whitebeard

Sunday, July 29, 2007

North american Peace Activists in Rome

On July 23, 2007, the 5th anniversary of the Downing Street Memo, as
activists in the U.S. staged a sit-in calling for impeachment at the office
of John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, members of our
group in Rome formed the I-Team and brought the issue of impeachment
to tourists in the Eternal City.

We started at the Pantheon where Anna served up her "Impeachmintini"
(white wine, peaches and mint), complete with Impeach umbrellas and
custom labels, to supporters from the U.S. and Europe. We attracted
attention with our Impeach t-shirts as well as the megaphone, chanting
Impeach Bush, Impeach Dick Cheney, too!

A large group of Irish schoolboys shook our hands, had their photos taken
with us and shouted, "We love you" as we left the square. Next stop was
Piazza Navona where we ran into Jerry, a Dominican Friar who has
marched with us before. He was leading a group of Dominicans from the
U.S. on a tour of Rome, who all cheered for us when they learned what we
were doing. They took our photos and had their photos taken with us.

Indeed, many tourists -- as well as second- and third-story local residents,

peering down from their windows -- took photos of us, especially when we were

at the Pantheon where we lined up in front of the fountain and later the portico.

There was an elderly Dutch couple and a couple of young ladies (one from

Connecticut and the other from NY) who greatly appreciated both the aperitif

and our sentiments. Another Dutch couple claimed to be abstemious, but said

they fully supported our efforts. When it came to young American tourists,

there seemed to be a pretty even divide between those who were enthusiastically

behind impeachment and those who were probably more indifferent than actively opposed.

For the most part, people were very supportive, though we did run into a
few Bush supporters. One man told us we were disgusting and said, "if you
don´t like America, why don´t you just stay in Italy." Amusing, since most of
us have lived in Rome for decades!

The last stop was Campo de Fiori where a photographer friend was waiting
for us, and we handed out the last of the 200 flyers. But the big surprise
was still to come.

Over ONE THOUSAND faxes had been sent from our site - with no signs
of slowing! These obviously didn´t all come from our local group. In fact,
our Judiciary Fax Blast to John Conyers´ office was picked up by several sites,
such as AfterDowningStreet, DailyKos, InformationClearingHouse,
WhatReallyHappened, DemocraticUnderground and a number of blogs.
And the people responded!

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern, David
Swanson, Rev. Yearwood along with 20 other activists were arrested at
John Conyers' office, where around 300 protesters packed his office and
lined the halls calling for impeachment.

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:24 | link | comments |
iraq, us, italy, peace, war

Bad administration

Asshole

I definitely know because there’s a continual arrival of emails protesting about the Italian Consulates and Embassies. Today’s is from Moscow. From the testimony I deduce that the consuls and ambassadors have gone abroad for their holidays. Thinking about it, how do you become a consul or ambassador? I ABSOLUTELY don’t believe it can be by recommendation or political affiliation. Thus it’ll be by merit. Merit in the field.
See here

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:22 | link | comments |
civil rights, italy

You thought you knew.

But you can’t really know until you see the full breadth and depth of all the crimes brought together. This is the one documentation that activists in all fields need:

DVD cover

This new 48-min DVD brings together in one resource the highlights of the hearings of the International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity, held in the winter of 2005-2006. This is where the public first heard in one place the stunning evidence of crimes against committed by the Bush Administration.

These hearings are where we first heard together: • Gen. Janis Karpinski describe how the orders for torture at Abu Ghraib came right from the top. • Journalist Jeremy Scahill expose the deployment of armed mercenaries in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the ethnic cleansing that followed. • Dr. Alan Berkman detail the genocidal implications of the Bush administration’s “abstinence only” policy as the cure for AIDS in Africa. • Daphne Wysham document the censorship of government scientists trying to warn of global warming. • United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter explain exactly how the Bush administration in fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. • And many more.

This new 48-min edit brings together the core evidence from all five indictments. It is perfect for classrooms, one-hour public access TV, public programs, and discussion groups.

Purchase on line this new DVD now for $10 (includes shipping). Or make a tax-deductible contribution on line to support the work of Bush Crimes Commission. Purchase by mail or send your contribution made out to NION SOC Inc., and mail to NION, 305 West Broadway, #199, New York, NY 10013.

