whitebeard

Don't curse the darkness, light a candle.

James Nachtwey

For those not familiar with TED, it is very interesting.  I would recommend watching Jame's Nachtwey's photojournalism presentation on being a war photographer and winner of TED's 2007 prize.

http://www.tedprize.org/nachtwey/

Ian
(USC4P&J Members mailing list)

posted by: Whitebeard at 12:06 | link | comments |
culture, science, press, environment

The Cuban Five

posted by: Whitebeard at 07:58 | link | comments |
us, democracy, war, censored news, resisters

911 - We have the same date

11 septiembre 1973 - nineleven 2001

Ken Loach Video (10')

posted by: Whitebeard at 11:40 | link | comments |
chile, us, latin america, nineleven

Palestinian Prisoners in the Israeli jails

PRESS RELEASE

By LUISA MORGANTINI

Vice President of the European Parliament

EP resolution asks for the release of Palestinian Parliamentarians detainees, including Marwan Barghouti, and calls for the respect of human rights for all prisoners

 Luanda, Angola,  5th September

 "The EP resolution on Palestinian Prisoners highlights concretely the Israeli violations of international law and it represents an important success for human rights and legality also because it was put forward by the joint commitment by Members of the Parliament belonging to different political groups" declared Luisa Morgantini, Vice President of the European Parliament concerning the text adopted yesterday by the Plenary in Brussels, calling on Israel to respect the rights of the Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli jails.

"The resolution, signed by Socialists, Liberals, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL and approved with 416 votes (136 against and 61 abstentions) is the outcome of the efforts by the 46 MEPs - from different political groups- signatories of the oral question addressed to EU Commission and Council who opened the debate in the EP plenary last 9th July" added Luisa Morgantini from Luanda, Angola, where she actually is as Chief Observer of the EU Electoral mission.   

"Calling for the respect of human treatments for all prisoners - about 11.000, among those approximately 385 children- the EP clearly asks to Israel "to guarantee that minimum standards on detention be respected, to bring to trial all detainees, to put an end to the use of 'administrative detention orders', and to implement adequate measures for minors and prisoners' visiting rights", urging also a substantial release of detainees as well as the immediate release of the 48 imprisoned members of the Palestinian Legislative Council including Marwan Barghouti.

The PPE group was not among the signatories of the resolution, but many of its members voted in favor of the text, coherently with European values and human rights' respect.

I really hope that the Peace process will go forward always in accordance with legality and human rights respect".

 Further information:

 Luisa Morgantini: mobile  00244929414915 (Angola) or + 39 348 39 21 465 

 Or Office in Rome + 39 06 69 95 02 17

 luisa.morgantini@europarl.europa.eu; www.luisamorgantini.net <https://webmail.europarl.europa.eu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://webmail.europarl.europa.eu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.luisamorgantini.net/>

posted by: Whitebeard at 16:00 | link | comments |
israel, palestine

Cheney NOT welcome in Rome

Small is beautiful!

Out sit-in/"presidio"  yesterday -- to tell Cheney he was NOT welcome in Rome -- went over really well despite our numbers.
Gene did a marvellous job getting the press to come (as well as his Irish guests!), Anna's costumes were great and Rose's string of crimes committed by Cheney filled out the square like a theatrical backdrop. 
Piero Leone from the Girotondi joined us (and helped distribute flyers) as did a Dal Molin supporter with flag, a few Comunisti uniti and an Iraqi  with the flag of Iraq.   The Palazzo Venezia librarians, who let us recharge the megaphone battery at their desk, congratulated us and took 100 anti-Cheney flyers to distribute to their visitors.  (We distributed 500 flyers in all.)

Among the many tourists who stopped: a couple from... Hiroshima who signed up on our mailing list! There was a huge turnout from the police -- never saw so many for a simple "presidio" but I guess the orders from above are to show Cheney that the current Italian government is getting tough.  The scandalous police violence at Vicenza is the prime example of that, of course.

Yesterday though everything went peacefully at our sit-in.   One of the plain clothes "dirigenti", chatting informally with us, said we were doing a great job and that he was confident Cheney would not get Italian support for an attack on Iran: "We've got too many economic ties with Iran, so I'm optimistic."   One would wish for a better reason not to make war, but  let's hope he's right.

Patrick

P.S.  Photos at:  http://tinyurl.com/sit-in-photos

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:18 | link | comments |
us, war, censored news, nineleven

The "War On Terror" Is A Fraud

Click him

 

posted by: Whitebeard at 15:04 | link | comments |
us, censored news, nineleven, resisters

Pre-emptive suppression of protest

Urbano

I wrote you last Wednesday after 4 days of house raids, mass arrests, tear gas, concussion grenades, and a growing array of "police-state" measures had been deployed against protesters at the Repubican National Convention in St. Paul.  Worldcantwait.org is pulling together the whole picture, and Democracy Now covered many of the outrages. http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/5/ramsey_county_sheriff_admits_local_police

But I don't know that any one source has yet adequately described the suppression of speech that occured last week.

This thought, which someone told me in the chaos last week, sticks in my head.  "If you have a doctrine of pre-emptive war on whole countries, you need pre-emptive suppression of protest at home." The $50 million operation run by Homeland Security and the Secret Service had a lot in common with how the US military views citizens in the Middle East: if they're on the street when we don't want them there, they are terrorists.

Thursday September 4, as the Republicans swaggered into the Excel Center for their orgy of McCain love, a few hundred peace activists gathered on the lawn outside the Minnesota capitol, about a mile away.  Most were sitting in the grass, listening to bands and speeches for a permitted rally.  At 4:05 pm, 8 police on bikes sprinted into the crowd, threw their bikes down, and grabbed two men sitting on the lawn.  Press and protesters surrounded them, and within 4 minutes, dozens of police of horses and riot police drove a wedge through the crowd, as cars and an ambulance drove onto the lawn, and the men were extracted and disappeared into cars.  It was not impossible to know why they were taken, but it seemed to me the exercise was practice in crowd control, intimidation and provocation.

40 minutes later, a loudspeaker was driven by police onto the lawn, drowning out the program on the stage.  Police announced that the permit was over at 5:00 pm, and anyone on the lawn would be arrested.  The crowd tried to leave together, marching toward the Excel Center, but was forced by police onto a a bridge across the freeway, surrounded at both ends.  Bulldozers with blades lowered were moved into place at one end, looming over the crowd, as if to sweep them up.  Dump trucks blocked off streets.  Police pulled on their gas masks.  400 people were arrested that night, bringing total arrests to over 800, including 102 outside the Rage Against the Machine concert (a wonderfully great show!) where police were a mile deep, and looking for any pretext to arrest.

Defending the people arrested in St. Paul will be the responsibility of all of us.  While the crinminal charges are state of Minnesota, the direction comes from the federal government.  These are charges criminalizing political activity. Democracy Now reports,  "In St. Paul, Ramsey County prosecutors have formally charged eight members of the group RNC Welcoming Committee with conspiracy to riot in furtherance of terrorism. The eight activists are believed to be the first persons ever charged under the 2002 Minnesota version of the federal PATRIOT Act. The activists face up to seven-and-a-half years in prison. According to the National Lawyers Guild, the criminal complaints filed by the Ramsey County Attorney do not allege that any of the defendants personally engaged in any act of violence or damage to property. Instead, authorities are seeking to hold the eight defendants responsible for acts committed by other individuals during the opening days of the Republican National Convention."

CHEERS to IVAW! Inside the convention, Adam Kokesh interrupted McCain's acceptance speech about 20 seconds after he began, with a banner reading "McCain Votes Against Veterans" and "You Can't Win an Occupation".  After 3 seconds, the hall erupted in chants of "USA!" drowing out McCain. The Iraq Veterans Against the War were all over Denver and St. Paul, demanding that the war and occupation be ended.  See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOaz7WhkFuo

More on all of this coming soon!  Thanks to the hundreds who wrote about Obama's acceptance speech.  I've read all your comments and you'll be hearing back from me.

Recommended reading:

In the weekly newspaper Revolution, Bob Avakian gives an insightful examination of the Obama phenomenon, more on the Bush regime, and what World Can't Wait has been up against - and what it has contributed - in "The Objective Situation, the Bush Regime and the Bourgeois Elections"
http://revcom.us/a/142/Avakian_Objective_Situation-en.html

Is Barack Obama an Anti-war Candidate?: An Annotated FAQ from World Can't Wait
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4961&Itemid=289

The "Shock and Awe" of the Rising Police State by Elaine Brower
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5005&Itemid=267

Living in the Car After Gustav by Bill Quigley
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5004&Itemid=292

MORE video from St. Paul protests
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5008&Itemid=289

Support World Can't Wait today.  There are no corporate sponsors for the kind of change we need!
worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=4&Itemid=4

Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:52 | link | comments |
iraq, us, civil rights, democracy, war, censored news, elections, nineleven, resisters

Vicenza 6-9-08

Vicenza 6-9-08

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=QAJ9tO1397g

posted by: Whitebeard at 20:21 | link | comments |
italy

Beppe Grillo

posted by: Whitebeard at 20:11 | link | comments |
italy

CHENEY IN CHAINS!!!

Dear Members,
 
CHENEY IN CHAINS!!! September 8, 5:00 to -7:00 p.m. Piazza di San Marco (Piazza Venezia) see map: http://tinyurl.com/62au59)   Please join us on Monday and stand with us against war crimes and war criminals!!  Look for the U.S. peace flag in the piazza. For those of you who can make it a bit earlier and would like to help out, we'll be meeting at the Piazza at 4:30 to set up.     See you there!!   Anna, Becky, Gene, Maria Chiara, Rose, and Stephanie   U.S. Citizens for Peace and Justice - Rome info@peaceandjustice.it http://www.peaceandjustice.it

posted by: Whitebeard at 10:35 | link | comments |
us, democracy, war, torture, censored news, elections, nineleven, resisters

Police violence in Vicenza

Hi all,

Thanks to Rose for sending around the video of the police violence in
Vicenza yesterday.  See (Note)

See below a report on what happened. Not written very
well, but  wanted to get this to you as soon as I could, since most of the
press is painting this in an entirely different light.

Yesterday, Saturday, September 6, as part of the 10-day No Dal Molin
Festival protesting the new U.S. military base in Vicenza, we planned to
construct an observation tower near the site of the new base. This had been
regularly communicated to the police, who gave no indications that there
were any problems.

We arrived at approximately 11:30am and found the police lined up 200
meters from where we had planned to build the tower, which had been
communicated to the police, in an area that didn´t border the base. After
some negotiations, we were allowed to proceed.

We set up and construction of the tower began, with mixing of cement,
cutting and mounting scaffolding material. The police were about 10-15
meters away. Everything was done out in the open and communicated over
the megaphone.

Seeing us under the hot sun, a woman from the house in front of where we
were working kindly refilled our water bottles from the fountain in her
garden. This water was coming from the most important ground water
sources in northeast Italy, which lies directly below the site of the new base
and has been great cause for concern.

Some of the guys took a ladder over to the fence of the base and managed
to tie one of the scarecrows we were carrying so that it could keep an eye
on what was happening inside.

The atmosphere was jovial.

Around 1pm, the assistant police chief, who had been brought into Vicenza
recently by the new police chief, arrived saying the tower had to come
down. Police, Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza officers put on their
helmets and gloves, held up their shields and billy clubs, and started
moving toward us. Just 5 minutes prior, an official with Digos, another law
enforcement agency, had assured us that the tower would stay up for the
entire 10-day festival.

At that point we all sat down in the street around the tower, arms locked
together, hands up. It was repeatedly announced on the megaphone that
we had permission to be there until 4pm, that everything we had planned to
do had been communicated to the police.

The police line came up to within a few centimeters of us. I was in the
second row of people. Some negotiations took place. But the police would
not back down. A request was made for them to simply step back a few
meters while the negotiations took place, but they refused.

The police were then given orders to move in. They started dragging away
some who were in the front row. Kicking and stepping on people. They
managed to drag away 6 people. If you watched the video, you see a
woman get up and run toward the police only to be thrown back on the
people sitting. This is because her husband was one of those dragged
away and was being beaten on his back. She got up again and was
dragged away at that point. She is now wearing a neck brace.

Not visible in the video is another woman being dragged away by her hair,
with a billy club under her chin. She is also now wearing a neck brace, as is
another man.

The 6 people were taken to the hospital and then to the police station.

Things settled down for approximately one hour, though the police, in full
riot gear, some carrying hexagonal shaped billy clubs, remained at our feet.
I was now in the front row.

Calls went out to everyone from the movement, including those working at
the campsite, to get there immediately.

We had the police in front of us, a fence for the house on our left, and the
police started forming a line also to our right. Shortly after carabinieri arrived
to the back of us. We were being boxed in.

Once again the police were given orders to move in. I was hit in the mouth,
got kicked and stepped on by police boots, and was dragged along the
street, together with three others with whom I had locked arms. My glasses
were stripped from my face and I never found them.

In the video, you can also see one of the police officers take the cars keys
from someone´s pockets, place them in his own pocket and then throw
them back at the crowd.

Once behind the police line, they simply left us so they could get back to
the other protesters. At that point, the woman who had been giving us
water opened her gate and let us enter.

The other behinds us faired worse than us, being beating and kicked, from
the front and behind.

In the end we all managed to get inside the garden. The woman told the
police that we were her guests and they could not come in. The cold water
from the fountain was used to clean wounds and alleviate pain. A woman in
a wheelchair was also hit, and had a huge bruise on her arm. A young guy
from Trieste, who had been hit in the head with a billy club, fainted. There
was a good deal of crying and hugging, as no one expected such a violent
reaction from the police against peaceful, non-violent protesters, seated
with their hands raised.

The police, instead, as you can see from the video, attempted to strike
people through the hedge surrounding the garden. Outside the gates, they
bragged about having hit or kicked this person or that.

After some negotiations, we were allowed to leave the garden. The first
ones out the gate formed a line 3 people deep, facing the police, to make
sure nothing else happened. At this point all trust had broken down.

We got out and walked backwards in order to keep an eye on the police.

Back to the campsite, a press release was put together immediately, also
calling for a press conference at 6:30pm. Within hours, photos and video of
the events were on the No Dal Molin web site.

Most of us who had been injured went to the hospital (also because 3 police
officers had already been claiming injuries from us!) though some chose not
to go as this meant some risk of arrest. Others went to the police station to
demand the release of the 6 who had been taken away earlier.

At 6:30 the press conference began, though little or no press felt this
newsworthy. Video was shown and one by one the people recounted what
had taken place.

It was after 8pm before the other were released.

There has definitely been a change in the approach by the police here, who
in the past preferred to try to manage the situation and avoid conflict.
Yesterday, it seemed that was exactly what they wanted. This is in part due
to the policies of the new police chief who was brought in last December,
who in turn brought in some of his own men, and in part due to the fact that
construction will be starting any day. In fact, trucks from CMC, the company
contracted to build the base, as well as US trucks have been entering and
exiting the base.

This change in approach has been duly noted and the people here, though
shaken by the violent reaction, are as determined as ever.

Stephanie

(Note)

Resistere resistere resistere

Finisce con 5 fermi e una trentina di feriti la manifestazione pacifica organizzata e dichiarata per oggi.

Una manifestazione pubblica, dichiarata e stampata sui giornali. Alla luce del sole, dichiarati gli intenti e quello che si sarebbe andato a fare. Costruire una torretta per monitorare la situazione dei lavori all'interno dell'aeroporto. Su luogo privato per cui avevamo il beneplacito del proprietario, e la richiesta di autorizzazione per occupazione suolo pubblico.

Video 1

video 2

L'articolo

posted by: Whitebeard at 09:35 | link | comments |
us, democracy, italy, war, censored news

Feminismo Islámico

Convocatoria del Tercer Congreso Internacional de Feminismo Islámico
Barcelona 24-27 de Octubre 2008

Junta Islámica Catalana ha convocado para los días 24-27 de Octubre del 2008 el Tercer Congreso Internacional de Feminismo Islámico.

El Congreso estará centrado en la problemática de las mujeres musulmanas en la era de la globalización, enfrentadas a una doble opresión: económica (neoliberalismo) y política (fundamentalismo religioso). Se analizarán las respuestas desde el feminismo islámico a esta situación, y su contribución a la construcción de una nueva sociedad civil planetaria, basada en la cultura de los derechos humanos y en valores centrales al Mensaje del Corán como son la democracia, la justicia social, la libertad de conciencia y la igualdad de género.

Entre los asistentes, se encuentran personalidades como la Ministra Siria para los Refugiados y candidata al Premio Nóbel de la Paz, Bouthaina Shaaban, y la Baronesa Uddin, la primera mujer musulmana en entrar en la Cámara de los Lores en Gran Bretaña.

Follow here

and here

posted by: Whitebeard at 18:56 | link | comments |
civil rights, islam

Prosecute Cheney and Bush

See:  http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/
 
Why We're Planning to Prosecute Cheney and Bush
 
Holding Murderers Accountable: The Case Against Bush, Cheney, et al
 
also: Video by Kucinich (further down on opening page) entitled, Wake Up America, Sign Up America...
 
AND:
 
http://war-crimes.info/index.html
 
Justice Robert Jackson Conference on the Planning for Prosecution of High Level American War Criminals

posted by: Whitebeard at 15:23 | link | comments |
iraq, us, civil rights, democracy, war, torture, elections, resisters

Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman, award winning independent journalist
and host of Democracy Now was arrested along with two of her producers at the  Rupublican Convention.

See details below.

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From:            "Democracy Now!" <outreach@democracynow.org>
To:              steph@webfabbrica.com
Subject:         DN!: Action Alert: Update on Arrest Of Amy
Goodman and DN! Producers
Date sent:       Tue, 2 Sep 2008 00:10:02 -0400

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2008

Contact:
Mike Burke: mike@democracynow.org

**UPDATE**

Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole
Salazar Released After Illegal Arrest at RNC 

Goodman Charged with Obstruction; