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  • BAUAW NEWSLETTER
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    Saturday, December 02, 2006
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2006

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    ENDORSE THE A.N.S.W.E.R. CALL TO ACTION
    March 17-18, 2007
    GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON THE
    4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR!
    http://answer.pephost.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=3400&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&JServSessionIdr011=k7a3443r73.app8a

    http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage

    Please circulate widely
    www.answercoalition.org

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    "Punk Ass Crusade" antiwar Flash music video featuring new
    music by The Coup
    http://punkasscrusade.cf.huffingtonpost.com/

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    Rights activist held in Oaxaca prison
    Three students arrested and held incommunicado in Oaxaca
    http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/80142.html

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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Subject: Forward Far and Wide ! Police Attack against
    Activist Juanita Young
    Contact: New York October 22nd Coalition, 866 235 7814,
    oct22ny@yahoo.com
    Steve Yip: 917-868-6007
    Sally O'Brien 718-930-3625

    PRESS CONFERENCE:

    Defend Anti-Police Brutality Activist Juanita Young Against
    Escalating and Continuing Police Attacks

    Thursday, November 30, 2006
    10:00am
    Steps of City Hall, New York, NY

    Sponsors: The October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality,
    Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation and the
    Justice Committee of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights

    Speakers: Representatives of the Family of Juanita Young,
    the October 22nd Coalition, the Justice Committee, Council
    Member Charles Barron, Lynne Stewart, Djibril Toure of the
    Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Lourdes Hunter of Safe
    OUTside the System (Audre Lorde Project), and others

    * * *

    On Thursday, November 30th at 10:00am, attorneys, city
    council members, supporters and family members of Juanita
    Young will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall
    demanding an investigation of events leading to the brutality
    and arrest of the anti-police brutality activist and that she
    be immediately unshackled and released from handcuffs
    as she lies helpless in her hospital bed.

    On Sunday evening, November 26th, an ambulance was called
    for Juanita's daughter. Cops came to the apartment first when
    the ambulance arrived. Based on her previous bad experiences
    with the police, Juanita wouldn't let the cops in and told them
    to leave. The ambulance crew called for backup. Eight cops
    barreled into the apartment, and the sergeant started grabbing
    people. Juanta told them not to touch her daughter. The sergeant
    grabbed Juanita and threw her in a room, and as one of them
    tried to hold the door shut, others beat her. After she was able
    to run out of the room, all eight of them jumped on her at once,
    kicking her in the chest and back as they handcuffed her. Her
    daughter pled for them to stop, telling them that Juanita has
    asthma. Juanita was arrested and brought to the 43rd precinct.
    Because she was having difficulties breathing, she was brought
    to the emergency room at Jacobi Hospital, under police custody.
    Since then, she has been handcuffed to the bed, guarded by
    a cop at all hours, and not allowed phone calls, while suffering
    from severe asthma triggered by trauma, pain from brutal
    treatment, and the police that continually enter her rooom
    to harrass her. Family and friends have not been allowed
    in to see her, and her attorney was finally allowed access
    only after obtaining a "pass" from the 43rd precinct. Just
    after midnight this morning, she was shackled by the police
    on duty - alleggedly "protocol" for "flight risks," according
    to the a sergeant of the 49th precinct.

    Juanita Young is a major activist and public speaker in the
    fight to stop police brutality. She and her family have been
    targets of police harassment on several occasions, including
    an illegal eviction from her home executed by the NYPD.

    Her son Malcolm Ferguson was killed by NYPD in March 2000,
    a week after he was arrested for being part of a protest
    against the verdict in the Amadou Diallo case. She has
    been a key organizer of the October 22nd Coalition
    to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization
    of a Generation since 2000, for the Stolen Lives Project,
    and as a member of the Justice Committee of the National
    Congress for Puerto Rican Rights. She has stood with
    and supported many victims of police violence.

    ***

    Statement from Juanita Young, from her hospital bed
    (from November 28, 2006):

    This is not the first time the 43rd attacked me and my family.

    In March of 2001, during a rally for my son Malcolm Ferguson,
    the cops pushed me into the crowd, hoping to incite a riot.
    It was evident that they have no intentions of releasing the
    pressure they've put on me and my family based on all the
    attacks they have put us through. Being the mother of five
    children, my responsibility is to protect
    the four children I have left, and still cry
    out for justice for Malcolm.

    Due to the excessive force that they applied to my body,
    I'm now in the hospital in severe pain, handcuffed to the
    hospital bed until my hand is swollen. The cops are harassing
    me and still abusing me as I lay in my hospital bed in severe pain.

    Thank you for all your support. Your help is needed.

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    Dear Friends of Lynne Stewart,

    I am pleased to announce that Lynne Stewart and Michael Ratner have
    just accepted our invitation to tour the Bay Area. The confirmed
    dates are February 23-25, 2007. Lynne, accompanied by her husband
    Ralph Poynter, will stay on several more days for additional meetings.

    Our first tour planning meeting to begin work on the tour is set for:

    Saturday, December 2 at 10:30 AM
    Socialist Action Bookstore
    298 Valencia Street (14th and Valencia)
    San Francisco

    This will be a joint planning meeting of the tour co-sponsors and
    friends including:
    The Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
    The National Lawyers Guild, Bay Are Chapter
    The Middle East Children's Alliance
    The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
    KPFA

    Everyone is welcome!

    By agreement with Lynne and Michael, the tour proceeds are to be
    divided by the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee and the Mobilization
    to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. The basic themes of the tour will be defense
    of civil liberties and democratic rights. Jeff Mackler will join
    Lynne and Michaal to focus on Mumia's case and the associated issues.

    Michael is the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the
    organization that won the historic law suit in the U.S. Supreme
    Court, in regard to Guantanamo detainees, defending the right of
    habeas corpus. This victory was reversed by recent congressional
    legislation that essentially legitimized torture, while redefining
    it. Michael recently returned from Germany, where he and the Center
    for Constitutional Rights are central to the effort to bring
    President Bush and others in his administration to the German courts
    to face charges of war crimes.

    Lynne has informed us that federal prosecutors have filed an appeal
    of the 2-year jail sentence issued by Federal District Court Judge
    John Koeltl. The government, originally seeking to imprison Lynne for
    30 years, is seeking a much longer sentence than 2 years and has
    appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to get
    it. Lynne is also in the early stages of appealing her original 2003
    frame-up conviction on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism.

    The tour of Lynne and Michael was initiated by the Mobilization to
    Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee a long
    time ago. Unfortunately, the initial dates we confirmed, January
    26-28, 2007 had to be changed. The February 23-25 dates are now
    certain.

    We have taken the initial steps to block out some of the main tour highlights.

    1) With the help of Barbara Lubin and the Middle East Children's
    Alliance we are in the process of securing King Middle School
    (capacity 800) in Berkeley for the major East Bay meeting on Saturday
    night, February 24. KPFA will be a co-sponsor.

    2) The National Lawyers Guild will take central responsibility for
    the first large evening meeting in San Francisco on Friday, February
    23.

    3) The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center has secured a large hall in
    Palo Alto at the Unitarian Church for Sunday, 2-4 PM on February 25.

    We have a huge job ahead of us to make this tour a smashing success.
    The tour will include many other meetings, press conferences, special
    receptions, media interviews, campus and law school engagements and
    all the rest. To meet our highest expectations it must be the product
    of our collective efforts.

    Please don't miss this Saturday's first planning meeting.

    In solidarity,

    Jeff Mackler,
    West Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    Co-Coordinator, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

    O: 415-255-1080
    Cell: 510-387-7714
    H: 510-268-9429

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    ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

    December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
    Victoria Theatre, Mission District
    2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

    ** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

    $5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
    $10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
    Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

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    JROTC WILL GO "POTLUCK" CELEBRATION!
    CELEBRATE WITH BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
    THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006, 7 P.M.
    COMPANEROS DEL BARRIO (First floor, to the left and all the
    way back to the children's center.)
    474 VALENCIA STREET
    SAN FRANCISCO, NEAR 16TH STREET

    Bring some food to share and let's celebrate a tremendous victory
    in ridding our schools of JROTC. Let's put our heads together
    and brainstorm:

    --community involvement in alternative programs
    --continued counter-recruitment activity in the schools
    --repealing the No Child Left Behind Act up
    for reauthorization in Congress in 2007
    --other school, student, parent and community needs
    --organizing antiwar work in the schools and the community

    and any other ideas you have for future action. Any plans already
    under way?

    Everyone welcome--please circulate

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    please circulate:

    Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
    From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
    Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
    Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
    To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

    From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

    Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
    Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

    On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
    be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
    by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

    As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
    Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
    that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
    to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
    30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
    information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
    hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
    of confidential sources.

    Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
    in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
    come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

    Thank you,

    Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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    A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
    Join us in a campaign to expose and stop the use of these illegal weapons
    http://poisondust.org/

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    Oaxaca under attack:
    APPO had planned a peaceful rally surrounding the city center where the
    police are, but a PRI provocation has led to tear gas and broader
    fighting initiated by the police.
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaxacastudyactiongroup/messages

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    URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS.
    Call for action to save Iraq's Academics
    A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic
    liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative
    estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many
    hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country
    in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain,
    the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the
    US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences
    for the future of Iraq.
    http://www.brussellstribunal.org/

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    Condi and George W. are A Love Story
    http://www.blackagendareport.com/

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    TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
    www.bauaw.org
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    !VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
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    SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ARTICLES IN FULL
    LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES

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    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
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    ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

    December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
    Victoria Theatre, Mission District
    2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

    ** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

    $5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
    $10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
    Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

    Films such as Century of the Self and The Corporation will
    be shown, complemented by new cutting-edge films about
    corporate power such as The Forest for the Trees, a documentary
    about the legal case of Judy Bari made by the daughter of Bari's
    attorney. The final program will be announced in November.

    Speakers on Saturday night will begin at 7:00 pm and offer
    further insight into the films, corporations, and the structure
    of our economy as a whole. In addition, there will be a festival
    after-party on the evening of Sunday, December 3 with
    refreshments and entertainment.

    CounterCorp is an anti-corporate nonprofit organization
    accepting no corporate donations. All of your donations
    go to exposing the truth about corporations and finding
    Alternatives to corporate ownership of our communities.
    If you would like to support us, please visit
    www.countercorp.org/countercorp-support.htm
    and click on "Donate Now." Every little bit helps. Thank you!

    Built in 1908 as a vaudeville house, the 500-seat Victoria
    Theatre is the oldest theater currently operation in San Francisco.
    We thought this would be a perfect setting to begin to dream
    beyond the memes of timed obsolescence and creative destruction
    that corporations have injected into our societies, to a time before
    the corporate agenda prevailed above all else. For directions
    and info, please visit www.victoriatheatre.org.

    VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Volunteering both before and/or during
    the festival will earn you a FREE PASS to all films and parties!
    Please contact volunteers@countercorp.org!

    www.countercorp.org -for more info!

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    please circulate:

    Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
    From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
    Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
    Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
    To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

    From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

    Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
    Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

    On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
    be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
    by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

    As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
    Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
    that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
    to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
    30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
    information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
    hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
    of confidential sources.

    Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
    in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
    come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

    Thank you,

    Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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

    Please forward widely:

    Join military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned
    community members taking public action!

    National Days of Action to:
    SUPPORT GI RESISTANCE & GI RIGHTS
    END WAR & EMPIRE

    RALLY & PROCESSION
    SAT DEC. 9, 1pm

    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    Featuring:
    Iraq War Resisters:
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    Jeff Paterson, Gulf War 1 Marine resister
    Also joining us will be members of IVAW and their cross-country bus!
    more TBA

    Plus:
    Performance and word by:
    Local High School Student activists with AWE Youth Action Team

    Also join us earlier for a

    PUBLIC FORUM 11am:
    GI Rights, GI Resistance and Ending the War
    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    In-depth stories and discussion with:
    Maxine Hong Kingston, author,poet and co-author of
    the new book, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace”
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    more TBA!

    It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of
    the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women GI’s who have
    in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding
    international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and
    occupation and stood up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure
    will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and
    repression, and help protect their civil liberties and human rights. We
    call for the following: 1) Support for War Objectors 2) Protect the
    Right to Conscientious Objection 3) Protect the Liberties & Human Rights of
    GI's 4) Sanctuary for War Objectors.

    Your participation in these days of action—and beyond-- is crucial to
    realizing these goals: together, we do have the power to end this war
    and prevent the next one. As the antiwar movement builds its support for
    these brave people and their important actions, we hope more will take a
    stand if we show them they won't be alone.

    Sponsored by: Courage to Resist, Watada Support Group (San Francisco),
    Veterans for Peace-Chapter 69, AWE Youth Action Team

    Days of Action Sponsored by (partial list):
    Iraq Veterans Against the War, War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada),
    Gold Star Families for Peace, and the Central Commitee for
    Conscientious Objectors

    Other Bay Area Events:

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    College of Marin, Student Center
    College Avenue, Kentfield, California, $5-10
    Iraq Combat Veteran, turned war resister, Darrell Anderson
    Plus segments of the new film “The Ground Truth"
    Sponsored by Courage to Resist; College of Marin, Students for Social
    Responsibility; and Marin Peace & Justice Coalition
    Info: green-girl@comcast.net 415-454-5470 http://www.mpjc.org
    Campus map: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/com/files/COM-MAP06.pdf

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    Buena Vista United Methodist Church
    2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
    7:30 Film, "The Ground Truth"
    8:30 Panel, Rev. Michael Yoshii moderator, with Bob Watada and Rosa
    Sakanishi

    Sat Dec 9, NOON - 4pm:
    San Jose
    Peace Vigil to Support Lt. Watada!
    Gather in front of MLK, Jr. Library
    150 E. San Fernando St.
    San Jose, CA
    Sponsors: South Bay Mobilization, UFPJ in San Jose

    For more info about the "National Days of Action to Support GI
    Resistance and GI Rights" and an updated list of participating events nationwide
    visit: http://www.CouragetoResist.org or contact: courage@riseup.net

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

    "Ode to Joy and Struggle"
    Event for Lynne Stewart and co-defendants
    Saturday, December 9th ,
    6:30 or 7:00 pm [I'm looking into that. -t.]
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    From: PatLevasseurP @ aol.com
    Subject: Govt. seeking authorization to appeal Lynne Stewart‚s
    sentence
    Govt. seeking authorization from Solicitor General to appeal
    Lynne Stewart's sentence (and that of her co-defendants)

    Hello All,

    I am writing to update you on that status of Lynne Stewart's
    case after her sentencing on October 16th. While we were all
    relieved that Lynne did not get 30 years, the Government has
    announced that it has gone to the Solicitor General of the
    United States Justice Department for authorization to appeal
    her sentence and that of her co-defendants. They are not
    challenging the bail pending appeal but state that they will
    only agree to one 30 day adjournment of the filing of the
    appeal because they want everyone serving their sentences
    as soon as possible. What does all this mean for Lynne?
    Lynne's attorneys are not surprised that the government wants
    to appeal her sentence. Although sentences are not usually
    appealed it does happen and case law in the 2nd Circuit
    which governs Lynne's case shows that although rare, when
    a sentence is appealed and the Circuit sends the case back
    for resentencing the result is a far longer sentence. We are
    hopeful that Judge Koeltl‚s meticulous sentencing decision
    will carry the day but we have no guarantees and must
    continue our vigilance in the face of this latest move
    by the government. Of course Lynne's attorneys
    will be filing the appeal of her conviction within the year.

    Remember to save the date and join us in an
    "Ode to Joy and Struggle
    December 9th 6:30 to ?

    The evening will be held at the beautifully renovated Judson
    Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
    (near Thompson St.) in the West Village, New York City.
    The event is mostly one of joy but of course the struggle
    continues. We will also be commemorating Mumia Abu Jamal's
    25 years behind bars and to that end we will hear from:

    Lynne Stewart - her case and current legal status

    Pam Africa
    Chair of International Concerned Family
    and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is currently
    determining whether Abu-Jamal will be granted a new trial
    or sent back to death row, which is the district attorney's
    preference. Speaking about this at our event is Pam Africa,
    who will be joining us after the annual rally in Philadelphia,
    which recognizes the day Mumia Abu Jamal was shot and framed.

    and

    Robert Meeropol
    Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children

    ABOUT ROBERT MEEROPOL

    Robert Meeropol is the founder and Executive Director of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC). For the last 30 years he
    has been an activist, writer and public speaker. He has
    successfully sued the federal government and through the
    RFC, has assisted hundreds of children whose parents also
    have been attacked for their social activism. Robert is also
    the author of AN EXECUTION IN THE FAMILY (now available
    in paperback from St. Martin's Press.) This political memoir
    chronicles Meeropol's journey from childhood victim of
    McCarthy-era repression; to 1960's militant activist; to politically
    engaged parent and law student; to founder and leader of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children. ODE TO JOY AND STRUGGLE

    Join Lynne Stewart and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee in

    THANKING YOU !

    for your support over these last 4+ years
    and uniting for the struggle ahead

    Saturday, December 9th , 7pm till .......
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    New York, NY

    Speakers:

    Lynne Stewart
    Pam Africa, International Concerned
    Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
    Robert Meeropol. Executive Director,
    Rosenberg Fund for Children

    Music by:

    Selah Eric Spruiell and The Fort Greene Project
    Urbano Sanchez, Latin Jazz
    Professor Louie and Fast Eddy
    Professor Irwin Corey and Randy Credico
    and MUCH more
    (comedy, Latin jazz, rap)

    Great Food & Drink provided

    Judson Memorial Church resides on the southern edge
    of Washington Square Park between Thompson
    and Sullivan Streets. Accessible by subway.

    Trains: A, C, E, F to West 4th; R to 8th St.; 1 to
    Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.

    Mobility Handicapped please enter through
    Thompson Street entrance.

    Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    350 Broadway, Suite 700
    New York, NY 10013
    212-625-9696
    www.lynnestewart.org

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

    Drums Across America for Peace
    December 16, 2006 simultaneously across
    the country at 11:00 to 11:30 A.M. PST
    For More Information contact:
    Marilyn Sjaastad
    541-344-8088
    Jade Screen Clinic

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

    UFPJ calls for march on DC Sat, Jan. 27, local
    actions on March 17
    www.unitedforpeace. org
    212-868-5545
    Please forward widely!
    Tell the New Congress:
    Act NOW to Bring the Troops Home!
    Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington ,
    D.C. , on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate
    action to end the war.
    On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate
    for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
    converge from all around the country in Washington , D.C. to send a
    strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The
    people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and
    we want the troops brought home now!
    Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
    people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
    Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who
    are prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure
    those who are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who
    remain tied to a failed policy.
    The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
    primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
    difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
    forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
    January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington ,
    DC , to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
    Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
    1) Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and
    help give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring
    for peace.
    2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
    websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
    January 27th.
    3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
    Click here to add your endorsement.
    4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
    to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
    where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
    coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
    transportation, housing, etc.
    5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
    You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
    for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
    the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
    decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling
    for local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will
    soon be issuing more information about the plans for the 4th
    anniversary.
    Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
    today.
    ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
    www.unitedforpeace. org | 212-868-5545
    To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace. org/email

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

    MARCH 17, 2007 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY
    OF THE WAR!
    DEMONSTRATIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.; LOS ANGELES;
    SAN FRANCISCO; SEATTLE; CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES AND
    TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE
    A.N.S.W.E.R. COALITION URGES EVERYONE IN THE ANTIWAR
    MOVEMENT TO COME TOGETHER IN UNITY AGAINST THE
    CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
    http://www.pephost. org/site/ PageServer? pagename= ANS_homepage

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

    May Day 2007
    National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers!
    Web: http://www.MayDay2007.net
    National Immigrant Solidarity Network
    No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
    webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    New York: (212)330-8172
    Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
    Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    My Name is Roland Sheppard
    This Is My ‘Blog’
    I am is a retired Business Representative of Painters District
    Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been a life long social activist
    and socialist. Roland Sheppard is a retired Business Representative
    of Painters District Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been
    a life long social activist and socialist.
    Prior to my being elected as a union official, I had worked
    for 31 years as a house painter and have been a lifelong socialist.
    I have led a unique life. In my retire age, I am interested in writing
    about my experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black
    Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social
    movements.
    I became especially interested in the environment when I was
    diagnosed with cancer due to my work environment. I learned
    how to write essays, when I first got a computer in order to put
    together all the medical legal arguments on my breakthrough
    workers’ compensation case in California, proving that my work
    environment as a painter had caused my cancer. After a five-year
    struggle, I won a $300,000 settlement on his case.
    The following essays are based upon my involvement in the
    struggle for freedom for all humanity. I hope the history
    of my life’s experiences will help future generations
    of Freedom Fighters.
    For this purpose, this website is dedicated.
    http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/Roland%27s%20Blog.html

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

    The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast
    Robin Hood in Reverse
    http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley11132006.html
    More Info:
    www.justiceforneworleans.org
    For a detailed report:
    Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast
    by Rita J. King, Special to CorpWatch
    August 15th, 2006
    http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14004

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

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

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

    Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney [and other cartoons) with
    words by K. Marx and F. Engels--absolutely wonderful!...bw]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oGIffyVVk&NR

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

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

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

    Homer Simpson Joins the Army
    Another morale-booster from Groening and company. [If you get
    a chance to see the whole thing, it's worth it...bw]
    http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/12/video-the-simpsons-salute-the-lazy-and
    -uneducated/

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

    A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
    Clara Jeffery (May/June 2006 Issue
    IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined.
    Today, they re worth $1.13 trillion more than the GDP of Canada.
    THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400.
    The median household income
    has also stagnated at around $44,000.
    AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential
    campaign, 72% gave to Bush.
    IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires,
    a 62% increase since 2002.
    IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps,
    a 49% increase since 2000.
    ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed.
    That's less than 1% of all estates
    http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_article.pl?url=http://www.motherjon
    es.com/news/exhibit/2006/05/perks_of_privilege.html

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

    Do You Want to Stop PREVENT War with Iran?

    Dear Friend,

    Every day, pundits and military experts debate on TV when, how and where
    war with Iran will occur. Can the nuclear program be destroyed? Will the
    Iranian government retaliate in Iraq or use the oil weapon? Will it take
    three or five days of bombing? Will the US bomb Iran with "tactical"
    nuclear weapons?

    Few discuss the human suffering that yet another war in the Middle East
    will bring about. Few discuss the thousands and thousands of innocent
    Iranian and American lives that will be lost. Few think ahead and ask
    themselves what war will do to the cause of democracy in Iran or to
    America's global standing.

    Some dismiss the entire discussion and choose to believe that war simply
    cannot happen. The US is overstretched, the task is too difficult, and
    the world is against it, they say.

    They are probably right, but these factors don't make war unlikely. They
    just make a successful war unlikely.

    At the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), we are not going to
    wait and see what happens.

    We are actively working to stop the war and we need your help!

    Working with a coalition of peace and security organizations in
    Washington DC, NIAC is adding a crucial dimension to this debate - the
    voice of the Iranian-American community.

    Through our US-Iran Media Resource Program
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/ , we help
    the media ask the right questions and bring attention to the human side
    of this issue.

    Through the LegWatch program

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/ ,

    we are building opposition to the war on Capitol Hill. We spell out the
    likely
    consequences of war and the concerns of the Iranian-American community
    on Hill panels

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    and in direct meetings with lawmakers. We recently helped more than a dozen
    Members of Congress - both Republican and Democrats - send a strong
    message against war to the White House

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    But more is needed, and we need your help!

    If you don't wish to see Iran turn into yet another Iraq, please make a
    contribution online or send in a check to:

    NIAC
    2801 M St NW
    Washington DC 20007

    Make the check out to NIAC and mark it "NO WAR."

    ALL donations are welcome, both big and small. And just so you know,
    your donations make a huge difference. Before you leave the office
    today, please make a contribution to stop the war.

    Sincerely,
    Trita Parsi
    President of NIAC

    U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)

    www.uslaboragainstwar.org
    http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/
    Email: info@uslaboragainstwar.org

    PMB 153
    1718 "M" Street, NW
    Washington, D.C. 20036
    Voicemail: 202/521-5265

    Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
    Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
    Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
    Virginia Rodino, Organizer
    Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff

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

    Enforce the Roadless Rule for National Forests
    Target: Michael Johanns, Secretary, USDA
    Sponsor: Earthjustice
    We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
    This past September, Earthjustice scored a huge victory for our roadless
    national forests when a federal district court ordered the reinstatement
    of the Roadless Rule.
    The Roadless Rule protects roadless forest areas from road-building
    and most logging. This is bad news for the timber, mining, and oil
    & gas industries ... And so they're putting pressure on their friends
    in the Bush Administration to challenge the victory.
    Roadless area logging tends to target irreplaceable old growth forests.
    Many of these majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
    By targeting old-growth, the timber companies are destroying
    natural treasures that cannot be replaced in our lifetime.
    The future of nearly 50 million acres of wild, national forests
    and grasslands hangs in the balance. Tell the secretary of the
    USDA, Michael Johanns, to protect our roadless areas by enforcing
    the Roadless Rule. The minute a road is cut through a forest, that
    forest is precluded from being considered a "wilderness area," and
    thus will not be covered by any of the Wilderness Area protections
    afforded by Congress.
    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/112283692?z00m=6687205&z00m=668720
    5<l=1162406255

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

    Mumia Abu-Jamal - Reply brief, U.S. Court of Appeals (Please Circulate)

    Dear Friends:

    On October 23, 2006, the Fourth-Step Reply Brief of Appellee and
    Cross-Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal was submitted to the U.S. Court
    of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn,
    U.S. Ct. of Appeals Nos. 01-9014, 02-9001.)

    Oral argument will likely be scheduled during the coming months.
    I will advise when a hearing date is set.

    The attached brief is of enormous consequence since it goes
    to the essence of our client's right to a fair trial, due process
    of law, and equal protection of the law, guaranteed by the Fifth,
    Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
    The issues include:

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process
    of law and a fair trial because of the prosecutor’s “appeal-after
    -appeal” argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the
    presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err
    on the side of guilt.

    Whether the prosecution’s exclusion of African Americans
    from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal’s right
    to due process and equal protection of the law,
    in contravention of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal
    protection of the law during a post-conviction hearing
    because of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo,
    who was overheard during the trial commenting that
    he was “going to help'em fry the nigger."

    That the federal court is hearing issues which concern
    Mr. Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial is a great milestone
    in this struggle for human rights. This is the first time
    that any court has made a ruling in nearly a quarter
    of a century that could lead to a new trial and freedom.
    Nevertheless, our client remains on Pennsylvania's death
    row and in great danger.

    Mr. Abu-Jamal, the "voice of the voiceless," is a powerful
    symbol in the international campaign against the death
    penalty and for political prisoners everywhere. The goal
    of Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and
    I is to see that the many wrongs which have occurred
    in this case are righted, and that at the conclusion
    of a new trial our client is freed.

    Your concern is appreciated

    With best wishes,

    Robert R. Bryan

    Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
    2088 Union Street, Suite 4
    San Francisco, California 94123

    Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal

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

    Antiwar Web Site Created by Troops
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    A small group of active-duty military members opposed to the war
    have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures
    of other service members. People can submit their name, rank and
    duty station if they support statements denouncing the American
    invasion. “Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price,”
    the Web site, appealforredress.org, says. “It is time for U.S. troops
    to come home.” The electronic grievances will be passed along
    to members of Congress, according to the Web site. Jonathan
    Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., who set up the Web
    site a month ago, said the group had collected 118 names and
    was trying to verify that they were legitimate service members.
    October 25, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/washington/25brfs-005.html

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

    Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Child Rape Photos
    Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-10-23 20:54. Evidence
    By Greg Mitchell, http://www.editorandpublisher.com
    http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14864

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

    Profound new assault on freedom of speech and assembly:
    Manhattan: New Rules for Parade Permits
    By AL BAKER
    After recent court rulings found the Police Department's
    parade regulations too vague, the department is moving
    to require parade permits for groups of 10 or more
    bicyclists or pedestrians who plan to travel more than
    two city blocks without complying with traffic laws.
    It is also pushing to require permits for groups of 30
    or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws.
    The new rules are expected to be unveiled in a public
    notice today. The department will discuss them at
    a hearing on Nov. 27. Norman Siegel, a lawyer whose
    clients include bicyclists, said the new rules
    "raise serious civil liberties issues."
    October 18, 2006
    http://www.nytimes. com/2006/ 10/18/nyregion/ 18mbrfs-002. html

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

    Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America
    Jessica Murray
    Format: Paperback (6x9)
    ISBN 1425971253
    Price: $ 13.95
    About the Book
    Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but
    Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together to provide a perspective
    as extraordinary as the times we are living in. Using the principles
    of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation,
    this book invites us to look at the USA from the biggest possible
    picture: that of cosmic meaning. With a rare blend of compassion,
    humor and fearless taboo-busting, Soul-Sick Nation reveals
    America's noble potential without sentiment and diagnoses
    its neuroses without delusion, shedding new light on troubling
    issues that the pundits and culture wars inflame but leave
    painfully unresolved: the WTC bombings, the war in Iraq,
    Islamic jihad, media propaganda, consumerism and the
    American Dream.
    In her interpretation of the birth chart of the entity born
    July 4, 1776, Murray offers an in-depth analysis of America's
    essential destiny--uncovering , chapter by chapter, the greater
    purpose motivating this group soul. She shows how this
    purpose has been distorted, and how it can be re-embraced
    in the decades to come. She decodes current astrological
    transits that express the key themes the USA must learn
    in this period of millennial crisis—including that of the
    responsibility of power—spelling out the profound lessons
    the nation will face in the next few years.
    Combining the rigor of a political theorist with the vision
    of a master astrologer, this keenly intelligent book elucidates
    the meaning of an epoch in distress, and proposes a path
    towards healing—of the country and of its individual citizens.
    Murray explains how each of us can come to terms with this
    moment in history and arrive at a response that is unique
    and creative. This book will leave you revitalized, shorn
    of illusions and full of hope.
    About the Author
    "Jessica Murray's Soul-Sick Nation raises the symbol-system
    of astrology to the level of a finely-honed tool for the critical
    work of social insight and commentary. Her unflinching,
    in-depth analysis answers a crying need of our time. Murray's
    application of laser beam-lucid common sense analysis
    to the mire of illusions we've sunken into as a nation is
    a courageous step in the right direction... Just breathtaking! "
    --Raye Robertson, author of Culture, Media and the Collective Mind
    " Jessica Murray,..a choice-centered, psychospiritually- oriented
    astrologer.. . has quietly made a real difference in the lives of her
    clients, one at a time. In "Soul Sick Nation," she applies exactly those
    same skills to understanding America as a whole. Starting from
    the premise that the United States is currently a troubled adolescent,
    she applies an unflinching gaze to reach an ultimately compassionate
    conclusion about how we can heal ourselves and grow up."
    - Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky
    http://www.authorho use.com/BookStor e/ItemDetail~ bookid~41780. aspx

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    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
    and its people?
    Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?
    Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
    Palestinian refugees?
    Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
    http://al-awda. org/shop. html
    and help support a great organization and cause!!
    Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
    and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
    on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
    analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
    (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
    and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
    You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
    pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.
    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Visit http://al-awda. org/shop. html for these great items, and more!
    The Educational Supplies Division
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
    PO Box 131352
    Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
    Tel: 760-685-3243
    Fax: 360-933-3568
    E-mail: info@al-awda. org
    WWW: http://al-awda. org
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
    based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
    grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
    education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
    homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
    and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
    of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
    Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
    is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
    organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
    United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
    to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.

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

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

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    QUOTE OF THE DAY:

    In an interview in March 1995 entitled, "Jesse Helms: Setting the
    Record Straight" that appeared in the Middle East Quarterly, Helms
    said, "I have long believed that if the United States is going to give
    money to Israel, it should be paid out of the Department of Defense
    budget. My question is this: If Israel did not exist, what would
    U.S. defense costs in the Middle East be? Israel is at least the
    equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without
    Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would
    be badly off indeed."
    (Jesse Helms was the senior senator from North Carolina and the
    chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.)
    http://www.meforum. org/article/ 244

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    TWO AMICUS BRIEFS FILED FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL WITH
    THE 3RD CIRCUIT FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IN JULY 2006

    These pdf files can be found on Michael Schiffmann's web site at:

    http://againstthecr imeofsilence. de/english/ copy_of_mumia/ legalarchive/

    The first brief is from the National Lawyers Guild.
    The second brief is from the NAACP Legal Defense
    and Educational Fund, Inc.

    Howard Keylor
    For the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
    www.laboractionmumi a.org.

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

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

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

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

    and:

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

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

    In solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein

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    Endorse the following petition:
    Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
    Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
    Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
    http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 664280276?
    z00m=99090&z00m= 99090<l= 1155834550

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    END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
    Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
    Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
    Personalize the message text on the right with
    your own words, if you wish.
    Click the Next Step button to send your letter
    to these decision makers:
    President George W. Bush
    Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
    Your Senators
    Your Representative
    Go here to register your outrage:
    https://secure2. convio.net/ pep/site/ Advocacy?
    JServSessionIdr003= cga2p2o6x1. app2a&cmd= display&page= UserAction& id=177

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    Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
    ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
    its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
    DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
    clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
    to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
    for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
    us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
    Status! Checks can me made out to
    ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
    or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
    provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
    groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
    of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
    http://mysite. verizon.net/ vzeo9ewi/ idrissstelleyfou ndation/
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/isf23/
    Report Police Brutality
    24HR Bilingual hotline
    (415) 595-8251
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Justice4As a/

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    Appeal for funds:
    Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
    Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailir aq.com
    Request for Support
    Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
    independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
    enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
    per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
    Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
    cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
    A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
    regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
    which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
    With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
    your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
    readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
    All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
    operating expenses.
    (c)2006 Dahr Jamail.

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    Legal update on Mumia Abu-Jamal's case
    Excerpts from a letter written by Robert R. Bryan, the lead attorney
    for death row political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal.
    ...On July 20, 2006, we filed the Brief of Appellee and Cross
    Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, in the U.S. Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.
    http://www.workers. org/2006/ us/mumia- 0810/

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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact:  Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace
                    nickmottern@earthlink.net

    Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in
    endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and
    Mechanisms for Accountability."
     
    The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October.

    "This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an
    invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the
    evidence and an astute examination of international law.
    - Howard Zinn. 

    The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the
    consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen
    Parker, JD, is available for free download at 
    http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf

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    Today in Palestine!
    For up to date information on Israeli's brutal attack on
    human rights and freedom in Palestine and Lebanon go to:
    http://www.theheadl ines.org

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    Oklahoma U's First African-American Speaker

    Dear Representative Johnson:

    Congratulations on your bill for creating an
    African-American Centennial Plaza near the
    Capitol.

    I have a suggestion for including an important
    moment in Oklahoma African-American
    history in the displays.

    The first African-American speaker at the
    University of Oklahoma was Paul Boutelle,
    in 1967.

    He is still alive but has changed his name
    to Kwame Somburu. I believe it would be
    very appropriate also to invite Mr. Somburu
    to attend the dedication ceremony for
    this plaza. I correspond with him by email.

    Here is a 1967 Sooner magazine article about his appearance:

    http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p25-27_1967v40n2_OCR.pdf

    Sincerely,

    Mike Wright
    Norman
    329-6688

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    Interesting web site with many flash films. The site is managed
    by veteran James Starowicz, USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country
    '70-'71 Member: Veterans For Peace as well as other Veterans
    and Pro-Peace Groups. Also Activist in other Area's, Questioning
    Policies that only Benefit the Few, supporting Policies that Benefit
    the Many and Move Us Forward as a Better Nation and World!
    Politics: Registered Independent
    http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/

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    Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone has a new Internet
    address: http://www.takingaimradio.com

    THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
    BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
    Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
    and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
    The full text of the book can be found for free at the
    new Taking Aim web address:
    http://www.takingaimradio.com

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    JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE - THE CASE IS NOT OVER!
    For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
    www.lynnestewart. org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
    cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
    for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
    of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
    lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
    all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
    representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
    of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
    familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
    www.lynnestewart. org

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    Visit the Traprock Peace Center Video Archive at:
    http://www.youtube.com/TraprockPeaceTV
    Visit the Traprock Peace Center
    Deerfield, MA
    http://www.traprockpeace.org/

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    NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
    Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
    Who are the Cuban Five?
    The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
    four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
    convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
    They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
    Fernando González and René González.
    The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
    espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
    charges.
    But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
    involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
    in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
    The Five's actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
    They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
    weapons while in the United States.
    The Cuban Five's mission was to stop terrorism
    For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
    in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
    Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
    of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
    have died as a result of these terrorists' attacks.

    Gerardo Hernández, 2 Life Sentences
    Antonio Guerrero, Life Sentence
    Ramon Labañino, Life Sentence
    Fernando González, 19 Years
    René González, 15 Years

    Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
    http://www.freethef ive.org/

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    Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
    A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
    and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
    developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
    elsewhere, the website is:
    www.mexico.indymedi a.org/oaxaca
    http://www.mexico. indymedia. org/oaxaca

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    REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
    EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY. ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
    AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
    http://www.indybay. org

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

    Iraq Body Count
    For current totals, see our database page.
    http://www.iraqbody count.net/ press/pr13. php

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

    The Cost of War
    [Over three-hundred- billion so far...bw]
    http://nationalprio rities.org/ index.php? optionfiltered=com_
    wrapper&Itemid= 182

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    "The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
    The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
    - Mort Sahl

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    "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
    - Emilano Zapata
    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -

    Join the Campaign to
    Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
    Go to:
    http://www.shutitdo wn.org/
    to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
    Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
    A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
    Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
    http://www.ANSWERco alition.org http://www.actionsf .org
    sf@internationalans wer.org
    2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
    San Francisco: 415-821-6545

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    Great Counter-Recruitment Website
    http://notyoursoldi er.org/article. php?list= type&type= 14

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    DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
    CIVIL RIGHTS!

    Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
    Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
    on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
    condition from the Arizona desert.

    Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
    exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
    are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
    prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
    a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
    with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
    harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!

    Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
    and those who support them!

    For more information call 415-821- 9683.
    For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
    visit www.nomoredeaths. org.

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    FYI
    According to "Minimum Wage History" at
    http://oregonstate. edu/instruct/ anth484/minwage. html "

    "Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
    are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.

    "A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
    both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
    values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
    The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
    when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
    dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
    Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
    falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
    The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
    minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
    the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
    wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
    at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
    Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
    the state minimum wage at $4.35."

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    NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
    OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!

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

    REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
    Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
    http://www.10reason sbook.com/
    Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
    Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
    http://www.ed. gov/policy/ elsec/leg/ esea02/index. html
    Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
    See this article from USA Today:
    Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
    By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
    February 13, 2006
    http://www.usatoday .com/news/ education/ 2006-02-13- education- panel_x.htm

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    The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
    http://www.law. indiana.edu/ uslawdocs/ declaration. html
    http://www.law. ou.edu/hist/ decind.html
    http://www.usconsti tution.net/ declar.html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805195. php

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    Bill of Rights
    http://www.law. cornell.edu/ constitution/ constitution. billofrights. html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805182. php

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

    "The International"
    Lots of good information over at Wikipedia, as often the case:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale

    What I've always found fascinating is the wide variety of translations (or
    perhaps it would be better to call them "interpretations" or "variations")
    that exist, even in English. It's also fascinating to read all the different
    verses of the song.

    One thing I learned at Wikipedia is that the original intention was that the
    song would be sung to the tune of the Marseillaise, but that shortly
    thereafter different music was written. Good thing, in my opinion, I'd hate
    to see the identities of two stirring songs be confused. Each deserves their
    own place in history.

    Lyrics to the Marseillaise are here - pretty stirring in their own right. As
    with the Internationale, all sorts of unknown verses:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marseillaise

    Eli Stephens
    Left I on the News
    http://lefti.blogspot.com

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    ARTICLES IN FULL:
    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -

    1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
    Bay Arera Reporter
    by Heather Cassell
    h.cassell@ebar.com
    Published November 30, 2006
    http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

    2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
    Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
    By JOE DeRAYMOND
    http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

    5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
    http://www.stopwaroniran.org

    6) That Our Children May Have Peace
    By Gregg Shotwell
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

    7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
    Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
    By Patrick J. McDonnell
    Times Staff Writer
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

    8) Business Becomes a Big Casualty
    Inter Press Service
    Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
    http://dahrjamailiraq.com

    9) THE ROAD FROM OAXACA
    [Col. Writ. 11/9/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    10) INB 12/1/06: Raids in Kentucky, Atlanta, NYC & NJ
    Immigration News Briefs
    Vol. 9, No. 41 - December 1, 2006

    11) Huge War Spending Bill to Test Democrats
    The Associated Press
    Friday 01 December 2006
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15984616
    http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120206Y.shtml

    12) "Conservative" Radio Host Punks his listeners
    by Rock Strongo
    Fri Dec 01, 2006 at 11:14:28 PM EST
    http://www.dailykos .com/story/ 2006/12/1/ 225750/658
    http://rock-strongo.dailykos.com/

    13) Full text of speech by Army General Raúl Castro
    Speech by the Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party,
    First Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Minister
    of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army General, Raúl Castro Ruz,
    at the Political Ceremony, Military Review and March of the Combatant
    People in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Landing
    of the Granma Yacht and the Day of the Revolutionary Armed Forces,
    and in Celebration of the 80th Birthday of the Commander-in-Chief,
    Fidel Castro Ruz, Given on December 2nd, 2006,
    "Year of the Energy Revolution in Cuba"
    2006-12-02 | 09:26:52 EST
    http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2006-12-02/full-text-of-speech-by-army-general-raul-castro/

    14) Police Shooting Reunites Circle of Common Loss
    By SARAH KERSHAW
    December 2, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/nyregion/02victims.html?hp&ex=1165122000&en=cf09d9b4869a4091&ei=5094&partner=homepage

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    1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
    Bay Arera Reporter
    by Heather Cassell
    h.cassell@ebar.com
    Published November 30, 2006
    http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

    Mara Kubrin, the student who was pictured in the Bay Area Reporter
    delivering a petition signed by more than 800 students in support of
    phasing out the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and told the
    Board of Education that many students were afraid to attend the meeting
    on November 14, began receiving e-mail threats directly to her private
    MySpace account three days later.

    The board voted 4-2 earlier this month to phase out the JROTC program
    in part because of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that
    prohibits gays from serving openly.

    Reportedly, students allegedly hacked into Kubrin's account posting her
    personal information on a bulletin board on the Web with photos and a
    disclaimer "by viewing this you agree to release said author from all
    damages resulting from any physical or mental damages resulting from
    violence as a result of this bulletin," according to Marc Norton, Kubrin's
    mother's partner, and her father David Kubrin. The bulletin also
    provided an easy link to post the information on other bulletin boards. Mara
    Kubrin reported the incident to the police, but after three follow-up
    phone calls to police the family hasn't received any information
    regarding the progress of the investigation into the alleged threats, David
    Kubrin told the B.A.R. Police didn't respond to a call from the B.A.R.
    seeking comment.

    Mara Kubrin brought the threats to the attention of Doug Bullard, the
    JROTC instructor at Lowell High School. "Mara came to me at the end of
    last week and showed me something that she had downloaded from her Web
    site," Bullard said, but admitted that he hadn't alerted Amy Hanson,
    principal of Lowell, nor had he informed Robert Powell, director of Army
    instruction for the San Francisco Unified School District, as of Monday,
    November 27.

    "I wasn't sure it was a threat. I was trying to find out where it came
    from and who might have sent something like that and I had asked
    students in my program about it and none of them know anything about it,"
    said Bullard, who said he assumed Mara Kubrin had taken it to school
    administrators.

    When the B.A.R. asked Powell about the situation he was surprised and
    stated that he would be shocked if any of the JROTC students were
    involved. He repeatedly denied that JROTC instructors could take any
    disciplinary actions to reprimand the students even within the program.

    "We would inform the principal, just like any other disciplinary action
    that occurs in high school. We don't have any authority to discipline
    any kid other than the high school rules and regulations," Powell said.

    Mark Sanchez, a commissioner on the school board who voted in favor of
    phasing out the JROTC program, also received a threatening e-mail that
    was forwarded to him by Commissioner Eric Mar. The e-mail message was
    forwarded to the board's legal counsel. Sanchez mentioned that incoming
    board member Jane Kim also received a harassing e-mail, but she was
    unavailable for comment at press time.

    Commissioner Dan Kelly, who voted to phase out JROTC and will be ending
    his 16-year tenure on the board in January, said about the incident, "I
    think that's very sad. The adults need to put the disappointment into
    perspective for the kids and not in a platform for their own anger,
    their own resentment, and that's hard to do. It's important for us adults
    to say when a decision has been made, 'OK, we disagreed with the
    decision, but now it's time to move on.'"

    It is unknown if any other students have been harassed or received
    threats. Mara Kubrin was unavailable for comment.

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    2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 29 — Thirty thousand Ford Motor Company
    workers — nearly half of the automaker’s unionized work force —
    have agreed to leave their jobs in exchange for a buyout or a
    package of early retirement benefits, the company said this
    morning.

    All of the 75,000 Ford employees represented by the United
    Automobile Workers union were offered eight different deals
    worth as much as $140,000 in September, and had to decide
    by Monday whether to accept.

    In all, 38,000 U.A.W. workers at Ford have now agreed to take
    buyouts this year, including 8,000 who accepted packages offered
    at specific plants earlier in the year, before the company made
    the deals available to its entire hourly work force.

    The departures will leaves Ford with its smallest workforce
    in decades.

    Combined with almost 34,000 employees who took buyouts
    over the summer — reducing G.M.’s hourly payroll by about
    one-third — the Ford announcement brings tp 72,000 the number
    of workers at Detroit’s automakers who have voluntarily agreed
    to leave an industry that can no longer can guarantee them the
    high wages and job security enjoyed by their parents and
    grandparents.

    The “take rate” at Ford surpassed the expectations both of
    management and of Wall Street analysts, and will allow Ford
    to reduce its costs faster than called for in the company’s
    much-discussed overhaul plan, called the Way Forward. Ford
    said earlier in the year that it needed to eliminate 25,000 to
    30,000 jobs as it closes plants and sheds production capacity
    left idle as the company’s market share in the United States declines.

    Union leaders were apparently surprised by the high take rate
    as well: before the Monday deadline, news reports said they
    expected only about 15,000 workers to accept a buyout.

    Investors reacted positively, bidding up Ford’s stock price by
    about 20 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $8.35 a share in morning
    trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

    “While I know that, in many cases, decisions to leave the company
    were difficult for our employees, the acceptances received through
    this voluntary effort will help Ford to become more competitive,”
    Ford’s new chief executive, Alan Mulally, said in a statement.
    “We’d also like to thank the U.A.W. for working closely with us
    in developing packages that will help employees to move
    productively into a new phase of their lives. It is clear that
    we were successful in providing appropriate options; this,
    in turn, is helping the company to meet its cost objectives.”

    Ford said “just over half” of the workers who accepted
    buyouts chose a package that gives them a lump-sum
    payment, plus tuition reimbursement or scholarship money
    for family members, but absolved the company from having
    to pay them retirement benefits. Other packages included cash
    payouts of up to $35,000 and allowed workers to receive health
    insurance and other benefits as if they had retired in the usual
    manner.

    Workers will begin leaving Ford in January and must be gone
    by September.

    Ford lost $7 billion through the first nine months of this year,
    and has said it does not expect to earn a profit in North America
    until 2009 at the earliest. On Monday, Ford said it planned
    to mortgage most of its assets in the United States, along with
    its stock in Volvo and the Ford Motor Credit Company, in order t
    o raise $18 billion to finance its overhaul. Never before in its
    103-year history had Ford pledged major assets to raise money.

    The automaker has not said how much it expects the buyout
    program to cost. G.M. has pegged the price of its buyouts at
    $3.8 billion, or roughly $100,000 for each worker.

    Ford also intends to eliminate about 14,000 salaried positions
    through buyouts. Those workers still have time to decide whether
    to accept a package and leave.

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    3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    BAGHDAD, Nov. 28 — American troops killed five girls, including
    at least one baby, and what the military described as either a boy
    or a man, when the troops attacked a house Tuesday in volatile
    Anbar Province after they suspected insurgents of firing at them
    from the roof.

    Another person, which the military described in a written statement
    as either a girl or a young woman, was wounded in the attack and
    refused treatment by the Americans.

    The military said the killings occurred after the Americans spotted
    two suspected insurgents before dawn near a roadside bomb
    in the town of Hamaniyah, west of Baghdad. The men fled
    to the roof of a nearby house. When the Americans began
    defusing the bomb, the suspected insurgents began shooting,
    the military said.

    The military said the Americans returned fire with machine guns
    and small arms and rounds from the main gun of one or more
    tanks. After the firefight, the Americans discovered the six dead
    Iraqis in the house.

    It was unclear what happened to the suspected insurgents, but
    the military said “it was reported” that one was wounded in the
    fight and carried away by other insurgents.

    “In a very tragic way, today reminds us that insurgents’ actions
    throughout Iraq are felt by all,” Lt. Col. Bryan Salas, a Marine
    spokesman, said in the statement. “Efforts are under way
    to coordinate and offer available assistance to surviving family
    members.”

    Anbar Province, a vast swath of desert and Euphrates River
    towns stretching from Baghdad to Iraq’s western border,
    is the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency, which is battling
    to drive out the Americans and unseat the majority Shiites
    from the Iraqi government.

    American troops in Anbar are fighting a holding action, unable
    to make any real headway against the insurgency while facing
    a mostly hostile civilian population. The pressures have already
    led to prominent incidents of civilian deaths — one unit
    of Marines is being investigated for whether it wrongfully
    killed 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year.

    In Baghdad, an Air Force spokesman, Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog,
    said the military was still recovering parts from an F-16 fighter
    jet that crashed near the capital on Monday. It was unclear
    whether the jet and its pilot had been attacked, he said. Using
    an aerial drone, the military had observed insurgents in the
    area of the crash site, the general said.

    The military said a marine died on Monday in Anbar from
    combat injuries.

    Violence continued to roil Iraq a day before a scheduled meeting
    between President Bush and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki
    in Amman, Jordan. At least 30 bodies were discovered in Baghdad,
    an Interior Ministry official said. Four people were killed
    and 40 wounded when two car bombs exploded behind
    the morgue at Yarmouk Hospital in western Baghdad. A barrage
    of mortar rounds in the Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliya
    hurt at least 20 people.

    At least 19 people were killed or found dead in Diyala Province,
    a police official said. In Kirkuk, at least one civilian was killed
    and 22 wounded when a suicide belt bomber exploded near
    a convoy carrying the governor of Tamim Province.

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    4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
    Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
    By JOE DeRAYMOND
    November 29, 2006
    http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

    "When you own a big chunk of the bloody third world, dead babies just
    come with the scenery"
    - Chrissie Hynde, from "Middle of the Road", by The Pretenders

    In November of 2005, the United States used white phosphorus
    munitions against the people of Fallujah, Iraq. Jeff Englehart, a
    former marine who spent two days in Fallujah during the battle, said
    he heard the order go out over military communication that WP was to
    be dropped. Mr Englehart, now an outspoken critic of the war, says:
    "I heard the order to pay attention because they were going to use
    white phosphorus on Fallujah. In military jargon it's known as Willy
    Pete ... Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the
    way down to the bone ... I saw the burned bodies of women and
    children." (as reported by Andrew Buncombe and Solomon Hughes: 15
    November 2005, The Independent)

    On November 3, 2006, on an off-ramp during rush hour in Chicago,
    Malachi Ritscher immolated himself. News reports have made much of
    the fact that his death had no immediate impact, since he was not
    identified for many days, and because the national news did not pick
    it up for several weeks. He is characterized as a troubled man. These
    are the words he left behind in his suicide note: "Here is the
    statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric
    war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass
    murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our
    country... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to
    say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am
    ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."

    In March of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of
    napalm against the people of Vietnam. Napalm is a burning gel that
    sticks to the skin, and made flame throwers and incendiary explosives
    a staple of the US arsenal against Vietnam. A Business Week article
    (February 10, 1969) termed the chemical "the fiery essence of all
    that is horrible about the war in Vietnam."

    On November 2, 1965, Norman Morrison immolated himself within sight
    of Robert McNamara's window at the Pentagon, to protest the war in
    Vietnam. Norman did not leave a suicide note. His friend John Roemer
    described his action as follows, "I don't know. I don't know. He
    fought the war more and more deeply. I mean, when are you one of the
    Germans?...You have to be mentally different to fly in the face of
    received wisdom in this country. He played it out in his mind, I
    think, in terms of being a moral witness", and, "In a society where
    it is normal for human beings to drop bombs on human targets, where
    it is normal to spend 50 percent of the individual's tax dollar on
    war, where it is normal...to have twelve times overkill capacity,
    Norman Morrison was not normal. He said, 'Let it stop' ".

    The Vietnamese canonized Norman Morrison. Streets were named after
    him, a postage stamp was printed with his image, poems were written
    in his memory. The most quoted, by To Huu, includes this stanza:

    McNamara!
    Where are you hiding? In the graveyard
    Of your five-cornered house
    Each corner a continent.
    You hide yourself
    From the flaming world
    As an ostrich hides its head in the
    burning sand.

    Norman was one of several people who chose to become a victim of the
    fire of the Vietnam War. Others include Vietnamese Buddhist monks,
    Quang Duc, June 1963, in Saigon; an unnamed monk in Phanthiet,
    August, 1963; Thich Nu Thanh Quang, in Hue, 1966. Each death
    galvanized opinion and resistance to the war within Vietnam. On March
    16, 1965, Alice Herz, an 82 year old pacifist, immolated herself on a
    Detroit street corner. She stated in her suicide note, that she was
    protesting "the use of high office by our President, L.B.J., in
    trying to wipe out small nations." And "I wanted to call attention to
    this problem by choosing the illuminating death of a Buddhist." A
    week after Norman Morrison's death, Roger LaPorte burned himself in
    protest in front of the United Nations in New York. In May of 1970,
    George Winne, Jr., burned himself in protest of the Vietnam War on
    the University of California campus in San Diego. (See Frances
    Farmer's Revenge.)

    Coverage of the sacrifice of Malachi Ritscher has been obsessively
    concerned with his sanity. The AP article on his death includes this
    conclusion, "Mental health experts say virtually no suicides occur
    without some kind of a diagnosable mental illness." Our government
    and its experts expect that rational citizens living rational United
    States lives understand that the burning of civilians is just part of
    the scenery, a necessary element of foreign policy. A person who
    actually takes responsibility for the purposes to which his/her tax
    monies are being devoted is by definition insane. It is a world
    turned upside down, in which torture, napalm and white phosphorus are
    "legal", and peaceful protest criminal. It is no mystery to me that
    there are human souls who cannot bear the light of truth, and choose
    to join the victims of our culture's madness.

    Joe DeRaymond lives in Freemansburg, PA. He can be reached at:
    jderaymond@rcn.com

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    5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
    http://www.stopwaroniran.org
    Help build a movement to stop a war on Iran:
    Sign the Petition
    http://stopwaroniran.org/petition.shtml
    Donate
    http://stopwaroniran.org/donate.shtml
    Tell a Friend
    http://stopwaroniran.org/friend.shtml
    For updated news,see the Stop War on Iran
    http://stopwaroniran.blogspot.com/ blog

    The following resolution, opposing U.S. military action and threats
    against Iran, was passed unanimously by the San Francisco
    Labor Council.

    This is an important victory for antiwar activists in the labor
    movement. Let's keep the momentum going--We encourage
    you to work to get similar resolutions passed in your unions,
    Labor Councils, City Councils, churches, schools, student
    governments, clergy associations, tenant organizations,
    community groups, etc. Send us copies of the resolutions
    you pass--ALL these resolutions will be posted on Stop War
    on Iran web site. (Send them to resolutions @ stopwaroniran.org.)

    San Francisco Labor Council Resolution - Adopted by
    Unanimous Vote Nov. 27, 2006

    Resolution on Threat of Military Action Against Iran

    Whereas, no evidence has been offered that Iran possesses
    weapons of mass destruction, even after many inspections
    by the International Atomic Energy Agency; yet the Bush
    administration continues to threaten aggressive measures
    against Iran on the grounds that Iran may be developing
    nuclear weapons; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government seeks to impose U.N.
    sanctions on Iran for continuing to develop its uranium
    enrichment program, which Iran asserts is strictly for
    non-military production of nuclear energy. At least ten
    other nations enrich uranium in order to produce
    nuclear energy, and the US is not threatening to
    attack them; and

    Whereas, Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty
    and was the first state to call for a Nuclear-Free Zone
    in the Middle East; and

    Whereas, Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, as well
    as China, France, the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain --
    all have nuclear weapons, with the U.S. possessing
    a larger stockpile than of all the rest of the world
    combined; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government campaign against Iran's
    development of enriched uranium appears to be much
    like the misinformation campaign waged by the Bush
    administration before the war on Iraq to justify its
    unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq; now the
    Bush administration once again seeks to stoke unjustified
    fears to win public support for military action against Iran; and.

    Whereas, the U.S. government has dispatched a Navy carrier
    group to the Persian Gulf off Iran's western coast, as well
    as ships capable of mining harbors, for naval exercises that
    some observers believe could serve as the prelude to an
    attack or other military action, such as mining Iran’s
    harbors; and

    Whereas, published reports of intelligence recently
    gathered by U.S. Special Operations forces in Iran suggest
    that the U.S. has identified hundreds of targets in Iran,
    in preparation for a possible military attack on that country; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government has a long history of
    interference in the internal affairs of Iran, including the
    well-documented CIA-engineered 1953 overthrow of Iran's
    democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh,
    who nationalized Iran's oil; and the US role in installing
    and backing the brutal regime of the Shah of Iran;

    Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor
    Council, AFL-CIO, hereby declares its opposition to U.S.
    military action against Iran, and urges all organizations with
    which it is affiliated to demand that Congress take measures
    to prevent any such military assault, and rather, to promote
    diplomatic non-military solutions to any disputes with Iran; and

    Be it finally resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council
    join with other antiwar forces to organize mass popular
    opposition to any military assault on Iran, and to respond
    rapidly should such an assault occur.

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    6) That Our Children May Have Peace
    By Gregg Shotwell
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

    “In the progress of politics, as in the common occurrences of life,
    we are not only apt to forget the ground we have traveled over,
    but frequently neglect to gather up experience as we go.”
    —Tom Paine

    The bad news is, I have a long commute since I transferred back
    to GM from Delphi. The good news is, I’m working the road to rule.
    I drive slower than a mule with hot cargo and expired plates. Screw
    the oil companies. I get forty miles to the gallon. I relax like
    a poor man with a radio and nowhere to go. I lean like a lowrider
    whose vehicle is the destination. I pause in motion with an unlikely
    simile—a silo in a wind— knowing I’ve already arrived where I am.

    I treat the highway of American industry and commerce like a place
    of idleness and repose. This isn’t Zen, it’s revolt. My time is worth
    more than money to me because I can’t earn any more of it…
    I can only spend it wisely.

    I work in a warehouse which is a place where goods are stashed
    and money is made literally hand over fist. It’s all in the turn over.
    We produce nothing. We add no value. We receive the goods and
    we ship the goods and the mark up for the time between makes
    the loan sharks on Shake St. look like Saint Vincent DePaul. But the
    magnum of profit doesn’t halt the speed up. We can’t march fast
    enough for the General. There’s only one solution: shoot
    the drummer.

    Is it maximum profit or minimum conscience that drives our
    nation to compete for the lowest standard of living? Even children
    are sideswiped in the race to the bottom line. Schools are turned
    into sweatshops. Hospitals are managed like maquiladoras.
    Homelessness is mental health therapy. Prison is substance
    abuse treatment. Every program or agency whose purpose
    is to serve the public interest is underfunded, abused, and
    degraded. Our families suffer under the yoke of double wage
    earners without disposable income or time to spend with their
    children. Meanwhile Congress debates whether a minimum
    wage which snorkels the poverty line will ruffle the feathers
    and furs on Wall Street.

    The madness of the method isn’t just about money. The vultures
    already have all the money. They have plans for all the money you
    and I will ever make in our lifetime. They have plans for our pensions,
    our 401k’s, the money that falls through the hole in the doughnut
    they call prescription drug coverage for seniors. They have plans
    to profit off the deaths of our brothers and sisters in Iraq and
    Afghanistan. It’s not just about the money. It’s about control.

    When the debt comes due, when the dollar deflates, when property
    values tank, and the market collapses, what will the wealthiest
    of the wealthy do? Seize everything of value. Buy up the homes
    of workers for a dime on the dollar; snap up utilities at bargain
    basement prices; then jack up rents and rates in tandem. They’ll
    commandeer all the hard assets, the natural resources, the oil and
    the gold. Just thinking about it makes me drive slower.

    And the slower I go the more the knowledge of where I’ve been
    and where I’m going comes into focus. The more I listen to the
    radio spin circles around my vehicle, the more I notice what’s
    missing from our conversation about the common good, namely,
    the working class. There is no “middle class” and “lower class”
    in America. There are only workers who have decent jobs, and
    workers who don’t have decent jobs. Those who do hold decent
    jobs are only one catastrophic illness, one plant closing,
    or one indefinite layoff from destitution. The victims of capital’s
    creative destruction aren’t strangers. They are working-class
    Americans made destitute by a system that requires unemployment
    to hold down inflation.

    Lou Dobbs is wrong about the growing demise of the middle
    class in America. There is no middle class to demise. The mantle
    of middle class status presumes a degree of security and upward
    mobility which doesn’t exist. The notion of safety draped like
    the boss’s arm around one’s shoulder is based on the premise
    that hard work pays off and loyalty is rewarded. The middle class
    dream is as dead as the deer I see splattered on the highway
    everyday. There is no middle class for special workers. There
    is only a working class, and we—however special we may feel—
    all work in the same demoralized place, under the same relentless
    pressure to sacrifice our lives for the success of a godless
    corporation. Where will it end?

    Despite expectations to make a billion dollars in net profit,
    Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee demanded the union impose
    a two-tier wage and benefit cut in order to secure “new” work.
    Union members voted the double-cross down soundly. But union
    leaders pursued a vigorous campaign to promote the competitive
    ideal. On the second try the traitor’s deal was narrowly ratified.

    The soul of a union leader who pushes two tier is darker than
    the pupil of a well digger’s eye. Every union leader knows there’s
    no water at the bottom of that hole. Two tier is not just about
    money, it’s about control. Harley-Davidson’s extortion didn’t
    stop at the doorstep of the union hall. The state of Wisconsin
    agreed to provide help with infrastructure improvements, training
    costs, and even capital. The assault on workers is state sponsored.
    Health, education, and social programs get slashed while the
    corporate blitzkrieg on the working class is subsidized. Mussolini
    would be impressed, but Tom Paine would shoulder the musket
    of conviction: "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day,
    that my child may have peace."

    Two tier is not just about the money, it’s about who owns whose
    soul. The most effective way to break the spirit of the working
    class is to compromise our moral code by forcing a choice between
    fighting back or betraying what is most precious—our children.

    We stand at the crossroad knowing full well where both roads
    lead. One road to leads to dishonor and the other to the dignity
    of struggle. One road points to the hope and courage of collective
    action and the other to shame, despair, and isolation.

    After such knowledge, what forgiveness?

    Will reduced wages mean the work will be safer or more humane?
    Will reduced benefits mean more security? Or will it simply
    mean the collective power of workers will be harnessed to serve
    our masters’ driving passion—maximum profit for minimum wage.
    The corpos must think we are dumber than horses. The yoke never
    lightens, the hardship never wanes, and the hope for retirement
    in dignity fades like a dope smoker’s dream.

    Last year while Delphi was making headlines with threats and
    intimidation, Hastings Piston Ring, an auto supplier in northern
    Michigan, quietly and with the blessing of the Federal court,
    cut off pension and health care for retirees. Production of piston
    rings didn’t miss a beat and the profit kept pumping like
    a flathead eight on a straightaway.

    Two tier for new hires and a kick down the stairs for retirees.
    That’s the refrain. Verses in between change only the names
    not the scheme.

    Hastings Piston Ring, Harley-Davidson, and Delphi are not
    isolated cases. The degradation of the working class is chronic
    and contagious. We need collective action not more concessions.
    We need to try our souls in the temper of our times that our
    children may have peace.

    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006

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    7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
    Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
    By Patrick J. McDonnell
    Times Staff Writer
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

    LA PAZ, BOLIVIA — Allies of President Evo Morales on Wednesday
    celebrated the surprising passage of an ambitious agrarian reform
    bill, a cornerstone of Morales' provocative leftist agenda.

    "The time of the humble ones has arrived," declared Sen. Felix Rojas
    of Morales' Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS.
    "They will inherit the land." But passage of the bill, signed into law
    by an exuberant Morales near midnight Tuesday, also bared anew
    the deep divides in South America's poorest nation.

    Morales, a former leader of coca leaf cultivators, has presented
    himself during his first year in office as a champion of the country's
    impoverished indigenous masses, long beholden to an elite
    of European and mixed-race ancestry.

    Conservative forces fiercely opposed to Morales' socialist vision
    vowed to continue efforts to block what they view as Morales'
    proclivity toward authoritarian rule styled after Venezuelan
    President Hugo Chavez, Morales' political mentor.

    "If the government continues in this manner, it is the beginning
    of a dictatorship," said Fernando Messmer, opposition leader
    in the Chamber of Deputies.

    Incendiary political battles swirl around other Morales initiatives,
    notably his efforts to exert control over autonomy-minded
    provinces and his plan to dominate an assembly rewriting
    Bolivia's Constitution. A general strike is planned for several
    regions Friday to protest Morales' alleged power grab.

    The sweeping reform bill could result in the redistribution
    of 10,000 square miles of land. It was approved by the
    Senate after thousands of Indians marched on the capital,
    demanding 100 acres per family.

    "We are suffering from hunger and misery, and many of
    us must leave our homes for other countries," said Sofia
    Martinez, 30, a mother of three from the southeast who
    said she marched for several weeks to arrive at the capital.
    "We are joining this fight, with our blood if necessary, to
    recover our lands."

    The march on La Paz appeared to turn the tide in the
    contentious battle over the bill, which had been kept from
    passage by a walkout of conservative lawmakers in the Senate.

    The Morales-dominated lower house had approved the measure.

    With the Senate stalled, Morales threatened to put the
    law into effect via decree. But his party managed to
    convince several opposition senators to vote for the bill,
    ensuring its narrow passage.

    "This is the struggle of our ancestors, the struggle for
    power and land," Morales told a cheering midnight crowd
    at the presidential palace as he signed the bill into law.
    "The change is in our hands."

    The land decree comes more than six months after
    Morales nationalized Bolivia's fossil fuels sector,
    including the lucrative natural gas industry.

    The energy nationalization had overwhelming popular
    support in Bolivia but was strongly opposed
    by foreign investors.

    Land reform has been a pillar of Morales' "socialist
    revolution," though the government has sought to allay
    landowners' fears by saying only nonproductive properties
    would be seized. Determining whether lands are productive
    is likely to be a process fraught with controversy.

    Much of the land taken over is likely to come from the
    relatively wealthy eastern portion of Bolivia, including
    Santa Cruz province, where a potent autonomy movement
    is underway.

    patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

    Special correspondent Oscar Ordoñez in La Paz and Andrés
    D'Alessandro of The Times' Buenos Aires Bureau
    contributed to this report.

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    8) Business Becomes a Big Casualty
    Inter Press Service
    Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
    http://dahrjamailiraq.com

    *BAGHDAD, Nov 29 (IPS) - "Iraq got the foreign investment rules long
    sought by U.S. corporations," Antonia Juhasz, a visiting scholar at the
    Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, and author of 'The Bush
    Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time' told IPS earlier.*

    Juhasz said the new laws, which were a part of the 100 'Bremer Orders'
    instituted by former U.S. administrator Paul Bremer when he headed the
    Coalition Provisional Authority during the first year of the occupation,
    provided a flood of benefits for U.S. companies.

    These included "100 percent repatriation of profits earned in Iraq by
    foreign companies; 100 percent foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses,
    including banks; privatisation of Iraq's state owned enterprises; 100
    percent immunity for U.S. contractors and soldiers from Iraq's laws; and
    'national treatment' which allowed for Iraqis to be all but excluded
    from the reconstruction for years while the U.S. government paid 50
    billion dollars to some 150 U.S. corporations for work in Iraq."

    What followed was "a U.S. corporate invasion of Iraq," Juhasz said.
    "Many companies had their sights set on privatisation in Iraq, also made
    possible by Bremer, which helps explain their interest in 'major
    overhauls' rather than getting the systems up and running."

    In contrast, there was much state support for businesses under the
    previous regime, which followed a socialist system under which the
    government allowed Iraqis to establish their own factories and
    workshops, and supported them in many ways.

    Businesses were granted low interest loans and permission to transfer
    foreign currency. They could get state-owned land to build on.
    Administrative laws facilitated enterprise, and so small industry
    business bloomed during the 1970s and 1980s.

    Major industries in Iraq for oil products, phosphates and cement, along
    with the military industry, were mostly state-run under the previous
    regime. Foreign companies were allowed, under state supervision, to
    build factories as Iraq moved towards increasing industrialisation.

    This growth was reversed during the 1990's under the U.S-backed UN
    economic sanctions. The sanctions crippled the Iraqi dinar and people's
    ability to purchase goods and services.

    The business situation worsened further during the U.S.-led invasion
    when most factories ceased to function. Many were bombed, and for other
    factories employees stayed at home. Following the invasion several were
    looted, and were never able to start again.

    Some private businesses held out, but eventually security problems, lack
    of electricity and fuel, a staggering inflation rate (70 percent) and
    lack of safe transportation led many of these too to close down.
    Unemployment now stands at more than 50 percent û but most people
    believe the real situation is far worse.

    Thousands of business and factory owners sold what they could and fled
    to neighbouring countries. Those who did not now wish they had.

    "I used to employ more than 30 workers in my plastic products factory,
    and business was good before the occupation," Abbas Ali told IPS in
    Baghdad. "It is impossible to work now, and I had to go back to my old
    job as school teacher. I was offered 200,000 dollars for the business,
    but now it is not worth anything. I blame myself for not selling it to
    flee, like some of my colleagues who live safely in Syria now."

    And still, there are steel, textile, and other factories that continue
    to produce what they can.

    Kais al-Nazzal built a set of steel factories about 60km west of Baghdad
    near Fallujah, and is fighting to keep them going. "We imported the best
    quality steel manufacturing equipment and spent millions of dollars on
    modern buildings to meet international standards," Kais al-Nazzal told IPS.

    "We have been able to work through the occupation period, but we must
    admit there are hardships under the recent domestic disturbances that
    are causing us considerable losses."

    Local studies have found 85 percent unemployment in the industry sector.
    Many of the 15 percent who remain employed are registered at a few state
    factories that pay their employees even if they produce nothing.

    "We are trying to do some work here, but the whole situation is not
    encouraging, so it seems that we will wait until a miracle takes place,"
    a manager at a state-owned cement factory on the outskirts of Baghdad
    told IPS.

    The business and economic morass Iraq finds itself in today is evident
    in the market places across the capital city.

    About 80 percent of domestically manufactured goods were distributed
    prior to the invasion and occupation through the Shorja market in the
    centre of Baghdad. The wholesale market is a bazaar along narrow roads
    where hundreds of small shop-owners display their merchandise.

    "There is no Iraqi brand any more," plastic products distributor Johar
    Aziz told IPS. "Iraqi products flourished during the quarter century
    before occupation, but now we only sell imported products of the lowest
    quality, and people have to buy them because there is no alternative."

    Other markets in Baghdad are suffering a similar crisis, like the
    Samarraii compound where tyres are sold, the Jamila market for fruits
    and vegetables, and the Sinaa market for computers.

    The main shopping centres like Saadoon Street and Rasheed Street, and
    the once upmarket Mansour area and the Karrada district are now like
    ghosts of what they once were.

    "We used to open our shops for at least 16 hours a day, but now we only
    open for a few hours because of the security threats," Duraid Abdullah,
    an electrical appliances shop owner in Karrada told IPS. "We are facing
    all kinds of threats starting from being abducted for money or sectarian
    reasons, as well as being evicted from our shops by gangs supported by
    government forces."

    A businessman who once owned a small textile factory that has gone
    bankrupt said he had not expected the coming in of a U.S. administration
    to be bad for business.

    "The picture of Japan after World War II dominated the minds of
    businessmen in Iraq after occupation," he said. "Most of us thought the
    American invasion of Iraq was bad for many things, but it must be good
    for business in general and industry in particular. We were terribly
    wrong. The Iraqi economy was meant to be destroyed for political reasons."

    (c)2006 Dahr Jamail

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    9) THE ROAD FROM OAXACA
    [Col. Writ. 11/9/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    Several weeks ago, a long, dusty trail of thousands winded their way
    from the southern city of Oaxaca, to the capital of Mexico City, some
    800 kilometers (or over 250 miles) to support democracy, and demand the
    removal of the governor, who got there through a stolen, and deeply
    corrupt election.

    The marchers, a motley crew of teachers, students, farmers, vendors, and
    the like, made their tortuous way over mountain and valleys, through
    slashing rains, blistering heat, and numbing cold, marching for 19 days,
    to take their complaints to the seat of government.

    The group, calling itself the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca
    (or APPO, the Spanish acronym for Asemblea Popular del Pueblo de
    Oaxaca), has rocked Mexico with its strong, principled insistence that
    elections be truly fair and free of corruption, and that the will of the
    People be heard.

    I've actually been reading about the events in Oaxaca for several weeks,
    and every time I read about them, I thought of Americans, who quietly
    accepted the corrupt elections of 2000, and of 2004, like lambs being
    led to shishkabobs.

    For, the stolen elections of 2000 in Florida, and later 2004 in Ohio,
    have done unprecedented damage to the very notion of democracy, and
    shattered the faith of millions in the electoral process.

    The people of Oaxaca, braving not just the natural elements, but the
    political ones as well, indeed, the terrorism of the 'instruments of the
    state' (police and military violence), have proven by their march and
    protests that true democracy is deeply important to the people.

    The APPO, which has sparked resistance throughout Mexico City, and in
    other parts of the country, has created a political crisis in the
    nation, by its fervent demand for the removal of Oaxaca governor, Ulises
    Ruiz, and the restoration of democracy.

    The crisis arises from the fact that many of the country's political
    parties are doing their damnedest to silence, derail, or intimidate the
    people; for if they are successful (they fear) there will be two, three,
    a dozen Oaxacas all across the country.

    Oaxaca, although the poorest state in Mexico, and one with the largest
    indigenous population, is inspiring people far and beyond its southern
    Mexican borders.

    The Oaxaca resistance was born in repression, when Governor Ruiz ordered
    the police assault on the striking Oaxaca teachers' union in June. The
    teachers fought back, and within days, over 300,000 people gathered in a
    mass march to support the union. Out of that massive outpouring of
    support came the APPO, the Popular Assembly. The continuing crisis in
    Mexico may push social forces to join the radicalizing efforts of the
    APPO, or may open the door to the threatened terror of the 'instruments
    of the state.' To be frank, what began in repression may indeed end in
    more repression; but that will not, nor could truly be the end.

    That's because the forces that gave rise to APPO are still rumbling
    barely beneath the surface, ready to emerge in another state, where
    workers and the poor are struggling to resist the ravenous forces of
    globalism.

    When the poor are treated poorly, when workers are poorly paid, the
    conditions for resistance are already present.

    And while the temptation of the State to use its brutal 'instruments'
    may be strong, it's also very possible that it may spark more
    resistance, deeper and broader.

    Oaxaca is spreading like the wind, and the examples of popular and
    indigenous resistance from Mexico, like the APPO, and the Zapatistas,
    and various struggles from throughout Latin America, are spreading also.

    The people of Oaxaca should be supported, not just with words, but with
    similar organizing against flawed and corrupt elections, from folks all
    over the world.

    It should begin with the people of the U.S.

    Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

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    10) INB 12/1/06: Raids in Kentucky, Atlanta, NYC & NJ
    Immigration News Briefs
    Vol. 9, No. 41 - December 1, 2006

    1. More Kentucky Construction Raids
    2. Atlanta Airport Raid
    3. More Raids in NYC, NJ

    Immigration News Briefs is a weekly supplement to Weekly News Update on the
    Americas, published by Nicaragua Solidarity Network. Contact nicajg@panix.com for info.

    1. MORE KENTUCKY CONSTRUCTION RAIDS
    On Nov. 29, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents
    arrested 32 suspected undocumented workers--including one woman--
    in northern Kentucky. Thirteen of the workers were arrested at
    two parking lots near a construction site in Covington, Kentucky,
    just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The other 19 were arrested in a
    parking lot at the Home Depot store in Florence, in Boone County,
    Kentucky, where they were waiting for transportation to the
    Covington construction site. ICE spokesperson Gail Montenegro
    said those arrested were taken to the Boone County jail. They
    were to appear in US District Court in Covington on Nov. 30.

    The immigrants had been contracted to do commercial drywall work
    for the Spectrum Interiors firm. Dugan and Meyers is the main
    contractor on the Covington construction site, where a $55
    million, 21-story condominium project--the "Ascent at Roebling's
    Bridge"--is being built. "Home Depot was a pickup location where
    they all got in a van and went to Covington," explained Tom
    Scheben of the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

    Scheben said the ICE agents are "not trying to pick up one or two
    here or there. They're trying to get large numbers and they're
    trying to get the people who are employing them." The arrests
    followed a coordinated investigation by ICE, the Internal Revenue
    Service's Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of
    Labor, and the US Marshals Service. ICE was also assisted in the
    investigation by the Florence, Covington and Lexington police
    departments, the Boone County Sheriff's Office, the Kenton County
    Sheriff's Office and Boone County Jail. [WCPO.com 11/29/06;
    Cincinnati Enquirer 11/30/06; Cincinnati Post 11/30/06; ICE News
    Release 11/29/06]

    Between May 9 and June 2, ICE arrested at least 89 people in the
    same area of northern Kentucky in a raid targeting immigrants
    employed by subcontractors for the Fischer Homes construction
    firm [see INB 5/14/06, 5/21/06, 6/18/06]. Five Fischer Homes
    supervisors were indicted on federal charges in connection with
    the arrests, but on Nov. 15 US District Court Judge David Bunning
    dismissed the charges because a key witness, subcontractor Nelson
    Trejo, could not be found. Trejo had said he would cooperate with
    federal prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence. Two other
    subcontractors who made similar deals are still facing charges.
    Fischer Homes as a corporation was not implicated or charged in
    the case. [WCPO.com 11/29/06; Cincinnati Enquirer 11/16/06]

    2. ATLANTA AIRPORT RAID
    On Nov. 29, ICE agents arrested six undocumented Mexican
    immigrants who worked installing drywall at the Hartsfield-
    Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. They worked
    for T.C. Drywall, Inc. of Alpharetta, according to ICE. The
    workers had security badges that gave them access to restricted
    areas of the airport, including the tarmac. None of the men was
    considered a security threat. They were arrested in Hartsfield's
    south terminal as they arrived for work in the morning. [Atlanta
    Journal-Constitution 11/29/06] The operation was conducted with
    the assistance of the Hartsfield Department of Aviation and the
    Atlanta Police Department and coordinated with the Department of
    Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration. [ICE
    News Release 11/29/06]

    3. MORE RAIDS IN NYC, NJ
    In a seven- or eight-month investigation ending Nov. 30, ICE
    agents joined with officers of the New York City Department of
    Probation in arresting 81 immigrants with prior criminal records
    in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The raids were part
    of "Operation Retract," an ongoing effort by ICE's New York
    office to arrest immigrants on probation for prior misdemeanor or
    felony convictions and place them in removal proceedings. Of the
    total number arrested, 45 were legal permanent residents and 36
    were out of status. All but nine of the arrested immigrants were
    from either Latin America (52) or the English-speaking Caribbean
    (20). They came from the Dominican Republic (28), Mexico (13),
    Jamaica (10), China (5), Trinidad (4), Colombia (4), Guyana (3),
    Ecuador (3), El Salvador (3), Korea (2), Antigua (1), Barbados
    (1), India (1), Grenada (1), Honduras (1) and the United Kingdom
    (1). ICE agents transported the immigrants to detention
    facilities where they will be held during removal proceedings.
    [ICE News Release 11/30/06]

    On Nov. 29, ICE arrested 45 immigrants in Brooklyn, Queens, the
    Bronx and Manhattan who according to ICE are "child predators and
    criminal alien sex offenders." The arrests were made under ICE's
    "Operation Predator" and were separate from those made under
    "Operation Retract," although the arrested immigrants were also
    on probation in New York City for prior misdemeanor or felony
    convictions. Those arrested were citizens of Bangladesh, Bosnia,
    Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana,
    Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico,
    Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Romania and Trinidad. [ICE News Release
    11/29/06]

    Another 137 people were arrested in New Jersey between Nov. 13
    and 18 in "Return to Sender" raids, which target people with
    prior removal orders. ICE said 54 of those arrested had been
    ordered removed by an immigration judge; the other 83 were simply
    without status. Only 17 of the 137 had criminal records. Those
    arrested came from 21 countries, including Poland, Mexico,
    Honduras, Guatemala, Pakistan, Egypt, India, Slovakia, Costa
    Rica, Albania, Macedonia and the United Kingdom. [Press of
    Atlantic City 11/21/06; ICE News Release 11/20/06]

    National Immigrant Solidarity Network
    No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
    webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    New York: (212)330-8172
    Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
    Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

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    11) Huge War Spending Bill to Test Democrats
    The Associated Press
    Friday 01 December 2006
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15984616
    http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120206Y.shtml

    The Pentagon increasingly is using war spending bills for costs not
    directly related to Iraq and Afghanistan. Last month, Deputy Defense
    Secretary Gordon England said the four military services could add
    projects connected to the broader fight against terrorism, which
    critics said could be interpreted to cover almost anything.