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:15 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, torture, censored news

El enfermo italiano que pedía la eutanasia muere en huelga de hambre
El fallecimiento del paciente reabre el debate en la sociedad italiana sobre la muerte asistida
AGENCIAS - Roma - 25/07/2007

Giovanni Nuvoli, de 53 años, llevaba cuatro postrado en una cama sin poder moverse. Padecía esclerosis lateral amiotrófica (ELA). El lunes, después de meses pidiendo que se le desconectara el respirador artificial que le mantenía vivo, falleció. Reclamaba su derecho a morir dignamente. Cumplió su deseo pero después de una huelga de hambre y sed. Su muerte ha reabierto el debate sobre la eutanasia en Italia.

Sigue aqui

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:09 | link | comments |
civil rights, italy, torture, vatican

Saturday, July 28, 2007

“We live in a beautiful country. But people who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back.” - Zinn

Historian Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, was interviewed by Riz Khan on Al Jazeera at the end of last month to discuss the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in his latest book, A Power Governments Cannot Oppress. Zinn opposes all war, and believes a revolution of the people must take place. He openly criticizes Israeli and American terrorism which hopes to oppress the will of the people through indiscriminate violence.

posted by: Whitebeard at 21:29 | link | comments |
iraq, us

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran

· Military solution back in favour as Rice loses out
· President 'not prepared to leave conflict unresolved'

The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned.
The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo."

Article continues

posted by: Whitebeard at 17:00 | link | comments |
us, war, censored news, iran

Friday, July 13, 2007

> Dear peace activists,
>
> The people want impeachment! Let´s push Congress to act!
>
> The momentum behind the impeachment movement is picking up steam!
>
> - 11 official co-sponsors for the resolution for impeachment against Cheney
> - 3 more on record as supporting impeachment.
> - Sen. Barbara Boxer just spoke out Tuesday saying, "Impeachment should
> be on the table."
> - Robert Greenwald video on impeachment of Cheney was #1 on
> YouTube.com last weekend.
> - Cindy Sheehan has announced a run against Rep. Nancy Pelosi if she
> doesn´t put impeachment on the table.
>
> On July 23, 2007, the fifth anniversary of the meeting at Number 10
> Downing Street where the head of British intelligence reported that Bush
> and Cheney were intent on invading Iraq and were going to "fix the
> intelligence and facts around the policy," Cindy Sheehan will lead a march
> from Arlington National Cemetery to Capitol Hill, to the office of Judiciary
> Chair John Conyers to ask him to move forward with impeachment.
>
> And in Rome, we want to support this initiative.
>
> We are putting together a working group to organize a solidarity event in
> Rome and to do our part to push Congress TO ACT. If you are available to be
> a part of this group and to meet and discuss options, please contact Gene,
> who is coordinating this: g.rizzo@fastwebnet.it
>
> More importantly, since this is coming at a time when many are away for the
> summer holidays, please let us know if you can come to the event on July
> 23 so we´ll have an idea of how many will participate.
>
> Let´s do our part to push for impeachment from Rome!
>
> U.S. Citizens for Peace & Justice - Rome
> info@peaceandjustice.it
> http://www.peaceandjustice.it

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:56 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, censored news

Thursday, July 12, 2007

A T-Shirt Poll

On the Road for Impeachment

By DAVE LINDORFF

Austin--I just spent the weekend in this state capital, talkin' impeachment at a meeting organized by the Texas Green Party, World Can't Wait, Code Pink and Austin Impeach (www.austinimpeach.org), and was flying back home via Atlanta. As I was boarding my flight, the pilot, an Air Force veteran like many commercial pilots, looked at the bold "Impeach Bush and Cheney" emblazoned across my chest, smiled and said, "I like your shirt." Some 20 minutes later when the flight attendant came through serving drinks and I asked for a bottle of red wine, she handed me a bottle and then waved away my proffered five dollars. "With that shirt, you don't have to pay," she said to me. The Texas and Georgia passengers sitting around me laughed appreciatively.

The mood in America is shifting rapidly, and President Bush has gone from hero to goat.

