContent§ion=news

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

    12) Some Inheritance (Social Security) (link only)
    EDITORIAL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/opinion/23wed1.html?hp

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

    13) Failure to Form Cabinet Signals Crisis
    for Palestinian Leaders
    By ALAN COWELL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/international/middleeast/23cnd-mideast.htm
    l?hp&ex=1109221200&en=c2f9ba17fa86cb77&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    14) Vonnegut at 80 (link only)
    By David Hoppe, NUVO
    Posted on January 10, 2003
    http://www.alternet.org/story/14919/

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

    15) Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; (link only)
    50-State Group Says It's Unconstitutional
    by Sam Dillon
    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

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

    16) Two good liberals visit bad country (link only)
    By Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson
    Special To The Examiner
    (Very interesting and favorable article about Cuba...bw)
    http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/02/24/opinion/20050224_op05_anderson
    .txt

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

    17) Next Generation Peace Rally and March
    FUND OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT WAR!
    Friday, March 4, Rally 3 - 3:30 at the San Rafael Library
    March through town 3:30 - 5pm

    Join Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, San Rafael City Councilor Cyr Miller, and
    local city workers, taxpayers, students and teachers for a creative rally
    and march to demand funding for our communities, not for war!

    Rally at the San Rafael Public Library (3 - 3:45) - 1100 E ST at Fifth ST

    Then march to:
    * Falkirk Cultural Center (4 - 4:10) - 1408 Mission Ave at E ST
    * City Hall (4:15 - 4:25) - 1400 Fifth ST at D ST
    * Police Station (4:25 - 4:35) - 1400 Fifth STat D ST
    * Fire Station (4:40 - 4:50) - 1039 C ST bet 4th and 5th
    * March down Fourth ST (4:50 - 5:00)
    * Concluding rally at Bank of America / Court Plaza (5 - 5:15) - 4th ST at
    Court

    George Bush has released his proposed budget for 2006. If passed, it will
    sharply cut social programs while increasing military spending at a time
    when most towns across America - including San Rafael - are cutting back
    basic services just to stay afloat.

    Next Generation - with support from MPJC, Presente and community leaders -
    is fighting back with a creative, grassroots response: a youth and
    taxpayer-led rally and march through San Rafael that will highlight how much
    the war on Iraq is costing our community, and what we'd like to see instead.

    After a rally near city hall, our colorful, positive, enthusiastic
    procession will stop at various agencies in San Rafael whose budgets are
    being cut or are being threatened with cuts, including the library, city
    hall, police station, fire department. At each stop along the way, students
    and community will explain how each agency is struggling, and present a
    giant novelty check representing their lost revenues to an "official" from
    the Pentagon. We will also present a positive, alternative vision of what
    we'd like to see instead.

    We are excited about this effort because:
    * It brings the cost of war home
    * It is timely - Congress will soon begin to debate George Bush's proposed
    budget, and next November, voters in San Rafael will decide whether or not
    to raise the sales tax by half a cent to stop cuts in basic city services
    * It presents a positive vision of healthy, supportive communities
    * It builds alliances and expands the progressive movement
    * It is fun and creative

    This effort is open to all individuals and groups who believe our tax
    dollars would be better spent creating healthy, nurturing communities than
    fighting destructive wars. Please contact Next Generation if you would like
    to get involved in any way, including:
    * Working on march logistics
    * Creating props, visuals, and other creative elements
    * Promoting the march at the grassroots
    * Generating media coverage of the effort
    * Speaking at the march as a San Rafael taxpayer, volunteer or city employee
    * Contributing funds or other resources to support this effort and others
    like it

    During the three weeks before the action, Next Generating is conducting
    interactive workshops in local schools to educate young people about the
    President's proposed budget and the cost of war. We will follow the action
    with additional workshops, and plan to issue a national call for Cost of War
    actions across the US on Tax Day, April 15.

    Next Generation 1741 Lincoln Ave, #6 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.455.9498
    nextgenerationofactivists@hotmail.com

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

    18) THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ (link only)
    Army Gives Halliburton $9.4 Million in Bonuses
    From Times Wire Services
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-halliburton25feb25,1,222
    0539.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=2&cset=true

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

    19) 10 Voters on Panel Backing Pain Pills (link only)
    Had Industry Ties
    By GARDINER HARRIS and ALEX BERENSON
    February 25, 2005
    "Ten of the 32 government drug advisers who last week endorsed
    continued marketing of the huge-selling pain pills Celebrex, Bextra
    and Vioxx have consulted in recent years for the drugs' makers,
    according to disclosures in medical journals and other public records.

    If the 10 advisers had not cast their votes, the committee would
    have voted 12 to 8 that Bextra should be withdrawn and 14 to 8
    that Vioxx should not return to the market. The 10 advisers with
    company ties voted 9 to 1 to keep Bextra on the market and 9 to 1
    for Vioxx's return."
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25fda.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=2d
    0651f024ad5d31&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    20) Kansas Prosecutor Demands Files
    on Late-Term Abortion Patients
    By JODI WILGOREN
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25kansas.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en
    =590ef6d0a42ee0af&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    21) Thrown to the Wolves (link only)
    By BOB HERBERT
    OP-ED COLUMNIST
    OTTAWA
    February 25, 2005
    [Prison and torture America style-send them to Saudi Arabia where
    torture is legal...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp

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

    22) [Related to Lynne Stewart Case...bw] (link only)
    Terror Suspect's Family Protests Jail Rules
    By ERIC LICHTBLAU and JAMES DAO
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25terror.html

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

    23) Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    New York Amsterdam News
    Calling All Soldiers: Military Recruiters Face Resistance
    From Young Anti-War Activists
    by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

    The military spends about $3 billion each year to convince young
    people that enlistment will give them college money, job training
    and an alternative to working at McDonald's. In the wake of the
    growing conflict in Iraq, which has resulted in over a thousand
    U.S. casualties, the military has become more aggressive in
    scouting out high school students willing and able to serve.

    In many New York City public schools that are predominantly
    Black and Latino, military recruiters are a heavy presence, promising
    young people financial security and a fulfilling career. Recruiters
    roam the halls, set up tables and even pull students out of class.
    But in recent months, a group of teenagers and anti-war veterans
    have been canvassing the neighborhoods where the recruiters
    frequent, hoping to convince students to consider other options.

    ''We've heard everything up to and including having a desk in
    the guidance counselor's office,'' said Amy Wagner of Youth
    Activists-Youth Allies (YaYas), a group that focuses on
    counter-recruitment. ''When the kid comes in to talk to the
    counselor about college, before the kid can get there, they've
    got somebody in their face saying, 'You want to go to college?
    How are you going to pay for college?'''

    New York City organizers are educating people about alternatives
    to enlisting and the realities of military life. Vietnam veterans and
    anti-war activists Jim Murphy and Dayl Wise visit high schools,
    where they recount for the students stories about their time in
    the service. In one class of juniors at West Side High School,
    Murphy told them that before the service he spent time making
    money playing seven-card stud.

    Once he left community college, he was drafted. ''I wasn't smart
    enough to have fear about it,'' Murphy told the class. ''I didn't
    have a clue.'' Wise, who was in the infantry, didn't want to go
    to war when he was drafted. His father offered to help send him
    to Canada. ''I took the easy way out by reporting for duty,'' he
    said. ''It takes a braver person. I let it happen to me? I didn't
    have a plan. I gave up control.'' He warned the students: ''Please
    have a plan. Don't let others make plans for you.'' The YaYas,
    staffed almost entirely by high school students of color, work
    to make sure young people avoid falling into military service
    because it seems like the only option for advancement.

    ''It's either jail or the military,'' said Jeannel Bishop, a senior
    at Brooklyn's South Shore High School and a YaYa staffer.
    Many students at her school think enlistment is the best they
    can accomplish. When Navy recruiters visited her school
    recently, students were allowed to leave class to visit with
    them. Bishop brought pamphlets and confronted the recruiters
    about their assurances of tuition and training. She pointed out
    to them and other students nearby that getting college money
    was a much more complicated and uncertain process.

    ''I was taking over their whole show,'' Bishop said. ''[The recruiters]
    were amazed.'' Three students who had been ''pumped up about
    the military'' had second thoughts after Bishop spoke. It took just
    a little information for them to have doubts, she said. Besides
    speaking out in their own schools, the YaYas hold workshops for
    teenagers and make presentations to PTAs. They encourage
    students to post literature in the guidance office and set up
    counter-recruitment tables next to military recruiters. Most
    importantly, they want young people to make an informed
    choice, Wagner said.

    For instance, most students don't know that:

    * Two-thirds of recruits don't get any college money,
    according to the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors.
    * Most people in the military do not have time to attend
    college while in the service.
    * To qualify for college money recruits have to pay $100
    per month for a year.
    * The unemployment rate for veterans is three times higher
    than the national average.
    * People who sign up with the Delayed Entry Program are
    told they can't change their minds, but getting out is as simple
    as writing a letter.
    * The enlistment contract is for eight years.
    * There are other ways to finance college, like federal
    financial aid, private scholarships, going to community college
    or joining AmeriCorps.

    But educating youth is not just about these facts and figures,
    Wagner said. The war in Iraq makes their work much more
    urgent, she said. ''They're still telling people you can go to
    Germany, Japan, but the reality is the vast majority are going
    to Iraq,'' Wagner said. ''You risk losing life and limb; you risk
    being a murderer.'' Giving young people a complete picture of
    enlisting rests on the courage and initiative of activists,
    guidance counselors and principals.

    Often, the recruiters' sales pitches, brochures and posters go
    unchallenged. Many educators fear principals will retaliate
    if they speak out, Wagner said. Some schools are reticent to
    limit the military's presence because they think they will lose
    federal funding, she said. No Child Left Behind, the educational
    policy touted by the Bush administration, requires that
    recruiters and college representatives have equal access
    to students. This is often misinterpreted as unlimited access.
    Policy on recruiter access in New York City public schools
    is determined school by school and varies widely.

    But some school districts have taken a more active role
    and regulate recruiters' visits. In Madison, Wisconsin,
    recruiters are only permitted to be in each high school
    three days during the school year. Their policy states that
    guidance counselors can distribute both military and
    counter-recruitment information. There is also no uniform,
    enforced policy in New York City governing opt-out forms,
    which let students choose whether to release their personal
    information to recruiters. Many principals, Wagner said, are
    not even aware of the opt-out form. Some schools give out
    the form, without any explanation and make no effort to
    collect it from students, she said.

    Wagner said some students think that signing the forms will
    mean their information is not released to any institutions,
    including colleges. Other students, often immigrants, fear
    they will get in trouble for signing, she said. Currently, New
    York City students are often only given the opt-out form in
    the ninth grade, Wagner said. Because recruiters ask for
    eleventh- and twelfth-grade lists, schools should send out
    the forms each year, she said.

    In Montclair, New Jersey, the high school sends a fact sheet
    with the opt-out form. Tenth-graders who have not returned
    the forms are called. If the form is still not turned in, it will
    be passed out the following year. Activists have discussed
    working on a New York City Council resolution to require
    schools to collect the forms from every student. Members
    of the YaYas and the New York Civil Liberties Union have
    met with the Department of Education (DOE) to discuss
    putting together an information packet for principals
    about opt-out.

    Wagner said the DOE was receptive. Calls to the DOE were
    not returned. Local counter-recruiters also plan to make use
    of the recent Third Circuit Court's ruling that Yale Law School,
    which has a non-discrimination policy, can ban recruiters from
    its campus without risk of losing federal funding, because the
    military discriminates against gays.

    However, without the help of the Department of Education or
    the City Council, counter-recruiters' efforts can only go so far.
    This frustration is evident in veteran Dayl Wise when he said
    that giving presentations, classroom by classroom, is like
    "throwing grains of sand on the beach.''

    Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg may be reached at
    elizabethwg@gmail.com.