    Washington - The Bush administration is working on its largest-
    ever appeal for more Iraq war funds - a record $100 billion, at least,
    and that figure reflects cuts from wish lists originally circulating
    around the Pentagon.

    The measure will give Democrats, who take control of Congress
    next year, an early chance to try changing the conduct of the war.
    But they are limited and do not want to be cast as unsympathetic
    to U.S. troops.

    "We're not going to do anything to limit funding or cut off funds,"
    says Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

    $200 Billion Iraq-Afghanistan War Budget

    Senior Pentagon officials have trimmed initial requests from
    the Army and Air Force. But with $70 billion already approved
    for the budget year that began Oct. 1, and more money needed
    to replace lost or worn- out equipment, spending levels for 2007
    easily will be at the highest since the Iraq war began in 2003.

    Precise figures have not been set by either the Pentagon
    or the White House. The requests in February for Iraq and
    Afghanistan probably will be about $100 billion, but could
    climb as high as $128 billion if the services get their way,
    said Jim McAleese, a Virginia lawyer who specializes in national
    security law.

    Including the money already approved, the cost of the total
    military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan could come close
    to $200 billion in 2007. About $120 billion was spent in the
    2006 budget year, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

    Despite widespread discontent over the Iraq war and
    President Bush's handling of it, Democrats are expected
    to grant the vast majority of the request. Yet evidence
    is accumulating that the figure the White House sends
    to Capitol Hill will not be limited to dollars critically
    needed for troops and war-fighting.

    Dems Promise Greater War Budget Scrutiny

    There is much sentiment among Democrats to protect
    troops and fear about being portrayed as unsympathetic
    to men and women in uniform. These factors probably would
    overwhelm any efforts by anti-war Democrats to use the
    debate over the Iraq money to take on Bush's conduct of the war.

    "Although the Democrats are very uncomfortable with
    the way the Iraq policy is being executed, they are at pains
    not to appear that they are shortchanging troops in the field,"
    said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington
    Institute, a Washington-area think tank.

    "This is their opportunity to show that they, too, are pro-
    defense," Thompson said.

    Democrats are promising to give the upcoming request
    greater scrutiny than Republicans did when considering
    Bush's previous requests.

    "It won't just be a rubber stamp on what they give us," said
    Kirstin Brost, spokeswoman for the incoming chairman
    of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.

    Deteriorating Security, Harsh Conditions Increase Costs

    There is increasing concern about the cost of the war and
    the fact that Iraq spending is kept on a set of ledgers separate
    from the rest of government operations.

    It is possible that the recommendations of the Iraq Study
    Group could affect the spending request.

    Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Congress has approved
    about $500 billion for Iraq, Afghanistan and other terrorism-
    fighting efforts.

    The Vietnam War cost an inflation-adjusted $121 billion
    at its height in 1968, according to the Congressional Research
    Service. The overall tally for Vietnam is $663 billion, adjusted
    for inflation, while Iraq so far come to about $350 billion.

    The cost of the war has risen dramatically as the security
    situation has deteriorated and more equipment is destroyed
    or worn out in harsh conditions.

    Broad-Ranging "War" Projects

    The Pentagon increasingly is using war spending bills for
    costs not directly related to Iraq and Afghanistan. Last month,
    Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said the four military
    services could add projects connected to the broader fight
    against terrorism, which critics said could be interpreted
    to cover almost anything.

    "He was telling the services to put any damn thing they
    wanted into the supplemental," said Winslow Wheeler of the
    Center for Defense Information, a think tank policy group,
    in Washington. Such costs include buying cargo planes and
    restructuring Army outfits into smaller, more nimble fighting
    units.

    England's memo led to inflated requests that are now being
    "scrubbed" by higher-ups at the Pentagon. While that could
    lower the price for the February request, Wheeler said, the
    services are likely to try again in future bills.

    Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman had no comment
    on the upcoming request for money.

    Democrats have not been shy about adding money not
    sought by the president to war bills. Most notably, the Senate
    in August included $13 billion for Army and Marine Corps
    combat readiness in a Pentagon budget measure that had
    $70 billion in Iraq.

    Farm-state lawmakers such as Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.,
    may try to use the Iraq debate to push billions of dollars
    in agricultural disaster aid.

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    12) "Conservative" Radio Host Punks his listeners
    by Rock Strongo
    Fri Dec 01, 2006 at 11:14:28 PM EST
    http://www.dailykos .com/story/ 2006/12/1/ 225750/658

    Even though this story took place almost a week ago, I couldn't find
    a diary about it. if it is actually out there, please let me know
    and I will delete this.

    Rock Strongo's diary
    http://rock-strongo.dailykos.com/

    On Sunday afternoon, Washington, DC radio host Jerry Klein
    of WMAL was commenting on the Muslim Imams kicked off
    a flight. Klein suggested that all Muslims in the United States
    should be identified with a crescent-shape tattoo or a distinctive
    arm band, the phone lines jammed instantly.

    Among the callers:

    "Not only do you tattoo them in the middle of their forehead
    but you ship them out of this country ... they are here to kill us."

    and:

    Another said that tattoos, armbands and other identifying
    markers such as crescent marks on driver's licenses, passports
    and birth certificates did not go far enough. "What good
    is identifying them?" he asked. "You have to set up
    encampments like during World War Two with the
    Japanese and Germans."

    Finally a half hour into his show, Klien revealed the game:

    "I can't believe any of you are sick enough to have agreed
    for one second with anything I said. For me to suggest
    to tattoo marks on people's bodies, have them wear
    armbands, put a crescent moon on their driver's license
    on their passport or birth certificate is disgusting.
    It's beyond disgusting.

    Because basically what you just did was show me how
    the German people allowed what happened to the Jews
    to happen ... We need to separate them, we need to tattoo
    their arms, we need to make them wear the yellow
    Star of David, we need to put them in concentration
    camps, we basically just need to kill them all because
    they are dangerous."

    This story actually led off the 11pm news on the
    Washington DC CBS affiliate WUSA the night it happened.

    They have the video here:
    Radio Spoof Draws Support From Muslim Activists
    http://www.wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=53930

    A Reuters story came out today that refered to the hoax:

    In U.S., fear and distrust of Muslims runs deep
    By Bernd Debusmann, Special Correspondent Fri Dec 1, 9:05 AM ET
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061201/lf_nm/usa_muslims_fear_dc_1

    Both stories were used in this diary.

    But there was no other reporting on this from what I can tell.
    Even though it was quite an eye opener on how some view
    muslims in this country.

    One other note, WMAL is the talk radio station that had
    a controversy last year when one of their show hosts linked
    Islam and terorism. That host, Michael Graham was offered
    the opportunity to apologize by management, and when
    he refused he was fired.

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    13) Full text of speech by Army General Raúl Castro
    Speech by the Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party,
    First Vice-President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Minister
    of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army General, Raúl Castro Ruz,
    at the Political Ceremony, Military Review and March of the Combatant
    People in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Landing
    of the Granma Yacht and the Day of the Revolutionary Armed Forces,
    and in Celebration of the 80th Birthday of the Commander-in-Chief,
    Fidel Castro Ruz, Given on December 2nd, 2006,
    "Year of the Energy Revolution in Cuba"
    2006-12-02 | 09:26:52 EST
    http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba/2006-12-02/full-text-of-speech-by-army-general-raul-castro/

    Comrades:

    Past, present and future combatants:

    We welcome good friends of the Cuban Revolution who have
    offered their essential support and solidarity over these last
    50 years of prolonged battle for sovereignty and freedom.
    Among them I would like to mention the Guayasamín Foundation
    and the relatives of this great Ecuadorian friend and painter,
    who conceived this noble gesture of paying homage to comrade
    Fidel on his 80th birthday, an occasion which has brought
    to Havana Heads of State or Government, as well as other
    dignitaries and senior personalities from the political and
    cultural scenes of various countries. On behalf of our people
    we thank them for honoring us with their presence at this forum.

    Another reason why we are gathered here today is to celebrate
    the anniversary of a momentous event in our history. We are
    here to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landing
    of the Granma yacht on December 2, 1956, a date which
    marks the birth of the Rebel Army and of its true successors:
    the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

    It is to the combatant people, heroic protagonist and legitimate
    pillar of the Armed Forces, and to their founder and Commander-
    in-Chief that this Military Parade is dedicated. This is divided
    into sections representing the beautiful history of 138 years
    of struggle by the Cuban people for their final independence.
    Firstly, the Liberation Army that fought the colonial yoke, then
    the rebel army against neo-colonial tyranny followed by the
    Revolutionary Armed Forces that defend the Homeland,
    the Revolution and Socialism; One army of the people
    in three different stages of history.

    This is a perfect time to reaffirm the full validity of the words
    spoken by comrade Fidel in his Central Report to the First
    Congress of the Communist Party, 31 years ago, as he said:

    "The Rebel Army was the soul of the Revolution. Its victorious
    arms opened the way for a new free, beautiful, striving
    and invincible new homeland. Its soldiers vindicated the
    blood generously shed in all the struggles for independence
    and with their own blood laid the foundations of Cuba’s
    socialist present. They gave to the people the weapons
    wrested from the oppressor in an epic struggle, and merged
    with the people to become forever onward the armed people”.

    When “...there was not yet (...) the Party which would emerge
    later on, the Army was the factor of cohesion and unity
    of the entire people and the same that guaranteed power
    for the working people and the existence of the Revolution ...”

    And “... upon the foundation of our Party, the vanguard
    of our working class, the symbol and synthesis of the ideals,
    aspirations and history of the Cuban Revolution from the
    glorious days of La Demajagua until now, and follower
    of the work of Marti's Revolutionary Party and of the
    courageous founders of the first Marxist-Leninist party
    of Cuba, our army, heir to the heroism and patriotic honor
    of the Liberation Army, that has victoriously carried on its
    struggles, placed in the hands of the Party the banners
    of the Revolution and has ever since and forever been its
    most loyal, disciplined, humble and staunch follower”.
    This is what Fidel said.

    Also, in the context of the 50th anniversary of the
    Revolutionary Armed Forces (the FAR), it is fitting to ratify
    the monolithic unity between the People, the Army and
    the Party; this unity has been deeply rooted over the years
    following the triumph of the Revolution on January 1st, 1959;
    this unity is our main strategic weapon, which has made
    it possible for this small island to resist and overcome so
    many aggressions from imperialism and its allies; this
    unity provides a basis for the internationalist work of the
    Cuban people and is the reason for the heroic deeds
    of its children in other countries around the world,
    following Marti's maxim that "Homeland is Humanity".

    We are experiencing an exceptional moment in history.
    Many thought that the demise of the socialist block and
    the collapse of the Soviet Union would spell the end for
    the international revolutionary movement. Some even
    suggested that we abandon the ideals to which entire
    generations of Cubans had dedicated their lives, while
    over the last few years the US government, in the
    opportunistic manner characteristic of them, have
    stepped up their hostility and aggressiveness against
    Cuba to an unprecedented high, in the hope of economically
    suffocating the country and overthrowing the Revolution
    by intensifying their subversive acts. In this regard,
    the surprise and frustration of our enemies was great,
    and the admiration of the oppressed masses even greater,
    when they witnessed the perseverance, equanimity, maturity
    and self-confidence that our people have shown
    over these last four months.

    Despite the maneuvers and pressure of the United States
    and its allies, the prestige enjoyed by Cuba around the world
    has strengthened. An example of this was the 14th Non-Aligned
    Summit successfully held in our capital last September,
    and more recently the unprecedented support given in the
    United Nations General Assembly to the resolution condemning
    the US blockade on our country.

    In Latin America, the application the neoliberal formula
    imposed by the United States and their European buddies
    has led the continent into the sad situation of being the
    region in the planet where the opulence of the oligarchy
    with close links to foreign capital is the most insulting
    and obnoxious when compared to the poverty, insalubrities
    and ignorance in which the majority of the population lives.
    Over recent years, the peoples of Latin America have been
    progressively expressing their feelings of indignation and
    repudiation towards the treacherous and submissive policies
    adopted by traditional governments and parties. Popular
    and revolutionary movements are getting stronger and
    despite Washington’s multimillion-dollar campaigns
    of disinformation, the blackmail and brazen interference,
    new and experienced leaders are assuming the leadership
    of their nations.

    The attempt by the United States to economically annex
    Latin America by way of the FTAA was thwarted while
    a project of integration known as the Bolivarian Alternative
    for the Americas, ALBA, is taking its place following a proposal
    by President and brother, Hugo Chávez, to benefit the
    dispossessed masses.

    Recent events in the international arena bear witness to the
    failure of the adventurous policies of the current US
    administration. On November 7, the people of that country
    showed in the ballot box their rejection of the strategic
    concept of pre-emptive war, the use of lies to justify military
    interventions, kidnappings and secret prisons, and the
    despicable legalization of torture in the so-called war
    on terrorism.

    Three years and seven months after President Bush euphorically
    and precipitately declared on board an aircraft carrier “mission
    accomplished” with regards to the war in Iraq, the bodies
    of young American soldiers killed in a war spurred by the
    desire to control the region’s energy resources continue
    to be sent back to the United States. Nobody dares anymore
    to predict when it will end. The US government is at a dead-end:
    on the one hand, it realizes that it cannot prolong occupation
    in Iraq, while on the other it admits that it doesn’t have the
    minimum conditions needed to pull out without damaging
    their interests. Meanwhile, the number of deaths and mutilations
    continues to mount among civilians subjected to an internecine
    war the result of the anarchy and chaos created by the US invasion.
    Some in the United States are now suggesting that they simply
    withdraw from the chaos that they themselves created.
    We don’t know what they will do in this case with the NATO,
    left high and dry by its American buddies in the conflict
    in Afghanistan, which is also becoming increasingly
    unmanageable and dangerous.

    In the eyes of the world, the so-called “crusade on terrorism”
    is unavoidably heading down the path to a humiliating defeat.
    The American people, just as in the case of Vietnam, will put
    an end to these unjust and criminal wars. We hope that the
    US authorities will learn that war is not the solution to the
    growing problems afflicting the planet; that proclaiming their
    right to irresponsibly attack “sixty or more dark corners”
    of the world, even when they are already stuck in two of them,
    makes their differences with other countries more complex
    and profound; that power based on intimidation and terror
    will never be anything more than a passing illusion and that
    the terrible consequences of this on the peoples of the world,
    including the American, are clear to see.

    We feel certain that the way to resolve the pressing conflicts
    afflicting mankind is not through war, but rather political
    solutions. We take this opportunity to once again state that
    we are willing to resolve at the negotiating table the longstanding
    dispute between the United States and Cuba, of course, provided
    they accept, as we have previously said, our condition
    as a country that will not tolerate any blemishes on its
    independence, and as long as said resolution is based
    on the principles of equality, reciprocity, non-interference
    and mutual respect.

    In the meantime, after almost half a century, we are willing
    to wait patiently until the moment when common sense
    prevails in the Washington power circles.

    Regardless of this, we shall continue to consolidate our nation’s
    military invulnerability based on the strategic concept of the War
    of All the People which we planned and began introducing
    25 years ago. This type of popular war, as repeatedly proven
    throughout modern history, is simply invincible.

    We will continue to improve the preparation and combative
    cohesion of the regular troops and their reserves, the Territorial
    Militia, the Production and Defense Brigades and other elements
    of the territorial defense corps, including all levels of the party,
    state and government structures. We will continue to prepare
    the Theatre of Military Operations while developing communications
    and the modernization of combat resources in order to improve
    combative skills and adapt them to their envisaged use
    in the event of an attack.

    We will also continue to strengthen the important work carried
    out on all fronts by the dedicated combatants of the Ministry
    of the Interior.

    We will preserve the freedom of the Cuban people and the
    independence and sovereignty of the Homeland at all costs.
    With the strength derived from hundreds of years of struggle
    and the patriotic energy characteristic of our people, so noble
    and heroic, let us raise our voices in harmony to proclaim:
    Long Live Fidel!
    Long Live Free Cuba

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    14) Police Shooting Reunites Circle of Common Loss
    By SARAH KERSHAW
    December 2, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/nyregion/02victims.html?hp&ex=1165122000&en=cf09d9b4869a4091&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    The bus from Miami rolled into the Port Authority station at 6:25 p.m. Thursday, 28 hours after Marie Rose Dorismond set out for New York City, alone on her grim pilgrimage.

    It was not the first time she had returned to the place she fled after
    her only son, Patrick M. Dorismond, was killed at age 26 by the police
    in 2000; she comes back every Feb. 28, on his birthday, and stays
    through March 16, the day he was shot in a scuffle with undercover
    detectives only a few blocks from the bus station. He is buried in Queens.

    This time, clutching a rolling suitcase and three sets of neatly
    pressed dress clothes on hangers, Mrs. Dorismond was returning
    for the funeral of Sean Bell, the 23-year-old bridegroom who died
    in Queens on Saturday in a storm of 50 police bullets.

    And in doing so, she returned to join again what amounts to an
    anguished club: the widening circle of unintended friends made
    up of the relatives of those killed by the police in the city’s streets.

    She was here to make herself available to the Bell family, people she
    had never met but who felt to her like instant sisters and brothers.
    And when she could not find a flight that would get her to New York
    on time, Mrs. Dorismond, 59, traveling alone for the first time,
    decided to take a Greyhound bus.

    “I don’t know what I would have done without them,” Mrs. Dorismond,
    a Haitian immigrant who came to New York at 18 to study nursing,
    said of the relatives of Amadou Diallo and others who died
    in encounters with the police. “Nobody can understand that
    pain but me, Mrs. Diallo and the others. When it was my turn,
    everybody came.”

    They had come and been there for her, rushing to her side to
    introduce themselves — at her son’s wake, at his funeral, at the
    protests on the streets. Amadou Diallo’s mother, Malcolm Ferguson’s
    mother, Nicholas Heyward Jr.’s father, Abner Louima himself.

    At Sean Bell’s wake yesterday, in a crowded church in Jamaica,
    Queens, Mrs. Dorismond was weeping in the second row of pews,
    only a few feet from the open coffin, when Amadou Diallo’s
    mother, Kadiatou, arrived. Mrs. Dorismond rushed to her friend,
    the two hugged for several minutes, and Mrs. Dorismond
    shouted: “Again? Again? Again?”

    As hundreds of people passed through the church to view
    the coffin, a crowd of protesters ebbed and flowed on the streets
    outside, swelling to about 500 people by the time the funeral was
    over and Mr. Bell’s coffin was carried out of the church at 8:30 p.m.
    Many held signs that said, “Justice for Sean Bell,” and demonstrators
    denounced police brutality over loudspeakers, but the event
    was largely peaceful.

    It was Mrs. Dorismond’s first such funeral since her son was killed,
    but others, like Nicholas Heyward, whose son was killed in 1994,
    could count off half a dozen.

    In addition to his son, 13-year-old Nicholas Heyward Jr., who
    was playing with a toy gun when he was killed by a housing
    officer in Brooklyn, recent victims of violent encounters with
    the police included Amadou Diallo, killed in a hail of 41 bullets
    in the Bronx; Malcolm Ferguson, a drug suspect whose death
    came only five days after officers were acquitted in Mr. Diallo’s
    death; Gidone Busch, a mentally ill man killed by the police
    in Brooklyn; Patrick Dorismond, killed by an undercover
    narcotics detective in Manhattan; and Sean Bell, killed
    in Queens when five undercover detectives opened
    fire on his car.

    In the days before Mr. Bell’s funeral, the anguished club’s
    grapevine was in full operation: Mrs. Dorismond heard, but
    was not positive, that Mrs. Diallo, whose son was killed
    in 1999, would come from Maryland.

    Mrs. Diallo, meanwhile, was in close contact with the mothers
    of Gidone Busch, whom she speaks to every month, and
    Timothy Stansbury Jr., an unarmed man killed in 2004,
    but neither was able to attend the Bell funeral.

    Mr. Heyward had said he was going and was pleased to hear
    that Mrs. Dorismond was coming. Juanita Young, whose son
    Malcolm Ferguson was killed in 2000, told Mr. Heyward, now
    a very close friend, that she really wanted to go, but he talked
    her out of it because she had just been released from the hospital.

    “I know what the families are going through right now,”
    Mr. Heyward had said before the funeral. “It’s really, really tough
    right now. Right now they are completely lost. Sometimes
    you may think they are all right, but they are completely lost.”

    Mrs. Dorismond recalled feeling exactly that way in the chaotic
    and surreal days after her son’s death, which a grand jury found
    to be unintentional and which resulted in no charges against
    the officer.

    There was also the overlaying public spectacle, with protests
    at her son’s funeral erupting in violence and dozens of people
    being arrested. There were marches, with the Rev. Al Sharpton
    by Mrs. Dorismond’s side, the constant glare of television
    cameras, a public battle between the Dorismonds and Mayor
    Rudolph W. Giuliani, and Mrs. Dorismond’s and Mrs. Diallo’s
    meeting with Gov. George E. Pataki.

    Two weeks after her son died, Mrs. Dorismond, a retired pediatric
    nurse, said she was looking out the window of her fourth-floor
    apartment in East Flatbush, where she had lived for 30 years,
    and saw a dead body on the building’s steps. Mrs. Dorismond
    and her husband, André, a well-known singer among Haitians
    whom fans called the “Haitian Frank Sinatra,” had already decided
    to move to Florida, where they were building a house.

    The body, appearing so soon after their son’s death, persuaded
    them to leave New York as quickly as possible, and they settled
    in the quiet town of Port St. Lucie with their daughter, Marie, 35,
    and one of Patrick Dorismond’s two daughters, Infinity, now 11.

    As she made her way from the bus terminal to a friend’s car
    on Thursday and rode to Brooklyn, where she is staying with
    a brother in East Flatbush, Mrs. Dorismond’s anger boiled up.
    With every passing police car, every sound of a siren, she fumed.

    “You might as well stay away,” Mrs. Dorismond said. “You
    cannot live with Satan. New York City is like a jungle place.”

    Mr. Dorismond’s other daughter, Destiny, 7, is living with
    her mother in New York. The city settled a civil lawsuit in the
    case and paid the family $2.25 million. Mrs. Dorismond said
    all the money was in a trust fund for her son’s daughters,
    who will be allowed access to what she estimated would
    grow to $10 million only after they turn 25.

    Mrs. Dorismond, who spent yesterday morning on Flatbush
    Avenue having her nails and hair done for the Sean Bell
    funeral, said that both of the girls talked about wanting
    to become police officers, “so they can find out what really
    happened.”

    Infinity seems especially focused on what happened to
    her father, writing songs that she sings aloud to him, asking
    her aunt and grandmother all kinds of questions.

    “I am young and I don’t know,” begins one of Infinity’s songs.
    “I’m going to be a police, I want to know how they killed you.”

    For a while, her aunt said, Infinity worried about what her
    father was wearing when he was buried.

    “Did my daddy have shoes on his feet when he was in the
    box?” she asked her aunt.

    “No shoes, I don’t think so,” Ms. Dorismond replied. “But
    he was buried in a cream suit.”

    Sean Bell was buried in a pinstriped suit, and yesterday
    Mrs. Dorismond and Mrs. Diallo spent four hours sitting
    next to each other, catching up — Mrs. Diallo is now the
    grandmother of triplets; Mrs. Dorismond has retired —
    and watching mourners file by the coffin.

    When Mr. Bell’s mother, Valerie, approached her son’s
    body, Mrs. Dorismond burst into tears and laid her head
    on Mrs. Diallo’s shoulder.

    A few minutes later Mrs. Dorismond and Mrs. Diallo walked
    over to the next pew, introduced themselves to Ms. Bell and
    said they were sorry. The three of them hugged, and Ms. Bell
    told the two other mothers she was sorry, too, for their losses.

    When they returned to their seats, Mrs. Diallo said, “She’s
    numb.”

    Mrs. Dorismond said, “I know.”

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    LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    Bridegroom’s Legacy Remembered at His Funeral
    By ALAN FEUER
    December 2, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/nyregion/02funeral.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

    After a Shooting, a Rapper Stages a Protest in Rhyme
    By KELEFA SANNEH
    December 2, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/02/nyregion/02papoose.html

    A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
    http://www.iacenter.org/poison-dust.htm

    Foe of Birth Control to Head US Family Planning Department
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1201-07.htm

    FOCUS | Widespread Corruption in Iraq Costs Taxpayers $4 Billion a Year
    The Iraqi government is in danger of being brought down by the
    wholesale smuggling of the nation's oil and other forms of corruption that
    together represent a "second insurgency", according to a senior US
    official. Stuart Bowen, who has been in charge of auditing Iraq's faltering
    reconstruction since 2004, said corruption had reached such levels that it
    threatened the survival of the state.
    http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/120206Z.shtml

    Would HRW Have Attacked Martin Luther King, Too?
    Palestinians Are Being Denied the Right of Non-Violent Resistance?
    By JONATHAN COOK
    in Nazareth
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.counterpunch.org/cook11302006.html


    An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists
    By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/science/30computecnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=d7d28d698786f28d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    California: Toddler’s Shooting Called Accident
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    The district attorney’s office in Los Angeles will not file charges
    against 11 police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a toddler
    during a gun battle with her father last year. The toddler,
    19-month-old Suzie Pena, was being used as a human shield
    by her father, District Attorney Steve Cooley said in a memorandum.
    Prosecutors found the SWAT officers were trying to defend themselves
    and others when they accidentally killed the child, Mr. Cooley said.
    The father, Jose Raul Pena, exchanged gunfire with the police during
    the hourslong July 2005 standoff before he was fatally shot. There
    were illegal drugs in his system and traces of cocaine in the toddler’s
    system, officials said.
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29brfs-TODDLER8217S_BRF.html

    Nurse and 7 Guards Are Charged in Teenager’s Death at Boot Camp
    By ANDY NEWMAN
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29boot.html

    Ruling Lets Women Share Rights Custody Fight
    By ADAM LIPTAK
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29mothers.html?ref=us

    Anger Spills Over in Atlanta at Killing of Aged Woman
    By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29atlanta.html?ref=us

    Friday, December 01, 2006
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2006

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    ENDORSE THE A.N.S.W.E.R. CALL TO ACTION
    March 17-18, 2007
    GLOBAL DAYS OF ACTION ON THE
    4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR!
    http://answer.pephost.org/site/Survey?SURVEY_ID=3400&ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&JServSessionIdr011=k7a3443r73.app8a

    http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_homepage

    Please circulate widely
    www.answercoalition.org

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    Rights activist held in Oaxaca prison
    Three students arrested and held incommunicado in Oaxaca
    http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2006/11/80142.html

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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Subject: Forward Far and Wide ! Police Attack against
    Activist Juanita Young
    Contact: New York October 22nd Coalition, 866 235 7814,
    oct22ny@yahoo.com
    Steve Yip: 917-868-6007
    Sally O'Brien 718-930-3625

    PRESS CONFERENCE:

    Defend Anti-Police Brutality Activist Juanita Young Against
    Escalating and Continuing Police Attacks

    Thursday, November 30, 2006
    10:00am
    Steps of City Hall, New York, NY

    Sponsors: The October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality,
    Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation and the
    Justice Committee of the National Congress for Puerto Rican Rights

    Speakers: Representatives of the Family of Juanita Young,
    the October 22nd Coalition, the Justice Committee, Council
    Member Charles Barron, Lynne Stewart, Djibril Toure of the
    Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Lourdes Hunter of Safe
    OUTside the System (Audre Lorde Project), and others

    * * *

    On Thursday, November 30th at 10:00am, attorneys, city
    council members, supporters and family members of Juanita
    Young will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall
    demanding an investigation of events leading to the brutality
    and arrest of the anti-police brutality activist and that she
    be immediately unshackled and released from handcuffs
    as she lies helpless in her hospital bed.

    On Sunday evening, November 26th, an ambulance was called
    for Juanita's daughter. Cops came to the apartment first when
    the ambulance arrived. Based on her previous bad experiences
    with the police, Juanita wouldn't let the cops in and told them
    to leave. The ambulance crew called for backup. Eight cops
    barreled into the apartment, and the sergeant started grabbing
    people. Juanta told them not to touch her daughter. The sergeant
    grabbed Juanita and threw her in a room, and as one of them
    tried to hold the door shut, others beat her. After she was able
    to run out of the room, all eight of them jumped on her at once,
    kicking her in the chest and back as they handcuffed her. Her
    daughter pled for them to stop, telling them that Juanita has
    asthma. Juanita was arrested and brought to the 43rd precinct.
    Because she was having difficulties breathing, she was brought
    to the emergency room at Jacobi Hospital, under police custody.
    Since then, she has been handcuffed to the bed, guarded by
    a cop at all hours, and not allowed phone calls, while suffering
    from severe asthma triggered by trauma, pain from brutal
    treatment, and the police that continually enter her rooom
    to harrass her. Family and friends have not been allowed
    in to see her, and her attorney was finally allowed access
    only after obtaining a "pass" from the 43rd precinct. Just
    after midnight this morning, she was shackled by the police
    on duty - alleggedly "protocol" for "flight risks," according
    to the a sergeant of the 49th precinct.

    Juanita Young is a major activist and public speaker in the
    fight to stop police brutality. She and her family have been
    targets of police harassment on several occasions, including
    an illegal eviction from her home executed by the NYPD.

    Her son Malcolm Ferguson was killed by NYPD in March 2000,
    a week after he was arrested for being part of a protest
    against the verdict in the Amadou Diallo case. She has
    been a key organizer of the October 22nd Coalition
    to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization
    of a Generation since 2000, for the Stolen Lives Project,
    and as a member of the Justice Committee of the National
    Congress for Puerto Rican Rights. She has stood with
    and supported many victims of police violence.

    ***

    Statement from Juanita Young, from her hospital bed
    (from November 28, 2006):

    This is not the first time the 43rd attacked me and my family.

    In March of 2001, during a rally for my son Malcolm Ferguson,
    the cops pushed me into the crowd, hoping to incite a riot.
    It was evident that they have no intentions of releasing the
    pressure they've put on me and my family based on all the
    attacks they have put us through. Being the mother of five
    children, my responsibility is to protect
    the four children I have left, and still cry
    out for justice for Malcolm.

    Due to the excessive force that they applied to my body,
    I'm now in the hospital in severe pain, handcuffed to the
    hospital bed until my hand is swollen. The cops are harassing
    me and still abusing me as I lay in my hospital bed in severe pain.

    Thank you for all your support. Your help is needed.

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    Dear Friends of Lynne Stewart,

    I am pleased to announce that Lynne Stewart and Michael Ratner have
    just accepted our invitation to tour the Bay Area. The confirmed
    dates are February 23-25, 2007. Lynne, accompanied by her husband
    Ralph Poynter, will stay on several more days for additional meetings.

    Our first tour planning meeting to begin work on the tour is set for:

    Saturday, December 2 at 10:30 AM
    Socialist Action Bookstore
    298 Valencia Street (14th and Valencia)
    San Francisco

    This will be a joint planning meeting of the tour co-sponsors and
    friends including:
    The Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
    The National Lawyers Guild, Bay Are Chapter
    The Middle East Children's Alliance
    The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
    KPFA

    Everyone is welcome!

    By agreement with Lynne and Michael, the tour proceeds are to be
    divided by the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee and the Mobilization
    to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. The basic themes of the tour will be defense
    of civil liberties and democratic rights. Jeff Mackler will join
    Lynne and Michaal to focus on Mumia's case and the associated issues.

    Michael is the President of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the
    organization that won the historic law suit in the U.S. Supreme
    Court, in regard to Guantanamo detainees, defending the right of
    habeas corpus. This victory was reversed by recent congressional
    legislation that essentially legitimized torture, while redefining
    it. Michael recently returned from Germany, where he and the Center
    for Constitutional Rights are central to the effort to bring
    President Bush and others in his administration to the German courts
    to face charges of war crimes.

    Lynne has informed us that federal prosecutors have filed an appeal
    of the 2-year jail sentence issued by Federal District Court Judge
    John Koeltl. The government, originally seeking to imprison Lynne for
    30 years, is seeking a much longer sentence than 2 years and has
    appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to get
    it. Lynne is also in the early stages of appealing her original 2003
    frame-up conviction on charges of aiding and abetting terrorism.

    The tour of Lynne and Michael was initiated by the Mobilization to
    Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee a long
    time ago. Unfortunately, the initial dates we confirmed, January
    26-28, 2007 had to be changed. The February 23-25 dates are now
    certain.

    We have taken the initial steps to block out some of the main tour highlights.

    1) With the help of Barbara Lubin and the Middle East Children's
    Alliance we are in the process of securing King Middle School
    (capacity 800) in Berkeley for the major East Bay meeting on Saturday
    night, February 24. KPFA will be a co-sponsor.

    2) The National Lawyers Guild will take central responsibility for
    the first large evening meeting in San Francisco on Friday, February
    23.

    3) The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center has secured a large hall in
    Palo Alto at the Unitarian Church for Sunday, 2-4 PM on February 25.

    We have a huge job ahead of us to make this tour a smashing success.
    The tour will include many other meetings, press conferences, special
    receptions, media interviews, campus and law school engagements and
    all the rest. To meet our highest expectations it must be the product
    of our collective efforts.

    Please don't miss this Saturday's first planning meeting.

    In solidarity,

    Jeff Mackler,
    West Coast Coordinator, Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    Co-Coordinator, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal

    O: 415-255-1080
    Cell: 510-387-7714
    H: 510-268-9429

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

    ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

    December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
    Victoria Theatre, Mission District
    2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

    ** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

    $5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
    $10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
    Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

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

    JROTC WILL GO "POTLUCK" CELEBRATION!
    CELEBRATE WITH BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
    THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006, 7 P.M.
    COMPANEROS DEL BARRIO (First floor, to the left and all the
    way back to the children's center.)
    474 VALENCIA STREET
    SAN FRANCISCO, NEAR 16TH STREET

    Bring some food to share and let's celebrate a tremendous victory
    in ridding our schools of JROTC. Let's put our heads together
    and brainstorm:

    --community involvement in alternative programs
    --continued counter-recruitment activity in the schools
    --repealing the No Child Left Behind Act up
    for reauthorization in Congress in 2007
    --other school, student, parent and community needs
    --organizing antiwar work in the schools and the community

    and any other ideas you have for future action. Any plans already
    under way?

    Everyone welcome--please circulate

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

    please circulate:

    Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
    From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
    Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
    Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
    To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

    From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

    Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
    Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

    On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
    be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
    by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

    As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
    Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
    that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
    to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
    30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
    information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
    hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
    of confidential sources.

    Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
    in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
    come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

    Thank you,

    Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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

    A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
    Join us in a campaign to expose and stop the use of these illegal weapons
    http://poisondust.org/

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

    Oaxaca under attack:
    APPO had planned a peaceful rally surrounding the city center where the
    police are, but a PRI provocation has led to tear gas and broader
    fighting initiated by the police.
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaxacastudyactiongroup/messages

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

    URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS.
    Call for action to save Iraq's Academics
    A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic
    liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative
    estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many
    hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country
    in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain,
    the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the
    US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences
    for the future of Iraq.
    http://www.brussellstribunal.org/

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

    Condi and George W. are A Love Story
    http://www.blackagendareport.com/

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

    TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
    www.bauaw.org
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    !VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ARTICLES IN FULL
    LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

    December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
    Victoria Theatre, Mission District
    2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

    ** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

    $5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
    $10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
    Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

    Films such as Century of the Self and The Corporation will
    be shown, complemented by new cutting-edge films about
    corporate power such as The Forest for the Trees, a documentary
    about the legal case of Judy Bari made by the daughter of Bari's
    attorney. The final program will be announced in November.

    Speakers on Saturday night will begin at 7:00 pm and offer
    further insight into the films, corporations, and the structure
    of our economy as a whole. In addition, there will be a festival
    after-party on the evening of Sunday, December 3 with
    refreshments and entertainment.

    CounterCorp is an anti-corporate nonprofit organization
    accepting no corporate donations. All of your donations
    go to exposing the truth about corporations and finding
    Alternatives to corporate ownership of our communities.
    If you would like to support us, please visit
    www.countercorp.org/countercorp-support.htm
    and click on "Donate Now." Every little bit helps. Thank you!

    Built in 1908 as a vaudeville house, the 500-seat Victoria
    Theatre is the oldest theater currently operation in San Francisco.
    We thought this would be a perfect setting to begin to dream
    beyond the memes of timed obsolescence and creative destruction
    that corporations have injected into our societies, to a time before
    the corporate agenda prevailed above all else. For directions
    and info, please visit www.victoriatheatre.org.

    VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Volunteering both before and/or during
    the festival will earn you a FREE PASS to all films and parties!
    Please contact volunteers@countercorp.org!

    www.countercorp.org -for more info!

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

    please circulate:

    Leonard Peltier Court Hearing December 7, 2006
    From: abeltranjurisdr @ aol.com
    Subject: Dec 7th Peltier argument Second Circuit, Manhattan
    Date: Nov 30, 2006 12:24 PM
    To: Leonard Peltier Supporters

    From: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    Subject: Court hearing on December 7, 2006

    Location: U.S. Court of Appeals 500 Pearl Street, 9th Floor,
    Ceremonial Courtroom, Manhattan.

    On December 7, 2006 at 10:00 a.m., Buffalo attorney Michael Kuzma will
    be arguing before a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals
    for the Second Circuit for the full release of all documents maintained
    by the Buffalo field office of the FBI relating to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS.

    As a result of this lawsuit, and a similar case brought against the FBI in
    Minnesota under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), we have learned
    that the *FBI actually possesses 142,579 pages* of material pertaining
    to Leonard Peltier and RESMURS. Although these documents are over
    30 years old, the Government continues to block release of this
    information on the basis that disclosure would, among other things,
    hamper the "war on transnational terrorism" and reveal the identities
    of confidential sources.

    Come out on December 7, 2006 to show your solidarity and support
    in our struggle to pry loose these secret FBI files and, in the process,
    come one step closer to liberating Leonard from federal prison!

    Thank you,

    Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
    http://www.leonardpeltier.net/

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

    Please forward widely:

    Join military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned
    community members taking public action!

    National Days of Action to:
    SUPPORT GI RESISTANCE & GI RIGHTS
    END WAR & EMPIRE

    RALLY & PROCESSION
    SAT DEC. 9, 1pm

    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    Featuring:
    Iraq War Resisters:
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    Jeff Paterson, Gulf War 1 Marine resister
    Also joining us will be members of IVAW and their cross-country bus!
    more TBA

    Plus:
    Performance and word by:
    Local High School Student activists with AWE Youth Action Team

    Also join us earlier for a

    PUBLIC FORUM 11am:
    GI Rights, GI Resistance and Ending the War
    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    In-depth stories and discussion with:
    Maxine Hong Kingston, author,poet and co-author of
    the new book, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace”
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    more TBA!

    It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of
    the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women GI’s who have
    in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding
    international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and
    occupation and stood up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure
    will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and
    repression, and help protect their civil liberties and human rights. We
    call for the following: 1) Support for War Objectors 2) Protect the
    Right to Conscientious Objection 3) Protect the Liberties & Human Rights of
    GI's 4) Sanctuary for War Objectors.

    Your participation in these days of action—and beyond-- is crucial to
    realizing these goals: together, we do have the power to end this war
    and prevent the next one. As the antiwar movement builds its support for
    these brave people and their important actions, we hope more will take a
    stand if we show them they won't be alone.

    Sponsored by: Courage to Resist, Watada Support Group (San Francisco),
    Veterans for Peace-Chapter 69, AWE Youth Action Team

    Days of Action Sponsored by (partial list):
    Iraq Veterans Against the War, War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada),
    Gold Star Families for Peace, and the Central Commitee for
    Conscientious Objectors

    Other Bay Area Events:

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    College of Marin, Student Center
    College Avenue, Kentfield, California, $5-10
    Iraq Combat Veteran, turned war resister, Darrell Anderson
    Plus segments of the new film “The Ground Truth"
    Sponsored by Courage to Resist; College of Marin, Students for Social
    Responsibility; and Marin Peace & Justice Coalition
    Info: green-girl@comcast.net 415-454-5470 http://www.mpjc.org
    Campus map: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/com/files/COM-MAP06.pdf

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    Buena Vista United Methodist Church
    2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
    7:30 Film, "The Ground Truth"
    8:30 Panel, Rev. Michael Yoshii moderator, with Bob Watada and Rosa
    Sakanishi

    Sat Dec 9, NOON - 4pm:
    San Jose
    Peace Vigil to Support Lt. Watada!
    Gather in front of MLK, Jr. Library
    150 E. San Fernando St.
    San Jose, CA
    Sponsors: South Bay Mobilization, UFPJ in San Jose

    For more info about the "National Days of Action to Support GI
    Resistance and GI Rights" and an updated list of participating events nationwide
    visit: http://www.CouragetoResist.org or contact: courage@riseup.net

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

    "Ode to Joy and Struggle"
    Event for Lynne Stewart and co-defendants
    Saturday, December 9th ,
    6:30 or 7:00 pm [I'm looking into that. -t.]
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    From: PatLevasseurP @ aol.com
    Subject: Govt. seeking authorization to appeal Lynne Stewart‚s
    sentence
    Govt. seeking authorization from Solicitor General to appeal
    Lynne Stewart's sentence (and that of her co-defendants)

    Hello All,

    I am writing to update you on that status of Lynne Stewart's
    case after her sentencing on October 16th. While we were all
    relieved that Lynne did not get 30 years, the Government has
    announced that it has gone to the Solicitor General of the
    United States Justice Department for authorization to appeal
    her sentence and that of her co-defendants. They are not
    challenging the bail pending appeal but state that they will
    only agree to one 30 day adjournment of the filing of the
    appeal because they want everyone serving their sentences
    as soon as possible. What does all this mean for Lynne?
    Lynne's attorneys are not surprised that the government wants
    to appeal her sentence. Although sentences are not usually
    appealed it does happen and case law in the 2nd Circuit
    which governs Lynne's case shows that although rare, when
    a sentence is appealed and the Circuit sends the case back
    for resentencing the result is a far longer sentence. We are
    hopeful that Judge Koeltl‚s meticulous sentencing decision
    will carry the day but we have no guarantees and must
    continue our vigilance in the face of this latest move
    by the government. Of course Lynne's attorneys
    will be filing the appeal of her conviction within the year.

    Remember to save the date and join us in an
    "Ode to Joy and Struggle
    December 9th 6:30 to ?

    The evening will be held at the beautifully renovated Judson
    Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
    (near Thompson St.) in the West Village, New York City.
    The event is mostly one of joy but of course the struggle
    continues. We will also be commemorating Mumia Abu Jamal's
    25 years behind bars and to that end we will hear from:

    Lynne Stewart - her case and current legal status

    Pam Africa
    Chair of International Concerned Family
    and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is currently
    determining whether Abu-Jamal will be granted a new trial
    or sent back to death row, which is the district attorney's
    preference. Speaking about this at our event is Pam Africa,
    who will be joining us after the annual rally in Philadelphia,
    which recognizes the day Mumia Abu Jamal was shot and framed.

    and

    Robert Meeropol
    Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children

    ABOUT ROBERT MEEROPOL

    Robert Meeropol is the founder and Executive Director of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC). For the last 30 years he
    has been an activist, writer and public speaker. He has
    successfully sued the federal government and through the
    RFC, has assisted hundreds of children whose parents also
    have been attacked for their social activism. Robert is also
    the author of AN EXECUTION IN THE FAMILY (now available
    in paperback from St. Martin's Press.) This political memoir
    chronicles Meeropol's journey from childhood victim of
    McCarthy-era repression; to 1960's militant activist; to politically
    engaged parent and law student; to founder and leader of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children. ODE TO JOY AND STRUGGLE

    Join Lynne Stewart and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee in

    THANKING YOU !

    for your support over these last 4+ years
    and uniting for the struggle ahead

    Saturday, December 9th , 7pm till .......
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    New York, NY

    Speakers:

    Lynne Stewart
    Pam Africa, International Concerned
    Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
    Robert Meeropol. Executive Director,
    Rosenberg Fund for Children

    Music by:

    Selah Eric Spruiell and The Fort Greene Project
    Urbano Sanchez, Latin Jazz
    Professor Louie and Fast Eddy
    Professor Irwin Corey and Randy Credico
    and MUCH more
    (comedy, Latin jazz, rap)

    Great Food & Drink provided

    Judson Memorial Church resides on the southern edge
    of Washington Square Park between Thompson
    and Sullivan Streets. Accessible by subway.

    Trains: A, C, E, F to West 4th; R to 8th St.; 1 to
    Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.

    Mobility Handicapped please enter through
    Thompson Street entrance.

    Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    350 Broadway, Suite 700
    New York, NY 10013
    212-625-9696
    www.lynnestewart.org

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

    Drums Across America for Peace
    December 16, 2006 simultaneously across
    the country at 11:00 to 11:30 A.M. PST
    For More Information contact:
    Marilyn Sjaastad
    541-344-8088
    Jade Screen Clinic

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

    UFPJ calls for march on DC Sat, Jan. 27, local
    actions on March 17
    www.unitedforpeace. org
    212-868-5545
    Please forward widely!
    Tell the New Congress:
    Act NOW to Bring the Troops Home!
    Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington ,
    D.C. , on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate
    action to end the war.
    On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate
    for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
    converge from all around the country in Washington , D.C. to send a
    strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The
    people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and
    we want the troops brought home now!
    Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
    people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
    Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who
    are prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure
    those who are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who
    remain tied to a failed policy.
    The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
    primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
    difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
    forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
    January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington ,
    DC , to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
    Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
    1) Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and
    help give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring
    for peace.
    2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
    websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
    January 27th.
    3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
    Click here to add your endorsement.
    4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
    to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
    where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
    coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
    transportation, housing, etc.
    5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
    You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
    for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
    the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
    decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling
    for local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will
    soon be issuing more information about the plans for the 4th
    anniversary.
    Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
    today.
    ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
    www.unitedforpeace. org | 212-868-5545
    To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace. org/email

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

    MARCH 17, 2007 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY
    OF THE WAR!
    DEMONSTRATIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.; LOS ANGELES;
    SAN FRANCISCO; SEATTLE; CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES AND
    TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE
    A.N.S.W.E.R. COALITION URGES EVERYONE IN THE ANTIWAR
    MOVEMENT TO COME TOGETHER IN UNITY AGAINST THE
    CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
    http://www.pephost. org/site/ PageServer? pagename= ANS_homepage

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

    May Day 2007
    National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers!
    Web: http://www.MayDay2007.net
    National Immigrant Solidarity Network
    No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
    webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    New York: (212)330-8172
    Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
    Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    My Name is Roland Sheppard
    This Is My ‘Blog’
    I am is a retired Business Representative of Painters District
    Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been a life long social activist
    and socialist. Roland Sheppard is a retired Business Representative
    of Painters District Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been
    a life long social activist and socialist.
    Prior to my being elected as a union official, I had worked
    for 31 years as a house painter and have been a lifelong socialist.
    I have led a unique life. In my retire age, I am interested in writing
    about my experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black
    Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social
    movements.
    I became especially interested in the environment when I was
    diagnosed with cancer due to my work environment. I learned
    how to write essays, when I first got a computer in order to put
    together all the medical legal arguments on my breakthrough
    workers’ compensation case in California, proving that my work
    environment as a painter had caused my cancer. After a five-year
    struggle, I won a $300,000 settlement on his case.
    The following essays are based upon my involvement in the
    struggle for freedom for all humanity. I hope the history
    of my life’s experiences will help future generations
    of Freedom Fighters.
    For this purpose, this website is dedicated.
    http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/Roland%27s%20Blog.html

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

    The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast
    Robin Hood in Reverse
    http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley11132006.html
    More Info:
    www.justiceforneworleans.org
    For a detailed report:
    Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast
    by Rita J. King, Special to CorpWatch
    August 15th, 2006
    http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14004

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

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

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

    Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney [and other cartoons) with
    words by K. Marx and F. Engels--absolutely wonderful!...bw]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oGIffyVVk&NR

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

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

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

    Homer Simpson Joins the Army
    Another morale-booster from Groening and company. [If you get
    a chance to see the whole thing, it's worth it...bw]
    http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/12/video-the-simpsons-salute-the-lazy-and
    -uneducated/

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

    A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
    Clara Jeffery (May/June 2006 Issue
    IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined.
    Today, they re worth $1.13 trillion more than the GDP of Canada.
    THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400.
    The median household income
    has also stagnated at around $44,000.
    AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential
    campaign, 72% gave to Bush.
    IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires,
    a 62% increase since 2002.
    IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps,
    a 49% increase since 2000.
    ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed.
    That's less than 1% of all estates
    http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_article.pl?url=http://www.motherjon
    es.com/news/exhibit/2006/05/perks_of_privilege.html

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

    Do You Want to Stop PREVENT War with Iran?

    Dear Friend,

    Every day, pundits and military experts debate on TV when, how and where
    war with Iran will occur. Can the nuclear program be destroyed? Will the
    Iranian government retaliate in Iraq or use the oil weapon? Will it take
    three or five days of bombing? Will the US bomb Iran with "tactical"
    nuclear weapons?

    Few discuss the human suffering that yet another war in the Middle East
    will bring about. Few discuss the thousands and thousands of innocent
    Iranian and American lives that will be lost. Few think ahead and ask
    themselves what war will do to the cause of democracy in Iran or to
    America's global standing.

    Some dismiss the entire discussion and choose to believe that war simply
    cannot happen. The US is overstretched, the task is too difficult, and
    the world is against it, they say.

    They are probably right, but these factors don't make war unlikely. They
    just make a successful war unlikely.

    At the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), we are not going to
    wait and see what happens.

    We are actively working to stop the war and we need your help!

    Working with a coalition of peace and security organizations in
    Washington DC, NIAC is adding a crucial dimension to this debate - the
    voice of the Iranian-American community.

    Through our US-Iran Media Resource Program
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/ , we help
    the media ask the right questions and bring attention to the human side
    of this issue.

    Through the LegWatch program

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/ ,

    we are building opposition to the war on Capitol Hill. We spell out the
    likely
    consequences of war and the concerns of the Iranian-American community
    on Hill panels

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    and in direct meetings with lawmakers. We recently helped more than a dozen
    Members of Congress - both Republican and Democrats - send a strong
    message against war to the White House

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    But more is needed, and we need your help!

    If you don't wish to see Iran turn into yet another Iraq, please make a
    contribution online or send in a check to:

    NIAC
    2801 M St NW
    Washington DC 20007

    Make the check out to NIAC and mark it "NO WAR."

    ALL donations are welcome, both big and small. And just so you know,
    your donations make a huge difference. Before you leave the office
    today, please make a contribution to stop the war.

    Sincerely,
    Trita Parsi
    President of NIAC

    U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)

    www.uslaboragainstwar.org
    http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/
    Email: info@uslaboragainstwar.org

    PMB 153
    1718 "M" Street, NW
    Washington, D.C. 20036
    Voicemail: 202/521-5265

    Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
    Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
    Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
    Virginia Rodino, Organizer
    Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff

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

    Enforce the Roadless Rule for National Forests
    Target: Michael Johanns, Secretary, USDA
    Sponsor: Earthjustice
    We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
    This past September, Earthjustice scored a huge victory for our roadless
    national forests when a federal district court ordered the reinstatement
    of the Roadless Rule.
    The Roadless Rule protects roadless forest areas from road-building
    and most logging. This is bad news for the timber, mining, and oil
    & gas industries ... And so they're putting pressure on their friends
    in the Bush Administration to challenge the victory.
    Roadless area logging tends to target irreplaceable old growth forests.
    Many of these majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
    By targeting old-growth, the timber companies are destroying
    natural treasures that cannot be replaced in our lifetime.
    The future of nearly 50 million acres of wild, national forests
    and grasslands hangs in the balance. Tell the secretary of the
    USDA, Michael Johanns, to protect our roadless areas by enforcing
    the Roadless Rule. The minute a road is cut through a forest, that
    forest is precluded from being considered a "wilderness area," and
    thus will not be covered by any of the Wilderness Area protections
    afforded by Congress.
    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/112283692?z00m=6687205&z00m=668720
    5<l=1162406255

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

    Mumia Abu-Jamal - Reply brief, U.S. Court of Appeals (Please Circulate)

    Dear Friends:

    On October 23, 2006, the Fourth-Step Reply Brief of Appellee and
    Cross-Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal was submitted to the U.S. Court
    of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn,
    U.S. Ct. of Appeals Nos. 01-9014, 02-9001.)

    Oral argument will likely be scheduled during the coming months.
    I will advise when a hearing date is set.

    The attached brief is of enormous consequence since it goes
    to the essence of our client's right to a fair trial, due process
    of law, and equal protection of the law, guaranteed by the Fifth,
    Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
    The issues include:

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process
    of law and a fair trial because of the prosecutor’s “appeal-after
    -appeal” argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the
    presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err
    on the side of guilt.

    Whether the prosecution’s exclusion of African Americans
    from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal’s right
    to due process and equal protection of the law,
    in contravention of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal
    protection of the law during a post-conviction hearing
    because of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo,
    who was overheard during the trial commenting that
    he was “going to help'em fry the nigger."

    That the federal court is hearing issues which concern
    Mr. Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial is a great milestone
    in this struggle for human rights. This is the first time
    that any court has made a ruling in nearly a quarter
    of a century that could lead to a new trial and freedom.
    Nevertheless, our client remains on Pennsylvania's death
    row and in great danger.

    Mr. Abu-Jamal, the "voice of the voiceless," is a powerful
    symbol in the international campaign against the death
    penalty and for political prisoners everywhere. The goal
    of Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and
    I is to see that the many wrongs which have occurred
    in this case are righted, and that at the conclusion
    of a new trial our client is freed.

    Your concern is appreciated

    With best wishes,

    Robert R. Bryan

    Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
    2088 Union Street, Suite 4
    San Francisco, California 94123

    Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal

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

    Antiwar Web Site Created by Troops
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    A small group of active-duty military members opposed to the war
    have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures
    of other service members. People can submit their name, rank and
    duty station if they support statements denouncing the American
    invasion. “Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price,”
    the Web site, appealforredress.org, says. “It is time for U.S. troops
    to come home.” The electronic grievances will be passed along
    to members of Congress, according to the Web site. Jonathan
    Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., who set up the Web
    site a month ago, said the group had collected 118 names and
    was trying to verify that they were legitimate service members.
    October 25, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/washington/25brfs-005.html

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

    Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Child Rape Photos
    Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-10-23 20:54. Evidence
    By Greg Mitchell, http://www.editorandpublisher.com
    http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14864

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

    Profound new assault on freedom of speech and assembly:
    Manhattan: New Rules for Parade Permits
    By AL BAKER
    After recent court rulings found the Police Department's
    parade regulations too vague, the department is moving
    to require parade permits for groups of 10 or more
    bicyclists or pedestrians who plan to travel more than
    two city blocks without complying with traffic laws.
    It is also pushing to require permits for groups of 30
    or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws.
    The new rules are expected to be unveiled in a public
    notice today. The department will discuss them at
    a hearing on Nov. 27. Norman Siegel, a lawyer whose
    clients include bicyclists, said the new rules
    "raise serious civil liberties issues."
    October 18, 2006
    http://www.nytimes. com/2006/ 10/18/nyregion/ 18mbrfs-002. html

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

    Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America
    Jessica Murray
    Format: Paperback (6x9)
    ISBN 1425971253
    Price: $ 13.95
    About the Book
    Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but
    Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together to provide a perspective
    as extraordinary as the times we are living in. Using the principles
    of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation,
    this book invites us to look at the USA from the biggest possible
    picture: that of cosmic meaning. With a rare blend of compassion,
    humor and fearless taboo-busting, Soul-Sick Nation reveals
    America's noble potential without sentiment and diagnoses
    its neuroses without delusion, shedding new light on troubling
    issues that the pundits and culture wars inflame but leave
    painfully unresolved: the WTC bombings, the war in Iraq,
    Islamic jihad, media propaganda, consumerism and the
    American Dream.
    In her interpretation of the birth chart of the entity born
    July 4, 1776, Murray offers an in-depth analysis of America's
    essential destiny--uncovering , chapter by chapter, the greater
    purpose motivating this group soul. She shows how this
    purpose has been distorted, and how it can be re-embraced
    in the decades to come. She decodes current astrological
    transits that express the key themes the USA must learn
    in this period of millennial crisis—including that of the
    responsibility of power—spelling out the profound lessons
    the nation will face in the next few years.
    Combining the rigor of a political theorist with the vision
    of a master astrologer, this keenly intelligent book elucidates
    the meaning of an epoch in distress, and proposes a path
    towards healing—of the country and of its individual citizens.
    Murray explains how each of us can come to terms with this
    moment in history and arrive at a response that is unique
    and creative. This book will leave you revitalized, shorn
    of illusions and full of hope.
    About the Author
    "Jessica Murray's Soul-Sick Nation raises the symbol-system
    of astrology to the level of a finely-honed tool for the critical
    work of social insight and commentary. Her unflinching,
    in-depth analysis answers a crying need of our time. Murray's
    application of laser beam-lucid common sense analysis
    to the mire of illusions we've sunken into as a nation is
    a courageous step in the right direction... Just breathtaking! "
    --Raye Robertson, author of Culture, Media and the Collective Mind
    " Jessica Murray,..a choice-centered, psychospiritually- oriented
    astrologer.. . has quietly made a real difference in the lives of her
    clients, one at a time. In "Soul Sick Nation," she applies exactly those
    same skills to understanding America as a whole. Starting from
    the premise that the United States is currently a troubled adolescent,
    she applies an unflinching gaze to reach an ultimately compassionate
    conclusion about how we can heal ourselves and grow up."
    - Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky
    http://www.authorho use.com/BookStor e/ItemDetail~ bookid~41780. aspx

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

    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
    and its people?
    Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?
    Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
    Palestinian refugees?
    Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
    http://al-awda. org/shop. html
    and help support a great organization and cause!!
    Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
    and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
    on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
    analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
    (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
    and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
    You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
    pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.
    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Visit http://al-awda. org/shop. html for these great items, and more!
    The Educational Supplies Division
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
    PO Box 131352
    Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
    Tel: 760-685-3243
    Fax: 360-933-3568
    E-mail: info@al-awda. org
    WWW: http://al-awda. org
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
    based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
    grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
    education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
    homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
    and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
    of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
    Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
    is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
    organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
    United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
    to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.

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

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

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

    QUOTE OF THE DAY:

    In an interview in March 1995 entitled, "Jesse Helms: Setting the
    Record Straight" that appeared in the Middle East Quarterly, Helms
    said, "I have long believed that if the United States is going to give
    money to Israel, it should be paid out of the Department of Defense
    budget. My question is this: If Israel did not exist, what would
    U.S. defense costs in the Middle East be? Israel is at least the
    equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without
    Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would
    be badly off indeed."
    (Jesse Helms was the senior senator from North Carolina and the
    chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.)
    http://www.meforum. org/article/ 244

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

    TWO AMICUS BRIEFS FILED FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL WITH
    THE 3RD CIRCUIT FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IN JULY 2006

    These pdf files can be found on Michael Schiffmann's web site at:

    http://againstthecr imeofsilence. de/english/ copy_of_mumia/ legalarchive/

    The first brief is from the National Lawyers Guild.
    The second brief is from the NAACP Legal Defense
    and Educational Fund, Inc.

    Howard Keylor
    For the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
    www.laboractionmumi a.org.

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

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

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

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

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

    and:

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

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

    In solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein

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

    Endorse the following petition:
    Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
    Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
    Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
    http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 664280276?
    z00m=99090&z00m= 99090<l= 1155834550

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

    END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
    Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
    Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
    Personalize the message text on the right with
    your own words, if you wish.
    Click the Next Step button to send your letter
    to these decision makers:
    President George W. Bush
    Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
    Your Senators
    Your Representative
    Go here to register your outrage:
    https://secure2. convio.net/ pep/site/ Advocacy?
    JServSessionIdr003= cga2p2o6x1. app2a&cmd= display&page= UserAction& id=177

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

    Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
    ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
    its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
    DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
    clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
    to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
    for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
    us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
    Status! Checks can me made out to
    ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
    or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
    provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
    groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
    of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
    http://mysite. verizon.net/ vzeo9ewi/ idrissstelleyfou ndation/
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/isf23/
    Report Police Brutality
    24HR Bilingual hotline
    (415) 595-8251
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Justice4As a/

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

    Appeal for funds:
    Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
    Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailir aq.com
    Request for Support
    Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
    independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
    enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
    per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
    Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
    cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
    A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
    regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
    which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
    With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
    your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
    readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
    All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
    operating expenses.
    (c)2006 Dahr Jamail.

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

    Legal update on Mumia Abu-Jamal's case
    Excerpts from a letter written by Robert R. Bryan, the lead attorney
    for death row political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal.
    ...On July 20, 2006, we filed the Brief of Appellee and Cross
    Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, in the U.S. Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.
    http://www.workers. org/2006/ us/mumia- 0810/

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

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact:  Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace
                    nickmottern@earthlink.net

    Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in
    endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and
    Mechanisms for Accountability."
     
    The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October.

    "This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an
    invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the
    evidence and an astute examination of international law.
    - Howard Zinn. 

    The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the
    consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen
    Parker, JD, is available for free download at 
    http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf

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

    Today in Palestine!
    For up to date information on Israeli's brutal attack on
    human rights and freedom in Palestine and Lebanon go to:
    http://www.theheadl ines.org

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

    Oklahoma U's First African-American Speaker

    Dear Representative Johnson:

    Congratulations on your bill for creating an
    African-American Centennial Plaza near the
    Capitol.

    I have a suggestion for including an important
    moment in Oklahoma African-American
    history in the displays.

    The first African-American speaker at the
    University of Oklahoma was Paul Boutelle,
    in 1967.

    He is still alive but has changed his name
    to Kwame Somburu. I believe it would be
    very appropriate also to invite Mr. Somburu
    to attend the dedication ceremony for
    this plaza. I correspond with him by email.

    Here is a 1967 Sooner magazine article about his appearance:

    http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p25-27_1967v40n2_OCR.pdf

    Sincerely,

    Mike Wright
    Norman
    329-6688

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

    Interesting web site with many flash films. The site is managed
    by veteran James Starowicz, USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country
    '70-'71 Member: Veterans For Peace as well as other Veterans
    and Pro-Peace Groups. Also Activist in other Area's, Questioning
    Policies that only Benefit the Few, supporting Policies that Benefit
    the Many and Move Us Forward as a Better Nation and World!
    Politics: Registered Independent
    http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/

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

    Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone has a new Internet
    address: http://www.takingaimradio.com

    THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
    BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
    Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
    and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
    The full text of the book can be found for free at the
    new Taking Aim web address:
    http://www.takingaimradio.com

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

    JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE - THE CASE IS NOT OVER!
    For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
    www.lynnestewart. org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
    cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
    for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
    of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
    lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
    all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
    representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
    of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
    familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
    www.lynnestewart. org

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

    Visit the Traprock Peace Center Video Archive at:
    http://www.youtube.com/TraprockPeaceTV
    Visit the Traprock Peace Center
    Deerfield, MA
    http://www.traprockpeace.org/

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

    NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
    Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
    Who are the Cuban Five?
    The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
    four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
    convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
    They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
    Fernando González and René González.
    The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
    espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
    charges.
    But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
    involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
    in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
    The Five's actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
    They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
    weapons while in the United States.
    The Cuban Five's mission was to stop terrorism
    For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
    in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
    Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
    of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
    have died as a result of these terrorists' attacks.

    Gerardo Hernández, 2 Life Sentences
    Antonio Guerrero, Life Sentence
    Ramon Labañino, Life Sentence
    Fernando González, 19 Years
    René González, 15 Years

    Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
    http://www.freethef ive.org/

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

    Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
    A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
    and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
    developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
    elsewhere, the website is:
    www.mexico.indymedi a.org/oaxaca
    http://www.mexico. indymedia. org/oaxaca

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

    REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
    EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY. ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
    AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
    http://www.indybay. org

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

    Iraq Body Count
    For current totals, see our database page.
    http://www.iraqbody count.net/ press/pr13. php

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

    The Cost of War
    [Over three-hundred- billion so far...bw]
    http://nationalprio rities.org/ index.php? optionfiltered=com_
    wrapper&Itemid= 182

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

    "The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
    The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
    - Mort Sahl

    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -
    "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
    - Emilano Zapata
    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -

    Join the Campaign to
    Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
    Go to:
    http://www.shutitdo wn.org/
    to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
    Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
    A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
    Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
    http://www.ANSWERco alition.org http://www.actionsf .org
    sf@internationalans wer.org
    2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
    San Francisco: 415-821-6545

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

    Great Counter-Recruitment Website
    http://notyoursoldi er.org/article. php?list= type&type= 14

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

    DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
    CIVIL RIGHTS!

    Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
    Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
    on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
    condition from the Arizona desert.

    Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
    exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
    are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
    prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
    a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
    with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
    harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!

    Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
    and those who support them!

    For more information call 415-821- 9683.
    For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
    visit www.nomoredeaths. org.

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    FYI
    According to "Minimum Wage History" at
    http://oregonstate. edu/instruct/ anth484/minwage. html "

    "Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
    are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.

    "A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
    both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
    values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
    The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
    when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
    dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
    Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
    falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
    The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
    minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
    the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
    wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
    at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
    Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
    the state minimum wage at $4.35."

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    NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
    OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!

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    REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
    Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
    http://www.10reason sbook.com/
    Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
    Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
    http://www.ed. gov/policy/ elsec/leg/ esea02/index. html
    Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
    See this article from USA Today:
    Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
    By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
    February 13, 2006
    http://www.usatoday .com/news/ education/ 2006-02-13- education- panel_x.htm

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    The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
    http://www.law. indiana.edu/ uslawdocs/ declaration. html
    http://www.law. ou.edu/hist/ decind.html
    http://www.usconsti tution.net/ declar.html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805195. php

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    Bill of Rights
    http://www.law. cornell.edu/ constitution/ constitution. billofrights. html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805182. php

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    "The International"
    Lots of good information over at Wikipedia, as often the case:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale

    What I've always found fascinating is the wide variety of translations (or
    perhaps it would be better to call them "interpretations" or "variations")
    that exist, even in English. It's also fascinating to read all the different
    verses of the song.

    One thing I learned at Wikipedia is that the original intention was that the
    song would be sung to the tune of the Marseillaise, but that shortly
    thereafter different music was written. Good thing, in my opinion, I'd hate
    to see the identities of two stirring songs be confused. Each deserves their
    own place in history.

    Lyrics to the Marseillaise are here - pretty stirring in their own right. As
    with the Internationale, all sorts of unknown verses:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marseillaise

    Eli Stephens
    Left I on the News
    http://lefti.blogspot.com

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    ARTICLES IN FULL:
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    1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
    Bay Arera Reporter
    by Heather Cassell
    h.cassell@ebar.com
    Published November 30, 2006
    http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

    2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
    Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
    By JOE DeRAYMOND
    http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

    5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
    http://www.stopwaroniran.org

    6) That Our Children May Have Peace
    By Gregg Shotwell
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

    7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
    Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
    By Patrick J. McDonnell
    Times Staff Writer
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

    8) Business Becomes a Big Casualty
    Inter Press Service
    Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
    http://dahrjamailiraq.com

    9) THE ROAD FROM OAXACA
    [Col. Writ. 11/9/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

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    1) ANTI-JROTC STUDENT RECEIVES THREATS
    Bay Arera Reporter
    by Heather Cassell
    h.cassell@ebar.com
    Published November 30, 2006
    http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=1367

    Mara Kubrin, the student who was pictured in the Bay Area Reporter
    delivering a petition signed by more than 800 students in support of
    phasing out the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and told the
    Board of Education that many students were afraid to attend the meeting
    on November 14, began receiving e-mail threats directly to her private
    MySpace account three days later.

    The board voted 4-2 earlier this month to phase out the JROTC program
    in part because of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that
    prohibits gays from serving openly.

    Reportedly, students allegedly hacked into Kubrin's account posting her
    personal information on a bulletin board on the Web with photos and a
    disclaimer "by viewing this you agree to release said author from all
    damages resulting from any physical or mental damages resulting from
    violence as a result of this bulletin," according to Marc Norton, Kubrin's
    mother's partner, and her father David Kubrin. The bulletin also
    provided an easy link to post the information on other bulletin boards. Mara
    Kubrin reported the incident to the police, but after three follow-up
    phone calls to police the family hasn't received any information
    regarding the progress of the investigation into the alleged threats, David
    Kubrin told the B.A.R. Police didn't respond to a call from the B.A.R.
    seeking comment.

    Mara Kubrin brought the threats to the attention of Doug Bullard, the
    JROTC instructor at Lowell High School. "Mara came to me at the end of
    last week and showed me something that she had downloaded from her Web
    site," Bullard said, but admitted that he hadn't alerted Amy Hanson,
    principal of Lowell, nor had he informed Robert Powell, director of Army
    instruction for the San Francisco Unified School District, as of Monday,
    November 27.

    "I wasn't sure it was a threat. I was trying to find out where it came
    from and who might have sent something like that and I had asked
    students in my program about it and none of them know anything about it,"
    said Bullard, who said he assumed Mara Kubrin had taken it to school
    administrators.

    When the B.A.R. asked Powell about the situation he was surprised and
    stated that he would be shocked if any of the JROTC students were
    involved. He repeatedly denied that JROTC instructors could take any
    disciplinary actions to reprimand the students even within the program.

    "We would inform the principal, just like any other disciplinary action
    that occurs in high school. We don't have any authority to discipline
    any kid other than the high school rules and regulations," Powell said.

    Mark Sanchez, a commissioner on the school board who voted in favor of
    phasing out the JROTC program, also received a threatening e-mail that
    was forwarded to him by Commissioner Eric Mar. The e-mail message was
    forwarded to the board's legal counsel. Sanchez mentioned that incoming
    board member Jane Kim also received a harassing e-mail, but she was
    unavailable for comment at press time.

    Commissioner Dan Kelly, who voted to phase out JROTC and will be ending
    his 16-year tenure on the board in January, said about the incident, "I
    think that's very sad. The adults need to put the disappointment into
    perspective for the kids and not in a platform for their own anger,
    their own resentment, and that's hard to do. It's important for us adults
    to say when a decision has been made, 'OK, we disagreed with the
    decision, but now it's time to move on.'"

    It is unknown if any other students have been harassed or received
    threats. Mara Kubrin was unavailable for comment.

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    2) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 29 — Thirty thousand Ford Motor Company
    workers — nearly half of the automaker’s unionized work force —
    have agreed to leave their jobs in exchange for a buyout or a
    package of early retirement benefits, the company said this
    morning.

    All of the 75,000 Ford employees represented by the United
    Automobile Workers union were offered eight different deals
    worth as much as $140,000 in September, and had to decide
    by Monday whether to accept.

    In all, 38,000 U.A.W. workers at Ford have now agreed to take
    buyouts this year, including 8,000 who accepted packages offered
    at specific plants earlier in the year, before the company made
    the deals available to its entire hourly work force.

    The departures will leaves Ford with its smallest workforce
    in decades.

    Combined with almost 34,000 employees who took buyouts
    over the summer — reducing G.M.’s hourly payroll by about
    one-third — the Ford announcement brings tp 72,000 the number
    of workers at Detroit’s automakers who have voluntarily agreed
    to leave an industry that can no longer can guarantee them the
    high wages and job security enjoyed by their parents and
    grandparents.

    The “take rate” at Ford surpassed the expectations both of
    management and of Wall Street analysts, and will allow Ford
    to reduce its costs faster than called for in the company’s
    much-discussed overhaul plan, called the Way Forward. Ford
    said earlier in the year that it needed to eliminate 25,000 to
    30,000 jobs as it closes plants and sheds production capacity
    left idle as the company’s market share in the United States declines.

    Union leaders were apparently surprised by the high take rate
    as well: before the Monday deadline, news reports said they
    expected only about 15,000 workers to accept a buyout.

    Investors reacted positively, bidding up Ford’s stock price by
    about 20 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $8.35 a share in morning
    trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

    “While I know that, in many cases, decisions to leave the company
    were difficult for our employees, the acceptances received through
    this voluntary effort will help Ford to become more competitive,”
    Ford’s new chief executive, Alan Mulally, said in a statement.
    “We’d also like to thank the U.A.W. for working closely with us
    in developing packages that will help employees to move
    productively into a new phase of their lives. It is clear that
    we were successful in providing appropriate options; this,
    in turn, is helping the company to meet its cost objectives.”

    Ford said “just over half” of the workers who accepted
    buyouts chose a package that gives them a lump-sum
    payment, plus tuition reimbursement or scholarship money
    for family members, but absolved the company from having
    to pay them retirement benefits. Other packages included cash
    payouts of up to $35,000 and allowed workers to receive health
    insurance and other benefits as if they had retired in the usual
    manner.

    Workers will begin leaving Ford in January and must be gone
    by September.

    Ford lost $7 billion through the first nine months of this year,
    and has said it does not expect to earn a profit in North America
    until 2009 at the earliest. On Monday, Ford said it planned
    to mortgage most of its assets in the United States, along with
    its stock in Volvo and the Ford Motor Credit Company, in order t
    o raise $18 billion to finance its overhaul. Never before in its
    103-year history had Ford pledged major assets to raise money.

    The automaker has not said how much it expects the buyout
    program to cost. G.M. has pegged the price of its buyouts at
    $3.8 billion, or roughly $100,000 for each worker.

    Ford also intends to eliminate about 14,000 salaried positions
    through buyouts. Those workers still have time to decide whether
    to accept a package and leave.

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    3) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    BAGHDAD, Nov. 28 — American troops killed five girls, including
    at least one baby, and what the military described as either a boy
    or a man, when the troops attacked a house Tuesday in volatile
    Anbar Province after they suspected insurgents of firing at them
    from the roof.

    Another person, which the military described in a written statement
    as either a girl or a young woman, was wounded in the attack and
    refused treatment by the Americans.

    The military said the killings occurred after the Americans spotted
    two suspected insurgents before dawn near a roadside bomb
    in the town of Hamaniyah, west of Baghdad. The men fled
    to the roof of a nearby house. When the Americans began
    defusing the bomb, the suspected insurgents began shooting,
    the military said.

    The military said the Americans returned fire with machine guns
    and small arms and rounds from the main gun of one or more
    tanks. After the firefight, the Americans discovered the six dead
    Iraqis in the house.

    It was unclear what happened to the suspected insurgents, but
    the military said “it was reported” that one was wounded in the
    fight and carried away by other insurgents.

    “In a very tragic way, today reminds us that insurgents’ actions
    throughout Iraq are felt by all,” Lt. Col. Bryan Salas, a Marine
    spokesman, said in the statement. “Efforts are under way
    to coordinate and offer available assistance to surviving family
    members.”

    Anbar Province, a vast swath of desert and Euphrates River
    towns stretching from Baghdad to Iraq’s western border,
    is the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency, which is battling
    to drive out the Americans and unseat the majority Shiites
    from the Iraqi government.

    American troops in Anbar are fighting a holding action, unable
    to make any real headway against the insurgency while facing
    a mostly hostile civilian population. The pressures have already
    led to prominent incidents of civilian deaths — one unit
    of Marines is being investigated for whether it wrongfully
    killed 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year.

    In Baghdad, an Air Force spokesman, Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog,
    said the military was still recovering parts from an F-16 fighter
    jet that crashed near the capital on Monday. It was unclear
    whether the jet and its pilot had been attacked, he said. Using
    an aerial drone, the military had observed insurgents in the
    area of the crash site, the general said.

    The military said a marine died on Monday in Anbar from
    combat injuries.

    Violence continued to roil Iraq a day before a scheduled meeting
    between President Bush and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki
    in Amman, Jordan. At least 30 bodies were discovered in Baghdad,
    an Interior Ministry official said. Four people were killed
    and 40 wounded when two car bombs exploded behind
    the morgue at Yarmouk Hospital in western Baghdad. A barrage
    of mortar rounds in the Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliya
    hurt at least 20 people.

    At least 19 people were killed or found dead in Diyala Province,
    a police official said. In Kirkuk, at least one civilian was killed
    and 22 wounded when a suicide belt bomber exploded near
    a convoy carrying the governor of Tamim Province.

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    4) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
    Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
    By JOE DeRAYMOND
    November 29, 2006
    http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

    "When you own a big chunk of the bloody third world, dead babies just
    come with the scenery"
    - Chrissie Hynde, from "Middle of the Road", by The Pretenders

    In November of 2005, the United States used white phosphorus
    munitions against the people of Fallujah, Iraq. Jeff Englehart, a
    former marine who spent two days in Fallujah during the battle, said
    he heard the order go out over military communication that WP was to
    be dropped. Mr Englehart, now an outspoken critic of the war, says:
    "I heard the order to pay attention because they were going to use
    white phosphorus on Fallujah. In military jargon it's known as Willy
    Pete ... Phosphorus burns bodies, in fact it melts the flesh all the
    way down to the bone ... I saw the burned bodies of women and
    children." (as reported by Andrew Buncombe and Solomon Hughes: 15
    November 2005, The Independent)

    On November 3, 2006, on an off-ramp during rush hour in Chicago,
    Malachi Ritscher immolated himself. News reports have made much of
    the fact that his death had no immediate impact, since he was not
    identified for many days, and because the national news did not pick
    it up for several weeks. He is characterized as a troubled man. These
    are the words he left behind in his suicide note: "Here is the
    statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric
    war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass
    murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our
    country... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to
    say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am
    ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."

    In March of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of
    napalm against the people of Vietnam. Napalm is a burning gel that
    sticks to the skin, and made flame throwers and incendiary explosives
    a staple of the US arsenal against Vietnam. A Business Week article
    (February 10, 1969) termed the chemical "the fiery essence of all
    that is horrible about the war in Vietnam."

    On November 2, 1965, Norman Morrison immolated himself within sight
    of Robert McNamara's window at the Pentagon, to protest the war in
    Vietnam. Norman did not leave a suicide note. His friend John Roemer
    described his action as follows, "I don't know. I don't know. He
    fought the war more and more deeply. I mean, when are you one of the
    Germans?...You have to be mentally different to fly in the face of
    received wisdom in this country. He played it out in his mind, I
    think, in terms of being a moral witness", and, "In a society where
    it is normal for human beings to drop bombs on human targets, where
    it is normal to spend 50 percent of the individual's tax dollar on
    war, where it is normal...to have twelve times overkill capacity,
    Norman Morrison was not normal. He said, 'Let it stop' ".

    The Vietnamese canonized Norman Morrison. Streets were named after
    him, a postage stamp was printed with his image, poems were written
    in his memory. The most quoted, by To Huu, includes this stanza:

    McNamara!
    Where are you hiding? In the graveyard
    Of your five-cornered house
    Each corner a continent.
    You hide yourself
    From the flaming world
    As an ostrich hides its head in the
    burning sand.