Continue here

posted by: Whitebeard at 17:39 | link | comments (1) |
us, civil rights, war

CHAPTER XII

pag. 315-323

FAREWELL TO THE VALLEY

" To-morrow to fresh woods and pastures new,"

THE ways by which the human streams may find their way out of the Valley Enclosed have been made broad and easy in these days. There is the little railway for those who would go Arezzo-wards, and one may get to Florence that way too, as the river does, roundabout. But the quickest route, and the pleasantest in fine weather, between the Casentino and the lower valley of the Arno, is by the road aver the Consuma Pass, through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in Italy. You may enter the Valley or leave it, as you will, of course, by the Consuma, but the ascent is rather less arduous journeying towards Florence than in the contrary direction. Even then it is a slow climb upwards for many a mile. The road branches off from the main highway of the Valley a short distance from Certomondo, on the Pratovecchio side, at a point where the chapel once stood in which Bishop Guglielmino is said to have been buried after the great battle. The traveller is in the very midst of the field of Campaldino there, and turns his steps from the Valley just at the scene of its most thrilling history. A little further on you cross the Arno, and looking up the stream catch sight of Romena's towers above the groves of poplars and willows ; on the left the water ripples away over the stones, always between silver clouds of foliage, to its meeting-place with the Solano a furlong or so below.

From here you ascend to Borgo alla Collina. This bit of the road is very interesting, not from any historic memories that I know of, but for the quaint things which one sees upon it. The steepness of the hill occasions much ingenuity in the Casentinese carters and waggoners. A trapelo is necessary, and one sees the strangest combination of beasts in consequence. Almost any creature, from a human being downwards, will be pressed into the service, regardless of incongruity. Huge waggoners' loads, piled mountain high upon a baroccio-a low two-wheeled kind of dray/go slowly up, drawn by three horses of unequal height and size harnessed abreast, with a donkey on one side of them, attached to the vehicle by a rope, and a. pair of oxen fastened on in front, as the trapelo. They are on their way to Florence; the extra beasts will be taken off at the end of the long ascent to Consu.ll.1a, and the rest of the equipage will travel on slowly through the night along the mountain road, often on. the edge of precipitous slopes, the waggoners asleep upon the top of the loads and the horses on their own accord pulling to one side when a rare vehicle is encountered from the opposite direction. Sometimes it is a contadino's "flitting" that one meets on the hill; a miscellaneous collection of household goods heaped upon a little cart, and all the innocente-eyed, smiling women and children of the family atop, while one poor little donkey struggles up beneath the load, a spectacle picturesque but pitiful. One must shut one's eyes to the woes of the ass, if one would be quite happy in the Casentino. But the peasants are by no means always unkind to their beasts. The oxen are as a rule very well cared far, and if they expect much of the ass, many of them do not spare themselves. I remember seeing upon this same hill a load even more mountainous than usual, to which an unusually tiny donkey was harnessed. But beside the donkey was a strong contadino, pulling with all his. might at a rope attached to the cart; three men were pushing behind the wheels, and a fourth at the back, their bodies at an acute angle with the road. The strange thing was that a big, strong, confortable-looking horse was tied on behind and was stepping along at his ease. But remembering the experience of Master Cobblers-awl in Heaven, I forbore to reproach the peasants for their folly, but waited, expecting to see the horse spread wings and carry the whole concern to the top of the hill. Italy, however, is not Heaven. Nothing of the sort happened, and I watched the patient figures toiling up till they disappeared over the brow. In this country human beings are not ashamed to drag burdens. I t is not uncommon to see a man in the shafts, with a donkey in front as leader, and a friend of mine vows that she has seen a woman and an ox drawing a plough together.

The traveller himself in his vettura will be drawn briskly up the hill by the willing nervy little horses generally used in the Casentino, pranked out in bells and feathers. At the top the driver will star t them into a gallop, and thunder beneath the deep gateway and through the narrow street of Borgo alla Collina, with a stupendous cracking of the whip and clatter of hoofs upon the cobblestones, scattering children, geese, hens, donkeys, and all the miscellaneous roba that encumbers the way, and so out into the bare road beyond, all in the twinkling of an eye. Not that he is in any hurry to get to the end of his journey, but because he loves to make a brave appearance among his fellow-men.