    (c) 2005 New York Amsterdam News

    ###
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*


    Friday, February 25, 2005
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER-FRIDAY, FEB.25, 2005

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

    Resource:
    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

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

    1) NEXT BAUAW PLANNING MEETING TO GET THE MILITARY OUT OF
    OUR SCHOOLS IS: SATURDAY, FEB. 26, 11 AM AT 474 VALENCIA STREET
    The Board of Education, as a result of the Feb. 22 meeting,
    is organizing a "meeting of the whole" based on the topic
    of military recruitment in the Schools. Help plan strategy
    for the meeting this Saturday, Feb. 26 at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to
    the rear of the building at the cheerful, Companeros del Barrio
    childcare center.

    Plus:

    Report of the Tuesday, Feb.22 S.F. Board of Education Meeting:
    (see full item 1 below)


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

    3) The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
    Presents: Conscientious Objectors Discuss War
    Sunday, February 27 at the Humanist Hall, 390
    27th St. @ Broadway, Oakland 3pm-6:30pm
    Join CCCO and Conscientious Objector panelists;
    Aimee Allison, Dale Bartlett, David Harris, Rev.
    Dr. Dorsey Blake and Jeff Paterson, in a
    discussion on war, draft and conscience,
    moderated by Steve Morse, CCCO GI Rights Program
    Coordinator.
    Also, film maker Mark Manning, independent
    reporter Dahr Jamail and military mom Nadia
    McCaffrey offer reports about their recent trips
    to Iraq and Jordan.
    Refreshments.

    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) 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

    "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.
    "Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
    Landmark Lumiere 3
    1572 California Street
    San Francisco, CA 94109

    [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 these film visit
    Cinema Libre Studio
    http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

    6) PROTEST the Anniversary of the U.S.-led COUP in HAITI
    Monday, Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Rally in UN Plaza,
    San Francisco (under the Simon Bolivar statue at Hyde Street)
    - proceeding at 5 p.m. March stops at sites representing
    attempts to destroy democracy in Haiti, including SF Chronicle,
    the Chilean, Brazilian and French consulates, and U.S.
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.

    7) What: Anti-Recruitment Community Forum
    When: Saturday, Feb. 26 2pm-4pm
    Where: Audrey Lorde Room, Women's Building,
    3543 18th St. between Valencia and Guerrero

    8) The next meeting of the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    is confirmed for Sunday, February 27 at Noon At the
    Modern Times Bookstore at 888 Valencia Street,
    between 19th and 20th Streets.
    We will meet in the rear meeting room.

    9) Latin America Fails to Deliver on Basic Needs (link only)
    By JUAN FORERO
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/americas/22bolivia.html?hp&ex=1109134800&en=a0fbb2c9c35c0f8f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    10) Bush Says Russia Must Make Good on Democracy (link only)
    By ELISABETH BUMILLER
    BRUSSELS
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/europe/22prexy.html

    11) US Senator Says Afghan Bases Should Be Permanent (link only)
    By David Brunnstrom
    KABUL (Reuters)
    Tue Feb 22, 2005 06:32 AM ET
    http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7697958&src=eDialog/GetContent§ion=news

    12) Some Inheritance (Social Security) (link only)
    EDITORIAL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/opinion/23wed1.html?hp

    13) Failure to Form Cabinet Signals Crisis
    for Palestinian Leaders
    By ALAN COWELL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/international/middleeast/23cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1109221200&en=c2f9ba17fa86cb77&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    14) Vonnegut at 80 (link only)
    By David Hoppe, NUVO
    Posted on January 10, 2003
    http://www.alternet.org/story/14919/

    15) Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; (link only)
    50-State Group Says It's Unconstitutional
    by Sam Dillon
    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

    16) Two good liberals visit bad country (link only)
    By Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson
    Special To The Examiner
    (Very interesting and favorable article about Cuba...bw)
    http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/02/24/opinion/20050224_op05_anderson.txt

    17) Next Generation Peace Rally and March
    FUND OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT WAR!
    Friday, March 4, Rally 3 - 3:30 at the San Rafael Library
    March through town 3:30 - 5pm

    18) THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ (link only)
    Army Gives Halliburton $9.4 Million in Bonuses
    From Times Wire Services
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-halliburton25feb25,1,2220539.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=2&cset=true

    19) 10 Voters on Panel Backing Pain Pills (link only)
    Had Industry Ties
    By GARDINER HARRIS and ALEX BERENSON
    February 25, 2005
    "Ten of the 32 government drug advisers who last week
    endorsed continued marketing of the huge-selling pain pills
    Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx have consulted in recent years for
    the drugs' makers, according to disclosures in medical journals
    and other public records.

    If the 10 advisers had not cast their votes, the committee would
    have voted 12 to 8 that Bextra should be withdrawn and 14 to 8
    that Vioxx should not return to the market. The 10 advisers with
    company ties voted 9 to 1 to keep Bextra on the market and 9 to 1
    for Vioxx's return."
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25fda.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=2d0651f024ad5d31&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    20) Kansas Prosecutor Demands Files
    on Late-Term Abortion Patients
    By JODI WILGOREN
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25kansas.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=590ef6d0a42ee0af&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    21) Thrown to the Wolves (link only)
    By BOB HERBERT
    OP-ED COLUMNIST
    OTTAWA
    February 25, 2005
    [Prison and torture America style-send them to Saudi Arabia where
    torture is legal...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp

    22) [Related to Lynne Stewart Case...bw] (link only)
    Terror Suspect's Family Protests Jail Rules
    By ERIC LICHTBLAU and JAMES DAO
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25terror.html

    23) Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    New York Amsterdam News
    Calling All Soldiers: Military Recruiters Face Resistance
    From Young Anti-War Activists
    by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg



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

    1) NEXT BAUAW PLANNING MEETING TO GET THE MILITARY OUT OF
    OUR SCHOOLS IS: SATURDAY, FEB. 26, 11 AM AT 474 VALENCIA STREET
    The Board of Education, as a result of the Feb. 22 meeting,
    is organizing a "meeting of the whole" based on the topic
    of military recruitment in the Schools. Help plan strategy
    for the meeting this Saturday, Feb. 26 at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to
    the rear of the building at the cheerful, Companeros del Barrio
    childcare center.

    Plus:

    Report of the Tuesday, Feb.22 S.F. Board of Education Meeting:
    (see full item 1 below)

    The Tuesday, Feb. 22 meeting at the S.F. Board of Education turned
    out to be a great success. Representatives from many groups and
    individuals gave strong reasons why San Francisco schools should
    not allow the military access to our children on school grounds.