    Norman was one of several people who chose to become a victim of the
    fire of the Vietnam War. Others include Vietnamese Buddhist monks,
    Quang Duc, June 1963, in Saigon; an unnamed monk in Phanthiet,
    August, 1963; Thich Nu Thanh Quang, in Hue, 1966. Each death
    galvanized opinion and resistance to the war within Vietnam. On March
    16, 1965, Alice Herz, an 82 year old pacifist, immolated herself on a
    Detroit street corner. She stated in her suicide note, that she was
    protesting "the use of high office by our President, L.B.J., in
    trying to wipe out small nations." And "I wanted to call attention to
    this problem by choosing the illuminating death of a Buddhist." A
    week after Norman Morrison's death, Roger LaPorte burned himself in
    protest in front of the United Nations in New York. In May of 1970,
    George Winne, Jr., burned himself in protest of the Vietnam War on
    the University of California campus in San Diego. (See Frances
    Farmer's Revenge.)

    Coverage of the sacrifice of Malachi Ritscher has been obsessively
    concerned with his sanity. The AP article on his death includes this
    conclusion, "Mental health experts say virtually no suicides occur
    without some kind of a diagnosable mental illness." Our government
    and its experts expect that rational citizens living rational United
    States lives understand that the burning of civilians is just part of
    the scenery, a necessary element of foreign policy. A person who
    actually takes responsibility for the purposes to which his/her tax
    monies are being devoted is by definition insane. It is a world
    turned upside down, in which torture, napalm and white phosphorus are
    "legal", and peaceful protest criminal. It is no mystery to me that
    there are human souls who cannot bear the light of truth, and choose
    to join the victims of our culture's madness.

    Joe DeRaymond lives in Freemansburg, PA. He can be reached at:
    jderaymond@rcn.com

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    5) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
    http://www.stopwaroniran.org
    Help build a movement to stop a war on Iran:
    Sign the Petition
    http://stopwaroniran.org/petition.shtml
    Donate
    http://stopwaroniran.org/donate.shtml
    Tell a Friend
    http://stopwaroniran.org/friend.shtml
    For updated news,see the Stop War on Iran
    http://stopwaroniran.blogspot.com/ blog

    The following resolution, opposing U.S. military action and threats
    against Iran, was passed unanimously by the San Francisco
    Labor Council.

    This is an important victory for antiwar activists in the labor
    movement. Let's keep the momentum going--We encourage
    you to work to get similar resolutions passed in your unions,
    Labor Councils, City Councils, churches, schools, student
    governments, clergy associations, tenant organizations,
    community groups, etc. Send us copies of the resolutions
    you pass--ALL these resolutions will be posted on Stop War
    on Iran web site. (Send them to resolutions @ stopwaroniran.org.)

    San Francisco Labor Council Resolution - Adopted by
    Unanimous Vote Nov. 27, 2006

    Resolution on Threat of Military Action Against Iran

    Whereas, no evidence has been offered that Iran possesses
    weapons of mass destruction, even after many inspections
    by the International Atomic Energy Agency; yet the Bush
    administration continues to threaten aggressive measures
    against Iran on the grounds that Iran may be developing
    nuclear weapons; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government seeks to impose U.N.
    sanctions on Iran for continuing to develop its uranium
    enrichment program, which Iran asserts is strictly for
    non-military production of nuclear energy. At least ten
    other nations enrich uranium in order to produce
    nuclear energy, and the US is not threatening to
    attack them; and

    Whereas, Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty
    and was the first state to call for a Nuclear-Free Zone
    in the Middle East; and

    Whereas, Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, as well
    as China, France, the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain --
    all have nuclear weapons, with the U.S. possessing
    a larger stockpile than of all the rest of the world
    combined; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government campaign against Iran's
    development of enriched uranium appears to be much
    like the misinformation campaign waged by the Bush
    administration before the war on Iraq to justify its
    unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq; now the
    Bush administration once again seeks to stoke unjustified
    fears to win public support for military action against Iran; and.

    Whereas, the U.S. government has dispatched a Navy carrier
    group to the Persian Gulf off Iran's western coast, as well
    as ships capable of mining harbors, for naval exercises that
    some observers believe could serve as the prelude to an
    attack or other military action, such as mining Iran’s
    harbors; and

    Whereas, published reports of intelligence recently
    gathered by U.S. Special Operations forces in Iran suggest
    that the U.S. has identified hundreds of targets in Iran,
    in preparation for a possible military attack on that country; and

    Whereas, the U.S. government has a long history of
    interference in the internal affairs of Iran, including the
    well-documented CIA-engineered 1953 overthrow of Iran's
    democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh,
    who nationalized Iran's oil; and the US role in installing
    and backing the brutal regime of the Shah of Iran;

    Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor
    Council, AFL-CIO, hereby declares its opposition to U.S.
    military action against Iran, and urges all organizations with
    which it is affiliated to demand that Congress take measures
    to prevent any such military assault, and rather, to promote
    diplomatic non-military solutions to any disputes with Iran; and

    Be it finally resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council
    join with other antiwar forces to organize mass popular
    opposition to any military assault on Iran, and to respond
    rapidly should such an assault occur.

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    6) That Our Children May Have Peace
    By Gregg Shotwell
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

    “In the progress of politics, as in the common occurrences of life,
    we are not only apt to forget the ground we have traveled over,
    but frequently neglect to gather up experience as we go.”
    —Tom Paine

    The bad news is, I have a long commute since I transferred back
    to GM from Delphi. The good news is, I’m working the road to rule.
    I drive slower than a mule with hot cargo and expired plates. Screw
    the oil companies. I get forty miles to the gallon. I relax like
    a poor man with a radio and nowhere to go. I lean like a lowrider
    whose vehicle is the destination. I pause in motion with an unlikely
    simile—a silo in a wind— knowing I’ve already arrived where I am.

    I treat the highway of American industry and commerce like a place
    of idleness and repose. This isn’t Zen, it’s revolt. My time is worth
    more than money to me because I can’t earn any more of it…
    I can only spend it wisely.

    I work in a warehouse which is a place where goods are stashed
    and money is made literally hand over fist. It’s all in the turn over.
    We produce nothing. We add no value. We receive the goods and
    we ship the goods and the mark up for the time between makes
    the loan sharks on Shake St. look like Saint Vincent DePaul. But the
    magnum of profit doesn’t halt the speed up. We can’t march fast
    enough for the General. There’s only one solution: shoot
    the drummer.

    Is it maximum profit or minimum conscience that drives our
    nation to compete for the lowest standard of living? Even children
    are sideswiped in the race to the bottom line. Schools are turned
    into sweatshops. Hospitals are managed like maquiladoras.
    Homelessness is mental health therapy. Prison is substance
    abuse treatment. Every program or agency whose purpose
    is to serve the public interest is underfunded, abused, and
    degraded. Our families suffer under the yoke of double wage
    earners without disposable income or time to spend with their
    children. Meanwhile Congress debates whether a minimum
    wage which snorkels the poverty line will ruffle the feathers
    and furs on Wall Street.

    The madness of the method isn’t just about money. The vultures
    already have all the money. They have plans for all the money you
    and I will ever make in our lifetime. They have plans for our pensions,
    our 401k’s, the money that falls through the hole in the doughnut
    they call prescription drug coverage for seniors. They have plans
    to profit off the deaths of our brothers and sisters in Iraq and
    Afghanistan. It’s not just about the money. It’s about control.

    When the debt comes due, when the dollar deflates, when property
    values tank, and the market collapses, what will the wealthiest
    of the wealthy do? Seize everything of value. Buy up the homes
    of workers for a dime on the dollar; snap up utilities at bargain
    basement prices; then jack up rents and rates in tandem. They’ll
    commandeer all the hard assets, the natural resources, the oil and
    the gold. Just thinking about it makes me drive slower.

    And the slower I go the more the knowledge of where I’ve been
    and where I’m going comes into focus. The more I listen to the
    radio spin circles around my vehicle, the more I notice what’s
    missing from our conversation about the common good, namely,
    the working class. There is no “middle class” and “lower class”
    in America. There are only workers who have decent jobs, and
    workers who don’t have decent jobs. Those who do hold decent
    jobs are only one catastrophic illness, one plant closing,
    or one indefinite layoff from destitution. The victims of capital’s
    creative destruction aren’t strangers. They are working-class
    Americans made destitute by a system that requires unemployment
    to hold down inflation.

    Lou Dobbs is wrong about the growing demise of the middle
    class in America. There is no middle class to demise. The mantle
    of middle class status presumes a degree of security and upward
    mobility which doesn’t exist. The notion of safety draped like
    the boss’s arm around one’s shoulder is based on the premise
    that hard work pays off and loyalty is rewarded. The middle class
    dream is as dead as the deer I see splattered on the highway
    everyday. There is no middle class for special workers. There
    is only a working class, and we—however special we may feel—
    all work in the same demoralized place, under the same relentless
    pressure to sacrifice our lives for the success of a godless
    corporation. Where will it end?

    Despite expectations to make a billion dollars in net profit,
    Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee demanded the union impose
    a two-tier wage and benefit cut in order to secure “new” work.
    Union members voted the double-cross down soundly. But union
    leaders pursued a vigorous campaign to promote the competitive
    ideal. On the second try the traitor’s deal was narrowly ratified.

    The soul of a union leader who pushes two tier is darker than
    the pupil of a well digger’s eye. Every union leader knows there’s
    no water at the bottom of that hole. Two tier is not just about
    money, it’s about control. Harley-Davidson’s extortion didn’t
    stop at the doorstep of the union hall. The state of Wisconsin
    agreed to provide help with infrastructure improvements, training
    costs, and even capital. The assault on workers is state sponsored.
    Health, education, and social programs get slashed while the
    corporate blitzkrieg on the working class is subsidized. Mussolini
    would be impressed, but Tom Paine would shoulder the musket
    of conviction: "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day,
    that my child may have peace."

    Two tier is not just about the money, it’s about who owns whose
    soul. The most effective way to break the spirit of the working
    class is to compromise our moral code by forcing a choice between
    fighting back or betraying what is most precious—our children.

    We stand at the crossroad knowing full well where both roads
    lead. One road to leads to dishonor and the other to the dignity
    of struggle. One road points to the hope and courage of collective
    action and the other to shame, despair, and isolation.

    After such knowledge, what forgiveness?

    Will reduced wages mean the work will be safer or more humane?
    Will reduced benefits mean more security? Or will it simply
    mean the collective power of workers will be harnessed to serve
    our masters’ driving passion—maximum profit for minimum wage.
    The corpos must think we are dumber than horses. The yoke never
    lightens, the hardship never wanes, and the hope for retirement
    in dignity fades like a dope smoker’s dream.

    Last year while Delphi was making headlines with threats and
    intimidation, Hastings Piston Ring, an auto supplier in northern
    Michigan, quietly and with the blessing of the Federal court,
    cut off pension and health care for retirees. Production of piston
    rings didn’t miss a beat and the profit kept pumping like
    a flathead eight on a straightaway.

    Two tier for new hires and a kick down the stairs for retirees.
    That’s the refrain. Verses in between change only the names
    not the scheme.

    Hastings Piston Ring, Harley-Davidson, and Delphi are not
    isolated cases. The degradation of the working class is chronic
    and contagious. We need collective action not more concessions.
    We need to try our souls in the temper of our times that our
    children may have peace.

    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006

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    7) Bolivia enacts broad land-reform bill
    Conservatives fear the leftist president is headed toward authoritarian rule.
    By Patrick J. McDonnell
    Times Staff Writer
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bolivia30nov30,1,5739880.story?coll=la-headlines-world&ctrack=1&cset=true

    LA PAZ, BOLIVIA — Allies of President Evo Morales on Wednesday
    celebrated the surprising passage of an ambitious agrarian reform
    bill, a cornerstone of Morales' provocative leftist agenda.

    "The time of the humble ones has arrived," declared Sen. Felix Rojas
    of Morales' Movement Toward Socialism party, known as MAS.
    "They will inherit the land." But passage of the bill, signed into law
    by an exuberant Morales near midnight Tuesday, also bared anew
    the deep divides in South America's poorest nation.

    Morales, a former leader of coca leaf cultivators, has presented
    himself during his first year in office as a champion of the country's
    impoverished indigenous masses, long beholden to an elite
    of European and mixed-race ancestry.

    Conservative forces fiercely opposed to Morales' socialist vision
    vowed to continue efforts to block what they view as Morales'
    proclivity toward authoritarian rule styled after Venezuelan
    President Hugo Chavez, Morales' political mentor.

    "If the government continues in this manner, it is the beginning
    of a dictatorship," said Fernando Messmer, opposition leader
    in the Chamber of Deputies.

    Incendiary political battles swirl around other Morales initiatives,
    notably his efforts to exert control over autonomy-minded
    provinces and his plan to dominate an assembly rewriting
    Bolivia's Constitution. A general strike is planned for several
    regions Friday to protest Morales' alleged power grab.

    The sweeping reform bill could result in the redistribution
    of 10,000 square miles of land. It was approved by the
    Senate after thousands of Indians marched on the capital,
    demanding 100 acres per family.

    "We are suffering from hunger and misery, and many of
    us must leave our homes for other countries," said Sofia
    Martinez, 30, a mother of three from the southeast who
    said she marched for several weeks to arrive at the capital.
    "We are joining this fight, with our blood if necessary, to
    recover our lands."

    The march on La Paz appeared to turn the tide in the
    contentious battle over the bill, which had been kept from
    passage by a walkout of conservative lawmakers in the Senate.

    The Morales-dominated lower house had approved the measure.

    With the Senate stalled, Morales threatened to put the
    law into effect via decree. But his party managed to
    convince several opposition senators to vote for the bill,
    ensuring its narrow passage.

    "This is the struggle of our ancestors, the struggle for
    power and land," Morales told a cheering midnight crowd
    at the presidential palace as he signed the bill into law.
    "The change is in our hands."

    The land decree comes more than six months after
    Morales nationalized Bolivia's fossil fuels sector,
    including the lucrative natural gas industry.

    The energy nationalization had overwhelming popular
    support in Bolivia but was strongly opposed
    by foreign investors.

    Land reform has been a pillar of Morales' "socialist
    revolution," though the government has sought to allay
    landowners' fears by saying only nonproductive properties
    would be seized. Determining whether lands are productive
    is likely to be a process fraught with controversy.

    Much of the land taken over is likely to come from the
    relatively wealthy eastern portion of Bolivia, including
    Santa Cruz province, where a potent autonomy movement
    is underway.

    patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

    Special correspondent Oscar Ordoñez in La Paz and Andrés
    D'Alessandro of The Times' Buenos Aires Bureau
    contributed to this report.

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    8) Business Becomes a Big Casualty
    Inter Press Service
    Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily
    http://dahrjamailiraq.com

    *BAGHDAD, Nov 29 (IPS) - "Iraq got the foreign investment rules long
    sought by U.S. corporations," Antonia Juhasz, a visiting scholar at the
    Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, and author of 'The Bush
    Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time' told IPS earlier.*

    Juhasz said the new laws, which were a part of the 100 'Bremer Orders'
    instituted by former U.S. administrator Paul Bremer when he headed the
    Coalition Provisional Authority during the first year of the occupation,
    provided a flood of benefits for U.S. companies.

    These included "100 percent repatriation of profits earned in Iraq by
    foreign companies; 100 percent foreign ownership of Iraqi businesses,
    including banks; privatisation of Iraq's state owned enterprises; 100
    percent immunity for U.S. contractors and soldiers from Iraq's laws; and
    'national treatment' which allowed for Iraqis to be all but excluded
    from the reconstruction for years while the U.S. government paid 50
    billion dollars to some 150 U.S. corporations for work in Iraq."

    What followed was "a U.S. corporate invasion of Iraq," Juhasz said.
    "Many companies had their sights set on privatisation in Iraq, also made
    possible by Bremer, which helps explain their interest in 'major
    overhauls' rather than getting the systems up and running."

    In contrast, there was much state support for businesses under the
    previous regime, which followed a socialist system under which the
    government allowed Iraqis to establish their own factories and
    workshops, and supported them in many ways.

    Businesses were granted low interest loans and permission to transfer
    foreign currency. They could get state-owned land to build on.
    Administrative laws facilitated enterprise, and so small industry
    business bloomed during the 1970s and 1980s.

    Major industries in Iraq for oil products, phosphates and cement, along
    with the military industry, were mostly state-run under the previous
    regime. Foreign companies were allowed, under state supervision, to
    build factories as Iraq moved towards increasing industrialisation.

    This growth was reversed during the 1990's under the U.S-backed UN
    economic sanctions. The sanctions crippled the Iraqi dinar and people's
    ability to purchase goods and services.

    The business situation worsened further during the U.S.-led invasion
    when most factories ceased to function. Many were bombed, and for other
    factories employees stayed at home. Following the invasion several were
    looted, and were never able to start again.

    Some private businesses held out, but eventually security problems, lack
    of electricity and fuel, a staggering inflation rate (70 percent) and
    lack of safe transportation led many of these too to close down.
    Unemployment now stands at more than 50 percent û but most people
    believe the real situation is far worse.

    Thousands of business and factory owners sold what they could and fled
    to neighbouring countries. Those who did not now wish they had.

    "I used to employ more than 30 workers in my plastic products factory,
    and business was good before the occupation," Abbas Ali told IPS in
    Baghdad. "It is impossible to work now, and I had to go back to my old
    job as school teacher. I was offered 200,000 dollars for the business,
    but now it is not worth anything. I blame myself for not selling it to
    flee, like some of my colleagues who live safely in Syria now."

    And still, there are steel, textile, and other factories that continue
    to produce what they can.

    Kais al-Nazzal built a set of steel factories about 60km west of Baghdad
    near Fallujah, and is fighting to keep them going. "We imported the best
    quality steel manufacturing equipment and spent millions of dollars on
    modern buildings to meet international standards," Kais al-Nazzal told IPS.

    "We have been able to work through the occupation period, but we must
    admit there are hardships under the recent domestic disturbances that
    are causing us considerable losses."

    Local studies have found 85 percent unemployment in the industry sector.
    Many of the 15 percent who remain employed are registered at a few state
    factories that pay their employees even if they produce nothing.

    "We are trying to do some work here, but the whole situation is not
    encouraging, so it seems that we will wait until a miracle takes place,"
    a manager at a state-owned cement factory on the outskirts of Baghdad
    told IPS.

    The business and economic morass Iraq finds itself in today is evident
    in the market places across the capital city.

    About 80 percent of domestically manufactured goods were distributed
    prior to the invasion and occupation through the Shorja market in the
    centre of Baghdad. The wholesale market is a bazaar along narrow roads
    where hundreds of small shop-owners display their merchandise.

    "There is no Iraqi brand any more," plastic products distributor Johar
    Aziz told IPS. "Iraqi products flourished during the quarter century
    before occupation, but now we only sell imported products of the lowest
    quality, and people have to buy them because there is no alternative."

    Other markets in Baghdad are suffering a similar crisis, like the
    Samarraii compound where tyres are sold, the Jamila market for fruits
    and vegetables, and the Sinaa market for computers.

    The main shopping centres like Saadoon Street and Rasheed Street, and
    the once upmarket Mansour area and the Karrada district are now like
    ghosts of what they once were.

    "We used to open our shops for at least 16 hours a day, but now we only
    open for a few hours because of the security threats," Duraid Abdullah,
    an electrical appliances shop owner in Karrada told IPS. "We are facing
    all kinds of threats starting from being abducted for money or sectarian
    reasons, as well as being evicted from our shops by gangs supported by
    government forces."

    A businessman who once owned a small textile factory that has gone
    bankrupt said he had not expected the coming in of a U.S. administration
    to be bad for business.

    "The picture of Japan after World War II dominated the minds of
    businessmen in Iraq after occupation," he said. "Most of us thought the
    American invasion of Iraq was bad for many things, but it must be good
    for business in general and industry in particular. We were terribly
    wrong. The Iraqi economy was meant to be destroyed for political reasons."

    (c)2006 Dahr Jamail

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    9) THE ROAD FROM OAXACA
    [Col. Writ. 11/9/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    Several weeks ago, a long, dusty trail of thousands winded their way
    from the southern city of Oaxaca, to the capital of Mexico City, some
    800 kilometers (or over 250 miles) to support democracy, and demand the
    removal of the governor, who got there through a stolen, and deeply
    corrupt election.

    The marchers, a motley crew of teachers, students, farmers, vendors, and
    the like, made their tortuous way over mountain and valleys, through
    slashing rains, blistering heat, and numbing cold, marching for 19 days,
    to take their complaints to the seat of government.

    The group, calling itself the Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca
    (or APPO, the Spanish acronym for Asemblea Popular del Pueblo de
    Oaxaca), has rocked Mexico with its strong, principled insistence that
    elections be truly fair and free of corruption, and that the will of the
    People be heard.

    I've actually been reading about the events in Oaxaca for several weeks,
    and every time I read about them, I thought of Americans, who quietly
    accepted the corrupt elections of 2000, and of 2004, like lambs being
    led to shishkabobs.

    For, the stolen elections of 2000 in Florida, and later 2004 in Ohio,
    have done unprecedented damage to the very notion of democracy, and
    shattered the faith of millions in the electoral process.

    The people of Oaxaca, braving not just the natural elements, but the
    political ones as well, indeed, the terrorism of the 'instruments of the
    state' (police and military violence), have proven by their march and
    protests that true democracy is deeply important to the people.

    The APPO, which has sparked resistance throughout Mexico City, and in
    other parts of the country, has created a political crisis in the
    nation, by its fervent demand for the removal of Oaxaca governor, Ulises
    Ruiz, and the restoration of democracy.

    The crisis arises from the fact that many of the country's political
    parties are doing their damnedest to silence, derail, or intimidate the
    people; for if they are successful (they fear) there will be two, three,
    a dozen Oaxacas all across the country.

    Oaxaca, although the poorest state in Mexico, and one with the largest
    indigenous population, is inspiring people far and beyond its southern
    Mexican borders.

    The Oaxaca resistance was born in repression, when Governor Ruiz ordered
    the police assault on the striking Oaxaca teachers' union in June. The
    teachers fought back, and within days, over 300,000 people gathered in a
    mass march to support the union. Out of that massive outpouring of
    support came the APPO, the Popular Assembly. The continuing crisis in
    Mexico may push social forces to join the radicalizing efforts of the
    APPO, or may open the door to the threatened terror of the 'instruments
    of the state.' To be frank, what began in repression may indeed end in
    more repression; but that will not, nor could truly be the end.

    That's because the forces that gave rise to APPO are still rumbling
    barely beneath the surface, ready to emerge in another state, where
    workers and the poor are struggling to resist the ravenous forces of
    globalism.

    When the poor are treated poorly, when workers are poorly paid, the
    conditions for resistance are already present.

    And while the temptation of the State to use its brutal 'instruments'
    may be strong, it's also very possible that it may spark more
    resistance, deeper and broader.

    Oaxaca is spreading like the wind, and the examples of popular and
    indigenous resistance from Mexico, like the APPO, and the Zapatistas,
    and various struggles from throughout Latin America, are spreading also.

    The people of Oaxaca should be supported, not just with words, but with
    similar organizing against flawed and corrupt elections, from folks all
    over the world.

    It should begin with the people of the U.S.

    Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

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    10) INB 12/1/06: Raids in Kentucky, Atlanta, NYC & NJ
    Immigration News Briefs
    Vol. 9, No. 41 - December 1, 2006

    1. More Kentucky Construction Raids
    2. Atlanta Airport Raid
    3. More Raids in NYC, NJ

    Immigration News Briefs is a weekly supplement to Weekly News Update on the
    Americas, published by Nicaragua Solidarity Network. Contact nicajg@panix.com for info.

    1. MORE KENTUCKY CONSTRUCTION RAIDS
    On Nov. 29, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents
    arrested 32 suspected undocumented workers--including one woman--
    in northern Kentucky. Thirteen of the workers were arrested at
    two parking lots near a construction site in Covington, Kentucky,
    just south of Cincinnati, Ohio. The other 19 were arrested in a
    parking lot at the Home Depot store in Florence, in Boone County,
    Kentucky, where they were waiting for transportation to the
    Covington construction site. ICE spokesperson Gail Montenegro
    said those arrested were taken to the Boone County jail. They
    were to appear in US District Court in Covington on Nov. 30.

    The immigrants had been contracted to do commercial drywall work
    for the Spectrum Interiors firm. Dugan and Meyers is the main
    contractor on the Covington construction site, where a $55
    million, 21-story condominium project--the "Ascent at Roebling's
    Bridge"--is being built. "Home Depot was a pickup location where
    they all got in a van and went to Covington," explained Tom
    Scheben of the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

    Scheben said the ICE agents are "not trying to pick up one or two
    here or there. They're trying to get large numbers and they're
    trying to get the people who are employing them." The arrests
    followed a coordinated investigation by ICE, the Internal Revenue
    Service's Criminal Investigation Division, the Department of
    Labor, and the US Marshals Service. ICE was also assisted in the
    investigation by the Florence, Covington and Lexington police
    departments, the Boone County Sheriff's Office, the Kenton County
    Sheriff's Office and Boone County Jail. [WCPO.com 11/29/06;
    Cincinnati Enquirer 11/30/06; Cincinnati Post 11/30/06; ICE News
    Release 11/29/06]

    Between May 9 and June 2, ICE arrested at least 89 people in the
    same area of northern Kentucky in a raid targeting immigrants
    employed by subcontractors for the Fischer Homes construction
    firm [see INB 5/14/06, 5/21/06, 6/18/06]. Five Fischer Homes
    supervisors were indicted on federal charges in connection with
    the arrests, but on Nov. 15 US District Court Judge David Bunning
    dismissed the charges because a key witness, subcontractor Nelson
    Trejo, could not be found. Trejo had said he would cooperate with
    federal prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence. Two other
    subcontractors who made similar deals are still facing charges.
    Fischer Homes as a corporation was not implicated or charged in
    the case. [WCPO.com 11/29/06; Cincinnati Enquirer 11/16/06]

    2. ATLANTA AIRPORT RAID
    On Nov. 29, ICE agents arrested six undocumented Mexican
    immigrants who worked installing drywall at the Hartsfield-
    Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. They worked
    for T.C. Drywall, Inc. of Alpharetta, according to ICE. The
    workers had security badges that gave them access to restricted
    areas of the airport, including the tarmac. None of the men was
    considered a security threat. They were arrested in Hartsfield's
    south terminal as they arrived for work in the morning. [Atlanta
    Journal-Constitution 11/29/06] The operation was conducted with
    the assistance of the Hartsfield Department of Aviation and the
    Atlanta Police Department and coordinated with the Department of
    Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration. [ICE
    News Release 11/29/06]

    3. MORE RAIDS IN NYC, NJ
    In a seven- or eight-month investigation ending Nov. 30, ICE
    agents joined with officers of the New York City Department of
    Probation in arresting 81 immigrants with prior criminal records
    in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The raids were part
    of "Operation Retract," an ongoing effort by ICE's New York
    office to arrest immigrants on probation for prior misdemeanor or
    felony convictions and place them in removal proceedings. Of the
    total number arrested, 45 were legal permanent residents and 36
    were out of status. All but nine of the arrested immigrants were
    from either Latin America (52) or the English-speaking Caribbean
    (20). They came from the Dominican Republic (28), Mexico (13),
    Jamaica (10), China (5), Trinidad (4), Colombia (4), Guyana (3),
    Ecuador (3), El Salvador (3), Korea (2), Antigua (1), Barbados
    (1), India (1), Grenada (1), Honduras (1) and the United Kingdom
    (1). ICE agents transported the immigrants to detention
    facilities where they will be held during removal proceedings.
    [ICE News Release 11/30/06]

    On Nov. 29, ICE arrested 45 immigrants in Brooklyn, Queens, the
    Bronx and Manhattan who according to ICE are "child predators and
    criminal alien sex offenders." The arrests were made under ICE's
    "Operation Predator" and were separate from those made under
    "Operation Retract," although the arrested immigrants were also
    on probation in New York City for prior misdemeanor or felony
    convictions. Those arrested were citizens of Bangladesh, Bosnia,
    Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana,
    Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico,
    Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Romania and Trinidad. [ICE News Release
    11/29/06]

    Another 137 people were arrested in New Jersey between Nov. 13
    and 18 in "Return to Sender" raids, which target people with
    prior removal orders. ICE said 54 of those arrested had been
    ordered removed by an immigration judge; the other 83 were simply
    without status. Only 17 of the 137 had criminal records. Those
    arrested came from 21 countries, including Poland, Mexico,
    Honduras, Guatemala, Pakistan, Egypt, India, Slovakia, Costa
    Rica, Albania, Macedonia and the United Kingdom. [Press of
    Atlantic City 11/21/06; ICE News Release 11/20/06]

    National Immigrant Solidarity Network
    No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
    webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    New York: (212)330-8172
    Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
    Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

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    LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES
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    Would HRW Have Attacked Martin Luther King, Too?
    Palestinians Are Being Denied the Right of Non-Violent Resistance?
    By JONATHAN COOK
    in Nazareth
    November 30, 2006
    http://www.counterpunch.org/cook11302006.html


    An Ancient Computer Surprises Scientists
    By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/science/30computecnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=d7d28d698786f28d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    California: Toddler’s Shooting Called Accident
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    The district attorney’s office in Los Angeles will not file charges
    against 11 police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a toddler
    during a gun battle with her father last year. The toddler,
    19-month-old Suzie Pena, was being used as a human shield
    by her father, District Attorney Steve Cooley said in a memorandum.
    Prosecutors found the SWAT officers were trying to defend themselves
    and others when they accidentally killed the child, Mr. Cooley said.
    The father, Jose Raul Pena, exchanged gunfire with the police during
    the hourslong July 2005 standoff before he was fatally shot. There
    were illegal drugs in his system and traces of cocaine in the toddler’s
    system, officials said.
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29brfs-TODDLER8217S_BRF.html

    Nurse and 7 Guards Are Charged in Teenager’s Death at Boot Camp
    By ANDY NEWMAN
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29boot.html

    Ruling Lets Women Share Rights Custody Fight
    By ADAM LIPTAK
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29mothers.html?ref=us

    Anger Spills Over in Atlanta at Killing of Aged Woman
    By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29atlanta.html?ref=us

    Wednesday, November 29, 2006
     

    BAUAW NEWSLETTER - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2006

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    This just in....and why we must unite to:
    STOP THE WARS! END U.S. OCCUPATIONS NOW!
    BRING ALL THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
    END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL IMMEDIATELY AND FOREVER!!
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    [By the way, I found this article buried at the bottom of the
    online "World" section of the Times...bw]

    U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    BAGHDAD, Nov. 28 — American troops killed five girls, including
    at least one baby, and what the military described as either a boy
    or a man, when the troops attacked a house Tuesday in volatile
    Anbar Province after they suspected insurgents of firing at them
    from the roof.

    Another person, which the military described in a written statement
    as either a girl or a young woman, was wounded in the attack and
    refused treatment by the Americans.

    The military said the killings occurred after the Americans spotted
    two suspected insurgents before dawn near a roadside bomb
    in the town of Hamaniyah, west of Baghdad. The men fled
    to the roof of a nearby house. When the Americans began
    defusing the bomb, the suspected insurgents began shooting,
    the military said.

    The military said the Americans returned fire with machine guns
    and small arms and rounds from the main gun of one or more
    tanks. After the firefight, the Americans discovered the six dead
    Iraqis in the house.

    It was unclear what happened to the suspected insurgents, but
    the military said “it was reported” that one was wounded in the
    fight and carried away by other insurgents.

    “In a very tragic way, today reminds us that insurgents’ actions
    throughout Iraq are felt by all,” Lt. Col. Bryan Salas, a Marine
    spokesman, said in the statement. “Efforts are under way
    to coordinate and offer available assistance to surviving family
    members.”

    Anbar Province, a vast swath of desert and Euphrates River
    towns stretching from Baghdad to Iraq’s western border,
    is the heartland of the Sunni Arab insurgency, which is battling
    to drive out the Americans and unseat the majority Shiites
    from the Iraqi government.

    American troops in Anbar are fighting a holding action, unable
    to make any real headway against the insurgency while facing
    a mostly hostile civilian population. The pressures have already
    led to prominent incidents of civilian deaths — one unit
    of Marines is being investigated for whether it wrongfully
    killed 24 unarmed civilians in the town of Haditha last year.

    In Baghdad, an Air Force spokesman, Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog,
    said the military was still recovering parts from an F-16 fighter
    jet that crashed near the capital on Monday. It was unclear
    whether the jet and its pilot had been attacked, he said. Using
    an aerial drone, the military had observed insurgents in the
    area of the crash site, the general said.

    The military said a marine died on Monday in Anbar from
    combat injuries.

    Violence continued to roil Iraq a day before a scheduled meeting
    between President Bush and Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki
    in Amman, Jordan. At least 30 bodies were discovered in Baghdad,
    an Interior Ministry official said. Four people were killed
    and 40 wounded when two car bombs exploded behind
    the morgue at Yarmouk Hospital in western Baghdad. A barrage
    of mortar rounds in the Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliya
    hurt at least 20 people.

    At least 19 people were killed or found dead in Diyala Province,
    a police official said. In Kirkuk, at least one civilian was killed
    and 22 wounded when a suicide belt bomber exploded near
    a convoy carrying the governor of Tamim Province.

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

    A NEW LOOK AT U.S. RADIOACTIVE WEAPONS
    Join us in a campaign to expose and stop the use of these illegal weapons
    http://poisondust.org/

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

    Oaxaca under attack:
    APPO had planned a peaceful rally surrounding the city center where the
    police are, but a PRI provocation has led to tear gas and broader
    fighting initiated by the police.
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaxacastudyactiongroup/messages

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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    URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS.
    Call for action to save Iraq's Academics
    A little known aspect of the tragedy engulfing Iraq is the systematic
    liquidation of the country's academics. Even according to conservative
    estimates, over 250 educators have been assassinated, and many
    hundreds more have disappeared. With thousands fleeing the country
    in fear for their lives, not only is Iraq undergoing a major brain drain,
    the secular middle class - which has refused to be co-opted by the
    US occupation - is being decimated, with far-reaching consequences
    for the future of Iraq.
    http://www.brussellstribunal.org/

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

    Condi and George W. are A Love Story
    http://www.blackagendareport.com/

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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    JROTC WILL GO "POTLUCK" CELEBRATION!
    CELEBRATE WITH BAY AREA UNITED AGAINST WAR
    THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2006, 7 P.M.
    COMPANEROS DEL BARRIO (First floor, to the left and all the
    way back to the children's center.)
    474 VALENCIA STREET
    SAN FRANCISCO, NEAR 16TH STREET

    Bring some food to share and let's celebrate a tremendous victory
    in ridding our schools of JROTC. Let's put our heads together
    and brainstorm:

    --community involvement in alternative programs
    --continued counter-recruitment activity in the schools
    --repealing the No Child Left Behind Act up
    for reauthorization in Congress in 2007
    --other school, student, parent and community needs
    --organizing antiwar work in the schools and the community

    and any other ideas you have for future action. Any plans already
    under way?

    Everyone welcome--please circulate

    The following is of utmost relevance at this time:

    Military recruitment abuses uncovered
    Eyewitness News Investigators Exclusive
    By Jim Hoffer
    November 2, 2006
    http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=investigators&id=4722401

    [Note the advertisement for the NYPD on the website. This is who
    is coming to our schools. This is who are teaching our
    students right now and for as long as JROTC is still there. The
    No Child Left Behind Act insures that these people have access
    to our schools on a regular basis or the schools will not receive
    federal aid. The No Child Left Behind Act comes up for
    reconsideration in Congress this year:

    [Fact Sheet: No Child Left Behind Act
    [Straight from the Whitehouse...bw]
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108.html

    [The reauthorization of No Child Left Behind comes up
    before Congress in 2007
    http://www.nea.org/esea/index.html ...bw]

    (New York- WABC, November 2, 2006) - These are tough times
    for the U.S. Military. With a bloody war in Iraq, finding new
    recruits isn't easy. But does that justify lying to recruit
    new soldiers?

    Last year, the Army fell short of its recruiting goals
    for the first time in years. While this year the Army
    is making its quota, it's how they're doing it that's
    being called into question because of what we
    found undercover.

    Mt. Vernon recruiter: "We're like we're not at war,
    war ended a long time ago."

    A recruiter tells our undercover student the war is over.

    Mt. Vernon Recruiter: "The news never said war, they're
    not lying now they never said war."

    It appears some Army recruiters are willing to say just
    about anything to reel-in a new soldier.

    Student: "Will I be going to war?"
    Recruiter: "I would say your chances would be slim to none ..."

    We sent students undercover to ten Army recruiting
    offices throughout the Tri-State area.

    Recruiter: "We almost welcome being shot at because
    it helps us identify where they are shooting from ..."

    Some recruiters were up front about the dangers
    of enlisting.

    Stamford recruiter: "Every job in the Army does include
    combat. Plain and simple."

    But nearly half of the recruiters who talked to our undercover
    students compared everyday risks here at home to being in Iraq.

    Elizabeth recruiter: "I like Subway sandwiches and salads.
    I watched the news yesterday, a guy got killed at Subway."

    Patchogue recruiter: "You have a 10-times greater chance
    of dying out here on the roads than you do dying in Iraq."

    Mt. Vernon recruiter: "I'd rather be hit by a car instead
    of getting hit by a bomb, what's the difference. Your not
    living, your dead. That sucker is gone it's a wrap."

    And with the end of the war no where in sight, the general
    in charge suggesting more troops might be needed, some
    recruiters told our students if they enlisted there was little
    chance they'd go to war.

    Student: "Aren't people still being shipped out?"
    New Jersey recruiter: "Naw, they bringing people back."
    Student: "Nobody is going out to Iraq anymore?"
    Recruiter: "Naw, we bringing people back."

    Yonkers recruiter: "As long as you don't choose a job
    in this area, you don't have to worry about going over there."

    Hoffer: "Chances are if you're signing up to the Army these
    days, you have a pretty good chance of going to Iraq, don't you?"
    Colonel Robert Manning/1st Recruiting Brigade: "I would
    not disagree with that ... we are an Army and a nation
    at war still."

    Colonel Manning is in charge of U.S. Army recruiting for
    the entire northeast. He agreed to take a look at our
    undercover video of his recruiters.

    Colonel Manning: "It's hard to believe some of things they
    are telling perspective applicants. ... I still believe that this
    is the exception more than the norm."

    Hoffer: "Well what are you saying then? That we just got wildly
    lucky to find recruiters more than half of the 10 we visited
    to be stretching the truth or even worse, lying?"

    Colonel Manning: "I've visited many stations myself and
    I know that we have many wonderful Americans serving
    in uniform as recruiters."

    Yet we found one recruiter who even claimed if you don't
    like the Army you could just quit.

    Yonkers recruiter: "It's called "failure to adapt" discharge.
    It's an entry level discharge so it won't affect anything
    on your record it will just be like it never happened."

    Hoffer: "This recruiter makes it seem its's pretty easy to
    get out of it if you change your mind? Is that true?"

    Colonel Manning: "I would believe it's not as easy as he
    would lead you to believe it is."

    Hoffer: "It's probably pretty tough isn't it?"

    Colonel Manning: "It's tough."

    Sue Niederer, mother: "They need to do anything they
    possibly can to get new recruits."

    Sue Niederer says she's all too familiar with recruiters' lies.

    Hoffer: "So he was told he wouldn't see combat?"
    Sue: "Absolutely, absolutely."

    Her son joined the Army in 2002 and ended up in Iraq.
    His job, to find roadside bombs.

    Hoffer: "How did he die?"

    Sue: "Killed by an IED."

    Hoffer: "A bomb?"

    Sue: "A bomb."

    Two years later, she says our investigation confirms her
    belief that there's a widespread recruiting problem.

    In which another casualty appears to be the truth.

    Recruiter: "We've had more close calls on the Long Island
    Expressway than we did when we were over there."

    Hoffer: "Doesn't this fly in the face of what this military
    stands for honesty and honor?"

    Colonel Manning: "Yes, obviously, there is training that
    needs to be done."

    Sue Niederer, mother: "Ninety percent going to be putting
    their lives on the line for our country. Tell them the truth.
    That's all. Just tell them the truth."

    The colonel in charge of recruiting says he plans to open
    his own investigation to see how widespread the misconduct
    might be.

    Now, if you have a tip about this story, e-mail The Investigators
    here or call 877-TIP-NEWS.

    Tomorrow at 11, our undercover investigation continues where
    we take a look at how the Army tests new applicants for drugs,
    and you'd be surprised to find out, if you fail it's not necessarily
    a problem.

    (Copyright 2006 WABC-TV)

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    JROTC Supporters Threaten JROTC Opponents
    MARC NORTON ONLINE:
    http://www.MarcNorton.us/82659.html

    First published in BEYOND CHRON, November 22, 2006
    http://www.BeyondChron.org/news/index.php?itemid=3940

    Copyright (c) 2006 by Marc Norton

    "Hey you stupid hatin azz bitch!!! Better watch ur fkn bk ya dumbazz
    whore!"

    This was just one of the threatening MySpace messages directed at Mara
    Kubrin, a senior at Lowell High School, following the vote by the San
    Francisco school board to phase Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
    (JROTC) out of the City's public schools.

    On Tuesday evening, November 14, Mara presented a petition to the board
    opposing JROTC, signed by over 800 students. The next morning her
    picture appeared in the online edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, and
    the flood of threats began.

    "God you know how many people you have made cry & how many people hate
    you! & wanna Beat you up & Slap the Shit out of you!!!!"

    The San Francisco Chronicle has editorialized that JROTC teaches
    "leadership skills and self-discipline." One of the program's supporters
    demonstrated that leadership, if not self-discipline, by drafting a
    bulletin with Mara's picture, calling her a "traitor," identifying her as a
    student at Lowell, and claiming that "by viewing this... [you agree] to
    release said author from all damages resulting from... any physical or
    mental damages resulting from violence" as a result of the bulletin.

    "Man those pic bulletins of you are really funny. i mean HAHAH! funny.
    Like LOL funny. BITCH."

    MySpace web pages are often private, which means that they can not be
    accessed without the permission of the individual involved. Mara's page
    is private. Yet, somehow, the person who drafted the inflammatory
    bulletin about Mara hacked into her page, got vital information about her
    and her family, and broadcast it with a link to her MySpace page --
    resulting in the deluge of threatening MySpace messages.

    "DAMN HOE U BETTER LISTEN UP... I FEEL SORRY 4 UR MOTHER 4 GIVEN BIRTH
    2 YA UGLY ASS... U BETTER FUCKIN WATCH UR PIMPLE ASS BAK BEFORE PPL GO
    JUMPIN UR ASS UP SHIET HA..."

    Ironically, when Mara presented the petition at the school board she
    claimed that many students opposed to JROTC were afraid to come to the
    meeting, fearing intimidation by JROTC students. The threats she has
    received since then have proven that point.

    Others have experienced similar intimidation. Bonnie Weinstein has
    posted an open letter on the Bay Area United Against War web page --
    http://bauaw.org -- stating:

    "...several of them [JROTC supporters] physically threatened Cristina
    Guitierrez, myself and others as we left [the school board meeting] --
    it was scary to see them filled with so much hate. Of course, that's why
    we want JROTC out of our schools. (You may not be aware that JROTC
    students were laughing when Cristina told of being tortured by U.S.
    Military-trained Columbian troops.) I was also very puzzled that their
    'teachers' were not there with them to counsel them after the vote was
    taken..."

    The message from JROTC supporters to JROTC opponents, as stated in one
    of the MySpace threats aimed at Mara, is coming through loud and clear.

    "u should stfu."

    Or else.

    A police report has been filed about the threats against Mara. She
    believes that the student who sent out the threatening bulletin can be
    identified.

    -----

    Marc Norton is a bellman at a small hotel in downtown San Francisco.
    Norton's partner, Riva Enteen, is Mara's mother. Norton can be reached at
    nortonsf@ix.netcom.com, and through his website at
    http://www.MarcNorton.us.

    Open Letter to Congresswoman Pelosi Regarding JROTC and
    No Child Left Behind
    By Bonnie Weinstein

    [All the links, facts and testimonies mentioned in this letter are included
    above...bw]

    Dear Congresswoman Pelosi,

    Below are some links to factual information about JROTC, Military
    recruiters in our schools, and the No Child Left Behind Act, up
    for reauthorization in Congress in 2007. The San Francisco Board
    of Education, on November 14, 2006 voted to phase-out JROTC
    by 2008. And our group, along with many other antiwar groups
    and the majority of voters of the City and County of San Francisco,
    are opposed to military recruiting in our schools, and we support
    this historic decision.

    In addition, we are opposed to the reauthorization of the No
    Child Left Behind Act--in any form--and demand that all links
    and/or ties between military recruiting in our schools and federal
    aid to the schools be severed immediately and permanently.
    We want the military out of our schools and away from our children!
    We want money for schools not for war!

    (To underscore the preposterousness of our unbalanced, militaristic
    system I refer you to the $1.53-billion McCann/Erickson advertising
    budget--for U.S. Army recruitment advertising alone,
    at the following link:

    Army’s New Battle Cry Aims at Potential Recruits
    By STUART ELLIOTT
    November 9, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09adco.html

    Just what could our schools do with that kind of cash? I am also sending
    you correspondence about the behavior of JROTC students after and
    during the school board meeting on November 14, 2006.)

    We would appreciate a clear statement of where you stand on these
    crucial issues, i.e., JROTC, Military Recruiters in our schools, the No
    Child Left Behind Act and the next Pentagon Budget that funds all
    of this.

    We also think there should be an investigation into the teaching
    practices of JROTC that teaches students this violent, threatening,
    dangerous and highly disrespectful behavior--basically gang
    behavior--no different--except the gang leaders here are the U.S.
    military with the most powerful weapons of mass destruction in
    the world today.

    Sincerely,

    Bonnie Weinstein, Bay Area United Against War, www.bauaw.org

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    TAX THE RICH! FEED THE POOR! MONEY FOR HUMAN NEEDS, NOT WAR!
    www.bauaw.org
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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    !VIVA FIDEL! LONG LIVE FIDEL! LONG LIVE THE CUBAN REVOLUTION!
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    SCROLL DOWN TO READ:
    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ARTICLES IN FULL
    LINKS AND VERY SHORT STORIES

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    ANTI-CORPORATION FILM FESTIVAL!

    December 1 thru 3, 2006 (Friday thru Sunday!)
    Victoria Theatre, Mission District
    2961 16th St @ Mission St (across from the BART station)

    ** GREAT FILMS ** ACTIVISM ** SPEAKERS ** PARTIES ** DISCUSSION ** 

    $5 per film or $40 all weekend pass - Students and activists
    $10 per film or $75 all weekend pass - General admission
    Your ticket price is a donation to cover our costs.

    Films such as Century of the Self and The Corporation will
    be shown, complemented by new cutting-edge films about
    corporate power such as The Forest for the Trees, a documentary
    about the legal case of Judy Bari made by the daughter of Bari's
    attorney. The final program will be announced in November.

    Speakers on Saturday night will begin at 7:00 pm and offer
    further insight into the films, corporations, and the structure
    of our economy as a whole. In addition, there will be a festival
    after-party on the evening of Sunday, December 3 with
    refreshments and entertainment.

    CounterCorp is an anti-corporate nonprofit organization
    accepting no corporate donations. All of your donations
    go to exposing the truth about corporations and finding
    Alternatives to corporate ownership of our communities.
    If you would like to support us, please visit
    www.countercorp.org/countercorp-support.htm
    and click on "Donate Now." Every little bit helps. Thank you!

    Built in 1908 as a vaudeville house, the 500-seat Victoria
    Theatre is the oldest theater currently operation in San Francisco.
    We thought this would be a perfect setting to begin to dream
    beyond the memes of timed obsolescence and creative destruction
    that corporations have injected into our societies, to a time before
    the corporate agenda prevailed above all else. For directions
    and info, please visit www.victoriatheatre.org.

    VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Volunteering both before and/or during
    the festival will earn you a FREE PASS to all films and parties!
    Please contact volunteers@countercorp.org!

    www.countercorp.org -for more info!

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    Please forward widely:

    Join military resisters, their families, veterans and concerned
    community members taking public action!

    National Days of Action to:
    SUPPORT GI RESISTANCE & GI RIGHTS
    END WAR & EMPIRE

    RALLY & PROCESSION
    SAT DEC. 9, 1pm

    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    Featuring:
    Iraq War Resisters:
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    Jeff Paterson, Gulf War 1 Marine resister
    Also joining us will be members of IVAW and their cross-country bus!
    more TBA

    Plus:
    Performance and word by:
    Local High School Student activists with AWE Youth Action Team

    Also join us earlier for a

    PUBLIC FORUM 11am:
    GI Rights, GI Resistance and Ending the War
    War Memorial Veterans Building
    401 Van Ness Ave at McAllister St
    (Civic Center BART)

    In-depth stories and discussion with:
    Maxine Hong Kingston, author,poet and co-author of
    the new book, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace”
    Darrell Anderson, Iraq War Veteran and War Resister
    Anita Dennis, mother of Darrell Anderson
    Kyle Snyder, AWOL Iraq Veteran and War Resister
    Bob Watada & Rosa Sakanishi, father and stepmother of Lt. Ehren Watada
    more TBA!

    It's time for us to escalate public pressure and action in support of
    the growing movement of thousands of courageous men and women GI’s who have
    in many different ways followed the their conscience, upholding
    international law, taking a principled stand against unjust, illegal war and
    occupation and stood up for their rights. Widespread public support and pressure
    will help create true support for courageous troops facing isolation and
    repression, and help protect their civil liberties and human rights. We
    call for the following: 1) Support for War Objectors 2) Protect the
    Right to Conscientious Objection 3) Protect the Liberties & Human Rights of
    GI's 4) Sanctuary for War Objectors.

    Your participation in these days of action—and beyond-- is crucial to
    realizing these goals: together, we do have the power to end this war
    and prevent the next one. As the antiwar movement builds its support for
    these brave people and their important actions, we hope more will take a
    stand if we show them they won't be alone.

    Sponsored by: Courage to Resist, Watada Support Group (San Francisco),
    Veterans for Peace-Chapter 69, AWE Youth Action Team

    Days of Action Sponsored by (partial list):
    Iraq Veterans Against the War, War Resisters Support Campaign (Canada),
    Gold Star Families for Peace, and the Central Commitee for
    Conscientious Objectors

    Other Bay Area Events:

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    College of Marin, Student Center
    College Avenue, Kentfield, California, $5-10
    Iraq Combat Veteran, turned war resister, Darrell Anderson
    Plus segments of the new film “The Ground Truth"
    Sponsored by Courage to Resist; College of Marin, Students for Social
    Responsibility; and Marin Peace & Justice Coalition
    Info: green-girl@comcast.net 415-454-5470 http://www.mpjc.org
    Campus map: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us/com/files/COM-MAP06.pdf

    Fri Dec 8, 7:30pm:
    Buena Vista United Methodist Church
    2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda, CA 94501
    7:30 Film, "The Ground Truth"
    8:30 Panel, Rev. Michael Yoshii moderator, with Bob Watada and Rosa
    Sakanishi

    Sat Dec 9, NOON - 4pm:
    San Jose
    Peace Vigil to Support Lt. Watada!
    Gather in front of MLK, Jr. Library
    150 E. San Fernando St.
    San Jose, CA
    Sponsors: South Bay Mobilization, UFPJ in San Jose

    For more info about the "National Days of Action to Support GI
    Resistance and GI Rights" and an updated list of participating events nationwide
    visit: http://www.CouragetoResist.org or contact: courage@riseup.net

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

    "Ode to Joy and Struggle"
    Event for Lynne Stewart and co-defendants
    Saturday, December 9th ,
    6:30 or 7:00 pm [I'm looking into that. -t.]
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    From: PatLevasseurP @ aol.com
    Subject: Govt. seeking authorization to appeal Lynne Stewart‚s
    sentence
    Govt. seeking authorization from Solicitor General to appeal
    Lynne Stewart's sentence (and that of her co-defendants)

    Hello All,

    I am writing to update you on that status of Lynne Stewart's
    case after her sentencing on October 16th. While we were all
    relieved that Lynne did not get 30 years, the Government has
    announced that it has gone to the Solicitor General of the
    United States Justice Department for authorization to appeal
    her sentence and that of her co-defendants. They are not
    challenging the bail pending appeal but state that they will
    only agree to one 30 day adjournment of the filing of the
    appeal because they want everyone serving their sentences
    as soon as possible. What does all this mean for Lynne?
    Lynne's attorneys are not surprised that the government wants
    to appeal her sentence. Although sentences are not usually
    appealed it does happen and case law in the 2nd Circuit
    which governs Lynne's case shows that although rare, when
    a sentence is appealed and the Circuit sends the case back
    for resentencing the result is a far longer sentence. We are
    hopeful that Judge Koeltl‚s meticulous sentencing decision
    will carry the day but we have no guarantees and must
    continue our vigilance in the face of this latest move
    by the government. Of course Lynne's attorneys
    will be filing the appeal of her conviction within the year.

    Remember to save the date and join us in an
    "Ode to Joy and Struggle
    December 9th 6:30 to ?

    The evening will be held at the beautifully renovated Judson
    Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South
    (near Thompson St.) in the West Village, New York City.
    The event is mostly one of joy but of course the struggle
    continues. We will also be commemorating Mumia Abu Jamal's
    25 years behind bars and to that end we will hear from:

    Lynne Stewart - her case and current legal status

    Pam Africa
    Chair of International Concerned Family
    and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is currently
    determining whether Abu-Jamal will be granted a new trial
    or sent back to death row, which is the district attorney's
    preference. Speaking about this at our event is Pam Africa,
    who will be joining us after the annual rally in Philadelphia,
    which recognizes the day Mumia Abu Jamal was shot and framed.

    and

    Robert Meeropol
    Executive Director, Rosenberg Fund for Children

    ABOUT ROBERT MEEROPOL

    Robert Meeropol is the founder and Executive Director of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children (RFC). For the last 30 years he
    has been an activist, writer and public speaker. He has
    successfully sued the federal government and through the
    RFC, has assisted hundreds of children whose parents also
    have been attacked for their social activism. Robert is also
    the author of AN EXECUTION IN THE FAMILY (now available
    in paperback from St. Martin's Press.) This political memoir
    chronicles Meeropol's journey from childhood victim of
    McCarthy-era repression; to 1960's militant activist; to politically
    engaged parent and law student; to founder and leader of the
    Rosenberg Fund for Children. ODE TO JOY AND STRUGGLE

    Join Lynne Stewart and the Lynne Stewart Defense Committee in

    THANKING YOU !

    for your support over these last 4+ years
    and uniting for the struggle ahead

    Saturday, December 9th , 7pm till .......
    Judson Memorial Church
    55 Washington Square South
    New York, NY

    Speakers:

    Lynne Stewart
    Pam Africa, International Concerned
    Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
    Robert Meeropol. Executive Director,
    Rosenberg Fund for Children

    Music by:

    Selah Eric Spruiell and The Fort Greene Project
    Urbano Sanchez, Latin Jazz
    Professor Louie and Fast Eddy
    Professor Irwin Corey and Randy Credico
    and MUCH more
    (comedy, Latin jazz, rap)

    Great Food & Drink provided

    Judson Memorial Church resides on the southern edge
    of Washington Square Park between Thompson
    and Sullivan Streets. Accessible by subway.

    Trains: A, C, E, F to West 4th; R to 8th St.; 1 to
    Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.

    Mobility Handicapped please enter through
    Thompson Street entrance.

    Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
    350 Broadway, Suite 700
    New York, NY 10013
    212-625-9696
    www.lynnestewart.org

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

    Drums Across America for Peace
    December 16, 2006 simultaneously across
    the country at 11:00 to 11:30 A.M. PST
    For More Information contact:
    Marilyn Sjaastad
    541-344-8088
    Jade Screen Clinic

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

    UFPJ calls for march on DC Sat, Jan. 27, local
    actions on March 17
    www.unitedforpeace. org
    212-868-5545
    Please forward widely!
    Tell the New Congress:
    Act NOW to Bring the Troops Home!
    Join United for Peace and Justice in a massive march on Washington ,
    D.C. , on Sat., January 27, to call on Congress to take immediate
    action to end the war.
    On Election Day the voters delivered a dramatic, unmistakable mandate
    for peace. Now it's time for action. On January 27, 2007, we will
    converge from all around the country in Washington , D.C. to send a
    strong, clear message to Congress and the Bush Administration: The
    people of this country want the war and occupation in Iraq to end and
    we want the troops brought home now!
    Congress has the power to end this war through legislation. We call on
    people from every congressional district in the country to gather in
    Washington, DC -- to express support for those members of Congress who
    are prepared to take immediate action against the war; to pressure
    those who are hesitant to act; and to speak out against those who
    remain tied to a failed policy.
    The peace and justice movement helped make ending the war in Iraq the
    primary issue in this last election. The actions we take do make a
    difference, and now there is a new opportunity for us to move our work
    forward. On Election Day people took individual action by voting. On
    January 27 we will take collective action, as we march in Washington ,
    DC , to make sure Congress understands the urgency of this moment.
    Join United for Peace and Justice in this crucial push for peace!
    1) Make a donation right now to support the January 27 mobilization and
    help give us the funds we need to make this a truly massive outpouring
    for peace.
    2) Pass this email along to everyone you know, post it on blogs and
    websites -- do everything you can to help us get the word out about
    January 27th.
    3) Make sure your organization endorses the January 27th mobilization.
    Click here to add your endorsement.
    4) Start making plans to bring people from your congressional district
    to Washington on January 27. We will soon have a form on our website,
    where you or your group can sign up to be the coordinator for people
    coming to DC from your area, so you can meet up, coordinate
    transportation, housing, etc.
    5) Keep checking the UFPJ website for more details in the coming weeks!
    You might have also heard that United for Peace and Justice was calling
    for a demonstration in Washington to commemorate the 4th anniversary of
    the war in Iraq on March 17. Because of the new developments and our
    decision to organize the January 27th mobilization, we are now calling
    for local and regional antiwar actions that weekend instead. We will
    soon be issuing more information about the plans for the 4th
    anniversary.
    Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ
    today.
    ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
    www.unitedforpeace. org | 212-868-5545
    To subscribe, visit www.unitedforpeace. org/email

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

    MARCH 17, 2007 GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY
    OF THE WAR!
    DEMONSTRATIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.; LOS ANGELES;
    SAN FRANCISCO; SEATTLE; CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES AND
    TOWNS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. THE
    A.N.S.W.E.R. COALITION URGES EVERYONE IN THE ANTIWAR
    MOVEMENT TO COME TOGETHER IN UNITY AGAINST THE
    CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
    http://www.pephost. org/site/ PageServer? pagename= ANS_homepage

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

    May Day 2007
    National Mobilization to Support Immigrant Workers!
    Web: http://www.MayDay2007.net
    National Immigrant Solidarity Network
    No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
    webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    e-mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
    New York: (212)330-8172
    Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
    Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
    GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
    ---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*

    My Name is Roland Sheppard
    This Is My ‘Blog’
    I am is a retired Business Representative of Painters District
    Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been a life long social activist
    and socialist. Roland Sheppard is a retired Business Representative
    of Painters District Council #8 in San Francisco. I have been
    a life long social activist and socialist.
    Prior to my being elected as a union official, I had worked
    for 31 years as a house painter and have been a lifelong socialist.
    I have led a unique life. In my retire age, I am interested in writing
    about my experiences as a socialist, as a participant in the Black
    Liberation Movement, the Union Movement, and almost all social
    movements.
    I became especially interested in the environment when I was
    diagnosed with cancer due to my work environment. I learned
    how to write essays, when I first got a computer in order to put
    together all the medical legal arguments on my breakthrough
    workers’ compensation case in California, proving that my work
    environment as a painter had caused my cancer. After a five-year
    struggle, I won a $300,000 settlement on his case.
    The following essays are based upon my involvement in the
    struggle for freedom for all humanity. I hope the history
    of my life’s experiences will help future generations
    of Freedom Fighters.
    For this purpose, this website is dedicated.
    http://web.mac.com/rolandgarret/iWeb/Site/Roland%27s%20Blog.html

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

    The Corporate Looting of the Gulf Coast
    Robin Hood in Reverse
    http://www.counterpunch.org/quigley11132006.html
    More Info:
    www.justiceforneworleans.org
    For a detailed report:
    Big, Easy Money: Disaster Profiteering on the American Gulf Coast
    by Rita J. King, Special to CorpWatch
    August 15th, 2006
    http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14004

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

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

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

    Communist Manifesto illustrated by Disney [and other cartoons) with
    words by K. Marx and F. Engels--absolutely wonderful!...bw]
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1oGIffyVVk&NR

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

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

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

    Homer Simpson Joins the Army
    Another morale-booster from Groening and company. [If you get
    a chance to see the whole thing, it's worth it...bw]
    http://hotair.com/archives/2006/11/12/video-the-simpsons-salute-the-lazy-and
    -uneducated/

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

    A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer
    Clara Jeffery (May/June 2006 Issue
    IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined.
    Today, they re worth $1.13 trillion more than the GDP of Canada.
    THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400.
    The median household income
    has also stagnated at around $44,000.
    AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential
    campaign, 72% gave to Bush.
    IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires,
    a 62% increase since 2002.
    IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps,
    a 49% increase since 2000.
    ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed.
    That's less than 1% of all estates
    http://www.motherjones.com/cgi-bin/print_article.pl?url=http://www.motherjon
    es.com/news/exhibit/2006/05/perks_of_privilege.html

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

    Do You Want to Stop PREVENT War with Iran?

    Dear Friend,

    Every day, pundits and military experts debate on TV when, how and where
    war with Iran will occur. Can the nuclear program be destroyed? Will the
    Iranian government retaliate in Iraq or use the oil weapon? Will it take
    three or five days of bombing? Will the US bomb Iran with "tactical"
    nuclear weapons?

    Few discuss the human suffering that yet another war in the Middle East
    will bring about. Few discuss the thousands and thousands of innocent
    Iranian and American lives that will be lost. Few think ahead and ask
    themselves what war will do to the cause of democracy in Iran or to
    America's global standing.

    Some dismiss the entire discussion and choose to believe that war simply
    cannot happen. The US is overstretched, the task is too difficult, and
    the world is against it, they say.

    They are probably right, but these factors don't make war unlikely. They
    just make a successful war unlikely.

    At the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), we are not going to
    wait and see what happens.

    We are actively working to stop the war and we need your help!

    Working with a coalition of peace and security organizations in
    Washington DC, NIAC is adding a crucial dimension to this debate - the
    voice of the Iranian-American community.

    Through our US-Iran Media Resource Program
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkFbIfQs8eafpLV5/ , we help
    the media ask the right questions and bring attention to the human side
    of this issue.

    Through the LegWatch program

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabummRbIfQs8eafpLV5/ ,

    we are building opposition to the war on Capitol Hill. We spell out the
    likely
    consequences of war and the concerns of the Iranian-American community
    on Hill panels

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkGbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    and in direct meetings with lawmakers. We recently helped more than a dozen
    Members of Congress - both Republican and Democrats - send a strong
    message against war to the White House

    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/
    http://niacouncil.c.topica.com/maafjioabumkHbIfQs8eafpLV5/

    But more is needed, and we need your help!

    If you don't wish to see Iran turn into yet another Iraq, please make a
    contribution online or send in a check to:

    NIAC
    2801 M St NW
    Washington DC 20007

    Make the check out to NIAC and mark it "NO WAR."

    ALL donations are welcome, both big and small. And just so you know,
    your donations make a huge difference. Before you leave the office
    today, please make a contribution to stop the war.

    Sincerely,
    Trita Parsi
    President of NIAC

    U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW)

    www.uslaboragainstwar.org
    http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/
    Email: info@uslaboragainstwar.org

    PMB 153
    1718 "M" Street, NW
    Washington, D.C. 20036
    Voicemail: 202/521-5265

    Co-convenors: Gene Bruskin, Maria Guillen, Fred Mason,
    Bob Muehlenkamp, and Nancy Wohlforth
    Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer & Website Coordinator
    Virginia Rodino, Organizer
    Adrienne Nicosia, Administrative Staff

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

    Enforce the Roadless Rule for National Forests
    Target: Michael Johanns, Secretary, USDA
    Sponsor: Earthjustice
    We, the Undersigned, endorse the following petition:
    This past September, Earthjustice scored a huge victory for our roadless
    national forests when a federal district court ordered the reinstatement
    of the Roadless Rule.
    The Roadless Rule protects roadless forest areas from road-building
    and most logging. This is bad news for the timber, mining, and oil
    & gas industries ... And so they're putting pressure on their friends
    in the Bush Administration to challenge the victory.
    Roadless area logging tends to target irreplaceable old growth forests.
    Many of these majestic trees have stood for hundreds of years.
    By targeting old-growth, the timber companies are destroying
    natural treasures that cannot be replaced in our lifetime.
    The future of nearly 50 million acres of wild, national forests
    and grasslands hangs in the balance. Tell the secretary of the
    USDA, Michael Johanns, to protect our roadless areas by enforcing
    the Roadless Rule. The minute a road is cut through a forest, that
    forest is precluded from being considered a "wilderness area," and
    thus will not be covered by any of the Wilderness Area protections
    afforded by Congress.
    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/112283692?z00m=6687205&z00m=668720
    5<l=1162406255

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

    Mumia Abu-Jamal - Reply brief, U.S. Court of Appeals (Please Circulate)

    Dear Friends:

    On October 23, 2006, the Fourth-Step Reply Brief of Appellee and
    Cross-Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal was submitted to the U.S. Court
    of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia. (Abu-Jamal v. Horn,
    U.S. Ct. of Appeals Nos. 01-9014, 02-9001.)

    Oral argument will likely be scheduled during the coming months.
    I will advise when a hearing date is set.

    The attached brief is of enormous consequence since it goes
    to the essence of our client's right to a fair trial, due process
    of law, and equal protection of the law, guaranteed by the Fifth,
    Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
    The issues include:

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied the right to due process
    of law and a fair trial because of the prosecutor’s “appeal-after
    -appeal” argument which encouraged the jury to disregard the
    presumption of innocence and reasonable doubt, and err
    on the side of guilt.

    Whether the prosecution’s exclusion of African Americans
    from sitting on the jury violated Mr. Abu-Jamal’s right
    to due process and equal protection of the law,
    in contravention of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986).

    Whether Mr. Abu-Jamal was denied due process and equal
    protection of the law during a post-conviction hearing
    because of the bias and racism of Judge Albert F. Sabo,
    who was overheard during the trial commenting that
    he was “going to help'em fry the nigger."

    That the federal court is hearing issues which concern
    Mr. Abu-Jamal's right to a fair trial is a great milestone
    in this struggle for human rights. This is the first time
    that any court has made a ruling in nearly a quarter
    of a century that could lead to a new trial and freedom.
    Nevertheless, our client remains on Pennsylvania's death
    row and in great danger.

    Mr. Abu-Jamal, the "voice of the voiceless," is a powerful
    symbol in the international campaign against the death
    penalty and for political prisoners everywhere. The goal
    of Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and
    I is to see that the many wrongs which have occurred
    in this case are righted, and that at the conclusion
    of a new trial our client is freed.

    Your concern is appreciated

    With best wishes,

    Robert R. Bryan

    Law Offices of Robert R. Bryan
    2088 Union Street, Suite 4
    San Francisco, California 94123

    Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal

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

    Antiwar Web Site Created by Troops
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    A small group of active-duty military members opposed to the war
    have created a Web site intended to collect thousands of signatures
    of other service members. People can submit their name, rank and
    duty station if they support statements denouncing the American
    invasion. “Staying in Iraq will not work and is not worth the price,”
    the Web site, appealforredress.org, says. “It is time for U.S. troops
    to come home.” The electronic grievances will be passed along
    to members of Congress, according to the Web site. Jonathan
    Hutto, a Navy seaman based in Norfolk, Va., who set up the Web
    site a month ago, said the group had collected 118 names and
    was trying to verify that they were legitimate service members.
    October 25, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/washington/25brfs-005.html

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

    Judge Orders Release of Abu Ghraib Child Rape Photos
    Submitted by davidswanson on Mon, 2006-10-23 20:54. Evidence
    By Greg Mitchell, http://www.editorandpublisher.com
    http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/14864

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

    Profound new assault on freedom of speech and assembly:
    Manhattan: New Rules for Parade Permits
    By AL BAKER
    After recent court rulings found the Police Department's
    parade regulations too vague, the department is moving
    to require parade permits for groups of 10 or more
    bicyclists or pedestrians who plan to travel more than
    two city blocks without complying with traffic laws.
    It is also pushing to require permits for groups of 30
    or more bicyclists or pedestrians who obey traffic laws.
    The new rules are expected to be unveiled in a public
    notice today. The department will discuss them at
    a hearing on Nov. 27. Norman Siegel, a lawyer whose
    clients include bicyclists, said the new rules
    "raise serious civil liberties issues."
    October 18, 2006
    http://www.nytimes. com/2006/ 10/18/nyregion/ 18mbrfs-002. html

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

    Soul-Sick Nation: An Astrologer's View of America
    Jessica Murray
    Format: Paperback (6x9)
    ISBN 1425971253
    Price: $ 13.95
    About the Book
    Astrology and geopolitics may seem strange bedfellows, but
    Soul-Sick Nation puts the two together to provide a perspective
    as extraordinary as the times we are living in. Using the principles
    of ancient wisdom to make sense of the current global situation,
    this book invites us to look at the USA from the biggest possible
    picture: that of cosmic meaning. With a rare blend of compassion,
    humor and fearless taboo-busting, Soul-Sick Nation reveals
    America's noble potential without sentiment and diagnoses
    its neuroses without delusion, shedding new light on troubling
    issues that the pundits and culture wars inflame but leave
    painfully unresolved: the WTC bombings, the war in Iraq,
    Islamic jihad, media propaganda, consumerism and the
    American Dream.
    In her interpretation of the birth chart of the entity born
    July 4, 1776, Murray offers an in-depth analysis of America's
    essential destiny--uncovering , chapter by chapter, the greater
    purpose motivating this group soul. She shows how this
    purpose has been distorted, and how it can be re-embraced
    in the decades to come. She decodes current astrological
    transits that express the key themes the USA must learn
    in this period of millennial crisis—including that of the
    responsibility of power—spelling out the profound lessons
    the nation will face in the next few years.
    Combining the rigor of a political theorist with the vision
    of a master astrologer, this keenly intelligent book elucidates
    the meaning of an epoch in distress, and proposes a path
    towards healing—of the country and of its individual citizens.
    Murray explains how each of us can come to terms with this
    moment in history and arrive at a response that is unique
    and creative. This book will leave you revitalized, shorn
    of illusions and full of hope.
    About the Author
    "Jessica Murray's Soul-Sick Nation raises the symbol-system
    of astrology to the level of a finely-honed tool for the critical
    work of social insight and commentary. Her unflinching,
    in-depth analysis answers a crying need of our time. Murray's
    application of laser beam-lucid common sense analysis
    to the mire of illusions we've sunken into as a nation is
    a courageous step in the right direction... Just breathtaking! "
    --Raye Robertson, author of Culture, Media and the Collective Mind
    " Jessica Murray,..a choice-centered, psychospiritually- oriented
    astrologer.. . has quietly made a real difference in the lives of her
    clients, one at a time. In "Soul Sick Nation," she applies exactly those
    same skills to understanding America as a whole. Starting from
    the premise that the United States is currently a troubled adolescent,
    she applies an unflinching gaze to reach an ultimately compassionate
    conclusion about how we can heal ourselves and grow up."
    - Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky and The Changing Sky
    http://www.authorho use.com/BookStor e/ItemDetail~ bookid~41780. aspx

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

    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Interested in furthering your knowledge about Palestine
    and its people?
    Want to help make the Palestinian Right to Return a reality?
    Looking for ways to show your support for Palestine and
    Palestinian refugees?
    Why not shop for a donation at Al-Awda
    http://al-awda. org/shop. html
    and help support a great organization and cause!!
    Al-Awda offers a variety of educational materials including interesting
    and unique books on everything from oral histories, photo books
    on Palestinian refugees, to autobiographies, narratives, political
    analysis, and culture. We also have historical maps of Palestine
    (in Arabic and English), educational films, flags of various sizes,
    and colorful greeting cards created by Palestinian children.
    You can also show your support for a Free Palestine, and wear with
    pride, great looking T-shirts, pendants, and a variety of Palestine pins.
    Shop for a Donation at Al-Awda!
    Visit http://al-awda. org/shop. html for these great items, and more!
    The Educational Supplies Division
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
    PO Box 131352
    Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
    Tel: 760-685-3243
    Fax: 360-933-3568
    E-mail: info@al-awda. org
    WWW: http://al-awda. org
    Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC), is a broad-
    based, non-partisan, democratic, and charitable organization of
    grassroots activists and students committed to comprehensive public
    education about the rights of all Palestinian refugees to return to their
    homes and lands of origin, and to full restitution for all their confiscated
    and destroyed property in accordance with the Universal Declaration
    of Human Rights, International law and the numerous United Nations
    Resolutions upholding such rights (see FactSheet). Al-Awda, PRRC
    is a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3)
    organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the
    United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations
    to Al-Awda, PRRC are tax-deductible.

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

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

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

    QUOTE OF THE DAY:

    In an interview in March 1995 entitled, "Jesse Helms: Setting the
    Record Straight" that appeared in the Middle East Quarterly, Helms
    said, "I have long believed that if the United States is going to give
    money to Israel, it should be paid out of the Department of Defense
    budget. My question is this: If Israel did not exist, what would
    U.S. defense costs in the Middle East be? Israel is at least the
    equivalent of a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Middle East. Without
    Israel promoting its and America's common interests, we would
    be badly off indeed."
    (Jesse Helms was the senior senator from North Carolina and the
    chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the time.)
    http://www.meforum. org/article/ 244

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

    TWO AMICUS BRIEFS FILED FOR MUMIA ABU-JAMAL WITH
    THE 3RD CIRCUIT FEDERAL APPEALS COURT IN JULY 2006

    These pdf files can be found on Michael Schiffmann's web site at:

    http://againstthecr imeofsilence. de/english/ copy_of_mumia/ legalarchive/

    The first brief is from the National Lawyers Guild.
    The second brief is from the NAACP Legal Defense
    and Educational Fund, Inc.

    Howard Keylor
    For the Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
    www.laboractionmumi a.org.

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

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

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

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

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

    and:

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

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

    In solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein

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

    Endorse the following petition:
    Don't Let Idaho Kill Endangered Wolves
    Target: Fish and Wildlife Service
    Sponsor: Defenders of Wildlife
    http://www.thepetit ionsite.com/ takeaction/ 664280276?
    z00m=99090&z00m= 99090<l= 1155834550

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

    END ALL U.S. AID TO ISRAEL!
    Stop funding Israel's war against Palestine
    Complete the form at the website listed below with your information.
    Personalize the message text on the right with
    your own words, if you wish.
    Click the Next Step button to send your letter
    to these decision makers:
    President George W. Bush
    Vice President Richard 'Dick' B. Cheney
    Your Senators
    Your Representative
    Go here to register your outrage:
    https://secure2. convio.net/ pep/site/ Advocacy?
    JServSessionIdr003= cga2p2o6x1. app2a&cmd= display&page= UserAction& id=177

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    Idriss Stelley Foundation is in critical financial crisis, please help !
    ISF is in critical financial crisis, and might be forced to close
    its doors in a couple of months due to lack of funds to cover
    DSL, SBC and utilities, which is a disaster for our numerous
    clients, since the are the only CBO providing direct services
    to Victims (as well as extended failies) of police misconduct
    for the whole city of SF. Any donation, big or small will help
    us stay alive until we obtain our 501-c3 nonprofit Federal
    Status! Checks can me made out to
    ISF, ( 4921 3rd St , SF CA 94124 ). Please consider to volunteer
    or apply for internship to help covering our 24HR Crisis line,
    provide one on one couseling and co facilitate our support
    groups, M.C a show on SF Village Voice, insure a 2hr block
    of time at ISF, moderate one of our 26 websites for ISF clients !
    http://mysite. verizon.net/ vzeo9ewi/ idrissstelleyfou ndation/
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/isf23/
    Report Police Brutality
    24HR Bilingual hotline
    (415) 595-8251
    http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Justice4As a/

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    Appeal for funds:
    Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
    Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailir aq.com
    Request for Support
    Dahr Jamail will soon return to the Middle East to continue his
    independent reporting. As usual, reporting independently is a costly
    enterprise; for example, an average hotel room is $50, a fixer runs $50
    per day, and phone/food average $25 per day. Dahr will report from the
    Middle East for one month, and thus needs to raise $5,750 in order to
    cover his plane ticket and daily operating expenses.
    A rare opportunity has arisen for Dahr to cover several stories
    regarding the occupation of Iraq, as well as U.S. policy in the region,
    which have been entirely absent from mainstream media.
    With the need for independent, unfiltered information greater than ever,
    your financial support is deeply appreciated. Without donations from
    readers, ongoing independent reports from Dahr are simply not possible.
    All donations go directly towards covering Dahr's on the ground
    operating expenses.
    (c)2006 Dahr Jamail.

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    Legal update on Mumia Abu-Jamal's case
    Excerpts from a letter written by Robert R. Bryan, the lead attorney
    for death row political prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal.
    ...On July 20, 2006, we filed the Brief of Appellee and Cross
    Appellant, Mumia Abu-Jamal, in the U.S. Court of Appeals
    for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.
    http://www.workers. org/2006/ us/mumia- 0810/

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    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Contact:  Nick Mottern, Consumers for Peace
                    nickmottern@earthlink.net

    Howard Zinn joins Kathy Kelly, Dahr Jamail, Ann Wright and Neil MacKay in
    endorsing "War Crimes Committed by the United States in Iraq and
    Mechanisms for Accountability."
     
    The report was published internationally by 10 organizations in October.

    "This report on the war crimes of the current administration is an
    invaluable resource, with a meticulous presentation of the
    evidence and an astute examination of international law.
    - Howard Zinn. 

    The 37 page report, written by Consumers for Peace with the
    consultation of international humanitarian law expert Karen
    Parker, JD, is available for free download at 
    http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/war_crimes_iraq_101006.pdf

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    Today in Palestine!
    For up to date information on Israeli's brutal attack on
    human rights and freedom in Palestine and Lebanon go to:
    http://www.theheadl ines.org

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    Oklahoma U's First African-American Speaker

    Dear Representative Johnson:

    Congratulations on your bill for creating an
    African-American Centennial Plaza near the
    Capitol.

    I have a suggestion for including an important
    moment in Oklahoma African-American
    history in the displays.

    The first African-American speaker at the
    University of Oklahoma was Paul Boutelle,
    in 1967.

    He is still alive but has changed his name
    to Kwame Somburu. I believe it would be
    very appropriate also to invite Mr. Somburu
    to attend the dedication ceremony for
    this plaza. I correspond with him by email.

    Here is a 1967 Sooner magazine article about his appearance:

    http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/sooner/articles/p25-27_1967v40n2_OCR.pdf

    Sincerely,

    Mike Wright
    Norman
    329-6688

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    Interesting web site with many flash films. The site is managed
    by veteran James Starowicz, USN '67-'71 GMG3 Vietnam In-Country
    '70-'71 Member: Veterans For Peace as well as other Veterans
    and Pro-Peace Groups. Also Activist in other Area's, Questioning
    Policies that only Benefit the Few, supporting Policies that Benefit
    the Many and Move Us Forward as a Better Nation and World!
    Politics: Registered Independent
    http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/

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    Taking Aim with Ralph Schoenman and Mya Shone has a new Internet
    address: http://www.takingaimradio.com

    THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ZIONISM
    BY RALPH SCHOENMAN
    Essential reading for understanding the development of Zionism
    and Israel in the service of British and USA imperialism.
    The full text of the book can be found for free at the
    new Taking Aim web address:
    http://www.takingaimradio.com

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    JOIN THE LYNNE STEWAR DEFENSE - THE CASE IS NOT OVER!
    For those of you who don't know who Lynne Stewart is, go to
    www.lynnestewart. org and get acquainted with Lynne and her
    cause. Lynne is a criminal defense attorney who is being persecuted
    for representing people charged with heinous crimes. It is a bedrock
    of our legal system that every criminal defendant has a right to a
    lawyer. Persecuting Lynne is an attempt to terrorize and intimidate
    all criminal defense attorneys in this country so they will stop
    representing unpopular people. If this happens, the fascist takeover
    of this nation will be complete. We urge you all to go the website,
    familiarize yourselves with Lynne and her battle for justice
    www.lynnestewart. org

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    Visit the Traprock Peace Center Video Archive at:
    http://www.youtube.com/TraprockPeaceTV
    Visit the Traprock Peace Center
    Deerfield, MA
    http://www.traprockpeace.org/

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    NATIONAL COMMITTEE TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE
    Comité Nacional por la Libertad de los Cinco Cubanos
    Who are the Cuban Five?
    The Cuban Five are five Cuban men who are in U.S. prison, serving
    four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly
    convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001.
    They are Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero,
    Fernando González and René González.
    The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing
    espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related
    charges.
    But the Five pointed out vigorously in their defense that they were
    involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based terrorist groups,
    in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.
    The Five's actions were never directed at the U.S. government.
    They never harmed anyone nor ever possessed nor used any
    weapons while in the United States.
    The Cuban Five's mission was to stop terrorism
    For more than 40 years, anti-Cuba terrorist organizations based
    in Miami have engaged in countless terrorist activities against
    Cuba, and against anyone who advocates a normalization
    of relations between the U.S. and Cuba. More than 3,000 Cubans
    have died as a result of these terrorists' attacks.