Soon after Borgo the road begins to mount up and up the hillside, overlooking the western valleys. You have turned your back on the main Valley and it is soon hidden. But it will reappear again and again to the Lot's wife that most visitors make of themselves when, saying farewell to this enchanting region. You are skirting the upper part of the Arno valley, though on the west side of the hill, and presently as you get higher the towers of Romena suddenly rise up over the ridge on the right. Further on the Badiola appears, an ancient church upon a little rise marked by a group of trees, a familiar landmark from the hillsides above Stia. The Badiola has historic associations. From time immemorial the traffic between Florence and the Casentino has passed over the Consuma, and the old track, though much shorter and less winding, followed the same direction as the present road. I t was by this way that the great Florentine host in all the bravery of war, with its sixteen hundred gaily-caparisoned cavaliers, among whom rode the young Dante Alighieri, crossed the mountains to victory in 1289. They are said to have encamped at the Badiola on their way.

The sight of Romena brings with it another and more sinister Dantesque reminder. There is a lonely farm which you come to upon the road, a mile or two further on. It stands in a bleak desolate spot high up, where the woods do not reach. A few bare knotted poles of trees rise up in front of it. It is called Uom Morto, or Omomorto - the Dead Man. If you climb up behind the house you come upon the traces of the old road, and following it back for about a mile, to a point where another track diverges in the direction of Stia, you will find a heap of stones, the Macia dell'Uom Morto - the Dead Man's Cairn. This rough monument is said to mark the spot where a criminal once suffered death. The heap has grown up from the custom followed by every passer-by of throwing a stone there, out of compassion or some religious feeling, or perhaps with a superstitious idea of warding off evil fortune. The Dead Man, thus memorialised upon the solitary mountain, has found another immortality. He was none other apparently than Maestro Adamo, the false coiner of Romena. Cristoforo Landino tells us in his Commentary on the Divine Comedy that Maestro Adamo “was burnt opposite Romena on an old road from Borgo alla Collina where a heap of stones is still to be seen lo-day, and the peasants, who live about there now, affirm that their grandfathers had heard from their old people before them that it was so." Landino it must be remembered was living within one hundred and fifty years of the event.

Here then died the miserable wretch w ho had forged the sacred seal of the Baptist. And the last sight which mocked his eyes through the flames, to be carried with him to Hell in eternal remembrance, was the evil towers of Romena where the Counts, his masters, had induced him to do the deed.

"Ivi è Romena, là dov' io falsai

la lega sigillata del Batista

......................

Ma s'io vedessi qui l'anima trista

di Guido o d'Alessandro o di lor frate

per fonte Branda non darei la vista."

The towers such as they are to-day, stricken by time and shadowed by the ill fame of their ancient masters, stand up stark upon the hill-top still, facing the place of death.

This is our last glimpse of them. We have now completely turned away from the Valley, though glimpses of it still are seen behind. Romena is not the final impression of the Casentino which we shall carry away. The worst of the ascent is now done. The road passes along a bare mountain ridge, wild, treeless, and strewn with rocks and boulders. On the left you look across to the Pratomagno, with its mighty ribs robed in heavy purple and overlaid in June with the gold of the broom, in December with snow. Behind you, between the intervening shoulders of the nearer hills, the Valley still appears, smiling and radiant, far-off, an enchanted land, Poppi beautiful in the midst, La Verna high over all. But the vision of it becomes more and more obstructed. The road turns and it is lost, and again with another turn it reappears, each time more blue, more visionary, a land of dreams, sinking away from us. Now Poppi is gone; only La Verna remains, greeting the eyes anew when one thought it was lost for good.

When the village of Consuma, bleak and straggling upon the bare ridge, is reached and passed, you feel that now indeed the last farewell to the Valley has been said. But no! Suddenly the sad desolate hills open for one moment, and there, shining upon the mountains, infinitely far off, is La Verna, sending across its message for the last time. A flash, and it is gone. The Casentino has sunk out of sight.

