FWD: (Michael Moore) - An Interesting letter from a guy named Michael [WWW.STOP
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! ** = Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:01:10 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fwd: An Interesting letter from a guy named Michael www.michaelmoore.com Monday, March 17th, 2003 George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC Dear Governor Bush: So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you: 1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works! 2. The majority of Americans -- the ones who never elected you -- are not fooled by your weapons of mass distraction. We know what the real issues are that affect our daily lives -- and none of them begin with I or end in Q. Here's what threatens us: two and a half million jobs lost since you took office, the stock market having become a cruel joke, no one knowing if their retirement funds are going to be there, gas now costs two dollars a gallon -- the list goes on and on. Bombing Iraq will not make any of this go away. Only you need to go away for things to improve. 3. As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against you, Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them. 4. The Pope has said this war is wrong, that it is a SIN. The Pope! But even worse, the Dixie Chicks have now come out against you! How bad does it have to get before you realize that you are an army of one on this war? Of course, this is a war you personally won't have to fight. Just like when you went AWOL while the poor were shipped to Vietnam in your place. 5. Of the 535 members of Congress, only ONE (Sen. Johnson of South Dakota) has an enlisted son or daughter in the armed forces! If you really want to stand up for America, please send your twin daughters over to Kuwait right now and let them don their chemical warfare suits. And let's see every member of Congress with a child of military age also sacrifice their kids for this war effort. What's that you say? You don't THINK so? Well, hey, guess what -- we don't think so either! 6. Finally, we love France. Yes, they have pulled some royal screw-ups. Yes, some of them can be pretty damn annoying. But have you forgotten we wouldn't even have this country known as America if it weren't for the French? That it was their help in the Revolutionary War that won it for us? That it was France who gave us our Statue of Liberty, a Frenchman who built the Chevrolet, and a pair of French brothers who invented the movies? And now they are doing what only a good friend can do -- tell you the truth about yourself, straight, no b.s. Quit pissing on the French and thank them for getting it right for once. You know, you really should have traveled more (like once)before you took over. Your ignorance of the world has not only made you look stupid, it has painted you into a corner you can't get out of. Well, cheer up -- there IS good news. If you do go through with this war, more than likely it will be over soon because I'm guessing there aren't a lot of Iraqis willing to lay down their lives to protect Saddam Hussein. After you "win" the war, you will enjoy a huge bump in the popularity polls as everyone loves a winner -- and who doesn't like to see a good ass-whoopin' every now and then (especially when it 's some third world ass!). And just like with Afghanistan, we'll forget about what happens to a country after we bomb it 'cause that is just too complex! So try your best to ride this victory all the way to next year's election. Of course, that's still a long ways away, so we'll all get to have a good hardy-har-har while we watch the economy sink even further down the toilet! But, hey, who knows -- maybe you'll find Osama a few days before the election! See, start thinking like THAT! Keep hope alive! Kill Iraqis --they got our oil!! Yours, Michael Moore www.michaelmoore.com Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
Toronto Canada - Upcoming Events - CIA US Foreign Policy, Iraq, Bill C-36, se
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE. From: "Science for Peace" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Upcoming Events - CIA US Foreign Policy, Iraq, Bill C-36, secret trials... Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 15:50:50 -0500 From Science for Peace http://scienceforpeace.sa.utoronto.ca 416-535-6605 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] UPCOMING Science for Peace EVENTS: 1. March 20, 6:30 pm: Video seized at border by Canada Customs to be shown March 20 on large screen. University of Toronto. 2. March 28: Free Public Forum about Secret Trials in Canada: How Democracy is Being Undermined in the Name of "Security" - Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm 3. March 27, 6:30 pm: Large screen video showing of Iraq: Then and Now and the Hidden Wars of Desert Storm at University of Toronto (details below) next Thursday, March 20, 2003 6-30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Room 179, University College, 15 King's College Circle, University of Toronto Free, large-screen 2-hour video (8th time!) The video held at the border by Canada Customs is to be shown. Come and see what all the fuss is about! "WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT U. S. FOREIGN POLICY: CIA COVERT OPERATIONS AND PENTAGON INTERVENTIONS SINCE WORLD WAR II" Free admission, donations appreciated A compliation of excerpts from 10 different professional US documentaries, edited together by Frank Dorrel. 1. Public speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. (3 min) for civil rights and against the US war in Vietnam. 2. Interview with John Stockwell (6 min), former CIA Station Chief, who gives a short history of CIA covert operations and estimates that over 6 million people have died in CIA covert actions. 3. "The Secret Government" (22 min) by Bill Moyers (aired on PBS in 1987). Moyers interviews many different people involved with the CIA and other government agencies providing an overview of the CIA history. 4. "Coverup: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair" (23 min) by Barbara Trent (Pentagon, arms sale, drugs trafficking). 5. "School of Assassins" (13 min) narrated by Susan Sarandon and features Father Roy Bourgeois, talking about School of America (Fort Benning, Georgia, USA) and its graduates. 6. "Genocide by Sanctions" (13 min) produced by Gloria La Riva, features former Attorney General of the United States, Ramsey Clark, as he goes to Iraq. 7. "Genocides in Indonesia and East Timor" (4 min) by Amy Goodman, journalist and host of "Democracy Now" on Pacifica¹s WBAI FM Radio in New York. She is talking about two genocides Indonesia has committed. First against it¹s own people in 1965, then against the people of East Timor in 1975. Both of these mass slaughters were sanctioned by the United States government and aided by the CIA. 8. "The Panama Deception" (20 min) directed by Barbara Trent. How the US attacked Panama and killed 3 or 4 thousand people in an invasion that the rest of the world was against. 9. Public speech of Ramsey Clark (7 min) 1998, Los Angeles, evening "Save the Iraqi Children". Former Attorney General of the United States tells the sorry truth about US foreign policy. 10. "The healing of Brian Wilson" (10 min), the Vietnam veteran, who Wages Peace against US foreign policies. Presented by Science for Peace http://scienceforpeace.sa.utoronto.ca 416-535-6605 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copies of videos will be available for sale at the showing or can be ordered on line at www.globaloutlook.caor by calling Global Outlook at 1-888-713-8500. next Friday, March 28, 7:30 pm Friends Meeting House, 60 Lowther Ave, Toronto (two blocks north of Bedford and Bloor, near St. George subway) Stop Secret Trials in Canada: How Democracy is Being Undermined in the Name of "Security" Moderator: Chandler Davis of Science for Peace Speakers: - Sophie Lamarche Harkat Sophie is working to free her husband, Mohamed Harkat, who has been held in solitary confinement in an Ottawa prison, without charge or bail, since his arrest on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2002. The arrest of Mr. Harkat, a refugee from Algeria who worked on average 20 hours a day pumping gas and delivering pizzas - seems staged to show the U.S. that Canada is "serious" about security, Neither Harkat nor his attorney is allowed to see or challenge the "evidence" against him--in other words, a secret trial. - Amina Sherazee Amina Sherazee is an attorney, activist, and one of Canada's leading voices against repressive federal legislation (such as the notorious C-36) - Rocco Galati Rocco Galati is one of a handful of Canadian attorneys who has handled CSIS "security certificate cases," and the only person ever to win one against the government. - Matthew Behrens A member of Homes not Bombs, which is coordinating a campaign of support for families of Canada's disappeared. This event is part of a tour of southern Ontario which also features vents in Peterborough (Thursday, March 27 at 7 pm), Burlington (Sat. March 29 at 3:30 pm) and Hamilton (Sat. March 29 at
On Robin Cook [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Subject: Re: [Stalinist] Cook Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 10:40:42 -0500 (EST) From: "Wolfgang Mueller" [EMAIL PROTECTED] The same Mr.Cook was one of the loudest mouthpieces of imperialist NATO-aggressors when they lauchned the 78 days and nights brutal bombing campaign against Yugoslavian people nearly 4 years ago, from March 24, 1999. The same Mr. Cook who was Foreign Minister of the UK in those days, when NATO-Agressors bombed Yugoslav People, whithout any UN-Mandate, fully illegaly, satanised Serbian People and their President Slobodan Milosevic repeatedly, to put the NATO-Terror in the light of Humanity, Justice and Freedom. The same Mr. Cook who had no sleepless nights by sawing hatred against Serbs and their political leaders and killing thousands of them, gives himself an attitude of morality that does not belong to him. In real this Mr. Cook playing a dirty game with emotions of people for achiving imperialist goals of Briton and EU-Imperialists. there is no progressive aim in his step to resign from his post in opposing the policy of Tony Blair. It is cool calculated power-policy. Don't spread any illusions in imperialists and their rotten personal, like Schroeder, Fisher, Chirac, de Villepin, Cook or Blair, Bush, Rumsfeld and so on. In this cause, Wolfgang M. Comment HK: Of course Cook is a social-reformist of the worst order. Of course Cook is a charlatan. Of course Cook was the Foreign Minster who sold fighter jets to Indonesia. But no doubt his action in resigning form the UK cabinet was a move that progressives applauded. What next will come for Cook? Is this the start of a new social-reformist formation in the UK? HK ___ Why I had to leave the cabinet 'This will be a war without support at home or agreement abroad Robin Cook Tuesday March 18, 2003 The Guardian I have resigned from the cabinet because I believe that a fundamental principle of Labour's foreign policy has been violated. If we believe in an international community based on binding rules and institutions, we cannot simply set them aside when they produce results that are inconvenient to us. I cannot defend a war with neither international agreement nor domestic support. I applaud the determined efforts of the prime minister and foreign secretary to secure a second resolution. Now that those attempts have ended in failure, we cannot pretend that getting a second resolution was of no importance. In recent days France has been at the receiving end of the most vitriolic criticism. However, it is not France alone that wants more time for inspections. Germany is opposed to us. Russia is opposed to us. Indeed at no time have we signed up even the minimum majority to carry a second resolution. We delude ourselves about the degree of international hostility to military action if we imagine that it is all the fault of President Chirac. The harsh reality is that Britain is being asked to embark on a war without agreement in any of the international bodies of which we are a leading member. Not Nato. Not the EU. And now not the security council. To end up in such diplomatic isolation is a serious reverse. Only a year ago we and the US were part of a coalition against terrorism which was wider and more diverse than I would previously have thought possible. History will be astonished at the diplomatic miscalculations that led so quickly to the disintegration of that powerful coalition. Britain is not a superpower. Our interests are best protected, not by unilateral action, but by multilateral agreement and a world order governed by rules. Yet tonight the international partnerships most important to us are weakened. The European Union is divided. The security council is in stalemate. Those are heavy casualties of war without a single shot yet being fired. The threshold for war should always be high. None of us can predict the death toll of civilians in the forthcoming bombardment of Iraq. But the US warning of a bombing campaign that will "shock and awe" makes it likely that casualties will be numbered at the very least in the thousands. Iraq's military strength is now less than half its size at the time of the last Gulf war. Ironically, it is only because Iraq's military forces are so weak that we can even contemplate invasion. And some claim his forces are so weak, so demoralised and so badly equipped that the war will be over in days. We cannot base our military strategy on the basis that Saddam is weak and at the same time justify pre-emptive action on the claim that he is a serious threat. Iraq probably has no weapons of mass destruction in the commonly understood sense of that term - namely, a credible device capable of being delivered against strategic city targets. It probably does still have biological toxins and battlefield chemical munitions. But it has had them since the 1980s when the US sold Saddam the anthrax agents and the then British government built
New York City - Cuba Solidarity Contingent at March 22 Anti-War Demonstration [W
From: "Cuba Solidarity New York" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 13:39:37 - Subject: [CubaSolidarityNY] Join The Cuba Solidarity Contingent March 22 - NYC CUBA SOLIDARITY NEW YORK http://www.cubasolidarityny.org Join The Cuba Solidarity Contingent at March 22 Anti-War Demonstration Dear Members and Supporters of Cuba Solidarity New York (CSNY), CSNY and the Venceremos Brigade will be organizing a Cuba Solidarity contingent at the March 22 anti-war demonstration in New York City. The contingent will meet at 36th St. and Broadway at 11:00pm The rally is scheduled to start at 12 noon and march to Washington Square Park (the city authorities were forced to grant a march permit under pressure after the fiasco following their reactionary refusal to do so on Feb. 15). It is likely that Washington's brutal war of aggression will be underway by March 22 and that the cruise missiles, B-52s, and F-16s will be reigning mass terror on the neighborhoods and remaining infrastructure of Baghdad and other cities, as U.S. and British troops launch a massive invasion. Obviously, this makes a massive protest very important, not only to register our opposition to the U.S. war on Iraq, but to maintain our political space and right to protest in the face of the government and media-generated attempts to whip up a patriotic, militaristic hysteria and intimidate the anti-war, anti-imperialist opposition. The arrogance of the U.S. government as it goes to war to establish a U.S. protectorate in Iraq as a step toward control and domination of the Middle East and its resources is registered in the official name of the coming vicious assault: "Operation Shock and Awe." That message is addressed not only to Iraq and the oppressed and exploited peoples of the Middle East and Third World. On March 22 and beyond we must answer that we are not awed, but disgusted and determined to resist the imperialist war drive. We can be sure that Cuba will continue to be a leading anti-war and anti-imperialist voice which places this war in the larger context of the mounting global capitalist crisis. CSNY will continue to defend and present that voice--which will grow in attraction to a new generation of anti-war and anti-imperialist fighters. Events like the upcoming national meeting of the National Network on Cuba (NNOC) that will be held in New York City on May 16-18, which CSNY is co-hosting with 1199/SEIU, and the Venceremos Brigade as wells as plans for a major event in New York to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of July 26th can be a rallying point for political activists in the new . We can also expect that the pressure on Cuba will continue to increase with this war. Cuba remains on the U.S. State Department's list of countries "sponsoring terrorism." The recent throwing of the Cuban 5 into solitary confinement along with the blatant, stepped-up anti-Cuba activities of U.S. Interests Section Chief James Cason in Havana are conscious provocations. CSNY has prepared for mass distribution at the March 22 action an attractive leaflet which includes Fidel Castro's excellent speech at the recent meeting of the non-aligned movement in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia which address the war in the larger world context. The Venceremos Brigade and IFCO/Pastors for Peace will be publicizing their challenge to the Travel Ban. Representative of the U.S./Cuba Youth exchange will have materials on their July 24-31 trip to Cuba. We also want to distribute lots of material on the case of the Cuban 5. So we need lots of help and volunteers to cover what we hope will be massive crowd. See you at 36th and Broadway! In solidarity and struggle, Ike Nahem for CSNYDo you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
Showdown In Texas May 3-5. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 23:11:03 -0500 From: "Dawn" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Fwd: Showdown In Texas] Dear Friends, We are writing to ask you to mark your calendars now for the: Showdown in Texas, Saturday, May 3-5, 2003 Take a Stand Against the Bush Agenda Demand TRUE Human Security March with thousand of people from across the nation and around the world to say No to War and Yes...Another World is Possible! The Showdown rally is a national, multi-issue response to war and militarism straight from George W. Bushs old stomping grounds in Austin, Texas. This rally is a demand for human security, not homeland security: funding for healthcare, housing, education and jobs; environmental sustainability; protection of civil liberties for citizens, immigrants and indigenous peoples, a moratorium on the death penalty, and an end to US military interventions at home and abroad. The SHOWDOWN Rally is part of the MADE IN TEXAS Campaign, a project of the American Friends Service Committee which was launched to bring attention to the militarization of our world and a system that prioritizes corporate profits and war. We seek to transform that system into a culture that celebrates life and community by building a powerful coalition of organizations and independent businesses that will unite in opposition to the Bush agenda of war and militarism. Why We Want and Need You to Come to Texas? It is no surprise that the corporate structure that supports and benefits from militarization and war is based in Texas Lockheed Martin of Fort Worth, Enron in Houston, and in Austin the Computer Sciences Corporation just bought Dyncorp making it one of the largest corporate military contractors in the country. Texas was the recipient of the largest military contract in history, making war its biggest export. George W. Bushs home state provides weapons, troops and fuel for the military. Corporate military contractors, weapons manufacturers, the countries largest military base and a network of oil refineries all flourish in this state known internationally for its poor record on human rights, workers rights, social justice and the environment. For more information email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or www.madeintexas.us The Showdown Coalition is planning a nonviolent direct action at a military contractors on Monday, May 5. A youth encampment is being organized and nonviolence direct action prep and spokes council meeting are scheduled for Sunday, May 4. Also in support of the Showdown in Texas is the: 2nd Annual Women and War Conference, Voices Rising in Resistance will be held May 1-4 at Stonehaven Ranch just outside of Austin. The conference is an experiment in creating alternative community where women can talk and live their politics. The purpose is to promote dialogue among truly diverse women regarding warfare, nationalism, territorialism, and ways it impacts our communities. Sponsored by the Womens Nations Collective, a project of the American Friends Service Committee. Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or http://geocities.com/womensnation Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
(McWorkers Resistance ) UK Mc Workers Against The War! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: McWorkers Resistance To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 1:13 PM Subject: McWorkers Against War http://mwr.org.uk [EMAIL PROTECTED]In line with calls from the anti-war movement, many of us involved with McDonalds Workers Resistance will be avoiding work on the day the bombing starts, through phoning in sick or walking out for the whole day or for a few minutes. We strongly encourage other workers to do the same and to this effect release the following statement: "McDonalds Workers Resistance wish to make public our absolute and unfaltering opposition to the military adventures of the US and UK governments and to make known that we recognise the strategic and economic reasons for the impending bombardment. We unreservedly oppose the Iraqi regime but given the motivations of the US and British governments, and given their respective histories of supporting and arming violent tyrants (including Hussein), we reject their legitimacy and do not look to them to solve the problems faced by the working class in Iraq or anywhere else. In contrast, we look to collective action and international solidarity amongst ordinary people to deliver regime change in the US, Europe and Iraq. With this in mind, and to demonstrate our continued opposition to the massive sufferings heaped upon the Iraqi people by the rulers of the world, we will be avoiding work on the day war officially begins and we encourage all McDonalds Workers to do the same. Our thoughts and hopes are with the Iraqi people, our solidarity with all the workers of the world who are trying to obstruct the war effort- with the Communication Workers Union and the Fire-fighters in the UK, with the dock workers and train drivers in Italy, with the Longshoremen in the US, and many others. MWR has opposed economic and military imperialism consistently; this linked statement was written two days after the terrorist attacks in New York: http://mwr.org.uk/terrorism.htm " http://www.geocities.com/mwrposse/mocknews.html NOT IN OUR NAME! === ""Why of course the people don't want war ... But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship ... All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger." Hermann Goering, Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
ACT NOW! CUT AND PASTE FOR PEACE! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! == From: Darrell Rankin Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 2:49 PM Subject: CANESI: Fwd: URGENT ACTION: UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MUST ACT Dear peace-supporting groups and people across Canada,Dear Friends of peace in other countries Among the many initiatives and calls for action to prevent a war with Iraq (so many that need support!), I think this one can deal a powerful blow against U.S. lawlessness/ imperialism. A growing number of groups and individuals are supporting this appeal, including Robert Fisk who had to cancel his speaking engagement in Winnipeg last week. Simply copy the list of emails below and paste them in your "to", "cc" and "bcc" message boxes, sign your name to the letter, delete my and Karen's letters at the beginning and the extra text below your letter, and Send - it is that easy. Fax numbers are also listed below. Regards, Darrell Rankin PS if you would like Karen's letter in a Text file for better forwarding to your own email contacts, please let me know and I will send it to you. * * * * * From: ICPJ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: URGENT ACTION:UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MUST ACT Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 This is a follow-up to the email ICPJ sent last week concerning the right of the UN General Assembly to act to prevent war. Karen Talbot International Council for Peace and Justice http://icpj.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] - URGENT!! PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION NOW to encourage the UN member nations to act to stop the war through a special session of the General Assembly!!! Bush will speak tonight and announce going ahead with the war against Iraq probably in 24 hours. The U.S. and UK have withdrawn their resolution before the Security Council because it is clear that France will veto it. They intend to go ahead with their massive shock and awe attack on Iraq. Below is a suggested letter to send to UN member states TODAY!! It is self explanatory. You can edit this letter in any way you wish (or just copy) and then cut and paste into a message. Then you can cut and paste the email addresses into the To, CC, and Bcc. The BCC might have to broken up into 2 or 3 emails because it is so big. Also below there are fax numbers if you choose to go that route. But time is of the essence. Please send the emails NOW because it is literally the last minute. Dear U.N. Ambassador, Please consider invoking UN Res. 377 Uniting For Peace to stop this unnecessary, unjust disastrous war that Bush is trying to foist upon innocent Iraqis and the world. The war will cause hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocents, trillions better spent on current human needs, instability, increased terrorism, and possibly the seeds of WWIII. And it is totally unnecessary because Saddam is contained, has no proven connection to al-Queda, and is in the process of disarming. President Bush appears determined to wage war on Iraq despite the worlds opposition, despite the progress of UN weapons inspectors, despite the likelihood that an unprovoked war will foment, rather than eliminate, terrorism. The Bush Administration has threatened to attack Iraq even without the authority of the UN Security Council. This constitutes both a threat to world peace and to the very integrity of the UN as an institution dedicated to the maintenance of international peace and security. Time is running short. This disastrous war must be prevented. Therefore, I urge you to band together with other nations in support of a Uniting for Peace resolution against an unprovoked invasion of Iraq. As you know, Resolution 377, adopted by the UN in 1950, was made for situations precisely like this one. Uniting for Peace provides that if, because of the lack of unanimity of the permanent members of the Security Council (France, China, Russia, Britain, United States), the Council cannot maintain international peace where there is a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately.. The General Assembly can meet within 24 hours to consider such a matter, and can recommend collective measures to U.N. members including the use of armed forces to maintain or restore international peace and security. Such a Uniting for Peace resolution could require that no military action be taken against Iraq without the explicit authority of the Security Council. It could mandate that the inspectors be permitted to complete their task. It seems unlikely that the United States and Britain would ignore such a measure. A vote by the majority of countries in the world, particularly if it were almost unanimous, would make the unilateral rush to war more difficult. Uniting for Peace can be invoked either by seven members of the Security Council or by a majority of the members of the General Assembly. Clearly, it our last best hope for fulfilling the mission stated in the UN Charter: to save
UN nuclear inspectors angry at Bush/Powell lies, manipulation [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: UN nuclear inspectors angry at Bush/Powell lies, manipulation Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 20:40:46 -0500 http://www.bayarea.com San Jose Mercury Tue, Mar. 18, 2003 Nuclear inspectors reportedly angry CHECKING FALSE U.S. LEADS WASTED TIME, SOURCE SAYS By Dan Stober Mercury News As United Nations nuclear inspectors flee Iraq, some of them are angry at the Bush administration for cutting short their work, bad-mouthing their efforts and making false claims about evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Some inspectors are ``scandalized'' at the way President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, among others, have ``politicized'' the inspection process, said a source close to the inspectors. None of the nuclear-related intelligence trumpeted by the administration has held up to scrutiny, inspectors say. From suspect aluminum tubes to aerial photographs to documents -- revealed to be forgeries -- that claimed to link Iraq to uranium from Niger, inspectors say they chased U.S. leads that went nowhere and wasted valuable time in their efforts to determine the extent of Saddam Hussein's arsenal of weapons banned after the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The administration said the Iraqi aluminum tubes were uniquely suited for centrifuges to make bomb-grade uranium. But U.N. officials argue that the Iraqi explanation -- that the tubes were destined to become artillery rockets -- was more plausible. Moreover, the source close to inspectors said, the U.S. military uses similar tubes for a rocket known as the Hydra 70. In October the White House released aerial photos of activity at former Iraqi nuclear facilities. The inspectors, however, found no sign of weapons activity and suggested that Saddam was not likely to reuse known nuclear sites. In February the administration said trucks were spotted at facilities shortly before the arrival of inspectors, apparently to haul away and hide banned equipment. But in one case, according to a U.N. official, the trucks were fire engines standing by the building for safety reasons. In the case of the Niger documents, they appeared genuine at first glance -- accurate nomenclature, proper stamps -- but further study turned up crude errors, such as words misspelled in French and dates that did not match the day of the week. Who created the counterfeit documents remains a mystery. Recent inspection teams have included a new batch of U.S. nuclear scientists from Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories. The U.N. official described these inspectors as arriving as hawks and leaving as doves, after finding Iraq ``a ruined country, not a threat to anyone.'' It is a view radically different than the administration's. The nuclear inspectors trudged through the Iraqi countryside for months. They found the Iraqi weapons infrastructure, built at great expense in the 1980s, to be in a state of decay. They sought out out-of-the-way machine shops or companies where Iraqi scientists might be congregated. But they found no sign of an organized nuclear weapons program. At the most, the U.N. official said, there may be ``a few guys with paper and pencil and some computer in a back room.'' Responding to the U.S. emphasis on underground facilities, the inspectors slugged through the mud beneath a petroleum plant and paid a visit to an irrigation reservoir carved into the inside of a mountain. Neither contained anything suspicious. The nuclear inspectors -- the International Atomic Energy Agency's Iraq Action Team -- are lead by a Frenchman, Jacques Baute. Under his direction the team has focused on unraveling the clandestine Iraqi procurement networks that imported nuclear weapons technology in the 1980s and the aluminum tubing more recently. During unannounced visits to trading companies, the inspectors used special equipment to copy the hard drives of computers. Among the thousands of files they found some leads, as well as pornography. Traders in the procurement networks, the inspectors discovered, have been using their positions to steal oil-for-food money and shift the stolen profits out of the country. For example, a $100,000 purchase of humanitarian goods from Jordan might be inflated to $200,000, with the extra money split between the Iraqi buyer and the Jordanian seller. Some of the inspectors leave with a deep suspicion of U.S. motives. Some believe, for example, that recent flights of U.S. U-2 spy planes were intended to help the military draw up target lists, not to aid the inspectors in their search for weapons of mass destruction. - Contact Dan Stober at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or (650) 688-7536Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
Toronto - Peace Camp Set Up At City Hall! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Kim Rygiel" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 10:33 AM Subject: FW: TODAY! Peace Camp to be set up PLEASE FORWARD FAR AND WIDE! Today and ongoing... If you can't make it today, drop by the newly-established peace camp at City Hall any time. We'll be here all night.MAXFrom Tooker Gomberg:Toronto, City of Peace*Hi Folks:I spent a few hours on College St. talking with people about the impending attack on Iraq. Torontonians are massively against Bush's war.A group of us will establish an ongoing Peace Camp near the front doors of Toronto City Hall by the Peace Garden.News ConferenceLaunch of Toronto, City of PeaceTues. Mar. 18, 2003.4 p.mToronto City Hall, by the Peace Garden near the front doors Speakers, poetry, music and agitation.Spread the word.The idea is to establish an ongoing gathering place for people concerned about the impending attack on Iraq. We will come together and figure out what we can do together -- * pick up leaflets, buttons and bumper stickers,* sing and shout* meditate for peace* play and eat togetherHope you can join us for the launch, or afterwards, day or night.[EMAIL PROTECTED]416-558-2453Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, Ottawa, Canada - Urgent Message About The Cuba
From: "Cuba Solidarity New York" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 13:33:18 - Subject: [CubaSolidarityNY] Urgent Message About The Cuba Five Cuba Solidarity New York http://www.cubasolidarity.org FREE THE FIVE CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONERS! ===SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AGAINST GERARDO HERNÁNDEZ After frequent requests were made to Assistant United States Attorney Caroline Heck Miller in Florida, on March 16th US attorney Leonard Weinglass was able to gain permission to visit Gerardo Hernández - a visit that already had been planned back in February before all of the Cuban Five were placed in solitary confinement. According to Weinglass, Gerardo is undergoing the most severe punishment in his prison in Lompoc, California, where he is confined to what is known as "the Box" within the Special Housing Unit -a hole within the "Hole". He has been under this regimen since February 28th when he was transferred to solitary without any reason given. He is confined to a very small cell in which one can walk only three steps, with no windows and only a slot in the metal door through which food is passed. The bars in front are covered with a metal mesh screen through which it is almost impossible to see anything and remain close 24 hours a day. There is a toilet and a concrete bed with a thin pad in the cell. His clothes were taken from him and he wears just underpants and a T-shirt. No shoes. He cannot tell when it is day or night. The lights in his cell are the only ones that remain switched on 24 hours a day and the constant cries of other prisoners, many of whom suffer mental health problems, prevent him from sleeping. No reading material or printed material is allowed. Signs are posted in front of his cell, which states that no one is to have contact with him. He is the only inmate in this segregation regime who is not allowed to use the telephone. Gerardo has unsuccessfully attempted to register a complaint under the prison's established procedures but has been told that there are no complaint forms available. On March 2nd he filed an informal complaint, as the correct form had not been supplied to him. He hasn't received a response. On March 11th the prison authorities brought him a letter from Joaquín Méndez, one of the defense attorneys, but they took it away before he could read it. On March 14th he was told that he would be given his legal mail. However, to date he has received nothing - not even correspondence from his attorneys. The treatment that is currently being given to Gerardo, Ramón, Antonio, Fernando and René is completely illegal and severely obstructs their defense rights when they and their attorneys need to prepare the appeal that is to be presented before April 7th. This cruel, unusual, discriminatory and completely unjustifiable treatment constitutes a flagrant case of torture that has to be strongly and urgently denounced. Vladimir Mirabal Third Secretary Embassy of the Republic of Cuba Ottawa, Canada Tel. (613) 563 0141 ext.243 Fax (613) 563 0068 For more information on Cuba, please visit our web site http://www.embacuba.ca Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
(FCW.COM) Army Web server hacked [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2003/0317/web-hack-03-18-03.asp Army Web server hacked BY Dan Caterinicchia March 18, 2003 . A hacker last week exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000 operating system to gain control of an Army Web server, and the extent of the damage done is still unknown. Russ Cooper, surgeon general at TruSecure Corp. a provider of managed security services -- said the hacker used an attack code to operate the Army system as if he or she had the highest security clearance and therefore was able to gain complete control of the system. The hacker, whose identity also is still unknown, could "get to any data on that system, or execute any program," Cooper said, adding that the attack occurred March 10. He said that he was notified unofficially a day later by an Army source and then he contacted Microsoft for verification that the company had been notified. The Army identified the problem after performing a network scan and finding data output from a port on one of its internal servers to an "unspecified region," he said. Both Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University's CERT Coordination Center issued security warnings about the "buffer overflow" vulnerability and Microsoft has developed a patch to fix it. The patch is available for free on Microsoft's Web site. The vulnerability affects systems running Microsoft Windows 2000 with Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 enabled. IIS 5.0 runs by default on Microsoft Windows 2000 server products and includes support for the World Wide Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) protocol, which allows users to upload and download files stored on a Web server. According to TruSecure, the code exploits an unchecked buffer in the WebDAV protocol. "By sending a specially crafted request to an IIS 5.0 server, an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code in the local system security context, essentially giving the attacker compete control of the system," according to the CERT bulletin. "Note that this may be significantly more serious than a simple 'Web defacement.'" Exactly which Army computer was attacked, the sensitivity of the data contained on the system, and the attacker's intentions are still unknown. But Cooper said he doubts it was a critical site because the Army did not have a standard operating procedure in place to execute after they found the flaw. Also, sources at the Pentagon told Cooper that they knew nothing of the attack. "The Army did all the wrong things first," Cooper said. The service first took down the affected machine and rebuilt it, which not only could have lost valuable forensic evidence, but also left the rebuilt computer vulnerable to another attack. Then, the Army reported the bug to a general Microsoft Web site, where it languished for a few hours before the company responded, Cooper said. The Army also blocked the outbound port in an effort to keep the attacker from exporting data, but the hacker could have simply changed the port he or she was using or used multiple ports simultaneously, he said. Responding to requests for comment, Patrick Swan, a spokesman for the Army's chief information officer's office, said, "We are aware of the vulnerability in the IIS 5.0 server software and we have taken measures to push the appropriate patch down to all Army networks." Microsoft's director of security assurance, Steve Lipner, told MSNBC that several customers were hit with the attack last week, but refused to identify them. He added that about 100 employees worked "around the clock" last week, and through the weekend, to develop the emergency fix. Compounding the surprising nature of an attack on a Defense Department system is the fact that this was a previously unknown vulnerability, or "zero-day exploit," which are extremely rare in the computer security arena. Vendors often issue patches before hackers have infiltrated a system. The hacker also left behind a file with the phrase, "Welcome to the Unicorn beachhead," Cooper said. He said TruSecure tracks more than 8,000 hackers worldwide and none use the name Unicorn, although Microsoft has a database access product that was code-named Unicorn. Cooper said he thinks the message was a reference to that product and the company. TruSecure offered assistance to Microsoft and the Army, but was denied and not granted access to the attack code or output, he said.Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
[Fwd: On Zoran Djindjic [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Mon, 17 Mar 2003 09:06:16 -0800 From: "sekula kasic" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Fwd: On Zoran Djindjic - From A. Reader (Belgrade)] From: CDSM Date: March 17, 2003 12:47:54 AM Subject: On Zoran Djindjic - From A. Reader (Belgrade) On Zoran Djindjic From A. Reader (Belgrade) 15.03.2003. Today a State funeral was held for Zoran Djindjic, the Serbian Prime Minister, who was assassinated on 12th March 2003. Questions are, ofcourse, being asked about the perpetrators, and only time will resolve this question. However, the facts for the last few days are as follows. The assassination was instigated on Wednesday afternoon in the parking lot of the Serbian Government Building, which chairs the Serbian Cabinet. The perpetrators were obviously highly skilled professionals, firing a number of shots from neighboring buildings. The success of their deed is proof that they were exceptionally well informed about Djindjic's movements. So far, none of the assassins has been caught, and it is interesting to see how the Government will handle this matter. However, the first signs are not encouraging. Barely was Djindjic's death announced, then the DOS controlled media began pointing fingers at one of the Belgrade criminal gangs, whose members were arrested the next day (why this and other gangs were permitted to operate by the DOS controlled Government is one of the questions which needs to be answered).Their arrest was followed by the arrest of Jovica Stanisic, the brilliantly successful security chief of President Milosevic. By these symbolic gestures, the present Government is directing attention to home grounds, especially towards supporters of the Socialist party and President Milosevic, which is in line with statements made by a number of foreign representatives. The aim, obviously, is to direct attention from any possible foreign involvement. How did the people react to the assassination ? Even though a state of emergency was proclaimed, and even though the Prime Minister was assassinated, you would have had difficulty in guessing that anything of the sort was either happening or had happened. People went about their usual business as if everything was perfectly normal. At the entrance to the Government building there were never more than 90 people at any one time lighting candles or laying flowers, nor were there more than 350 people at any one time standing in line to sign the condolence book. The DOS controlled media, ofcourse, presented this in a different light. The "crowd" at the Government building was filmed from a balcony, the camera facing vertically into the "crowd", or else this same "crowd" was filmed directly from behind, so that their meagre numbers could not be seen. However, such video tricks could not be used on this Saturday, the day of the State funeral. The DOS Political Alliance obviously made extensive arrangements in these last few days, bringing in their supporters from all parts of the country (an old trick, used extensively on the Serbian political scene). The aim was to have a massive public attendance, which partially succeeded. Since Saturday was not a working day, there were plenty of onlookers, as State funerals are not an everyday occurance. The combined funeral procession and onlooker attendance provided a crowd of some 150,000 - 250,000 people, which in the narrow streets made a formidable impression. However, for those not familiar with Belgrade, the city has a population of some 2,000,000 people. Even if 250,000 people did attend, this represented only 12,5% of the entire city population. Since people were brought into the capital for the occassion, this would mean that less than 10% of the city bothered to attend. We have to return to the question of the perpetrators of the assassination. Who did it ? When analysing this question, it is well worth remembering Djindjic's student days, the truth of which is well known in Belgrade's "corridors of power" and "high society". Namely, Djindjic graduated in Belgrade, while he obtained his PHD in Germany. Why Germany, of all places ? Many people are unaware that Djindjic's father was an Army officer, apparently of good character and reputation. It was this reputation that was to have catastrophic consequences on the Serbian political scene. When Djindjic graduated in Belgrade, the Army Intelligence Service, the KOS, stepped in, and in one of its biggest blunders, offered to finance Djindjic's postgraduate studies in Germany. The aim, ofcourse, was to have Djindjic recruit promising German postgraduate students for the KOS. In effect, a miserable little mouse was given the task of a "James Bond". Barely had he arrived in Germany, then the German BND, Intelligence Service, became curious about this son of an Army officer; who was financing him, and for what purpose ? Well, the mouse admitted everything, and overnight became a double agent, with certain "James Bond" appetites, money and German girls in particular. It can only be
(FAIR) ACTION ALERT: Do Media Know That War Kills? [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. IMPORTANT! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! = From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 15 Mar 2003 06:52:21 EST Subject: [VSCampaign] Do Media Know That War Kills? http://www.fair.org FAIR-L Fairness Accuracy In Reporting Media analysis, critiques and activism ACTION ALERT: Do Media Know That War Kills? March 14, 2003 Despite daily reports about the "showdown" with Iraq, Americans hear very little from mainstream media about the most basic fact of war: People will be killed and civilian infrastructure will be destroyed, with devastating consequences for public health long after the fighting stops. Since the beginning of the year, according to a search of the Nexis database (1/1/03-3/12/03), none of the three major television networks' nightly national newscasts-- ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News or NBC Nightly News-- have examined in detail what long-term impact war will have on humanitarian conditions in Iraq. They've also downplayed the immediate civilian deaths that will be caused by a U.S. attack. The closest thing to a report on the likely humanitarian impact to appear this year on the nightly newscasts was a January 23 CBS Evening News story about the mood in Iraq. Noting that "many [Iraqis] are genuinely scared" of war, the report stated that "almost half" of the country "would starve without government food handouts." But CBS's report shifted responsibility for any humanitarian disaster away from the U.S., suggesting that what Iraqis fear "perhaps even more than an American military attack" is that domestic "hatred and revenge could tear [Iraq] apart" in the aftermath. The networks' failure to integrate humanitarian concerns into their war coverage is especially striking in light the numerous humanitarian and relief agencies that have issued urgent warnings about the impending crisis. Human Rights Watch, for instance, issued a 25-page briefing paper (2/13/03) warning of a "humanitarian disaster" impacting hundreds of thousands of people if the U.S. attacks Iraq. ABC, CBS and NBC did not cover HRW's findings. Nor did they cover the announcement made (also 2/13/03) by the United Nations' undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Kenzo Oshima, that as many as 10 million people might need food assistance during and after an Iraq war, 50 percent of Iraq's population might be without potable water, and that between 600,000 and 1.45 million people might become refugees and asylum seekers. Also unreported on ABC, CBS and NBC were the internal U.N. estimates revealed in leaked documents publicized by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq and the Center for Economic and Social Rights. The U.N. predicted that 30 percent of Iraq's children under five "would be at risk of death from malnutrition" in the event of war (CASI press release, 2/17/03), and that 500,000 people could "require medical treatment… as a result of direct or indirect injuries," with potentially 100,000 Iraqi civilians wounded "and another 400,000 hit by disease after the bombing of water and sewage facilities and the disruption of food supplies" (London Guardian, 1/29/03). It's worth noting that the silence on ABC was not total; it did address some humanitarian issues on Nightline (2/24/03). In a segment about the "aftermath" of war, Nightline reported that "millions of Iraqis will need food, fresh water and medical care" and that "tens of thousands" of refugees may be created. But the central question posed was: "Who will take care of them? The American military or private humanitarian groups?" Seen through Nightline's lens, the main humanitarian problem would be the quandary confronting the U.S. as it both attacks Iraq and attempts to relieve the devastation it wreaks there; as correspondent Chris Bury put it in his introduction, "how exactly does an invading force juggle its military and humanitarian hats?" Reporter John Donovan presented valuable information about the potentially "catastrophic" impact of war, but bracketed this with a tortured attempt to suggest that the U.S. would not be the real cause of civilian suffering: "And even if Saddam is the source of so many of the Iraqi people's problems, very likely it's the U.S. the world would choose to blame." Therefore, said Donovan, the U.S. was developing a relief plan, because "it is in American interests" and because "it's the right thing to do." What could charitably be called Nightline's credulity was topped off by Donovan's closer. Humanitarian assistance is necessary to ensure that the war will have a "positive impact," he said, because "it is assumed that some Iraqi civilians, perhaps many, will be killed. Not deliberately, but as a result of what is called collateral damage." Unfortunately, Nightline is not alone among major media outlets in asserting that civilian deaths can be considered accidental even if the Pentagon predicts them ahead of time and factors them into its battle plans; it's a conceit that's widespread
Pentagon threatens to kill journalists in Iraq [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [IMPACT] Pentagon threatens to kill journalists in Iraq Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:02:36 -0800 (PST) http://www.GuluFuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm PENTAGON THREATENS TO KILL INDEPENDENT REPORTERS IN IRAQ 10th March, 2003 by Fintan Dunne, Editor http://www.GuluFuture.com The Pentagon has threatened to fire on the satellite uplink positions of independent journalists in Iraq, according to veteran BBC war correspondent, Kate Adie. In an interview with Irish radio, Ms. Adie said that questioned about the consequences of such potentially fatal actions, a senior Pentagon officer had said: "Who caresThey've been warned." According to Ms. Adie, who twelve years ago covered the last Gulf War, the Pentagon attitude is: "entirely hostile to the the free spread of information." "I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs," she told Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show." Ms. Adie made the startling revelations during a discussion of media freedom issues in the likely upcoming war in Iraq. She also warned that the Pentagon is vetting journalists according to their stance on the war, and intends to take control of US journalists' satellite equipment --in order to control access to the airwaves. Another guest on the show, war author Phillip Knightley, reported that the Pentagon has also threatened they: "may find it necessary to bomb areas in which war correspondents are attempting to report from the Iraqi side." Transcript follows below. Audio of this very frank discussion of the problems facing reporters in Iraq. Guests: Kate Adie, BBC; Phillip Knightley, author of The First Casualty, a history of war correspondents and propaganda; Chris Hedges, award winning human rights journalist, and former Irish Times Editor Connor Brady on the Sunday Show, RTE Radio1 9th March, 2003. Listen K. Adie -Realplayer 3 mins Listen full Gulf media freedom segment Audio 26 minutes[ Realplayer] Links valid until 16 March DOWNLOAD ENTIRE SHOW HERE http://www.GuluFuture.com/news/kate_adie030310.htm Tom McGurk: " Now, Kate Adie, you join us from the BBC in London. Thank you very much for going to all this trouble on a Sunday morning to come and join us. I suppose you are watching with a mixture of emotions this war beginning to happen, because you are not going to be covering it." Kate Adie: " Oh I will be. And what actually appalls me is the difference between twelve years ago and now. I've seen a complete erosion of any kind of acknowledgment that reporters should be able to report as they witness." " The Americans... and I've been talking to the Pentagon ...take the attitude which is entirely hostile to the free spread of information." " I was told by a senior officer in the Pentagon, that if uplinks --that is the television signals out of... Bhagdad, for example--were detected by any planes ...electronic media... mediums, of the military above Bhagdad... they'd be fired down on. Even if they were journalists ..' Who cares! 'said.. [inaudible] .." Tom McGurk: "...Kate ...sorry Kate ..just to underline that. Sorry to interrupt you. Just to explain for our listeners. Uplinks is where you have your own satellite telephone method of distributing information." Kate Adie: " The telephones and the television signals." Tom McGurk: " And they would be fired on? " Kate Adie: " Yes. They would be 'targeted down,' said the officer." Tom McGurk: " Extraordinary ! " Kate Adie: " Shameless! " " He said.. ' Well... they know this ... they've been warned.' " " This is threatening freedom of information, before you even get to a war." "The second thing is there was a massive news blackout imposed." "In the last Gulf war, where I was one of the pool correspondents with the British Army. We effectively had very, very light touch when it came to any kind of censorship." " We were told that anything which was going to endanger troops lives which we understood we shouldn't broadcast. But other than that, we were relatively free." " Unlike our American colleagues, who immediately left their pool, after about 48 hours, having just had enough of it." " And this time the Americans are: a) Asking journalists who go with them, whether they are... have feelings against the war. And therefore if you have views that are skeptical, then you are not to be acceptable." " Secondly, they are intending to take control of the Americans technical equipment ...those uplinks and satellite phones I was talking about. And control access to the airwaves." " And then on top of everything else, there is now a blackout (which was imposed, during the last war, at the beginning of the war), ...ordered by one Mr. Dick Cheney, who is in charge of this." " I am enormously pessimistic of the chance of decent on-the-spot reporting, as the war occurs. You will get it later." ___ IMPACT mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Surprise! Surprise! U.S backed Terrorist State Albania Will Join U.S. War on Ira
