----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2000 5:10 PM Subject: [STOPNATO.ORG.UK] US Gov't Continues Cracksdown on Democratic Opposition STOP NATO: NO PASARAN! - HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK "Pre-Election Crackdown on Pro-Democracy Activists Continues in the United States" WASHINGTON D.C. - (AFP - Anarchist Freedom Press) By AFP Staff Reporter K. Kilibarda [Photo caption: The Clinton-Gore regime has escalated its intimidation of Vieques protesters] Demanding a halt to bombing runs on the island of Vieques on Friday anti-NAVY protesters were confronted by a police crackdown and arrests on Friday. 75 arrests were made bringing the grand-total of arrests for Vieques actions to over a thousand for the year. This marks a continuation of the corporate regimes war on pro-democracy activists in the United States. Americans are tired of 50+ years of war that have seen the United States trigger hundreds of conflicts globally in order to inflate an already bloated military-industrial complex at the expense of social programs, fair wages, etc. and to ensure the corporate hijacking of democracy in that country. America's citizens have begun demanding change and have thrown their support behind opposition presidential candidate Ralph Nader. However the Clinton-Gore regime has effectively shut out the democratic opposition from all major corporate media outlets, instead portraying its members as "hooligans, anarchists, and vandals" in an attempt to discredit them. The regime has even suggested that the activists may be funded by the likes of Lybia's Colonel Quaddafi and Saudi millionaire Osama Bin-Laden. Activists argue that such attacks on them only prove the desperation of the regime. Clinton is currently waging a number of cold and hot wars (Colombia, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Lybia, North Korea, Cuba, Sierra Leone, Congo, the Occupied Territories, Western Sahara, and Haiti) in a feeble attempt to destract domestic attention away from the nations deep socio-economic catastrophe, as well as the continuing silent genocide and repression carried out against America's Black and Native American communities. Still smarting from the condemnation of its policies by world leader's at the UN's Millenium summit two weeks ago in New York, the world's leading paraiah state, the United States has stepped up its intimidation of domestic opponents in an attempt to silence questioning of its brutal policies. As one activist put it "They can beat us all they want, but we're tired of living under a repressive regime that solves all its problems by incarceration or assassination of political oponents. Its time for a change, the USA under the corporate oligarchy has already done far too much damage...I'm ashamed to be an American". In a message dated 24/09/00 08:17:41 Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << For more information on the National Day of Solidarity with the People of Vieques, including pictures of the event, visit: http://www.micronetix.net/virus/sept22/sept22.html 75 Arrested in Vieques Protest Outside White House By Christina Pino-Marina washingtonpost.com Friday, September 22, 2000; 4:49 PM WASHINGTON - Seventy-five demonstrators protesting U.S. Navy presence on the Caribbean island of Vieques were arrested by U.S. Park Police in front of the White House Friday afternoon as hundreds of supporters in nearby Lafayette Park chanted anti-Navy slogans in Spanish. The scheduled rally called for the Navy to suspend target practice and withdraw completely from Vieques, which lies 13 miles east of Puerto Rico. Many Puerto Ricans say they are enraged by an April 1999 incident in which a Marine Corps jet dropped two 500-pound bombs off target, killing a civilian security guard named David Sanes Rodriguez. Chanting "Vieques, Si! Navy, No!" and "Hey, Ho! U.S. Navy’s Gotta Go," a group of men and women women lined up on the sidewalk in front of the White House, their black and white shirts spelling out "Para Vieques" (For Vieques). Enid Gonzalez Aleman, a private attorney for the demonstrators, said 44 men and 31 women were arrested Friday. About 25 U.S. Park police officers led protesters