After passing Borselli, a tiny wayside hamlet about three miles beyond Consuma, the road descends gradually into the Val d'Arno. Distant views open before the traveller, faint and blue. The lower course of the river, which we have so lately left in its infancy behind us, is now visible in front, with the mountain ranges rolling back from it on either side, like the waves of the Red Sea piled up for the passage of the Chosen People. There, opposite, is the suave line of hills crowned by the pines around the Dominican Convent of the Incontro, and far away to the right appear the summits of the Pistoiese alps, which for a considerable part of the year. show golden snows against the blue of the sky. The face of the country changes as one rapidly descends. At Diacceto the valley begins to open below and the river is seen sweeping on its way. How different from the shallow, rippling young stream of the Casentino, but newly freed from the mountain caves! Here it is broad and quiet and strong, like one that has lost the hurry and excitement of youth, but knows now its way and its end. And what a different world it flows through from the region of its birth! The landscape smiles, gentle, serene, immense, beneath the wide blue sky, and the caress of the grey-green olives is upon all the soft slopes, the tree so clear, so delicate, so Florentine. You feel that the City of Flowers is not far off. Not even a ruined tower is here, to break with the thought of the angry past the peace which the olive symbolises. The wild and sterile Apennines are left far behind. Only the shoulder of the Pratomagno, sharply peaked on winter days with snow still rises mountainous and frowning, on the left, patched high up with the dark forests of Vallombrosa, to remind one still of Alpine regions and Etrurian shades.

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:18 | link | comments |
dante, casentino

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Dear peace activists,

Two messages regarding Vicenza:

1. This Saturday, July 14, there will be a National Assembly in Vicenza
organized by the movement opposing a new U.S. military base in their city.
It starts at 2pm. They will talk about the myriad of initiatives they have taken
over the last year as well as plan, together with activsts from all over Italy,
for the future when the bulldozers start rolling in.

I will be going up on Saturday morning. If you are interested in going as
well, let me know: steph@webfabbrica.com

See the appeal (in Italian):
http://www.nodalmolin.it/events/comunicato20070714.pdf

And press release (in Italian):
http://www.nodalmolin.it/events/comunicato20070714_1.pdf

2. Also, one of the leaders of the movement, Cinzia Bottene, received an
envelope containing a bullet this past Monday. It was addressed to her but
obviously intended to intimidate the entire movement. You can send
messages of support/solidarity (in any language!) to gestione@nodalmolin.it
with a subject line of "messaggio di solidarieta"

See a press release (in Italian):
http://www.nodalmolin.it/events/comunicato20070710.pdf

Let´s support this movement in their struggle against U.S. militarism!

Stephanie Westbrook from http://www.peaceandjustice.it/

posted by: Whitebeard at 14:56 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, italy, war

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Lectio magistralis

of Hans Rosling

See the video. It's very amusant, very strong.

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:19 | link | comments |

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Dear Kathleen,

The time has come to hold Dick Cheney accountable for his crimes against the people of the United States and the world - and the Constitution of the United States.

We have formed a brand new partnership with many great progressive groups and Brave New Films, the creators of powerful documentaries like Iraq for Sale, OutFoxed, Wal-Mart, and Uncovered - the War on Iraq.

And we have just released a powerful short video showing Cheney's most bald-faced lies about Iraq and Iran.

Please watch the video, sign the petition, and pass it along to your friends.

The time for accountability is now - not after Cheney leaves office. Thanks to your efforts, 14 Democrats already support H.Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment for Dick Cheney. With a little more effort, we'll get enough Democrats on board to start impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. And when the American people see the evidence in our video with their own eyes, they will join us in demanding accountability for Dick Cheney.

Together, we can impeach Dick Cheney.

Bob Fertik

1. Watch the video
2. Sign the petition

posted by: Whitebeard at 19:49 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, torture, censored news

Friday, July 06, 2007

Newsletter

Dear peace activists,

see below an article written by Nancy from Florence and myself on our
experience in Vicenza for the 4th of July Independence (from Military
Bases) Day, including getting kicked off the U.S. base at Camp Ederle!

See also an article on the International Herald Tribune about Vicenza:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/03/news/italy.php

Stephanie

http://www.peaceandjustice.it/vicenza-4thofjuly.php

Not Your Ordinary 4th of July in Vicenza, Italy
Or How To Get Kicked Off a U.S. Military Base

When it was announced that the U.S. army base at Camp Ederle would
once again open its doors to the public for the annual 4th of July festivities,
the people of Vicenza, Italy, who have been working to stop the
construction of yet another U.S. military base in their historic city, decided to
organize their own "Independence Day" celebrations. And as U.S. citizens
residing in Italy, we knew this was one event we did not want to miss.

We traveled from Rome and Florence to this city in the north of Italy,
famous for the architecture of Andrea Palladio and a Unesco World
Heritage Site. And more recently it has become known throughout Italy and
Europe as a symbol of grassroots struggle against U.S. militarism.

We also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the existing
base of Camp Ederle, but with more than hot dogs and frisbies on our
minds. We arrived at the security checkpoint wondering if our bags stuffed
with flyers on the Appeal for Redress (http://www.appealforredress.org/), a
petition started by active duty service members calling for the immediate
withdrawal from Iraq, and cards on the GI Rights Hotline
(http://www.girights.org/), which offers counseling on everything from
discharges and conscientious objector status to sexual harassment, would
make it through. After a short line and a casual check of our bags, we were
in.

Only a small portion of the sprawling base was open to the public, including
the area around the football and baseball fields where the main festivities
were being held. The Military Police were out in force, as were Italian
Carabinieri. Deciding it best to first to find places to simply leave the flyers
and cards, we hit the restrooms at the bowling alley and the Veneto Club,
as well as the video games and slot machines. (For more on slot machines
at overseas military bases, see:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/05/22/military.gambling/)

Having never set foot on a military base, we were also curious to take a walk
around. At first glance, it might have seemed similar to a country fair. But
then you notice the enormous military vehicles on display instead of
tractors, the trained dogs exhibiting their skills at finding explosives, and the
tables selling baked goods with logos that included things like skulls and
swords. Most startling was the sight of 4 women playing volleyball on a
special field setup so that they were up to their knees in, and covered with,
mud!

We strolled up and down the main street handing out the small but
information packed GI Rights cards, carefully designed by someone who
knows the importance of being discreet on a military base. Everyone we
encountered took them with interest.

Just before leaving to go over to the "Independence From Military Bases"
celebrations on the main square in Vicenza, we decided to take a photo
with our No Dal Molin flag, symbol of the protests against the new base.
Just seconds after taking the photo, as we were folding the flag to put it
away, 4 or 5 military police came charging over saying, "No, no, you can´t
do that!" They asked, "Is that a "No Dal Molin" flag?" as one tried to take it
but we held on to it tightly. They then ordered us to follow them. We
explained we were on our way out and contested having done anything
wrong, asking to see, in writing, any regulations against taking photos.
There was no arguing with them so we decided to follow them and as we
passed, two carabinieri were also "ordered" to come with us, though they
seemed a bit hesitant and didn´t understand the urgency of it all.

As we arrived at the makeshift police station, two apparently high-ranking
Italian police officers - with cooler heads - asked what was happening. We
explained in Italian and they suggested everyone calm down and then
informed the MPs that they would be escorting us to the exit, which is
exactly what we wanted. They even offered to file a complaint if the MPs had
treated us improperly, but at that point we just wanted off the base. The
cultural differences were blatantly apparent in the two different approaches
to the situation.

On our way to the exit, one of the Italian officers asked Nancy, "What does it
feel like to be on a small piece of your homeland in Italy?" Nancy, looking
around at all the military uniforms, police, barricades and barriers, replied,
"This doesn´t really resemble my homeland."

The irony of it all was after all that, we discovered the photo didn´t come out!

A completely different atmosphere was to be found on the main square in
Vicenza. A giant Italian peace flag was flapping in the breeze, to the delight
of the children, and the U.S. peace flag we left with the movement last
December was flying over the main tent. Under the portico a video on the
realities of war was being screened with a banner above reading, "Is this
really what you want?"

Over 1000 people were there, savoring pasta made from grain grown on
lands freed from the mafia with a sauce made from organic tomatoes and
mozzarella, sipping the movement´s very own wine, viNO dal Molin, and
enjoying locally produced watermelon. A table selling No Dal Molin t-shirts,
jackets, hats and bags quickly ran out of the most popular items. And the
"mojito" station, complete with mint leaves gathered at the permanent
encampment near the proposed base, which has been open 24 hours a
day since last January, raised money for the monthly newspaper of the
movement.