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: ALBANIA: Troops Will Join War on Iraq Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 12:18:47 -0500 -Original Message- From: Roland Marounek [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 12:01 PM Subject: [romain] Autre candidat fiable à l'OTAN : des troupes albanaises se joindront à l'agression contre l'Irak http://www.seeurope.net/en/Story.php?StoryID=38227LangID=1 Seeurope.net March 10, 2003 ALBANIA: Troops Will Join War on Iraq Albania said on Sunday it would send troops to join any U.S.-led attack on Iraq, a largely symbolic gesture that underlines Tirana's gratitude to Washington for intervening in the 1999 Kosovo crisis. Prime Minister Fatos Nano said the cabinet decided at an emergency session to contribute commandos and allow Albanian territory and airspace to be used for a war on Iraq that analysts say could start before the end of March. Both Albanian officials and the U.S. embassy in Tirana declined comment on whether the government was responding to a request from the United States, which says it will attack Iraq with or without United Nations approval, reported NTV. L'Albanie a déclaré ce dimanche qu'elle enverrait des troupes pour rejoindre toute attaque de l'Irak menée par les USA, un geste largement symbolique qui souligne la gratitude de Tirana envers Washington pour l'intervention au Kosovo de 1999 Le premier ministre Fatos Nano a déclaré que le cabinet a décidé, dans une session d'urgence, d'apporter la contribution de commandos, et de permettre que le territoire albanais et son espace aérien soient utilisés pour une guerre contre l'Irak, dont les analystes disent qu'elle pourrait commencer avant la fin mars. A la fois les responsables albanais et l'ambassade US à Tirana ont refusé de commenter le point de savoir si le gouvernement répondait à une demande des États-Unis, qui déclarent qu'ils attaqueront l'Irak avec ou sans l'approbation des Nations-Unies Si vous désirez déposer des photos, utiliser le calendrier ou organiser un vote, visitez http://smartgroups.wanadoo.fr/groups/romain Pour ne plus faire partie du groupe, envoyez un message à l'adresse suivante : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
FWD: British soldiers begging for food in Kuwait [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "La Voz de Aztlan" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, March 07, 2003 3:00 PM Subject: British soldiers begging for food in Kuwait LA VOZ DE AZTLAN NEWS BULLETIN Los Angeles, Alta California March 7, 2003 British soldiers begging for food in Kuwait A BBC report today said that British soldiers as well as their families have complained to the Blair government that there is not enough food and other essential supplies in Kuwait as preparations to attack Iraq are being made. British soldiers are having to "borrow" essential necessities from US soldiers. A Royal Marine commando sent an email to his family saying that food supplies were desperately short and that weapons and other key equipment are lacking. The Royal Marine wrote in his e-mail, "We are scrounging everything from the Americans. As it stands, people here will die." Other British soldiers in Kuwait said that they have had to buy their own boots. The Blair government has denied the soldiers allegations but the BBC said it had received more than 50 examples from families, only minutes after broadcasting an item on the subject. One soldier's family said. "The American troops refer to our troops as the Flintstones - how shameful is that, Mr Blair?" Another family said: "My daughter tells me she has rice three times a day. The Americans call them "The Borrowers". She says they (the Americans) have burger bars, Pizza Huts and shops. We have nothing." * * * * * * * * * * La Voz de Aztlan http://www.aztlan.netDo you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
Text Of U.S. Diplomat John Brady Kiesling's Letter Of Resignation To Colin Powel
Forward from mart. A "must read"! "PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY!** --- From: "Margarita Lacabe" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 6:16 PM Subject: [open-forum] Letter of Resignation from US diplomat - - - - - - - - - - - - Feb. 28, 2003 | U.S. Diplomat John Brady Kiesling Letter of Resignation, to: Secretary of State Colin L. Powell ATHENS | Thursday 27 February 2003 Dear Mr. Secretary: I am writing you to submit my resignation from the Foreign Service of the United States and from my position as Political Counselor in U.S. Embassy Athens, effective March 7. I do so with a heavy heart. The baggage of my upbringing included a felt obligation to give something back to my country. Service as a U.S. diplomat was a dream job. I was paid to understand foreign languages and cultures, to seek out diplomats, politicians, scholars and journalists, and to persuade them that U.S. interests and theirs fundamentally coincided. My faith in my country and its values was the most powerful weapon in my diplomatic arsenal. It is inevitable that during twenty years with the State Department I would become more sophisticated and cynical about the narrow and selfish bureaucratic motives that sometimes shaped our policies. Human nature is what it is, and I was rewarded and promoted for understanding human nature. But until this Administration it had been possible to believe that by upholding the policies of my president I was also upholding the interests of the American people and the world. I believe it no longer. The policies we are now asked to advance are incompatible not only with American values but also with American interests. Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the international legitimacy that has been America's most potent weapon of both offense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson. We have begun to dismantle the largest and most effective web of international relationships the world has ever known. Our current course will bring instability and danger, not security. The sacrifice of global interests to domestic politics and to bureaucratic self-interest is nothing new, and it is certainly not a uniquely American problem. Still, we have not seen such systematic distortion of intelligence, such systematic manipulation of American opinion, since the war in Vietnam. The September 11 tragedy left us stronger than before, rallying around us a vast international coalition to cooperate for the first time in a systematic way against the threat of terrorism. But rather than take credit for those successes and build on them, this Administration has chosen to make terrorism a domestic political tool, enlisting a scattered and largely defeated Al Qaeda as its bureaucratic ally. We spread disproportionate terror and confusion in the public mind, arbitrarily linking the unrelated problems of terrorism and Iraq. The result, and perhaps the motive, is to justify a vast misallocation of shrinking public wealth to the military and to weaken the safeguards that protect American citizens from the heavy hand of government. September 11 did not do as much damage to the fabric of American society as we seem determined to do to ourselves. Is the Russia of the late Romanovs really our model, a selfish, superstitious empire thrashing toward self-destruction in the name of a doomed status quo? We should ask ourselves why we have failed to persuade more of the world that a war with Iraq is necessary. We have over the past two years done too much to assert to our world partners that narrow and mercenary U.S. interests override the cherished values of our partners. Even where our aims were not in question, our consistency is at issue. The model of Afghanistan is little comfort to allies wondering on what basis we plan to rebuild the Middle East, and in whose image and interests. Have we indeed become blind, as Russia is blind in Chechnya, as Israel is blind in the Occupied Territories, to our own advice, that overwhelming military power is not the answer to terrorism? After the shambles of post-war Iraq joins the shambles in Grozny and Ramallah, it will be a brave foreigner who forms ranks with Micronesia to follow where we lead. We have a coalition still, a good one. The loyalty of many of our friends is impressive, a tribute to American moral capital built up over a century. But our closest allies are persuaded less that war is justified than that it would be perilous to allow the U.S. to drift into complete solipsism. Loyalty should be reciprocal. Why does our President condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this Administration is fostering, including among its most senior officials. Has "oderint dum metuant" really become our motto? I urge you to listen to America's friends around the world. Even here in Greece, purported hotbed of European anti-Americanism,
Time 'Man of the Year' Aweard: 1938 Adolf Hitler - Is history repeating itself??
Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2003 22:10:44 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: 1938 Man of the Year: Adolf Hitler http://www.time.com/time/special/moy/1938.html Is history repeating itself or what? In reading this I some how seem as though I am living these days over again today, so much of our news today reads and sounds as if I was living the year 1938, instead of 2003, and that three ring circus tonight, that was called a white house press conference with Daffy W. Duck as ring master, was a total disgrace, the Fuhrer could not even follow the script, and read from it line by line. This was an insult on the intelligence of the American people. Not! one question was really answered, during the whole act, nothing but a babbling repeat of the same old dog and pony show from two years ago. Compare today in America and Germany 1938, and tell me where the difference is. TH = January 2, 1939 Adolf Hitler Greatest single news event of 1938 took place on September 29, when four statesmen met at the Fuhrerhaus, in Munich, to redraw the map of Europe. The three visiting statesmen at that historic conference were Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Great Britain, Premier Edouard Daladier of France, and Dictator Benito Mussolini of Italy. But by all odds the dominating figure at Munich was the German host, Adolf Hitler. Fuhrer of the German people, Commander-in-Chief of the German Army, Navy Air Force, Chancellor of the Third Reich, Herr Hitler reaped on that day at Munich the harvest of an audacious, defiant, ruthless foreign policy he had pursued for five and a half years. He had torn the Treaty of Versailles to shreds. He had rearmed Germany to the teeth--or as close to the tooth as he was able. He had stolen Austria before the eyes of a horrified and apparently impotent world. All these events were shocking to nations which had defeated Germany on the battlefield only 20 years before, but nothing so terrified the world as the ruthless, methodical, Nazi-directed events which during late summer and early autumn threatened a world war over Czechoslovakia. When without loss of blood he reduced Czechoslovakia to a German puppet state, forced a drastic revision of Europe's defensive alliances, and won a free hand for himself in Eastern Europe by getting a "hands-off" promise from powerful Britain (and later France), Adolf Hitler without doubt became 1938's Man of the Year. Most other world figures of 1938 faded in importance as the year drew to a close. Prime Minister Chamberlain's "peace with honor" seemed more than ever to have achieved neither. An increasing number of Britons ridiculed his appease-the-dictators policy, believed that nothing save abject surrender could satisfy the dictators' ambitions. Among many Frenchmen there rose a feeling that Premier Daladier, by a few strokes of the pen at Munich, had turned France into a second-rate power. Aping Mussolini in his gestures and copying triumphant Hitler's shouting complex, the once liberal Daladier at year's end was reduced to using parliamentary tricks to keep his job. During 1938 Dictator Mussolini was only a decidedly junior partner in the firm of Hitler Mussolini, Inc. His noisy agitation to get Corsica and Tunis from France was rated as a weak bluff whose immediate objectives were no more than cheaper tolls for Italian ships in the Suez Canal and control of the Djibouti-Addis Ababa railroad. Gone from the international scene was Eduard Benes, for 20 years Europe's "Smartest Little Statesman." Last President of free Czechoslovakia, he was now a sick exile from the country he helped found. Pious Chinese Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Man of 1937, was forced to retreat to a "New" West China, where he faced the possibility of becoming only a respectable figurehead in an enveloping Communist movement. If Francisco Franco had won the Spanish Civil War after his great spring drive, he might well have been Man-of-the-Year timber. But victory still eluded the Generalissimo and war weariness and disaffection on the Rightist side made his future precarious. On the American scene, 1938 was no one man's year. Certainly it was not Franklin Roosevelt's; his Purge was beaten and his party lost much of its bulge in the Congress. Secretary Hull will remember Good Neighborly 1938 as the year he crowned his trade treaty efforts with the British agreement, but history will not specially identify Mr. Hull with 1938. At year's end in Lima, his plan of Continental Solidarity for the two Americas had a few of its teeth pulled. But the figure of Adolf Hitler strode over a cringing Europe with all the swagger of a conqueror. Not the mere fact that the Fuhrer brought 10,500,000 more people (7,000,000 Austrians, 3,500,000 Sudetens) under his absolute rule made him the Man of 1938. Japan during the same time added tens of millions of Chinese to her empire. More significant was the fact Hitler became in 1938 the greatest threatening force that
(Toronto Star) Castro believes war `will happen' [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendlyc=Articlecid=1035778639059call_pageid=968332188774 The Toronto Star www.thestar.ca Mar. 5, 2003. 01:00 AM Castro believes war `will happen' Cuban leader makes brief stop in B.C. Says chance of peace in Iraq `remote' GREG JOYCE CANADIAN PRESS RICHMOND, B.C.There's only a remote chance of avoiding a U.S.-led war in Iraq, despite that country's effort to destroy its illegal missiles, Cuban President Fidel Castro said yesterday . "Ninety-nine people out of 100, when you ask them, believe that this will happen," Castro said during a refuelling stopover, en route to Cuba from Japan after an 11-day Asian tour. "However, nothing is impossible and perhaps there is still the remotest possibility that it would not happen." Castro, 76, wearing a long, black winter overcoat and scarf, spoke to a throng of reporters for about 10 minutes in the lobby of a hotel near the Vancouver-area airport before returning to his plane. Iraq's recent decision to destroy its al Samoud 2 missiles, deemed to contravene U.N. disarmament rules, "is a step in the right direction," he said, speaking through an interpreter. Castro also expressed misgivings about the so-called Canadian compromise. The proposal suggests Iraq be given until the end of March to complete a list of key remaining disarmament tasks identified by U.N. weapons inspectors. The U.N. Security Council would then be asked to vote on whether Iraq was complying with its obligations. "I would not be able to give you a definitive answer about that ... some people don't agree with that formula because some people tend to believe that such a formula brings closer the dangers of a war." Castro said he was returning home after a conference with important world leaders and nobody wants the war. "I believe that it would even be convenient for the United States to avoid such a war, in such a way that is acceptable to all the parties involved." During his Asian tour, Castro delivered a speech in Malaysia, criticizing the U.S. for trying to coerce the world into backing an "unnecessary" attack on Iraq. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
Canada Customs seizes Anti-War tapes 'critical of U.S. Foreign Policy' [WWW.STO
http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/print.cgi?/2003/03/05/seizedtape030305 C B C . C A N e w s - F u l l S t o r y : -- Customs accused of seizing tapes critical of U.S. Last Updated Thu Mar 6 07:36:53 2003 OTTAWA-- A U.S. peace activist says Canada Customs has seized copies of a video that criticizes American foreign policy. About 30 copies of the video What I've Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy were on their way to an Ontario-based magazine. The two-hour video is a compilation of documentaries by journalists such as Bill Moyers and speeches by peace activists including Martin Luther King, Jr. Canada Customs won't confirm that it has seized the tapes but says it is looking for material that promotes hatred, including hatred based on nationality. "All I can confirm is that our customs officers will do all they have to do to enforce the laws of Canada and that includes hatred laws," said Sam Papadopoulos of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency. Global Outlook, the magazine that tried to import the tapes, says it has ordered them in the past without any problem. The video was produced by California-based activist Frank Dorrel. He said he shipped 1,500 copies to Canada without incident and he calls the seizure suspicious. "I don't know why they're doing it now except that maybe now they're feeling the heat from it," he said. "People are watching it and waking up." If customs officials determine that the tapes do contain hatred towards Americans, criminal charges could follow. Written by CBC News Online staff Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
Time is Short: Surround White House March 15! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. IMPORTANT! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! *** = From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 00:05:54 -0500 Subject: [WW] Time is Short: Surround White House March 15 - Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the March 13, 2003 issue of Workers World newspaper - TIME IS SHORT: SURROUND THE WHITE HOUSE ANTI-WAR COALITION CALLS MARCH 15 EMERGENCY MASS ACTION By Monica Moorehead As the Bush administration and the Pentagon move ever closer to a war against Iraq, the International ANSWER coalition is mobilizing for a March 15 emergency convergence on the White House. There are now 300,000 U.S. troops massed around the Persian Gulf area. An unimaginable Pentagon arsenal of weapons of mass destruction is aimed at a largely defenseless country. Anti-war forces are presented with their greatest challenge since the war crisis developed last fall. More than 100 cities in 35 states are organizing buses and other modes of transportation to go to Washington, D.C., on March 15 to send a resounding message to the warmongers that the vast majority of people do not want to see one drop of blood--be it from an Iraqi or a U.S. soldier--spilled for oil profits or empire building. Simultaneous protests are set for San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many other countries, including Greece, Japan and Portugal, are holding their own protests on March 15. Anti-war forces in the U.S. and worldwide are also organizing other mass protests, work stoppages, direct action, civil disobedience and many more actions to stop the criminal U.S. war on Iraq before it starts. Student walkouts are taking place at hundreds of colleges and high schools all over the U.S. as part of a national March 5 moratorium against the war. The National Youth and Students Peace Coalition has called the walkout actions "Books, Not Bombs," to show how the billions of tax dollars being diverted to war are directly linked to devastating cutbacks in education. Both President George W. Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair had hoped to begin a war with Iraq in January. They had to postpone it to February. But their diabolical war plans were temporarily dashed again when an unprecedented massive outpouring of humanity occurred worldwide on the weekend of Feb. 15 and 16--more than 10 million people took to the streets in 600 cities around the world to demand "No war on Iraq." Both Bush and Blair are now attempting to push through another pro-war resolution in the United Nations Security Council in defiance of world public opinion. The U.S. and Britain are finding it more difficult to depend on their long-time allies for military support for this war. All their attempts at bribery and arm-twisting to impose their imperialist will on the oppressed, underdeveloped countries have not produced the kinds of results they anticipated. Most notably, the Turkish parliament voted against the use of its bases for U.S. troops to launch an attack on Iraq, despite U.S. efforts to bribe Turkey's beholden, reactionary regime with billions of dollars in aid and loans. On the same day as the vote, tens of thousands of people in Ankara, Turkey, marched to parliament to demand no war. In Cairo, where many protests are repressed by law, 100,000 people jammed a stadium and hundreds of thousands more rallied outside in support of Iraq and Palestine on Feb. 27. Bush has become so defensive and isolated in the world about this war that he has admitted publicly what so many already knew--that its real aim is to overthrow the Iraqi government and put Iraq under the jurisdiction of the U.S. military. The bottom line is that the real aims of a war against Iraq have nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction and everything to do with "regime change" in the interests of conquest. RESPONSE TO MARCH 15 CALL Sarah Friedman, a national outreach coordinator of ANSWER in Washington, told Workers World, "A movement has to have the ability to switch gears in terms of mobilizing efforts, especially when the stakes are so extremely high, like doing everything possible to stop a racist war on Iraq. We are getting great responses from all over the country--150 cities are organizing to get to March 15 protests on both coasts, including Minnesota, Florida and the Midwest." At a jam-packed meeting at Community Church in New York City on March 4, speakers including former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, ANSWER spokesperson Larry Holmes and others spoke about how critical the March 15 mobilization is. And they stressed that the people of the world understand the need for a strong anti-war movement inside the U.S. People in the audience took stacks of March 15 leaflets and bought many bus tickets. Mass leafleting for March 15 is planned for every International Women's Day protest from New York to Baltimore, Washington to Los Angeles. ANSWER
WAR ALERT! U.S May pull Resolution To Avoid Defeat At U.N. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. IMPORTANT! PLEASE DISTRIBUTEWIDELY! It appears that the U.S. facing overwhelming worldwide opposition in it's war for empire and world dominatation may now be be preparing to pull it's resolution from the U.N , rather than risk defeat. By not going for aecond resolution, the U.S will now revert to it's origanal "plan A" and once again again try to claim that it doesn't need a second resolution to launch a now unilateral and of course, totaly illegalwar on Iraq.! Cynical, murderous bastards! mart NO TO BUSH! NO WAR ON IRAQ! NO WAR FOR EMPIRE! **== http://truthout.org/docs_03/030603A.shtml TruthOut.org Editor's Note: There is a significant difference of opinion encapsulated in the two articles below, but both speak of an administration that is rapidly running out of diplomatic room to maneuver. The first article describes a number of administration advisees, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, informing Bush that he and the push for war on Iraq are set to take an embarrassing diplomatic pounding at the United Nations. These men are advising Bush to withdraw, seek political cover in the arrest of alleged 9/11 mastermind , rather than suffer a defeat before the Security Council. The second article reports that the administration is mulling over a plan to avoid a vote in the UN, but leaves a unilateral invasion very much on the table. "The president has made clear," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer is quoted as saying, "that whether the United Nations votes or does not vote, that we will disarm Saddam Hussein with a coalition of the willing," It has been clear in recent weeks that the hawks have come to rule the roost in Washington. It appears that, perhaps for the last time, there is again a struggle in the White House between those who want war now and those who have been advocating for a more diplomatic solution. - wrp = http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_1870.shtml Advisors Warn Bush He Faces "Humiliating" Defeat on UN Resolution Capitol Hill Blue Tuesday 4 March 2003 Senior aides to President George W. Bush say he faces a humiliating defeat before the United Nations Security Council next week. And signs emerged today that the U.S. may withdraw the resolution from security council consideration. Secretary of State Colin Powell, fresh from his latest round of meetings with representatives of countries on the Security Council, delivered the bad news to Bush on Monday. "You will lose, Mr. President," Powell told Bush. "You will lose badly and the United States will be humiliated on the world stage." Powell told Bush he has only four of the nine votes needed for approval of a second resolution. As a result, some White House advisors are now urging the President to back off his tough stance on war with Iraq and give UN weapons inspectors more time. "We have no other choice," admits one Bush advisor. "We don't have the votes. We don't have the support." Presidential spokesman Ari Fleisher, in today's press briefing, appeared to signal a U.S. retreat from demanding a vote next week, saying "the president has said he believes that a vote is desirable. It is not mandatory." John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that while it is too early for the United States to withdraw the resolution, "we haven't crossed that bridge," Negroponte said. Powell told Bush on Monday that Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to stage at the country's border with Iraq doomed any chance of consensus at the UN. "Many were watching Turkey," Powell told Bush. "Had they agreed, it might have helped us sway critical votes." Powell met privately today with Mexico Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez to try and "parse" new language for the second resolution to satisfy a Mexican request to modify the text and extend the deadline for weapons inspections. "It (the meeting) did not produce results," a Powell spokesman said afterwards. Publicly, Powell is leaving the door open for the U.S. to withdraw the resolutions saying, telling a German television interviewer: "At the start of next week we'll decide when, depending on what we have heard, we will vote on a resolution. It will be a difficult vote for the U.N. Security Council." Some Bush aides now admit privately that the President, for all his tough talk, may have to back down and postpone his plans to invade Iraq in the near future, delaying any invasion until April or May at the earliest. "The vote in Turkey fucked things up big time," grumbles one White House aide. "It pushes our timetable back. On the other hand, it might give us a chance to save face." "Saving face" could mean backing away from a showdown with the UN Security Council next week and agreeing to let the weapons inspection process run its course. "The arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed gives us some breathing room," says
Albany New York - Man Arrested After Refusing to Remove Anti-War Shirt in Mall
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 2003 06:53:51 -0500 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Man Arrested After Refusing to Remove Anti-War Shirt in Mall BOYCOTT! Crossgates Mall in ALbany NY. ... DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! Man Arrested After Refusing to Remove Anti-War Shirt in Mall Wednesday, March 05, 2003 ALBANY, N.Y. A man was charged with trespassing in a mall after he refused to take off a T-shirt that said "Peace on Earth" and "Give peace a chance." Mall security approached Stephen Downs, 61, and his 31-year-old son, Roger, on Monday night after they were spotted wearing the T-shirts at Crossgates Mall in a suburb of Albany, the men said. The two said they were asked to remove the shirts made at a store there, or leave the mall. They refused. The guards returned with a police officer who repeated the ultimatum. The son took his T-shirt off, but the father refused. "'I said, `All right then, arrest me if you have to,"' Downs said. "So that's what they did. They put the handcuffs on and took me away." Downs pleaded innocent to the charges Monday night. The New York Civil Liberties Union said it would help with his case if asked. Police Chief James Murley said his officers were just responding to a complaint by mall security. "We don't care what they have on their shirts, but they were asked to leave the property, and it's private property," Murley said. A mall spokeswoman did not return calls Tuesday seeking comment. Monday's arrest came less than three months after about 20 peace activists wearing similar T-shirts were told to leave by mall security and police. There were no arrests. This so-called "patriot" CRAP! is being taken too far! This is still America, isn't it? The last time I looked we still lived by the constitution of this country, or has Bush canned it? Crossgates Mall in suburban Albany, needs to be turned into a ghost town, no oneshould go near the place, spend your money any place but there, sofar, we still have a few freedoms left, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and most important, the freedom to VOTE! To VOTE IDIOTS! out of office. What is it going to take to wake up sleeping America? We still have a government, of the people, for the people and by the people. TH. DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
(CBC TELEVISION) Apologies to Our American Friends :) [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: John Roberts To: Johnny Roberts Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 6:18 PM Subject: 22 Minutes Courtesy of CBC Television "This Hour Has 22 Minutes": On behalf of Canadians everywhere I'd like to offer an apology to the United States of America. We haven't been getting along very well recently and for that, I am truly sorry. I'm sorry we called George Bush a moron. He is a moron but, it wasn't nice of us to point it out. If it's any consolation, the fact that he's a moron shouldn't reflect poorly on the people of America. After all it's not like you actually elected him. I'm sorry about our softwood lumber. Just because we have more trees than you doesn't give us the right to sell you lumber that's cheaper and better than your own. I'm sorry we beat you in Olympic hockey. In our defence I guess our excuse would be that our team was much, much, much, much better than yours. I'm sorry we burnt down your white house during the war of 1812. I notice you've rebuilt it! It's Very Nice. I'm sorry about your beer. I know we had nothing to do with your beer but, we Feel your Pain. I'm sorry about our waffling on Iraq. I mean, when you're going up against a crazed dictator, you wanna have your friends by your side. I realize it took more than two years before you guys pitched in against Hitler, but that was different. Everyone knew he had weapons. And finally on behalf of all Canadians, I'm sorry that we're constantly apologizing for things in a passive-aggressive way which is really a thinly veiled criticism. I sincerely hope that you're not upset over this. We've seen what you do to countries you get upset with. Thank you.Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
(Toronto Star) `Bullying' Bush hard to stomach for some [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
http://www.thestar.ca/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendlyc=Articlecid=1035778582144call_pageid=968332188854 www.thestar.caThe Toronto Star Mar 4 2003 01:00 AM `Bullying' Bush hard to stomach for some Friends, enemies alike see Bush as arrogant. Even allies telling president to tone down the rhetoric By LINDA DIEBEL WASHINGTONWhy can't President George W. Bush seem to win friends and influence people these days? Is he a bully at the head of an imperial presidency? Or a no-holds-barred, straight-shootin' Texan whose friends including Canada's Jean Chrétien and Mexico's Vicente Fox just don't like how he's talking about Iraq? A debate over the president's style, long simmering in anti-war capitals, finally has erupted in Washington. Friends, enemies and pundits alike are weighing in, as Bush seems to plow headlong to war, with fewer allies and greater setbacks. What really appears to irritate is that he does it so grandly, without apology. It's one thing for leading anti-war advocate Nelson Mandela to call Bush "arrogant," as the former South African president did so recently in Johannesburg. Now it's coming from senior Republicans on Capitol Hill. "The responsibility of leadership is to persuade, not to impugn the motives of those who disagree with you," senior Republican Senator Charles Hagel of Nebraska told congressional hearings last week. "(The administration) is seen as bullying people. You can't do that to democracies. You can't do that to partners and allies. It isn't going to work." The Bush administration is smarting from Turkey's refusal to allow U.S. troops to invade Iraq from its soil. And, at the U.N., key Security Council members remain opposed to the U.S. arm-twisting push for a clear declaration of war against Iraq's Saddam Hussein. Even Bush's "coalition of the willing" is frayed. Last week, Spain's Jose Maria Aznar, who is a staunch ally of Bush, was practically on his knees begging Bush to tone down the war rhetoric in Europe. At heart, though, is a simple question. What does style matter? If Bush walked more softly, would he have more countries onside for war? No, says Allan Lichtman, professor emeritus of history at American University in Washington. "With Bush, what you see is what you get," he told the Star. "But even a more toned-down style would not change recalcitrant nations because there is a fundamental difference of substance and culture." Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank, agrees. "These are serious representatives of their countries. It's not some private club. They have likes and dislikes, of course, but it doesn't affect the bottom line," he said last night. Political analyst Lewis Wolfson thinks Bush's "Texas style is one Americans are not used to in the presidency. "But I think that anyone in politics has to sort of tone things down at certain moments. I don't think that's out of the question," he added. It's not as if Bush has made a secret of his beliefs. "You've probably learned by now I don't believe there are many shades of gray in this war," he said last year. "You're either with us or against us. "You're either evil, or you're good." Still, Bush's friends are symbolically tearing their hair out. Chrétien is trying to broker a U.N. compromise that would give Iraq more time to disarm. In Mexico City Saturday, he appeared impatient with the latest White House insistence that there must be "regime change" as well as disarmament in Iraq. Former Chrétien press secretary Peter Donolo said the Turkish vote shows the limitations of "megaphone diplomacy." "But I can see Bush's frustration," he added. "He's getting tired of (Saddam's) excuses. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. The trend lines seem to be moving away from him, and I'm sure he's exasperated." Maybe so. But tone it down, Aznar told Bush last week. "I did tell the president that we need a lot of Powell and not much of Rumsfeld," said Aznar, referring to Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld has Europeans especially Security Council opponents France and Germany fuming over his remarks that characterized France and Germany as part of an "old Europe" out of sync with the rest of the European Union and NATO. "The more Powell speaks and the less Rumsfeld speaks, that wouldn't be a bad thing altogether," said Aznar. And, in the coup de grâce of public criticism, even George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, last week gave his son's foreign policy a subtle kick. In a speech at Tufts University, the senior Bush talked about the "unprecedented international coalition" he built before attacking Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf war. That coalition does not exist today. But, according to the New York Times, the elder Bush said it was "totally false" to accuse his son of wanting to "go it alone, rush to war" with Iraq. It was easier to build a coalition back then,
AP: Ex-Agents: FBI Enlists Violent Informants [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 21:32:49 EST Subject: [VSCampaign] Fwd: AP: Ex-Agents: FBI Enlists Violent Informants To subscribe to this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-dangerous-informants0302mar02,0,5881212.story?coll=sns%2Dap%2Dpolitics%2Dheadlines Ex-Agents: FBI Enlists Violent Informants By JEFF DONN Associated Press Writer March 2, 2003, 8:54 AM EST For decades, in cities from coast to coast, FBI agents recruited killers and crime bosses as informants and then looked the other way as they continued to commit violent crimes. When the practice first came to light in Boston -- unleashing an ongoing investigation that has already sent one agent to prison for obstruction of justice -- FBI officials in Washington portrayed it as an aberration. But Associated Press interviews with nine former FBI agents -- men with a combined 190 years of experience in more than 25 bureau offices from Texas to Chicago and from Los Angeles to Washington -- indicate the practice was widespread during their years of service between the late 1950s and the 1990s. The former agents, and two federal law enforcement officials who have worked closely with the bureau, said the practice sometimes emboldened informants, leading them to believe they could get away with almost anything. The degree to which the practice continues today is unclear; current FBI agents and administrators are secretive about the bureau's work with informants. However, a senior FBI official indicated that bureau rules designed to prevent serious crimes by informants may not always be followed by agents in the field. The nine former FBI agents spoke -- on the record -- not to criticize the practice of overlooking violent crimes by informants, but rather to defend it as a necessary evil of criminal investigation. "The bureau has to encourage these guys to be themselves and do what they do," said Joseph O'Brien, a former FBI informant coordinator in New York City who retired in 1991. "If they stop just because they are working with the FBI, somebody's going to question them. If anything, I'd want them to become more active." Gary Penrith, who retired in 1992 after a career that included serving as the bureau's deputy assistant director of intelligence, added: "Every one of the good ones are outlaws." The former agents said it makes sense to overlook an informant's involvement in robberies or beatings if the information he is providing helps solve or prevent worse crimes. But sometimes, they added, even murders were ignored. Several said they would never protect known killers, but others said it was defensible in some circumstances. "You have to weigh the odds of whether killing one or two people is better than killing a whole planeload," said Wesley Swearingen, whose service as an agent from 1959 to 1977 included tours in Los Angeles and Chicago. For example, he said, agents ignored the murder of a small-time mobster by an FBI informant in Chicago in the 1960s because "the information that the FBI was getting was more important. Somebody in the mob is going to kill that person anyway." William G. Hundley, a longtime U.S. Justice Department lawyer who retired as head of its organized crime section in 1968, said such understandings have sometimes allowed informants "to get away with murder, so to speak." The bureau, concerned that the release of any information about the informant program could put informants in danger, keeps even the number of informants secret. Former agents say there are thousands. The former agents interviewed were generally more forthcoming about their FBI experiences than the bureau might like. Four have written books that sometimes diverge from the official line, and O'Brien resigned from the agency in a dispute over his book's contents. However, the former agents remained faithful to the bureau's policy of protecting informant identities, declining to name even those who had committed murder. An AP review of court cases and published accounts identified 11 criminalsn who are known to have killed while working with the agency or to have been shielded by their bureau handlers from prosecution for murders committed before they were recruited. Those 11, including three mobsters involved in the Boston scandal, are believed to have killed at least 52 people between the 1960s and the mid-'90s. Previously, these cases had been reported as isolated incidents, but in the light of the interviews with former agents, they appear to be a part of a wider pattern. Clifford Zimmerman, a Northwestern University law professor who studies informant practices, says it is immoral, and perhaps illegal, for agents to shrug off violent crimes. "They're doing their own little cost-benefit analysis and really not taking into account, in my opinion, the damage to society that these people are causing," he said. "Is a federal official
Serbia - Quislings in charge, looting proceeding smoothly. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: Gregory Elich [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 03, 2003 11:36 PM Subject: Privatization: Serbia for Sale Tanjug (Belgrade) February 18, 2003 SERBIAN ECONOMY MINISTER SAYS PRIVATIZATION PROCEEDING ACCORDING TO PLAN Belgrade, Feb 18 (Tanjug) -- Serbian Minister of Economy and Privatization Aleksandar Vlahovic has said auction sales of small and medium-sized socially-owned companies in Serbia will be completed by the year 2005, as well as 50 tender sales of larger companies, so that the Ministry can wholly devote itself to the restructuring of the remaining large public systems in the economy. Speaking in a broadcast on Serbian Radio Television RTS late Monday, Vlahovic said a large number of successful big companies had been privatized already according to the 1997 law on property transformation, so that about 100 other large companies would be sold through tenders. In the coming period, once strong institutions are set up for realizing ownership transformation -- a privatization agency and a share fund -- this process will be stepped up, so that 60 percent of the economy is expected to be privately owned already by October of this year, Vlahovic said. = Tanjug (Belgrade) February 20, 2003 SERBIA ACCEPTS OFFERS FOR ZASTAVA CAR PLANT Belgrade, Feb 20 (Tanjug) -- The Serbian Ministry for Economy and Privatization on Thursday invited all interested parties, including the YUCAN Corporation of Canada, to participate in the privatization of the Zastava Auto Works of Kragujevac, pointing out that it was in the interest of all citizens that the factory secure the best conditions from a strategic partnership. The Ministry commented on media reports that YUCAN wants to buy Zastava and its subcontractors, in spite of a Letter of Intent Zastava earlier signed with Nucarco of the United States. The precontract with Nucarco does not prevent the Privatization Agency from negotiating with all parties interested in Zastava's privatization, the Ministry said. The essential thing is to select the best offer which will enable Zastava and the entire economy of Kragujevac a speedy and successful recovery, the Ministry said. Zastava sent the Ministry and the Privatization Agency copies of a letter it received from YUCAN, signed by its director, ethnic Serb Stevan Pokrajac, offering to purchase the Kragujevac factory and its subcontractors for the sum of no less than 150 million dollars. YUCAN pledged to top the offer of Nucarco, which offered 150 million dollars and signed a percontract with Zastava in October 2002 on setting up a mixed company which would be called Zastava Motor Works. YUCAN's Pokrajac said the company would settle all Zastava's debts to the state, its workers and Italy's Fiat -- an estimated total of at least 80 million dollars. [Privatization Effort Yields Results:] Tanjug (Belgrade) February 26, 2003 SERBIA'S INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION DROPS 21 PERCENT IN ONE MONTH Belgrade, Feb 26 (Tanjug) -- The industrial production in Serbia dropped by 21 percent in January 2003 in comparison with December 2002 and by 6.2 percent in comparison with January 2002, head of the Serbian Development Institute Edvard Jakopin said on Wednesday. Speaking at the presentation of the Serbian Economic Diagram, Jakopin said that the industrial production in central Serbia had dropped by 3.7 and in Vojvodina by 11.2 percent in January 2003 in comparison with January 2002. Speaking about the privatisation results, Jakopin said that 72 enterprises had been privatised since the beginning of this year and that the realised income amounted to 29.9 million euros, and added that the real increase of payments from the investors' accounts amounted to 75 percent in 2002 in comparison with 2001. He said that the January salaries dropped because of high payments in December, so that the average net salary was by 18.4 percent lower in comparison with December, amounting to 9,468 dinars. Retail prices in January grew by 0.8 percent in comparison with December 2002, while the costs of living rose by 0.4 percent in the same period. Jakopin said that in December the Serbian government had adopted a strategy of development of small and medium sized enterprises and entrepreneurship, with the main goal of increasing the number of small and medium enterprises and private entrepreneurs from 270,000 to 400,000and opening more than one million of jobs in this sector. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
(Al-Ahram Weekly ) Confronting the empire [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Confronting the empire Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 17:04:49 -0500 Al-Ahram Weekly (Cairo), 27 Feb. - 5 March 2003 Issue No. 627 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/627/sc12.htm Confronting the empire The present crisis has demonstrated the ambitions of the United States -- nothing short of bringing the entire planet under its military control, writes Samir Amin From the 1980s on, and with the collapse of the Soviet system, the ruling class in the United States, whether Democrat or Republican, began drawing up a hegemonic programme. Carried away by its military power, and without any competitor able to temper its fantasies, the US chose to reinforce its domination by deploying a military strategy aiming at "planetary control". An early series of interventions -- in the Gulf, Yugoslavia, Central Asia, Palestine and Iraq -- began this plan for endless wars that would be "made in the USA" and that would be planned and decided unilaterally by Washington. The political strategy that accompanied this programme set up the pretexts for it, whether these had to do with terrorism, with the fight against drug trafficking, or with accusations of producing weapons of mass destruction. These are obvious pretexts when one recalls the CIA's invention of convenient terrorist adversaries, whether the Taliban or Bin Laden. Accusations of producing dangerous weapons, made today against Iraq and North Korea, but tomorrow against any convenient state, pale besides the actual use of these weapons by the United States. The US used nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and chemical weapons in Vietnam, and it is threatening the further use of nuclear weapons in future conflicts. Such pretexts are only propaganda tools, in the sense that Goebbels gave that term: they are useful perhaps to convince slow-witted US opinion but less and less credible elsewhere. The idea of "preventive war", now claimed as a "right" by Washington, does away with any notion of international law. The United Nations Charter forbids the recourse to war except in cases of legitimate self-defence, and it allows military intervention only under strict conditions, any response having to be measured and provisional. All specialists in international law know that the wars undertaken since 1990 have been completely illegitimate, and therefore those who bear the responsibility for them are also war criminals. Indeed, the United States, with the cooperation of other countries, is already treating the United Nations as the fascist states treated the League of Nations. The abolition of the common rights of all peoples, already underway, has substituted the distinction between a "Master Race" (Herrenvolk) -- the people of the United States, and, behind them, those of Israel -- and other peoples for the previous principle of the equality of peoples. The existence of those peoples that do not belong to the US Master Race can only be tolerated if they do not constitute a "threat" to the ambitions of those calling themselves the "masters of the planet". This Master Race reserves the right to conquer whatever "living space" it judges necessary for itself and for those peoples it supports. What are the "national interests" that the US ruling class considers as giving it this right? This is a class that recognises only one objective -- that of making money. The North American state is openly at the service of satisfying the demands of the dominant segment of capital made up of US multinationals. We, therefore, have all become "Red Skins", the contemptuous name reserved for the Native Americans, in the eyes of the Washington establishment -- that is to say, peoples who have the right to exist only in so far as they do not frustrate the expansion of US-based multinational capital. We have been promised that resistance to the US will be crushed using any and every means, even extermination if necessary. If it is a question of making an additional 15 million dollars in profit for the American multinationals at the expense of 300 million victims, then there will be no hesitation. The "rogue state" par excellence, to borrow the language used by Presidents Bush Senior and Junior, as well as by Clinton, is none other than the United States itself. The US programme is certainly imperialist in the most brutal sense of that word, but it is not "imperial" in the sense that Antonio Negri has given the term, since it does not aim to manage the societies of the planet in order better to integrate them into a coherent capitalist system. Instead, it aims only at looting their resources. All this is part and parcel of the reduction of social thought to the mantras of vulgar economics, the unilateral attention paid to maximising the financial profitability of dominant capital in the short term, supported by putting military means at the disposition of this capital, and the delinking of this capital from any system of human values. Such capital is behind
(Toronto Star) RAMSEY CLARK -Why does Bush push to silence free speech? [WWW.S
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: President's obsession threatens stability around the world Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2003 11:10:43 -0500 www.thestar.ca The Toronto Star Mar. 1, 2003. 01:00 AM Why does Bush push to silence free speech? President's obsession threatens stability around the world By RAMSEY CLARK SPECIAL TO THE STAR Former U.S. attorney-general Ramsey Clark met with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein last Sunday. He wrote this commentary exclusively for the Toronto Star. Should a free person be afraid to meet with a demonized "brutal dictator"? If not, how do we hope to learn, understand, act to avoid violence and war? If our (U.S.) government says, "You will only be deceived and used, a dupe, if you meet," doesn't this reveal an intention to exercise arbitrary control over information on which public opinion is formed that might affect government plans? Why did the White House object to the interview with President Saddam Hussein by Dan Rather, seek to interject rebuttal and rebuke at different points in the interview, and then complain that a person who lies should not be allowed to speak in the media? Because I believe in individual freedom and that the truth can set us free, I will never accept the command "thou shalt not" reason together. At this moment, U.S. anger over meetings with Saddam Hussein reflects Bush administration fears that opposition voices might begin to ask, "Who are the real aggressors, the greater threats to peace, the most dangerous terrorists?" Once a person is able to hear all sides and is informed, the answers cannot be controlled by government propaganda. During the barely two years of his presidency, George W. Bush has revealed an unprecedented, uncompromising obsession for war that threatens peace and economic stability around the world. He is the head of government of the sole superpower on earth. Its military is capable of destroying any nation without ever setting foot on it and, incredibly, President Bush has threatened to use nuclear weapons. The U.S. has less than six per cent of the world's population, with vast wealth concentrated in corporate control and personal fortunes that have created the greatest and growing gap between rich and poor, and economic policies that contribute to the same growing gap worldwide. Bush proclaimed the right and initiated a war of aggression against Afghanistan, causing thousands of deaths, many civilian, and installing a government of his choice in Kabul. He has authorized daily military flights over Iraq which have resulted in frequent, and in the last few months, daily aerial assaults that have killed hundreds of people in Iraq without a single U.S. plane being hit or seriously at risk. He has proclaimed his intention of "regime change" by military force in Iraq with an unavoidable consequence of thousands of civilian deaths. U.S. regime changes in the past brought to power the Shah of Iran, Mobutu in the Congo, Pinochet in Chile and dozens of other repressive governments subservient to U.S. interests and power. Reverberations from President Bush's bellicosity threatening war, even nuclear assaults, have been heard from India, Pakistan, North Korea ... Colombia, the Philippines and occupied Palestine. If Bush's promise to make Iraq a paradise of democracy, "liberty plus groceries." as the Depression-era Texan congressman Maury Maverick defined it, ask how the people of North Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan fared after direct U.S. interventions in the last half-century. President Bush has authorized and approved assassinations, summary executions and murders and boasted of them, in his State of the Union message in January. "All told, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries, and many others have met a different fate ... let's put it this way, they are no longer a problem for the United States and our friends and allies." He has authorized and condoned bribery, coercion and retaliation to obtain his war ends. Fundamental human rights and civil liberties protected by international law and the U.S. Constitution have been violated within the United States against both citizens and aliens and abroad by illegal arrests, secret detentions, false criminal charges, and interference with rights to assemble, protest and speak. He has drastically undermined U.N. authority, threatening it with irrelevancy, coercing it to follow his command and acting independently and in defiance of the U.N. Charter. For Iraq, Bush has authorized a plan of attack called "Shock and Awe," a massive aerial and missile assault in the first hours and days against a defenceless people. Any one of the 300 to 400 cruise missiles, which will strike Iraq the first day, is far deadlier than all the alleged excessive-range missiles (with ranges) less than 200 kilometres that Saddam has been ordered to destroy. The world has been told "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad ...
Link - Caught on Film - The Bush Credibility Gap [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY == From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 22:40:59 EST Subject: [VSCampaign] Check out Caught on Film Click here: "Caught on Film - The Bush Credibility Gap" http://www.house.gov/appropriations_democrats/caughtonfilm.htm Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
(CP of Greece) - US DIPLOMAT SERVING IN ATHENS RESIGNS IN PROTEST AGAINST THE WA
From: SolidNet To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, February 28, 2003 7:23 AM Subject: (CP of Greece) US DIPLOMAT SERVING IN ATHENS RESIGNS IN PROTEST AGAINST THE WARhttp://www.solidnet.org News, documents and calls for action from communist and workers parties. The items are the responsibility of the authors. Join the mailing list: info/subscribe/unsubscribe mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] . == US DIPLOMAT SERVING IN ATHENS RESIGNS protesting against the warFrom: Communist Party of Greece, Fri, 28 Feb 2003 http://www.kke.gr , mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] = We forward you the following info that has attracted the interest of all mainstream media in our country. B. Kiesling, political counsellor at the US Embassy in Athens and head of its political department resigned yesterday in protest against the US policy on Iraq. Also today, tens of students' unions and the campaign "Action-Thessaloniki 2003" organize a demonstration to the ministry of education, protesting against the educational policy of the EU and the EU meeting of the ministers of education in Athens. Tomorrow, March 1, students' unions, trade unions, the campaign "Action-Thessaloniki 2003", the Balkan Anti NATO Center, call for a big demonstration to the US embassy demanding peace and education The International Section of CPG .. Macedonian Press Agency US DIPLOMAT SERVING IN ATHENS RESIGNS Thessaloniki, 27 February 2003 (21:42 UTC+2) A veteran US diplomat, who was serving in the US Embassy in Athens, resigned in protest over the policy followed by his country on the issue of Iraq. According to the Greek state-run television, the US diplomat states in the resignation letter addressed to US Secretary of State Colin Powell that the policy followed by the US government on the issue of Iraq hurts the greatest weapon the US has since the time of Woodrow Wilson namely, international legality. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
New York City - March 13 - REPORTS FROM THE SECOND FRONT- U.S. War Moves in K
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: "us_navy_out_2003 [EMAIL PROTECTED]" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2003 18:00:54 - Subject: [VSCampaign] NYC 3/13 - U.S. War Moves in Korea the Philippines Vieques Support Campaign http://www.viequessupport.org E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - PLEASE FORWARD - STOP RACISM IMPERIALIST WAR! U.S. NAVY OUT OF VIEQUES ALL OF PUERTO RICO! U.S. MILITARY OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! U.S. HANDS OFF THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF KOREA! SELF-DETERMINATION FOR ALL ASIAN PEOPLES! The Vieques Support Campaign urges everyone to support the event advertised on this e-mail message shown below. The more than a century of the Puerto Rican experience under U.S. control, which began with military invasion, verifies what are the motives of U.S. rulers who are now sounding the call for all out war: outright colonial domination. The war on Iraq is but a stepping stone for U.S. war ambitions throughout the world. From Iraq to the Philippines Korea - From Puerto Rico to the poor and oppressed communities of the U.S. - the people united can never be defeated! - REPORTS FROM THE "SECOND FRONT": U.S. War Moves in Korea the Philippines A multimedia presentation, cultural performances, interactive discussion. - SAVE THE DATE - Thursday, March 13, 2003 6:30 PM Korean American Association office 149 West 24th Street, 6th floor Manhattan, New York City While U.S./British armed forces are assembling a massive force to invade and "liberate" Iraq, the Pentagon is quietly opening a "second front" in the Pacific. This community forum will discuss the U.S.'s recent war moves in East Asia: At the same time as 3,000 heavily armed Special Forces and Marines are landing in the southern Philippines for counter-insurgency operations, a large force of U.S. warships, planes and weapons of mass destruction are massing to threaten the People's Democratic Republic of Korea (north Korea). This forum will explore American claims that it is exporting "democracy" abroad, and contrast these claims to the lived reality of decades of U.S. military occupation and domination. The vibrant resistance struggles waged by the Korean and Filipino peoples - past and present day - will be highlighted. We hope that participants will emerge from this forum with a greater understanding of these popular struggles in Korea and the Philippines, and how they are connected to other liberation struggles around the world. In addition, we will discuss ways that people in NYC can get more involved in people-to-people solidarity work. Presenters will include past participants of Korea Exposure and Education Program (KEEP), sponsored by Nodutdol (NYC) and Mindullae (L.A.). Members of NISPOP's Reality Tour and the International Solidarity Mission to the Southern Philippines (ISM) in the summer of 2002 will also present at this forum. Performances will be in English, Korean, and Tagalog. There will be a question answer session afterwards. This event is free to the public. Donations welcomed. Light Korean and Filipino refreshments will be served afterwards. This event is part of 1953-2003 Armistice to Peace Treaty in Korea campaign and the Justice not War in the Philippines campaign. It is a joint production of the Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (www.nispop.org) and Nodutdol for Korean Community Development (www.nodutdol.com). This event is free to the public. Donations welcome. Light Korean and Filipino refreshments will be served afterwards. We invite all groups and organizations to endorse this event. For more info, please contact Sukjong Hong at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
Yet Another Whitehouse / Newsmedia Cover Up! - Fwd: (FAIR): Star Witness on Iraq
From: "Daniel Haran" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 3:12 PM Subject: CANESI: FAIR: Star Witness on Iraq Said Weapons Were Destroyed Here's another crucial alert by FAIR. Please call your local media and ask them to report on this story. peace- Daniel. PS: You can subscribe to fair's email list from the front page of their website. Announcements are sent about every two weeks. - Forwarded message from FAIR [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 11:37:41 -0800 From: FAIR [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Star Witness on Iraq Said Weapons Were Destroyed To: FAIR-L [EMAIL PROTECTED] FAIR-L Fairness Accuracy In Reporting Media analysis, critiques and activism MEDIA ADVISORY: Star Witness on Iraq Said Weapons Were Destroyed: Bombshell revelation from a defector cited by White House and press February 27, 2003 On February 24, Newsweek broke what may be the biggest story of the Iraq crisis. In a revelation that "raises questions about whether the WMD [weapons of mass destruction] stockpiles attributed to Iraq still exist," the magazine's issue dated March 3 reported that the Iraqi weapons chief who defected from the regime in 1995 told U.N. inspectors that Iraq had destroyed its entire stockpile of chemical and biological weapons and banned missiles, as Iraq claims. Until now, Gen. Hussein Kamel, who was killed shortly after returning to Iraq in 1996, was best known for his role in exposing Iraq's deceptions about how far its pre-Gulf War biological weapons programs had advanced. But Newsweek's John Barry-- who has covered Iraqi weapons inspections for more than a decade-- obtained the transcript of Kamel's 1995 debriefing by officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. inspections team known as UNSCOM. Inspectors were told "that after the Gulf War, Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and the missiles to deliver them," Barry wrote. All that remained were "hidden blueprints, computer disks, microfiches" and production molds. The weapons were destroyed secretly, in order to hide their existence from inspectors, in the hopes of someday resuming production after inspections had finished. The CIA and MI6 were told the same story, Barry reported, and "a military aide who defected with Kamel... backed Kamel's assertions about the destruction of WMD stocks." But these statements were "hushed up by the U.N. inspectors" in order to "bluff Saddam into disclosing still more." CIA spokesman Bill Harlow angrily denied the Newsweek report. "It is incorrect, bogus, wrong, untrue," Harlow told Reuters the day the report appeared (2/24/03). But on Wednesday (2/26/03), a complete copy of the Kamel transcript-- an internal UNSCOM/IAEA document stamped "sensitive"-- was obtained by Glen Rangwala, the Cambridge University analyst who in early February revealed that Tony Blair's "intelligence dossier" was plagiarized from a student thesis. Rangwala has posted the Kamel transcript on the Web: http://casi.org.uk/info/unscom950822.pdf. In the transcript (p. 13), Kamel says bluntly: "All weapons - biological, chemical, missile, nuclear, were destroyed." Who is Hussein Kamel? Kamel is no obscure defector. A son-in-law of Saddam Hussein, his departure from Iraq carrying crates of secret documents on Iraq's past weapons programs was a major turning point in the inspections saga. In 1999, in a letter to the U.N. Security Council (1/25/99), UNSCOM reported that its entire eight years of disarmament work "must be divided into two parts, separated by the events following the departure from Iraq, in August 1995, of Lt. General Hussein Kamel." Kamel's defection has been cited repeatedly by George W. Bush and leading administration officials as evidence that 1) Iraq has not disarmed; 2)inspections cannot disarm it; and 3) defectors such as Kamel are the most reliable source of information on Iraq's weapons. * Bush declared in an October 7, 2002 speech: "In 1995, after several years of deceit by the Iraqi regime, the head of Iraq's military industries defected. It was then that the regime was forced to admit that it had produced more than 30,000 liters of anthrax and other deadly biological agents. The inspectors, however, concluded that Iraq had likely produced two to four times that amount. This is a massive stockpile of biological weapons that has never been accounted for, and capable of killing millions." * Secretary of State Colin Powell's February 5 presentation to the U.N. Security Council claimed: "It took years for Iraq to finally admit that it had produced four tons of the deadly nerve agent, VX. A single drop of VX on the skin will kill in minutes. Four tons. The admission only came out after inspectors collected documentation as a result of the defection of Hussein Kamel, Saddam Hussein's late son-in-law." * In a speech last August (8/27/02), Vice President Dick Cheney said Kamel's story "should serve as a
(Robert Fisk) How the news will be censored in this war PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WID
Forward from mart. IMPORTANT! A "MUST READ"! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! * Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 19:56:46 -0600 Subject: ROBERT FISK: How the news will be censored in this war From: "Alejandro Molina" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Whole Wide World" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Robert Fisk: How the news will be censored in this war A new CNN system of 'script approval' suggests the Pentagon will have nothing to worry about 25 February 2003 Already, the American press is expressing its approval of the coverage of American forces which the US military intends to allow its reporters in the next Gulf war. The boys from CNN, CBS, ABC and The New York Times will be "embedded" among the US marines and infantry. The degree of censorship hasn't quite been worked out. But it doesn't matter how much the Pentagon cuts from the reporters' dispatches. A new CNN system of "script approval" the iniquitous instruction to reporters that they have to send all their copy to anonymous officials in Atlanta to ensure it is suitably sanitised suggests that the Pentagon and the Department of State have nothing to worry about. Nor do the Israelis. Indeed, reading a new CNN document, "Reminder of Script Approval Policy", fairly takes the breath away. "All reporters preparing package scripts must submit the scripts for approval," it says. "Packages may not be edited until the scripts are approved... All packages originating outside Washington, LA (Los Angeles) or NY (New York), including all international bureaus, must come to the ROW in Atlanta for approval." The date of this extraordinary message is 27 January. The "ROW" is the row of script editors in Atlanta who can insist on changes or "balances" in the reporter's dispatch. "A script is not approved for air unless it is properly marked approved by an authorised manager and duped (duplicated) to burcopy (bureau copy)... When a script is updated it must be re-approved, preferably by the originating approving authority." Note the key words here: "approved" and "authorised". CNN's man or woman in Kuwait or Baghdad or Jerusalem or Ramallah may know the background to his or her story; indeed, they will know far more about it than the "authorities" in Atlanta. But CNN's chiefs will decide the spin of the story. CNN, of course, is not alone in this paranoid form of reporting. Other US networks operate equally anti-journalistic systems. And it's not the fault of the reporters. CNN's teams may use clichés and don military costumes you will see them do this in the next war but they try to get something of the truth out. Next time, though, they're going to have even less chance. Just where this awful system leads is evident from an intriguing exchange last year between CNN's reporter in the occupied West Bank town of Ramallah, and Eason Jordan, one of CNN's top honchos in Atlanta. The journalist's first complaint was about a story by the reporter Michael Holmes on the Red Crescent ambulance drivers who are repeatedly shot at by Israeli troops. "We risked our lives and went out with ambulance drivers... for a whole day. We have also witnessed ambulances from our window being shot at by Israeli soldiers... The story received approval from Mike Shoulder. The story ran twice and then Rick Davis (a CNN executive) killed it. The reason was we did not have an Israeli army response, even though we stated in our story that Israel believes that Palestinians are smuggling weapons and wanted people in the ambulances." The Israelis refused to give CNN an interview, only a written statement. This statement was then written into the CNN script. But again it was rejected by Davis in Atlanta. Only when, after three days, the Israeli army gave CNN an interview did Holmes's story run but then with the dishonest inclusion of a line that said the ambulances were shot in "crossfire" (ie that Palestinians also shot at their own ambulances). The reporter's complaint was all too obvious. "Since when do we hold a story hostage to the whims of governments and armies?We were told by Rick that if we do not get an Israeli on-camera we would not air the package. This means that governments and armies are indirectly censoring us and we are playing directly into their own hands." The relevance of this is all too obvious in the next Gulf War. We are going to have to see a US army officer denying everything the Iraqis say if any report from Iraq is to get on air. Take another of the Ramallah correspondent's complaints last year. In a package on the damage to Ramallah after Israel's massive incursion last April, "we had already mentioned right at the top of our piece that Israel says it is doing all these incursions because it wants to crack down on the infrastructure of terror. However, obviously that was not enough. We were made by the ROW (in Atlanta) to repeat this same idea three times in one piece, just to make sure that we keep
DEMOCRACY SHOCKER!! BUSH SAYS DEMOCRACY WILL COME TO IRAQ AND MAY EVENTUALLY REA
From: "Vicki Andrada" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fw: [blind-side] DEMOCRACY SHOCKER!! BUSH SAYS DEMOCRACY WILL COME TO IRAQ AND MAY EVENTUALLY REACH U.S.!!! Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 01:39:10 -0500 www.Borowitzreport.com Waste Someone's Time: Forward to a Friend. BUSH: DEMOCRACY WILL COME TO IRAQ AND MAY EVENTUALLY REACH U.S.!President Offers Rosiest Postwar Scenario to Date In a speech tonight before the American Enterprise Institute in Chicago, President George W. Bush predicted that democracy would come to postwar Iraq and might eventually reach the U.S. as well. "A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom to other nations of the region," Mr. Bush said. "And who knows? If democracy works in Iraq, we might give it a try, too." The President, under criticism for not laying out his vision for a postwar Iraq, told his audience, "In a democratic Iraq, a President would be legitimately elected by a majority of the popular vote, not by mysterious electors or politically appointed robed justices." Such an Iraqi President, Mr. Bush said, "would listen to all of the voices in his country, and not merely pander to extremists or corrupt moneyed interests." In addition, the President said, "In a democratic Iraq, those who choose to voice their dissent by protesting will be recognized and listened to, not derided and ignored." While President Bush stopped short of saying that an Iraqi-style democracy could take root in the U.S. in the near future, he added hopefully, "You never know - it could happen." Immediately following his speech, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer tempered Mr. Bush's remarks somewhat, saying that the President "was speaking metaphorically" about the prospects for democracy in the United States. "The President does in fact believe that democracy will come to the United States after the war is over," Mr. Fleischer said, "but not a moment sooner." = BOROWITZ ON CNN FRIDAY MORNING Andy Borowitz wraps up the week's biggest stories this Friday morning on CNN's "American Morning" with Paula Zahn. Check local listings. BOROWITZ ON NPR SUNDAY Andy Borowitz challenges Saddam Hussein to a debate this Sunday on National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition Sunday." Check local listings.Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more
FWD: Gov. Bush Reveals [Bacardi] Lobby Effort [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY. NO TOBUSH! NO TO THE BLOCKADE! BOYCOTT BACARDI! DRINK GENUINE 'HAVANA CLUB' FROM CUBA! *** == From: "Walter Lippmann" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri Oct 18, 2002 8:10 pm Subject: Gov. Bush Reveals [Bacardi] Lobby Effort Gov. Bush Reveals Lobby Effort Documents Show Intervention in Trademark Case of GOP Donor By Thomas B. Edsall Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 18, 2002; Page A12 Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has released documents outlining a sustained lobbying campaign by his office on behalf of a major Republican donor, which included efforts to get political appointees of President Bush to overrule career employees at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). The disclosures, prompted by a Freedom of Information request from the Florida Democratic Party, add new details about the time and effort the governor and several top aides devoted to the matter, which centers on a trademark battle between Bacardi Rum and a foreign rival. The inch-high pile of documents indicate that the process began early this year and gained momentum with an April 18 e-mail to Gov. Bush from Jorge Rodriguez-Marquez, Bacardi's vice president for corporate communications. With a subject line reading "BACARDI NEEDS YOUR HELP. Importance: High," Rodriguez-Marquez complained about "U.S. government bureaucrats.'' He added, "Someone needs to tell PTO to stop interfering.'' Four hours later, Bush forwarded a copy to his chief of staff, Kathleen Shanahan, with the comment, "this is ridiculous. let us discuss. Jeb Bush." His e-mail set in motion a process that involved Shanahan; Nino Oviedo, who runs Florida's Washington office; Melissa Freedman, who works in the D.C. office; James E. Rogan, a former California congressman named by President Bush to head the U.S. patent office; Rogan's deputy, Jon W. Dudas, a political appointee; and such career PTO lawyers and staffers as Eleanor Meltzer and Lynne Beresford, according to the documents. A March 18 e-mail from Freedman to Oviedo describes Dudas making sure that Bush and Bacardi were content with the process. "Jon Dudas, from PTO, called . . . to make sure the meeting we had with Eleanor Meltzer and himself has been helpful," it said. For months, Rodriguez-Marquez pressed for action. On May 10, for example, he e-mailed Oviedo and Freedman: "If someone could have the determination and power to stop legal career bureaucrats from abricating delays, this adverse and unfortunate government intervention . . . would end." On May 13, he e-mailed Freedman: "Now it is time for those career bureaucrats at PTO who are not happy that Bacardi is right to move out of the way and let justice be finally delivered." The lobbying by Rodriguez-Marquez and Gov. Bush's office, according to two sources close to the case, succeeded in winning the removal of a PTO lawyer who had been temporarily assigned to handle procedural questions and who had issued one ruling against Bacardi's interests. A PTO spokeswoman denied that political pressure was involved in the transfer of David M. Mermelstein. She said he was taken off the case because his assignment was temporary. Mermelstein declined to comment. The new details prompted an angry response from lawyers representing Bacardi's adversary in the trademark dispute, Havana Club Holdings S.A., a joint venture between the Cuban enterprise Havana Club Holdings and Pernod Ricard, a French firm. They are fighting for control of the brand name "Havana Rum." Charles Sims, Havana Club Holdings's lawyer, said, "Bacardi's attempt to bring political influence to bear on a matter that is supposed to be decided by administrative law judges on rules of law is grossly improper. The law bars ex-parte communications," he said, referring to communications involving only one party to a dispute. On June 13, two weeks after Bacardi gave the Florida GOP $50,000, Jeb Bush wrote to Rogan on behalf of Bacardi. He asked Rogan to "take quick, decisive action" to resolve the trademark dispute in Bacardi's favor. Rodriguez-Marquez said in a statement that the company's requests for help from the governor "have nothing to do with political contributions. . . . Florida businesses and citizens expect they may turn to the Governor's office when their legitimate and legally resolved issues are in jeopardy." Elizabeth Hirst, spokeswoman for Jeb Bush, said campaign contributions played no role in the governor's actions. "When Governor Bush makes a decision,'' she said, "he is working of behalf of all the people of this state." © 2002 The Washington Post Company Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more faith.yahoo.com
Canadians spied for U.S. in Cuba [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "David" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: WedSep25,2002 11:44 pmSubject: Canadians spied for U.S. in Cuba The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, September 20, 2002 Canadians spied for U.S. in Cuba Research paper says request followed Castro's rise to power. By Jim Bronskill The Ottawa Citizen Canada spied on Cuba for the United States in the early 1960s, supplying the CIA with information on political and military developments in the Cold War hotspot, a new research paper reveals. Canadian diplomats began providing intelligence about the government of Fidel Castro at the direct request of Washington after the U.S. pulled out of Cuba and broke off diplomatic relations, says the paper by Don Munton, a professor in the international studies program at the University of Northern British Columbia. In Our Men in Havana: Washington and Canadian Intelligence on Castro's Cuba, 1959-1963, Mr. Munton says Canada came under particular pressure to fulfil U.S. demands during the tense 1962 missile crisis. "This espionage was carried out not by intelligence agents, but by diplomats working out of the Canadian Embassy in Havana," Mr. Munton writes. A draft of the paper, to be presented this week during the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies conference in Ottawa, was made available to The Citizen. Mr. Munton based his findings on interviews with some of the individuals and declassified documents from Canadian, U.S. and British archives. Following Mr. Castro's rise to power in 1959, Cuban-American relations deteriorated amid a tide of anti-U.S. rhetoric and the nationalization of U.S. companies. The U.S. closed its Havana embassy in January 1961, and a CIA-backed plan to invade Cuba -- the Bay of Pigs operation -- failed miserably. Mr. Castro looked to the Soviet Union for help and Moscow began planning the secret installment of ballistic missiles on the island. Canada balked at removing Mr. Castro by force even though it opposed a strong Soviet presence in Cuba. Canada also maintained diplomatic and trade relationswith Cuba. In early 1961, the U.S. asked Canada and Britain to provide information about Cuba, and External Affairs, as Foreign Affairs was then known, worked out arrangements by spring. Intelligence that began to flow to Ottawa and Washington came not only from sources in Havana and careful observation, but also from Cubans, including senior government officials, members of anti-Castro forces in Cuba, a released prisoner and a civilian pilot. On occasion, information from Canadians living in Cuba was also reported, particularly observations of Catholic priests and nuns. Other intelligence came from Canadians who had travelled to Cuba, including the editor of the UnitedChurch Observer. In May 1963, prime minister Lester Pearson agreed to a request from U.S. president John F. Kennedy to intensify the intelligence efforts. "As a result of this secret agreement, Canadian diplomats were within months being trained by the CIA to perform covert intelligence work, much of it to be of a tasked, military nature," the paper says. "By mid-1963 they were in place in Havana." While Canada's operations in Cuba may seem at odds with its "boy scout" international image, Mr. Munton argues Canada has long exchanged intelligencewith key allies. He believes the Canadian government likely agreed to the role as a means of fulfilling obligations to the U.S. and other countries that had channelled valuable information to Canada from around the globe. Mr. Munton also muses as to whether the Canadian intelligence efforts continue in Castro's Cuba, noting Canada's embassy in Havana is still open, but the U.S.embassy remains closed. . © Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more faith.yahoo.com
(Counterpunch) THE ROMA AND HUMANITARIAN ETHNIC CLEANSING IN KOSOVO [WWW.STO
From: Gregory Elich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 7:44 AMSubject: The Roma and "Humanitarian" Ethnic Cleansing in KosovoCounterPunchOctober 15, 2002THE ROMA AND "HUMANITARIAN" ETHNIC CLEANSING IN KOSOVOBy Sani RifatiI am a Rom (more commonly known as "Gypsy") who was born in Kosovo,Yugoslavia, and lived in Pristina (the capital of the Kosovo region) for 27 years. In the summer of 2000, ten years later, I was only 30 miles away in Macedonia but I could not visit the town where I lived most of my life. This was more than three years after the "humanitarian bombing" by U.S.-NATO forces andescalation of ethnic conflict began in Kosovo on March 24th, 1999. But it was still too dangerous for me, as a dark-skinned "Madjupi" (Albanian term connoting"lower than garbage"), to set foot inside of Kosovo.Finally, the day arrived (May 2nd, 2002) when I could visit my place ofbirth, the place of so many memories from my youth. But that place--where I grew up with my four brothers and one sister, cousins, relatives, neighbors,friends-- no longer existed. Everything had been wiped away. The new and renovated houses, villas, gas stations, motels, all built in the past three years by the triumphant ethnic Albanians, made Kosovo look like a foreign country to me. I didn't know what to feel in that moment of returning. Fear, happiness,anger, sadness? The paradox that crossed my mind was that all this rebuilding is beingsponsored by international relief agencies and financed by development and investment companies with such well-known heads as Dick Cheney and George Soros. Meanwhile the Roma, Serbs, Gorani, Bosnians, Turks and otherminorities in Kosovo are starving! While most of these international institutions were bragging about "free and democratic Kosovo," these peoples were forced to abandon their homes, suffering a "humanitarian" supported ethnic cleansing that has been virtually invisible to the rest of the world. The ironicconsequence of NATO/US rescue of oppressed Albanians is that they then became oppressors themselves.This May, as President of Voice of Roma (VOR), I led a trip to Kosovo with delegates representing human rights, refugee assistance, and peace groups from the U.S., Germany, Italy, and Holland. Most people working in suchorganizations think that Kosovo is free now, and that its people are living in harmony and peace. They are surprised when I inform them that the ethnic minorities in Kosovo are still fleeing. I wanted them to witness with their own eyes what is going on there.The delegates were housed in the Romani communities, south of Pristina. Each family hosted two or more delegates. The delegates spent time with and got to know people who had been caught in heavy crossfire between Serbs andAlbanians, suffered from the heavy bombing by NATO's U.S.-led forces, and experienced discrimination by K-FOR forces, the U.N. Police, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Western European foreign policies. The delegates were appalled by the stories they heard and shocked at the conditions under which the Kosovo Roma were living.Since NATO's "peace-keepers" arrived in Kosovo, more than 300,000 ethnic minorities have been "cleansed" from the region by extremist Albanians. It has been more than a year since the U.N. Interim Administration in Kosovo(UNMIK) or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) released any statements about human rights abuses of minorities in Kosovo. Surprisingly, such NGOs as Doctors Without Borders (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize), the International Red Cross, Oxfam, and many more have failed the ethnicminorities in Kosovo by not addressing their problems. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are alone in reporting on minority human rights abuses inKosovo.My question is: If NATO's so-called humanitarian bombing was to stop "ethnic cleansing," why are the same Western powers now so unwilling to intervene on behalf of the actual ethnic cleansing of Romani people and other minorities in Kosovo?The ethnic cleansing of the Roma since U.N. peace-keepers arrived in June 12th of 1999 has resulted in more than 75% of this population (over 100,000Romani people) fleeing Kosovo. Still the media and the international "humanitarian" community are silent. U.S. and Western media did not catch any of these events on their radar screens, or rather willingly ignored these horrors. (See our report The Current Plight of the Roma in Kosovo, available from Voice of Roma, P.O. Box 514, Sebastopol, CA 95473.)The majority of the Roma who are left in Kosovo (25,000 out of a prewarpopulation of 150,000) are internal refugees, but they do not have the official status of refugees. Instead these Roma are labeled "internally-displaced persons" (IDPs), with fewer recognized rights than refugees, and are restricted to camps with very poor facilities. Some Roma do live in Serbian controlled enclaves. No other ethnic group is in the IDP camps,
Fwd: Michael Parenti On KPFA - Iraq and The Terrorism Trap [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.U
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: KPFA interview: Michael Parenti on Iraq and The Terrorism Trap Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 21:33:44 -0400 Dennis Bernstein interviews Dr. Parenti on Flashpoints, KPFA-Berkeley, 10/15/02 Click here:http://www.flashpoints.net/cgi-bin/ra.pl?date=20021015start=05:00 05:02 Dennis: war on Iraq seems like a foregone conclusion.. oil companies salivating.. why Iraq, why now?.. now w Michael Parenti, author of To Kill A Nation and The Terrorism Trap.. (order from Cody's Online).. Michael: originally Saddam was one of our boys.. put in place by the CIA to destroy democracy in Iraq and attack Iran.. he was our boy.. then he raised prices.. the US oil boys don't have a drop of Iraq's oil.. if the US goes in, it will be one of the biggest oil grab in history.. second reason: US to be the only superpower, and no country goes it's own way.. before 1991, Iraq had the highest standard of living in the Middle East.. had both oil and water.. Iraq could have emerged as regional power.. not to be permitted by US.. like Yugoslavia.. everything privatized, everybody poor.. turning these countries into little impoverished third world.. third reason: ^.. about depleted uranium and high cancer rates.. another war on Iraq, who's going to be killed?.. women, children, old men, grandmas, young women.. and there have been bombings practically every week.. Bush has closer relations with the bin Laden family than Saddam does.. the reasons that Bush is laying out are not true.. another fact dropped down the memory hole: US gave biological and chemical weaponry to Iraq.. US taxpayers paid for Saddam's buildup.. about the totally fabricated story of 500 babies ripped off incubators during the Iraq assault on Kuwait.. war is good for the economy.. auto accidents are good for the economy, too, but.. there is no *rogue* state that has the aggressive history of the US.. Dennis: US has even used nuclear weapons against their own species.. Michael: Connie Chung asked a California congressman, you mean you don't believe the president?.. like religious faith.. we're supposed to put our faith in GW Bush?.. swallowing propaganda like children.. the media is terrible on this issue.. they haven't reported on the massive demonstrations in Europe.. or reported on protests here.. and they haven't reported the facts we're talking about here.Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more faith.yahoo.com
FWD: Re: A generation lost to the market economy in Bulgaria [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG
From: "Irina Malenko" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "mart-remote" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fw: Fw: A generation lost to the market economy in Bulgaria Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 07:49:06 +0100 - Original Message - From: blagovesta doncheva Sent: 11 October 2002 06:12 Subject: Re: Fw: A generation lost to the market economy in Bulgaria Dear All, That article is DISGUSTINGLY MANIPULATIVE - as most of the figures quoted! - and full of DAMNED LIES! What makes me especially mad is that repeated assertion that there is consensus re market economy and - N-A-T-O! If the majority of people are asked about market economy, they will not know what you are talking about. "Market economy" is an abstract term that speaks nothing to them. But if you ask if they like their present life better that the life before 1989, it is quite another thing: they will answer without any hesitation NO! The PAID author has pointed "more than 60 %" are nostalgic for the communist era. What does more than 60% mean? - 70? 80? NOTE THE CONTRADICTION between the assertion for consensus re the market economy and the nostalgia for the past figure of more than 60 %!!! THERE IS NO CONSENSUS RE NATO! There is such consensus ONLY among the so-called political parties! But how much percent of the PEOPLE are the DAMNED political parties? 80 % of the people are AGAINST NATO! They want referendum but it is not allowed because, as one of the DAMNED politicians put it, the result will be a BIG GREAT "NO"!!! All the so-called Agencies for sociological public opinion researches are PAID to publish MANIPULATIVE data and blatantly to manipulate people here and abroad! That article is SHAMELESSLY manipulative - besides some figures that seem acceptable the HIGHLY PAID author distributes a DAMNED heap of lies! Look at the consensus thing! Look at that excerpt: "Among the changes the transition has brought, freedom to travel is most appreciated, with 70 percent pleased with the change, the poll said. It is followed by the end of food shortages (65 percent), the right to do business freely (66 percent), free elections (58 percent) and the restitution of farmlands (14 percent)." Note the CONTRADICTION with the figures quoted above it!!! But let's look more closely at it. freedom to travel I didnt know whether to laugh or to cry! Freedom of travel BIG SHAKES! Who travels? Could the hungry travel? Could the unemployed travel? Could the ill travel? Could the beggars travel? Who travels? Only the government and party people - with the taxpayers money our tortured money! Only the economical MAFIA people with the sweat money squeezed out of the slaves working for them for next to nothing - and with the money stolen from all of us through the neoliberal so-called privatization. Look at the figure and compare it with the other figures quoted in the article doesnt the comparison results strike you as, mildly said, funny? Read again the sentence We can manage to feed ourselves, but we no longer have enough money to go on holiday. That poor woman means going to holiday in the boundaries of BULGARIA! Her family and she are bound to the town they live that town has turned into a concentration camp for them: THEY CANNOT LEAVE IT because they are POOR and ! ALL their money are spend on FOOD, electricity, water, and central heating bills! end of food shortages - Besides the years after the WWII at the end of the forties there was ONLY ONE YEAR OF FOOD SHORTAGES, and it was 1991! Why? Because the future businessmen from the Bulgarian Communist Party nomenclature - who SOLD Bulgaria to the US in 1989 and 1990! - hid the food in anticipation of the coming "price liberation". They bought huge quantities of food products at the low prices of the "totalitarian regime" - and then sold them at the New High "Liberated" prices! In this way they turned into very rich people overnight, one can say! (I personally know of a man who bought tons of sugar directly from the Sugar factory in the town of Gorna Orjahoviza, kept them in warehouses, and afterwards sold that quantity at a great profit for himself!) the right to do business freely Which is the date of that "research"? Because it might have been so in the first 4-5 years of the Great Neoliberal Liberation - it means till about 1995. Now it is impossible to get such figures. The people in their majority have already understood that the "free business" is ONLY one more of THEIR MANTRAS! "Free" successful business can do only the politicians and those near and close to them - THE POLITICAL-ECONOMICAL MAFIA OF US SERVANTS THAT IS KILLING BULGARIA FOR YEARS ON A RUN TOGETHER WITH THEIR US MASTERS!! A great majority of ORDINARY people who tried to do some "free business" has lost everything and lives the despicable life of the other Bulgarians outside THE MAFIA.
Fwd: (Stop IMF List) - Re: IMF defends actions in Russia! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
Original Message From: Robert Weissman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [stop-imf] IMF defends actions in Russia! To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is an absolutely stunning piece from the IMF, where it manages todefend its "reform" program for Russia. It fails to acknowledge thatmost of Russia's meager economic accomplishments in recent years tookplace by virtue of its refusal to follow IMF direction -- eg., bydefaulting in 1998 -- and astonishingly belittles the utter failure,corruption and looting of the country's privatization process. (Sure,there were problems with Russia's "dirty privatization," but now itappears it is "starting to confer some broad-based benefits.") For an empirical discussion of the utter theft of the state carried outin the name of the IMF-supported privatization, see an interview we didin Multinational Monitor with Forbes reporter Paul Klebnikov, "Theft ofthe Century: Privatization and the Looting of Russia" athttp://www.multinationalmonitor.org/mm2002/02jan-feb/jan-feb02interviewklebniko.html --Robert Weissman http://www.imf.org/external/np/vc/2002/082602.htm Has Russia Been on the Right Path?A CommentaryBy Kenneth RogoffEconomic Counsellor and Director,Research Department, IMFVedomosti August 26, 2002 In June, the designation of Russia as a "market economy" by the U. S.Department of Commerceand the announcement by the European Commissionthat it would follow suitwas hailed by President Putin as a recognitionof how far Russia has come ten years after the dissolution of the SovietUnion. This designation comes at a time when crises in some LatinAmerican countries and U.S. corporate scandals have provokedsoul-searching in many quarters about pro-market or "neoliberal"policies. So it is natural to ask: Has Russia been on the right path? And where isit headed? To some Western observers, the answer to the first question is anobvious "No." For instance, according to the distinguished economictheorist Joseph Stiglitz, Russia should have learned from the "enormoussuccess of China, which created its own path of transition, rather thanjust using a blueprint or recipe from Western advisors." China pursued atwo-track approach, pursuing faster market reforms along its coastalregions than in the hinterland. But it is unlikely that China's successful strategy could have beenpursued in Russia. China started its reforms with "the advantage ofbackwardness": it was one of the poorest countries in the world in 1978.Today, after 20 years of growth, the average person in China earns about800 dollars annually, half the income of the average Russian. Of course,China's strategy has created its own challenges; for example, the IMF's2002 World Economic Outlook discusses how Chinese banks are dealing withchallenges resulting from the slow restructuring of state enterprises. Another key difference is that in the former Soviet Union, over 85percent of the workforce was in non-agricultural state enterprisescompared to under 20 percent of the workforce in China. This allowedChina to reform the state sector slowly while it grew by transferringsurplus agricultural labor to township and village enterprises. ButRussia needed to end the subsidization of the state sector to freeresources for the new non-state sectors of the economy. The best evidence that the two-track approach would not have worked inthe transition economies is that such an approach was in fact tried insome countries, and abandoned. In the mid-1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev inthe Soviet Union, Janos Kadar in Hungary, and Wojciech Jaruzelski inPoland did try a Chinese-style approach of limited reform. However, thepower of the center had been significantly eroded so that it was simplynot possible to implement effectively such reforms, even ignoring thefar greater complexity of privatizing industry rather than agriculture.It was the failure of these attempts that led to more aggressive effortstoward a market economy. But even if a two-track approach couldn't be followed, shouldn't thetransition have proceeded more gradually along its single track?Shouldn't the legal and institutional reforms needed to support a marketeconomy have been carried out first? This view is also held by many"gradualists", including not only Professor Stiglitz but also the notedHarvard University Sovietologist Marshall Goldman. They argue thatexisting institutions should have been abandoned only when the newinstitutions, e.g. for financial market oversight and taxation, werefunctional. The gradualist view seems to be that if only Russian leaders could havekept communism going for 20 more years while they sent bank regulatorsand tax inspectors for Western training, everything would have beenbetter. This is improbable for at least a couple of reasons. First, it isunlikely that market institutions could have been developed in alaboratory setting and without actually starting the messy transition tothe market. Institutions take a long time to nurture and
FWD: - 10 things to do in less than one hour to stop Bush's war on Iraq! [WWW
From main line News ( [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 12:47:14 -0400 From: Natalie Davis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Subject: 10 things to do in less than one hour to stop Bush's war on Iraq!10 things to do in less than one hour to stop Bush's war on Iraq!If you have just one hour to spare you can help build theOCT 26 NATIONAL MARCH TO STOP BUSH'S WAR AGAINST IRAQ BEFORE IT STARTS!Here are some of the things that you can do in a short amount of time:1. Make 10 phone calls. We will send you 10 names and phone numbers ofpeople to call about the protest along with a suggested script.2. Put up 10 posters at message boards at your school, work place, localgrocery store, library, cafe, or union.3. Take 10 flyers (we have special flyers for students, trade unionists,community at large, BGE/Utility prices for Oct 26). Please let us knowwhich flyer is most helpful or if you want copies of each. Flyers can beposted on boards, given to firends, or MAIL 10 friends or family memberswith this message.4. Send out an email message about the demonstration to everyone in youraddress book.OR DO ALL FOUR THINGS!Just email us back with your name, address, zip and phone number so we canmail you flyer or posters.And don't forget to get your tickets for the buses. Buses will be leavingfrom the All Peoples Congress Hall, 426 E. 31st St. (near 31st GreenmountAve.) at 9 A.M. and returning by 6 P.M. Let us know if you would like aticket. Tickets are $10 round trip and we will mail it to you. Thank you.-Be part of the solution! Work for a better world at The Armchair Activist Armchair-Activism GLBThttp://www.armchair-activist.org Peace - Social, Legal, Economic Justice - Environment - Anti-BushIt's an activist's job to be informed: All Facts Opinions - http://gratefuldread.net/fandoDo you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more faith.yahoo.com
FWD: (Voice 4 Change) Congress Wraps in Flag, Turns Back on Country [WWW.STOPN
Congress Wraps in Flag, Turns Back on Country Sheryl McCarthy October 10, 2002 In the summer of 1950, Charles Rangel's Army unit, the Second Infantry Division, left Fort Lewis, Wash., for South Korea to fight the North Koreans and the Chinese. Fifty-two years later, that same division is still mired in Korea, guarding the South against the North, says Rangel, who was wounded there. So it's with no little knowledge of war that he believes that for the United States to make war on Iraq would be a terrible mistake. If some enemy were planning to attack the United States, and we had the evidence, "I'd have no problem with a pre-emptive strike and taking them out," Congressman Rangel, who has represented Harlem for 32 years, told me the other day. But going to war against Iraq at this time would be wrong, he said. http://www.voice4change.org/redir.asp?url=http://www.newsday.com/news/ opinion/columnists/ny-vpmcc102959808oct10,0,663503.column For the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- It's Now Congress's war Too! We did what we could. We called, e-mailed, sent letters and petitions to our representatives, marched, and held vigils. The Government did not listen. The time has come to escalate; Mass Action is now the necessary. Civil Disobedience must now be a tactic that we use. Below you will find out who voted for and against war. In addition, a very good press conference led by members of the House that voted No. We must thank them and the 23 Senators who also said no to war. Additionally we must not forget those who voted yes on Election Day. To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Support for War Based on Bush Lies While President Bush marshals congressional and international support for invading Iraq, a growing number of military officers, intelligence professionals and diplomats in his own government privately have deep misgivings about the administration's double-time march toward war. These officials charge that administration hawks have exaggerated evidence of the threat that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses -- including distorting his links to the al-Qaida terrorist network -- have overstated the amount of international support for attacking Iraq and have downplayed the potential repercussions of a new war in the Middle East. They charge that the administration squelches dissenting views and that intelligence analys ts are under intense pressure to produce reports supporting the White House's argument that Saddam poses such an immediate threat to the United States that pre-emptive military action is necessary. "Analysts at the working level in the intelligence community are feeling very strong pressure from the Pentagon to cook the intelligence books," said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity. A dozen other officials echoed his views in interviews. To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Excerpt From Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence (full text at: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/058.html ) By Rev. Martin Luther King 4 April 1967 Speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org = Moving from a Culture of War to a Culture of Peace by David Adams On that dark day, September 11, the violence of the culture of war in the hands of men trained by the CIA in the far reaches of Central Asia converged on New York City, home of Wall Street, and Washington, home of the Pentagon.. "Blowback," they called it. Not that such violence is new in the world, but this time it struck at the center of empire, with main-line television on hand to broadcast. And since that day, the forces of the culture of war, on all sides, calling for vengeance, have moved toward a reign of terror and repression throughout the world. Martin Luther King wrote in Strength to Love: "Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction The chain reaction of evilhate begetting hate, wars producing more warsmust be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
FWD (CounterPunch ) CAROL WOLMAN, M.D. - Is the President Nuts? [WWW.STOPNATO
Forward from mart. via Main Line News ([EMAIL PROTECTED] ) PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! WATERFRONT UNITY! SOLIDARITY WIRTH OUR ILWU BROTHERS AND SISTERS! NO TO SCABS! NO TO TAFT-HARTLEY AND NO TO BUSH!! TRUCKERS UNITE! UNION NOW!! ** = Message: 25 Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 06:03:08 -0700 (PDT) From: eco man Subject: CAROL WOLMAN, M.D. Is the President Nuts? CounterPunch article. CounterPunch article begins CounterPunch October 2, 2002 Is the President Nuts? Diagnosing Dubya by CAROL WOLMAN, M.D. Many people, inside and especially outside this country, believe that the American president is nuts, and is taking the world on a suicidal path. As a board-certified psychiatrist, I feel it's my duty to share my understanding of his psychopathology. He's a complicated man, under tremendous pressure from both his family/junta, and from the world at large. So the following is offered with humility and questioning, in the form of a differential diagnosis. From the Freudian point of view: Dubya may be acting out a classical Oedipal drama--overcome Daddy to get Mommy. By deposing Saddam, when his father did not, he may want to prove himself more worthy of his mother's love. His rationale that he is avenging the assassination attempt on George, Sr., may be a reaction formation- his way of hiding the true motive from himself. From the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fourth Edition: Antisocial Personality Disorder--301.7 There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others since age 15 years as indicated by at least three of the following: 1) failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest; 2) deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure; 5) reckless disregard for safety of self or others; 7) lack of remorse by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from others. Another possibility from DSM IV: Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder)300.14 A) The presence of two or more distinct identities, each with its ownenduring pattern of perceiving, relating to and thinking about theenvironment and self. B) At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior. This disorder is typical of people raised by satanic cults, and mightexplain how Dubya can think of himself as a born-again Christian and yetworship money, oil and profit, and sanction killing thousands of innocent Iraqi and Afghani children. Another possibility: Narcissistic personality disorder 301.81 1) has a grandiose sense of self-importance- exaggerates achievements andtalents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements; 2) in preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love; 3) believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people; 4) requires excessive admiration; 5) has a sense of entitlement- unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations; 6) is interpersonally exploitative; 7) lacks empathy, is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others; 9) shows arrogant, haughty behavior or attitudes. This set of characteristics may describe Rumsfeld and Cheney better than Dubya. Or, for those who feel that he's just a puppet for others: Dependent Personality Disorder 301.6 1) has difficulty making everyday decisions without an excessive amount of advice and reassurance from others; 2) needs others to assume responsibility for most major areas of his life; 3) has difficulty expressing disagreement with others because of fear of loss of support or approval; 4) has difficulty initiating projects or doing things on his own because of a lack of self-confidence in judgment or abilities. 5. goes to excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others, to the point of doing things that are unpleasant. From a Jungian point of view: Dubya may be identifying with an archetype (as Hitler did with the ubermensch)--something out of evelations, perhaps, whereby he sees himself as an instrument of God's will to bring about Armageddon. Dr. Carol Wolman is a board certified psychiatrist, in practice for 30 years. She can be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] end of CounterPunch articleDo you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos, & more faith.yahoo.com
Fwd STOP THE ATTACK ON THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. IMPORTANT! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! === Subject: ATTACK ON LIFE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC From: "Wolfgang Mueller" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 10:59:25 -0400 (EDT) SAVE HIS LIFE! WHOLE-DAY-LONG 'COURT' PROCEEDINGS HAVE STARTED AGAIN! IT IS AN INTENTIONAL ATTACK ON LIFE OF PRESIDENT MILOSEVIC BY NATOTRIBUNAL! RESPONSIBLE SHOULD BE PROSECUTED! After more than three months the "trial" of President Milosevic was going on only in morning sessions, last Thursday the "trial chamber" returned to earlier practice of whole-day-long hearings. This was after the same "trial chamber" weeks ago publicly admitted existence of serious health and life risks for President Milosevic and declared that tempo of the "trial" will be slowed down and President Milosevic will have more days for rest. President Milosevic, with malignant hypertension and heart damages,still has no specialists' medical care. Death of six prisoners (all of them were Serbs) was caused by the "tribunal" - in three cases it was due to lack of medical assistance or due to improper medical care. We call all supporters of freedom and all National Committees to mobilize medical doctors and lawyers to react to this criminal practice at The Hague. UN is still giving auspices to the criminal NATO martial court. Address your government, which is UN member! Address UN Security Council and Secretary General! They are being involved in a crime! Save the life of President Milosevic! Send copies of your letters of protest and demands to protect humanity to the "tribunal" as well. Here is their address: ICTY Churchillplein 1, 2517 JW The Hague P.O. Box 13888 EW The Hague The Netherlands Fax No. +31 70 512 8637 People of Serbia and Yugoslavia require your urgent reaction! SLOBODA/FREEDOM Association Why they are threatening the life of President Milosevic? Because they can not defeat TRUTH he is expressing! And the truth is powerful. Because of that truth people of Serbia support President Milosevic! Everything started exactly two years ago. In the US/NATO sponsored coup on October 5, 2000, the Government of People's Unity of President Milosevic was overthrown. Nation went into DARKNESS! Let us recall the warning to the nation by President Milosevic: The URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/news/milosevi2.html www.tenc.net [Emperor's Clothes] Miloshevich's Speech to the Nation Delivered Monday, October 2, 2000 Translated by Emperor's Clothes "Honored citizens, In the expectation of a second round of election, I'd like to take the opportunity to explain my views on the political situation in our country, especially in Serbia. As you know, efforts have been underway for a whole decade to put the whole Balkan Peninsula under the control of certain Western powers. A big part of that job was accomplished by establishing puppet governments in some countries, by transforming them into countries with limited sovereignty or no sovereignty at all. Because we resisted, we have been subjected to all the pressures that can be applied to people in today's world. The number and intensity of these pressures multiplied as time went by. All the experience that the big powers gained in the second half of the 20th century in overthrowing governments, causing unrest, instigating civil wars, disparaging or liquidating national freedom fighters, bringing states and nations to the brink of poverty - all this was applied to our country and our people. The events unfolding around our elections are part of the organized persecution of our country and our people because we constitute a barrier to the full domination of the Balkan Peninsula. For a long time there has been a grouping among us which, under the guise of being pro-democratic, have in fact represented the interests of the governments attacking Yugoslavia, especially Serbia. During the elections that group called itself the 'Democratic' Opposition of Serbia. Its boss is not its presidential candidate. Its boss is the president of the Democratic Party. For years he has collaborated with the military alliance that attacked our country. He could not even hide his collaboration. In fact, our entire public knows that he appealed to NATO to bomb Serbia for as many weeks as necessary to break its resistance. So the 'democratic' grouping organized for these elections represents the armies and governments which recently waged war against Yugoslavia. At the behest of these foreign powers our 'democrats' told the people that they would make Yugoslavia be free of war and violence, that Yugoslavia would prosper, the living standard would improve visibly and fast, that Yugoslavia would rejoin international institutions, and on and on. Honored citizens, It is my duty to warn you publicly, while there is time, that these promises are false. The situation is quite different. It is precisely our policy which allows peace and theirs which guarantees lasting conflict and
STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ! UPDATE: Sunday Oct 6 protest in L.A. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 19:52:10 -0700 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [imc-la]UPDATE: Sunday Oct 6 protest in L.A. UPDATE: Sunday Oct 6 protest in L.A. Not In Our Name www.notinourname.net Nationwide protests. Twenty two cities so far. Among the other big cities are San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, and, of course, New York City. For the L.A. protest, we have an amazing lineup of 30+ speakers, musicians, spoken word, and more - in addition to the march itself. Hip hop, folk, Sonali Kolhatkar from KFPK and the Afghanistan Women's Mission, Tibetan gongs, Blase Bonpane from the Office of the Americas, DJ's, ministers, and lots more. L.A. demonstration Sunday Oct 6, 1-6 PM Federal Building in Westwood. 11000 Wilshire. 1 block east of the 405 fwy, between Sepulveda and Veteran 1 PM: Rally - speakers, spoken word, music 2 PM: March to U.S. Army Reserve/California National Guard (Wilshire and Federal) 3 PM: Return to Federal Bldg. More music, poetry, speakers. Direction/parking: Exit the San Diego (405) on Wilshire East. If Wilshire off ramps are closed by police, get off at the next exit, follow Sepulveda to Wilshire. Parking could be problematic. Arrive early! Pay parking available in Westwood. There is also some street parking. Parking not allowed in Federal Building lots. A quick explanation http://www.polizeros.com/2002/09/26.html#a393 ___ imc-la mailing list - [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://regenerationtv.net/mailman/listinfo/imc-la To Unsubscribe: 1. go to regenerationtv.com/mailman/listinfo/imc-la 2. at the bottom of the page, enter your email address 3. on your options page, you can unsubscribe here. 4. if you have forgotten your password, enter your email address and you will be mailed a copy of your password. Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
URGENT - calls needed to Senator Byrd's office to stop the war [WWW.STOPNATO.OR
Forward from mart. Important! Please distribute far and wide and particulaly to all friends and activists in the U.S! Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 21:20:36 -0700 Subject: URGENT - calls needed to Senator Byrd's office to stop the war From: "sharon cotrell" [EMAIL PROTECTED]-- From: "Voice4Change" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 12:12:23 -0400 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Today's Voice: URGENT - calls needed to Senator Byrd's office to stop the war Voice4Change Changing Hearts and Minds http://www.voice4change.org October 03, 2002 URGENT - calls needed to Senator Byrd's office to stop the war It is urgent to call Sen. Robert Byrd's office (202-224-3954) and ask the Senator to filibuster against the war resolution of the Administration (and Dem leadership). His office is taking a poll on whether he should do this. We need to swamp the offices to urge him on. (He has been one of the few courageous voices on this.) His filibuster may be the only impediment to the war plans and it may spark demonstrations of support in DC and around the country. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Over 1300! of you have sent an e-mail to the Democratic Party Leaders in Congress who have Presidential aspirations. Lets continue to put the pressure on! Please Forward the following link as widely as possible. http://www.voice4change.org/stories/mailcongress.asp Note: It is clear there was a problem with the Daschle and Edwards E-mail addresses. The solution I propose is that everone call Senator Daschle and Senator Edwards and tell them you will not forget this vote, at the end of the call ask them for an e-mail address that you can forward your bounced message too. This solution puts more pressure on with the phone call. Icould call and try to get another e-mail address, but 1300 calls would be better! Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- URGENT: CALL CONGRESS EVERY DAY! NO AUTHORIZATION FOR WAR ON IRAQ! 202-224-3121 ! WAR RESOLUTION TEXT IS SET;VOTE IS IMMINENT! THE MORE CONGRESSIONAL VOTES BUSH GETS IN FAVOR OF THIS RESOLUTION, THE MORE HE IS EMPOWERED TO FORCE THIS WAR ON THE WORLD--- EITHER TO GO TO WAR UNILATERALLY, OR PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE UN TO APPROVE THE WAR. EITHER WAY, MILLIONS OF LIVES ARE IN THE BALANCE! This is the action alert with lots of precise info from Southern California Americans for Democratic Action For the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Democracy Now! Online Democracy Now! October 2, 2002 -- Bushs single-bullet theory assassinate Saddam Hussein: International human rights attorneys Michael Ratner and Reed Brody respond to Bushs press secretary Ari Fleischers call to kill. -- Police spying: New York police seeks court approval to monitor political activists; Denver opens hundreds of spy files collected from illegal monitoring of citizens. -- Police crack down on activists across the country from Maine to California to Washington To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Blah3 Does it Again! Question Mark #21: 'Threat? WHAT threat?' Posted Wednesday, October 2, 2002 If Iraq is so weak, how can they be a threat to the US? Musical Guest: Buffalo Springfield To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- EVENTS CALENDAR and PROTESTS For Peace! Courtesy of Voter March Summary: 10/3 - Ed Asner in Cooper Union, NYC; 10/4 - Ralph Nader at Wall St. protest, NYC; 10/6 -7 National Days of Resistance to War and Repression - NYC, CA ( LA, SF), CT, GA, IL, NC, NM, OH, OR, RI, SC, WA. WI; 10/ 26 - NATIONAL MARCH on WASHINGTON DC with a joint action in San Francisco to STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ. To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TAKE ACTION NOW! Support Striking Janitors in Boston! Tell Your Senators to Extend Unemployment Benefits Now! Tell ABC to Air Strong Roots, Fragile Farms! Mark Your Calendar for the Wal-Mart Day of Action November 21! JwJ Supports the ILWU Coast to Coast! To view the rest of the story: http://www.voice4change.org =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= On-going Campaigns Get Involved!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Take The Pledge to Oppose War with Iraq "A time has come when silence is betrayal. That time is now." Martin Luther King Jr. To take the pledge: http://www.voice4change.org/stories/showstory.asp?file=020624~for.asp Note to Southern California Residents: The coalition For World Peace will be demonstrating every Friday from 5pm to 7pm at the Westwood Federal Building. For more information call 323-852-9808 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT ON IRAQ from Progressive Portal and
Fwd: Hse Comm vote 31-11 CALL! LET'S GO FOR IT - VOTE AGAINST IRAQ SEIZURE -PRES
Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 22:37:37 -0700 Subject: Hse Comm vote 31-11 CALL! LET'S GO FOR IT - VOTE AGAINST IRAQ SEIZURE -PRESS YOUR REP. From: "sharon cotrell" sharoncotrell@charter. Let's make more calls. Sharon - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 22:43:45 -0400 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: LET'S GO FOR IT - VOTE AGAINST IRAQ SEIZURE -PRESS YOUR REP. Okay. Just now the House Committee on International Relations voted 31 to 11 in favor of the war against Iraq resolution. The vote now moves to the full House of Representatives. THIS IS THE TIME TO FLOOD THE PHONE LOGS OF THE ONES who voted for the resolution and TELL THEM TO CHANGE THEIR VOTE WHEN IT COMES BEFORE THE FULL HOUSE (next week sometime). E-mails are not as reliably effective as some office assistants just delete them. Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121. You know you won't be alone (although no one could tell that by the mainstream press or tv coverage). A Pacific program (Democracy Now) producer interviewed various Congress Representatives' staffers. Some told her that they were receiving calls against the war in ratios varying between 100 to one; some said 500 to one; some said 1,000 to one. Committee Members from California who voted FOR the Iraq War Resolution: Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 OR Direct: Howard Berman (818) 891-0543 Mision Hills; (202) 225-4695 Brad Sherman (818) 501-9200 Sherman Oaks; (202) 225-5911 Darrell Issa (949) 496-2343 San Clemente; (202) 225-3906 Tom Lantos (415) 566-5257 San Francisco; (202) 225-3531 Dana Rohrabacher (714) 960-6483 Huntington Beach; (202) 225-2415 Edward Royce (562) 220-2411 Fullerton; (202)225-4111 Adam Schiff (626) 304-2727 Pasadena; (202) 225-4176 Committee Members from California voting AGAINST the Iraq War Resolution: Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 OR Direct: Thank You Grace Napolitano (562) 801-2134; (202) 225-5256 Not Present Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 OR Direct: Barbara Lee (510) 763-0370 Oakland; (202) 225-2661 Diane Watson _ Los Angeles; (202)225-7084 I Don't Know How This One Voted Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 OR Direct: Elton Gallegly ___ Simi Valley; (202) 225-5811 Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
OCT. ONLINE EDITION OF POSTMARK PRAGUE [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: October e-edition of Postmark Prague Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 01:09:59 -0400 Via RedNet News - "News and Views from the Communist Press" Fw: October e-mail edition of POSTMARK PRAGUE From Ken Biggs, 1/10/02 23:16:14 --- Articles from this e-mail edition of Postmark Prague can be reproduced in the English original or translated for publication in other papers provided that the source is acknowledged and a copy of the article used is sent to us. NEWS OF THE LEFT IN THE CZECHO-SLOVAK REPUBLICS Founded in Prague, Czechoslovakia, June 1991 POSTMARK PRAGUE No. 372 (Vol.12, No.10) * E-MAIL EDITION No.2 * OCT.2002 SLOVAK COMMUNISTS IN PARLIAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME by Zdenek Horení The Slovak parliamentary elections on September 20/21brought several surprises notably the fact that 182,000 (6.3%) of the 4.1 million electors voted for the Communist Party of Slovakia (CPS), giving them 11 seats in the new parliament. This is the first time since the party was refounded in the 1990s that its won seats in parliament. * Back from square one Without any doubt it is a historic success for this party of the Left. If it had been up to the renegades, the CPS would have been liquidated as a force in Slovak politics and history. Its onetime chairman Peter Weiss erased the word communist from the partys name and Marxism from its programme. Later, he changed its name to the Democratic Left Party and affiliated it to the Socialist International. It was then that a number of communists decided to refound the party under its original name and with its original programme literally starting from scratch in terms of finance and full-time party workers; they lacked even a typewriter or a telephone. The partys members made extraordinary sacrifices and in a few years they had re-established the CPSs organisational structure in every one of Slovakias regions. The partys paper Úsvit (Dawn), based in Humenné in the east of the country, played a major role in this: it became a symbol of the real dawning of the reborn Marxist party. * They dont want to be EU flunkeys The CPS campaigned strongly against high unemployment (20%) and for a free health service and education and the return of strategic industry to the state. It opposed NATO membership on principle. As for the EU, the Slovak Communists will accept it only if it reforms itself and the Slovaks will not be flunkeys in their own house. According to CPS chairman Jozef vec, the reason for the partys success in the elections is that the people are no longer afraid to speak their minds about the countrys future. Another reason, he says, is the disappointment of many voters with the policies of the CPSs predecessors, notably the Democratic Left Party. The CPS intends to be a constructive opposition in parliament and play its part in drafting laws which will benefit working people. * Meciar won, but The favourite, the centrist Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (19.5%), may have won the Slovak election, but its chairman and former long-time premier Vladimír Meciar did not win enough support to form a majority coalition government. Another favourite for the post of premier Robert Fico, leader of the new left-wing party Smer (13.5%) has rejected an alliance with Meciar, just as the right has rejected an alliance with him. So Mikulá Dzurinda, chairman of the outgoing ruling right-wing Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (15%), the most successful of the parliamentary parties, could become premier again. The SDCU and three other right-wing parties will have 78 deputies in the 150-member parliament. Overall then the Slovak elections were a victory for the right and a foreign policy focused on NATO and the EU. The Democratic Left Party, part of the outgoing ruling coalition, won about 2% of the vote and will have no deputies in the new parliament. The fall in its once 20% support is without any doubt attributable to the renegade activities of Peter Weiss and his supporters. Czech news At the end of August Czech registered unemployment rose to almost 490,000 9.4% of the workforce, a post-1989 record. * Average monthly gross pay at the end of this years 1st quarter (Q1) was 14,204 crowns (about $440). This helps to explain why foreign companies invested $4.9 billion in the Czech Republic last year, making it the 13th most popular country in the world for FDI and the second most popular in central and eastern Europe (after Poland). The biggest investor so far this year is the German company Siemens, with $120 million. * If stocks and valuables worth 11.9 billion crowns are disregarded, Czech GDP in Q2 this year rose by at most zero compared with official claims of 2.5% , wrote Václav Vertelár in Haló Noviny. * Q2 also saw the Czech states internal and external debt rise to 390.8 billion crowns (about $13 billion), compared with 287.6 billion crowns in Q2 last year.
Yugoslav Committee for the defense of Slobodan Milosevic FREEDON APPEAL [WWW.ST
From: "Vladimir Krsljanin" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: ThuOct3,2002 3:43 amSubject: APPEAL: Donate and help the voice of freedom! SLOBODA FREEDOM Association(Yugoslav Committee for thedefense of Slobodan Milosevic)ICDSM International Committeeto Defend Slobodan MilosevicA P P E A LProtect the life of Slobodan Milosevic!Donate and help the voice of freedom to be heard!Do you know that:· Yesterday afternoon President Milosevic was forced to wait one and a half hour to be transported from the "tribunal" to his prison cell. It was the afternoon between the examination of Stipe Mesic, President of Croatia, by the"prosecution" and the cross examination of the same "witness" by President Milosevic.· A day before that, Richard May, the "judge" announced that the "trial chamber" can return on Thursday to earlier practice of whole day long hearings. This was after the same "trial chamber" weeks ago publicly admitted existence of serious health and life risks for President Milosevic and declared that tempo of the "trial" will be slowed down and President Milosevic will have more days for rest.· At the same day, Geoffrey Nice, the "prosecutor" in charge, tried to explain the problems "prosecution" has in bringing appropriate "witnesses" to the "court", which caused lack of the schedule of "witnesses" to come. In hisexplanation, he complained because the "reserved itnesses" (who could 'fill the gaps' without previous announcement) were not allowed.· Today, the "judge" Richard May served as a counsel to Stipe Mesic, in Tito's time imprisoned for Ustashi propaganda, the guy who triumphantly shouted in Croatian Parliament: "I fulfilled my mission - there is no moreYugoslavia!". By all means (cutting and "translating" President Milosevic, shortening the time for cross examination, allowing Mesic cynical and unlimitedcomments) May tried (without success) to save his "client" from total disaster.· President Milosevic, with malignant hypertension and heart damages, still has no specialists' medical care.· Death of six prisoners (all of them were Serbs) was caused by the "tribunal" - in three cases it was due to lack of medical assistance or due to improper medical care.· With more than 100.000 pages of materials concerning Croatia and Bosnia submitted to him by the "court" and more than seven months of every day "trial" behind him and more than year and a half ahead, President Milosevic still hasno conditions to prepare his defense, in cynical violation of the 'equality of arms' principle.· Assistance in preparing facts and proofs for President Milosevic to confront tons of materials prepared by thousand of employees of the "tribunal" and by Western secret services is done by group of volunteers in Freedom Association in Belgrade and in ICDSM. Our funds and pockets are empty. After eight months since the Hague process begun, there is almost no possibilities to collect money from patriots in the impoverished country and with governmentwhich produces only obstacles for our work.But you certainly know that:· President Slobodan Milosevic, undisputable leader of the unconquered nation and the NATO war prisoner, is in unique and extremely important position for all fighters for freedom and peace in the World, to confront the Empire andits war machinery - NATO, with truth and strong arguments.· Only a part of the citizens of Yugoslavia are able to follow every day TV transmissions from The Hague. As a result, unification of the patriotic opposition is becoming a key factor on Serbian political scene, despite thehard repression and all kinds of manipulations by the current colonial regime in Belgrade.Therefore, we dramatically appeal:· Use all means to protest the killing conditions at the NATO-Nazidungeon in Scheweningen and in NATO martial court at The Hague. Life of President Milosevic has to be saved! The only proper way to avoid the threat is his release!· Donate for our common struggle! Form your own foundations in your countries, organize fund-raising campaigns! Keep part of collected money to broaden actions and campaigns. Now President Milosevic has only one assistantat The Hague. Without your help he can stay even without that!Here's how you can help...* You can contribute by credit card. Soon we will have an ICDSM secure server so you can contribute directly on the Internet. For now, you can contribute by credit card in two ways: * You can Contribute by Credit Card over the Telephone by calling: ICDSM office, USA: +1 617 916-1705 SLOBODA (Freedom) Association office, Belgrade: +381 63 8 591 569You can Contribute using PayPal at:https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=icdsm%40aol.comPayPal accepts VISA and MasterCardYou can Contribute by mail to: ICDSM831 Beacon St., #295 Newton Centre, MA 02459 (USA) - OR -You can Contribute by wire transfer to Sloboda AssociationIntermediary: UBS AGZurich, SwitzerlandSwift Code: UBSWCHZHAccount with: / 756 - CHF/ 840 - USD/ 978 - EURKomercijalna Banka ADSv. Save
FW: rift at the NATION - Hitchens walks, citing irreconcilable differences [W
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: FW: rift at the NATION - Hitchens walks, citing "irreconcilable differences" Date: Wed, 2 Oct 2002 09:18:00 -0400 -Original Message- From: Ken Freeland [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Wednesday, October 02, 2002 12:43 AM To: National Network; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: rift at the NATION The following Open Letter to Congress, published by the Nation magazine, led to the overdue departure of Christopher Hitchens from its editorial staff. Hitchens, you may recall, also supported the war against Yugoslavia. He is now asserting "irreconcilable differences" with the Nation. Peace, Ken editorial | Posted September 25, 2002 An Open Letter to the Members of Congress Soon, you will be asked to vote on a resolution authorizing the United States to overthrow the government of Iraq by military force. Its passage, we read on all sides, is a foregone conclusion, as if what the country now faces is not a decision but the disclosure of a fate. The nation marches as if in a trance to war. In the House, twenty of your number, led by Dennis Kucinich, have announced their opposition to the war. In the Senate, Robert Byrd has mounted a campaign against the version of the resolution already proposed by the Bush Administration. He has said that the resolution's unconstitutionality will prevent him from voting for it. "But I am finding," he adds, "that the Constitution is irrelevant to people of this Administration." The Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the Washington Post, oppose the war. Telephone calls and the mail to your offices run strongly against it. Polls and news stories reveal a divided and uncertain public. Yet debate in your chambers is restricted to peripheral questions, such as the timing of the vote, or the resolution's precise scope. You are a deliberative body, but you do not deliberate. You are representatives, but you do not represent. The silence of those of you in the Democratic Party is especially troubling. You are the opposition party, but you do not oppose. Raising the subject of the war, your political advisers tell you, will distract from the domestic issues that favor the party's chances in the forthcoming Congressional election. In the face of the Administration's pre-emptive war, your leaders have resorted to pre-emptive surrender. For the sake of staying in power, you are told, you must not exercise the power you have in the matter of the war. What, then, is the purpose of your re-election? If you succeed, you will already have thrown away the power you supposedly have won. You will be members of Congress, but Congress will not be Congress. Even the fortunes of the domestic causes you favor will depend far more on the decision on the war than on the outcome of the election. On April 4, 1967, as the war in Vietnam was reaching its full fury, Martin Luther King Jr. said, "A time comes when silence is betrayal." And he said, "Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a vocation of agony, but we must speak. We must speak with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak." Now the time to speak has come again. We urge you to speak--and, when the time comes, to vote--against the war on Iraq. The case against the war is simple, clear and strong. The Administration calls it a chapter in the war on terror, but Iraq has no demonstrated ties either to the September 11 attack on the United States or to the Al Qaeda network that launched it. The aim of the war is to deprive President Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction, but the extent of his program for building these weapons, if it still exists, is murky. Still less clear is any intention on his part to use such weapons. To do so would be suicide, as he well knows. Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo of California has reported that in closed session Administration officials have been asked several times whether they have evidence of an imminent threat from Saddam against the United States and have answered no. She elaborated, "Not 'no, but' or 'maybe,' but 'no.'" On the other hand, if he does have them, and faces his overthrow and possible death at the hands of US forces, he might well use them--or, more likely, give them to terrorist groups to use after his fall. He may be doing so even now. Some observers have likened the resolution under discussion to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution of 1964 authorizing President Johnson to use force in Vietnam. But that was passed only after a report was received of two attacks on US naval forces. (We now know that the first attack was provoked by a prior secret American attack and the second was nonexistent.) The new resolution, which alleges no attack, not even a fictional one, goes a step further. It is a Tonkin Gulf resolution without a Tonkin Gulf incident. Even if Saddam possesses weapons of mass destruction and wishes to use them, a policy of
PATRIOTISM - A Quote Worth Remembering for all Americans [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY== Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 12:34:24 -0700 Subject: Patriotism - A Quote Worth Remembering for all Americans From: "sharon cotrell" [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Worth considering in these times.] Sharon ==PATRIOTISM "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war to whip the citizenry into a political fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double edged sword. It emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." Julius Caesar (101-44 BC) Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
(People's Weekly World) Cuba rejects Iraq war [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE. = http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/2049/ Cuba rejects Iraq war Author: World Combined Sources People's Weekly World Newspaper, Sep 28, 2002 The following are excerpts from the statement delivered by Felipe Perez Roque, Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 14. A year ago, the holding of this General Assembly had to be postponed on account of the ruthless crime committed on Sept. 11. There was then a worldwide wave of solidarity towards the American people and, particularly, towards the families of the almost 3,000 innocent victims of that unjustifiable terrorist attack.The stage was thus set for the creation of a genuine international alliance under the auspices and leadership of the United Nations Organization, with absolute respect for the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter. Nearly all countries, beyond ideological, political, cultural and religious differences, expressed their willingness to cooperate actively with this endeavor of unmistakable common interest.However, another vision prevailed. In an unprecedented fashion, it was stated that whoever did not support the war decided upon by a single country would then be on the side of terrorism. It was even announced to the Security Council that such country reserved the right to launch future attacks on its own against other nations.A unilateral war was then unleashed, whose death toll is still unbeknownst to us and whose most tangible consequence is probably the striking blow rendered to the credibility of the United Nations Organization and to multilateralism as a means to cope with the complex challenges currently ahead of us.What is the outcome today? There are greater feelings of hatred, vengeance and insecurity, not helpful in the fight against terrorism. Dangerous xenophobic and discriminatory tendencies threaten the existence of a plural and democratic world. There has been a step backward in the field of public freedoms and civil rights.In the meantime, there is a lack of political will by certain powers to rigorously apply, without selectivity and without double standards, the 12 existing international legal instruments on terrorism. In addition, no advances have been made in the definition, so indispensable today, of State terrorism.Cuba, on its part, a victim of terrorist acts for over four decades that stated its opinions in this Assembly with poise and firmness and that unwaveringly condemned the crime of Sept. 11 and terrorism as such, but that also opposed the war out of ethical considerations and the respect for International Law signed and ratified the twelve international conventions to combat terrorism, adopted a national law to fight this scourge, has cooperated fully with the work of the committee set up for such purposes by the Security Council and, at the bilateral level, proposed to the U.S. administration the implementation of a program to combat terrorism, which was inconceivably rejected by such government.* * *A new war against Iraq seems already inevitable; an aggravation of the situation of constant aggression that such people has lived over the last 10 years. The buzzword now is pre-emptive war in open violation of the spirit and the letter of the United Nations Charter.Cuba defends principles and not vested interests; therefore, although its supporters may feel upset, it emphatically opposes this war. Cuba is not driven by an anti-American spirit, even when its government maintains and strengthens a 40-year-old blockade against our people.But refraining from telling the truth out of cowardice or political calculation is not characteristic of Cuban revolutionaries. Therefore, Cuba hereby states that it opposes a new military action against Iraq. It does so while recalling that at one point in time it supported the Security Council resolution asking the Iraqi Government to end the occupation of Kuwait.We believe that the development of weapons of mass destruction today would be insane, because the only possible way that we envision for world peace is through general and complete disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, and the rechanneling of the money currently spent on weapons to address the dire socio-economic problems of humankind.The Arab countries have been emphatic in their rejection of this war; most European countries do not approve of it; the international community is increasingly concerned about the announcement of a new war on the basis of unconfirmed allegations and even disregarding the obvious reality that Iraq cannot pose a danger to the United States.If the U.S. government unleashes a new war against Iraq, either by imposing it on the Security Council or deciding upon it unilaterally in opposition to the international public opinion, we will bear witness to the emergence of the century of unilateralism and the forced retirement of the United
Labour Against War Counter -Dossier [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Date: Mon, 30 Sep 2002 16:06:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael laird [EMAIL PROTECTED]: counter dossier on Iraq To: mart-remote [EMAIL PROTECTED] this is long, but very informative. and, as youll see, it fits in with what scott ritter has been saying. take a look: This addendum is published at http://middleeast.reference.users.btopenworld.com/iraqncbfurther.html and at the Traprock Peace Center website at http://traprockpeace.org September 29, 2002 ? Dr. Glen Rangwala, Lecturer in politics at Cambridge University, has written an Addendum to the Counter-Dossier. The Counter-Dossier, released by Labour Against War on September 17 in the UK and published by Traprock Peace Center in the US on September 18, anticipated the release by Prime Minister Blairs dossier. Blair released his dossier on September 24, a few hours before debate started in the Commons that morning on war with Iraq. Following is the text of the Addendum: On 17 September, a week in advance of the release of Prime Minister Tony Blairs dossier on Iraqs non-conventional weapons, a pamphlet (a counter-dossier) that I co-authored with Alan Simpson (MP for Nottingham South) was released. The intention of this pamphlet was to pre-empt some of the claims in the Prime Ministers dossier, and to raise the issues that the dossier would need to address in detail for it to be credible. An official version of the counter-dossier is at: http://www.labouragainstthewar.org.uk/link5.html What follows are some further remarks on the themes of counter-dossier. These are in part a response to points in the Prime Ministers dossier. They may also serve as reference notes, to be used in order to examine from a critical perspective subsequent claims that are made about Iraqs non-conventional weapons. I should flag up that I am not a biochemist, a pharmacologist or a nuclear physicist. None of the claims below about Iraqs nuclear, chemical or biological facilities are made as a result of my own scientific investigations. Instead, they are collected from two sources. Firstly, the majority of points below are taken from published accounts of reputable institutions, governmental bodies and international organisations who have access to expertise that I do not have. Secondly, a smaller number of claims are taken from my own consultation with independent experts in the fields of relevance. Unlike the UK Governments own dossier on Iraqs non-conventional weapons, these notes indicate the sources for all the claims that it makes. If any of the technical claims made below are incorrect or incomplete, such mistakes have not been made in a deliberate attempt to mislead the reader: corrections and clarifications would be greatly appreciated. These comments are divided on issues of the threat of Iraqs weapons and those on the possibility of a viable inspections regime. 1. The threat of Iraqs weapons. I. Stockpile This Prime Ministers dossier claims that information already in the public domain points clearly to Iraqs continued possession, after 1991, of chemical and biological agents and weapons produced before the Gulf War. (Executive Summary, para.2). There are also references to surviving stocks of weapons in Chapter 2, para.13 and Chapter 3, paras.3 and 5-7 of the dossier. If Iraq had a stockpile of chemical and biological weapons in 1998, it must consist of items produced prior to 1991. Not even the British government claims that Iraq was engaged in the active production of chemical or biological weapons in the period of weapons inspections (1991 to 1998); the ongoing monitoring and verification undertaken by UNSCOM would have detected any such attempts. The Iraqi government never provided UNSCOM with information assessed to be sufficiently complete to verify that Iraq had destroyed all the chemical and biological agents it had produced prior to 1991. These are items that are considered as unaccounted for. It may also be the case that Iraq had in fact produced more of these agents than they had declared to UNSCOM or that UNSCOM itself had uncovered. Whilst it would undoubtedly be useful to have a clear understanding of what happened to all of Iraqs chemical and biological weapons material that it had produced, a more pressing question here is whether any chemical or biological agents produced by Iraq prior to 1991 would have remained useable after at least 11 years. As the analysis below attempts to demonstrate, the overwhelming majority of the chemical and biological warfare agents produced by Iraq prior to 1991 would be expected to have deteriorated to the point where they are no longer lethal. If the Prime Ministers past allegations that Iraq possessed a stockpile of illicit weapons were to be true, then the dossier would need to present credible evidence that Iraq had managed to stabilise its chemical and biological agents to a greater extent than it is previously
More Than 350,000 Attend Historic Anti-War March in London [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "V S C" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Historic Anti-War March in London Date: Sat, 28 Sept. 2002 12:30:34 -0400 Vieques Support Campaign www.viequessupport.org E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ NO TO RACISM IMPERIALIST WAR! U.S. NAVY OUT OF VIEQUES ALL OF PUERTO RICO! __ Historic Anti-War March in London On-the-spot report by Bob Wing *Bob Wing is the editor of War Times. He is currently in London in transit to Palestine. London, Sept. 28 Tony Blair may be President Bush's only European ally in his drive for war on Iraq. But the people of the UK today forcibly demonstrated their opposition to forcible regime change. This afternoon, at least 350,000 people from all over the United Kingdom descended upon the corridors of power for a massive and peaceful "Don't Attack Iraq/Freedom for Palestine" march and rally. As I file this report at 4 p.m., less than half the march, which commenced at 12:30 p.m., has arrived at the Hyde Park Rally. The action was the largest of its kind in the UK in 30 years. It was dramatic, and so large that it was truly impossible to guage its size. Certainly it numbered in the hundreds of thousands of people of every ethnicity, age and class. Recent polls show that 70 percent opposed Britain joining a U.S.-led military action. "There is not just opposition to the prospect of war--there is boiling anger," asserts Andrew Murray, chair of the Stop the War Coalition. The turnout was a shot across the bow of Prime Minister Tony Blair and a preview of next weeks Labor Party Conference. The demonstration was jointly sponsored by the Stop the War Coalition and the Muslim Association of Britain. It was endorsed by 12 national trade unions, numerous Muslim and anti-racist organizations, Members of Parliament and the Mayor of London. Organizers have called for another massive "Don't Attack Iraq Day" for Oct. 31. "Opposition to this war in this country is the most incredible coalition I have ever seen," says Jeremy Corbyn, a Labor MP. "Since Sept. 11, Islamophobia has spread across the UK and activated the Muslim and South Asian populations," said Asad Rehman, national organizer for the Stop the War Coalition and chairman of the Newham Monitoring Project. South Asians are the largest group of color in the UK, numbering about 15 percent in London alone. "I didn't go on earlier demonstrations but I am now because the countdown to war has started and I find it terrifying," explained march Jemma Redgrave. Robert "3-D" Del Naja of the pop group Massive Attack says "I am marching because I feel very disheartened about our government and the way it reacts to America and American foreign policy." Meanwhile, in Parliament, Labor Party members are staging a revolt against Blair's Iraq policy. They warn that the 56-strong rebellion of this week is just a warm up. Blair also faces powerful opposition at next week's national Labor Party conference. Charles Kennedy, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, the third largest in the UK, declared his opposition to what he called the U.S.'s "imperialist" policy. ___ All Out to the Vieques Walkathon in New York City, October 26 VIEQUES WILL NOT BE USED FOR WAR ON IRAQ! ___Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
Fwd: Nine solid questions to ask about a war with Iraq [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. [While I sympathize with the anti-war sentiments of author of these "9 Solid Questions on Iraq", I question some of his statements that he makes and the way that he makes his argument. First he applauds the "success" of the U.S and Britain's unilaterally and illegally imposed so called "no fly zone" over Iraq and claims that that has stopped Iraq's "adventurism"! He makes no mention that this unilaterally imposed military action is completely in violation of all international law and in fact the U.N. charter itself! Further, it supports Bush's claim of Iraqi "adventurism" in the region, while completely ignoring the "adventurism" pf of the U.S in both that region and in fact the rest of the world! No mention that it was cheifly the U.S who put Saddam in power in the first place, armed him to the teeth, while he was fighting a proxy war for the U.S. with Iran! No mention either, of the longstanding legitimate border dispute Iraq had with Kuwait or that the U.S., through it's ambassador to Iraq at the time, Avril Harriman, gave him the go ahead to invade Kuwait! Secondly he makes the pont that if there is a U.S. invasion that Sad dam Hussein *may* resort to the use of chemical and biological weapons. This line of reasoning, and as in the one one above, applauding the "success" of the no fly zones actually feed into and strengthen the Bush regime's propaganda line that the U.S has the unilateral right to impose it's will on any country it so chooses, regardless of international law and the U.N. This argument supposes and legitimizes Bush's claim (despite all evidence to the contrary) that Iraq possess these chemical and biological weapons! The way to stop a war is to call a spade a spade and to tell the real facts and to condemn the lies and illegal actions of the aggressor - not to feed into and legitimize the propaganda! Such is the bankruptcy of nice, respectable pseudo-left, bourgieos liberalism in the face of outright capitalist and imperialist agressiion!] mart == Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 08:46:10 -0700 Subject: 9 questions to ask about War on Iraq From: "sharon cotrell" [EMAIL PROTECTED]The sender is Chuck Anderson of OC who has held a peace vigil every Friday night at South Coast PLAZA in Long Beach California, Since the Gulf War. He now is Chair of the Orange County (California) Peace and Freedom Party. He came to Long Beach December 22 and supported the first anti war rally in LB which was called by Lupe, 16 year old high school student from Wilmington. I echo the last sentence: "If you worry about the future of America, clip or copy these nine questions and include them in letters to your senatorsand representative." Pose them also to all you know and meet. Sharon -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 19:54:58 EDT Subj: Iraq Date: 09/23/2002 2:05:03 PM Pacific Daylight Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jim Gibson) Nine solid questions to ask about a war with Iraq. 1. Why engage in a risky and potentially calamitous invasion of Iraq when the existing strategy of "containment"--entailing no-fly zones, sanctions, technology restraints and the deployment of US forces in surrounding areas--not only has clearly succeeded in deterring Iraqi adventurism for the past ten years but also in weakening Iraq's military capabilities? 2. Why has the Administration found so little international support for itsproposed policy, even among our closest friends and allies (with the possible exception of Britain's Tony Blair), and what would be the consequences if Washington tried to act without their support and without any international legal authority? Isn't it dangerous and unwise for the United States tengage in an essentially unilateral attack on Iraq? 3. Is the United States prepared to accept significant losses of American lives--a strong possibility in the projected intense ground fighting around Baghdad and other urban areas? 4. Is the United States prepared to inflict heavy losses on Iraq's civilian population if, as expected, Sad dam concentrates his military assets in urban areas? Would this not make the United States a moral pariah in the eyes of much of the world? 5. Wouldn't an invasion of Iraq aimed at the removal of Sad dam Hussein remove any inhibitions he might have regarding the use of chemical and biological (and possibly nuclear) weapons, making their use more rather than less likely? 6. Are we prepared to cope with the outbreaks of anti-American protest and violence that, in the event of a US attack on Iraq, are sure to erupt throughout the Muslim world, jeopardizing the survival of pro-US governments in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and further inflaming the Israeli-Palestinian crisis? 7. Can the fragile American economy withstand a sharp rise in oil prices, another decline in air travel, a bulging federal deficit, a drop in consumer confidence and other negative economic effects that can be expected from a
(NNEWAI) Campaign To End The War Against Iraq [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: Mike Zmolek [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 04:58:57 -0400 Subject: [antiwarconference] CALL CONGRESS ON SEPT 24th! NNEWAI Weekly Action Alert #4 ---Please circulate widely--- Congressional Campaign Advocacy Alert #4 from the National Network to End the War Against Iraq (NNEWAI) "Sisters and brothers, I implore you to act according to your conscience and recognize that we are facing a national emergency: an impending war vote in Congress. If you oppose a U.S. 'pre-emptive' war in Iraq, then you must prepare to act this week. Otherwise, acting on your behalf, your elected representatives in Washington will consent to an atrocity that will do irreparable harm to the people of Iraq, international security, and to us as a nation. There comes a time when events overtake us, events of colossal importance. Now is the time to act. Not when it is too late." --Anonymous Gulf War Veteran, 9/22/2002 Join thousands of others on Tuesday, September 24th and call Your Senators and Congressional Representative. You can call Congress at the Capital Switchboard toll free at 1-800-839-5276 and ask to be connected to your member of Congress. Also, call Senator Majority leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) at: (202) 224-2321, House Minority leader Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) at: (202) 225-2671. If your member of Congress refuses to vote for peace, organize and paricipate in non-violent demonstrations and sit-ins at their local offices, forums, and town meetings. TELL THEM: DON'T GIVE PRESIDENT BUSH A BLANK CHECK! VOTE "NO" ON THE WAR RESOLUTION! JOIN THE ANTI-WAR COALITION SIGN ON TO THE ANTI-WAR RESOLUTION HCR 473 TAKE A STAND FOR PEACE: OPPOSE THE ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE UN INSPECTIONS. TALKING POINTS: Despite the constant repetition of unsubstantiated allegations as truths by high level cabinet members, the Bush Adminstration has presented still failed to present any evidence linking Iraq to Al-Qaida, or any tangible evidence that Iraq is reconstituting its weapons of mass destruction programs, or that Iraq poses an "immanent threat" to the United States. Iraq's recent decision to accept weapons inspectors without conditions is still on the table. Iraqi Foreign Minister Sabri has said that Iraq has nothing to hide. The United States should pursue peace and allow the UN weapons inspections to confirm that the minister is telling the truth. Iraq's rejection of new and tougher UN Security Council Resolutions must be dealt with by negotiations, not war. Our government must honor previous UN agreements that recognize the sovereignty of Iraq. Secretary of State Rumsfeld has already rejected the Iraqi statements; see; http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/21/iraq.un/indes.html For additional Talking Points see: "Why the US Should Not Invade Iraq": http://www.endthewar.org/frontps/whynotinvade.htm BACKGROUND AND FURTHER STEPS: 1. NO BLANK CHECK FOR BUSH: September 19, 2002, "Further Resolution on Iraq", submitted to Congress by President George Bush, United States Congress At the House International Relations Hearings on Thursday, September 19, Committee members revealed that the Administration had begun circulating a joint resolution entitled the "Further Resolution on Iraq". Section 2 of the Resolved paragraphs asks for "AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES", The full resolved paragraph is as follows: The President is authorized to use all means that he determines to be appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolutions referenced above, defend the national security interests of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore international peace and security in the region. NNEWAI Response: Critique of the Resolution: This resolution states that the President is to be given the power necessary to enforce existing UN Security Council resolutions. There are two issues here. First, President Bush is at the same time applying pressure to the UN Security Council to pass newer and tougher language. If he succeeds, this congressional resolution could be voided. But more importantly, the resolution purports to give President Bush the authority to enforce UN Security Council resolutions. The resolution thus stands in violation of Articles 39-42 of the UN Charter, which make it absolutely clear that only the UN Security Council has the authority to determine if there is a threat to the peace and to decide which measures are necessary to enforce its resolutions and restore international peace. The WHEREAS clauses of the resolution are full of distortions, outright falsehoods, and speculation. The administration alleges that Iraq would transfer weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations (there is no evidence to support this allegation, it is pure speculation), accuses the Iraqi regime of continuing hostility toward the United States by firing on the US airplanes that enforce the no-fly zones (US planes that illegally violate Iraqi
New Vieques Site Address - www.viequessupport.org [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "V S C" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: New V.S.C. Web Site! Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 18:14:27 -0400 Vieques Support Campaign Web Site www.viequessupport.org E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] NO TO RACISM IMPERIALIST WAR! U.S. NAVY OUT OF VIEQUES ALL OF PUERTO RICO! __ WE HAVE A NEW WEB SITE! The Vieques Support Campaign now has a new Web Site on its own domain. We are no longer at http://palfrente.tripod.com. Visit us now on the Internet at www.viequessupport.org. For continual information on how to get involved in the struggle to get the U.S. Navy out of Vieques, against colonialism in Puerto Rico, racism in the U.S. and the fight for liberation everywhere, visit the Vieques Support Campaign on the Internet. Help build this vital source of information. Contribute articles, pictures, your technical skills, etc. This is a Web Site for all of us to utilize in our quest for freedom. Visit us now at www.viequessupport.org Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's, speech Goodbye to all that [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG
Original Message Subject: Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's, speech "Goodbye to all that" Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 00:10:25 -0700 From: sharon cotrell [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: LBAPN 1 [EMAIL PROTECTED]Hi All,Thanks much to Ken for sending this summing up and farewell speech of US House of Representative who just lost her seat. I have included his forward to the essay. I echo his hope that it will inform and inspire us to "act resolutely from this point on in opposition to the crazies running our government today."A firestorm of criticism, even hate, resulted when McKinney courageously asked, the "simple question": "What did the Bush Administration know and when did it know it." Below she details what is now known.I have excerpted her last sentence. Instantly I thought of the young anarchists at the Infoshop. Then I thought of the 35-45 of us on 2nd St. in Belmont Shores last night saying "Stop the War Before It Starts! Stay out of Iraq. " I thought of the many, many who were so glad we were there. Some said, "I was beginning to think I was the only one opposed." The butttons, bumper stickers went fast. And we may find, that we learn most of all from those political and social dissenters whose differences with us are most grave:for among the young, as among adults, the sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country." What a shame to loose this woman who took the unpopular stance. This kind of real leadership is so rare and so needed. Do yourself a favor and read this and pass it on. See you at the next peace vigil Friday--7 p.m. in front of Washington Mutual on 2nd St in Belmont Shares--.a couple blocks east of the Post Office. Sharon Cotrell 562-433-7025.From: "Kenneth Reiner" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 10:13:56 -0700So much is coming out these days about our country and it's suppression of facts and people. This statement of Cynthia McKinney, who I've adnmired for quite a while now, is so revealing it makes one want to cry, to scream and hopefully act resolutely from this point on in opposition to the crazies running our government today along those same lines, only more so. September 18, 2002Goodbye to All Thatby Rep. Cynthia McKinney[This is a transcript of Rep. McKinney's remarks on September 14 atthe reception for the Congressional Black Caucus.]This is an important week for all of us, although it isa particularly important week for me. This week we had three very successful Braintrusts: Afro-Latinos and their rising tide of political empowerment all over Latin America; Hip Hop Power and the importance of Hip Hop as a communications medium in the absence of a real communications industry other than Radio One now, inside our community, owned by our community spreading the good news about our community; And finally, COINTELPRO II: The Murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. where we learned that there really are linkages between the murders of JFK, MLK, and RFK. And that the COINTELPRO process was "to neutralize" the black leader--in the words of the CIA--assassinate, and then replace that leader with someone whose skin color was black, but whose loyalty was to their plan and not us. Yesterday, Judge Joe Brown told us unequivocally that the so-called murder rifle was NOT the weapon that killed Dr. King. So, I think we did some very important work in these three braintrusts, connecting, communicating, and educating. And at least for the next two years, I will not be at the CBC Weekend as a Member of the House of Representatives. As everybody probably knows by now, I didn't cross the finish line first this time. Despite the fact that I easily won the Democratic vote, 40,000 Republicans maliciously crossed over and overtook the Democratic Primary. And because AIPAC had telegraphed in newspaper articles that they were going to target both Earl Hilliard and me, the Democratic Party was paralyzed. Therefore, if Alabama represents the heart of the civil rights movement and Georgia represents its brain, the black body politic has sustained a mortal blow. What does this portend for the future of independent black leadership in this country, particularly given what we learned really happened during the COINTELPRO period, and what will happen soon now that the USA Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and the Funding for the War on Terrorism Act have significantly changed the legal landscape. The Operation TIPS program of John Ashcroft, by the way, is nothing new in the annals of the FBI, but executive authority always seemed to be there to override such ambitions. That's not the case now. And so, I'm proud of the votes I cast against those bills and I'm proud of the legislation I've authored that really does seek to move our country forward. For instance, the legislation to override the President's executive Order denying our troops their rightfully earned overtime pay. George Bush has asked our young men and women to make the ultimate
(Mother Jones) - Bush Family Value$ [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart: "Know thy enemy" From: John Roberts Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 4:03 PM Subject: Bush Family Value$ http://www.motherjones.com/news_wire/bushboys.html Bush Family Value$ The Bush clan's family business by Stephen Pizzo September/October 1992 In 1991, President Bush bristled at a flurry of news accounts that questioned the business ethics of three of his sons. "The media ought to be ashamed of itself for what they're doing," Bush complained. "They [the boys] have a right to make a living, and their relationships are appropriate," added a White House spokeswoman in June 1992. Since George Bush has raised "family values" as a campaign issue repeatedly, though, it seems only fair to take a look at his own family. A computer search showed that over the past five years stories have periodically surfaced chronicling the individual business antics of the president's sons -- each riding comfortably through life in the slipstream of his father's growing power and influence. Although a handful of good reporters for the New York Times, LA Times, Village Voice, and Wall Street Journal have diligently been digging through business records for months, something has been missing: an overview that "connects the dots" in the myriad deals that have been examined, making it clear that cashing in on influence has become a pattern of behavior extending through the first family. Instead of criticizing reporters, the president might more wisely begin listening to those in government who have watched his sons with mounting worry. A year ago, I sat across a desk from a Secret Service agent who had been assigned to Bush-family security. I rattled off the names of a half-dozen questionable characters who had found their way into business deals with the Bush boys. How had these characters been allowed to get even close to the president's sons? The agent slumped back in his chair and sighed. "We warn them," he said in a whisper. "But that's all we can do. We can't stop these kids from associating with someone they want to be with. All we can do after warning them is to sweep these guys with metal detectors when they come around." What follows is a sourcebook of concerns about the president's three sons. George W. Bush, Jr. None of George Bush's offspring is more his father's son than George W. Bush. George Jr., or "Shrub" as Molly Ivins refers to him, began his own Texas oil career in the mid-1970s when he formed Bush Exploration. Like the business dealings of his brothers, George's company was not a success, and it was rescued in 1983 by another oil company, Spectrum 7, run by several staunch and well-heeled Reagan-Bush supporters. But by mid-1986, a soft oil market found Spectrum also near bankruptcy. Many oil companies went belly-up during that time. But Spectrum had one asset the others lacked -- the son of the vice-president. Rescue came in 1986 in the form of Harken Energy, just in the nick of time. Harken absorbed Spectrum, and, in the process, Junior got $600,000 worth of Harken stock in return for his Spectrum shares. He also won a lucrative consulting contract and stock options. In all, the deal would put well over $1 million in his pocket over the next few years -- even though Harken itself lost millions. Harken Energy was formed in l973 by two oilmen who would benefit from a successful covert effort to destabilize Australia's Labor Party government (which had attempted to shut out foreign oil exploration). A decade later, Harken was sold to a new investment group headed by New York attorney Alan G. Quasha, a partner in the firm of Quasha, Wessely Schneider. Quasha's father, a powerful attorney in the Philippines, had been a staunch supporter of then-president Ferdinand Marcos. William Quasha had also given legal advice to two top officials of the notorious Nugan Hand Bank in Australia, a CIA operation. After the sale of Harken Energy in 1983, Alan Quasha became a director and chairman of the board. Under Quasha, Harken suddenly absorbed Junior's struggling Spectrum 7 in 1986. The merger immediately opened a financial horn of plenty and reversed Junior's fortunes. But like his brother Jeb, Junior seemed unconcerned about the characters who were becoming his benefactors. Harken's $25 million stock offering in 1987, for example, was underwritten by a Little Rock, Arkansas, brokerage house, Stephens, Inc., which placed the Harken stock offering with the London subsidiary of Union Bank -- a bank that had surfaced in the scandal that resulted in the downfall of the Australian Labor government in 1976 and, later, in the Nugan Hand Bank scandal. (It was also Union Bank, according to congressional hearings on international money laundering, that helped the now-notorious Bank of Credit and Commerce International skirt Panamanian money-laundering laws by flying cash out of the country in private jets, and that was used by Ferdinand Marcos to stash 325 tons of
Video of Bush at Booker Proves 9-11 Attack Was No Surprise [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
From: "John Roberts" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fw: Video of Bush at Booker Proves 9-11 Attack Was No Surprise Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2002 22:25:12 -0400 - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 8:36 PM Subject: Video of Bush at Booker Proves 9-11 Attack Was No Surprise * Emperor's Clothes Email List * URL for this article is http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/vid.htm Join our email list at http://emperors-clothes.com/f.htm Receive articles from Emperor's Clothes Website === Video of Bush at Booker Proves 9-11 Attack Was No Surprise by Jared Israel [Posted 16 September 2002] === A video was shot of President Bush's visit to the Booker School on 9-11. The Booker School put a link to that video up on their Website for a while, then took it down. Copies of the video are available and you can view it. For instructions on viewing full video, go to http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/bvl.htm A short excerpt can be seen at http://emperor.vwh.net/bushvideo/bushshort.ram The best way to access this is right click on the link above and save the file to your hard drive ("save target as"). It's about 7 Megs. Then click on the icon and play it. You'll need RealPlayer, which you can download for free at http://www.real.com/products/player ** This Short Clip Is a Smoking Gun ** In the short clip Bush is seen sitting in a classroom observing a reading esson. Immediately Andrew Card, his Chief of Staff, hurries over and whispers something in his ear. Bush makes no reply. Andrew Card rushes off. What it is wrong with this picture? According to the official account, Andrew Card whispered that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center and there was a national emergency. Here's how Bush described that moment at a California Town Hall meeting January 5th: "Andy Card came and said, 'America is under attack.'" (1) If his Chief of Staff tells the President the country is under attack, the President would discuss it. He would ask questions. Demand more information. Leave the room. Meet with advisers. Do *something*. But Bush just sat there. The Chief of Staff is the President's *employee*. If he tells the President, "America is under attack" the President would *give him orders.* But Bush said nothing - not one word. And Andy Card didn't wait for instructions; he rushed away. What does this mean? It means Andy Card did not expect a response. It means he cannot have been informing Bush that an *unexpected* national attack was underway. It means he was giving Bush an update on the progress of a plan of which Bush was already aware, and he had to get back to work. And as for Bush, later in the short clip he is seen smiling and giving a pep talk to the children. In the full version, available at http://emperors clothes.com/indict/bvl.htm, you can see him cheering the students and then giving them a longer pep talk when the lesson is over. This is not the picture President stunned by a horrific event and confronted with an unexpected national emergency. This is the picture of treason. -- Jared Israel === Further Reading === (1) CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL 12:59 January 5, 2002 Saturday "Bush Speaks at Town Hall Meeting" By Jonathan Karl (2) 'Articles on 9-11' has a broad range of articles from Emperor's Clothes on what happened on 9-11 and why. Can be read at http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/911page.htm To subscribe to the Emperor's Clothes email list go to http://www.emperors-clothes.com/f.htm You will receive texts posted at Emperor's Clothes Send a link to this article to a friend! If you receive this article by email, copy and paste the following URL into your browser: mailto:ENTER FRIEND'S EMAIL ADDRESS HERE?subject=Here's a great article from emperors-clothes.com!body=I just read the following article which I thought you would find most interesting. Here's the address: http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/vid.htm === EMPEROR'S CLOTHES NEEDS YOUR HELP! === In order for Emperor's Clothes to continue publishing we urgently need your help. We rely entirely on contributions. We are behind on routine expenses such as rent, paying our computer guru and phone bills. If you would like Emperor's Clothes to continue exposing lies and providing facts and analysis beholden only to the truth, please send a contribution of whatever you can afford. When you contribute your hard-earned money to Emperor's Clothes you are taking a stand against the brutal forces wrecking havoc on our world. Here's how you can help: You can make a credit card donation by going to our secure server at http://emperors-clothes.com/howyour.html#donate You can make a donation using PayPal at https:[EMAIL PROTECTED]no_shipping=1 Or Mail a check to Emperor's Clothes, P.O. Box 610-321, Newton, MA 02461-0321. (USA) Or make a donation by phone 1 617 916-1705. Note: If you mail a
David Rockefeller Speaks - SATIRE By Victor Thorn [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Mrs. Jela Jovanovic" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: David Rockefeller Speaks - SATIRE By Victor Thorn Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 19:08:27 +0200 -Caveat Lector- http://www.bankindex.com/read.asp?ID=1222 David Rockefeller Speaks satire by Victor Thorn Breaking News: Late last night, President George Bush admitted to The Economist magazine that not only did he and other members of his Cabinet know about the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, but that they also allowed them to happen so that American oil companies could further maximize their profits in the Middle East and Caspian Region of Turkmenistan. Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, confirmed this startling revelation to the Washington Post by saying that the airplanes in question were never actually hijacked, but were flown via remote-control into the each skyscraper and the Pentagon while military jets were ordered to stand-down until this atrocity took place. In another part of the world, Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, held a press conference in Harare, Zimbabwe where he confessed that the AIDS virus did not happen accidentally, but was rather created by the World Health Organization in unison with rogue elements of the United States military in order to deliberately kill tens of millions of innocent people (or useless eaters as they are called behind closed-doors). Annan further elaborated by saying that this genocidal program will continue indefinitely until enough of the herd has been thinned. While this startling news unfolded, CBS Evening News Anchor Dan Rather broke into regularly scheduled prime-time programming to announce that the very foundation of American society our right to a democratic vote has been declared null-and-void, and that the American people have been bamboozled for the past twenty years via Votescam. In other words, Rather said matter-of-factly, every President in recent memory has been selected beforehand by a group of hidden Controllers, while the process of voting at the ballot boxes has been nothing but a ruse. While all of these events took place, Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, sat before Congress under the glare of television cameras and laid it all on the line. He said in no uncertain terms that the Federal Reserve is a privately-owned, for-profit corporation, and that his international banker bosses laugh until their stomachs hurt every day over the tax system theyve created to pad their already overflowing pockets. Greenspan even went so far as to quote a Rothschild family member as saying, The people of America, and indeed the world, are dumkopfs (idiots). They slave away at OUR companies and make US rich; then before we throw them a few scraps via their paychecks, we take our money first. Hell, we dont even take it we STEAL it anywhere from ¼ to 1/3 right off the bat. They dont even see it. And every year we raise their taxes and take even more! And what do they do about it? Nothing. They dont even fight back. All of the congressmen laughed uproariously as they left this session and hopped into their limousines, which took them to fancy steak and lobster houses. George Tenet, CIA Director, got into the act by telling syndicated radio talk-show host Mike Gallagher his agency will increase its black-budget drug-trafficking practices while the FBI at the same time bolsters it War on Drugs. In other words, he said that while the CIA keeps bringing drugs into the country, the Justice Department will keep throwing the users into jail. He even said that President Bush might bring back Nancy Reagans Just Say No program for good measure. As this news flashed across computer screens the world over, David Rockefeller sat in a plush European boardroom with members of the Rothschild, Morgan, Warburg, and Bronfman families. And even though the above-mentioned revelations were highly damaging to the ruse they had perpetuated for decades, none seemed worried. Mr. Rockefeller began with an air of superiority. Why should we be concerned? Do you know what everyone on the Internet is going to do? What? one of his shadowy cohorts replied. Theyre going to tap out a message on their keyboards, then rifle it off into cyberspace. Then someone else will read it, post it on a message board; and continue tapping away. Hell, we rammed two jets into the World Trade Center, and now they know the truth about what weve done! THEY KNOW THE TRUTH! Its the same as when we blew-up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and made Timothy McVeigh our fall-guy. But what are they going to do? Send more messages on their silly computers! Its a riot. Plus, weve also admitted that we actually STEAL their money via taxation, that we CREATED the AIDS virus to kill them off, that their votes DONT matter, and that were going to start shipping their sons and daughters off to another Vietnam War in Iraq to DIE so that WE can make more
Fwd: Now They Check the Books You Read [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE. == Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 08:17:30 -0400 From: "Griann Ní Ghúilín" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Now They Check the Books You Read 16 September 2002 Now They Check the Books You Read by Joan E. Bertin, Newsday In the post 9/11 world, there is undoubtedly a government official whose job is to invent innocuous-sounding, if not reassuring, acronyms for government initiatives against terrorism. Operation TIPS is a case in point. The Terrorism Information and Prevention System will recruit millions of utility, transportation and other workers to report on "potentially unusual or suspicious activity in public places." In other words, Operations TIPS is using private citizens to spy on each other. The Bush administration's reliance on acronyms with public-relations punch was apparent as early as last October when, still reeling from the events of Sept. 11, it proposed and Congress swiftly passed the USA Patriot Act ("The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism" Act of 2001). Like Operation TIPS, the label doesn't tell the whole story. Among the less well-known aspects of the Patriot Act are provisions permitting the Justice Department to obtain information secretly from booksellers and librarians about customers' and patrons' reading, Internet and book-buying habits, merely by alleging that the records are relevant to an anti-terrorism investigation. The act prohibits librarians and booksellers from disclosing these subpoenas, so the objects of investigation don't know and therefore cannot defend themselves and their privacy, or contest the government's actions in court. In a sample of 1,000 libraries responding to a survey last February, 85 reported receiving requests to turn over information about patrons to police or FBI agents. We have no way to know how many other libraries, and how many booksellers, received similar requests. We don't know how many requests were made under the Patriot Act, because of its secrecy provisions. What we do know is that the Patriot Act authorizes the government to obtain information secretly from librarians and booksellers about customers' and patrons' interests and activities, and that law enforcement officials are seeking such information. The Justice Department has refused to provide any data about these investigations, even to Congress. Librarians and booksellers have voiced their dismay at being conscripted, under court order and threat of prosecution, to report covertly on their patrons and customers. Secretly obtaining information about what people read, to try to figure out what they think, undermines more than privacy; it threatens core First Amendment principles, as many librarians and booksellers understand. The Constitution clearly protects the right to read a book, embrace an idea or express a thought even an unpopular or "unpatriotic" book, idea or thought. The freedom of thought and _expression is so fundamental to our democracy that, as the Supreme Court recently noted, the "government may not prohibit speech because it increases the chance an unlawful act will be committed 'at some indefinite future time.'" In so holding, the court relied on the "vital distinction between words and deed, between ideas and conduct." In other words, the government is free to prohibit and punish illegal conduct, but may not criminalize ideas or punish people for their thoughts. Perversely, under the Patriot Act, reading certain books or researching certain topics both constitutionally protected activities now apparently provide grounds for criminal investigation. The Justice Department's recent decision to repeal the domestic terrorism surveillance guidelines unmistakably sends this signal. The guidelines were adopted in 1976 in response to revelations that, under the infamous COINTELPRO ("counterintelligence") program, civil rights and anti-war activists who were neither accused nor suspected of crimes became targets of government investigation because of their outspoken criticism of government policies. To prevent such abuses, the 1976 guidelines authorized surveillance of political, religious and other groups only if there was actual evidence of criminal activity. Without this restriction, covert surveillance of political dissidents with no known connection to criminal activity is bound to resume. According to a brief recently filed by the Justice Department in defense of secret immigration hearings, the "First Amendment creates no general right of access to government information or operations." The gag order imposed on librarians and booksellers goes even further in withholding information from the object of an investigation. As a result, proceedings under the act will be shrouded in secrecy, not only making it impossible for targeted individuals to counter the government's allegations, but also preventing the public at large from making an
(Michel Colon) Will it be the war of the thieves? [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: Michel COLLON [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 12:22 AM Subject: [anti-imperialist] F3 War: in fact against OPEC, Europe, Russia, China... Will it be the war of the thieves? Today, El Pais (Spain) explains this very cynically : "EE.UU. will share Iraqi oil with the countries who will participate in the war". If Paris and Moscow take part in the agression, they will receive a (small) part of the cake, i.e. a few contracts with the new regime, "made in Washington". If not, they will be excluded. So everybody admits it is a colonial war, to plunder the raw materials. It is also a war against "friends-rivals" : France and Europe, Russia...Because of the economic crisis, the rivalry will become deeper and deeper. Bush is openly blackmailing about the E.U. access to oil. But the danger goes further. Actually, Washington fears to lose the control of Saudi Arabia (N° 1 oil reserves in the world). Anxious because of the growing dissatisfaction of the Arab world, Washington wants therefore to take complete control of the N° 2 in oil reserves. This would allow the US multinationals to make the prices lower and declare economic war to OPEC (OPEP), i.e. a lot of "too independent" countries : Iran, Venezuela... If these countries lose their revenues, Washington hopes to bring them on their knees and impose its globalization. War is also against the Palestinians. Because Iraq already proposed to boycott oil exports as a pressure against Sharon's policy. Venezuela and others are ready to accept. But Rambush's war has another dimension: China also signed contracts with Baghdad. CIA asserts that China with its fantastic growth might reach the same economic level as the USA around 2015 or 2020. Blocking its access to the oil of Middle East, and also to the gas of Central Asia (war against Afghanistan), installing military bases everywhere is the preparation of economic, political and military blockade against China. What a wonderful world, Mr Bush! Blackmailing so openly and cynically is not a sign of force but a sign of moral isolation and weakness. So everybody in Europe may now ask to his government: are you really going to march in this war of the thieves ? --Michel Collon [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Please FORWARD this mail to as many people as possible. TRANSLATE it if you can. DISCUSS it around you. DON'HATE the media, be the media! STOP the war, as the Vietnam war was stopped. END OF MAIL** Liste de diffusion d'informations anti-imperialistes et anti-OTAN du domaine chiffonrouge.org. langues: anglais, francais, espagnol. --- http://chiffonrouge.org http://lesdamnesdukosovo.chiffonrouge.org, le site de Présentation du Film de Michel Collon et Vanessa Stojilkovic "Les Damnés du Kosovo" http://spip.chiffonrouge.org, les news et articles de fond anti-impérialistes et de gauche, en français, anglais et espagnol- inscrivez-vous comme éditeur(trice) ! http://luxfiat.chiffonrouge.org http://otan99.chiffonrouge.org http://w3.chiffonrouge.org http://poltext.chiffonrouge.org ---Desinscription: envoyez un message a: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pour obtenir de l'aide, ecrivez a: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ¥¥¥ Vous pouvez soutenir CHIFFONROUGE.ORG en versant, en tout anonymat, une somme forfaitaire de 16 euros qui correspond aux frais mensuels de présence de notre site chez altern.org. De cette somme, pas un cent n'est reversé aux administrateurs de chiffonrouge.org, qui travaillent pour ce site bénévolement. La totalité couvre l'hébergement chez notre fournisseur d'espace web pour 1 mois. Ce soutien nous permettra de consacrer nos efforts à la mise en place de nouveaux documents, fonctionnalités et options multimédia sur chiffonrouge.org. Soutenez notre action ! Préparez votre carte bancaire internationale et rendez vous sur: http://w3.chiffonrouge.org/soutien.html et cliquez sur le bouton. Envoyez-nous un mail à [EMAIL PROTECTED], seulement si vous souhaitez nous informer d'un versement (SVP-n'indiquer dans ce mail AUCUNE information confidentielle portant sur votre carte bancaire). Merci de votre soutien. + Notre site et nos listes sont protégés par les antivirus de dernière génération. Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! News - Today's headlines
SREBRENICA [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
-Original Message-From: Gregory Elich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 7:36 AMTo: Jim YarkerSubject: SrebrenicaHi Jim, Ken Freeland asked me about Srebrenica (what happened?)Thought you might be interested in my response.Greg- Original Message -From: "Gregory Elich" [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: "Ken Freeland" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 7:31 AMSubject:Srebrenica As you know, Srebrenica has been the subject of one of the mostrelentless propaganda campaigns. Unfortunately, it is not so easy toseparate fact from propaganda in this case, as there has been very little independent research. I have quite a bit of material, and have made a real ffort to determine as best I can what happened, but even I can't say for ure exactly what happened. I do have some general ideas, even if I lack exact details in some aspects. First, to understand what happened in Srebrenica, one must look at the context. That is, in 1993, Bosnian Muslim troops based in Srebrenica launched raids on Serbian villages in the surrounding area. Muslim troops, led by their commander, Naser Oric, burned down many Serbian villages, slaughtering the inhabitants. The villagers were murdered in quite horrific ways: beheaded, tortured and severely mutilated. In the late spring of 1993, counter-attacking Bosnian Serb forces took back the burned villages, and discovered several mass graves. As the graves were unearthed,it was obvious that the Serbian civilians had been mutilated before being killed. Bosnian Serb forces were determined in 1993 to take Srebrenica and put in end to these sort of war crimes. I have several articles detailing the condition of the corpses from these mass graves, and I can ensure you that what was done to those civilians was horrible beyond imagining. In all, over 1,300 murdered Serbian civilians were unearthed from these mass graves, victims we never hear about. I also have interview articles with ZoranStankovich, the head of the war crimes committee we visited in Belgrade (he was out of town the day we visited). I really wanted to ask the committee about this as well as other sites that Zoran Stankovich had worked on in Bosnia. There is also a Washington Post article in which Naser Oricbragged to the reporter about slaughtering Serb civilians, and played him a video of beheaded and mutilated Serb civilians. Entertainment, I suppose. Anyway, as Serb forces closed in on Srebrenica, there was panic inWashington. Immediately, NATO threatened to bomb Bosnian Serb territory if the Serb forces continued their offensive against Srebrenica. This threat stopped the Serb offensive. Some time later, the UN declared Srebrenica a "safe area," which would be immune from attack and would be provided with aid. There were other "safe areas" as well. What they all had in common was that Bosnian Muslim forces within the safe areas could keep their weapons and carry out offensive actions, but Bosnian Serb forces wererequired to refrain from action against these areas. During the "safe area" period, Naser Oric ran Srebrenica as his personal fiefdom. Humanitarian aid was confiscated by him and sold on the blackmarket. He made huge sums of money. I also have an interview with aBosnian Muslim woman from this period, in which she talks about how she and many other Muslim women were forced into prostitution by Oric's men. Again, another profitable venture. Dissent was also severely punished by Oric, as he essentially terrorized his own civilians. In the spring and early summer of 1995, Oric again launched raids onsurround In the spring and early summer of 1995, Naser Oric once again launched raids on surrounding Serbian villages, burning them to the ground and murdering the inhabitants. This was too much, and Bosnian Serb forcespushed Oric's forces back into Srebrenica. Some prominent Bosnian Muslim politicians later accused Bosnian Muslim president Alija Izetbegovich of intentionally giving up Srebrenica knowing that there would be retribution, and that executions would make excellent propaganda. I cannot say for sure whether or not Izetbegovich ordered that Srebrenica be abandoned, although there are indications. What we do know is that there were skirmishes along the outskirts of the town, and that one night Naser Oric, his officers, and most of his troops slipped out of the town. The next day, a small force of 200 Bosnian Serb forces found that the town lay open before them. There are reports that there was a battle within Srebrenica between those Muslim troops which wanted to surrender and those which did not. It seems there was such a battle, but I have not been able to determine the scale of death. So some deaths resulted from this battle, although probably the scale was small. Anway, the force of 200 Bosnian Serb troops entered and took Srebrenica virtually without a fight. Soon, another 500 Serb troops joined them. Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic offered the remaining Muslim
Fwd: Well Done! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "I. Gleanngheimhridh" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 11:59:59 +0100 Subject: well done! South Korean businessman killed in Kyrgyz capital An armed attack on the Bishkek office of the South Korean company Paniel killed five of its employees and seriously wounded two, the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry reported on Thursday. According to law enforcers, the attack was staged on Wednesday.Two young men disguised as women walked into the company's office in the center of the Kyrgyz capital and opened fire at its employees. According to preliminary information, the South Korean company selected young girls and sent them abroad as "dancers". That was why no one thought of stopping two girls dressed in summer frocks when they walked into the office. The owner of the company, 50-year-old Yi Chong-kun, his wife and two Kyrgyz employees died on the spot. Another woman died en route to hospital. Law enforcers have set up an investigating team consisting of the best specialists from the Bishkek Interior Department and the Kyrgyz interior ministry. Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
Palestinian Women Political Prisoners [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Vicki Andrada" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Undisclosed-Recipient@, Subject: Fw: Palestinian Women Political Prisoners Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 12:40:36 -0400 - Original Message - From: VoicesOfPalestine.org (Alert) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 4:08 AM Subject: Palestinian Women Political Prisoners Palestinian Women Political Prisoners As 9f June 2003, there were 28 Palestinian women political detainees held in Ramle Prison. They are being held in the same section as Isreal criminal prisoners and live under very difficult conditions. These conditionshave worsoned dramatically since the beginning of the Intifada and prison guards have repeatedly raided their cells, beating and attacking the female detainees. Th prison administration pressures the women detainees through the following means: Raiding the cells and beating the prisoners Reducing the recess time from four hours to two hours. Inspections and confiscation of their belongings. Depriving them from sending letters or seeing their families. Preventing them from using the telephone. Deprived from receiving items allowed by the prison administration. Testimony recorded in writing under oath about torture Muna Husni Qa'dan Dar Hussein from Araba- Jenin "I was arrested on 15 February 1999 at a military checkpoint between Araba and Jenin while I was on my way to work; I am a director of a kindergarten called "Baraim Ilnur". The taxi, which I was in with other passengers, was stopped and I was asked to show my identity card, then I was told that I was under arrest. I was taken to Dutan where I was held in custody for five hours, then I was taken to Al Jalami prison; the interrogation center. There my hands and feet were tied and a sack was place over my head. This went on for five continuous hours every day, except for a period when this went on from Sunday to Thursday. My legs and hands were tied to a chair and a sack was placed over my head and a pair of glasses was placed on my eyes all the time. Loud music was playing in the background in the interrogation center, which I can't describe because a sack was covering my head. The interrogation was carried out at night until the morning, which prevented me from sleeping, sometimes I fell asleep during interrogation (on Saturdays and Sundays I slept in the cell). During the interrogation there was a male interrogator accompanied by a female soldier, every time a different male interrogator. The main interrogator's name was 'Abu Munir' and the other interrogators whom I can remember their names were named 'Sinuy', 'Peres' and 'Segal'. They cursed me using abusive words and against my religious belief and me. They hit me once when they brought my phone book from my handbag and the interrogator Abu Munir asked me to read it. I read it many times but when he kept bothering me by asking me to read it over and over again I tore it up and threw it in the garbage. Abu Munir hit me on my hands and I hit him back on his face and tore his shirt. The interrogator always threatened me with administrative detention. In one interrogation session Abu Munir came to interrogate me on Friday and Saturday nights. He told me that they arrested people who confessed about me so I told him I have nothing to confess. Then he told me that I was given an administrative detention sentence for six months and that I will be taken to Al Jalami prison on Sunday. He threatened me to extend my administrative detention for many times. On the fourteenth day of interrogation they brought my brother Muawia (held at Megiddo prison). I was brought to him in the interrogation room and we were left alone for two hours. They told him to pressurize me so that I confess or eat (I went on a hunger strike since the first day of my arrest). They tempted me by bringing another woman on the second day of interrogation. She claimed that she was from Nazareth and was named Abeer Abed. She asked me about the reason why I was held in custody but I told her that I had nothing to say. She said that she was arrested because she was in the "Islamic Jihad". She spent two nights with me in the cell. Then she was taken somewhere and returned ten days later. When I asked where she had been she said that she was sick and was taken to Al Ramli for treatment, I realized that she was a collaborator. On Wednesday, 10 March 1999 my friend Asma'a was arrested and put in a cell next to my cell. I knew that it was she because a police officer asked about my name then asked her about her name so I realized that she was there. I was not allowed to wash or change my clothes all the time. I pushed them to let me bathe because I needed it so they let me bathe once without soap, only with water. After the attorney Sahar's visit to me on 7 March 1999 when I was on a hunger strike, she told me that I could ask for milk. After asking for milk several times, I was given a glass of it on the
Yet Two More Arrests Of CP of Spain (Reconstituted) members [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.U
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- From: Irina Malenko [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:Fw: Yet two more arrests of CPE(r) (CP of Spain (reconstituted)) Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 17:09:20 +0100 - Original Message - From: democrite [EMAIL PROTECTED] La Forge [EMAIL PROTECTED]; lgossel Sent: 22 July 2002 21:07 Subject: Yet two more arrests of CPE(r) (CP of Spain (reconstituted)) Two more militants fo the Communist Party of Spain (reconstuted) (PCE(r)) arrested in Spain. The wave of arrests that begun on the 18 of July brings their number to 17 Nine in Paris, seven in Madrid and one in Vitoria (Basque country). Solidarity urgently required. Alexandre Moumbaris Les Editions Democrite publient un mensuel en francais Les dossiers du BIP avec des traductions d'articles provenant de la presse communiste(grecque, allemande, anglaise, turque, russe, espagnole, portugaise...)sur des evenements qui interessent des lecteurs communistes. Editions Democrite, 52, bld Roger Salengro, 93190 LIVRY-GARGAN, FRANCE e-mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com --- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^
Gaza: U.S supplied, Israeli F-16's Deliberately Bomb Apartment Building - 7 Chi
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Subject:Fw: [AL-AWDA-News] Israeli War Crime In Gaza Strip: F-16 Warplanes Deliberately Bomb Apartment Building Killing Seven Children Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 15:38:18 -0400 - Original Message - From: Zahi Damuni To: Al-Awda News Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 7:06 AM Subject: [AL-AWDA-News] Israeli War Crime In Gaza Strip: F-16 Warplanes Deliberately Bomb Apartment Building Killing Seven Children From: DCI/PS [EMAIL PROTECTED] For immediate release 23 July 2002 ref: 0019/02 ISRAELI WAR CRIMES IN GAZA STRIP: F-16 WARPLANES DELIBERATELY BOMB APARTMENT BUILDING KILLING SEVEN CHILDREN Last night the Israeli air force bombed a residential building with F-16 warplanes in Gaza City killing at least 10 civilians, among them seven children. According to information provided to DCI/PS by Shifa Hospital in Gaza, the children who were killed in the attack were:* Subhe Mahmoud Al Huwaiti, (age unknown but between 3-5 years) Mahmoud Mahmoud Al Huwaiti (age unknown but between 3-5 years) Ahmed Mohammed S hawa (3 years old) Dina Ra'id Matar (2 months old) Mohammed Ra'id Matar (4 years old) Ayman Ra'id Matar (2 years old) Ala Mohammed Matar (11 years old) *This information is correct at the time of issuing this press release, however it is quite possible that the number of dead will increase. In addition to these seven children, at least three adults were killed in the attack. An additional 17 children were wounded, thirteen of them under the age of 12. According to eyewitness reports from Gaza, two F-16 two-storey residential building at around midnight as the residents were sleeping. One bomb was dropped on the building which reduced it to rubble and also destroyed walls of more than ten surrounding buildings. The killing of 10 people, among them seven children, as they slept is a war crime of the highest magnitude. Israel clearly knew that they were bombing a residential building which housed several families. There is no excuse or justification for this crime that deliberately targeted and killed innocent civilians. The killing of the seven children brings the total number of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip killed by Israeli soldiers thisany year since the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967. The deaths last night confirm three trends noted by DCI/PS over the last three years: 1. The Israeli military is killing an increasing number of children. In the first seven months of this year, 117 children have been killed. This number exceeds the number killed each year in 2001 and 2000. In the year 2000, 105 children were killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers, in 2001 this figure Every year since 1990, Palestinian children have made up over 20% of total Palestinian deaths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 2. The Israeli military is killing younger children. In the first seven months of the year 2002, 48% of Palestinian children killed were aged 12 __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com --- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^
Solidarity With Cuba - Statement from the Communist Party of Canada [WWW.STOPN
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Forward from mart. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE Solidarity With Cuba - Statement from the Communist Party of Canada === From: CPC [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Recipient List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject:Re: Solidarity with Cuba Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 15:18:15 -0400 July 22, 2002 Re: Cuba Solidarity Dear Comrades, As you are well aware, the U.S. government has recently stepped up economic, political, and ideological pressures on socialist Cuba. While U.S. imperialisms hostility to the free territory of the Americas dates back more than 40 years, the recent slate of anti-Cuban pronouncements by President George W. Bush and his administration are unprecedented and deeply troubling. Within a span of four weeks, Bush has made four outrageous speeches outlining greater hostility, virtually threatening military intervention. He has added Cuba to his by now infamous axis of evil list of countries. He has made the incredible and totally fabricated insinuation that Cuba is a bio-terrorist state. And in a most crude interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign country, the U.S. President has called for a change in the political, economic and social system in Cuba. Cuba, in short, is now most clearly one of the prime targets in the cross-hairs of the Bush Administrations war on terrorism. Nothing reveals the hypocrisy of this contrived campaign more than the plight of the Miami 5 the five Cuban nationals who are currently incarcerated (on life sentences) in U.S. prisons for the crime of attempting to foil terrorist acts against Cuba by reactionary and fascist anti-Cuban groups based in Florida. The statements by Bush, together with those of Vice-President Richard Cheney, Under Secretary of State for Latin America Otto Reich and others, not only constitute a sharp escalation in Washingtons anti-Cuban rhetoric; they may well portend more direct acts of adventurism even military aggression against socialist Cuba. The Cuban people and their socialist government have calmly but resolutely rebuffing Washingtons lies and slanders, and are multiplying efforts to defend their national sovereignty and the social and political gains of the Revolution. That heroic resistance, combined with the full mobilization of world public opinion, can frustrate imperialist designs against Cuba and stave off the danger of aggression and war in our hemisphere. As part of its anti-Cuban campaign, Washington is intensifying pressure on Canadas traditional policy of engagement towards Cuba. In the current prevailing conditions, when the Chrétien government increasingly defers to such pressures, and allows Canadian foreign and defense policy to be dictated by the White House, there is a real danger that Canadas historic relations with socialist Cuba will be irrevocably altered for the worse. Given these circumstances, it is absolutely incumbent on labour, the broad peace movement, and on all progressive, anti-imperialist and pro-peace forces across Canada to intensify our solidarity efforts with Cuba, and to oppose the bellicose, reactionary forces bent on undermining Canada-Cuba relations. Today, anti-imperialist solidarity with socialist Cuba, and the struggle to defend Canadian sovereignty, is more closely bound together than ever before. * * * * * * * * In consideration of the above, the Central Executive Committee calls upon all Party Clubs and Committees to step up solidarity action with socialist Cuba. We would like to bring two initiatives in particular to your attention. First of all, at the end of July, an important Solidarity Conference with Cuban Workers will be held in Windsor, Ontario. The three-day conference, co-sponsored by Worker-to-Worker, and the US/Cuba Labor Exchange, will bring together trade union representatives and activists from both the U.S. and Canada. Pedro Ross Leal, the President of the Confederation of Cuban Workers (CTC) and other Cuban labour officials, will be featured guests t the conference. The conference has been endorsed by such important national affiliates as CUPE, NUPGE, UFCW, and CUPW, among others. Newly-elected CLC Vice-President Barb Byers will also be a featured speaker. While organization of the conference is now in its final stages, we would urge that party activists, especially those in the trade union movement, give every possible support to this conference, and help to implement the proposals and initiatives which arise from it. Details about the conference are attached below. * * * * * * * * We would also like to alert all Party Clubs and Members to the convening of the first Canadian Cuban Solidarity Coordination Meeting, to be held in Ottawa from August 31 - September 2, 2002. The conference, which will bring together friendship and solidarity organizations from across English-speaking Canada
[WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 16:58:40 +0200 Subject:E9 Kosovo: a new film breaks the silence From: Michel COLLON [EMAIL PROTECTED] What's Happening in Kosovo today? A film that breaks the silence. Interview: Michel Collon and Vanessa Stojilkovic on their new film The Damned of Kosovo (Interview: Antoine Renard. Translation: Mick Collins) Chased from her apartment in Pristina, Maria would not have had a lifeexcept that she looked Albanian. Her nephew, an interpretor for the UN, was savagely murdered. Silvana's husband was kidnapped, and she hasn't had any news about him for two years. Stanimir's home was burned down. What do they have in common? They are Serbs and live, or rather survive, in Kosovo. Why don't the media talk more about this region occupied by NATO? The new film by Michel Collon and Vanessa Stojilkovic breaks the silence. And sounds an alarm to all people now threatened by these wars of globalization. . . . + How did this film come to be? Michel Collon. I did this report on Kosovo to get a first hand look at the current situation of the Serbs and other national minorities. I remembered what Bill Clinton said just as he began the bombing of Yugoslavia: Our resolve is the only hope for the people of Kosovo to be able to live in their own country. Imagine if we closed our eyes and if these people were massacred, right on NATO's doorstep. It would be discredited. Clinton spoke of the Albanians. But today, what about the Serbs and the other national minorities, the Roma [Gypsies], Gorans, Turks, Egyptians, Muslims . . . who have lived in Kosovo for centuries? Are they secure with 45,000 NATO troops in their country? And what did you see? Michel Collon. An accumulation of suffering that no one could imagine here. But the media don't speak to us about Kosovo anymore. Isn't the situation there under control? Michel Collon. Quite the contrary! What I saw was: bombing attacks, assassinations, expulsions and the destruction of homes, kidnappings and families in anguish, constant threats . . . The situation is overwhelming: A veritable ethnic cleansing that has run off a large part of the non-Albanian population and has terrorized those who've stayed. What were you able to show concretely? Michel Collon. About twenty interviews give the victims a chance to speak out. Their testimonies, dignified but full of emotion, brought tears to my eyes. It was absolutely necessary to pass on their tragic message. To break the media silence that currently surrounds Kosovo. Their fate is a terrible warning to all people: an occupation by the US, or by the NATO powers, is in no way a solution. On the contrary, it guarantees terrible suffering for all the people of these occupied regions. The presence of NATO troops has not put a stop to the violence? Michel Collon. Not only has it not stopped the violence, but the film shows several exclusive documents that reveal NATO's complicity with the authors of this violence: the militias of the KLA separatists. Did you have any problems in making the film? Michel Collon. Of course, in such a climate of terror, a Serb cameraman is risking his life if he films in a 'non-Albanian' zone. But I had the good fortune to work with a very motivated crew. Some very courageous people to whom I owe a great deal. Vanessa, how did you get involved in the project? Vanessa Stojilkovic. At 25, I had already tried several different jobs in the photographic media, including being an editor. After a contact through the internet, Michel Collon offered me the opportunity to re-start thewriting and editing of his film, which had broken down because of some health problems his previous director had. I accepted immediately. Because you're French but from Yugoslavia? Vanessa Stojilkovic. Yes and no. Yes, because in fact I had several members of my family who died or suffered terribly in this war. I was very distressed by it. Then, this film allowed me to fulfill the promise I had made to them down there: To bring the truth to the West. Unfortunately, many of them are already dead and others soon will be. The stress of the war and the bombing provoked enormous problems of hypertension that they didn't have the means to treat. And cancer is growing at an alarming rate. People are dying in misery. The toll of the war for all of Yugoslavia is not just reflected by the number of dead, but also by the physical and psychological conditions of those who survived. And their lack of any future. Michel Collon truly gave me a gift when he offered me the primary material of the interviews he put together. And his cogent analyses that tie this war, in such a clear fashion, to the movement for globalization. In assembling and shaping this material, I was able to give voice to my pain, to keep my promise, and to grieve.
Stop The Bomn Where It Starts - Aug 3 Livermore Rally [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart. -Please distribute widely and particularly to friends and contacts in Southern California and vacinity From: Shundahai Network [EMAIL PROTECTED]Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 10:28:34 -0600To: Shundahai Network [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: STOP THE BOMB WHERE IT STARTS! AUG. 3 LIVERMORE RALLY||Action for Nuclear Abolition, October 5 -15, 2002www.actionfornuclearabolition.org http://www.actionfornuclearabolition.org/ 800-471-4737, [EMAIL PROTECTED]|| BREAK THE SILENCE ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS Livermore Lab is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the slogan: Making History. Making a Difference. Under contract to the University of California, the Livermore and Los Alamos Labs have designed and tested every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. That work is still going on today. The Nuclear Posture Review identifies new scenarios in which the U.S. might use nuclear weapons, and advanced weapons concept teams have been established at the Labs to dream up more useable nuclear weapons.For more than 50 years, the world has been held hostage to the threat of nuclear annihilation. While ordinary people around the world overwhelmingly support nuclear disarmament, their voices have been silenced by a handful of governments led by our own who claim for themselves the right to possess and threaten the use of nuclear weapons of mass destruction in the name of national security. Twenty years ago, thousands of nonviolent protesters converged on Livermore Lab to demonstrate against the nuclear arms race. Now, instead of liquidating the legacy of the Cold War, the Bush administrations real nuclear weapons agenda is fewer, but newer. The conflict between India and Pakistan demonstrates anew that the fate of our planet is at stake. Nuclear weapons must be abolished. We must break the silence and make our voices heard. STOP THE BOMB WHERE IT STARTS Remember Hiroshima and NagasakiCommemorate 20 years of Nonviolent Resistance RALLY and MARCH to LIVERMORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS LABNonviolent direct action at the gate (optional)*FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE from Dublin/Pleasanton BART station starting at 10:15 amSATURDAY AUGUST 3, 2002 starting at 11 AMGather at Carnegie Park, Fourth J Streets, downtown Livermorefor a day of SPEAKERS and MUSIC including:Thomas TanEmori, Hiroshima Survivor; Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange; Laura Wells, Green Party candidate for State Controller; Angana Chatterji, California Institute of Integral Studies; Zulfiqar Ahmad, Nautilus Insitute for Security and Sustainable Development; BARBARA LUBIN, Middle East Childrens Alliance; WILSON RILES, JR., Community Activist; Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation; Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley CAREs; Holly GWINN Graham; Linda HirschHorn, The Funky Nixons; Clan DykenJOIN US ALSO at 8 AM on TUESDAY AUGUST 6, the day the U.S. dropped an ATOMIC BOMB on HIROSHIMA, for a VIGIL at LIVERMORE LABs WEST GATE (on Vasco Road, near East Avenue).MORE INFORMATION: Livermore Conversion Project (510) 663-8065; Tri-Valley CAREs (925) 443-7148; Western States Legal Foundation (510) 839-5877. PRINT OUT A GORGEOUS HIGH-TECH FLIER (front and back), available in PDF FORMAT online at: www.wslfweb.org http://www.wslfweb.org/ CLICK ON ALERTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS under WHATS NEW on right hand side of page. FLIERS are ALSO available for pick up in San Francisco and the East Bay. Call for locations.SPONSORS and ENDORSERSAmerican Friends Service CommitteeBerkeley Friends Church Peace Christian Social ConcernsBuddhist Peace FellowshipCalifornia Peace ActionChurch Women United, Northern California/NevadaEast Bay Coalition to Stop the Sanctions on IraqEast Bay Peace ActionEcology CenterEcumenical Peace InstituteFood Not BombsFranciscan Justice, Peace and Integrity of CreationFremont Pax ChristiGlobal ExchangeGrandmothers for Peace InternationalGray Panthers of San FranciscoGreen Party of Contra CostaLivermore Conversion ProjectMarin People in BlackMiddle East Childrens AllianceMt. Diablo Peace CenterNevada Desert ExperienceNicaragua Center for Community ActionPeace and Freedom PartyPeacemaking Group - Davis Community ChurchPeninsula Peace and Justice CenterPeoples NonViolent Response CoalitionPhysicians for Social Responsibility, San Francisco Bay Area ChapterQuantum Leap 2000S.F. Bay Area Progressive ChallengeSalinas Action LeagueSan Jose Peace CenterSan Mateo Peace ActionSisters of Saint DominicSocial Justice Center of MarinThe Green Party of Alameda CountyTri-Valley Communities Against a Radioactive Environment (CAREs)Western States Legal FoundationWomen for PeaceWomens International League for Peace and Freedom, Berkeley-East BayWomens International League for Peace and Freedom, Peninsula Branch NONVIOLENCE GUIDELINESFrom brochure of Livermore Conversion Project As participants, we agree to abide by the following nonviolent discipline in all our actions. · We will harbor no anger but suffer the anger of the opponent.* · We will refuse to return the
Fwd: Operation Tips - Bush Chopping Away More Of Your Civil Rights [WWW.STOPN
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 10:43:55 -0400 From: "Tenhawks" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Bush chipping away more of your rights! Now all of the want to be cops will be snooping around looking to see what you are doing in your home, better beware of who you let in your home to repair your TV, washer, fix a leaking pipe, or repair your cable service, they could be a Bush peeping Tom. Where is it going to end? http://www.citizencorps.gov/tips.html Operation TIPS: Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice and developed in partnership with several other federal agencies, is one of the five component programs of the Citizen Corps. Operation TIPS will be a national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related activity. The program will involve the millions of American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to see potentially unusual or suspicious activity in public places. The Department of Justice is discussing participation with several industry groups whose workers are ideally suited to help in the anti-terrorism effort because their routines allow them to recognize unusual events and have expressed a desire for a mechanism to report these events to authorities. These workers will use their common sense and knowledge of their work environment to identify suspicious or unusual activity. This program offers a way for these workers to report what they see in public areas and along transportation routes. All it will take to volunteer is a telephone or access to the Internet as tips can be reported on the toll-free hotline or online. Information received will be entered into the national database and referred electronically to a point of contact in each state as appropriate. This is not a national 911 center, and callers are expected to dial 911 for emergency local response. Industries that are interested in participating in this program will be given printed guidance material, flyers and brochures, about the program and how to contact the Operation TIPS reporting center. This information can be distributed to workers or posted in common work areas. Operation TIPS is scheduled to be launched in late summer or early fall 2002. The goal of the program is to establish a reliable and comprehensive national system for reporting suspicious, and potentially terrorist-related, activity. By establishing one central reporting center, information from several different industries can be maintained in a single database. Operation TIPS will be phased in across the country to enable the system to build its capacity to receive an increasing volume of tips. Pass this on to a friend. Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes
Ewd: Fake Terror - The Road To Dictatorship [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 21:54:12 -0400 From: "Tenhawks" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "mart" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: FAKE TERROR - THE ROAD TO DICTATORSHIP http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE5/ Hello Mart, Get a load of this, it is enough to scare the piss out of anyone, I have been thinking to myself the Bush's want to be Dictator of America, and if stupid Americans don't soon start paying attention he is going to complete his mission, thanks for the articles that you sent me, I edited them and passed the message on, not one responce from no one, the average JOE in America is nothing more than a goffer, they go for anything, and believe anything that Tom Broke-off tell them on the 6:30 news, forgetting that he is on a station that the government granted a permit to, inorder to operate as a voice of the system, they better not go againist the grain. Reggie. FAKE TERROR - THE ROAD TO DICTATORSHIP Note: This article first appeared as a post written by myself at Free Republic. I was surprised to learn that it was copied from Free Republic and re-posted at dozens of sites around the world. So, it seems only fitting that the article (with some updating) re-appear here at my own web site. It's the oldest trick in the book, dating back to Roman times; creating the enemies you need. In 70 BC, an ambitious minor politician and extremely wealthy man, Marcus Licineus Crassus, wanted to rule Rome. Just to give you an idea of what sort of man Crassus really was, he is credited with invention of the fire brigade. But in Crassus' version, his fire-fighting slaves would race to the scene of a burning building whereupon Crassus would offer to buy it on the spot for a tiny fraction of it's worth. If the owner sold, Crassus' slaves would put out the fire. If the owner refused to sell, Crassus allowed the building to burn to the ground. By means of this device, Crassus eventually came to be the largest single private land holder in Rome, and used some of his wealth to help back Julius Caesar against Cicero. In 70 BC Rome was still a Republic, which placed very strict limits on what Rulers could do, and more importantly NOT do. But Crassus had no intentions of enduring such limits to his personal power, and contrived a plan. Crassus seized upon the slave revolt led by Spartacus in order to strike terror into the hearts of Rome, whose garrison Spartacus had already defeated in battle. But Spartacus had no intention of marching on Rome itself, a move he knew to be suicidal. Spartacus and his band wanted nothing to do with the Roman empire and had planned from the start merely to loot enough money from their former owners in the Italian countryside to hire a mercenary fleet in which to sail to freedom. Sailing away was the last thing Crassus wanted Spartacus to do. He needed a convenient enemy with which to terrorize Rome itself for his personal political gain. So Crassus bribed the mercenary fleet to sail without Spartacus, then positioned two Roman legions in such a way that Spartacus had no choice but to march on Rome. Terrified of the impending arrival of the much-feared army of gladiators, Rome declared Crassus Praetor. Crassus then crushed Spartacus' army and even though Pompeii took the credit, Crassus was elected Consul of Rome the following year. With this maneuver, the Romans surrendered their Republican form of government. Soon would follow the first Triumvirate, consisting of Crassus, Pompeii, and Julius Caesar, followed by the reign of the god-like Emperors of Rome. The Romans were hoaxed into surrendering their Republic, and accepting the rule of Emperors. Julius Caesar's political opponent, Cicero, for all his literary accomplishments, played the same games in his campaign against Julius Caesar, claiming that Rome was falling victim to an internal "vast right wing" conspiracy in which any expressed desire for legislative limits on government was treated as suspicious behavior. Cicero, in order to demonstrate to the Romans just how unsafe Rome has become hired thugs to cause as much disturbance as possible, and campaigned on a promise to end the internal strife if elected and granted extraordinary powers. What Cicero only dreamed of, Adolph Hitler succeeded in doing. Elected Chancellor of Germany, Hitler, like Crassus, had no intention of living with the strict limits to his power imposed by German law. Unlike Cicero, Hitler's thugs were easy to recognize; they all wore the same brown shirts. But their actions were no different than those of their Roman predecessors. They staged beatings, set fires, caused as much trouble as they could, while Hitler made speeches promising that he could end the crime wave of subversives and terrorism if he was granted extraordinary powers. Then the Reichstag burned down; a staged terrorist attack. The Germans were hoaxed into surrendering their Republic, and accepting the total rule of Der Fuhrer. The state-sponsored schools will
Paraquay Imposes State Of Emergency Amid Rioting [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 10:14:20 -0400 From: "Bob Olsen" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Paraguay Imposes State of Emergency Paraguay's president decreed a state of emergency on Monday, (July 15), following protests against the government's free-market policies. The state of emergency, declared by Gonzalez Macchi, allows the government to ban demonstrations, search homes and arrest individuals over the next five days, and gives permission to the armed forces to quell protests. From: "Viviane Lerner" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Paraguay Imposes State of Emergency Amid Rioting Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:03:44 -0700 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=storyu=/nm/20020716/wl_nm/paraguay_protests_dc_3 Paraguay Imposes State of Emergency Amid Rioting Mon Jul 15, 8:20 PM ET By Daniela Desantis ASUNCION, Paraguay (Reuters) - Paraguay's president decreed a state of emergency on Monday, suspending some civil rights, after at least four people were shot and seriously injured followed by dozens of arrests in escalating nationwide protests against his economic policies. In the capital, police officers with water cannons took up positions outside Congress in downtown Asuncion. Soldiers surrounded the legislature and a military helicopter hovered overhead as about 400 protesters dispersed after 33 demonstrators were arrested, police said. Earlier on Monday, baton-wielding police battled with hundreds of protesters who blockaded roads across the recession-hit South American nation, which often has been rocked by coup attempts and political instability since democracy was restored in 1989 after 35 years of military dictatorship. President Luis Gonzalez Macchi's government blamed the protests on followers of Lino Oviedo, a former general living in asylum in Brazil suspected of masterminding three failed coup attempts since 1996. Oviedo denied he was involved. The state of emergency -- the first declared by Gonzalez Macchi since a failed coup attempt led by Oviedo's regiment in May 2000 -- allows the government to ban demonstrations, search homes and arrest individuals over the next five days, and gives permission to the armed forces to quell protests. The riots were the latest in often-violent protests against the free-market policies of a government that already has been forced to backtrack on its privatization plans. A series of corruption scandals have added to the president's troubles. Four people, including an 11-year-old, were treated for bullet wounds after one clash between 800 protesters and police in Ciudad del Este, some 200 miles east of Asuncion, when police removed protesters from Puente de la Amistad bridge, which links Paraguay to Brazil, officials said. Police also fired tear gas and water cannons, television showed. "We came here to say we're tired of so much corruption and poverty. We want this useless president to resign," said one protester outside Congress in the capital, where another 600 protesters demonstrated. GROWING REGIONAL TROUBLES Many of Paraguay's 5.7 million people live in poverty, as subsistence landless farmers. Famed for its rampant smuggling, isolated Paraguay was ruled by military strongman Alfredo Stroessner for 35 years until he was deposed in 1989. Buffeted by neighboring Argentina's worst-ever economic crisis and Brazil's slumping currency, the California-sized nation devalued its currency this year, adding to the woes of an economy mired in stagnation since 1995. Paraguay's troubles come as South American nations face a backlash against free-market policies of the 1990s. In Brazil, a leftist heads public-opinion polls ahead of October presidential elections. In Peru, the government last month was forced to suspend privatizations due to violent protests. The main opposition Liberal party, which controls the vice presidency, said it agreed with the protesters, and encouraged Liberal party followers to take part in demonstrations. Former Senate head Gonzalez Macchi was appointed president in 1999 when then-President Raul Cubas -- an Oviedo loyalist -- resigned amid violent protests after his vice president, Luis Argana, an avowed Oviedo rival, was slain in Asuncion. Oviedo had begun a presidential campaign in 1998 but stepped down when he was charged with plotting a 1996 coup. The next presidential election is scheduled for May 2003. The International Monetary Fund, pressing for privatizations, has been negotiating new loans with the government. Congress also has been talking to the World Bank to help shield it from the effects of Argentina's economic woes. = *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.*** .. Bob Olsen Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Gulf War Syndrome -D.U. Exposure?? Canada Says Soldiers Death May Be Linked To B
Never mind the damned U.S and NATO vollunteer soldiers, who deliberatley and on purpose spread D.U.into the air, water and soil of the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and even Vieques Island, Peurto Rico! The stuff is *supposed* to kill people and that'sexactly what it's doing!. At the most, these soldiers were exposed to there effects of their own terror weapons for a few weeks or months at most! Why no mention of, orshedding of tears in the bourgeios pressfor the civilian populations of these countries who *have* to live there and will be exposed to radiation from D.U. for generations??? Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 01:08:20 -0700 (PDT)From: Rick Rozoff [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Gulf War Syndrome In Balkans: Canada Says Soldier's Death Possibly Linked To Bosnia Servicehttp://www.ab.sympatico.ca/news/Fullstories/n071444.htmlSympatico NewsExpressThe Canadian PressJuly 15, 2002Veterans Affairs says soldier's death possibly linkedto Bosnia service By MURRAY BREWSTER-"Somebody is finally realizing that these guys wesent over to Bosnia are coming back ill," she saidfrom her home in Fredericton. "They go over healthybut come back sick." HALIFAX (CP) - Veterans Affairs has determined that asoldier whose illness and death sparked a militaryinquiry could have contracted his condition whileserving in Bosnia. The position appears to contradict the findings of amilitary investigation into the living conditionsfaced by Canadian peacekeepers serving in the war-tornregion in the mid-1990s. In a letter to his widow,Mary Ann Peace, pension officials said there is "areasonable doubt" that warrant officer Michael Peacebecame sick as a result of his duty in Visoko. Peacedied of a brain tumour two years ago. "A review of the service records reveals your latehusband did have some vague complaints, i.e.headaches, while serving in Bosnia," said the letterdated June 20, 2002. "As well, on all reports concerning the claimedcondition he consistently gave a history of his firstsymptoms beginning while serving in the formerYugoslavia. "Having weighed all the evidence presented, areasonable doubt has been established regarding theorigin of the claimed condition and that doubt hasbeen resolved in your favour." The decision means that Mary Ann Peace will be awardeda full survivor's pension. "Somebody is finally realizing that these guys we sentover to Bosnia are coming back ill," she said from herhome in Fredericton. "They go over healthy but comeback sick." Before passing away in October 2000, Peace asked hissuperiors to investigate why he and some of hiscomrades had become sick after serving in Bosnia. The military convened a board of inquiry which foundthat while more than 34 soldiers developed mysteriousailments, none could be directly linked to their toursin the region. A spokeswoman for Veterans Affairs cautioned againstreading too much into the decision. Janice Summerby said she couldn't talk specificallyabout the Peace case, but in issuing the letter, thedepartment is saying "we're not sure what caused yourdisability." When faced with soldiers who develop debilitatingillnesses, such as cancer or multiple sclerosis,pension officials must err on the side caution, shesaid. "When you serve in an area like that, you go inhealthy and come back with an illness, we can grantyou benefit of the doubt," Summerby said from Ottawa. "We can't say it's due to your service or not due toyour service, but because you were healthy before,we're going to give you benefit of the doubt." The military wasn't available to comment. In an April 2000 letter to his commanding officer atCanadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick, Peacesaid he believed the fumes from special modificationsto armoured vehicles were to blame for his tumour. The modifications took place on Peace's secondpeacekeeping tour in the former Yugoslavia between thefall of 1994 and spring 1995. The so called "add-on armour" consisted of specializedceramic tiles that had to be cut and pasted on to thevehicles. The work took place in the basement of the RoyalCanadian Regiment's living quarters and, according tothe army's own reports, dust from the process wasspread throughout the building. The board reviewed medical records and toxicologyreports and deemed that the tiles were not toxic andposed no health risk. During its investigation, the board discovered another34 soldiers were sick, many of them reporting ailmentsthat resemble Gulf War syndrome. The health complaints raised by the soldiers rangedfrom persistent headaches, vision and memory problemsto mysterious bleeding. However, the board found no evidence that the troopshad been exposed to a variety of chemicals, or dustfrom spent depleted uranium ammunition. It attributed many of the illnesses to stress broughton by combat situations. Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Autos - Get free new car price quotes
n Women Take Over Chevron-Texaco Oil Terminal! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:29:15 -0400 To: From: "Bob Olsen" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Nigerian women take over oil company Nigerian Women Take Over Chevron-Texaco Oil Terminal More than 600 Nigerian village women took over ChevronTexaco's Escravos terminal on Monday. 700 employees including Americans, Britons, Canadians and Nigerians have been trapped for six days. The women, from the Ugborodo and Arutan communities, want ChevronTexaco to provide water, electricity, schools and clinics for their villages. Contact Amit Srivastava [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you want to get on the CorpWatchIndia email list. Canadians will not take similar action against multinational corporations until we have been reduced to the same poverty level as the people of Escravos, Nigeria. Which may not take all that long! Bob Olsen, Toronto Date: Sat, 13 Jul 2002 15:43:16 -0700 To: Bob Olsen [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Amit Srivastava [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Nigerian Women Stick to Oil Demands Nigerian Women Stick to Oil Demands Sat Jul 13, 5:52 PM ET By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer ESCRAVOS, Nigeria (AP) - Oil company executives thumped the table and even offered concessions, but the women who took over a giant oil terminal and trapped hundreds of workers inside did not budge Saturday in their demands for jobs for their sons and electricity for their homes. Tempers flared during the talks held in a sweltering village of rusty tin shacks only 100 yards from the looming concrete terminal, where 700 employees including Americans, Britons, Canadians and Nigerians have been trapped for six days. "I've put everything on the table that I am prepared to give," ChevronTexaco representative Dick Filgate declared at one point. "I want Escravos back. I want the ladies off the site." At another point, the American oil executive pounded his fist on the table when he was interrupted by a representative of the village chief. "In our culture, only the chief pounds the table," he warned through a translator. As many as 600 women from villages around the terminal took over the multinational Escravos plant on Monday, saying they want the company to hire their sons and use some of the region's oil riches to develop their remote, rundown communities. Nigeria is the world's sixth-largest oil exporter and the fifth-biggest supplier of U.S. oil imports in major part because of the vast reserves of the Niger Delta here. Yet the people in the Niger Delta are among the country's poorest. Unarmed but unbudging, the women have blocked access to the helipad, airstrip and docks that provide the only exits for the facility, which is surrounded by rivers and swamps. ChevronTexaco officials said Saturday some of the women's 23 demands would take time to fulfill, while others such as a demand to build 80,000 houses were unrealistic. But they said they were prepared to keep negotiating. The talks took place in a community center in Ugborodo village. Amid frustrated outbursts, women and oil company executives often spoke cordially. "I can't give you everything on the list but I am prepared to continue the dialogue," Filgate, general manager of asset management for ChevronTexaco's Nigeria subsidiary, told the women, some in bright flowered dresses. The peaceful protest by unarmed women is a departure for Nigeria, where such disputes often are settled with machetes and guns. In the oil-rich Niger Delta, armed young men routinely resort to kidnapping and sabotage to pressure oil multinationals into giving them jobs, protection money or compensation for alleged environmental damage. Hostages generally are released unharmed. The women, from the Ugborodo and Arutan communities, want ChevronTexaco to provide water, electricity, schools and clinics for their villages. They complained that previous company promises to transform the villages into modern towns had not been realized. Ugborodo is without electricity, except for a community-owned gasoline generator supplying sporadic power to a few. Late Saturday, Anunu Uwawah, a protest leader, said the talks had made progress, including a pledge by ChevronTexaco to help the women establish fish and poultry farms to supply food to the terminal. But the women were disappointed the company had not firmly agreed to hire village men. "If they signed an agreement today, we would leave the yard tomorrow," Uwawah said. "But it is not happening." In the terminal airfield, two dozen women danced in the rain alongside four helicopters and a plane, chanting: "This is our land." Talks were expected to continue Sunday. Filgate said it took time to develop the swampy region, where Nigeria's government has provided little infrastructure. "Right now I can say we can hook you up to electricity. We have done it in other villages ... but it's difficult, it takes a long time to figure out how to do it," he said.
War Criminal Sharon Beats Rap Once Again [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Irina Malenko" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: on Sharon (from AP.RN) Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 19:57:18 +0100 Sharon off the hook for war crimes Only a few hours after G.W. Bush's recent speech effectively sanctioning the reoccupation of the Territories, the Belgian Court of Appeal called a halt to the trial against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a "man of peace" in Bush's own words. Sharon is accused of war crimes for his responsibilities in the Sabra and Chatila massacre (16-18 September 1982) in which scores of Palestinian refugees were slaughtered (800 according to the Israelis, 4,000 for the Palestinians), carried out by the Israeli proxi militia of the Christian Falangists. It took the Belgian court a full eight months to discover and come up legal cavil (the non-presence of the accused in Belgium) capable of preventing the Israeli prime minister's indictment. In 1982, Ariel Sharon was Minister for Defence, the true architect of the invasion of Lebanon (30,000 deaths) and the person ultimatly responsible for the dispatch of the Falangist militia (Israel's ally) into Sabra and Chatila, to "cleanse them of terrorists". The decision of the Belgian court is a heavy blow for the law, passed in 1993 and amended in 1999, governing universal jurisdiction in matters of war crimes and crimes against humanity. For the moment, Sharon would have been able to avail of his parliamentary immunity, but this would not apply to his generals, above all to Amos Yaron, the present Israeli Defence ministry coordinator and the then commander of Israeli troops in Beirut. "The course of justice has been brutally interrupted," says Kibli Mallat, one of the lawyers representing the 23 parents of the victims and the survivors who brought the charges against Sharon. "However, our efforts to challenge Sharon's war crimes impunity will continue in Belgium and elsewhere. This decision of the court represents a mere setback for both international humanitarian legislation itself, and for victims all over the world seeking justice in the presence of mass massacres." It is a step that should be taken not only for respect of all those killed in the summer of 1982, but also because the incrimination of Sharon would make a considerable contribution toward deterring the spread of Israeli war crimes, such as those committed in the West Bank city of Jenin only last April. The international community can no longer close its eyes to Israel state terrorism which, most likely, eliminated Elie Hobelka, the Sabra and Chatila henchman, who was ready to testify against Sharon. In fact, had Hobelka entered Belgium, the Court of Appeal, in the presence of one of the accused on Belgian soil could not have disclaimed a connection between the case in question and Belgium. Therefore, in the case of the Israeli premier, at least for the moment, crime seems to be paying. "They came from the mountains in thirty huge trucks", recalls Hasan, one of the survivors, in Amnoun Kabliyouk's book 'Sabra and Chatila: The Investigation of a Massacre'. "At first they started killing people with knives so that they wouldn't make any noise. Then they put snipers in the Chatila camp to kill anybody who crossed the streets. Next, armed men began going into the houses murdering men, women and children. At the end they blew up the houses with people in them, burying bodies under piles of rubble." The Israeli parlament was forced to investigate Sharon's involvement into the atrocity and although he was found responsible for the actions of the Lebanese Falangists and was forced to resign from his post, he was never charged and never appeared in a court of justice. The Israeli Supreme Court instead, found Sharon guilty of lying to his then Premier Begin about the war in Lebanon and was declared unfit to command the army.Do You Yahoo!? New! SBC Yahoo! Dial - 1st Month Free unlimited access
BUSH SPONSORED ISRAELI TERRORISM [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Vicki Andrada" [EMAIL PROTECTED]| Subject: Fw: [AL-AWDA-News] Bush-Sponsored Israeli Terrorism -- Briefing- 09-07-02 Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 16:17:59 -0400 Vicki Andrada To visit my home page go to: http://www.nosanctions.com - Original Message - From: Zahi Damuni To: Al-Awda News Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 5:44 AM Subject: [AL-AWDA-News] Bush-Sponsored Israeli Terrorism -- Briefing- 09-07-02 From: "hearpalestine" [EMAIL PROTECTED]Tuesday, 9 July 2002Palestinians Killed:Mu'amar Daraghmeh (22 years old), JeninIsraeli Terrorism*Israeli Occupation Army Invades Rafah and Demolishes 9 Homes*Israeli Army Kills Palestinian Youth in Jenin*Israeli Army Wages Attacks in West Bank Towns, Villages and RefugeeCamps*Israeli Army Closes Down Al-Quds University, Confiscates Documents*Settlers Confiscate Over 1000 Dunums of Palestinian Land nearJerusalem**On July 8th, 1972 Ghassan Kanafani, one of the most prominentPalestinian writers, woke up earlier than usual to accompany hisniece Lamees to the American University of Beirut for registration,after she passed her high school examinations with excellence and wasaccepted as a "freshman " at AUB.He went down stairs to his very old BMW, which was parked in itsusual place. Lamees jumped into the front seat next to Ghassan, whowas smiling cheerfully, happy for Lamees for whom he had written 18short stories with drawings, one for every birthday since she was oneyear old. The stories grew up with Lamees in meaning and content.The cheerful smile did not last long. As soon as Ghassan Kanafaniswitched on his car, it blew up into pieces along with his body andLamees's. That was the first of a series of Israeli organizedterrorist attacks against Palestinians of great value - writers,journalists, researchers and leaders.The wave of Israeli terror lasted more than two years. The Israelisassassinated in April 1973 Kamal Nassar (the poet), Kamal Edwan(Fateh leader) and Abu Youssif al-Najar (Fateh leader).After assassinating Ghassan Kanafani (36 years old), who was the mostexcellent and famous Palestinian novelist, journalist and writer,they tried to assassinate Dr. Anis Sayegh, the head of thePalestinian Research Center in Beirut, and Bassam Abu-Sharif who wasthe editor in chief of al-Hadaf weekly magazine in Beirut. Both wereseriously wounded but survived the attacks.What the Israeli government is committing today is an elaboration ofthe terrorist mentality that killed Ghassan Kanafani 30 years ago. Itis now a state organized terrorist campaign against the wholePalestinian people.**Israeli Terrorism**Summary of Events:The Israeli army continues to occupy Palestinian cities, towns,villages and refugee camps and to impose a strangling closure andcurfew on millions of people. At the same time, Israeli soldiers raidhomes, educational and official institutions and arrest peoplecollectively.In the West Bank, the Israeli army waged a wide-scale campaign ofarrests and attacks in occupied cities, refugee camps and villagestoday. The most intense attack took place in Tulkarem, where severalIsraeli tanks and armored vehicles invaded the city and its refugeecamps and attacked residential areas randomly with heavy machine gunfire wounding a number of civilians. The Israeli army also invadedseveral surrounding villages and arrested a large number of people inan atmosphere of terror. In Jenin, Israeli soldiers shot aPalestinian youth and left him to bleed to death inside his car.Israeli Special Forces this morning raided the offices of al-QudsUniversity, forced the employees out and confiscated documents andother belongings before closing the university down. At the sametime, the Israeli army imposed a curfew on all towns and villagessurrounding Jerusalem - al-Eizariya, Abu Dis and al-Sawahreh.Israeli snipers reportedly occupy roofs of buildings in these areas.Additionally, Israeli settlers under the protection of the Israeliarmy confiscated hundreds of dunums (1dunum=1000m2) of agriculturalland near Jerusalem.In Rafah, Gaza Strip, 13 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles and abulldozer invaded residential areas under intense heavy fire woundinga number of civilians and demolished 9 homes. At the same time, al-Farra residential buildings were subjected to intense militaryattacks by the Israeli army, in addition to the usual shelling on al-Namsawi residential quarter. A number of civilians were wounded as aresult of the unprovoked attacks.*Israeli Occupation Army Invades Rafah and Demolishes 9 Homes*13 armored vehicles and a number of bulldozers invaded Rafah, southof Gaza Strip, at dawn today under intense fire and demolished 9homes. The Israeli bulldozers reportedly demolished 7 homescompletely and 2 partially. The homes belong to the followingfamilies:- Fuad al-Soufi- Nihad al-Soufi- Abdel Rahim al-Soufi- Usama
{Pary Of Labour ) For The Freedom Of Palestine [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "KIM" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: News from Turkey Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2002 14:52:45 +0400 THE PARTY OF LABOUR Tel: +90 212 588 43 32-38 Fax: 588 43 41 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] June 28, 2002 For the Freedom of Palestine What the Palestinians are thinking, the administration they want bears no importance for the US and Israeli administrators. Just as they have been compelling the Palestinians to live in exile and under occupation for 50 years; now they will establish an independent state under a puppet administration and thus, will have maintained equality and order. Bush has explained that he will present the Palestine Plan designated within the framework of the Middle East-Caucasus strategies of US imperialism to the G-8 Summit to be gathered in Ottowa and that it will become the common decision of the Western colonists from there. According to the common plan of Bush-Sharon; Arafats role as the Head of State of Palestine will be ended and a Palestinian administration that will wage a more effective struggle against terrorism will be formed in its place and efforts will be made for the maintaining of peace and the state of Palestine, and so on and so forth. Despite the fact that it has followed a policy suited to US plans and its further recession with each step; the Palestine administration represented by Arafat has fallen from favour on the grounds that it has proved insufficient in ensuring the complete submission of the Palestinians. Bush and Sharon are saying that Arafat has proved to be insufficient in preventing the anger felt by the Palestinians against the US supported Israeli occupation and the suicide attacks carried on by mass supported organizations such as Hamas -Sharon also adds that Arafat is representing terror to this list. Policies of the Terrorist Duo Should a state not acknowledging the right to live to the Palestinian people, continuing its occupation and annihilation activities for decades, turning the UN resolutions into doormats, a state that is an organization of terror from top to toe; branding the people of Palestine as terrorists be regarded as a tragedy? The terrorist state that is continuously trying to expand the lands it has occupied with the support of the Western imperialists, banish the Palestinians from the lands they live on and rendering colonial policies continuous by forming colonies is declaring the Palestinians as terrorists because the Palestinians want to be liberated from the occupation and because, establishing their own independent state, they want to live freely on their own lands. Not contending with initiating attacks on the regions and countries it has targeted for its own interests; the Bush gang, at the head of the biggest terrorist state in the world, is also making the most fierce of its collaborators attack the peoples of the region for its own interest and following all this, is declaring the Palestinians and all the others as terrorists because they want to defend themselves, live as an independent state and determine their own future. It is maintaining the continuation of the occupation and the assaults by giving sermons on the aggressive and occupying Israel using its right to defend itself and is following a vile tactic of deceiving the people of the world with the lie of struggle against terrorism. Its towline England and the intrigues and tricks of such imperialist EU member states as Germany-France -despite the conflicts between themselves and the US and their reactionary efforts for formations along the direction of their own interests- are accompanying the US plans. The reactionary regimes of the region and the reactionary forces of Turkey have no attitude beyond that of subcontracting within the scope of the American plan. The imperialists and its collaborators are playing with the destiny of this oppressed people and are doing everything in order for them to be kept under captivity. In front of the Eyes of the World... The big imperialist states and their collaborators, giving the impression of defending equal relations in regards to international relations with their propaganda on the right to exist independently; are able to make decisions regarding the occupation of other countries, the determining or changing of their administrations, by trampling on the will of the people of these countries. This must be the method by which the monopolist bourgeoisie procures world order! What the Palestinians are thinking, the administration they want, whether they regard the Arafat administration as legitimate or not, bears no importance for either the US or the Israeli administrators. Just as they obtained the establishment of Israel in 1948 by their own decisions, just as they have been compelling the Palestinians to live in exile and under occupation for 50 years; now they will establish an independent state under a puppet administration and in a country which the
FWD: truckersunite] To end the Israeli occupation [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 13:52:23 EDT Subject: [truckersunite] To end the Israeli occupation Hello everybody,This is a letter by Bishop Tutu, he won the nobel peace prize in the 1980's because he helped end apartheid in South Africa. We have a new apartheid going on and that is Israel, one in which the state cannot recognize the sovereignty of the people. SO they decide to build walls for security and not listen to the palestinian people and that gives way to extremism which has been rampant in the past few days. This is a lot like what is happening to the truckers, your voices are not being heard, we must stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and start to let the companies know who profit off of the Israeli occupation we will no longer stand for it. The struggle for equality, fairness and justice extends beyond borders and the voices must be heardIn Solidarity,''Jim ArabyBuild moral pressure to end the occupationAn international campaignBy Desmond Tutu (IHT)Friday, June 14, 2002WASHINGTON: The end of apartheid stands as one of the crowningaccomplishments of the last century, but we would not have succeededwithout the help of international pressure. There is no greatertestament to the basic dignity of ordinary people everywhere than thedivestment movement of the 1980s.A similar movement has taken shape recently, this time aiming at an endto the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. We should hopethat average citizens again rise to the occasion, since the obstacles toa renewed movement are surpassed only by its moral urgency.Divestment from apartheid South Africa was fought at the grass roots.Religious leaders informed their followers, union members pressuredtheir stockholders and consumers questioned their store-owners. Students played an especially important role by compelling universities to changetheir portfolios. Eventually, institutions pulled the financial plug,and the South African government thought twice about its policies.Moral and financial pressure is again being mustered one person at atime. In the United States, students at more than 40 campuses aredemanding a review of university investments. Europe faces effortsranging from consumer boycotts to arms embargoes.These tactics are not the only parallels to the struggle againstapartheid South Africa. Yesterday's township dwellers can tell you about today's life in the occupied territories. To travel only a few blocks in his own homeland, an elderly grandfather waits to beg for the whim of a teenage soldier. More than an emergency is required to get to ahospital; less than a crime earns a trip to jail.The lucky ones have a permit to leave their squalor to work in thecities, but luck runs out when security closes all checkpoints,paralyzing an entire people. The indignities, dependence and anger areall too familiar.I am not the first South African to recognize the chilly reminder ofwhat we just left.Ronnie Kasrils and Max Ozinsky, two Jewish heroes of the anti-apartheidstruggle, recently published a letter titled "Not in My Name." Signed by several hundred other prominent Jewish South Africans, the letter drew an explicit analogy between apartheid and current Israeli policies.The writer Mark Mathabane and former President Nelson Mandela have alsopointed out the relevance of the South African experience to the current conflict.To criticize the occupation is not to overlook Israel's uniquestrengths, just as protesting the Vietnam War did not imply ignoring the distinct freedoms and humanitarian accomplishments of the United States. In a region where repressive governments and unjust policies are thenorm, Israel is certainly more democratic than most of its neighbors.This does not make dismantling the settlements any less of a priority.Divestment from apartheid South Africa was certainly no less justifiedeven though there was repression elsewhere on the African continent.Aggression is no more palatable at the hands of a democratic power.Territorial ambition is equally illegal whether it occurs in slowmotion, as with the Israeli settlers in the occupied territories, or inblitzkrieg fashion, as with the Iraqi tanks in Kuwait.Almost instinctively, the Jewish people have always been on the side ofthe voiceless. In their history, there is painful memory of massiveround-ups, house demolitions and collective punishment. In theirscripture, there is acute empathy for the disenfranchised. Theoccupation represents a dangerous and selective amnesia of thepersecution from which these traditions were born.Not everyone has forgotten, including some within the military. Thegrowing Israeli refusenik movement evokes the small anti-conscriptiondrive which helped turn the tide in apartheid South Africa. Severalhundred decorated Israeli officers have refused to perform militaryservice in the occupied territories. Those individuals not already inprison have taken their message on the road to
Killing is legal if you are white or *AMERICAN* !!!! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 19:24:14 -0400 To: From: "Bob Olsen" [EMAIL PROTECTED]|Block Address |Add to Address Book Subject: Killing is legal if you are white or American. Killing is legal if you are white or American. Otherwise, it is illegal U.S. demands exemption for U.S. soldiers before the International Criminal Court. Britain and France also seek exemptions for their soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Afghanistan. Globe and Mail, June 22, 2002 Page A16 Canada, other allies blast immunity push Bush administration wants peacekeepers shielded from prosecutions of war crimes By PAUL KORING WASHINGTON -- Washington's efforts to shield U.S. soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions from being hauled before the International Criminal Court are opposed by Canada and other U.S. allies. "We urge the Security Council to reject the U.S. proposals," Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nancy Bergeron said yesterday in Ottawa as U.S. diplomats at the United Nations attempted to win support for a resolution giving their soldiers blanket immunity from war-crimes charges. Fears that U.S. President George W. Bush's administration will recall its peacekeepers in the Balkans and elsewhere eased yesterday when a vote on renewing the Bosnian civil-police mandate was deferred. But the issue seems likely to bedevil relations between Washington and its closest allies, with Mr. Bush's government seeking military help in its war against international terrorism at the same time it demands that U.S. soldiers receive special treatment by the international court. Washington has also asked the governments of Bosnia and East Timor to grant U.S. peacekeeping personnel exemption from prosecution, which host countries are allowed to do under the treaty creating the court. Britain and France, strong proponents of the court, also have sought exemptions for their soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Afghanistan, part of a profusion of double standards and exemptions threatening to overshadow the court, to be based at The Hague, the Netherlands. (The court officially comes into being on July 1, but it isn't expected to be operating until next year.) It remains unclear why countries need exemptions if they are willing to prosecute their own soldiers for alleged crimes. The treaty establishing the court gives signatories the primary right to prosecute if they are "able and willing." But senior U.S. officials said that they fear the court might attempt to enforce jurisdiction. "We ought to be exempt from that so there isn't that kind of political harassment that can take place unfairly, particularly when you know you're fighting the global war on terror," U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday. Ottawa, a staunch supporter of the ICC, believes that no Canadian troops would face prosecution, because they would first face criminal or disciplinary procedures under Canadian military justice. "I'm confident [that] in the case of any actions that were improper in military matters, any of our troops would be prosecuted by our own courts," Foreign Minister Bill Graham recently said. Mr. Bush's administration, by comparison, is waging a three-pronged assault against the International Criminal Court, the first permanent tribunal to prosecute war crimes, including that of genocide. First, it renounced former U.S. president Bill Clinton's signature on the treaty. Then it sought specific exemptions from countries hosting UN peacekeeping missions where U.S. personnel are serving. Finally, it has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution by the ICC while serving on UN missions. The Security Council resolution won't be considered until later this month, but it is expected to face stiff opposition. Three of the five permanent Security Council member states -- Britain, France and Russia -- have signed the ICC treaty. The fourth, China, has yet to sign but has opposed a U.S. exemption. © 2002 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. . Bob Olsen Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Do You Yahoo!? Sign-up for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup
Killing is legal if you are white or *AMERICAN* !!!! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 19:24:14 -0400 To: From: "Bob Olsen" [EMAIL PROTECTED]|Block Address |Add to Address Book Subject: Killing is legal if you are white or American. Killing is legal if you are white or American. Otherwise, it is illegal U.S. demands exemption for U.S. soldiers before the International Criminal Court. Britain and France also seek exemptions for their soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Afghanistan. Globe and Mail, June 22, 2002 Page A16 Canada, other allies blast immunity push Bush administration wants peacekeepers shielded from prosecutions of war crimes By PAUL KORING WASHINGTON -- Washington's efforts to shield U.S. soldiers on UN peacekeeping missions from being hauled before the International Criminal Court are opposed by Canada and other U.S. allies. "We urge the Security Council to reject the U.S. proposals," Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Nancy Bergeron said yesterday in Ottawa as U.S. diplomats at the United Nations attempted to win support for a resolution giving their soldiers blanket immunity from war-crimes charges. Fears that U.S. President George W. Bush's administration will recall its peacekeepers in the Balkans and elsewhere eased yesterday when a vote on renewing the Bosnian civil-police mandate was deferred. But the issue seems likely to bedevil relations between Washington and its closest allies, with Mr. Bush's government seeking military help in its war against international terrorism at the same time it demands that U.S. soldiers receive special treatment by the international court. Washington has also asked the governments of Bosnia and East Timor to grant U.S. peacekeeping personnel exemption from prosecution, which host countries are allowed to do under the treaty creating the court. Britain and France, strong proponents of the court, also have sought exemptions for their soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Afghanistan, part of a profusion of double standards and exemptions threatening to overshadow the court, to be based at The Hague, the Netherlands. (The court officially comes into being on July 1, but it isn't expected to be operating until next year.) It remains unclear why countries need exemptions if they are willing to prosecute their own soldiers for alleged crimes. The treaty establishing the court gives signatories the primary right to prosecute if they are "able and willing." But senior U.S. officials said that they fear the court might attempt to enforce jurisdiction. "We ought to be exempt from that so there isn't that kind of political harassment that can take place unfairly, particularly when you know you're fighting the global war on terror," U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday. Ottawa, a staunch supporter of the ICC, believes that no Canadian troops would face prosecution, because they would first face criminal or disciplinary procedures under Canadian military justice. "I'm confident [that] in the case of any actions that were improper in military matters, any of our troops would be prosecuted by our own courts," Foreign Minister Bill Graham recently said. Mr. Bush's administration, by comparison, is waging a three-pronged assault against the International Criminal Court, the first permanent tribunal to prosecute war crimes, including that of genocide. First, it renounced former U.S. president Bill Clinton's signature on the treaty. Then it sought specific exemptions from countries hosting UN peacekeeping missions where U.S. personnel are serving. Finally, it has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would grant U.S. troops immunity from prosecution by the ICC while serving on UN missions. The Security Council resolution won't be considered until later this month, but it is expected to face stiff opposition. Three of the five permanent Security Council member states -- Britain, France and Russia -- have signed the ICC treaty. The fourth, China, has yet to sign but has opposed a U.S. exemption. © 2002 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. . Bob Olsen Toronto [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Do You Yahoo!? Sign-up for Video Highlights of 2002 FIFA World Cup
The New York Times Twisted Definition OF Democracy [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
The New York Times should also be reminded that not only was Chavez democraticly elected in a landslide vote, the CIA sponsored military coup that they hailed as "democratic" was overwhelmed and overturned by a groundswell of the Venezuelan people themselves in what can only be described as the ultimate expression of real "peoples" democracy! mart = Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 23:14:46 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: CHÁVEZ COMEBACK EXPOSES US GOVT MEDIA LIES CHÁVEZ COMEBACK EXPOSES US GOVT MEDIA LIES Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/haste.htm [Emperor's Clothes] - 14 April 2002 CHÁVEZ COMEBACK EXPOSES U.S. GOVERNMENT MEDIA LIES By D. Baatar, Jared Israel, Nestor Gorojovsky Nico Varkevisser To paraphrase an old proverb: "Celebrate in haste; repent at leisure." On September 13th the New York Times rushed to gloat that one more opponent of the US Empire had been crushed. Never you mind that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had been elected by overwhelming popular vote. (In contrast, might we note, to George Walker Bush.) An editorial in the Times described the Venezuelan military/big business coup d'état as an effort to reassert democracy: "Venezuelan democracy is no longer threatened by a would-be dictator...[because] the military intervened and handed power to a respected business leader." - N Y Times (1) And the Times added: "But democracy has not yet been restored, and won't be until a new president is elected." (1) In the bad old Cold War days, the US Establishment used to attack its opponents for not holding multiparty elections. Well, Venezuela did hold multiparty elections and Chávez won by a landslide. But this was not sufficient. In the New World Order, democracy is not defined any longer as holding elections. Democracy is defined as supporting US polices. No matter how many elections Chávez won by how many landslides, his resistance to US Diktat made him by definition antidemocratic, that is, "a would-be dictator." Thus when the military took over Venezuela three days ago and installed a pro-Washington big business leader as President, the Times did not describe this military coup d'état as a threat to democracy. Rather, they described it as *ending* a threat to democracy. Similarly, in the past, NY Times editorials have immediately applauded coup d'états in Yugoslavia (overthrowing elected President Slobodan Milosevic) and the Philippines (overthrowing elected President Joseph Estrada). But this time the Times gloated a bit too soon. EVERYBODY IS IN SUCH A HURRY Since the New World Order has re-defined democracy as subservience to US diktat, it is only fair that the democratic content of every event should be given a rating by the US government. Thus it is by no means surprising that the US State Department issued a Press Statement rating the democratic content of the Venezuelan coup d'état. The only problem is, the State Department, like the New York Times, published a bit too soon. Within hours of the coup, a State Department Press Statement declared unqualified support for the coup. This document praised the military, which had just seized power, for acting with "restraint" and blamed Hugo Chávez for the coup d'état because under his government: "essential elements of democracy...have been weakened in recent - months." State Dep't Statement (2) To what "essential elements of democracy" might State be referring? They didn't say, but all the newspapers have pointed out that the big dispute in Venezuela has been over the State-owned oil company. Venezuelan President Chávez had weakened "essential elements of democracy" by appointing as leaders of the state-owned oil company people that were (horrors!) loyal to his administration rather than to Chevron Oil and, perhaps even worse, by selling oil to Cuba at an affordable price. Chávez must not have been aware that that willingness to strangle Cuba is a crucial component of the New World Order's definition of "democracy." The State Department declaration repeated the common media line, without introducing a shred of evidence, that: "Chávez supporters, on orders, fired on unarmed, peaceful protestors, resulting in more than 100 wounded or killed." (2) And: "The results of these provocations are: Chávez resigned the presidency. Before resigning, he dismissed the Vice President and the Cabinet. A transition civilian government has promised early elections." (2) So let's get this right. First, Chávez ordered his supporters to kill a few opponents. This could hardly have been expected to disperse a large demonstration which had been called by leading TV stations and part of the military. But it could certainly have been expected to assist military leaders who were openly looking for - or trying to manufacture - an excuse to stage a coup d'état. Having provided this excuse by
Powell must see for himself what Israel inflicted on Jenin [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Karen Lee Wald" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Maceo Carillo Martinet" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Fisk: Powell should go to Jenin Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 07:07:38 -0700 NOTE FROM KAREN: Although I heartily agree with Robert Fisk on almost everything, and hope it is at least embarrassing for Washington that it looks like Israel is calling the shots, I think it is absurd to say that is the case as long as the US controls the purse strings. Israel owes not only its ability to wage war, but its very existence, to the $14 million a day that the US doles out (from taxpayer pockets). All it would take would be for the administration to say: Get out of the territory you have been illegally occupying or your funds dry up tomorrow. So the real question is, Why doesn't it say that, and who exactly could make the decision? Could the president, or does it have to be Congress? If it must be Congress, we have a more complicated situation. We should look, at any rate, whymost members of Congress are reported to be siding with Israel. Is it simply the old story of the circular spending? (Congress gives money to the people who line their campaign coffers; that money is used to continue to line the coffers of friendly Congress members. It happens with therightwing Cuban-Americans groups too). Powell must see for himself what Israel inflicted on Jenin HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Mr Powell must see for himself what Israel inflicted on Jenin.The credibility of US policy on the conflict has been shattered. Robert Fisk: 14 April 2002Why doesn't Colin Powell go to Jenin? What has happened to the world's moral compass indeed to the United States when America's most famous ex-general, the Secretary of State of the most powerful country on earth, on a supposedly desperate mission to stop the bloodshed in the Middle East, fails to grasp what is taking place in front of his nose? The stench of decaying corpses is wafting out of the Palestinian city. The Israeli army is still keeping the Red Cross and journalists from seeing the evidence of the mass killings that have taken place there. "Hundreds'' on Israel's own admission have died, including civilians. Why, for God's sake, can't Mr Powell do the decent thing and demand an explanation for the extraordinary, sinister events that have taken place in Jenin?Instead, after joshing with Ariel Sharon after his arrival in Jerusalem on Friday, Mr Powell is playing games, demanding that Yasser Arafat condemn Friday's bloody suicide bombing in Jerusalem (total, six dead and 65 wounded) while failing to utter more than a word of "concern'' for the infinitely more terrible death toll in Jenin. Is Mr Powell frightened of the Israelis? Does he really have to debase himself in this way? Does he think that meeting Arafat, or refusing to do so, takes precedence over the enormous humanitarian tragedy and slaughter that has overwhelmed the Palestinians? Is President Bush whose demand that Ariel Sharon withdraw his troops from the West Bank has been blandly ignored so gutless, so cynical, as to allow this charade to continue? For this is the endgame, the very final proof that the United States is no longer morally worthy of being a Middle East peacemaker.Even for one who has witnessed so much duplicity in the Middle East, it is a shock to reflect on the events of the past nine days. Let's just remember, as the Americans would say, "the facts". Almost two weeks ago, the United Nations Security Council, with the active participation and support of the United States, demanded an immediate end to Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank and Gaza. President Bush insisted that Mr Sharon should follow the advice of "Israel's American friends'' and because our own Mr Blair was with the President at the time of "Israel's British friends", and withdraw. "When I say withdraw, I mean it," Mr Bush snapped three days later. But of course, it's now clear that he meant nothing of the kind.Instead, he sent Mr Powell off on his "urgent" mission of peace, a journey to Israel and the West Bank that would take the Secretary of State an incredible eight days just enough time, Mr Bush presumably thought, to allow his "good friend'' Mr Sharon to finish his latest bloody adventure in the West Bank. Supposedly unaware that Israel's chief of staff, Shoal Mofaz, had told Mr Sharon that he needed at least eight weeks to "finish the job'' of crushing the Palestinians, Mr Powell wandered off around the Mediterranean, dawdling in Morocco, Spain, Egypt and Jordan before finally washing up in Israel on Friday morning. If Washington firefighters took that long to reach a blaze, the American capital would long ago have turned to ashes. But of course, the purpose of Mr Powell's idleness was to allow enough time for Jenin to be turned to ashes. Mission, I suppose, accomplished.As Israel's indisciplined soldiery
Chavez Talks To The People [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Karen Lee Wald" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Maceo Carillo Martinet" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Chavez Talks to the People Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 09:11:51 -0700 HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- [Note: Reuters tries to get its act together by changing the distorted wording it had used until now] Venezuela's Chavez Conciliatory as Coup FailsSun Apr 14, 6:41 AM ETBy Jason WebbCARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Fiery Venezuelan populistHugo Chavez returned to the presidency in a conciliatorymood on Sunday after a government set up following Friday's military coup collapsed in the face of a rebellion by loyalist troops and massive protests.The former paratrooper turned politician flew back from the Venezuelan island of La Orchila where he had been held under arrest by military top brass who briefly ousted him as leader of the world's fourth-largest oil-exporting nation in favor of mild-mannered businessman Pedro Carmona.Raising his fist in jubilation, a grinning Chavez, who first came to prominence as leader of a failed coup attempt in 1992, advanced slowly through a tightly packed crowd of chanting supporters toward the entrance of the Miraflores presidential palace as a military band played.In a largely conciliatory speech, Chavez later told a news conference he had not been mistreated and recognized that both his government and his opponents had made mistakes."There isn't going to be any retaliation, no witch hunt.I haven't any thirst for revenge," Chavez said, calling for his supporters who rioted on the streets in support of his return on Saturday to go quietly back to their homes.State prosecutors were interviewing Carmona and severalsenior military officers at the Fuerte Tiuna military base,even though they were not formally under arrest, Chavez's defense minister, Jose Vicente Rangel, said.Carmona resigned on Saturday night after protests broke out in favor of Chavez, and loyalist troops seized control of Miraflores.Instantly returning to his old talkative form, Chavez gave arambling hourlong monologue that ended shortly before dawnbroke over the troubled capital. He illustrated his promisesof respect for the law by waving a small blue copy of thecountry's constitution and held up a crucifix he had takenwith him into captivity.He recalled how he had washed his own socks and underwearand said the popular protests and army mutinies in his favormarked a historic triumph for the Venezuelan people."I never for a moment doubted that we would return.But I never thought we would return so quickly," he said.Statements by military generals that he had resigned andasked to be sent abroad were lies, he said."They put a piece of paper on the table saying "Resign," but I said, "I am a president being held prisoner, but I am not resigning."Rejoicing in their hero's return, thousands of ecstaticChavez supporters, mainly from Caracas' sprawling slums,waved Venezuelan flags, chanted and pressed against the ironfence around the presidential palace.Sporadic violence continued in several parts of Venezuela'schaotic tropical capital, where tens of thousands of angryChavez supporters took to the streets on Saturday to demandthe return of a leader they said had stood up for the poor.In a day of chaos in which it was seldom clear who wasrunning the country, the Chavez supporters clashed withpolice -- there were reports of several deaths -- andstormed television stations that had been fiercely criticalof the populist leader.CHAVEZ'S CAREER SEEMED OVERLoyalist troops took control of the Miraflores palace andwaved their berets and weapons in salute as huge crowdscheered them on.Chavez's career had seemed to be finished early on Friday,when the heads of the armed forces announced that he hadagreed to resign at their request following the deaths of atleast 11 unarmed anti-government protesters.[Cuban media indicates snipers hoping to provoke the coup had fired on the demonstrators, and that pictures showing Chavez' troops pointing guns were actually aiming at the snipers.]The demonstrators -- among hundreds of thousands who marched to call for Chavez's resignation on Thursday -- were killed by gunmen in civilian dress. The protest had been sparked by a strike called by employees of the powerful state oil company, who objected to Chavez's decision to fire theirboard of directors.Carmona's interim government blamed Chavez for the deaths,said it was dismissing Congress and the Supreme Court andwould hold elections within a year.The United States, which disliked Chavez for his friendship with Cuban President Fidel Castro and fretted about his populist leadership of a country that is one of its biggest oil suppliers, was clearly pleased to see the back of him. U.S. officials said they considered there had been no coup.The military officers behind Chavez's overthrow said theymerely had done their duty by protecting unarmed civilians.Chavez, the 47-year old son of poor teachers, led troops in a
Word Games: the media's role in the Venezuela coup [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Karen Lee Wald" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Word Games: the media's role in the Venezuela coup Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 09:02:02 -0700 HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Now that the legally and democratically elected government led by Hugo Chavez is back in power, corporate media is for the first time acknowledging that there had been a coup-- a word they did not use until now, with exceptions such as the Sun-Sentinel's Vanessa Bauza, who placed "coup" in quotation marks when she told readers that Cuban leaders were "calling it a coup"...On Saturday morning about 15,000 Cubans gathered at a weeklygovernment-organized rally to denounce what officials calleda fascist "coup" led by the rich in Caracas. No quotation marks were put around "resignation"; no major newspaper or media (like CNN) hedged it by saying "the military officers who whisked President Chavez out of sight CLAIM he resigned" When the DID report his statement that he had NOT resigned, on the contrary, it was carefully hedged: they did not say "President Chavez said in statements to family members that he had at no time resigned". Rather, they told us that family members and friends "claimed" or "said" that he had said so. We were left with doubts not about his resignation, but about whether he had denied resigning. Now, for the first time, with legitimacy restored, the press is scrambling to get their wording right. AP finally reported on Sunday morning: Hugo Chavez was freed by his military captors and returned to reclaim the Venezuelan presidency Sunday, in a dramatic restoration of power two days after he was forced from office by army commanders. Now we see "military captors" "forced from office" replacing "resigned". NOW we see wording that should have appeared over the last 3 days: "The military said Chavez resigned Friday hours after generals arrested him for allegedly ordering gunmen to fire on a massive opposition protest on Thursday. "But where was all this correct reporting when the media moguls were so eager to believe Chavez had been successfully overthrown? Today, Reuters describes "troops loyal to the presidency" -- but until now, wire services and other corporate media were describing these sameloyalists as "rebels" who were being put down by the military (regarded as the "legitimate" armed forces)who had carried out the coup -- a strange reversal of roles! The editor in chief of the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde gave a fast lesson in reporting by placing two TVs side by side in the newsroom, one carrying Cuban new and the other CNN. Even these experienced journalists were stunned at how far CNN diverged not just from what they knew to be happening from other reports, but from the very images carried by the CNN cameras. The NY Times' Tim Weiner, amazingly,wrote the truth from Mexico just prior to Chavez' return: The New York Times April 14, 2002 A Coup by Any Other Name By TIM WEINER MEXICO CITY When is a coup not a coup? When the United States says so, it seems especially if the fallen leader is no friend to American interests. What else to call the fall on Friday of Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez? An armed transition of power? By any other name, though its European and Latin American allies deplored it, it was a consummation devoutly wished for by the White House. "The actions encouraged by the Chávez government provoked a crisis," the White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said on Friday. That sentence was spring-loaded, given the history of Latin American coups tacitly encouraged or covertly supported by the United States.*This honest assessment appeared Sunday morning -- afterChavez was back in office. It would bolster our belief in the corporate media's attempt to provide some honest reporting if it had appeared before. Now we are left to wonder when he wrote it, and when the NY Times editorial board decided it was safe --or necessary -- to publish it. *(see full article below) The Juventud Rebelde column that described the two television experiment also observed: En 1917, el escritor estadounidense John Reed escribió que las guerras crucifican la verdad", y tenía razón. Lo hemos visto muchas veces, con impotencia, con dolor. Pero no hay modo de sostener una misma mentira un mes sí y otro no. Los golpistas y sus asesores no contaban con la reacción del pueblo, porque no contaban con la capacidad de resistencia y movilización de la verdad. [In 1917, US writer John Reed wrote that "wars crucify the truth", and he was right. We'vewatched it happen --impotently, painfully --many times. But you can't sustain the same lie one month and not the next. The coup-makers and their advisers didn't take into acount the people's reaction, because they diidn't recognize the ability of the truth to resist and mobilize.] ==Karen Lee Wald2175 Aborn Road, apt. 164San Jose, CA 95121telephone 408-532-6147[EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that while
The CIA and the Venezuela Coup [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Williams Blum's article was probably written in the early hours of the coup, which after two days fell apart and Chavez now, has since been returned to his rightful place as the *democratically elected* president of Venezuela. Still, his coments about the CIA's involvementin the plot ring true as ever. Obviously, Bush and his cronies grossly underestimated the power of oridnary poor and working people to stand up and defend democracy.. = CounterPunch April 14, 2002 The CIA and the Venezuela Coup Hugo Chavez: A Servant Not Knowing His Place by William Blum How do we know that the CIA was behind the coup that overthrew Hugo Chavez? Same way we know that the sun will rise tomorrow morning. That's what it's always done and there's no reason to think that tomorrow morning will be any different. Consider Chavez's crimes: Branding the US attacks on Afghanistan as "fighting terrorism with terrorism", he demanded an end to "the slaughter of innocents"; holding up photographs of children killed in the American bombing attacks, he said their deaths had "no justification, just as the attacks in New York did not, either." In response, the Bush administration temporarily withdrew its ambassador. Being very friendly with Fidel Castro and selling oil to Cuba at discount rates. His defense minister asking the permanent US military mission in Venezuela to vacate its offices in the military headquarters in Caracas, saying its presence was an anachronism from the cold war. Not cooperating to Washington's satisfaction with the US war against the Colombian guerrillas. Denying Venezuelan airspace to US counter-drug flights. Refusing to provide US intelligence agencies with information on Venezuela's large Arab community. Questioning the sanctity of globalization. Promoting a regional free-trade bloc and united Latin American petroleum operations as a way to break free from US economic dominance. Visiting Sadaam Hussein in Iraq and Moammar Gaddafy in Libya. And more in the same vein which the Washington aristocracy is unaccustomed to encountering from the servant class. The United States has endeavored to topple numerous governments for a whole lot less. The Washington Post reported from Venezuela on April 13: "Members of the country's diverse opposition had been visiting the U.S. Embassy here in recent weeks, hoping to enlist U.S. help in toppling Chavez. The visitors included active and retired members of the military, media leaders and opposition politicians. "The opposition has been coming in with an assortment of 'what ifs'," said a U.S. official familiar with the effort. "What if this happened? What if that happened? What if you held it up and looked at it sideways? To every scenario we say no. We know what a coup looks like, and we won't support it." Right. They won't support a coup. So what happens when a coup occurs which they want to support? Simple. They don't call it a coup. They call it a "change of government" and say that Chavez was ousted "as a result of the message of the Venezuelan people." Veritable grass-roots democracy it was. Opposition legislators were also brought to Washington in recent months, including at least one delegation sponsored by the International Republican Institute, an integral part of the National Endowment for Democracy, long used by the CIA for covert operations abroad. Overthrowing a man such as Hugo Chavez, guilty of such transgressions, was a duty so "natural" for the CIA that the only reason it might not have been intimately involved in the operation would be that the Agency had been secretly disbanded. William Blum is the author of Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II and "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower" Blum can be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Very Urgent--Cuban Embassy in Venezuela under seige after coup [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG
URGENT! PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! From: "Karen Lee Wald" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: "Maceo Carillo Martinet" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Very Urgent--Cuban Embassy in Venezuela under seige after coup Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 18:52:01 -0700 HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- The Cuban Embassy in Venezuela is under siege by a mob of 'golpistas' withthe participation of right wing Cubans living in Venezuela. The statementalso says that Chavez has not formally resigned. He has not signed anyresignation."Cuba denounces to the whole world this COUP D'ETAT in Venezuela and thesiege to the diplomatic residence in that country".- Original Message -From: "Vladimir Mirabal" [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Friday, April 12, 2002 2:11 PMSubject: !!!MUY URGENTE - Declaración del Ministerio de RelacionesExteriores de CubaDECLARACION DEL MINISTERIO DE RELACIONES EXTERIORES DE LA REPÚBLICA DECUBAEl Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores quiere denunciar ante la opinion publica nacional y extranjera que en estos momentos la Embajada de Cuba en Venezuela esta siendo asediada por una turba en la que participan representantes de la extrema derecha cubana radicada en ese pais, quetiene estrechos vinculos con la Fundacion Nacional Cubano-Americana.Todo esto ocurre en medio de la tolerancia de los golpistas que intentan usurpar el poder en la Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela, mediante un GOLPE DE ESTADO que viola la Constitucion de ese pais y es contrario al estado dederecho.La Embajada de Cuba ha tratado de comunicarse con la Cancilleria y con laAlcaldia, pero alli nadie responde. Han cortado parcialmente la electricidad a nuestra Embajada y han llamado a cortarla totalmente, asi como el agua y los alimentos.El personal diplomatico cubano en Venezuela tiene instrucciones de no permitir que nadie penetre en los predios de nuestra sede diplomatica y de defender la misma aun al costo de su propia vida.El gobierno de la Republica de Cuba responsabiliza a los golpistas que se han apoderado del poder en Venezuela de lo que ocurra con nuestra sede diplomatica y con los compañeros que alli se encuentran.Segun las noticias de prensa divulgadas por propios medios venezolanos, es falso que el Presidente Chavez haya renunciado. El Fiscal General de ese pais denuncio que el Presidente esta arrestado injustamente y sin razon y que el mismo no ha firmado ningun documento de renuncia.El mismo Presidente Chavez tampoco ha firmado ningun documento destituyendo al icepresidente del pais que por la Constitucion es, en caso de que falteel Presidente, quien debe ocupar la Presidencia de la nacion. Tampoco ha destituido a ningun Ministro.Pero incluso, en caso de que no sea el Vicepresidente quien ocupe ese puesto, el mismo corresponde ser ocupado por el Presidente de la Asamblea Nacional.Varios Gobernadores han denunciado el GOLPE DE ESTADO.Todos estos preceptos constitucionales han sido violentados en Venezuela por sectores de la extrema derecha.Cuba denuncia ante el mundo este GOLPE DE ESTADO en Venezuela y el asedio asu sede diplomatica en ese pais y reitera la determinacion de los diplomaticos cubanos de no permitir que nadie penetre en ella y de defender la integridad de la misma, aun al costo de sus vidas.12 de abril del 2002 ==Karen Lee Wald2175 Aborn Road, apt. 164San Jose, CA 95121telephone 408-532-6147[EMAIL PROTECTED]Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Toronto - April 17th, 6 pm - Protest Madeline Albright! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: Snezana Vitorovich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2002 9:54 AMSubject: Fw: Protest Madeleine ALbright !!!Importance: HighPlease pass on Protest Madeline Albright Wednesday April 17th, 6pm Across the street from the Toronto Convention Centre Madeleine Albright, ex secretary of state under Clinton and the woman who said that the deaths of 1 million Iraqi children was a price worth paying and who helped oversee the brutal NATO war against Yugoslavia, will bespeaking at a Junior League of Toronto dinner on Wednesday April 17 th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street. Join activists in protesting her presence and help show support to the millions around the world who have, and continue to, suffer under the policies she oversaw around the world. Bring banners, pictures, placards and noise makers.Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Alert! Martial law in the Los Angeles harbor!! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Forward from mart - URGENT - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY! --- Original Message Subject: Alert! Martial law in the Los Angeles harbor Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 11:39:14 -0700 From: Ernesto Nevarez To: truckersUnite [EMAIL PROTECTED] Distribute widelyA massive high profile task force composed of mutliple police and other agencies has swarmed upon the Los Angeles harbor these past three days. Initial reports are that they are checking for equipment safety, emissions, dyed diesel, and anything and everything that can cost drivers more money. Latest report is that even the INS is involved.First, here in this harbor we have activist that in spite of not having all their documents are strong unionist. Is President Bush making a statement? Has the INS ever raided the Enron Building in Houston? NO!! INS is only used as a weapon to attempt to shut up and divide the labor movement.Now, there is no one more concerned about the environment that myself. I was a co-founder of the Harbor Coalition Against Toxic Waste back in 1982, before it was popular and way before the Sierra Club Port Task Force. And I also assisted CRASH in fighting triples in the mid-1990s. However, economically beating a small percentage of drivers to the poor house is NOT the solution to our environmental or safety concerns. Federal law, cfr49 section 376.12, makes it very clear that the MOTOR CARRIERS must be responsible for the trucks. Even under the state BIT program the firm must take responsibility for trucks that it leases. The federal leasing regs require the firm's to assume responsibility and the BIT program allows them to assume responsibility. However, at the end of this week we should have about 300-500 truck drivers with tickets that should had been issued to the motor carriers! I doubt that a single ticket will be issued to the firms for violating DMV code section 4453.5 which requires the trucking companies to register the truck in their names which would make it the recipients of the other tickets as well.We must let the environmentalist and community and students know the truth of all of the little white lies and lip service that they have been getting regarding the local industry. Initial reports that these latest raids at the workplace have totally PISSED OFF the workers! There will be a response.The PATRIOT ACT. It seems that the actions in the Los Angeles harbor are being closely watched by industry operatives and their Police agencies. This egroup is no exception and careful discretion should be used when posting. Personally I don't give a shit and will continue to organize for social change and the ending of SELECTIVE NON-ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAW BY POLICE AND REGULATORY AGENCIES.In the meantime the "radical" student movement discusses extreme political propaganda, "intellectual masturbation", and the environmentalist applaud each other on being politically correct over "organic" finger foods. Sorry for the extreme sarcasm and generalization but the shit is flying down here in the harbor. It is a War Zone, it is Palestine. I knew that our organizing was of a serious nature but I never expected an Israeli style invasion of the harborSociety; labor, community, and students, must take back the damm harbors! "There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!" Mario SavioSproul Hall StepsUniversity of California, BerkeleyDecember 3, 1964Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
A million Moroccans march against the Racist Settler State [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: a million Moroccans march against the Racist Settler State Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 15:14:31 -0400 BBC Sunday, 7 April, 2002, 12:27 GMT 13:27 UK Huge anti-Israel march in Morocco By Stephanie Irvine BBC correspondent in Rabat A crowd estimated to at least one million people has gathered in the centre of the Moroccan capital, Rabat, chanting slogans and waving Palestinian flags and banners. Some American flags have been set alight and riot police line the streets, but there has been no violence so far. The demonstration has been called by the Moroccan Association in Support of the Palestinian Struggle to denounce what it calls Israel's crimes against the Palestinians and to call for peace. There have been unofficial protests and strikes by high-school students all over the country for the last two weeks, but this one is official. It has the backing of all the main political parties, some of whom have been bussing in supporters from around the country. With the demonstrations, the authorities may be hoping to channel the strong pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel feelings among ordinary Moroccans. Morocco has traditionally played a role as peace-maker and intermediary in the Middle East. And the Washington Post reports that US Secretary of State Colin Powell will stop off in Morocco for talks with King Mohammed VI before going on to talks with other Arab leaders and Israel.Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
The How-to's of Looting, Belgrade Hyatt, Apr 24-25! [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: The How-to's of Looting, Belgrade Hyatt, Apr 24-25 Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 02:31:35 -0500 Belgrade to host conference on investment in the year of privatisation March 23, 2002 Belgrade, March 22, 2002 - Belgrade will host a conference entitled Investing in Serbia: 2002 the Year of Privatisation at the Hyatt on April 24-25, aimed to provide investors with the latest information on the privatisation process and the government's progress in economic reforms. The conference, organised by London-based IBC Energy, will feature speeches by influential business, investment and lending institution, and government leaders, including Serbian Minister of Privatisation and Economy Aleksandar Vlahovic, Minister of International Economic Relations Goran Pitic, Minister of Energy and Mining Goran Novakovic, and NBJ governor Mladjan Dinkic, among others. For more information on the conference, see the IBC web site.Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Belgrade Bourse kicks off 2002 looting spree [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Belgrade Bourse kicks off 2002 looting spree Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 02:25:35 -0500 (Ministry of Info.) First auction privatisations at the Belgrade stock exchange April 04, 2002 Belgrade, April 3, 2002 - Serbia sold off three small companies at auction on Wednesday in the first of some 250 privatisations by this method foreseen for this year. The glass maker Ornament from the Vojvodina's town of Subotica, food-processing Elgrakop plant from Ljig and car maintenance shop Autoservis from Priboj fetched around $320,000. Ornament's 70 percent stake was sold for 5,769,218 dinars or the minimum estimated value to Dragan Zoraic on behalf of the private company Mio II d.o.o. export-import. Two bidders showed up for the auction of Autoservis and the company was sold to Kosta Ranitovic, for 2,352,000 dinars. Elgrakop plant was sold for 14,624,593 dinars to the plant's workers represented by Zarko Gajic. Six other firms were left unsold because buyers felt they had been overvalued, Serbian Minister of Economy and Privatisation Aleksandar Vlahovic said. According to the privatisation Law that was enacted in July 2001, the government's strategy is to sell big, lucrative firms to strategic partners via international tenders and small and medium ones to local businessmen through auctions. Vlahovic said local private investors should not be afraid to take legitimate stakes in such companies. The companies offered at auction on Wednesday were the first group of some 250 firms planned to be auctioned in 2002, Serbian Privatisation Agency head Vladimir Cupic said after the auctions. He also announced that the Agency would put shares on sale in May from its portfolio of minority government stakes in dozens of firms that were partially privatised during the 1990s. The auction procedure stipulates that the companies are offered for bids at an initial price representing the minimum valuation of its capital, with ownership going to the highest final bid. The procedure calls for a second and third round if no bids are offered, with the lowest acceptable price being no less than the paid deposit for participation in bidding. The proceeds from the privatisations go to the Serbian budget, with ten percent allocated to the Pension and Disability Fund, and a further 5 percent each to developing infrastructure in the company's region, development of regional local self-government, and for compensation to individuals whose property was nationalised by the state. Funds will also be employed for stimulating economic development, environmental protection, paying off state debts and for covering the costs of the auction privatisation process.Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - send greetings for Easter, Passover
Who really killed Daniel Pearl? [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: "Who Really Killed Daniel Pearl?" Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 02:45:57 -0500 The Guardian (UK) 4/5/02 Who really killed Daniel Pearl? The US is ignoring evidence of links with Pakistan's secret service Tariq Ali in LahoreFriday April 5, 2002The Guardian It has been a stunningly beautiful spring in Pakistan. But the surface calm is deceptive. When the war in Afghanistan began, I suggested that the Taliban would be rapidly defeated and that the "jihadi" organisations and their patrons would regroup in Pakistan and, sooner or later, start punishing General Musharraf's regime. This process is now under way. In recent months, the jihadis have scored three big hits: the kidnapping and brutal murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl; the assassination of the interior minister's brother; and the bombing of a church in the heart of Islamabad's tightly protected diplomatic enclave. There have also been targeted killings of professionals in Karachi: more than a dozen doctors belonging to the Shi'a minority have been shot. All these acts were designed as a warning to Pakistan's military ruler: if you go too far in accommodating Washington, your head will also roll. Some senior journalists believe an attempt on Musharraf's life has already taken place. Are these acts of terrorism actually carried out by hardline groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Harkatul Ansar, which often claim them? Probably, but these groups are only a shell. Turn them upside down and the rational kernel is revealed in the form of Pakistan's major intelligence agency - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), whose manipulation of them has long been clear. Those sections of the ISI who patronised and funded these organisations were livid at "the betrayal of the Taliban". Being forced to unravel the only victory they had ever scored - the Taliban takeover in Kabul - created enormous tensions inside the army. Unless this background is appreciated, the terrorism shaking the country today is inexplicable. Colin Powell's statement of March 3, exonerating the ISI from any responsibility for Pearl's disappearance and murder, is shocking. Few in Pakistan believe such assurances. Musharraf was not involved, but he must know what took place. He has referred to Pearl as an "over- intrusive journalist" caught up in "intelligence games". Has he told Washington what he knows? And if so, why did Powell absolve the ISI? The Pearl tragedy has shed some light on the darker recesses of the intelligence networks. Pearl was a gifted, independent-minded investigative journalist. On previous assignments he had established that the Sudanese pharmaceutical factory - bombed on Clinton's orders - was exactly that and not a shady installation producing biological and chemical weapons, as alleged by the White House. Subsequently, he wrote extensively on Kosovo, questioning some of the atrocity stories dished out by Nato spin-doctors to justify the war on Yugoslavia. Pearl was never satisfied with official briefings or chats with approved local journalists. Those he was in touch with in Pakistan say he was working to uncover links between the intelligence services and terrorism. His newspaper has been remarkably coy, refusing to disclose the leads Pearl was pursuing. Any western journalist visiting Pakistan is routinely watched and followed. The notion that Daniel Pearl, setting up contacts with extremist groups, was not being carefully monitored by the secret services is unbelievable - and nobody in Pakistan believes it. The group which claimed to have kidnapped and killed Pearl - "The National Youth Movement for the Sovereignty of Pakistan" - is a confection. One of its demands was unique: the resumption of F-16 sales to Pakistan. A terrorist, jihadi group which supposedly regards the current regime as treacherous is putting forward a 20-year-old demand of the military and state bureaucracy. The principal kidnapper, the former LSE student Omar Saeed Sheikh - whose trial begins in Karachi today - has added to the mystery. He carelessly condemned himself by surrendering to the provincial home secretary (a former ISI operative) on February 5. Sheikh is widely believed in Pakistan to be an experienced ISI "asset" with a history of operations in Kashmir. If he was extradited to Washington and decided to talk, the entire story would unravel. His family are fearful. They think he might be tried by a summary court and executed to prevent the identity of his confederates being revealed. So mysterious has this affair become that one might wonder who is really running Pakistan. Official power is exercised by General Musharraf. But it is clear that his writ does not extend to the whole state apparatus, let alone the country. If a military regime cannot guarantee law and order, what can it hope to deliver? Meanwhile, Daniel Pearl's widow is owed an explanation by her own state department and the general
Israel's mountain of dead dogs [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Some interesting analysis of the latest disinformation from Mossad- CIA/CNN From: "Jim Yarker" [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: "Israel's mountain of dead dogs" Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 04:27:20 -0500 http://www.mail-archive.com/marxism%40lists.panix.com/msg32677.html Israel's mountain of dead dogs From: Martin Schreader Subject: Israel's mountain of dead dogs Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2002 10:20:43 -0800 The Mossad seems to be slipping. CNN is showing pictures of the "documents" that are supposed to "prove" that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs are linked to the Palestinian Authority. The "documents" shown are on "official Al-Aqsa Martyrs letterhead", with the name of the organization in English and Arabic. And, to top it off, the word "Martyrs" is misspelled on the letterhead (it is spelled "Martyres"). The content of the "documents" are reports on the progress of the campaign of suicide bombings, requests from the PA for more funds, etc. OK, so what questions can be asked: 1) What paramilitary organization has "official letterhead"? 2) If the letterhead is real, can someone explain how they would allow "Martyrs" to be misspelled? 3) What paramilitary organization puts such reports and requests in writing? Mossad says there are more documents to come. (Of course! Forgery takes time and patience!) Is it me or does it look like the Israeli regime is looking to bury the truth of their invasion under a mountain of dead dogs?Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Human Rights For Sale [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
From: "Karen Lee Wald" [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Human Rights for Sale Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 14:35:35 -0800 It's hard to say which is more outrageous, the US' flagrant use of the money-whip to keep UN votes and policiesin line with its own interests, or a major media organization's tacit approval of this in its coverage. DOW JONES NEWSWIRE Tuesday April 2, 6:38 PM US/Rejoin UN Human Rts Body -3: Done Deal Three European countries received more votes than the U.S. in the secret ballot for seats on the Geneva-based panel last May. At the same time, Sudan and several other nations with poor track records on human rights were elected to the panel. [THE IMPLICATION HERE IS THAT THE US, UNLIKE THOSE COUNTRIES, DOES *NOT* HAVE A "POOR TRACK RECORD ON HUMAN RIGHTS"! WHICH IS BLATANTLY UNTRUE.]U.S. President George W. Bush described the ouster at the time as "an outrageous decision." The U.S. Congress voted to hold back $244 million in dues this year until the U.S. was voted back onto the panel. [MR. BUSH MAY HAVE BEEN OUTRAGED, BUT IT WAS A FREE AND FAIR SECRET BALLOT ELECTION --OBVIOUSLY THE KIND HE DOESN'T LIKE. IT IS ALMOST BEYOND BELIEF THAT DOW JONES AND OTHER WIRE SERVICES AND MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS CAN ALL REPORT ON THE US CONGRESS DECISION TO ABROGATE THAT FAIR ELECTION BY BLACMAILING UN MEMBERS WITH THREATS OF WITHHOLDING DUES. IF ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TRIED TO CHANGE THE RESULTS OF A FAIR ELECTION BY THAT MEANS THE US WOULD BE SCREAMING ITS HEAD OFF.]It was the first time the U.S. had lost the seat since the commission was established in 1947. After the vote last May, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan predicted Washington would get back its seat this year. [YES, MR. ANNAN KNOWS THAT THE UN CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT THE FINANCING OF THE RICHEST COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE US SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE BACK ON A COMMISSION IT WAS VOTED OFF OF, DOES IT MR. ANNAN? UNFORTUNATELY, MR. ANNAN KNOWS WHO PAYS HIS SALARY, AND IT ISN'T THE POOR COUNTRIES OF THE THIRD WORLD.]Downer said the four countries would fill the positions from January 2003 to December 2005. The seats are part of the Western Europe and Others Group of countries on the panel. His press secretary Matt Francis said Downer had been told of the agreement by an Australian diplomat connected to the commission. Australia last served on the panel in 1996. "It has been squared away," he told The Associated Press. "It's a done deal." Both Australia and the U.S. have been criticized by the U.N. for perceived human rights abuses. Washington has come under fire for its treatment of Afghanistan prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Canberra has been lambasted for its hard-line stance toward asylum seekers. [THIS IS THE POOREST REPORTING I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME, AND DOW JONES WIRES HAS TOO MUCH EXPERIENCE TO HAVE DONE IT ACCIDENTALLY. ALL MAJOR INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE RESOUNDINGLY CRITICIZED THE US DOMESTIC AS WELL AS INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHED A TEN CHAPTER REPORT ON US DOMESTIC ABUSES IN 1998.CENTRAL AMERICAN AND LATIN AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE REPEATEDLY CRITICIZED THE US FOR ITS TOLERANCE AND EVEN SUPPORT OF DEATH SQUADS AND MILITARY REGIMES THAT ROUTINELY TORTURED, DISAPPEARED AND MURDERED OPPONENTS. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE TO MAKE IT SEEM THAT THE ONLY ABUSES THE US IS GUILTY OF ARE IN RELATION TO ITS TREATMENT OF THE TALIBAN PRISONERS.]"I hope that we will be able to exercise some influence to ensure that the world takes a constructive and effective approach to improvements in international human rights," Downer told reporters in the Australian city of Adelaide. [WELL, THAT CERTAINLY CANNOT BE DONE BY TURNING A BLIND EYE TO THE ABUSES PERPETRATED AND SUPPORTED BY THE UNITED STATES OR BY LETTING IT BUY AND BULLY ITS WAY BACK ONTO THE COMMISSION. IT WAS THAT KIND OF ARROGANT BEHAVIOR THAT GOT THE US VOTED OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE. AS IT WOULD BE IN OTHER INSTANCES IF THE ELECTIONS WERE SECRET BALLOT AS THEY ARE IN ECOSOC, WHICH VOTES FOR THE MEMBERS OFTHE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.]The commission, which usually meets in Geneva, makes recommendations on the protection and promotion of human rights - either on its own initiative or at the request of the General Assembly or the Security Council. [BUT THE UNITED STATES HAS ROUTINELY IGNORED THE KEY HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES RAISED BY OTHER COUNTRIES, AND ITS DELEGATION HAS CONSISTENTLY VOTED AGAINST THE MAJORITY CONCERNS --OFTEN AS A MINORITY OF ONE OR ACCOMPANIED BY ONLY ONE OR TWO SMALL COUNTRIES IT COULD BULLY OR PURCHASE. AT THE SAME TIME, FOR OVER A DECADE IT HAS BROUGHT TO THE COMMISSION ONLY ONE CONCERN: GETTING A VOTE AGAINST CUBA, AND PRESSURED ALL OTHER COUNTRIES TO VOTE FOR ITS RESOLUTION "OR ELSE". LITTLE WONDER THAT OTHER COUNTRIES FEEL THE US DOES NOT BELONG ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.]
Father of American Killed in Ramallah Speaks Out, U.S. Remains Silent [WWW.STOP
Can you imagine Bush "remaining silent" if this *American* woman had been murdered by Palestinian bullets instead of Israeli? In that case,it would have been proclaimed loudly to the whole worldas a "heinous act of terrorism"!! Remember the case of murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and Bush's pledge to leave no stone unturnedand to use thecombined resorces of FBI, the CIA and the military to hunt down his killers? How about holding Bush, Ashcroft and Israelto this same "standard of justice"??? mart -- Original Message - From: Islamic Association For Palestine - To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2002 8:38 AM Subject: [AL-AWDA-News] Father of American Killed in Ramallah Speaks Out, U.S. Remains Silent Exclusive: Father of American Killed in Ramallah Speaks Out, U.S. Remains Silent http://www.islam-online.net/english/News/2002-04/04/article60.shtml U.S. citizen Suraida Salih is buried in a temporary mass grave in a Ramallah hospital. By Neveen A. Salem, IOL Washington correspondentWASHINGTON, April 3 (IslamOnline) - On Friday March 29, the first day of Israels bombardment of the West Bank city of Ramallah, reports surfaced that the first victim of the attacks was a 21-year-old woman who was shot by Israeli soldiers as she was driving in her car with her family. What was not reported by news agencies, however, until much later, was that the woman was an American.Suraida Salihs father, Farhan, told IslamOnline via telephone from Ramallah that she was driving with her husband and her nine-month-old son when Israeli soldiers opened fire on them, killing her and pumping five bullets into her husband.The Israelis are killing everything, not just people. They are destroying trees, animals and people. They are destroying houses and buildings everything. They are obliterating all of Ramallah and Beit Lehem [Bethlehem] in cold blood, Farhan told IslamOnline, as sounds of what seemed to be gunshots or explosions could be heard over the telephone.He told IslamOnline that the family had been locked inside their house unable to claim Suraidas body until late Tuesday, April 2, a full five days after she was shot, when they helped bury her in a temporary grave in the parking lot of a Ramallah hospital.As morgues are overflowing with Palestinian dead, the hospital has had to resort to temporary burial areas, as it is too dangerous for Palestinians to try to bury their dead in cemeteries due to the curfew and Israeli soldiers roaming the streets, Farhan explained.Farhan gave the details of Suraidas death to IslamOnline and via another telephone interview to American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice (AMGPJ), a Washington D.C.- based human rights organization.He said he was providing statements to other Western media outlets in the hope that Americans will realize that Israel is killing Americans too, and not just Palestinians, even though any deaths should be condemned and action should be taken to stop the bloodshed and the wasting of innocent lives.Farhan stated that an unknown wounded man came to Suraida's home in Ramallah at about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, March 29. Morad Abu Gharbiyeh, Suraida's husband, a journalist with the Palestinian Broadcasting Company, assisted the man and called for an ambulance. Paramedics took the wounded man and left their house by 4 a.m. Morad and Suraida decided it would be safer for them if they went to Suraida's father's house, not far up the street from where they lived.Suraida sat in the passenger seat holding her 9-month-old, Muhsin, as Morad drove their car. A band of the notorious Mustaarabeen [Arabized], undercover Israeli soldiers dressed like Arabs, stood in the shadows of an upcoming intersection. As the car approached, the Israelis opened fire without warning, shooting Suraida in the head and the chest. She died instantly. Morad was hit with five bullets: two in his head, two in his shoulder, and one in his hand.The Israelis, assuming that all the occupants were dead, left the scene. Morad regained consciousness to find his dead young wife slumped over their child. Miraculously, little Muhsin was unharmed."They killed her in cold blood cold blood, and now my grandson will grow up not knowing the mother who gave birth to him, Farhan said.He also stated that U.S. officials in the region had not been helpful in helping his family. I called the American consulate so that they could help me get Suraida's body, and they promised me on Saturday, and on Sunday, and today, and still nothing. I don't think that they care about us because we are Arab-Americans. If we were American Jews, they would put pressure on Israel. But for us, nothing," an anguished Farhan stated.Omar, Suraidas brother, also spoke of his aunt and uncle, Farhat Saleh and Selma Frookh, also Americans from northern Virginia, who went to Palestine for a visit, following their pilgrimage to Mecca during Hajj last February."They are an old couple, and right now they
Press Release: Six Palestinian Citizens severely beaten by Israeli police in pro
- Original Message - From: NADEM NASHEF To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2002 11:24 PM Subject: [AL-AWDA-News] Press Release: Six Palestinian Citizens severely beaten by Israeli police in protest outside US Embassy Today 4/4 From: "Diaa" [EMAIL PROTECTED]ITTIJAH PRESS RELEASE Thursday, April 04, 2002Six Palestinian citizens of Israel were severely beaten by Israeli police and Special Forces in a protest outside the US Embassy today. Two of the injured were arrested, along with four others. The arrested injured protesters were denied medical treatment. Around 20 more were moderately injured. They did not request medical treatment, fearing their names would be handed over to the police.Today's events appears to be a clear repeat of the October 2002 events,where 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli securityforces and other Israeli-Jewish citizens.Some 600 Palestinian citizens, along with a small group of international volunteers and Israeli-Jews protested outside the US Embassy at 2pm today,voicing their anger at the US's open support for Israel's bloody assaults in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The protest was called by the Arab Higher Follow Up Committee, in a string of demonstrations to takeplace in the next few days.Around 60 police lined up facing the protesters armed with batons andlarge sticks. A short time later, another 60 police arrived asreinforcements, along with 9 men from a special riot unit, "Yassam."10 minutes later, without any provocation from protesters, the policecharged at demonstrators. Protesters began to run away, police chasingthem and beating those they caught around the head and back. It wasclear the police had orders to attack and maim protesters.One man fell and was set upon by a group of police. Although seriouslyinjured, police did not call for medical relief, preventing protestersfrom assisting the man for a few minutes. One protester called anambulance, which arrived 45 minutes later, although he conveyed theurgency of the situation.By that time, six people had been seriously injured by police beatings.Two were arrested and denied medical treatment.This was all witnessed by staff at the US Embassy. Protesters saw agroup from the Embassy watching from the top floor of their building, doing nothing to stop or diffuse the situation.The American Embassy further provoked the situation by attempting tosearch the Palestinian Knesset members and local Palestinian leaders who formed a delegation to meet the American Ambassador and express their outrage at the US's open support for Israel's illegal occupation of the 1967 Palestinian territories, and their silence regarding Israel's open assault on civilians and international volunteers.Towards the end of the protest, police were seen laughing and recounting how they beat up demonstrators. At around 3:30, a group of pro-Sharon supporters gathered on the other side of the road facing thedemonstrators, inciting them. Police re-aligned themselves facing thedemonstrators, defending the pro-Sharon supporters.For more information, please call:Mr. Abed Anibtawi, DirectorArab Higher Follow Up CommitteeMob: +972-(0) 54 645 547Mr. Ameer Makhoul, DirectorIttijah: Union of Arab Community Based AssociationsMob: +972-(0)54 862 171Tel: +972-4-850 7110Fax: +972-4-850 7241E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Ms. Diaa Hadid, Public Relations and FundraisingIttijah: Union of Arab Community Based AssociationsTel: +972-4-850 7110Fax: +972-4-850 7241[EMAIL PROTECTED] Emergency Rafah Relief Fund: http://al-awda.org/rafah_fund.htm =Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, is the largest network of grassroots activists dedicated to Palestinian human rightsTo subscribe to Al-Awda-News, send a blank message to:[EMAIL PROTECTED]To unsubscribe, send a blank message to:[EMAIL PROTECTED]To find out how to join an Al-Awda action committee in your area, please visit our website at http://al-awda.orgDo You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
Details On American Woman Murdered By Israeli Snipers [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
One thing that can be said about the Israelisthey're "equal opportunity" murderers! U.S. citizenship is no protectionfor anyone who stands in their way. I wonder if you'll hear Bush decry this murder as an "act of terrorism"?? Don't hold your breath. == - Original Message - From: Islamic Association For Palestine - To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 11:25 AM Subject: [AL-AWDA-News] Details Emerge About American Woman Shot Dead By Israeli Soldiers American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice A GLOBAL PEACE EXCLUSIVE Details Emerge About American Woman Shot Dead By Israeli Soldiers By Raeed N. Tayeh - April 1, 2002 It was reported widely on Friday, March 29 that the first victim of Israels latest siege on the West Bank city of Ramallah was a woman who was shot while driving her car. What most media outlets did not report, however, are the circumstances of the womans death, as well as her identity. Suraida Saleh, the 21-year-old woman gunned down by Israeli soldiers, was an American, born in Washington, DC. The details of her death have emergedin an exclusive interview that Global Peace conducted over the telephonewith Suraidas brother and father. Both are locked inside their home in Ramallah, along with other members of their family, and have been unable for four days to retrieve Suraidas body from the morgue to give her a proper burial. Omar Saleh, Suraidas brother, explained what happened in the early hours of March 29, when the Israeli military invaded Ramallah. The following is a summary of the incident: An unknown wounded man came to Suraidas home in Ramallah at about 3:30 a.m. Morad Abu Gharbiyeh, Suraidas husband, a journalist with the Palestinian Broadcasting Company, assisted the man and called for an ambulance. Paramedics took the wounded man and left their house by 4 a.m. Morad and Suraida decided that it would be safer for them if they went to Suraidas fathers house, not far up the street from where they lived. Suraida sat in the passenger seat holding her 9-month-old son Muhsin as Morad drove their car. A band of the notorious Mustaarabeem, undercover Israeli soldiers dressed like Arabs, stood in the shadows of an upcoming intersection. As the car approached, the Israelis opened fire without warning, shooting Suraida in the head and the chest. She died instantly. Morad was hit with five bullets: two in his head, two in his shoulder, and one in his hand. The Israelis, assuming that all of the occupants were dead, left the scene. Morad regained consciousness to find his dead young wife slumped over their child. Miraculously, little Muhsin was unharmed. Wounded, Morad took Muhsin out of the lifeless arms of Suraida and began walking towards the home of his in-laws, in the foggy darkness of that morning, but he collapsed, and both he and his son fell to the pavement. Suraidas family heard a commotion outside and looked in horror to find that the bleeding man lying in the street was their daughters husband. They called for an ambulance and rushed to help him. Israeli soldiers held up the ambulance for two hours at a checkpoint however, refusing to let it pass. They finally made it to the scene and took Morad and his son to the hospital. They were able to save Morad, and he is now in stable condition, but that is little compensation for the loss of his wife and his childs mother. Suraidas father couldnt hold back his anguish and heartache over the loss of his daughter, and the manner in which she was killed. They killed her in cold bloodcold blood, and now my grandson will grow up not knowing the mother who gave birth to him. I called the American consulate so that they could help me get Suraidas body, and they promised me on Saturday, and on Sunday, and today, and still nothing. I dont think that they care about us because we are Arab-Americans. If we were American Jews they would put pressure on Israel. But for us, nothing. Omar also spoke of his aunt and uncle, Farhat Saleh and Selma Frookh, also Americans from northern Virginia, who went to Palestine for a visit following their pilgrimage to Mecca during Hajj last February. They are an old couple, and right now they are alone in their home with no electricity or running water, and barely any food. My uncle has diabetes, and my aunt has high blood pressure. Im worried that they are in need of their medication, but they cant get any because the Israelis will shoot anyone who goes outside and breaks the curfew. Two more Americans were wounded on Monday by Israeli gunfire in Beit Jala as they participated in a peaceful march in solidarity with the Palestinians. The State Department said that they hope such incidents wont happen in the future. There was no immediate comment from the State department about dozens of American citizens who have been detained in Israels round-up of all men
