Bay . Area . United . Against . War
|
||
|
BAUAW NEWSLETTER Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Friday, April 08, 2005
BAUAW NEWSLETTER APRIL 8, 2005
LYNNE STEWART WILL BE FEATURED SPEAKER
AT THE MASS RALLY FOR MUMIA ABU JAMAL, 2 P.M., SUNDAY APRIL 24 AT MISSION HIGH SCHOOL (18TH & DOLORES, SF) Sunday, April 24: Lynne will be the featured speaker at a 2 pm Mission High School mass rally (18th and Dolores) for Mumia Abu-Jamal. The rally includes a concert by Michael Franti. Pam Africa will also speak as well as Mumia's lead counsel, Robert R. Bryan and Bay Area National Lawyers Guild Executive Director, Carlos Villarreal. This will be the main event of Lynne's tour. Mumia will record greeting for the rally. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* REPORT ON GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL COUNTER-RECRUITMENTTABLE, TUESDAY, APRIL 5 Dear Readers, We had a very successful counter-recruitment table at George Washington High School Tuesday, April 5. We were able to hand out many flyers about the upcoming counter- recruitment conference at City College this weekend (see announcement #1, below.) Campus Antiwar Network helped at the table, as did a few others from our group. Stephen Funk came on his own wearing a "veterans against the war" T-shirt and was fantastically effective in talking to young people considering military service. When asked to leave the area near the military recruiters' tables because it was reserved for the members of the military, Stephen quickly pointed out that he, too, was a member of the military. They left him alone after that. We were stopped after about an hour and a half, from handing out flyers in front of the military recruitment tables. Except for this, the day was very positive. Most of the students seemed to be against the war and not interested in joining the military. It was interesting to see the how the military tables drew kids over to them by having all kinds of key chains, stickers, and other emblematic trinkets to distribute free. Of course, the kids went for everybody's free stuff, including ours. Here are some observations about the experience that will be helpful to help make these tables more successful. First of all, our table was arranged by calling the school career counselor. We told the counselor we would like to set up a counter-recruitment table and that we would have material on the table designed to convince kids not to enlist in the military and to recruit young people to the peace and anti- recruitment movement. She and the principal agreed to allow the table and were quite friendly to us. Both stated they were against the war. When we arrived there were helpers to bring the material up to the location of the fair. We were assigned a table at the opposite end of a long hallway far from the military. We mentioned to the school career counselor that the object of us being there was to approach those students who are considering joining the military so we would like our table to be near to theirs. She said it was out of the question and they purposefully kept us as far apart as possible to avoid any conflict. We consulted amongst ourselves and decided that since we can't move our table, we should flyer the students who approached the military tables. We were not talking except one-to-one with students who asked questions as they took a flyer. We were in front of their tables for at least an hour and a half without incident. Stephen Funk kept close by the recruiters, also, and quietly spoke to students who approached him because he was wearing a Veterans Against the War T-shirt. At a certain point the school career counselor asked us not to flyer near the military tables and asked us to go back to our table in response to a complaint from the military recruiters and were threatened with physical removal by six police officers if we didn't stop. We need to check if we have the right to flyer under these circumstances. In fact, the whole issue of free speech at the high schools has to be addressed by the movement. If the students are old enough to be recruited to the military, they are old enough to hear debate about the war and about military on school grounds as well. The ruckus the military made over flyering, itself, was a clear sign of it's lack of faith in an atmosphere of free thought and critical thinking-an atmosphere every school should have. A wonderful tool to show the principal was the U.S. Army's own Recruitment Training handbook. It states clearly in chapter 1.1 exactly why there is a military presence in our schools, i.e., to have a school-recruiting program with the goal, "to own the school". We need to address the concerns of school administrators, teachers, students and, very importantly, the students' parents about the affect of military presence in our schools. This school principal was sincerely against the war. There was a huge peace sign facing outside the school building. But his vision of equality was that we got this one table, this year, at his school while the military had daily access to students through JROTC programs. He had to acknowledge that this was true. After reading the military recruitment handbook, he began to understand where we were coming from. And he is open to some educational suggestions for inclusion of antiwar curriculum, etc. and will welcome us back again to have a table at the next career day, or to meet with him about other ideas we may have. We should establish liaisons to the schools and begin to design curriculum for the schools along these lines. The counter-recruitment table was great. We need much more close contact with these students and their parents and our schools than we have now and this was a good beginning. One idea we had was to visit parent-teacher conference evenings and set up a table with the opt-out forms and information about military recruitment at the schools and try to get the parents who are opposed to the war involved in expressing their opinion-so that the JROTC is not the only voice heard from. As a matter of fact, the military is targeting parents in their latest advertising campaign to convince them that the military will give their kids all the opportunities that they can't afford to give them. It was very refreshing to talk to students one on one. We got a very warm reception and people thanked us for having the table there. One of the teachers even confessed that she didn't sign her class up for career day because she didn't want her students exposed to the military at all. In discussing ways to reach the school community we came up with the idea of having "Vermont-style" town hall meetings at the high-schools in the evening so that parents are more likely to attend with their kids; as well as assemblies in the schools devoted to this issue. Again, this is another possible chance to bring the peace movement up close and personal with the entire school community, and not leave them to the likes of JROTC. The military has a virtually unlimited budget. We received generous donations of printed material from groups for this table, which made it very attractive to students. Yet we had no budget for this. This shows how much more we can accomplish when we work together. Counter-recruitment is a very powerful aspect of the antiwar movement. We can affect the number of new recruits the military gets. It was very effective all of us working together at George Washington High School last Tuesday. We hope this is just the beginning of an ongoing and massive program of counter-recruitment in the High Schools. These kids are the meat and potatoes of the giant U.S. Military- industrial monster. We need to pull its feeding tube, for sure. Yours in peace and solidarity, Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* McLibel COMING SOON TO A THEATER NEAR YOU! PROMOTING UNHEALTHY FOOD McDonald's promote their food as 'nutritious,' but the reality is that it is processed junk food - high in fat, sugar and salt, and low in fiber and vitamins. A diet of this type is linked to greater risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases. The food also contains many chemical additives, some of which may cause ill health and hyperactivity in children. Modern intensive farming and production methods are geared to maximizing profits, resulting in the widespread use of chemicals and unhealthy practices which also affect people's health (e.g. BSE and food poisoning). EXPLOITING WORKERS Workers in the fast food industry are paid low wages. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staffs have to work harder and faster. As a consequence, accidents (particularly burns) are common. The majority of employees are people who have few job options and so have no alternative to being bossed around and exploited - and they're compelled to 'smile' too! Not surprisingly, staff turnover at McDonald's is high, making it virtually impossible to unionize and fight for a better deal. This suits McDonald's who have always been opposed to workers' rights and Unions. Pay and conditions are even worse for the workers toiling in sweatshops in China to produce McDonald's 'happy meal' toys. DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT Every year McDonald's uses over a million tons of unnecessary plastic and paper packaging, the production of which requires environmentally damaging chemicals and degradation of forests. Most of the packaging ends up littering our streets or polluting the land buried in landfill sites. The heavy use of chemicals in modern agriculture and the effluent created by intensive farming causes pollution of land and water, harming wildlife, plants and the soil. CAUSING CRUELTY TO ANIMALS The menus of the burger chains are based on the torture and murder of millions of animals. Most are intensively farmed, with no access to fresh air and sunshine, and no freedom of movement. Their short lives are cruel and their deaths are barbaric - 'humane slaughter' is a myth. We have the choice to eat meat or not, but the billions of animals slaughtered for food each year have no choice at all. ROBBING THE POOR The demands made by multinationals for cheap food supplies result in the exploitation of agricultural workers throughout the world. Vast areas of land in poor countries are used for cash crops or for cattle ranching, or to grow grain to feed animals eaten in the West. This is at the expense of local food needs. McDonald's continues to promote meat products, encouraging people to eat meat more often, which wastes more food resources. Seven million tons of grain fed to livestock produces only one million tons of meat and by-products. On a plant-based diet and with land shared fairly, almost every region could be self-sufficient in food. WHAT YOU CAN DO Food is central to our everyday lives, yet we have virtually no control over its production and distribution. The way we eat and think about food is being manipulated by these powerful institutions' sophisticated marketing campaigns. Yet, despite its strenuous, feel-good marketing efforts, McDonald's is widely despised, and its 'reputation' and that of the fast food industry in general - continues to sink. Every year, on Oct. 16, there is the World Day of Action against McDonald's and all they stand for - with pickets and demonstrations occurring all over the world. Together we can fight back against the institutions, which currently control our lives and our planet, and we can create a better society without exploitation or oppression. Workers can and do organize together to fight for their rights and dignity. People are increasingly aware of the need to think seriously about the food our children and we eat. Environmental and animal rights protests and campaigns are growing everywhere. People in poor countries are organizing themselves to stand up to multinationals and banks, which dominate the world's economy. Why not join in the struggle for a better world? Talk to friends, family, neighbors and workmates about these issues. Please copy and circulate this leaflet as widely as you can. McDonald's spends over US$2 billion worldwide every year on advertising and promotions, trying to cultivate an image of being a 'caring' and 'green' company that is also a fun place to eat. Children are lured in - dragging their parents behind them - with the promise of toys and other gimmicks. But behind the smiling face of Ronald McDonald lies the reality: McDonald's only interest is in making profits from whoever and whatever they can, just like all multinationals. The company's sales are $40 billion a year. The continual worldwide expansion of fast food chains means more uniformity, less choice and the undermining of local communities. What's Wrong With McDonald's? LEAFLET your local McDonald's! Support www.McSpotlight.org Go see the "McLibel" film and tell your friends about it! ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) College Not Combat at the Campus Anti-war Network (CAN) Conference Where: City College of San Francisco 50 Phelan Ave., SF (by Balboa Park) Creative Arts 313 (also known as A313) (schedule below) http://www.campusantiwar.net/ index.php?option=content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=34 2) Justice for New Americans Fundraiser Sunday, April 17, 2005 2:00 p.m. San Jose Repertory Theatre "Making Tracks" is a rock muscial that tells stories of seven generations of Asian Americans in America. See www.makingtracks.com J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na 3) Benefit for Military Resisters and Iraq Veterans Against the War Old-Time Square Dance with LIVE Music! Saturday, April 30, 2005 Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro St., San Francisco (at 22nd St. overlooking SF General Hospital) Social & Introductions: 6 pm - 7:30 pm Dance: 7:30 pm - 11 pm $10-$30 sliding scale / $5 students FEATURING The Stairwell Sisters http://www.stairwellsisters.com with calling by Evie Ladin "wild, hard dance music...infectious" - Oakland Tribune AND The Squirrelly Stringband http://www.spectacularopticals.com/SQUIRRELLY.swf The Bernal Hill Stringband and other special guests! 4) VOICES IN WARTIME OPENS IN S.F. APRIL 15, 2005 Landmark Lumiere 3 1572 California Street San Francisco, CA 94109 5) Caterpillar Free Zone Please sign the online petition, Caterpillar: Stop Bulldozing Palestinian Lives no later than April 10 in time for Caterpillar Inc.'s annual shareholders' meeting in Chicago on April 6) LOCAL UPCOMING ANTIWAR EVENTS: *ANSWER Film Series on Vietnam *Made in Palestine Art Exhibit *Local 2 Hotel Worker Pickets *Help organize for April 30 Rally *ANSWER Activist Meeting Call 415-821-6545 for more information on the following upcoming events. 7) Anti-Recruitment Efforts Needed Now More Than Ever By Jack Dalton Feb 25, 2005 http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_15954.shtml 8) UPDATE ON THE CITY 4: STUDENTS REINSTATED! CampusAntiwarNetwork@yahoogroups.com 9) Iraq is Becoming 'Free Fraud' Zone (LINK ONLY) Corruption In Iraq Under US-Led CPA May Dwarf UN Oil-For-Food Scandal by Tom Regan Published on Friday, April 8, 2005 by the Christian Science Monitor http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0408-09.htm ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) College Not Combat at the Campus Anti-war Network (CAN) Conference Where: City College of San Francisco 50 Phelan Ave., SF (by Balboa Park) Creative Arts 313 (also known as A313) (schedule below) http://www.campusantiwar.net/ index.php?option=content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=34 Hey All, A wave of counter-recruitment activism is sweeping the nation! Military recruiters continue to miss recruitment goals and are stepping up their tactics in order to hit their summer numbers. Because of this we need to act with a sense of urgency if we are going to continue to win this fight. Please join College Not Combat at the Campus Anti-war Network (CAN) Conference this weekend, as we present a ballot initiative aimed at getting the recruiters out of our schools and at raising money for education by taxing the rich! This ballot initiative can play an important role in helping to build a strong anti-war/counter-recruitment movement, and can be a real resource for students who are trying to go to college. We shouldn't have to bargain with military recruiters - jobs and education are our right! The Details... When: 1:00 PM Saturday April 9th Where: City College of San Francisco 50 Phelan Ave., SF (by Balboa