A theatrical representation by the women making up the Gruppo Donne of
the movement, "Alla fiera del Nord-Est," recounted the movement´s short
but action packed history and drew a huge crowd, as did the performance
of the songs - in the local dialect - that have become symbols of this
movement. Speakers read from Henry David Thoreau on civil disobedience
and from the U.S. Declaration of Independence, drawing parallels to the
current situation in Vicenza. We were also given the chance to talk about
our experience on the Ederle base earlier that day and received the usual
enthusiastic round of applause. The local band "Osteria Popolare Berica"
got much of the crowd off their feet and dancing as the fun went on until
midnight.

This was the first ever "Independence From Military Bases" celebration in
Vicenza, and with the Italian government´s official approval of the new U.S.
base just a few weeks ago, curiously timed to coincide with a $2 billion
contract awarded to the Italian aeronautical group Finmeccanica, some may
think it a bit premature. But it was organized by the local people with the
conviction that the new base will not be built, that they will succeed in
protecting their future. "We want a city free of armies and military bases.
This 4th of July, we celebrate the city of Vicenza that is to come."

Viva l´indipendenza!

Stephanie Westbrook, US Citizens for Peace & Justice, Rome, Italy
Nancy Bailey, US Citizens Against War, Florence, Italy

posted by: Whitebeard at 22:20 | link | comments |
iraq, us, civil rights, italy, war, censored news

Thursday, July 05, 2007

CITY LIGHTS NEWSLETTER

NEWS FROM CITY LIGHTS BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS
http://www.citylights.com or see us on Myspace & Facebook
July 5, 2007
* TRAVEL TIPS FOR EXPLORING NORTH BEACH
* SINAN ANTOON ON LIFE IN SADDAM’S IRAQ | AUDIO
* WARD CHURCHILL & THE REGENTS AT COLORADO U.
* EVENTS AT THE BOOKSTORE
* CITY LIGHTS AUTHORS ON THE ROAD
* EVENTS AROUND TOWN
* MARKING 50 YEARS SINCE THE HOWL VERDICT
* RECOMMENDED READS FROM THE STAFF
* BOOKSTORE BESTSELLERS
* NEWS ABOUT CITY LIGHTS BOOKS
* NAHID RACHLIN TEACHES FICTION-MEMOIR WORKSHOP
* HOWARD ZINN ON WAR AND IMPERIALISM | AUDIO & VIDEO

posted by: Whitebeard at 22:17 | link | comments |
civil rights, censored news

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Dear Pelosi and Reid,

You and your party, except for Kucinich, are now officially criminally negligent for not carrying out your constitutional responsibility to remove Bush and Cheney from office for their ongoing lawlessness, crimes against humanity, war crimes, disregard for international law and abuses of power. These men could have been behind bars by now, if you had done your duty. You do everything in your power to protect your chances of getting reelected while neglecting the constitutional, planetary and human carnage going on all around you right now. By not acting you have become accomplices to these felonies. You spit in the face of justice, laughing all the way to the bank with your 2008 reelection war chests lent to you by the bloodied hands of corporate lobbyists. The people you were elected to represent want a return to the rule of law. Global citizens watch as you enable the US to become even more of a rogue, lawless state - the feared laughing stock of the world. Will you now condone perjury and obstruction of justice by doing nothing yet again? What will have to happen before you do the right thing and put impeachment back on the table?

Tom Santoni

Published on Monday, July 2, 2007 by the Associated Press

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Bad administration

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us, civil rights, war

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dante, casentino

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posted by: Whitebeard at 11:24 | link | comments |
iraq, us, italy, peace, war

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:22 | link | comments |
civil rights, italy

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:15 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, torture, censored news

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:09 | link | comments |
civil rights, italy, torture, vatican

posted by: Whitebeard at 21:29 | link | comments |
iraq, us

posted by: Whitebeard at 17:00 | link | comments |
us, war, censored news, iran

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:56 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, censored news

posted by: Whitebeard at 17:39 | link | comments (1) |
us, civil rights, war

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:18 | link | comments |
dante, casentino

posted by: Whitebeard at 14:56 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, italy, war

posted by: Whitebeard at 19:49 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, war, torture, censored news

posted by: Whitebeard at 22:20 | link | comments |
iraq, us, civil rights, italy, war, censored news

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civil rights, censored news

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