away in plastic handcuffs and loaded them onto two buses. Police Lt. John Pierce said the demonstrators were arrested for breaking a federal regulation code that prohibits stationary demonstrations in front of the White House. The protesters face misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $50, he said. A crowd of supporters danced, sang and chanted across from the White House in Lafayette Park as a group of five men sang and beat drums and hollow gourds. "People are in danger in Vieques," said 22-year-old Cristina Miranda, a Puerto Rican who lives in Washington. "The United States thinks it owns Puerto Rico, and it does not. It is not safe for the Navy to use any type of bombs, even if they are not explosive bombs." Protest organizers said today's rally will be followed by demonstrations across Puerto Rico next week. After months of negotiations with Gov. Pedro Rosselló, President Clinton agreed to order the Navy out by May 2003 if the 9,400 residents of Puerto Rico – a U.S. commonwealth – vote in a referendum to expel it. Clinton gave the Navy permission to continue training without explosives, and the Navy started using inert "dummy" bombs in May of this year. Vieques was annexed to Puerto Rico in 1854, but about 70 percent of the island has been under the jurisdiction of the Navy since 1941. Navy officials have said Vieques is crucial for simultaneous air, land and sea operations with live munitions. Navy officials could not be reached for comment late Thursday. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb >> ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
Vieques Libre - http://www.viequeslibre.org [Scroll Down for English] Para m�s informaci�n relacionada al D�a Nacional de Solidaridad con Vieques, incluyendo fotos del evento, visitar: http://www.micronetix.net/virus/sept22/sept22.html Miles protestan ante Casa Blanca por Vieques s�bado, 23 de septiembre de 2000 Por Leonor Mulero El Nuevo D�a WASHINGTON - Enarbolando la bandera puertorrique�a, miles de manifestantes, de los cuales por lo menos 75 fueron arrestados, protestaron ayer frente a la Casa Blanca para exigir el cese total de los bombardeos en Vieques. Luego de varias horas, las autoridades dejaron en libertad a los detenidos tras imponerle una multa de $50. Estos tienen varios d�as para pagarla o solicitar juicio. Al menos 2,500 personas viajaron desde 22 ciudades estadounidenses y Puerto Rico para, al ritmo de plenas contagiosas y de �Que Bonita Bandera�, recordar a la Casa Blanca que las votantes comunidades puertorrique�as en la Metr�poli se solidarizan con el pueblo viequense. �Navy out of Vieques� gritaba desde el mediod�a la multitud de manifestantes que se conglomer� en el Parque Lafayette, ubicado frente a la Casa Blanca, cuyas inmediaciones estaban protegidas por un nutrido grupo de polic�as del Servicio de Parques Federal. Fue la manifestaci�n pro Vieques m�s grande realizada en Estados Unidos. UNA LARGA fila de manifestantes cruz� la avenida Pennsylvania pasando por el lado de los guardias motorizados, ocho camionetas y carros polic�acos y una docena de agentes de la polic�a montada, para apoderarse por alrededor de una hora de la acera frente a la Casa Blanca. Mientras los manifestantes marchaban, desde los jardines de la Mansi�n Ejecutiva miraban alrededor de 12 guardias, n�mero mayor al usual. La inmensa mayor�a era gente de pueblo. Hab�a gente de todas las edades aunque impresionaba la presencia de ni�os y j�venes. Vilmaris Casul, de 10 a�os, dijo que estaba �protestando por Vieques�. Lleg� all� con un grupo de compa�eros de la Escuela Eugenio Mar�a de Hostos de Filadelfia, porque �mi maestra adora Vieques�. Jos� Carrasquillo, estudiante de 13 a�os que tambi�n fue llevado a la manifestaci�n por su maestra de la Escuela Roberto Clemente de Filadelfia, march� porque �quiero sacar a la Marina de Vieques�. UNO DE los momentos m�s impresionantes ocurri� cuando llegaron sin avisar y casi en paso de soldado �los muchachos de Brooklyn�, unos 300 j�venes de la Academia de Paz y Justicia El Puente� en ese condado neuyorquino. Uniformados con camisas negras, los muchachos de El Puente alargaron a�n m�s la marcha que el grupo �Los Pleneros� animaba frente a la Casa Blanca. Mientras ocurr�a la marcha, al otro lado de la avenida otros 82 manifestantes formaron una fila que dec�a �Paz para Vieques� con la letra que cada uno llevaba impresa en su camiseta negra. La parte de atr�s de la camiseta mostraba la monoestrellada. La mayor�a de �se era el grupo que fue arrestado por violar la ley que proh�be ubicarse frente a la Casa Blanca sin moverse. El primer arrestado fue Andr�s Thomas Conteris, un religioso argentino de 39 a�os y quien lleva 60 d�as en huelga de hambre en el Parque Lafayette por la causa de Vieques. Conteris est� tan d�bil que anda en silla de ruedas, la que los polic�as tuvieron que cargar para subirlo a uno de los autobuses que trasladaron a los arrestados hasta el centro de detenci�n del Navy Yard del Distrito Policiaco 5. �Seguimos adelante hasta que Clinton nos conceda la reuni�n solicitada,� dijo Conteris, quien ha perdido 56 libras por el ayuno. ZULMA OLIVERAS viaj� desde San Francisco para someterse otra vez a un arresto por desobediencia civil. Oliveras fue arrestada por actos similares en San Francisco, pero los cargos fueron desestimados. Luis Angel D�az viaj� desde Orlando para ser arrestado para �convencer a la gente local e internacional de la causa de Vieques�. No ocurrieron incidentes durante los arrestos, que consistieron en poner esposas pl�sticas a los manifestantes y subirlos a los autobuses. A cargo de la defensa hab�a cuatro abogados, incluidos Flavio Cumpiano, representante en Washington del Comit� Pro Desarrollo de Vieques, y Juan Figueroa, director ejecutivo del Fondo Puertorrique�o de Educaci�n y Legal de la Ciudad de Nueva York. Fue impresionante cuando una docena de polic�as montados entr� en escena para mover a la muchedumbre de manifestantes de la avenida Pennsylvania hasta el Lafayette. ----------- Piden mantener viva la lucha por la paz viequense s�bado, 23 de septiembre de 2000 Por Leonor Mulero El Nuevo D�a WASHINGTON - El congresista puertorrique�o por Illinois, Luis Guti�rrez, pidi� a los puertorrique�os que mantengan viva la causa de Vieques porque la libertad de Vieques no puede depender de promesas como la del vicepresidente Al Gore de sacar a la Marina de Vieques �lo m�s pronto posible�. Guti�rrez ilustr� la raz�n de su desconfianza en el hecho de que existen pol�ticos como el gobernador Pedro Rossell� que dicen un d�a una cosa y otro d�a hacen otra. �Yo tambi�n me lo cre� cuando Rossell� dijo en el Senado: 'don't push' y despu�s dio un viraje como yo nunca antes hab�a visto�. Se refiri� a la pelea que Rossell� tuvo con el senador republicano James Inhofe, tras la cual muchos pensaron que el Gobernador nunca cambiar�a su posici�n de ninguna bala m�s en Vieques. Rossell� acept� despu�s que minti� a prop�sito, pues eso era s�lo estrategia. �No estoy diciendo que Gore va a hacer lo mismo, si no que los pol�ticos entienden el poder organizado del pueblo�, apunt� Guti�rrez, el �nico congresista que asisti� ayer a la manifestaci�n pro Vieques que culmin� con por lo menos 75 arrestos frente a la Casa Blanca. Agreg� que �le toca a la gente mantenerse vigilante porque sabemos que los pol�ticos no siempre mantienen su palabra�. Guti�rrez indic� que no cree que la Marina cumpla su palabra de irse en tres a�os si as� lo deciden los viequenses. Gore dijo dos d�as antes de la manifestaci�n que quiere que la Marina salga lo m�s pronto posible de Vieques. Sigue apoyando las directrices del presidente Bill Clinton que mantienen los entrenamientos por lo menos hasta el 2003. GUTIERREZ CRITICO que altos oficiales navales hagan campa�a en Vieques para el refer�ndum sobre el futuro de los entrenamientos navales, como anunci� el secretario de la Marina, Richard Danzig. �Cuando permitimos que los militares se inmiscuyan en el proceso eleccionario eso es el principio de la dictadura�. Las elecciones son procesos civiles, indic�. Juan Figueroa, director ejecutivo del Fondo Puertorrique�o Legal y de Educaci�n de la Ciudad de Nueva York, dijo que la causa de Vieques, desde el punto de vista del impacto ambiental, es un tema de f�cil entendimiento para los estadounidenses. Figueroa espera que Gore por lo menos respete las directrices presidenciales y duda que las cambie para favorecer a la Marina dada la importancia creciente del voto latino. El presidente del Colegio de Abogados, Jaime Rubert�, dijo que es necesario mantener las manifestaciones para contrarrestar el cabildeo de la Marina para quedarse en Vieques. Samuel Pag�n, veterano condecorado de la guerra de Corea, acus� a la Marina de mentir al decir que no tiene alternativas para sustituir a Vieques. David Rivera, de 19 a�os, inform� que quiere abandonar el Cuerpo de Infantes de la Marina porque est� disgustado con la actitud de las fuerzas navales hacia Vieques y porque �stas no cumplieron las promesas que hicieron al reclutarlo. CARLOS ZENON, presidente de la Asociaci�n de Pescadores Viequenses, afirm� que Gore dijo lo de siempre. �El mismo perro con diferente correa. Estamos cansados de promesas. Ellos quieren ser buenos vecinos, pero el buen vecino no te mata a la gente ni ultraja a tus mujeres�, dijo. Miriam Sob�, presidenta de la Alianza de Mujeres Viequenses, dijo que los marinos est�n regresando a Vieques con las actitudes negativas de los a�os 70. Otros asistentes fueron el concejal Jos� Rivera, la concejal Carmen Qui��nez, el activista de Connecticut Iv�n Ramos, el l�der viequense Ismael Guadalupe y el doctor viequense Rafael Rivera Casta�o. -------------------------------------------------------------- For more information on the National Day of Solidarity with the People of Vieques, including pictures of the event, visit: http://www.micronetix.net/virus/sept22/sept22.html 75 Arrested in Vieques Protest Outside White House By Christina Pino-Marina washingtonpost.com Friday, September 22, 2000; 4:49 PM WASHINGTON - Seventy-five demonstrators protesting U.S. Navy presence on the Caribbean island of Vieques were arrested by U.S. Park Police in front of the White House Friday afternoon as hundreds of supporters in nearby Lafayette Park chanted anti-Navy slogans in Spanish. The scheduled rally called for the Navy to suspend target practice and withdraw completely from Vieques, which lies 13 miles east of Puerto Rico. Many Puerto Ricans say they are enraged by an April 1999 incident in which a Marine Corps jet dropped two 500-pound bombs off target, killing a civilian security guard named David Sanes Rodriguez. Chanting "Vieques, Si! Navy, No!" and "Hey, Ho! U.S. Navy�s Gotta Go," a group of men and women women lined up on the sidewalk in front of the White House, their black and white shirts spelling out "Para Vieques" (For Vieques). Enid Gonzalez Aleman, a private attorney for the demonstrators, said 44 men and 31 women were arrested Friday. About 25 U.S. Park police officers led protesters away in plastic handcuffs and loaded them onto two buses. Police Lt. John Pierce said the demonstrators were arrested for breaking a federal regulation code that prohibits stationary demonstrations in front of the White House. The protesters face misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $50, he said. A crowd of supporters danced, sang and chanted across from the White House in Lafayette Park as a group of five men sang and beat drums and hollow gourds. "People are in danger in Vieques," said 22-year-old Cristina Miranda, a Puerto Rican who lives in Washington. "The United States thinks it owns Puerto Rico, and it does not. It is not safe for the Navy to use any type of bombs, even if they are not explosive bombs." Protest organizers said today's rally will be followed by demonstrations across Puerto Rico next week. After months of negotiations with Gov. Pedro Rossell�, President Clinton agreed to order the Navy out by May 2003 if the 9,400 residents of Puerto Rico � a U.S. commonwealth � vote in a referendum to expel it. Clinton gave the Navy permission to continue training without explosives, and the Navy started using inert "dummy" bombs in May of this year. Vieques was annexed to Puerto Rico in 1854, but about 70 percent of the island has been under the jurisdiction of the Navy since 1941. Navy officials have said Vieques is crucial for simultaneous air, land and sea operations with live munitions. Navy officials could not be reached for comment late Thursday. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/links/joinlb