Park) Creative Arts 313 (also known as A313) 9:00-9:30 Registration (donations very welcome as the event will be "catered") 9:30-10:00 Agenda and Keynote Address 10:00-10:45 State of the Counter-Recruitment Movement 10:45-11:00 Break 11:00-12:00 Workshop Session #1 12:00-1:00 Lunch ("catered") 1:00-2:00 Workshop Session #2 2:00-3:45 Proposals/Discussion 3:45-4:00 Break 4:00-5-00 Voting Educational workshops will be held on The Iraqi Resistance, History and Future of US Imperialsim in the middle east, Palestine, and the Case Against Recruitment. Action oriented workshops will be held on "How to Kick Recruiters off your Campus," "How to Start a CAN chapter," and "How to Opt out of Military Service." San Francisco City College is located at 50 Phelan Ave, San Francisco, CA. It is accessible by BART and MUNI at the Balboa Park MUNI station. I've attached a small map. If you have any questions feel free to contact me at damphouse@yahoo.com or 650-364-6156. * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOOS-BAY/ ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 2) Justice for New Americans Fundraiser Sunday, April 17, 2005 2:00 p.m. San Jose Repertory Theatre "Making Tracks" is a rock muscial that tells stories of seven generations of Asian Americans in America. See www.makingtracks.com J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na Then followed by a fundraiser with reading of transcripts of the case that highlights FBI's interrogation of Wen Ho Lee and Judge Parker's apology, followed by an award ceremony and a reception. Ticket available for sale at www.j4na.org Cecilia L. Chang Justice for New Americans P.O. Box 120 Fremont, CA 94537 510 537-2929 510 537-3340 fax www.j4na.org J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 3) Benefit for Military Resisters and Iraq Veterans Against the War Old-Time Square Dance with LIVE Music! Saturday, April 30, 2005 Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro St., San Francisco (at 22nd St. overlooking SF General Hospital) Social & Introductions: 6 pm - 7:30 pm Dance: 7:30 pm - 11 pm $10-$30 sliding scale / $5 students FEATURING The Stairwell Sisters http://www.stairwellsisters.com with calling by Evie Ladin "wild, hard dance music...infectious" - Oakland Tribune AND The Squirrelly Stringband http://www.spectacularopticals.com/SQUIRRELLY.swf The Bernal Hill Stringband and other special guests! ANTI WAR EVENT TO SUPPORT A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR: All dances taught! Beginners welcome! The most fun you could have for the best cause! All proceeds to benefit the defense of Pablo Paredes (swiftsmartveterans.com) and Iraq Veterans Against the War (ivaw.net). To protest the Iraq War, Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes publicly refused to deploy to the Middle East and is now facing military courts martial. IVAW is a newly formed organization of recent Iraq veterans opposed to the ongoing war and occupation. Benefit hosted by Not in Our Name, Code Pink, Iraq Veterans Against the War, International Socialist Organization, College Not Combat, Courage to Resist, Freedom Socialist Party, Queers for Peace and Justice/SF, Radical Women, and Bay Area United Against War. Public transit: Muni 19 bus from Civic Center BART (8th Street) - outbound toward Hunters Point. "Combine this band's vocal prowess with skilled multi-instrumental chops and a hellbent-for-leather attitude, and you have a wild funky recording... Brittle, hard-edged, exciting ensemble singing... in which the Stairwell Sisters rocket into the high lonesome stratosphere." - Old-Time Herald For more information and leaflets: http://bayarea.notinourname.net 510-601-8000 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 4) VOICES IN WARTIME OPENS IN S.F. APRIL 15, 2005 Landmark Lumiere 3 1572 California Street San Francisco, CA 94109 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 5) Caterpillar Free Zone Please sign the online petition, Caterpillar: Stop Bulldozing Palestinian Lives no later than April 10 in time for Caterpillar Inc.'s annual shareholders' meeting in Chicago on April 13. http://www.PetitionOnline.com/stopcat/ Caterpillar Free Zone loumorgan2003@yahoo.com Tomorrow morning, Tuesday 29th March, party leaders on Limerick City Council will consider a motion put forward by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign to declare Limerick City the worlds first Caterpillar Free Zone. The motion calls on the City Council to ban the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006, and calls on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise. On April 13th Caterpillar shareholders meet in Chicago and will discuss a resolution on the sale of bulldozers to Israel. The potential domino effect of a City declaring itself a Caterpillar Free Zone will not go unnoticed by the shareholders. We need your help - please email the City Council info@limerickcity.ie or better still phone the Mayors office (353) 61 415799 and encourage the councilors to support the motion and congratulate them for being the first city in the world to consider such a motion. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 6) LOCAL UPCOMING ANTIWAR EVENTS: *ANSWER Film Series on Vietnam *Made in Palestine Art Exhibit *Local 2 Hotel Worker Pickets *Help organize for April 30 Rally *ANSWER Activist Meeting Call 415-821-6545 for more information on the following upcoming events. Hanoi Tuesday the 13th Filmed in Hanoi on December 13, 1966, this documentary records the lives of people in the Vietnam capital and surrounding countryside at the height of U.S. bombing. Their daily activities are presented in a collage of images: building irrigation ditches, planting rice, fishing, weaving...life continued despite the shower of U.S. bombs. During these air raids, the people formed armed self-defense units so efficient that the life of the nation was not interrupted. 40min. 1967, Spanish w/ English subtitles. 79 Springtimes of Ho Chi Minh This film memorializes the leader of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, on the occasion of his death. It narrates the story of a life which is also the story of a nation recounting his important accomplishments in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism.The simplicity of his ascetic life of study, work, and struggle is contrasted to the pomp of his official funeral, where the film documents the immense outpouring of grief by the Vietnamese people on the death of their leader. The film's most impacting sequence is its outcry against the Vietnam War, with scenes of anti-war protests in the U.S. and battle scenes give way to disturbing images of mutilated Vietnamese children. 24min. 1969, Spanish w/ English subtitles. Made in Palestine exhibition April 7-21 SomArts 934 Brannan St., San Francisco Made In Palestine on view at SomArts, San Francisco, April 7 through April 21, 2005. The exhibition showcases a collection of contemporary art made by 23 Palestinian artists and refugees, who live in the occupied territories and the Diaspora. The works on display cover a wide range of media and present individual reflections on the Palestinian contemporary experience and the political situation in Palestine. The Station Museum, Houston, where the show originated, described Made In Palestine as "the first exhibit of contemporary Palestinian art ever displayed in the United States." For more information, visit http://www.justiceinpalestine.net/ or call 510-548-0542. Support Local 2 Hotel Workers on the Picket Line Join the picket lines and support the 4300 members of Local 2 who have been fighting for respect on the job, decent healthcare, fair wages and the right for non-union workers to choose union representation in an environment free of coercion and intimidation. Fri. 4/8 Grand Hyatt, 345 Stockton at Post, 2pm-6pm Tues. 4/12 Hyatt Regency, Embarcadero Center at Sacramento & Fremont, 2pm-6pm Thurs. 