    Gerardo Hernández, 2 Life Sentences
    Antonio Guerrero, Life Sentence
    Ramon Labañino, Life Sentence
    Fernando González, 19 Years
    René González, 15 Years

    Free The Cuban Five Held Unjustly In The U.S.!
    http://www.freethef ive.org/

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    Eyewitness Account from Oaxaca
    A website is now being circulated that has up-to-date info
    and video that can be downloaded of the police action and
    developments in Oaxaca. For those who have not seen it
    elsewhere, the website is:
    www.mexico.indymedi a.org/oaxaca
    http://www.mexico. indymedia. org/oaxaca

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    REMINDER TO ALL GROUPS: BE SURE AND POST ALL ACTIONS AND
    EVENTS TO WWW.INDYBAY. ORG TO REACH THE MOST PEOPLE
    AGAINST THE WAR IN THE BAY AREA!
    http://www.indybay. org

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    Iraq Body Count
    For current totals, see our database page.
    http://www.iraqbody count.net/ press/pr13. php

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    The Cost of War
    [Over three-hundred- billion so far...bw]
    http://nationalprio rities.org/ index.php? optionfiltered=com_
    wrapper&Itemid= 182

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    "The Democrats always promise to help workers, and the don't!
    The Republicans always promise to help business, and the do!"
    - Mort Sahl

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    "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
    - Emilano Zapata
    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -

    Join the Campaign to
    Shut Down the Guantanamo Torture Center
    Go to:
    http://www.shutitdo wn.org/
    to send a letter to Congress and the White House:
    Shut Down Guantanamo and all torture centers and prisons.
    A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
    Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
    http://www.ANSWERco alition.org http://www.actionsf .org
    sf@internationalans wer.org
    2489 Mission St. Rm. 24
    San Francisco: 415-821-6545

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    Great Counter-Recruitment Website
    http://notyoursoldi er.org/article. php?list= type&type= 14

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    DEFEND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND
    CIVIL RIGHTS!

    Last summer the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Shanti Sellz and
    Daniel Strauss, both 23-year-old volunteers assisting immigrants
    on the border, for medically evacuating 3 people in critical
    condition from the Arizona desert.

    Criminalization for aiding undocumented immigrants already
    exists on the books in the state of Arizona. Daniel and Shanti
    are targeted to be its first victims. Their arrest and subsequent
    prosecution for providing humanitarian aid could result in
    a 15-year prison sentence. Any Congressional compromise
    with the Sensenbrenner bill (HR 4437) may include these
    harmful criminalization provisions. Fight back NOW!

    Help stop the criminalization of undocumented immigrants
    and those who support them!

    For more information call 415-821- 9683.
    For information on the Daniel and Shanti Defense Campaign,
    visit www.nomoredeaths. org.

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    FYI
    According to "Minimum Wage History" at
    http://oregonstate. edu/instruct/ anth484/minwage. html "

    "Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. "The 8 dollar per hour Whole Foods employees
    are being paid $1.12 less than the 1968 minimum wage.

    "A federal minimum wage was first set in 1938. The graph shows
    both nominal (red) and real (blue) minimum wage values. Nominal
    values range from 25 cents per hour in 1938 to the current $5.15/hr.
    The greatest percentage jump in the minimum wage was in 1950,
    when it nearly doubled. The graph adjusts these wages to 2005
    dollars (blue line) to show the real value of the minimum wage.
    Calculated in real 2005 dollars, the 1968 minimum wage was the
    highest at $9.12. Note how the real dollar minimum wage rises and
    falls. This is because it gets periodically adjusted by Congress.
    The period 1997-2006, is the longest period during which the
    minimum wage has not been adjusted. States have departed from
    the federal minimum wage. Washington has the highest minimum
    wage in the country at $7.63 as of January 1, 2006. Oregon is next
    at $7.50. Cities, too, have set minimum wages. Santa Fe, New
    Mexico has a minimum wage of $9.50, which is more than double
    the state minimum wage at $4.35."

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    NO BORDERS! NO WALLS! NO FENCES! GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ALL!
    OUR HOMELAND IS WHERE WE LIVE!

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    REPEAL THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT IN 2007!
    Check out: 10 EXCELLENT REASONS NOT TO JOIN THE MILITARY
    http://www.10reason sbook.com/
    Public Law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left Behind
    Act of 2001 [1.8 MB]
    http://www.ed. gov/policy/ elsec/leg/ esea02/index. html
    Also, the law is up before Congress again in 2007.
    See this article from USA Today:
    Bipartisan panel to study No Child Left Behind
    By Greg Toppo, USA TODAY
    February 13, 2006
    http://www.usatoday .com/news/ education/ 2006-02-13- education- panel_x.htm

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    The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
    http://www.law. indiana.edu/ uslawdocs/ declaration. html
    http://www.law. ou.edu/hist/ decind.html
    http://www.usconsti tution.net/ declar.html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805195. php

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    Bill of Rights
    http://www.law. cornell.edu/ constitution/ constitution. billofrights. html
    http://www.indybay. org/news/ 2006/02/1805182. php

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    ARTICLES IN FULL:
    ---------*-- -------*- --------* --------- *-------- -*------- -

    1) Victory in San Francisco on November 14:
    Board of Ed. Votes to Phase Out JROTC!
    Student Activist Receives
    Threats For Opposing JROTC
    By ERIC BLANC
    and
    VICTORY! JROTC WILL GO!
    Report by Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org
    With statements read to the board by Bonnie Weinstein and
    Carole Seligman.
    www.bauaw.org

    2) THE TAMING OF THE DEMOCRATS
    [Col. Writ. 11/19/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    3) Learning From Iraq
    New York Times Editorial
    "Modern innovations in warfare make it possible for America’s
    technologically proficient forces to vanquish an opposing army
    quickly and with relatively few troops. But re-establishing
    order in a defeated, decapitated society demands a much
    larger force for a much longer time."
    November 26, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/opinion/26sun1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

    4) While Iraq Burns
    By Bob Herbert
    NYT Op-Ed Columnist
    "Americans are shopping while Iraq burns."
    November 27, 2006
    http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/opinion/27herbert.html?hp

    5) Ford Raises $18 Billion in Financing
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/27cnd-ford.html?hp&ex=1164690000&en=67d5234b124f45f5&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    6) Connectivity
    By Jeremie Lucia
    The following post was written on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 23.
    November 26, 2006, 10:00 pm
    http://missionafghanistan.blogs.nytimes.com/

    7) Protesters Set Buildings on Fire in Embattled Oaxaca
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/world/americas/27mexico.html

    8) Dreams in the Dark at the Drive-Through Window
    By CHARLIE LeDUFF
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/us/27album.html?ref=us

    9) Stocks Fall Sharply on Concerns About Slowdown
    By JEREMY W. PETERS
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/28stoxcnd.html?ref=business

    10) If You’ve Got the Money, Honey, You May Be a Little Bit Happier
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRES
    [Just as my mother always said, "Anyone can be miserable--but
    it sure is a lot easier to be miserable in the lap of luxury than
    if your homeless and out in the streets...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/27happy.html

    11) Employers May Get Access to Applicants' Minor 'Offenses'
    by Michelle Chen
    November 17, 2006
    http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3903

    12) Stress disorders, drug abuse, little help for troops
    As repeat tours of Iraq wear on U.S. forces, government
    struggles to provide mental health care; many say they
    take refuge in drugs.
    By Anne Usher
    WASHINGTON STAFF
    Sunday, November 26, 2006
    http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/11/26/26soldierstress.html

    13) ’04 Income in U.S. Was Below 2000 Level
    "The bottom 60 percent of Americans, on average, made less than
    95 cents in 2004 for each dollar they reported in 1979, analysis
    of the I.R.S. data shows."
    By DAVID CAY JOHNSTON
    November 28, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/business/28tax.html?ref=business

    14) Bicyclists and Others Protest a Plan for New Parade Rules
    By EMILY VASQUEZ
    November 28, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/nyregion/28permit.html

    15) Speed Bump at the Border
    By THOMAS B. EDSALL
    Guest Columnist
    Washington
    November 28, 2006
    http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/opinion/28edsall.html?hp

    16) Michael Richards and the NYPD -50 Shots 50 Years
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-finley/michael-richards-and-the-_b_35020.html

    17) Racist New York cops kill groom on wedding day, fire 50 shots
    By: Monica Ruíz
    Monday, November 27, 2006
    http://www.pslweb.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6071&news_iv_ctrl=1261

    18) FRIEDMAN MADE RIGHT CALL ON LEGALIZATION
    The Economist Who Died This Month Understood Decades Ago that Drug
    Prohibition Was Bad for Public Policy, the Economy and Society
    by Robyn Blumner, Tribune Media Services
    Minneapolis Star Tribune - Nov 26, 2006
    http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1605/a04.html

    19) Volunteer force may be ‘severely degraded’ soon, retired general says
    By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
    Pacific edition, Saturday, November 18, 2006
    http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40613&archive=true

    20) RADIOACTIVE POISON IN S.F. SHIPYARDS
    From: SF Bay View editor@sfbayview.com
    Subject: Re: Lennar promised to build infrastructure for Shipyard
    Date: Sat, 25 Nov 2006 18:06:49 -0800

    21) Teens Frustrate Military Recruiter's ASVAB Scam
    by Scott Horton
    November 24, 2006
    http://antiwar.com/horton/?articleid=10055

    22) Their next massacre [U.S. Out of Iraq Now!...bw]
    http://www.brussellstribunal.org/

    23) Pro-Peace Symbol Forces Win Battle in Colorado Town
    By KIRK JOHNSON
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/us/29wreath.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=4e195ed741510ddb&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    24) Iraq and the Facts of Life
    New York Times Editorial
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/opinion/29wed1.html?hp

    25) 30,000 Union Workers Accept Buyouts at Ford
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/business/30fordcnd.html?hp&ex=1164862800&en=db4df88534f7b28b&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    26) U.S. Troops Kill 5 Girls in Assault on Insurgents
    By EDWARD WONG
    November 29, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html

    27) From Norman Morrison to Malachi Ritscher
    Self-Immolation as Anti-War Protest
    By JOE DeRAYMOND
    http://counterpunch.org/deraymond11292006.html

    28) Labor Speaks Against War on Iran
    http://www.stopwaroniran.org

    29) That Our Children May Have Peace
    By Gregg Shotwell
    Live Bait & Ammo #85, November 28, 2006
    www.soldiersofsolidarity.com

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    1) Victory in San Francisco on November 14:
    Board of Ed. Votes to Phase Out JROTC!
    Student Activist Receives
    Threats For Opposing JROTC
    By ERIC BLANC
    and
    VICTORY! JROTC WILL GO!
    Report by Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org
    With statements read to the board by Bonnie Weinstein and
    Carole Seligman.
    On November 14, a major political earthquake shook San Francisco and
    the entire country. For the first time ever in the United States, a
    school board -- the Board of Education of the San Francisco Unified
    School District (SFUSD) -- voted to kick the Junior Reserve Officer
    Training Corps (JROTC) off the high school campuses.

    By a vote of 4-2 (with one board member absent), the school board
    voted to phase out the JROTC program over the next two years and to
    set up a task force to establish an alternative program to provide a
    community structure and leadership skills to the approximately 1,600
    high school students -- mainly Asian, Black and Latino -- who enroll
    in JROTC every year.

    With this vote, San Francisco will immediately become an important
    example for other cities to kick out this authoritarian recruitment
    tool of the U.S. military from our country's public high schools.

    This victory was not a foregone conclusion. Not by a long shot.
    Enormous pressures were brought to bear on the school board to
    maintain JROTC.

    All-Out Media Drive to Keep JROTC

    On November 5, the San Francisco Chronicle published a front-page
    glowing tribute to the JROTC, warning of the proposal to "kill off
    the long-standing and enormously popular course," which, it stated,
    is neither discriminatory nor a vehicle for military recruitment, but
    merely a positive "learning experience."

    A few days later, the Chronicle editors published an editorial urging
    its readers to contact all the board members who had indicated they
    might support the proposal to drop JROTC from the high schools. They
    even gave out the board members' email addresses, which they never do.

    In the week leading up to the vote, S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom, School
    Superintendent Gwen Chan, and countless other prominent community
    figures lashed out at the school board members who had moved the
    anti-JROTC resolution through committee. The board members were
    accused of racism, elitism, scorn for the city's students, and a
    blind concern for their own "narrow and leftist" political agendas at
    the expense of the most needy children in the district.

    A few voices went so far as to place the blame for any future
    students killed in gang wars on the board members who would vote to
    suspend JROTC. They claimed that the only thing that has prevented
    these most at-risk students from joining these gangs is the JROTC
    program.

    Other voices still insisted that JROTC is not a vehicle for the
    military to recruit in San Francisco, and that JROTC does not
    discriminate against LGBT students in San Francisco. This might occur
    in other cities, they insisted, but not in San Francisco.

    RY Launches Anti-JROTC Campaign

    At the beginning of the school year, Revolution Youth (RY) members at
    Lowell High School began to organize support the school board
    resolution to phase out JROTC. They decided to circulate a student
    petition in support of this proposal and to build a city-wide
    campaign on the high school campuses.

    Within weeks, the Lowell RY students were holding weekly Saturday
    afternoon meetings at Dolores Park with students from 11 other public
    and private high schools in the city (and even the greater Bay Area).
    The campaign was carried out in close collaboration with the American
    Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

    A few days before the school board vote, Revolution Youth sent out an
    email posting to students and antiwar activists throughout the city
    urging them to attend the board meeting and reminding them of the
    importance of this campaign. The posting reads, in part:

    "Is the JROTC really 'enormously popular' throughout the city, as the
    Chronicle claims? Hardly. In fact, an independent movement of
    high-school students at more than 12 schools began in August to
    support the proposal in the Board of Education. A petition circulated
    by these students has in a few weeks received more than 800
    signatures. [See copy of Petition below.]

    "It also should be noted that at Mission High School, some of the
    main student-advocates of the petition are Latino youth who are
    current members of JROTC and who were pushed into the program without
    knowing what it was -- or because their parents couldn't afford the
    P.E. uniforms -- and who are unable to leave it now because of
    scheduling conflicts due to the lack of space in regular P.E.
    classes. Š

    "'As students we believe that fighting JROTC is a way to fight the
    Iraq war by taking away a valuable recruitment tool for the U.S.
    military,' says J.L., Lowell high-school student and member of
    Revolution Youth, the principal youth organization mobilizing S.F.
    students against the military presence on campuses.

    "And in November 2005, S.F. voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition
    I, opposing military recruiters on campuses.

    "What about the claim that JROTC is not a recruitment tool? Rudy de
    Leon, Under Secretary of Defense, testifying before the Military
    Personnel Subcommittee House Committee On Armed Services in March
    2000 admitted that, 'The proportion of JROTC graduates who enter the
    military following completion of high school is roughly five times
    greater than the proportion of non-JROTC students.'

    "It is true that this percentage is for the time being lower in San
    Francisco, but this could change in coming period, as the U.S.
    military seeks to overcome its recruitment woes in order to continue
    the occupation of Iraq.

    "And what about the denial that JROTC is discriminatory? It is true
    that in San Francisco there are openly LGBT students in JROTC, but
    these students are denied certain privileges of joining JROTC, such
    as eligibility for special military scholarships or eligibility for
    entering the military with higher pay. Moreover, JROTC is
    intrinsically linked to and funded by the military, which overtly
    bans openly LGTB citizens from joining.

    "And what about the 'positive impact' of JROTC on students? It is
    true that some students in San Francisco have learned leadership
    skills and 'found a family' in JROTC, but there is no reason why
    students couldn't have a similar experience with the new alternative
    program that is planned to be set up after phasing out JROTC; the $1
    million in S.F. yearly public funding that goes to JROTC could
    provide the financial base for building this new program.

    "What is needed now is for all students, community organizations,
    progressives, and antiwar activists to mobilize in support of the
    school board proposal to get rid of JROTC."

    The RY members devoted the final week before the school board vote to
    line up students to speak at the school board meeting in support of
    the proposed board resolution. This was not so easy. It was one thing
    for students to sign a petition addressed to the school board
    members, but it was quite another for students, particularly at the
    predominantly Black or Latino high schools, to testify publicly
    against JROTC.

    Public Testimonies and the Final Vote

    The evening of November 14 began as anticipated. The pro-JROTC forces
    bused in hundreds of their supporters, including war veterans, to
    pressure the school board to drop the resolution disbanding their
    program. Pro-JROTC speakers claimed throughout the evening that "at
    least 1,500" of their supporters had mobilized in front of the school
    board building. Most observers placed the number at a 200 to 300 --
    still not a negligible turnout.

    After taking up some other minor agenda items, the president of the
    school board, Norman Yee, called on board member Dan Kelly to read
    and move the final and amended version of the resolution on JROTC.
    This was followed by some initial comments by school board members
    and then the comments from the public.

    Each side was given half an hour of testimony to support their
    position. With a one-minute time limit per speaker, this meant
    roughly 30 speakers per side.

    The pro-JROTC group went first. The speakers were livid against the
    board members, accusing them of racism against Asians, wanton
    disregard for the poor students in the district, and more. All denied
    there was any link between JROTC and the military; in fact a few
    teachers who spoke in favor of JROTC said they strongly opposed the
    war and military recruitment. For them this was simply a case of
    providing structure and discipline to kids who otherwise would be out
    in the streets, susceptible to the pressures from the gangs.

    To the surprise of many, the pro-JROTC grouping included only a few
    high school students. Most of the speakers were adult leaders of the
    JROTC program.

    The anti-JROTC side went next, led off by M.K., a Revolution Youth
    member and senior at Lowell High School, who opened her comments
    announcing that students at 11 high schools had gathered more than
    800 signatures from students in support of the board resolution.

    M. then announced that many more students would have been at the
    meeting in support of the proposal to phase out JROTC but they were
    scared to speak out. She mentioned that anti-JROTC activists at
    Lincoln High School were actually threatened physically on account of
    their support for the school board resolution..

    M. was one of six RY students who spoke before the board. Two student
    members of the Youth Commission from SOTA and Lowell also spoke in
    favor of the board resolution. [Two of the statements from RY members
    are included below; the others will be available shortly.]

    Other speakers in support of the resolution included political and
    community activists Eric Blanc, Millie Phillips, Tom Lacey, Denise
    D'Anne, Cristina Gutierrez, Medea Benjamin, Bonnie Weinstein and
    Carole Seligman, among others. All underscored the fact that the
    people of San Francisco, in two separate ballot votes, have rejected
    the war in Iraq and recruiters on campuses: Prop N (2004) called for
    the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, and then Prop I
    (2005) called for Out Now! and also for an end to JROTC on the high
    school campuses.

    All insisted on the horrors of the war and explained that the
    military, with its task of killing or be killed for the sake of
    empire and oil profits for the multinational corporations, cannot be
    viewed as an acceptable alternative to gang-war violence; it only
    transfers the killing fields to the streets of Kabul or Baghdad.

    School, many said, also must be a place to develop critical thinking
    -- something that is contrary to what JROTC and the army is all
    about. Bonnie Weinstein, for example, noted the following in her
    comments:

    "The Army JROTC text from their Leadership, Education and Training
    manual states on page 87, 'When troops react to command rather than
    thought, the result is more than just a good-looking ceremony or
    parade. Drill has been and will continue to be the backbone of
    military discipline.' And from the Navy JROTC Naval Science text,
    page 24, the Navy calls for, 'loyalty to those above us in the chain
    of command whether or not we agree with them.'

    The anti-JROTC activists were a slight minority in the room but they
    were as loud, or louder, than the pro-JROTC forces. No one who
    observed the meeting, or who heard the impassioned pleas of the
    anti-recruitment student speakers over KALW Radio can claim that the
    JROTC program has 'overwhelming support' among the students of San
    Francisco.

    Then came the vote, with the school board holding its ground and
    voting to phase out the JROTC program. A major victory was scored for
    peace, and for public education independent from military recruiters!

    M.K. Receives Physical Threats

    As the anti-JROTC activists left the meeting room following the
    board, many were harassed and subjected to threats from the JROTC
    cadets.

    Antiwar activist Bonnie Weinstein wrote a letter to the school board
    members the day after the vote to congratulate them for their
    historic stand and to notify them of threats she and others had
    received on their way out of the board meeting. Weinstein wrote:

    "Students who were at the meeting last evening and who are
    disappointed by the vote were extremely hostile -- several of them
    physically threatened Cristina Gutierrez, myself and others as we
    left. It was scary to see them filled with so much hate. Of course,
    that's why we want JROTC out of our schools. (You may not be aware
    but JROTC students were laughing when Cristina told of being tortured
    by U.S. military-trained Colombian troops.) I was also very puzzled
    that their 'teachers' were not there with them to counsel them after
    the vote was taken and to monitor this threatening and extremely
    disrespectful behavior.

    "This is important to bring up because we were not speaking to them
    on the way out -- just among ourselves, and we were accosted by them
    screaming at the top of their lungs in our faces with their fists
    raised and tight! We were standing with an older woman with a cane
    and the students crowded around us and began shouting and chanting
    and screaming in our faces as we tried to leave.

    "Cristina's small stature came to the waist of one of the boys who
    stood in front of us momentarily barring the exit. There was a big
    screen in the lobby and the students -- some of whom have seen and
    talked to us before -- must have recognized us again from the screen
    and were furious with our statements. Their behavior exposes the very
    real danger JROTC is to our student's character and well being."

    The threats did not stop there.

    RY member M.K. reports that the night after the school board vote she
    received a dozen threatening myspace messages from students across
    the city about the petition and her comments to the board. M. also
    reports she found out there is a bulletin circulating with her
    information, pictures of her, and a direct link to her myspace site
    encouraging people to harass and physically threaten her.

    "So much for the JROTC kids proving how much the program taught them
    leadership, social skils, and maturity," M. writes.

    M.'s parents have contacted the police, the board of education, the
    JROTC instructors, and the principals at various high schools, to
    notify them of the threats against their daughter. M. has sent a
    letter to the Chronicle editors informing them of the threats and
    urging them to stop fanning the flames of intolerance and hatred.

    Where To Go From Here?

    This is an important first victory -- but the battle has not been won.

    The U.S. Army has just announced a $1.53 billion ad campaign contract
    with McCann/Erickson, a major advertising agency, to launch a new
    recruitment campaign. Also, so long as Bush's No Child Left Behind
    Act is the law of the land, school board will be pressured to keep
    the military recruiters on the campuses.

    We must organize to repeal No Child Left Behind!

    For now, Revolution Youth members are calling on all San Francisco
    students who signed the RY petition and on all anti-recruitment
    activists in San Francisco to contact the school board members to
    congratulate and thank them for writing the historic resolution and
    for making the tough decision to support it.

    Please write your letters to:

    - Dr. Dan Kelly
    dkelly@sfusd.edu
    - Mr. Mark Sanchez
    msanche@sfusd.edu
    - Mr. Eric Mar, Esq.
    emar@sfusd.edu
    - Ms. Sarah Lipson
    slipson@sfusd.edu

    Also, please inform the board members if you are willing to work with
    the SFUSD to develop an alternative program to JROTC. We now have an
    obligation to develop such a program for the students who, for
    various reasons, have found a home in JROTC.

    Students interested in continuing to organize this anti-recruitment
    work should contact RY at the following: Tel. 415-641-8616 or
    ryi_irj@yahoo.com.

    There are a lot of things we can do in the coming months, such as an
    antiwar battle of the bands or a holiday CD action at the Stonestown
    Recruiting Center.

    Please get back to us. We have to continue the struggle to end the
    war in Iraq and to get the military recruiters off our campuses -- in
    other Bay Area cities, across California, and all across the country.

    (Eric Blanc, a graduate of Lowell High School in 2002, was one of the
    Revolution Youth anti-JROTC campaign coordinators.)

    STATEMENT FROM D.S.:

    Hello, my name is D.S. and I attend Lowell High School.

    I support the Board of Education's resolution to replace JROTC with
    an alternative program that is not directly affiliated with the
    military. Career opportunities in high schools should be equally
    represented, and JROTC holds for the military the advantage of
    receiving physical education credit as well as almost one million
    dollars in district funding while other clubs do not. (There is also
    a smaller student to teacher ratio, despite JROTC instructors'
    $15,000 greater salary.)

    The military is not the only organization capable of teaching
    leadership, discipline, first aid, and map reading. I trust that the
    Board of Education will not abandon their students, and ensure that
    the talent of the Drum Corps, Drill Team, Colour Guard, and so on are
    not wasted. If the statistics of the views on war of JROTC and
    non-JROTC students are equal, let us unite to demilitarize and
    promote a progressive educational environment in our schools in San
    Francisco to initiate this movement throughout America.

    STATEMENT FROM I.C.:

    Hello, my name is I.C. and I am a freshman at School of the Arts high
    school.

    I support the proposal made by the school board to phase out JROTC
    from San Francisco public schools. It is not accurate to say that
    this proposal will deprive students of feeling leadership. If JROTC
    remains connected to the military it will eventually deprive these
    same students of their lives. JROTC is used by the military as a
    recruiting tool and though not all of the students who participate in
    it end up joining the military a great many of them do.

    Yes, many people are in JROTC because they feel that it provides
    great leadership opportunities and they feel like a family among
    their fellow JROTC peers, and I think that all of this is important.
    However, all of this is highly achievable with alternative programs
    not linked so strongly with the military.

    I have only been at my school for about three months and through my
    art discipline I have felt family. Perhaps with more creative and
    artistic opportunities in public schools, these students can feel the
    same way.

    VICTORY! JROTC WILL GO!
    Report by Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org
    With statements read to the board by Bonnie Weinstein and
    Carole Seligman.

    [Bay Area United Against War has been organizing to rid our schools
    of JROTC. For three years, we set a table up in front of the Board of
    Education meetings once a month handing out information exposing
    JROTC as a major recruiting tool in our schools, organized counter-
    recruitment workshops and tables in our schools; and brought the
    issue up over and over again at the school board meetings.
    This is a great prize for all our hard work.
    Thanks to all!...bw]

    Warmest congratulations to the San Francisco Board of Education!
    Many thanks to all who showed up--the students who presented
    over 800 signatures demanding an end to JROTC to the board--and
    all those who spoke and those who did not have the chance to
    speak. And all those who have worked so hard to get JROTC
    our of our schools. A battle won!

    Open letter and report to the S.F. Board of Education
    by Bonnie Weinstein

    Dear Board Members,

    You have done a wonderful thing! After all these years, while we are
    still stuck with military recruiters because of No Child Left Behind,
    we can finally look forward to a more non-military environment for
    our children without the addition of JROTC. I can also testify than
    many students are put into JROTC against their will. In one counter-
    recruitment workshop a freshman student told of how, since
    she was new to the district and late for enrollment, she was assigned
    to JROTC and hated it but feared speaking out about it--and she
    was just a sample of the many I have spoken to who were not
    in JROTC by choice. Now, finally, this will end.

    I do have a lot of concern for the students who were at the meeting
    last evening and who are disappointed by the vote. As a matter
    of fact, they were extremely hostile--several of them physically
    threatened Cristina Gutierrez, myself and others as we left--
    it was scary to see them filled with so much hate. Of course, that's
    why we want JROTC out of our schools. (You may not be aware but
    JROTC students were laughing when Cristina told of being tortured
    by U.S. Military-trained Columbian troops.) I was also very
    puzzled that their "teachers" were not there with them to counsel
    them after the vote was taken and to monitor this threatening
    and extremely disrespectful behavior.

    (This is important to bring up because we were not speaking
    to them on the way out--just among ourselves and we were
    accosted by them screaming at the top of their lungs in our
    faces with their fists raised and tight! We were standing with
    an older woman with a cane and the students crowded around
    us and began shouting and chanting and screaming in our
    faces as we tried to leave. Cristina's small stature came to
    the waist of one of the boys who stood in front of us momentarily
    barring the exit. There was a big screen in the lobby and the
    students--some of whom have seen and talked to us before--
    must have recognized us again from the screen and were furious
    with our statements. I am very afraid for these students. They
    need to be counseled by professionals. Their behavior exposes
    the very real danger JROTC is to our student's character and
    well being.)

    But this decision was an historical one. It was picked up by the
    New York Times (See link to article below) and even Newsweek
    sent a reporter. According to the Times article, "Lt. Cmdr. Joe
    Carpenter, a Pentagon spokesman, has said he didn't know
    of any other school district having barred JROTC from its
    campuses."

    So, we have come to the attention of the Pentagon!

    Hopefully this will set a precedent just as our antiwar-anti-
    military recruitment initiatives have done across the country.
    This past election saw many cities across the East Coast pass
    antiwar referendums.

    But our battle is not yet over. The Army alone has a 1.53 billion-
    dollar ad campaign contract with McCann/Erickson--a major
    advertising agency--to launch a new recruitment campaign.
    And, meanwhile, the No Child Left Behind act will be up for
    grabs again in 2007. We must organize to abolish it!

    But for your information I would like to give you two quotes
    I didn't have time to give you last night:

    The Army JROTC text from their Leadership, Education and
    Training manual page 87 states, "When troops react to command
    rather than thought, the result is more than just a good-looking
    ceremony or parade. Drill has been and will continue to be the
    backbone of military discipline." And from the Navy JROTC Naval
    Science text page. 24, the Navy calls for, "...loyalty to those
    above us in the chain of command whether or not we agree
    with them."

    This can be found at: http://www.objector.org/jrotc/why.html

    Your decision last evening will go a long way toward bringing
    this kind of non-thinking to an end. We have seen the results
    of JROTC on our children and it isn't very pretty.

    In solidarity,

    Bonnie Weinstein, www.bauaw.org

    The following is the text of my short statement and a link to the
    source of the $1.35 billion figure I quote:

    "The U.S. Army has a new 1.35 billion dollar recruitment campaign
    budget*—they don’t need our help! And with a 45 percent recruitment
    rate nationwide, JROTC qualifies as top-recruiters.

    Their main job is to teach students that loyalty to those above in the
    chain of command, whether or not you agree with them, takes
    precedence over thinking.

    Isn’t that what got us into the war in the first place?

    The most basic responsibility of our public education program
    is to teach critical thinking and that blindly obeying orders—especially
    when you don’t agree with them—is thoughts’ antithesis, and, in fact,
    has led to history’s most heinous military crimes.

    For two years in a row the voters of San Francisco have declared
    their opposition to the war in Iraq and against military recruitment
    in our schools. Now is the time to carry out the will of the majority.
    Get JROTC and all military recruiters out of our schools!...Bonnie
    Weinstein."

    Text of Carole Seligman's statement to the Board of Education:

    "The war on Iraq could not happen without troops. The purpose of the Jr.
    ROTC is to steer young people into the military. Your decision
    tonight has national importance.

    The people oppose the war on Iraq and want the troops home now!
    Horrified by the deaths of over 655,000 Iraqi civilians, we
    oppose the half-trillion dollars spent on war that should be
    spent on education, health care, and other human needs.
    ROTC has been in S.F. since World War One. The purpose is still
    to turn young people into occupiers and killers for the big
    corporations.

    I hope the students and the Board of Education won’t
    fall for the line.

    of The Chronicle that ROTC is just harmless marching
    around with flags and sticks.

    It's a military program. The pressure is on because the
    military has failed to meet its enlistment goals. We do not
    want the military to have any part in our schools. We want
    them out! Out of Iraq and out of our schools!"

    * Link to New York Times article on $1.35 Billion Army advertising budget:

    Army’s New Battle Cry Aims at Potential Recruits
    By STUART ELLIOTT
    "A PRIZED goal of Madison Avenue is to link a brand to a desirable
    quality or attribute: Ford trucks with toughness, Coca-Cola
    with reliability. Now comes a major effort from one of the oldest
    brands of all, the Army, to lay claim to the concept of strength.
    “Army strong” is the theme of a campaign that the Army plans
    to announce formally today. The effort, with a budget estimated
    at $1.35 billion in the next five years, will appear in traditional
    media like television as well as nontraditional outlets like blogs,
    social networking Web sites and chat rooms...."
    November 9, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09adco.html

    You can see a sample of the real thing (if you can stand it) at:
    http://www.army.mil/

    Here's a link to the Chronicle article:

    SAN FRANCISCO
    School board votes to dump JROTC program
    Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer
    Wednesday, November 15, 2006
    http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/15/BAG2HMD46B1.DTL

    New U.S. Army Recruitment Ad Campaign:
    "There's strong, and then there's Army strong. It is not just
    the strength to obey, but the strength to command. Not just strength
    in numbers, the strength of brothers. Not just the strength to lift, the
    strength to raise. Not just the strength to get yourself over, the strength
    to get over yourself."

    Commercials that feature soldiers and their families take a similar
    tack. "You made them strong, We’ll make them Army strong."
    The effort, with a budget estimated at $1.35 billion in the next five
    years, will appear in traditional media like television as well as
    nontraditional outlets like blogs, social networking Web sites
    and chat rooms.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/business/media/09adco.html?ref=business

    JROTC Debate in Chronicle today:

    PRO: A battle over values
    Michael Bernick
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/09/EDG6PKE1IB1.DTL&
    hw=jrotc&sn=001&sc=1000

    CON: Popular doesn't = appr jfjks;dlj' mk
    Dan Kelly, Mark Sanchez
    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/09/EDG8EM8OIE1.DTL&
    hw=jrotc&sn=002&sc=936

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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    2) THE TAMING OF THE DEMOCRATS
    [Col. Writ. 11/19/06] Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    Since the recent Democratic wins in the U.S. House and Senate, there has
    been a concerted effort from the corporate media to evoke from them
    pre-installation promises of moderation, and a mass denial that there
    are any plans to impeach a widely unpopular President, George W. Bush.

    There has been equally aggressive attention paid to House Speaker-elect,
    Nancy Pelosi (Dem. - Ca.), who makes history as the first American woman
    to reach what is essentially the third most powerful office in the nation.

    With few exceptions, most outspoken legislators have pooh-poohed the
    idea of impeaching the President, even before there have been hearings
    into the events that led to the ruinous disaster in Iraq.

    Columnists lecture, "It would be too divisive." Others decry such talks
    as 'radical.'

    What is more radical than war?

    Why are the same voices and institutions that led the cheerleading squad
    to war now setting the parameters of acceptable political debate and
    activity?

    Perhaps the most influential newspaper in the U.S., the *New York
    Times*, used its front pages as a virtual billboard for the Bush
    administration, and high-ranking people like Vice-President Dick Cheney,
    and Secretary of State (then National Security Advisor), Condoleeza Rice
    quoted the *NYT* incessantly in the run-up to the Iraq War. Pulitzer
    Prize-winning *Times* reporter, Judith Miller essentially served as a
    scribe for the White House.

    It was press scrutiny that led to the recent downfall of outspoken
    anti-war figure, Congressman John Murtha (Dem.-Pa.) in the race for
    House Majority Whip, using grainy tapes from almost 3 decades ago -- the
    FBI ABSCAM attempts to bust corrupt politicians. It certainly appears
    like the so-called 'Washington consensus' was unilaterally opposed to
    Murtha in the Whip post, for it would have provided the critic with a
    platform that could not be easily ignored. It was precisely this
    so-called 'consensus' that lined up to support the Iraq adventure,
    virtually without a whisper of dissent.

    It very well may be the case that these same forces wanted to humble the
    House Speaker-elect. And yet it was this same alleged 'consensus'
    (driven, to be sure, by the mad neocons in the White House, the Defense
    Dept. and the corporate think tanks) that led to this mess.

    Consensus, here in the U.S., is actually the agreement of a fairly
    narrow slice of the American (and sometimes foreign) elite. In the
    brief but brilliant book, *Behind the Invasion of Iraq* (N.Y.: Monthly
    Review Press, 2003) written by the Humbai, India-based Research Unit for
    Political Economy, this theme is argued quite strongly:

    "Typically apart from legislators and the press, a proliferation of
    research institutes, semi-governmental bodies, and academic forums
    circulate proposals voicing the case of one or the other lobby (leaving
    the administration free to deny that they constitute official policy).
    These proposals elicit objections from other interests, through similar
    media; other powerful countries press their interests, directly or
    indirectly; and the entire discussion, in the light of the strength of
    the respective interests, helps shape the course of action finally
    adopted and helps coalesce the various ruling class sections around it.
    (This process, of course, has nothing to do with democratic debate,
    since the *people* are excluded as participants, and are included only
    as a factor to be taken into account)."

    We shouldn't haggle with theory here. One need only recall the
    unprecedented mass pre-war protests, all around the nation, and abroad.
    The experts and think tank types decried the ignorance of the masses,
    but time has proven that the mass demonstrations were right. Now, the
    Democrats, being seduced by the lobbyists, the media, and the
    know-it-alls (who might best be called 'the know-nothings') are being
    persuaded to be bipartisan; to take impeachment off the table; to cool
    that rap about ending the war.

    That, like before, is the recipe for disaster, for it ignores the people
    who turned out to vote, largely disgusted with Bush's war. People are
    sick to the soul about Iraq.

    If they ignore the public mood, they will, once again, be digging their
    political graves. For this war, from beginning to now, has been an
    unholy disaster, causing the deaths of at least a 1/2 million people.
    That ain't impeachable?


    Copyright 2006 Mumia Abu-Jamal

    *---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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    3) Learning From Iraq
    New York Times Editorial
    "Modern innovations in warfare make it possible for America’s
    technologically proficient forces to vanquish an opposing army
    quickly and with relatively few troops. But re-establishing
    order in a defeated, decapitated society demands a much
    larger force for a much longer time."
    November 26, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/opinion/26sun1.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

    While politicians from both parties spin out their versions of Iraqs
    that should have been, could have been and just maybe still might
    be, the Army has taken on a far more useful project: figuring out
    why the Bush administration’s military plans worked out so badly
    and drawing lessons for future conflicts.

    That effort is a welcome sign that despite six years of ideologically
    driven dictates from Donald Rumsfeld’s Pentagon, Army leaders
    remain usefully focused on the real world, where actual soldiers
    daily put their lives on the line for their country and where the
    quality of military planning goes a long way toward determining
    whether their sacrifices help achieve America’s national purposes.

    Two hopeful examples are the latest draft of a new Army field
    manual that will be taught to officers at all levels beginning next
    year and a series of oral history interviews conducted with Iraqi
    and American officers involved in the disappointing efforts
    to establish and train Iraqi security forces. Last week, The Los
    Angeles Times published details of some of the major changes
    being incorporated into the new field manual, while The
    Washington Post reported on some of the lessons learned
    in the Iraqi training programs.

    The field manual, the Army’s basic guidebook for war,
    peacekeeping and counterinsurgency, quietly jettisons
    the single most disastrous innovation of the Rumsfeld era.
    That is the misconceived notion that the size and composition
    of an American intervention force should be based only
    on what is needed to defeat the organized armed forces
    of an enemy government, instead of also taking into account
    the needs of providing security and stability for the civilian
    population for which the United States will then be responsible.

    Almost every post-invasion problem in Iraq can be directly
    traced to this one catastrophic planning failure, which left too
    few troops in Iraq to prevent rampant looting, restore basic
    services and move decisively against the insurgency before
    it took root and spread.

    Modern innovations in warfare make it possible for America’s
    technologically proficient forces to vanquish an opposing army
    quickly and with relatively few troops. But re-establishing
    order in a defeated, decapitated society demands a much
    larger force for a much longer time.

    The new field manual will rightly call for stabilization efforts
    to start as soon as American troops arrive. And it will legally
    require American field commanders to request sufficient forces
    to successfully carry out these stability operations. That should
    short-circuit future debates about whether Pentagon policy
    makers are providing all the troops that the generals on the
    spot honestly feel they need.

    Correcting deficiencies in American military training is also
    essential, since the biggest reason the United States has not
    been able to withdraw significant numbers of its own troops
    over the past three years has been the lack of adequately
    prepared and reliable Iraqi security forces.

    Iraqi officers interviewed for the oral history complained that
    their American trainers were often junior officers without
    combat experience. American officers expressed unhappiness
    about how their own training teams had been selected and
    prepared. One major tellingly remarked that “I went there
    with the wrong attitude and I thought I understood Iraq and
    the history because I had seen PowerPoint slides, but I really
    didn’t.”

    These are useful insights. But they can only go so far when
    a host government lacks the will to rid its security forces of
    sectarian militia fighters more intent on waging civil war than
    achieving national stability. That so far has been the biggest
    obstacle in Iraq.

    Transforming American forces to fight 21st-century conflicts
    was the ubiquitous but largely empty slogan of the Rumsfeld era.
    Incorporating the hard lessons learned in Iraq into future military
    planning and training operations would constitute a far more
    practical variety of transformation.

    Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company

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    4) While Iraq Burns
    By Bob Herbert
    NYT Op-Ed Columnist
    "Americans are shopping while Iraq burns."
    November 27, 2006
    http://select.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/opinion/27herbert.html?hp

    Americans are shopping while Iraq burns.

    The competing television news images on the morning after
    Thanksgiving were of the unspeakable carnage in Sadr City ˜
    where more than 200 Iraqi civilians were killed by a series
    of coordinated car bombs ˜ and the long lines of cars filled
    with holiday shopping zealots that jammed the highway
    approaches to American malls that had opened for business
    at midnight.

    A Wal-Mart in Union, N.J., was besieged by customers even
    before it opened its doors at 5 a.m. on Friday. „All I can tell
    you,‰ said a Wal-Mart employee, „is that they were fired up
    and ready to spend money.‰

    There is something terribly wrong with this juxtaposition
    of gleeful Americans with fistfuls of dollars storming the
    department store barricades and the slaughter by the
    thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, including old people,
    children and babies. The war was started by the U.S., but
    most Americans feel absolutely no sense of personal
    responsibility for it.

    Representative Charles Rangel recently proposed that
    the draft be reinstated, suggesting that politicians would
    be more reluctant to take the country to war if they
    understood that their constituents might be called
    up to fight. What struck me was not the uniform
    opposition to the congressman‚s proposal ˜ it has
    long been clear that there is zero sentiment in favor
    of a draft in the U.S. ˜ but the fact that it never
    provoked even the briefest discussion of the
    responsibilities and obligations of ordinary Americans
    in a time of war.

    With no obvious personal stake in the war in Iraq,
    most Americans are indifferent to its consequences.
    In an interview last week, Alex Racheotes, a 19-year-old
    history major at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, said:
    „I definitely don‚t know anyone who would want to fight
    in Iraq. But beyond that, I get the feeling that most people
    at school don‚t even think about the war. They‚re more
    concerned with what grade they got on yesterday‚s test.‰

    His thoughts were echoed by other students, including
    John Cafarelli, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University
    of New Hampshire, who was asked if he had any friends
    who would be willing to join the Army. „No, definitely
    not,‰ he said. „None of my friends even really care
    about what‚s going on in Iraq.‰

    This indifference is widespread. It enables most Americans
    to go about their daily lives completely unconcerned about
    the atrocities resulting from a war being waged in their
    name. While shoppers here are scrambling to put the
    perfect touch to their holidays with the purchase of
    a giant flat-screen TV or a PlayStation 3, the news out
    of Baghdad is of a society in the midst of a meltdown.

    According to the United Nations, more than 7,000 Iraqi
    civilians were killed in September and October. Nearly
    5,000 of those killings occurred in Baghdad,
    a staggering figure.

    In a demoralizing reprise of life in Afghanistan under
    Taliban rule, the U.N. reported that in Iraq: „The situation
    of women has continued to deteriorate. Increasing numbers
    of women were recorded to be either victims of religious
    extremists or Œhonor killings.‚ Some non-Muslim women
    are forced to wear a headscarf and to be accompanied
    by spouses or male relatives.‰

    Journalists in Iraq are being „assassinated with utmost
    impunity,‰ the U.N. report said, with 18 murdered
    in the last two months.

    Iraq burns. We shop. The Americans dying in Iraq are
    barely mentioned in the press anymore. They warrant
    maybe one sentence in a long roundup article out of
    Baghdad, or a passing reference ˜ no longer than
    a few seconds ˜ in a television news account of the
    latest political ditherings.

    Since the vast majority of Americans do not want
    anything to do with the military or the war, the burden
    of fighting has fallen on a small cadre of volunteers
    who are being sent into the war zone again and again.
    Nearly 3,000 have been killed, and many thousands
    more have been maimed.

    The war has now lasted as long as the American
    involvement in World War II. But there is no sense
    of collective sacrifice in this war, no shared burden
    of responsibility. The soldiers in Iraq are fighting,
    suffering and dying in a war in which there are no
    clear objectives and no end in sight, and which
    a majority of Americans do not support.

    They are dying anonymously and pointlessly, while
    the rest of us are free to buckle ourselves into the
    family vehicle and head off to the malls and shop.

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    5) Ford Raises $18 Billion in Financing
    By NICK BUNKLEY
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/27cnd-ford.html?hp&ex=1164690000&en=67d5234b124f45f5&ei=5094&partner=homepage

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 27 — For the first time in its 103-year history,
    the Ford Motor Company is mortgaging its assets, including factories,
    equipment, office buildings, patents and trademarks, and stakes
    in subsidiaries like Volvo, in order to raise $18 billion to overhaul itself.

    The amount Ford is borrowing exceeds the total market value of
    all its outstanding stock by more than $2 billion.

    Although other auto companies have put up manufacturing equipment
    and other types of collateral over the years to secure loan, Ford has
    never done so before. For many decades, its credit was so good that
    it could easily borrow without pledging assets.

    By doing so now, analysts said, Ford is putting its independence at
    risk. If management fails in its latest attempt to make the ailing
    company profitable again, Ford may be left with little choice but to
    find a buyer or merger partner or file for bankruptcy protection.

    “This refinancing tells us that they see very tough times ahead,”
    said John Casesa, a veteran automotive analyst with Casesa Strategic
    Advisers in New York. “Either they’re incredibly conservative,
    or they’re preparing for an extremely dark outlook.”

    Ford, in a statement, said it needs the financing “to address near-
    and medium-term negative operating-related cash flow, to fund
    its restructuring, and to provide added liquidity to protect against
    a recession or other unanticipated events.”

    The company said it expects to complete the financing by the end
    of the year, giving it a total of $38 billion in liquidity to work with.

    Ford stock fell 20 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $8.31 a share in morning
    trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

    The company said last month that it might arrange secured
    financing for the planned overhaul because its credit rating,
    now well below investment grade, makes other methods for
    borrowing money too expensive and too limiting.

    Ford’s chief financial officer, Don R. Leclair, told reporters and
    analysts on a conference call two weeks ago that management’s
    willingness to leverage the company’s assets is “a measure
    of the confidence we have” in the turnaround plan.

    Of the $18 billion Ford is borrowing, $15 billion will be secured
    and $3 billion unsecured.

    Moody’s Investors Service lowered its rating of Ford’s senior
    unsecured debt to Caa1, seven levels below investment grade,
    from B3, saying that the asset pledges would make it more
    difficult for unsecured lenders to get their money back if the
    company defaults. Still, Moody’s analysts saw logic in the plan
    from the company’s perspective.

    “It was important for Ford to structure this type of financing
    plan in order to ensure that it had adequate liquidity as it enters
    a highly challenging period,” said Bruce Clark, Moody’s automotive
    analyst. “The company still faces daunting competitive
    and market challenges, but this plan would give it some
    breathing room over the next two years.”

    Shelly Lombard, senior high-yield analyst with Gimme Credit,
    a corporate-bond research service in New York, said the financing
    “makes sense,” given that Ford is expected to burn through
    $5 billion of its cash reserves this year.

    “At that kind of run rate,” Ms. Lombard wrote in a research
    note this morning, “the company would have had only a few
    more years of liquidity, especially since it insists that it won’t
    sell Ford Motor Credit.” The company’s stake in the credit arm
    is one of the assets pledged in the financing deal.

    Today is the deadline for hourly workers in Ford’s American
    operations to decide whether to accept retirement and buyout
    packages worth as much as $140,000 apiece. Ford offered the
    deals to all 75,000 of its unionized workers as it prepares
    to close more than a dozen factories and eliminate 30,000
    hourly jobs.

    About 14,000 salaried positions also are being cut, but those
    workers have more time to decide on buyout packages.

    Nearly 35,000 workers at G.M. accepted similar deals earlier
    this year, costing that company about $3.8 billion. Ford’s
    program is expected to cost somewhat less than that amount
    because its work force is smaller and, on average, younger
    and thus farther from retirement age.

    Ford announced its turnaround plan, called the Way Forward,
    in January, and revised it in September to accelerate the job
    cuts and plant closings. The company, which lost about
    $7 billion in the first nine months of this year, says it does
    not expect to earn a profit in North America until 2009
    at the soonest.

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    6) Connectivity
    By Jeremie Lucia
    The following post was written on Thanksgiving day, Nov. 23.
    November 26, 2006, 10:00 pm
    http://missionafghanistan.blogs.nytimes.com/

    The Internet is down again. To the average person this is a minor
    nuisance; simply call the cable or phone company and a technician
    will be by your house sometime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. the
    next day to remedy the lack in service. Presto! You’re back on
    MySpace, checking your e-mail, playing fantasy football, digging,
    and reading posts from your favorite TimesSelect blogger, Jeremie Lucia!

    Today in the United States of America families gather around tables
    spread with cornucopias of food. A teenager graduates from the
    "kiddy table” to sit with the adults. There is the smell of turkey and
    stuffing, cranberry sauce the exact shape of the can it just wiggled
    out of, Aunt Sally’s world famous mashed potatoes, Uncle Jack’s
    … (what is that anyway? – he makes it every year but no one seems
    to eat it) … and of course, the aroma of pumpkin pie permeates the
    air causing everyone to salivate. A herd of children playfully run
    and scream throughout house while men watching football doze
    off high on tryptophan, and the sound of mothers scolding their
    children fills the air: “Timmy, leave the cat alone. Jane, get out
    from under the table. Johnny, stop pestering your sister. Amanda,
    chew with your mouth closed!”

    Today in Afghanistan soldiers gather for a woeful fallen comrade
    ceremony. Someone’s life has been claimed by a malicious act of
    terrorism and hate. Bonded by a universal feeling of intangible loss,
    absence fills the night air and infects the base with an uneasy,
    in-the-back-of-your-head malaise. One of our brothers or sisters
    won’t make roll call tomorrow. I might not know them, probably
    never even crossed paths, but for some reason my heart is
    saturated with a dull ache. I feel sad for the unwitting family
    about to receive the terrible news that next year there is still
    going to be an empty place setting. Nobody talks about it; no
    one wants to really admit they feel something for a person they
    never knew. To do so would lend power to the idea of “I could be
    next,” but we are all connected by it.

    The Internet is down again. To the average service member on my
    F.O.B. (forward operating base), this indicates a communications
    blackout, a sign that a fellow soldier, sailor, marine or airman has
    fallen. The world is a little less beautiful, a family is robbed
    of a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father.
    There is no technician who can repair this loss, no waiting
    between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the fallen to return.

    The doors to M.W.R. (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) are locked
    “until further notice.” It seems there’s little to be thankful for today.

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    7) Protesters Set Buildings on Fire in Embattled Oaxaca
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/world/americas/27mexico.html

    OAXACA, Mexico, Nov. 26 (AP) — Leftist protesters trying to force
    out the Oaxaca state governor set fire to another building Sunday
    after a night of burning government offices and vehicles in running
    street battles with the police that injured at least 43 people.

    The violence broke out late Saturday after masked youths broke
    away from a protest march by about 4,000 people and began
    attacking the police and buildings in Oaxaca city.

    Youths hurled rocks, fireworks and gasoline bombs in a failed
    attempt to encircle the federal police holding the main square.

    In late October, security forces took the square back from
    protesters who had held it for months demanding that Gov. Ulises
    Ruiz resign, accusing him of corruption.

    The police on Saturday drove off attackers with tear gas and jets
    of water from tanker trucks, then advanced in massed ranks
    to drive protesters out of a camp at a smaller plaza two blocks
    from the main square.

    But bands of young people rampaged through the city’s
    downtown area, pushing shopping carts filled with rocks
    and gasoline bombs.

    Court offices in one of Oaxaca’s imposing colonial buildings
    were gutted by flames, and the protesters burned 20 private
    vehicles and attacked three hotels, throwing gasoline bombs
    at one and smashing windows at two. Fires also damaged four
    buildings housing government offices, one university building
    and the state hotel association. Firefighters put out the blazes
    by early Sunday, but later in the day protesters set a tax office
    on fire.

    In a press statement, the federal police said 152 people had
    been arrested, and they accused people from outside the region
    of participating in the unrest, which the statement said resulted
    in injuries to four officers and an unspecified number of bystanders.

    While violence in the southern city continued to plague his last
    week in office, President Vicente Fox suffered a fainting spell
    Sunday while serving as the host of a large celebration at his
    ranch in Guanajuato.

    The president fainted while watching a horse show in the hot sun
    and was taken by ambulance to his quarters on the ranch. The episode
    caused consternation in Mexico for a few hours. But later in the
    evening, Mr. Fox’s office said that too much sun had caused him
    to faint and that after a medical evaluation, he returned to the party.

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    8) Dreams in the Dark at the Drive-Through Window
    By CHARLIE LeDUFF
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/us/27album.html?ref=us

    DALLAS — Off a bleak and empty interchange midway through the
    Dallas sprawl stands a Burger King. It’s past midnight, the rain
    sizzles on the parking lot blacktop like frying bacon. A young
    woman is working the lobster shift at the drive-through window.
    She is overweight and wears pink lipstick.

    “Nothing special,” she says of herself. “Nothing much.”

    Gloria Castillo is 22, married, a mother of two, a Latina from the
    rough side of Dallas. She is on the low side of making it.

    The night is busy, and a mustache of perspiration breaks
    across her lip. She is alone with the fry cook.

    The customers are rude tonight, drunk and bellicose. One guy
    doesn’t want to pay for his food, figuring it ought to be free.
    If he had wanted to rob the place, Ms. Castillo says with a tight
    smile, it would have been easy enough; the window doesn’t
    lock here like it does at the McDonald’s.

    From the car window, the whole fast-food experience is a numbing
    routine. Pull up. Order from the billboard. Idle. Pay. Drive away.
    Fast food has become a $120 billion motorized American experience.

    But consider the life inside that window on Loop 12 in West Dallas.
    There is a woman with children and no health insurance,
    undereducated, a foot soldier in the army of the working poor.
    The fry cook sneezes on the meat patties. Cigarettes go half
    smoked. Cameras spy on the employees. Customers throw their
    fries and soft drinks sometimes because they think it’s funny.

    “I hate this job,” Ms. Castillo says with a smile. “I hate it.” It is
    her third drive-through job. First it was Whataburger. Then McDonald’s.
    Now here. It is becoming a career.

    “Burger King pays better,” she says. Even so, she has taken
    a second job: “It’s a bar. There’s a lot of white guys in there.
    I go and clean the restrooms. There’s three restrooms I clean
    for $150, and I do it in one hour and 30 minutes. One hour
    and a half.”

    Ms. Castillo is the daughter of an illegal immigrant who came
    to America from Honduras by bus 22 years ago, with Ms. Castillo
    gestating inside her. Her mother lives on a disability check now,
    and Ms. Castillo is the American who sees herself competing
    with illegal labor, labor that drives down her wage, she says.

    “I never worked with white people,” she says while putting
    a cup of soda and ice together. “Everywhere I go and apply,
    it’s always Mexicans, black or Chinese.”

    She surmises that the entire morning staff at her Burger King
    is illegal. “I can tell you everyone who works here in the
    morning works fake papers. No English. Nobody in the
    morning knows English.

    “Somebody takes the order and then we tell them in Spanish.”

    Ernesto Hernandez, her manager, says that he does not know
    if he employs people who work with false Social Security numbers
    and that it is not his job to know if the numbers are real. “Call
    corporate,” he says in a thick accent. “They have that information.”

    Corporate did not return calls.

    Whatever the truth of the matter, there’s a lot of ethnic friction
    behind the drive-through glass, Ms. Castillo says: “There’s
    a lot of hate.”

    She hands the soda and a sack of 10 tacos to a guy in a Chevy
    who looks stoned. He doesn’t count his change. He drives
    away with one hand on the wheel, one in the sack of tacos.

    A sign on the window says: “Burgers for breakfast beginning
    at 8 a.m.”

    Ms. Castillo works from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. She earns
    $252 a week before taxes. There is no chance of overtime,
    because the boss doesn’t allow it. To make ends meet, she
    and her husband work split shifts, he at an auto parts place
    during the day and she at the Burger King at night. And
    so the children, ages 7 and 8, are alone for a half-hour
    in the morning, left to wash and dress themselves.

    Ms. Castillo arrives at her two-bedroom rental house
    on a tough street at 7. She takes the boys to a McDonald’s
    for breakfast at 7:15 — the same place she used to work —
    before dropping them off at school at 7:45. A man named
    Carlos works the window there. They used to work there
    together.

    Every morning, the boys’ order is the same: one sausage,
    egg and cheese biscuit; one bacon biscuit; two hash browns;
    and two orange juices. Ms. Castillo could take free food home
    from Burger King, but the boys like McDonald’s better.

    She returns home, sleeps until 2 and collects the boys from
    school. She cooks them supper prepared from frozen packages,
    and sometimes they eat it in front of the television. It takes
    time and money to eat healthy, she says.

    At 7 she puts the kids to bed. She spends a few hours with
    her husband, dresses in her purple polyester uniform with
    the yellow piping and drives to work. On Saturdays she attends
    community college, hoping that in a few years she will be
    a paralegal going to work in a downtown office tower,
    wearing a pantsuit. She is hoping for $20 an hour and
    a lunch break.

    “Regrets, yes, I got some,” she says. She wishes she would
    have worked harder in school. Not gotten pregnant at 13.
    Again at 14. She wishes she would have thought about life
    instead of letting it come at her, one dead end job at a time.

    Around 2 a.m. work begins to slow down. This is the unpredictable
    hour. It could be filled with only the fry cook’s music, or it could
    be the hour that gunmen rob the place and lock them in the
    freezer. It’s happened before, she says. It happens dozens
    of times a month at fast food restaurants across the country.

    Tonight, it’s music. Gloria Castillo stares out the open window,
    allowing the wet air to blow inside. “I got dreams,” she says.
    “I’m a human being.”

    She looks at the crummy little house across the parking lot
    with peeling paint. “That would be good too, a little house.
    I don’t want much.”

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    9) Stocks Fall Sharply on Concerns About Slowdown
    By JEREMY W. PETERS
    November 27, 2006
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/28stoxcnd.html?ref=business

    Stocks fell sharply today as mixed post-Thanksgiving results from
    retailers fed into concerns about the slowing economy.

    Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest retailer, helped lead the drop on Wall
    Street. For the first time in 10 years, Wal-Mart reported that its monthly
    sales declined. Its stock, one of the 30 in the Dow Jones industrial average,
    dropped 2.7 percent.

    Big declines in Boeing and I.B.M., two other Dow components, also
    weighed on the stock market.

    The slipping value of the dollar against other currencies contributed
    to the darkened investor sentiment. After exceeding $1.30 last week
    for the first time in a year and a half, the euro continued to gain
    against the dollar today, rising to $1.3134 in late afternoon trading.
    Investors around the world seem increasingly uncertain about the
    outlook for growth in the United States, while the prospects
    for Europe appear quite strong.

    All three leading stock indexes in the United States fell today.
    According to preliminary figures, the Dow industrials dropped
    158.38 points, or 1.3 percent, to close at 12,121.79, while the
    Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index lost 19.00 points, or 1.4 percent,
    to 1,381.95. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite suffered
    a steeper decline, falling 54.34 points, or 2.2 percent, to 2,405.92.

    Analysts said investors seemed to be putting the brakes on what
    had been a steady run-up in stock prices. In recent weeks, both
    the S.&P. 500 and the Dow traded at new highs: the S.&P. 500
    closed above 1,400 for the first time on Nov. 17, and the Dow
    has gone without a significant drop since reaching 12,000 last
    month. Today, the analysts said, investors seemed to be trying
    to take profits and get out while their shares were still high-priced.

    “This has been a nice year,” said Howard Silverblatt, senior index
    analyst with Standard & Poor’s. “And it’s a matter of timing,
    deciding when you get in and when you get out.”

    Wal-Mart’s disappointing sales report for November — a decline
    of 0.1 percent from November 2005 in stores open at least
    a year — overshadowed the largely positive news from many
    of the nation’s other retailers. Sales for the day after Thanksgiving,
    known as Black Friday for its role in catapulting retailers
    into the black for the year — appeared to be strong. According
    to ShopperTrak RCT, which measures purchases at malls, sales
    rose 6 percent from last year, to $9 billion.

    Still, stock prices of several major retailers declined today.
    Shares of Federated Department Stores, the parent of Macy’s,
    slipped 3 percent, and Target, Circuit City and the Gap’s
    shares also fell.

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    10) If You’ve Got the Money, Honey, You May Be a Little Bit Happier
    By THE ASSOCIATED PRES
    [Just as my mother always said, "Anyone can be miserable--but
    it sure is a lot easier to be miserable in the lap of luxury than
    if your homeless and out in the streets...bw]
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/27/business/27happy.html

    Money can’t buy happiness, or so the saying goes. But it may not be true.

    Ed Diener, a University of Illinois psychologist, said that the
    connection was complex but that very rich people rated
    substantially higher in satisfaction with life than very poor
    people did, even within wealthy nations.

    “There is overwhelming evidence that money buys happiness,”
    said Andrew Oswald, an economist with the University
    of Warwick, in England. The debate, he said, is how strong
    the effect is.

    Professor Oswald reported a study of Britons who won
    $2,000 to $250,000 in a lottery. They showed an increase
    in happiness averaging just more than a point on a 36-point
    scale two years later.

    Daniel Kahneman, an economist at Princeton and a winner
    of the Nobel in economic science, and colleagues declared
    that the notion that making a lot of money would produce
    a good overall mood was “mostly illusory.”

    In one study, they said, people with household incomes
    of $90,000 or more were only slightly more likely to call
    themselves very happy over all than were people from
    households making $50,000 to $89,999 — 43 percent
    to 42 percent. (Members of the first group were nearly
    twice as likely to be “very happy” as people from households
    with incomes below $20,000.)

    Other studies, rather than asking for a summary estimate
    of happiness, followed people and repeatedly recorded their
    feelings. These studies show a smaller effect of income
    on happiness, Professor Kahneman and his colleagues said.

    There is another twist to the story of money and happiness.
    Even though people who make $150,000 are considerably
    happier than those who make $40,000, it is not clear why,
    said Richard E. Lucas, a psychologist at Michigan State University.

    Does money make someone happier? Or does being happier
    allow someone to earn more money?

    In any case, researchers say money’s effect is small. “It’s much
    better advice, if you’re looking for happiness in life, to try to find
    the right husband or wife rather than trying to double your salary,”
    Professor Oswald said.

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    11) Employers May Get Access to Applicants' Minor 'Offenses'
    by Michelle Chen
    November 17, 2006
    http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3903

    Nov. 17 - The FBI wants to start including "non-serious offenses" on
    criminal-history reports to employers - a move some say could unduly taint
    people's job prospects and spread misinformation.

    If the proposal goes into effect, many employers using the FBI's system could
    discover a job applicant had been convicted for drinking in public, or had been
    arrested for vagrancy as a teenager, among other offenses.

    "This new policy is bound to destroy a lot people's lives," said Roberta
    Meyers-Peeples with the Legal Action Center, which helps people with criminal
    records rejoin the workforce.

    In joint comments filed with the FBI, labor and civil-liberties groups warned
    that the plan, coupled with other efforts to expand the criminal-data system,
    would foreclose employment opportunities for an untold number of people,
    disproportionately impact people of color, and invite the abuse of sensitive
    information.

    Under the proposal, which has not yet been finalized, the FBI would report minor
    offenses on "rap sheets" - records used by employers for screening job and
    licensing applicants and employees. These offenses - which can range from
    traffic violations to urinating in public - would be reported through the FBI's
    nationwide fingerprint databank.

    Currently, the Bureau essentially tracks only information on "severe and/or
    significant" offenses, mainly major misdemeanors and felonies. Now, the FBI
    proposes to include virtually all "finger-printable offenses" in the database,
    which feeds into a national crime-information system that is available to more
    than 90,000 law-enforcement agencies and other authorized users. States set
    their own policies on what offenses warrant fingerprinting.

    Workers' and privacy-rights advocates say that the expansion of rap sheets fits
    into a widening scheme to promote "security" - by exposing people's personal
    histories to private interests.

    Past offenses, new stigmas

    Noting "the stigma associated with having a criminal record, no matter how minor
    it is," Meyers-Peeples predicted that people with prior minor convictions could
    face even higher barriers to employment."

    A 2003 study of employers in the Los Angeles area by the liberal think tank
    Urban Institute found that over 40 percent of employers said they would
    "probably" or "definitely" not hire an ex-offender.

    Groups opposed to the proposal say it would also push many people of color
    further away from the mainstream employment market. According to the FBI's
    report on crime in 2005, for low-level offenses like "disorderly conduct" and
    "loitering," blacks made up more than 30 percent of arrests in 2005, but only
    about 13 percent of the general population.

    "We're concerned both about error and about discrimination at every step in the
    criminal-justice process," said Peter Zamora, an attorney with the Latino
    advocacy group Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. "The risks
    to this rule, or the damage caused to minorities, just really outweigh the
    benefit to employers."

    The FBI refused to comment about the plan, pending the analysis of input
    submitted during the public-comment period, which ended earlier this month.

    The workers' rights group National Employment Law Center (NELP) and other groups
    say that instead of broadening the scope of the criminal-data system and the
    public's access to it, the government should more tightly regulate how
    employers use rap sheets. That includes ensuring that people have a chance to
    explain their records before their applications are rejected.

    "We're not saying that if there's a legitimate reason to conduct a background
    check, that they can't conduct a background check," said Maurice Emsellem, a
    project director with NELP. "We're saying that there has to be some basic
    fairness figured into the system."

    Personal privacy, public safety

    There are about 1,200 statutes nationwide permitting different groups and
    businesses to access FBI data through state governments, according to the US
    attorney general's office. In recent years, Congress has passed laws allowing
    some employers - such as nursing homes, banking institutions, childcare
    providers and schools - to more directly initiate background checks with the
    FBI, bypassing much of the state-level bureaucracy.

    In a June report on criminal-background checks, the attorney general's office
    recommended making the FBI's databank even more user-friendly: through policies
    granting access to all private employers and third-party screening firms, which
    employers often use to investigate job applicants' personal and financial
    histories.

    But as the federal government moves to collect and disseminate more information,
    the attorney general's office acknowledged that the existing system is riddled
    with quality issues, from substandard fingerprint imaging to incomplete
    records. For instance, information on the final outcome of a case - including
    whether an arrest led to an actual conviction - is missing for about half of
    the records.

    The report conceded that while the FBI database is one of the more comprehensive
    resources for criminal-background checks, "no single source exists that provides
    complete and up-to-date information about a person's criminal history."

    Still, some organizations, especially those dealing with children, see
    criminal-background checks as crucial safeguards. SafetyNET, for example, a
    pilot program launched by Congress in 2003, gives youth-mentoring organizations
    direct access to FBI rap sheets. Though SafetyNET is intended for screening
    volunteer applicants, participating organizations can choose to submit
    fingerprints for prospective employees as well. Roughly one-in-fifteen
    applicant screenings have turned up criminal records, according to the
    Mentor/National Mentoring Partnership, one of the organizations spearheading
    the initiative.

    Margo Pedroso, vice president of public policy for Mentor, said the expansion of
    rap sheets could help program staff "get a more complete picture of a volunteer
    or an employee's past." She noted that a slew of traffic violations could be
    just as significant as a major offense when considering an application for a
    position that involved driving children around.

    But critics say that the more offenses show up on a rap sheet, the greater the
    potential for overreaction and misinterpretation.

    Tena Friery, an advocate with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a
    California-based consumer-rights group, said a frequent concern cited by people
    who contact the organization is what to do about offenses committed long ago
    that may haunt their current employment prospects.

    "Certainly employers have a right to know things that are relevant to the job,"
    she said, "but the question is, how far back does the inquiry need to go? We've
    heard from people in their 40s and 50s who are concerned about something that
    happened when they were in college."

    Criminal-background checks are subject to some regulation, including state and
    federal consumer and civil-rights protections. Some states restrict employers
    from inquiring about certain types of past offenses. Many states have policies
    enabling courts to expunge records after a certain period to prevent a criminal
    background from permanently tainting someone's record - as is often done for
    young convicts when they reach legal adulthood.

    But NELP, which tracks policies governing criminal-background checks across the
    country, said such regulations are inadequate. Even if a record is expunged
    long after the conviction, for example, the FBI's databank might not receive an
    update to the old records, leaving it up to the individual to petition to change
    the rap sheet.

    The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a research and advocacy group, said
    the expansion of background checks continues a pattern of crowding out privacy
    in the name of public safety.

    Executive Director Marc Rotenberg noted that while authorized employers and
    government agencies can have "real-time" access to a person's criminal history,
    the individual must typically file a formal petition with the FBI to see the
    same information.

    Rotenberg said, "It's remarkable that more than 90,000 law-enforcement agencies
    can see whether or not you have a record on the FBI's crime-information
    database, but you can't."

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

    12) Stress disorders, drug abuse, little help for troops
    As repeat tours of Iraq wear on U.S. forces, government
    struggles to provide mental health care; many say they
    take refuge in drugs.
    By Anne Usher
    WASHINGTON STAFF
    Sunday, November 26, 2006
    http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/11/26/26soldierstress.html

    WASHINGTON — Military personnel on multiple and extended tours
    of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan are being diagnosed with post-traumatic
    stress disorder at rates that probably will match or exceed the rate among
    Vietnam veterans, government officials and veterans groups say.

    The war in Iraq, with often-hidden enemies and explosives, has left many
    service members particularly vulnerable to combat stress and is driving
    the abuse of drugs and alcohol both in Iraq and at home, military health
    experts say.

    Yet many veterans and on-duty troops are not getting the treatment
    they need.

    As of August, more than 184,500 returning veterans had sought care
    of all kinds through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and about one
    in six of those had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,
    a rate expected to climb since it can take months and sometimes years
    for the condition to manifest itself.

    Symptoms include anxiety, sleeplessness, flashbacks and extreme wariness,
    a recipe that can strain relationships and make it hard for those suffering
    to get or keep jobs.

    Jesus Bocanegra, a 24-year-old former Army sergeant with an infantry
    company based at Fort Hood, says he is haunted by countless shots
    he fired at Iraqis while serving as a scout in Tikrit in 2003-04.

    The McAllen native says he lost track of how many civilians died in
    the crossfire when he squeezed off rounds at Iraqi insurgents.

    "How the hell was I capable of that?" he says now.

    Back home and plagued with anxiety attacks, he said he tried to close
    himself off from the world by drinking to the point of passing out.
    He said he progressed to marijuana use and then cocaine.

    "The only way to sustain yourself day to day is to keep yourself drugged
    up," he said. But "it made it worse."

    Eventually, he said, he stopped taking drugs and visited a VA clinic.
    Seven months later, a psychiatrist there diagnosed him with post-traumatic
    stress disorder and gave him pills, dispensing medications in five-minute
    meetings every three to four months. A clinic employee verified his
    diagnosis and said that with 400 to 600 patients a day, "every doctor
    is overbooked."

    With no VA psychotherapists in his area at the time — one has since
    been added — Bocanegra sought help from a support group called
    Vets for Vets.

    "It's good to have someone to talk to," he said. "It's the only thing
    that keeps me going."

    Married for just under a year, he is unemployed but hopes
    to return to school.

    He said he is focused now on his mental health and on touring
    with other veterans to push for improved services for vets, many
    of whom he says are also suffering from post-traumatic stress
    disorder. Disability benefits of $2,500 a month help keep him afloat.

    Up to 29 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
    will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, predicts Col. Charles
    Engel, a clinician at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As of August,
    the VA had diagnosed 63,767 discharged veterans with a mental
    disorder and 34,380 with post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Experts say the rate of the disorder among Iraq veterans could well
    eclipse the 30 percent lifetime rate found in a 1990 study of Vietnam
    veterans because military personnel are being deployed longer and
    more often to Iraq and because greater awareness of the disorder
    among doctors will lead to more diagnoses.

    Some statistics show the cases climbing fast. The number of Iraq
    and Afghanistan veterans who have sought help for readjustment
    concerns including post-traumatic stress disorder doubled between
    October 2005 and June 2006, according to a recent survey of 60 VA-run
    centers by the Democratic staff of the House Committee
    on Veterans Affairs.

    That increase has made it only more difficult to get quality
    care, the survey found.

    Among active-duty military personnel who served in Iraq, 35 percent
    used military mental health care services in the year after coming home
    and 12 percent were diagnosed with a mental health problem, a study
    published in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association
    found.

    Veterans groups fear that the VA won't be able to handle the high
    proportion of service members seeking such help once they are
    discharged. They note studies showing that though post-traumatic
    stress disorder can resolve itself in some people over time,
    its symptoms can worsen if not treated quickly.

    The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has enough resources
    to offer treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and substance
    abuse to all of the roughly 160,000 service members now in Iraq
    and Afghanistan once they are home.

    Dr. Ira Katz, deputy chief patient care officer for mental health
    for the VA, noted that there are 200 veteran readjustment centers
    nationwide and that mental health counseling is available over
    the Internet.

    As part of unprecedented efforts on its part, the military in September
    2005 began giving returning troops a questionnaire aimed at catching
    early signs of the disorder. Questions include whether they have
    nightmares, are feeling emotionally numb or super alert, or have
    physical reactions such as breathing trouble when reminded
    of a stressful experience. In January, the military put in place
    a secondary screening test to check for similar symptoms.

    But nearly four in five returning troops who may have been
    at risk for post-traumatic stress disorder were not referred for
    further mental health evaluation, according to a study released
    in May by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative
    arm of Congress. About half of those diagnosed with a mental
    health problem got care, but fewer than 10 percent were referred
    through the military's new screening program, the JAMA study
    in March showed.

    The Pentagon told the GAO that it generally concurred with its
    recommendations and that a systemic evaluation of referrals
    is planned. After the study's publication, however, the Pentagon
    said it was flawed because it did not include troops referred
    to chaplains, primary care physicians and group counseling.
    The GAO says the Defense Department was not able to provide
    any evidence that those referrals occurred and still has not provided
    figures on personnel who may have since received treatment.

    After his first Iraq tour ended in August 2005, former Pfc. Josh
    Revak said, a large number of soldiers in his 1st Battalion, 37th
    Armor Regiment reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress
    disorder on the test, but the commanders "just took it as a joke,
    and I think barely anybody received treatment."

    The 25-year-old said he asked for help but didn't get psychological
    counseling until after a 120 mm mortar landed near him on his
    second tour in Iraq in June, sending him back to their base
    in Germany with shrapnel through his foot.

    By that time, Revak said, several men in his unit had been
    disciplined for Valium use.

    Medical experts say mental health problems such as post-
    traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse are often
    intertwined.

    "When they don't get the kind of mental health screening —
    or physical — history tells us they will turn to coping mechanisms,"
    said Steve Robinson, director of government relations
    for Veterans for America, a 35,000-member organization.

    He says many of the hundreds of troops he has interviewed
    at post-deployment sites are addicted to medications given
    to them in the field, such as painkillers and sleeping pills.
    But they are not getting the therapy that normally goes with
    such medications, Robinson said.

    Adam Reuter, a 23-year-old former Army specialist, said
    that after he was tossed out of a Humvee in an accident
    in Iraq, a medic handed him a plastic bag filled with pills
    and gave him no instructions.

    The bag contained four kinds of painkillers, an anti-
    inflammatory drug and a muscle relaxant, said Reuter,
    an Atlanta native who served with the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd
    Armored Company from May 2003 until February 2004.
    He said he went back for more and developed a dependency
    that he is still trying to shake.

    Military personnel said they used banned substances as a way
    to mentally escape the violence around them. Drugs ranging
    from marijuana to prescription anti-depressants are easily
    accessible in Iraq, according to interviews with more than
    a dozen soldiers who served there.

    John Crawford, a 28-year-old former Florida National Guardsman
    with the Army's 101st Airborne Division, said soldiers in his unit
    drank alcohol, some took steroids, "pretty much everyone took
    Valium," and "some did all three."

    Crawford said he bought 200 to 300 Valium pills on the street
    in Baghdad for $2 as a way to get some sleep between patrols.
    After eight months, he built up a tolerance and was taking
    seven or eight at a time.

    The extent of alcohol and drug abuse among combat veterans
    is difficult to quantify. The Pentagon declined to release the
    results of announced drug tests specifically for Iraq. The tests
    are usually done just once a year.

    Army Maj. James Weeden directed a team of 200 specialists
    dealing with combat stress in Iraq until he left the country
    in September.

    He says senior officers recognize the strain their troops are
    under and in the past year have assigned specialists to address
    the issue at remote forward operating bases.

    But seeking treatment in a combat environment is difficult.
    All travel is risky, and asking for help is seen as a sign
    of weakness.

    Weeden and other medical specialists say that they can treat
    only the symptoms of combat stress — with anti-depressant
    drugs and rest, for example — and that troops are sent out
    of Iraq only when they have clearly disabling cases of post-
    traumatic stress disorder.

    Commanders want to keep troops in the field, and most service
    members say that they don't want to abandon their units.

    "We strengthen (combat readiness) because we get them back,"
    Weeden said.

    That desire to keep medicated troops in combat troubles Joyce
    Raezer, director of government relations at the National Military
    Family Association.

    She says U.S. troops — some now on their fourth or fifth tour —
    are bringing "all the baggage from the last deployment into the next."

    "The stress is cumulative," she said.

    Families are alarmed by military statistics showing that 80 percent
    of soldiers who have been flagged with mild symptoms of post-
    traumatic stress disorder have been sent back to Iraq and Afghanistan,
    many with anti-depressant pills aimed at ensuring they can still fight.
    Experts say repeated exposure to combat is the greatest predictor
    of whether a person will get post-traumatic stress disorder
    and how severe it will be.

    When they come home, many seeking treatment say they face steep
    hurdles getting help from the government. With a wave of post-
    traumatic stress disorder cases arriving, outreach groups fear
    the VA will not have adequate resources to treat them and
    to pay disability benefits.

    The VA is proposing a $339 million increase in mental health care
    spending next year, Katz said Tuesday. That would bring total annual
    spending on those programs to about $3.2 billion.

    Implementation is another question. As of late September, about
    $42 million of $200 million directed for initiatives to close gaps
    in VA mental health care in 2006 had not been spent, the GAO found.

    "Requesting more money is a step in the right direction," said Paul
    Sullivan, director of programs for Veterans for America, who was
    a senior analyst at the VA until he left six months ago.

    But he added, "The VA's problems are systemic, and the solutions
    must be more comprehensive than simple increases in funding."

    He noted the GAO findings that the VA lacked a comprehensive
    plan to implement the funding in last year's budget.

    About 144,000 of the 589,000 veterans who have served in Iraq
    and Afghanistan have already been seen at VA-run Vet Centers
    for "readjustment concerns" ranging from depression and marital
    problems to full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Forty percent of the 60 centers surveyed in the study by the
    Democratic House staff have directed veterans for whom individualized
    therapy would be appropriate to group therapy instead.

    Dr. Frances Murphy, undersecretary for Health Policy Coordination
    at the VA, told a mental health commission in March that the growing
    numbers of veterans seeking mental health care has revealed areas
    in which improvement is needed.

    Some VA clinics, she said, do not provide mental health or substance
    abuse care, or if they do, "waiting lists render that care virtually
    inaccessible."

    "The VA n