    The members of the board clearly showed concern and interest
    about what we were saying. They expressed their antiwar sentiment
    as well by voting to sponsor the American Friends Service
    Committee's "Eyes Wide Open" exhibition of the Iraq War, which
    will be at the Civic Center Friday, March 25, beginning at 11:00 a.m.,
    with an all night vigil; Saturday, March 26th, 10:00 a.m., until 5:00 p.m.,
    and at Union Square, Sunday, March 27th, (Easter Sunday)
    from 10:00 a.m., until dusk.

    They also announced the March 19th March and Rally against the
    War on Iraq that begins at 11: 00 a.m., at Dolores Park and marches
    to a Rally at 1:00 p.m., at the Civic Center. This demonstration is
    part of a worldwide protest of the war. Millions of people across
    the world will show their opposition in the streets March 19th and
    20th-the anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L.)

    We are going to the School Board meeting again, on Tuesday,
    March 8th to further discuss how we can prevent the military from
    turning our schools into hunting ground for cannon fodder for
    an illegal and immoral war. We are in the process of getting the
    point on the agenda at the March 8th meeting (or the "meeting of
    the whole"--date not set yet) so that the Board
    members themselves can participate in this very rich discussion
    we began on Feb. 22.

    Some of the many, many groups were that were represented were,
    ANSWER, United for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, BAUAW, AFSC, ISO,
    Campus Antiwar Network, representatives from San Francisco's Queer
    community, as well as many individuals, who all gave impassioned
    reasons for opposing the war and military recruitment at our schools.
    Everyone left the meeting feeling strong, unified and on the same
    page. Many members of the board seemed very receptive to the
    varied and well thought-out arguments.

    This meeting was a great beginning to public community dialogue
    about these issues that affect all of us.

    There will be a planning meeting to discuss further strategy this
    coming Saturday, Feb. 26, at 11:00 a.m., at Centro del Pueblo,
    474 Valencia street, first floor, to the left and all the way to the
    rear of the building at the Companeros del Barrio childcare center.

    Everyone is welcome.

    Peace and solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War

    The following is an article that was published in the Chronicle Feb.24.
    It describes a 50-State Group that challenges, as Unconstitutional,
    the "No Child Left Behind" law claiming it, "...had imposed an
    impractical 'one-size-fits-all' education accountability system
    across the country that was stifling local initiatives." Forcing schools
    to open their doors to the military in order to get federal funds
    is also part of the "No Child Left Behind" law.

    Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; 50-State Group Says
    It's Unconstitutional

    By Sam Dillon

    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle

    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

    A bipartisan group representing 50 state legislatures called
    Wednesday for major changes in President Bush's landmark
    education initiative, No Child Left Behind, which it lambasted as
    unconstitutional and impractical.

    Republican New York state Sen. Steve Saland, who co-chaired
    a task force that took 10 months to review implementation of
    No Child Left Behind, said the law had imposed an impractical
    "one-size-fits-all" education accountability system across the
    country that was stifling local initiatives.

    The task force's report, based on hearings in six cities, praised
    the law's goal of ending the gap in scholastic achievement
    between white and minority students. But most of the 77-page
    report, which the Education Department rebutted Wednesday,
    was devoted to a detailed inventory and discussion of the
    program's flaws.

    Over the past two years, more than a dozen state legislatures
    adopted resolutions criticizing the No Child Left Behind law
    and demanding changes. But the bipartisan nature of
    Wednesday's report marked a step-up in the war of words
    surrounding the law.

    The report said the law's accountability system, which
    punishes schools whose students fail to improve steadily on
    standardized tests, undermined school improvement efforts
    already under way in many states and relied on the wrong
    indicators.

    The report said the law's rules for educating disabled students
    conflict with another federal law. It also said the law presents
    bureaucratic requirements that fail to recognize the tapestry
    of educational challenges faced by teachers in the nation's
    15,000 school districts.

    "Under NCLB, the federal government's role has become
    excessively intrusive in the day-to-day operations of public
    education," the National Conference of State Legislatures
    said in the report, which was written by 16 state legislators
    and six legislative staff members.

    Nine state legislatures are considering challenges to the law,
    and the Utah Senate is about to vote on a bill, already approved
    by the Utah House, that would require state education officials
    to give higher priority to Utah's education laws than to the
    federal law. An Illinois school district filed suit against the
    Education Department this month in federal court, arguing
    that No Child Left Behind contradicts provisions of the federal
    Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

    The conference, which has criticized the federal law in the
    past, represents the nation's 50 state legislatures, has
    a membership that includes 3,657 Republicans, 3,656 Democrats,
    as well as a few dozen who were elected from smaller parties,
    as independents or without any party affiliation.

    In compiling its report, the task force conducted public
    hearings in Washington, Chicago, Salt Lake City, New York,
    Santa Fe, N.M., and Portland, Ore.

    An assistant secretary of education, Ray Simon, met with
    members of the task force in Washington on Wednesday
    to discuss the report.

    "The department will continue to work with every state to
    address their concerns and make this law work for their
    children," Simon said in a statement. "But the report could
    be interpreted as wanting to reverse the progress we've made."

    He added: "No Child Left Behind is bringing new hope and
    new opportunity to families throughout America, and we will
    not reverse course."

    The law will come up for reauthorization in Congress in 2007.
    But task force members hoped to persuade Congress to make
    changes in the law before then.

    Several groups that strongly support the federal law disputed
    the report.

    "My big concern is they did a better job of pinpointing problems
    than identifying solutions," said Susan Traiman, a director at
    the Business Roundtable, a group that represents top corporate
    executives. "Most of what they call for would be a reversal that
    would turn back the clock on what NCLB is trying to accomplish,
    all in the name of federalism."

    One chapter of the report notes that the Constitution does not
    delegate powers to educate America's citizens to the federal
    government, thereby leaving education under state control. The
    report contends that No Child Left Behind has greatly expanded
    federal powers to a degree that is unconstitutional.

    "This assertion of federal authority into an area historically
    reserved to the states has had the effect of curtailing additional
    state innovations and undermining many that had occurred
    during the past three decades," the report says.

    "The task force does not believe that NCLB is constitutional,"
    the report said.

    But Steve Kelley, a Democrat who serves in the Minnesota Senate
    and is a co-chairman of the task force, said the conference had
    no intention of going to court over the law's constitutionality.

    The report also examines what the task force called conflicts
    between the federal law and the Individuals With Disabilities
    Education Act.

    Under No Child Left Behind, a disabled eighth-grader whom
    educators deem to be working at a sixth-grade level must take
    examinations for eighth-graders. The report said the requirement
    contradicted provisions in the disabilities act requiring school
    authorities to design a unique instructional program suited to
    the needs and abilities of each disabled child.

    "NCLB requires students with disabilities be tested by grade
    level, while IDEA mandates that students be taught according
    to ability," the report said.

    The Washington Post contributed to this report.

    (c) 2005 San Francisco Chronicle

    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

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

    2) 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

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

    3) The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
    Presents: Conscientious Objectors Discuss War
    Sunday, February 27 at the Humanist Hall, 390
    27th St. @ Broadway, Oakland 3pm-6:30pm
    Join CCCO and Conscientious Objector panelists;
    Aimee Allison, Dale Bartlett, David Harris, Rev.
    Dr. Dorsey Blake and Jeff Paterson, in a
    discussion on war, draft and conscience,
    moderated by Steve Morse, CCCO GI Rights Program
    Coordinator.
    Also, film maker Mark Manning, independent
    reporter Dahr Jamail and military mom Nadia
    McCaffrey offer reports about their recent trips
    to Iraq and Jordan.
    Refreshments.

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

    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) 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

    "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.
    "Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
    Landmark Lumiere 3
    1572 California Street
    San Francisco, CA 94109

    [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 these film visit
    Cinema Libre Studio
    http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

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

    6) PROTEST the Anniversary of the U.S.-led COUP in HAITI
    Monday, Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Rally in UN Plaza,
    San Francisco (under the Simon Bolivar statue at Hyde Street)
    - proceeding at 5 p.m. March stops at sites representing
    attempts to destroy democracy in Haiti, including SF Chronicle,
    the Chilean, Brazilian and French consulates, and U.S.
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.

    One year after democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
    was forced out of his country by the U.S., protesters are calling for the
    restoration of constitutional government in Haiti. The protest is
    sponsored by the Haiti Action Committee, East Bay Sanctuary
    Covenant and the ANSWER Coalition.
    Contact: 510-483-7481 or 415-821-6545

    FACES OF HAITI 2005 . . . a slide presentation and discussion
    scheduled for 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2005, at the
    First United Methodist Church, 9 Ross Valley Drive
    (at Fourth Street), San Rafael.

    Two members of the Let Haiti Live Women;s Delegation . . .
    January 13-22
    [to] Port au Prince women's cooperatives and highly successful
    village community-based health clinic also their experience at
    the World Social Forum [where] MITF sponsored participation
    of Haitian nationals

    A $5-10 donation is requested. No one turned away for lack
    of funds. For more information, please call 415/924-3227.
    This venue is wheelchair accessible.

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

    7) What: Anti-Recruitment Community Forum
    When: Saturday, Feb. 26 2pm-4pm
    Where: Audrey Lorde Room, Women's Building,
    3543 18th St. between Valencia and Guerrero

    Description: Join teachers, students, anti-war
    activists, veterans, Ramon Leal from Iraq Veterans
    Against the War, Aimee Allison, Gulf War Conscientious
    Objector and candidate for Oakland City Council, Susan
    King from the San Francisco Green Party, and members
    of the Campus Anti-War Network as they discuss forming
    a coalition opposed to military recruitment in our
    schools.

    WEDNESDAY, MAR 2:

    What: Political Pub Quiz
    When: 3/2 8-10pm
    Where: Dylan's Pub, 19th and Harrison
    Description: Join Supervisors Ross Mirkarimi & Chris
    Daly, School Board Members Mark Sanchez, Eric Mar and
    Sarah Lipson, activists Lisa Feldstein, Michael
    Goldstein and Calvin Welch, playwright Terry Baum and
    others. Categories include Famous San Franciscans, SF
    Landmarks, LGBT and Political Scandals. Free and
    winning team gets a better than cash value prize.

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

    8) The next meeting of the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    is confirmed for Sunday, February 27 at Noon At the
    Modern Times Bookstore at 888 Valencia Street,
    between 19th and 20th Streets.
    We will meet in the rear meeting room.

    Lynne's sentencing date has been changed from July 15 to September,
    giving us more time to mount the campaigns that are needed to
    maximize the chances that Lynne is not sentenced to jail time. She
    faces up to 35 years in prison. At this time our campaign is geared
    to mobilizing mass forces to convince the judge, whose record
    indicates he tends toward light sentences, to grant Lynne probation
    as opposed to jail. The fact that the judge has this discretion is
    due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected mandatory
    sentences. Letter writing will be a major focus of the campaign but
    we understand that there will be a mass mobilization near the
    courthouse when the Judge is scheduled to decide. We will urge West
    Coast attendance at this rally.

    Lynne's appeal is in preparation. Her aim, our aim, of course, is to
    reverse the conviction and win her freedom.

    Her plan to visit the Bay Area for a major April 24 rally organized
    by the Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal at Mission H.S. is firm.
    Lynne says that she is confident that Judge Koeltl will grant her
    travel rights.

    Our agenda on Sunday will include:

    a) a legal update report
    b) campaign for mass letter writing regarding the sentence beginning
    immediately but focusing on April 24 and all other such meetings
    where people gather in large numbers. This includes the upcoming
    March 19 antiwar march/rally from Dolores Park to the Civic Center.
    c) distribution of the new fact sheet
    d) organization of major meeting with prominent speaker in the Bay
    Area between now and April 24
    e) collaboration with the National Lawyers Guild to reach out to the
    legal community
    f) broadening our defense committee
    g) speaking at meetings to explain Lynne's case
    h) building the April 24 meeting where Lynne will be joined by Amy
    Goodman and a concert with Michael Franti
    i) exploration of a SF Board of Supervisors resolution supporting
    Lynne's democratic rights and civil liberties and welcoming her to
    San Francisco
    j)other items to be determined

    We expect the April 24 mass rally to be a barn burner with Lynne the
    major speaker.

    In solidarity,

    Jeff

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

    9) Latin America Fails to Deliver on Basic Needs (link only)
    By JUAN FORERO
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/americas/22bolivia.html?hp&ex=1109134800&en=a0fbb2c9c35c0f8f&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    10) Bush Says Russia Must Make Good on Democracy (link only)
    By ELISABETH BUMILLER
    BRUSSELS
    February 22, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/international/europe/22prexy.html

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

    11) US Senator Says Afghan Bases Should Be Permanent (link only)
    By David Brunnstrom
    KABUL (Reuters)
    Tue Feb 22, 2005 06:32 AM ET
    http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7697958&src=eDialog/GetContent§ion=news

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

    12) Some Inheritance (Social Security) (link only)
    EDITORIAL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/opinion/23wed1.html?hp

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

    13) Failure to Form Cabinet Signals Crisis
    for Palestinian Leaders
    By ALAN COWELL
    February 23, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/international/middleeast/23cnd-mideast.html?hp&ex=1109221200&en=c2f9ba17fa86cb77&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    14) Vonnegut at 80 (link only)
    By David Hoppe, NUVO
    Posted on January 10, 2003
    http://www.alternet.org/story/14919/

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

    15) Task Force Criticizes Bush's 'No Child' Law; (link only)
    50-State Group Says It's Unconstitutional
    by Sam Dillon
    Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    San Francisco Chronicle
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0224-09.htm

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

    16) Two good liberals visit bad country (link only)
    By Robert Mailer Anderson and Zack Anderson
    Special To The Examiner
    (Very interesting and favorable article about Cuba...bw)
    http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/02/24/opinion/20050224_op05_anderson.txt

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

    17) Next Generation Peace Rally and March
    FUND OUR COMMUNITIES, NOT WAR!
    Friday, March 4, Rally 3 - 3:30 at the San Rafael Library
    March through town 3:30 - 5pm

    Join Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, San Rafael City Councilor Cyr Miller, and
    local city workers, taxpayers, students and teachers for a creative rally
    and march to demand funding for our communities, not for war!

    Rally at the San Rafael Public Library (3 - 3:45) - 1100 E ST at Fifth ST

    Then march to:
    * Falkirk Cultural Center (4 - 4:10) - 1408 Mission Ave at E ST
    * City Hall (4:15 - 4:25) - 1400 Fifth ST at D ST
    * Police Station (4:25 - 4:35) - 1400 Fifth STat D ST
    * Fire Station (4:40 - 4:50) - 1039 C ST bet 4th and 5th
    * March down Fourth ST (4:50 - 5:00)
    * Concluding rally at Bank of America / Court Plaza (5 - 5:15) - 4th ST at
    Court

    George Bush has released his proposed budget for 2006. If passed, it will
    sharply cut social programs while increasing military spending at a time
    when most towns across America - including San Rafael - are cutting back
    basic services just to stay afloat.

    Next Generation - with support from MPJC, Presente and community leaders -
    is fighting back with a creative, grassroots response: a youth and
    taxpayer-led rally and march through San Rafael that will highlight how much
    the war on Iraq is costing our community, and what we'd like to see instead.

    After a rally near city hall, our colorful, positive, enthusiastic
    procession will stop at various agencies in San Rafael whose budgets are
    being cut or are being threatened with cuts, including the library, city
    hall, police station, fire department. At each stop along the way, students
    and community will explain how each agency is struggling, and present a
    giant novelty check representing their lost revenues to an "official" from
    the Pentagon. We will also present a positive, alternative vision of what
    we'd like to see instead.

    We are excited about this effort because:
    * It brings the cost of war home
    * It is timely - Congress will soon begin to debate George Bush's proposed
    budget, and next November, voters in San Rafael will decide whether or not
    to raise the sales tax by half a cent to stop cuts in basic city services
    * It presents a positive vision of healthy, supportive communities
    * It builds alliances and expands the progressive movement
    * It is fun and creative

    This effort is open to all individuals and groups who believe our tax
    dollars would be better spent creating healthy, nurturing communities than
    fighting destructive wars. Please contact Next Generation if you would like
    to get involved in any way, including:
    * Working on march logistics
    * Creating props, visuals, and other creative elements
    * Promoting the march at the grassroots
    * Generating media coverage of the effort
    * Speaking at the march as a San Rafael taxpayer, volunteer or city employee
    * Contributing funds or other resources to support this effort and others
    like it

    During the three weeks before the action, Next Generating is conducting
    interactive workshops in local schools to educate young people about the
    President's proposed budget and the cost of war. We will follow the action
    with additional workshops, and plan to issue a national call for Cost of War
    actions across the US on Tax Day, April 15.

    Next Generation 1741 Lincoln Ave, #6 San Rafael, CA 94901 415.455.9498
    nextgenerationofactivists@hotmail.com

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

    18) THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ (link only)
    Army Gives Halliburton $9.4 Million in Bonuses
    From Times Wire Services
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-halliburton25feb25,1,2220539.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=2&cset=true

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

    19) 10 Voters on Panel Backing Pain Pills (link only)
    Had Industry Ties
    By GARDINER HARRIS and ALEX BERENSON
    February 25, 2005
    "Ten of the 32 government drug advisers who last week endorsed
    continued marketing of the huge-selling pain pills Celebrex, Bextra
    and Vioxx have consulted in recent years for the drugs' makers,
    according to disclosures in medical journals and other public records.

    If the 10 advisers had not cast their votes, the committee would
    have voted 12 to 8 that Bextra should be withdrawn and 14 to 8
    that Vioxx should not return to the market. The 10 advisers with
    company ties voted 9 to 1 to keep Bextra on the market and 9 to 1
    for Vioxx's return."
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/politics/25fda.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=2d0651f024ad5d31&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    20) Kansas Prosecutor Demands Files
    on Late-Term Abortion Patients
    By JODI WILGOREN
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25kansas.html?hp&ex=1109394000&en=590ef6d0a42ee0af&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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

    21) Thrown to the Wolves (link only)
    By BOB HERBERT
    OP-ED COLUMNIST
    OTTAWA
    February 25, 2005
    [Prison and torture America style-send them to Saudi Arabia where
    torture is legal...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/opinion/25herbert.html?hp

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

    22) [Related to Lynne Stewart Case...bw] (link only)
    Terror Suspect's Family Protests Jail Rules
    By ERIC LICHTBLAU and JAMES DAO
    February 25, 2005
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/25/national/25terror.html

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

    23) Published on Thursday, February 24, 2005 by the
    New York Amsterdam News
    Calling All Soldiers: Military Recruiters Face Resistance
    From Young Anti-War Activists
    by Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

    The military spends about $3 billion each year to convince young
    people that enlistment will give them college money, job training
    and an alternative to working at McDonald's. In the wake of the
    growing conflict in Iraq, which has resulted in over a thousand
    U.S. casualties, the military has become more aggressive in
    scouting out high school students willing and able to serve.

    In many New York City public schools that are predominantly
    Black and Latino, military recruiters are a heavy presence, promising
    young people financial security and a fulfilling career. Recruiters
    roam the halls, set up tables and even pull students out of class.
    But in recent months, a group of teenagers and anti-war veterans
    have been canvassing the neighborhoods where the recruiters
    frequent, hoping to convince students to consider other options.

    ''We've heard everything up to and including having a desk in
    the guidance counselor's office,'' said Amy Wagner of Youth
    Activists-Youth Allies (YaYas), a group that focuses on
    counter-recruitment. ''When the kid comes in to talk to the
    counselor about college, before the kid can get there, they've
    got somebody in their face saying, 'You want to go to college?
    How are you going to pay for college?'''

    New York City organizers are educating people about alternatives
    to enlisting and the realities of military life. Vietnam veterans and
    anti-war activists Jim Murphy and Dayl Wise visit high schools,
    where they recount for the students stories about their time in
    the service. In one class of juniors at West Side High School,
    Murphy told them that before the service he spent time making
    money playing seven-card stud.

    Once he left community college, he was drafted. ''I wasn't smart
    enough to have fear about it,'' Murphy told the class. ''I didn't
    have a clue.'' Wise, who was in the infantry, didn't want to go
    to war when he was drafted. His father offered to help send him
    to Canada. ''I took the easy way out by reporting for duty,'' he
    said. ''It takes a braver person. I let it happen to me? I didn't
    have a plan. I gave up control.'' He warned the students: ''Please
    have a plan. Don't let others make plans for you.'' The YaYas,
    staffed almost entirely by high school students of color, work
    to make sure young people avoid falling into military service
    because it seems like the only option for advancement.

    ''It's either jail or the military,'' said Jeannel Bishop, a senior
    at Brooklyn's South Shore High School and a YaYa staffer.
    Many students at her school think enlistment is the best they
    can accomplish. When Navy recruiters visited her school
    recently, students were allowed to leave class to visit with
    them. Bishop brought pamphlets and confronted the recruiters
    about their assurances of tuition and training. She pointed out
    to them and other students nearby that getting college money
    was a much more complicated and uncertain process.

    ''I was taking over their whole show,'' Bishop said. ''[The recruiters]
    were amazed.'' Three students who had been ''pumped up about
    the military'' had second thoughts after Bishop spoke. It took just
    a little information for them to have doubts, she said. Besides
    speaking out in their own schools, the YaYas hold workshops for
    teenagers and make presentations to PTAs. They encourage
    students to post literature in the guidance office and set up
    counter-recruitment tables next to military recruiters. Most
    importantly, they want young people to make an informed
    choice, Wagner said.

    For instance, most students don't know that:


    * Two-thirds of recruits don't get any college money,
    according to the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors.
    * Most people in the military do not have time to attend
    college while in the service.
    * To qualify for college money recruits have to pay $100
    per month for a year.
    * The unemployment rate for veterans is three times higher
    than the national average.
    * People who sign up with the Delayed Entry Program are
    told they can't change their minds, but getting out is as simple
    as writing a letter.
    * The enlistment contract is for eight years.
    * There are other ways to finance college, like federal
    financial aid, private scholarships, going to community college
    or joining AmeriCorps.

    But educating youth is not just about these facts and figures,
    Wagner said. The war in Iraq makes their work much more
    urgent, she said. ''They're still telling people you can go to
    Germany, Japan, but the reality is the vast majority are going
    to Iraq,'' Wagner said. ''You risk losing life and limb; you risk
    being a murderer.'' Giving young people a complete picture of
    enlisting rests on the courage and initiative of activists,
    guidance counselors and principals.

    Often, the recruiters' sales pitches, brochures and posters go
    unchallenged. Many educators fear principals will retaliate
    if they speak out, Wagner said. Some schools are reticent to
    limit the military's presence because they think they will lose
    federal funding, she said. No Child Left Behind, the educational
    policy touted by the Bush administration, requires that
    recruiters and college representatives have equal access
    to students. This is often misinterpreted as unlimited access.
    Policy on recruiter access in New York City public schools
    is determined school by school and varies widely.

    But some school districts have taken a more active role
    and regulate recruiters' visits. In Madison, Wisconsin,
    recruiters are only permitted to be in each high school
    three days during the school year. Their policy states that
    guidance counselors can distribute both military and
    counter-recruitment information. There is also no uniform,
    enforced policy in New York City governing opt-out forms,
    which let students choose whether to release their personal
    information to recruiters. Many principals, Wagner said, are
    not even aware of the opt-out form. Some schools give out
    the form, without any explanation and make no effort to
    collect it from students, she said.

    Wagner said some students think that signing the forms will
    mean their information is not released to any institutions,
    including colleges. Other students, often immigrants, fear
    they will get in trouble for signing, she said. Currently, New
    York City students are often only given the opt-out form in
    the ninth grade, Wagner said. Because recruiters ask for
    eleventh- and twelfth-grade lists, schools should send out
    the forms each year, she said.

    In Montclair, New Jersey, the high school sends a fact sheet
    with the opt-out form. Tenth-graders who have not returned
    the forms are called. If the form is still not turned in, it will
    be passed out the following year. Activists have discussed
    working on a New York City Council resolution to require
    schools to collect the forms from every student. Members
    of the YaYas and the New York Civil Liberties Union have
    met with the Department of Education (DOE) to discuss
    putting together an information packet for principals
    about opt-out.

    Wagner said the DOE was receptive. Calls to the DOE were
    not returned. Local counter-recruiters also plan to make use
    of the recent Third Circuit Court's ruling that Yale Law School,
    which has a non-discrimination policy, can ban recruiters from
    its campus without risk of losing federal funding, because the
    military discriminates against gays.

    However, without the help of the Department of Education or
    the City Council, counter-recruiters' efforts can only go so far.
    This frustration is evident in veteran Dayl Wise when he said
    that giving presentations, classroom by classroom, is like
    "throwing grains of sand on the beach.''

    Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg may be reached at
    elizabethwg@gmail.com.

    (c) 2005 New York Amsterdam News

    ###
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    Tuesday, February 22, 2005
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER-MONDAY, FEB. 21, 2005

    Resource:
    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

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

    1) LAST CHANCE TO GET ON THE BD. OF ED. SPEAKERS LIST!
    CALL 415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000
    TUESDAY, FEB.22, BETWEEN 8:00 AM AND 3:00PM
    HELP STOP MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS!
    SPEAK OUT AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING!
    TUESDAY, FEB. 22, 7:00 p.m
    555 Franklin St., 2nd floor (near Golden Gate).
    (Each speaker will get only 60 seconds to address
    the board-so keep it short and to the point.)
    We are asking that this issue be put on the agenda of
    the March 8th meeting and that this be the only point on
    the agenda so that we have ample time to discuss this
    very important issue!)

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

    3) The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
    Presents: Conscientious Objectors Discuss War
    Sunday, February 27 at the Humanist Hall, 390
    27th St. @ Broadway, Oakland 3pm-6:30pm

    Join CCCO and Conscientious Objector panelists;
    Aimee Allison, Dale Bartlett, David Harris, Rev.
    Dr. Dorsey Blake and Jeff Paterson, in a
    discussion on war, draft and conscience,
    moderated by Steve Morse, CCCO GI Rights Program
    Coordinator.

    Also, film maker Mark Manning, independent
    reporter Dahr Jamail and military mom Nadia
    McCaffrey offer reports about their recent trips
    to Iraq and Jordan.
    Refreshments.

    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) COMING TO THE BAY AREA SOON!
    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

    "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.

    "Voices In Wartime" will play in S.F. on April 15th at:
    Landmark Lumiere 3
    1572 California Street
    San Francisco, CA 94109

    [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 these film visit
    Cinema Libre Studio
    http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/

    6) PROTEST the Anniversary of the U.S.-led COUP in HAITI
    Monday, Feb. 28, 4:30 p.m. Rally in UN Plaza,
    San Francisco (under the Simon Bolivar statue at Hyde Street)
    - proceeding at 5 p.m. March stops at sites representing
    attempts to destroy democracy in Haiti, including SF Chronicle,
    the Chilean, Brazilian and French consulates, and U.S.
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office.

    7) Supervisor Chris Daly introduces Resolution Against Torture
    From School of the Americas Watch West February 18 bulletin -
    BREAKING NEWS:
    Supervisor Chris Daly introduces Resolution Against Torture
    to the SF Board of Supervisors "Resolution Urging the
    US Government to Abide by International Treaties and
    Geneva Conventions..."

    8) Venezuela shuts down Maccas and Coca Cola (link only)
    By Stuart Munckton
    From Green Left Weekly, February 23, 2005
    http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2005/616/616p14c.htm

    9) Following in the Footsteps of MLK: Education is a Civil Right
    By Douglas MacDonald, Community-Labor Alliance
    Dmacdonald94591@yahoo.com

    10) Global Eye (link only)
    Sword Play
    By Chris Floyd
    Published: February 18, 2005
    http://context.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/02/18/120.html

    11) "VIETNAM ALL OVER AGAIN"
    Words and Music by
    Barry David Butler

    12) "U.S. is Preparing New Aggressions" (link only)
    Venezuela's Chavez Accuses U.S. Government of
    Considering his Assassination
    Sunday, Feb 20, 2005
    By: Cleto A. Sojo - Venezuelanalysis.com
    http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1514

    13) Week of Campus and High School Resistance
    Monday, March 14 to Friday, March 18
    Students & Youth Mobilize Against War & Racism
    Initiated by: The Global Resistance Network and
    Youth & Student A.N.S.W.E.R.

    14) US Declares that Iraqis must destroy (link only)
    their own seeds
    Forwarded from: sfsapo@msn.com
    http://globalresearch.ca/articles/KHA501A.html

    15) Why Go to College, When You Can be Cannon Fodder? (link only)
    Do You Know What Your Kids Are Watching on
    "Educational" TV at School?
    By Dr. TERESA WHITEHURST
    February 17, 2005
    http://counterpunch.org/whitehurst02172005.html

    16) UN Warns of New Chaos if
    Afghan Grievances Not Met
    By David Brunnstrom
    KABUL (Reuters)
    Mon Feb 21, 2005 07:41 AM ET
    http://www.reuters.com/
    newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7688493&src=eDialog/
    GetContent§ion=news

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

    1) LAST CHANCE TO GET ON THE BD. OF ED. SPEAKERS LIST!
    CALL 415-241-6427, 241-6493 or 241-6000
    TUESDAY, FEB.22, BETWEEN 8:00 AM AND 3:00PM
    HELP STOP MILITARY RECRUITMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS!
    SPEAK OUT AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING!
    TUESDAY, FEB. 22, 7:00 p.m
    555 Franklin St., 2nd floor (near Golden Gate).
    (Each speaker will get only 60 seconds to address
    the board-so keep it short and to the point.)
    We are asking that this issue be put on the agenda of
    the March 8th meeting and that this be the only point on
    the agenda so that we have ample time to discuss this
    very important issue!)

    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

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

    2) 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
    whi