4/14 St. Francis, 335 Powell at Geary, 11am-1pm Sat. April 9 Poster and petition for April 30 Rally and Defend Social Security Campaign Bush and Schwarzenegger intend to slash virtually all remaining social services to fund unlimited war and occupation, while giving tax breaks to the rich. While more than $200 million is spent every day on war in Iraq, more than 150 vital health, housing, education and other programs are targeted fro complete elimination. It must be stopped. Help build for the exciting April 30 Mass Regional Rally to say "Defend Social Security! Money for People's Needs - Not War & Occupation!" Join a team with others for an hour or two and get out in the sun to poster for the upcoming rally or collect signatures for the Defend Social Security - Stop the Budget Cuts Campaign. Time to hit the streets and organize! San Francisco: Meet 11am at 2489 Mission St. Room 24 (at 21st St.) East Bay: Meet 12noon 12:30 at the MacArthur BART Parking Lot Tues. April 12, 7pm ANSWER Activist Meeting 2489 Mission St. Room 30 (at 21st St.), San Francisco Join us for a political update, a report back and discussion of recent protests against the budget cuts and social security "reform". Also, a report on April 30 organizing and how you can help. A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition Act Now to Stop War & End Racism http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org http://www.actionsf.org National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389 New York City: 212-533-0417 Los Angeles: 323-464-1636 San Francisco: 415-821-6545 For media inquiries, call 415-821-6545. Help the movement continue to grow strong. You can make a tax-deductible contribution to A.N.S.W.E.R. through a secure server by clicking here, where you can also find information on how to contribute by check. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 7) Anti-Recruitment Efforts Needed Now More Than Ever By Jack Dalton Feb 25, 2005 http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_15954.shtml February 27, 2005 -- This past week here in Portland, OR, it was announced there are eight more of Portland's schools on the chopping block to be closed. This is not isolated to just Portland, as every state in the nation is faced with federal funding cuts, and cut severely, necessitating even more school closures around the country. That said, there still seems to be enough money at the federal level for the Pentagon to spend $4 billion a year geared toward young people 17, 18 and 19, in the military's effort to get them to enlist. A big chunk of the military's recruitment advertising budget is spent on, and in, this nations high schools "selling" these young people everything about the military and what it means to be in the military--except the truth. Now, today, with BushCo preaching perpetual war world-wide, the military has stepped up its efforts at selling enlisting in the military. As these young people go off to boot camp they learn immediately how badly they were lied to and deceived about what they would be confronted with and ultimately have to do. Some of them have gone AWOL, some have committed suicide, and some have developed deep depression. All have been severely affected negatively. I have talked with too many of these young people to not understand how badly they have been affected mentally and emotionally. So what is this "rant", saying things you all are already aware of, about? Just this: I've been receiving lots of emails asking me what can be done to stop some of these recruitment efforts aimed at young people still in high school by many people, including teachers in high schools. I wish I did have an absolute answer to this, but like a lot of you, I am trying to grasp all this also. That said, one thing that can and must be done, and that is for dedicated and committed individuals to organize at the local level. This country, under BushCo, has driven the militarization of the nation to an all new level, a level that is frightening, to say the least. While he (they) preach that "...this is a time of war and sacrifices must be made..." we all need to take a hard look at what he/they mean by that. Take a hard look at what is meant by "sacrifices must be made", and exactly who the people are that are making the sacrifices. I do believe behind looking at that, you will, as have I, come to the conclusion the only ones doing any sacrificing are the working poor, the young people being "persuaded" into enlisting, reservists and national guard personnel caught up in the back-door draft of "stop-loss," and you, the working families of this nation who are being told, not asked, but told you must send your sons and daughters into the "Heart of Darkness" that is war currently taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan-with more wars on the way, such as Syria, Iran, Colombia, Venezuela, the Philippines, Indonesia, among other "targeted hot-spots" on the BushCo's agenda of control, occupation and subjugation. In the meantime, BushCo is doing everything possible to create the conditions economically to, as Newt Gingrich calls it, "Starve the Beast." A deliberate policy of creating deficits so high the only thing taxpayer money can be spent on is the military. A deliberate policy that will create the only open door for economic survival for the majority of this nation's young people to be found in enlistment in the military. A few years ago Henry Kissinger referred to those in the military as "dumb animals to do with as we want..." Not much has changed since he made that statement, has it? The Bush family is not sacrificing, as the Bush family is profiting nicely from this war of choice; as are Dick Cheney and Halliburton; as are the majority of those that are and have been a part of the BushCo promoters of war; and as are those that are a part of Wall Street's "investor class" who earn their living investing in the military/industrial complex. It is not their sons and daughters that are bombarded by military recruiters in their schools-it is your sons and daughters. Pull together those of your friends who feel as you, that military recruiters have no place inside this nation's schools; get together with local veterans and veteran organizations like Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War and put together an local anti-recruiter "task force" aimed at countering the info, or lack there of, to counter the recruitment efforts of distortion and misinformation aimed at these young people. Get the brochures the recruiters pass out and go down the list of statements and create your own brochure disseminating truth and supportable facts on every single thing the recruiters enumerate. Include information for parents that explains that, if the schools do not allow recruiters space during school hours, federal funding for the school can and will be eliminated. Give them real-world examples of how they will be left to their own devices if they go to war and come back physically and mentally injured as those that sent them to war de-fund the Veterans Administrations Heath Care system. A great majority of this information is just not common knowledge, so bring it to light. Also, all of us must be constantly on guard when confronting those who essentially support recruiting kids and war not to get into shouting matches, or allow them to draw you into a side discussion. Drive all discussions right back to the topic at hand-recruiters in schools must go, and why. A quick google search for "anti-recruitment efforts" may yield a wealth of information that is appropriate, truthful, and factual to help in your efforts at the local level. One thing of which I am pretty much certain -- as local anti-recruitment efforts start taking hold, they will spread. But it will take dedication and commitment and giving up some time that would be spent doing other things. Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families, as well as organizations like the National Veterans Foundation, SNAFU and Citizen Soldier may be able to help in some way with your local efforts; especially in advice and suggestions in terms of focal points. Veterans organizations comprised of Vietnam vets are an outstanding resource as most Nam vets understand first hand how unwilling this nation is to take care of those it sends to war; a lesson returning veterans of this American war in Iraq are unfortunately now learning. They can provide an excellent counter to a great deal of the disinformation put out by military recruiters, especially the returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan that are willing to speak out-and that number is growing daily. The only thing that will prevent anti-recruitment efforts to not only start taking place in your individual local areas, but to start making an impact as well, is and will be people's willingness or unwillingness to put forth the time and effort. As more information comes my way, I will be certain to pass it on to all of you. As you learn of things others are doing around the country, please pass it on to me, so that I in turn may pass it on to others-after all, we are in this together, are we not? There is a quote from an old movie I just absolutely love (every so often a script writer comes up with something really good) and it goes something like this: "Change can come from the many, but only when the many come together to form that which is invincible-the power of one." There are so many issues of great importance hitting us all at once and from multiple directions that I fully understand the difficulty of trying to sort it all out and figure out where efforts may best be applied to maximize the chance for positive, effective change. But this we must do, or we will become impotent to do anything. And getting behind and building anti-recruitment efforts are things I really believe need to be at the top of our "to-do" list, or at the least on our top ten priorities list. The links below will give you a small idea of some of what is going on nation-wide in various local communities, additional information on the issue itself, and hopefully they will provide a little impetus to spur all on toward becoming more informed about recruiting on the nations schools and the absolute need for many more to become publicly visible and vocal in a coordinated, concerted effort at to get recruiters out of this nation's schools. War -- any war -- is bad in and of itself-but a war such as in Iraq, that was started behind lies, deceptions, misinformation, disinformation, greed and hidden agendas makes anti-recruitments efforts that much more imperative. American Friends Service Committee http://www.afsc.org/youthmil/resources/Default.htm Before You Enlist http://www.objector.org/before-you-enlist.html Quaker House: Anti-Recruitment http://www.quakerhouse.org/counter-recruiting-02.htm Not In Our Name: Stop Recruitment Efforts in Our Schools http://www.notinourname.net/~youth/arhome.html Children Are Not a Commodity http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?sub=46&list=sub 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. http://www.amsterdamnews.org/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=54103&sID=4 Is The Army Focusing On Black Youths? http://www.sbusja.org/sja_files/armyaction.html Military Recruiters Out of Schools http://www.socialistalternative.org/justice40/9.html Anti-War Group Targets Military Recruiters on Campus http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/210741_protest04.html Should parents have the right to choose to protect a child from being targeted by military recruiters in school? Is it an inherent part of public school education to be pressured to sign an irrevocable contract and join the U.S. armed forces? http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/columnists Jack Dalton is a disabled Vietnam veteran, activist for military and veterans affairs, independent writer and co-editor of the Project for the Old American Century web publication http://oldamericancentury.org/index.htm He may contacted thru the POAC web site or directly at his email address at: jack_dalton@comcast.net ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 8) UPDATE ON THE CITY 4: STUDENTS REINSTATED! CampusAntiwarNetwork@yahoogroups.com A big victory for the antiwar movement... UPDATE ON THE CITY 4: STUDENTS REINSTATED! The City Defense Campaign is proud to announce that the three students who were arrested and suspended for protesting military recruiters are set to return to campus this Monday, April 11th! The disciplinary hearing scheduled for the morning of Friday, April 8th has been cancelled. All those who were planning to attend the hearing are invited to a strategy meeting instead (see details below). We will need to strategize about next steps in regards to our criminal charges still pending, Carol Lang's suspension, and other matters which have been left unresolved. THANK YOU to everyone who donated time, energy, and money to this effort. The countless letters, emails, faxes, phone calls, leafletting, protesting, speaking out, and even hunger-striking have been critical in building support for the right to protest on campus. City Defense Campaign www.citydefensecampaign.org cityfreespeech@earthlink.net JOIN US AT AN AD-HOC STRATEGY SESSION: 10:15AM Friday, April 8th 417 W. 141st Street #2 (2nd buzzer from the top) between St. Nicholas & Hamilton Terrace Folks will also be on campus to greet anyone who had not heard of the hearing's cancellation. This listserve acts as a common ground for national CAN organizational discussion; please reserve this list for important organizing annoucements, reports, or questions that are intended for a national audience. The CAN listserve is not a posting place for articles or announcements of local events that do not directly effect the network nationally... [ www.campusantiwar.net ] Yahoo! Groups Links • To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CampusAntiwarNetwork/ Charles Jenks Traprock Peace Center 103A Keet Road Deerfield, MA 01342 413-773-7427 (Traprock office line) http://www.traprockpeace.org ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 9) Iraq is Becoming 'Free Fraud' Zone (LINK ONLY) Corruption In Iraq Under US-Led CPA May Dwarf UN Oil-For-Food Scandal by Tom Regan Published on Friday, April 8, 2005 by the Christian Science Monitor http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0408-09.htm ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Monday, April 04, 2005
BAUAW NEWSLETTER-MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - PLEASE CIRCULATE WIDELY
SFPD INTIMIDATION OF BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR (WWW.BAUAW.ORG) Dear Friends in the anti-war movement, Saturday, April 2, as we entered Centro del Pueblo for the meeting of Bay Area United Against War (B.A.U.A.W.), two S.F. police officers were waiting for us. They asked questions such as: how many people were expected to attend the meeting and how many people were expected to the "demonstration" at Washington H.S. They said that their commanding officer, Lt. Lynch, from the Richmond Police Station, had sent them to the meeting and when we told them that they didn't belong there, they claimed to "be part of the community," and therefore their presence was appropriate claiming it was a public meeting in a public building. Police Officers do not have a right to attend and ask questions at an antiwar meeting! Their presence is intimidating. (When this was mentioned to Lt. Lynch in a conversation on Sunday he said it reflected our negative attitude toward the police.) In this case they said they were trying to gather information. But, they could have easily called us up and asked their questions. We informed them that whenever we plan an event that needs permits, etc. we have always followed proper procedure so they had no cause to even question us. There is no demonstration planned by B.A.U.A.W. at Washington H.S. What we are planning is a counter-recruitment information table at a career fair at the school Tuesday, April 5, where there will be military recruiters present. (When we told this to the two officers, they proceeded to ask what material we were having on the table and if any material will have our name on it and what other groups will be listed on the material.) This activity is part of B.A.U.A.W.'s campaign to implement Proposition N, the ballot measure in which S.F. voters approved a resolution to bring all the troops home now from Iraq. B.A.U.A.W. is campaigning for the school district to cut all ties with the military including direct military recruitment on campus as well as the Junior ROTC program. Our purpose is to urge students not to join the military, not to volunteer to fight against the Iraqi people as part of this illegal, immoral war. Our purpose is to attempt to recruit students to participate in the antiwar movement. We are perfectly within our constitutional rights to conduct this work and to demonstrate if we so choose, even though at this time, we are not calling for a demonstration. And if we did call for a picket line on the sidewalk without a sound system, no permit is required anyway so there would be no reason to notify the police. The police have no right to show up at our meetings where we discuss our antiwar work. We have filed a formal complaint against the police for this intrusion on our rights and are seeking legal advice to prevent them from doing it again without good cause. Citizens have a right to hold meetings without police presence. Bay Area United Against War www.bauaw.org 415-824-8730 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in San Francisco on APRIL 5th at the Ritz Carlton Hotel at 6:30pm. 600 California at Stockton at 6pm. 2) MILITARY RECRUITERS WILL BE AT THE CAREER FAIR AT GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT TABLE AT THE CAREER FAIR HAS BEEN ARRANGED! B.A.U.A.W. WILL MEET AGAIN: SAT. MAY 7, 11:30 a.m. 474 VALENCIA STREET, SF (FIRST FLOOR, TO THE LEFT AND ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE COMPAÑEROS DEL BARRIO CHILDREN'S CENTER) 3) Military Out of Our Schools-Bay Area Network Regional Counter Recruitment Conference NEXT ORGANIZING MEETING: Wed. April 6, 7pm American Friends Service Committee 65-9th St, San Francisco (near Civic Center BART) Be There! For more info: (510) 465-1617 x4, awe@objector.org To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOOS-BAY/ 4) Justice for New Americans Fundraiser Sunday, April 17, 2005 2:00 p.m. San Jose Repertory Theatre "Making Tracks" is a rock muscial that tells stories of seven generations of Asian Americans in America. See www.makingtracks.com J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na 5) Benefit for Military Resisters and Iraq Veterans Against the War Old-Time Square Dance with LIVE Music! Saturday, April 30, 2005 Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro St., San Francisco (at 22nd St. overlooking SF General Hospital) Social & Introductions: 6 pm - 7:30 pm Dance: 7:30 pm - 11 pm $10-$30 sliding scale / $5 students FEATURING The Stairwell Sisters http://www.stairwellsisters.com with calling by Evie Ladin "wild, hard dance music...infectious" - Oakland Tribune AND The Squirrelly Stringband http://www.spectacularopticals.com/SQUIRRELLY.swf The Bernal Hill Stringband and other special guests! 6) VOICES IN WARTIME OPENS IN S.F. APRIL 15, 2005 Landmark Lumiere 3 1572 California Street San Francisco, CA 94109 7) Caterpillar Free Zone Please sign the online petition, Caterpillar: Stop Bulldozing Palestinian Lives no later than April 10 in time for Caterpillar Inc.'s annual shareholders' meeting in Chicago on April 13. http://www.PetitionOnline.com/stopcat/ Caterpillar Free Zone loumorgan2003@yahoo.com 8) CAMPUS ANTIWAR NETWORK (CAN) KICKS CIA RECRUITERS OFF NYU PRESS ADVISORY April 2, 2005 Student protest prevents CIA recruiting event at New York University Antiwar students hope to halt unique CIA college marketing effort at NYU 9) Give a Hoot, Don't Recruit (LINK ONLY) UDC Law Students Protest Military Recruiters By Will O'Bryan Published on 03/31/2005 http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/?ak=1516 10) E-Mails Reveal Fraud (LINK ONLY) in Nuclear Site Study By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: April 2, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/02/politics/02yucca.html? 11) 'One Huge US Jail' (LINK ONLY) By Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark The Guardian UK Saturday 19 March 2005 Afghanistan is the hub of a global network of detention centres, the frontline in America's 'war on terror', where arrest can be random and allegations of torture commonplace. Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark investigate on the ground and talk to former prisoners. http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1440836,00.html 12) Draft may be needed in (LINK ONLY) a year, military analysts warn Bob Dart Cox News Service WASHINGTON Mar. 30, 2005 03:24 PM http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0330draft30-ON.html# 13) Why you can't be antiwar (LINK ONLY) and pro-occupation April 1, 2005 | Page 3 http://www.socialistworker.org/2005-1/537/537_03_Antiwar.shtml 14) CLOSE THE GAP! (email me directly if you want the full color version that won't translate in this post--nyelich@prochoiceamerica.org) GAP CEO funding campaign against California students and working families. Shouldn't a store that sells to students stick up for students? Not the GAP. 15) The state of the world? (LINK ONLY) It is on the brink of disaster An authoritative study of the biological relationships vital to maintaining life has found disturbing evidence of man-made degradation. Steve Connor reports 30 March 2005 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=624667 http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/040105EA.shtml 16) Terror suspect said (LINK ONLY) to be hiding in U.S. By Madeline Baró Diaz Miami Bureau April 1, 2005 Rumors are swirling that Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles, accused of anti-Castro terrorism, is hiding out in Miami, but friends and federal officials on Thursday said they could not confirm the stories were true. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl- pdposada01apr01,0,479809.story 17) No Home Fit for Heroes (LINK ONLY) Around 130,000 veterans of the Iraqi conflict have already returned to the US. For some, all that awaits is a life of virtual destitution. So far, the numbers are small, but the fear is that they are just the start of a chronic problem that America will be dealing with for years to come. Gary Younge reports Gary Younge Saturday April 2, 2005 Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5159728-110878,00.html 18) Lautenberg Cites Criminal Laws DeLay (LINK ONLY) May Have Broken in Threat Against Federal Judges WASHINGTON, DC April 1, 2005 http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/press/2003/01/2005401638.html 19) U.S. Citizen Held in Iraq as (LINK ONLY) Suspected Insurgent Reuters Apr. 1, 2005 http://abcnews.go.com/US/print?id=633093 20) My Big Fat C.E.O. Paycheck (LINK ONLY) By CLAUDIA H. DEUTSCH April 3, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/business/yourmoney/03pay.html? 21) The Billionaires' Club (LINK ONLY) By BOB HERBERT OP-ED COLUMNIST Published: April 4, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/opinion/04herbert.html?hp 22) Net Aids Theft of Sensitive ID Data (LINK ONLY) By Jonathan Krim The Washington Post Monday 4 April 2005 Critical Social Security numbers widely available. Want someone else's Social Security number? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/040405Z.shtml 23) We need a post-Zionist (LINK ONLY) leap of faith Assimilation with space for Jewish identity offers us a better future John Rose Saturday April 2, 2005 Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1450719,00.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 1) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will be in San Francisco on APRIL 5th at the Ritz Carlton Hotel at 6:30pm. 600 California at Stockton at 6pm. Labor and community groups will be welcoming him with a huge protest initiated by the California Nurses Association. On April 5 San Francisco's corporate leaders will gather at the Ritz Carlton to line Arnold's pockets. Join nurses, working families, patients and Californians from around the state to stop his corporate sell-out! Tell the Governor and his donors: "Not in Our Town!" For more information: 510-273-2240. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 2) MILITARY RECRUITERS WILL BE AT THE CAREER FAIR AT GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL. A COUNTER-RECRUITMENT TABLE AT THE CAREER FAIR HAS BEEN ARRANGED! B.A.U.A.W. WILL MEET AGAIN: SAT. MAY 7, 11:30 a.m. 474 VALENCIA STREET, SF (FIRST FLOOR, TO THE LEFT AND ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE COMPAÑEROS DEL BARRIO CHILDREN'S CENTER) ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 3) Military Out of Our Schools-Bay Area Network Regional Counter Recruitment Conference NEXT ORGANIZING MEETING: Wed. April 6, 7pm American Friends Service Committee 65-9th St, San Francisco (near Civic Center BART) Be There! For more info: (510) 465-1617 x4, awe@objector.org To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MOOS-BAY/ ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 4) Justice for New Americans Fundraiser Sunday, April 17, 2005 2:00 p.m. San Jose Repertory Theatre "Making Tracks" is a rock muscial that tells stories of seven generations of Asian Americans in America. See www.makingtracks.com J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na Then followed by a fundraiser with reading of transcripts of the case that highlights FBI's interrogation of Wen Ho Lee and Judge Parker's apology, followed by an award ceremony and a reception. Ticket available for sale at www.j4na.org Cecilia L. Chang Justice for New Americans P.O. Box 120 Fremont, CA 94537 510 537-2929 510 537-3340 fax www.j4na.org J4na mailing list J4na@justicefornewamericans.org http://justicefornewamericans.org/mailman/listinfo/j4na ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 5) Benefit for Military Resisters and Iraq Veterans Against the War Old-Time Square Dance with LIVE Music! Saturday, April 30, 2005 Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro St., San Francisco (at 22nd St. overlooking SF General Hospital) Social & Introductions: 6 pm - 7:30 pm Dance: 7:30 pm - 11 pm $10-$30 sliding scale / $5 students FEATURING The Stairwell Sisters http://www.stairwellsisters.com with calling by Evie Ladin "wild, hard dance music...infectious" - Oakland Tribune AND The Squirrelly Stringband http://www.spectacularopticals.com/SQUIRRELLY.swf The Bernal Hill Stringband and other special guests! ANTI WAR EVENT TO SUPPORT A CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR: All dances taught! Beginners welcome! The most fun you could have for the best cause! All proceeds to benefit the defense of Pablo Paredes (swiftsmartveterans.com) and Iraq Veterans Against the War (ivaw.net). To protest the Iraq War, Petty Officer Third Class Pablo Paredes publicly refused to deploy to the Middle East and is now facing military courts martial. IVAW is a newly formed organization of recent Iraq veterans opposed to the ongoing war and occupation. Benefit hosted by Not in Our Name, Code Pink, Iraq Veterans Against the War, International Socialist Organization, College Not Combat, Courage to Resist, Freedom Socialist Party, Queers for Peace and Justice/SF, Radical Women, and Bay Area United Against War. Public transit: Muni 19 bus from Civic Center BART (8th Street) - outbound toward Hunters Point. "Combine this band's vocal prowess with skilled multi-instrumental chops and a hellbent-for-leather attitude, and you have a wild funky recording... Brittle, hard-edged, exciting ensemble singing... in which the Stairwell Sisters rocket into the high lonesome stratosphere." - Old-Time Herald For more information and leaflets: http://bayarea.notinourname.net 510-601-8000 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 6) VOICES IN WARTIME OPENS IN S.F. APRIL 15, 2005 Landmark Lumiere 3 1572 California Street San Francisco, CA 94109 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 7) Caterpillar Free Zone Please sign the online petition, Caterpillar: Stop Bulldozing Palestinian Lives no later than April 10 in time for Caterpillar Inc.'s annual shareholders' meeting in Chicago on April 13. http://www.PetitionOnline.com/stopcat/ Caterpillar Free Zone loumorgan2003@yahoo.com Tomorrow morning, Tuesday 29th March, party leaders on Limerick City Council will consider a motion put forward by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign to declare Limerick City the worlds first Caterpillar Free Zone. The motion calls on the City Council to ban the use of all Caterpillar plant and machinery on Council worksites from January 1st 2006, and calls on all traders in Limerick City to implement a voluntary ban on the sale of Caterpillar merchandise. On April 13th Caterpillar shareholders meet in Chicago and will discuss a resolution on the sale of bulldozers to Israel. The potential domino effect of a City declaring itself a Caterpillar Free Zone will not go unnoticed by the shareholders. We need your help - please email the City Council info@limerickcity.ie or better still phone the Mayors office (353) 61 415799 and encourage the councilors to support the motion and congratulate them for being the first city in the world to consider such a motion. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 8) CAMPUS ANTIWAR NETWORK (CAN) KICKS CIA RECRUITERS OFF NYU PRESS ADVISORY April 2, 2005 Student protest prevents CIA recruiting event at New York University Antiwar students hope to halt unique CIA college marketing effort at NYU CONTACT: Sam Pipp, (339) 832-0761, spp230@nyu.edu Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, (646) 320- 6880, wrigleyfield@nyu.edu ATTN: All Media ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** A planned CIA recruiting event at New York University (NYU) was cancelled after the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN) called a protest demanding the CIA abandon its recruiting program at NYU. 20 hours before the recruiting event was scheduled to begin, its organizers sent an email to all those who had registered, headlined, "The CIA Speaker Event scheduled for Thursday, March 31 @6PM has been CANCELLED due to the possibility of a protest by the Campus Antiwar Network." The event -- which was scheduled to include speakers from the CIA, a dinner, and a raffle for prizes such as an iPod Shuffle -- was organized by students in an NYU marketing class whose classwork for the semester is to market the CIA to their peers at NYU. They will be graded on their efforts; the CIA, which provided them a $2500 budget for their project, retains ownership of the marketing campaign they create. The CIA hired the company EdVenture Partners to broker this arrangement. This alliance between the university and the CIA to market CIA employment on campus is taking place at only two universities this semester: NYU and the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). Students at both schools have rallied in protest against the program. "We believe they're testing the waters to see how brazenly they can recruit on campuses without encountering student opposition, before spreading programs like this to colleges across the country," said Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, a senior at NYU and member of the Campus Antiwar Network. "Forcing them to cancel their big speaking event is a huge victory. It showed them they can't market an agency that supports torture and murder around the world without a fight." After the event was cancelled, about twenty students rallied in celebration outside the building where it was scheduled to have been held, passing out fact sheets about the CIA's history of assassination attempts and support for brutal dictatorships. Ten students went to challenge the event's organizers to a public debate on campus about the CIA -- an offer which was declined. "Their marketing campaign says they want to 'dispel the myths' about the CIA," said David Florey, a senior at NYU and member of the Campus Antiwar Network. "But they refused our offer to debate. They can't dispel the reality of the CIA's own practices. It's not a myth that the CIA organized the program in Afghanistan that trained Osama bin Laden." PART OF A NATIONAL COUNTER-RECRUITMENT MOVEMENT NYU's protest comes in the context of a counter-recruitment movement that has swept colleges and high schools across the country. Students at schools ranging from Seattle Central Community College and San Francisco State University on the West Coast, to City College New York and and Southern Connecticut State University on the East Coast, have chased military recruiters off their campus this schoolyear. Expensive private colleges like NYU don't get the same kinds of military recruiters. The only recruiters NYU has seen this year came from the Judge Advocate General (the legal arm of the military), which faced protest from NYU students opposed to the discriminatory Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the prosecution of war resisters. But students at NYU see their CIA Off Campus campaign as a contribution to the national counter-recruitment movement. "We know that because of the general affluence of the students at NYU, direct military recruitment will never be as fruitful as the government would hope, but in the past few months, we_ve seen a significant increase in the presence of OTHER forms of recruitment for militaristic operations," said Sam Pipp, a sophomore at NYU and member of the Campus Antiwar Network. "This CIA recruitment in the guise of a class represents a campaign of sorts on the part of the government to pull as many as they can into the military machine." "We're here as part of a growing counter-recruitment movement that has the potential to stop Bush's ability to carry out his agenda of war and terror," said Leia Petty, a member of the Campus Antiwar Network, at the protest. "We're here to say that torture and terror are not career opportunities, and we don't intend to back down until the CIA drops all efforts to recruit at NYU." THIS PROTEST IS JUST THE BEGINNING Two days before NYU's protest, students at UTPA had protested the CIA recruiting event at their campus, where the CIA is explicitly marketing itself as an employer of choice for Latinos. "I think the students in the marketing class are naive to think they're offering any opportunity to Hispanics," said Samantha Garcia, president of Students for Peace and Justice and the University Socialist Forum at UTPA, two groups that protested the CIA. Garcia noted the CIA's history of involvement in Latin America, such as its involvement in the overthrow of Chile's left-wing leader Salvador Allende and its support of Nicaragua's Contras. At both schools, students plan to keep fighting the CIA presence and opposing the U.S. occupation in Iraq, which they see as intimately connected. "Bush says we're bringing democracy to Iraq," Wrigley-Field said. "But the history of the CIA shows the U.S. is the last country that can bring democracy anywhere." Campus Antiwar Network http://www.campusantiwar.net Press advisory available online at http://www.traprockpeace.org/can_nyu_04april05.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 9) Give a Hoot, Don't Recruit (LINK ONLY) UDC Law Students Protest Military Recruiters By Will O'Bryan Published on 03/31/2005 http://www.metroweekly.com/gauge/?ak=1516 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 10) E-Mails Reveal Fraud (LINK ONLY) in Nuclear Site Study By MATTHEW L. WALD Published: April 2, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/02/politics/02yucca.html? ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*--------- 11) 'One Huge US Jail' (LINK ONLY) By Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark The Guardian UK Saturday 19 March 2005 Afghanistan is the hub of a global network of detention centres, the frontline in America's 'war on terror', where arrest can be random and allegations of torture commonplace. Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark investigate on the ground and talk to former prisoners. http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1440836,00.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 12) Draft may be needed in (LINK ONLY) a year, military analysts warn Bob Dart Cox News Service WASHINGTON Mar. 30, 2005 03:24 PM http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0330draft30-ON.html# ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 13) Why you can't be antiwar (LINK ONLY) and pro-occupation April 1, 2005 | Page 3 http://www.socialistworker.org/2005-1/537/537_03_Antiwar.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 14) CLOSE THE GAP! (email me directly if you want the full color version that won't translate in this post--nyelich@prochoiceamerica.org) GAP CEO funding campaign against California students and working families. Shouldn't a store that sells to students stick up for students? Not the GAP. GAP founder Don Fisher is one of Governor Schwarzenegger's leading special interest fundraisers ˜ and one of his biggest donors. Together, Fisher and his family have given $154,700 to Schwarzenegger and his committees ˜ even though Schwarzenegger has raised student fees, cut school funding, vetoed the "Car Buyers Bill of Rights" and terminated consumer, patient and environmental protections, while calling students and nurses "special interests." After promising to fully fund California schools, the Governor shortchanged students by $2 billion this year. 10,000 students were turned away from college last year because of his cuts. Now Don Fisher is out raising money for the Governor's special election attacking teachers, school funding and worker pensions ˜ and he's one of the leading contributors to a right-wing scheme to silence the voice of labor unions and working people. When you pay the GAP, you pay the price. RALLY AGAINST THE GAP AND ARNOLD'S SPECIAL INTEREST FUNDRAISING SF GAP at 100 Post Tuesday, April 5 _ 3:30 PM Then march with us at 4:30 PM to the Ritz Carlton Hotel, 600 Stockton (at California) To protest Arnold's (up to) $44,600-a-plate fundraiser. For more information contact www.californiaconsumersunited.org or call toll free 877-289-8591. ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 15) The state of the world? (LINK ONLY) It is on the brink of disaster An authoritative study of the biological relationships vital to maintaining life has found disturbing evidence of man-made degradation. Steve Connor reports 30 March 2005 http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/story.jsp?story=624667 http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/040105EA.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* | 16) Terror suspect said (LINK ONLY) to be hiding in U.S. By Madeline Baró Diaz Miami Bureau April 1, 2005 Rumors are swirling that Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles, accused of anti-Castro terrorism, is hiding out in Miami, but friends and federal officials on Thursday said they could not confirm the stories were true. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl- pdposada01apr01,0,479809.story ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 17) No Home Fit for Heroes (LINK ONLY) Around 130,000 veterans of the Iraqi conflict have already returned to the US. For some, all that awaits is a life of virtual destitution. So far, the numbers are small, but the fear is that they are just the start of a chronic problem that America will be dealing with for years to come. Gary Younge reports Gary Younge Saturday April 2, 2005 Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5159728-110878,00.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 18) Lautenberg Cites Criminal Laws DeLay (LINK ONLY) May Have Broken in Threat Against Federal Judges WASHINGTON, DC April 1, 2005 http://lautenberg.senate.gov/~lautenberg/press/2003/01/2005401638.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 19) U.S. Citizen Held in Iraq as (LINK ONLY) Suspected Insurgent Reuters Apr. 1, 2005 http://abcnews.go.com/US/print?id=633093 ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 20) My Big Fat C.E.O. Paycheck (LINK ONLY) By CLAUDIA H. DEUTSCH April 3, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/business/yourmoney/03pay.html? ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 21) The Billionaires' Club (LINK ONLY) By BOB HERBERT OP-ED COLUMNIST Published: April 4, 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/opinion/04herbert.html?hp ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 22) Net Aids Theft of Sensitive ID Data (LINK ONLY) By Jonathan Krim The Washington Post Monday 4 April 2005 Critical Social Security numbers widely available. Want someone else's Social Security number? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/040405Z.shtml ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------* 23) We need a post-Zionist (LINK ONLY) leap of faith Assimilation with space for Jewish identity offers us a better future John Rose Saturday April 2, 2005 Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1450719,00.html ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
|
|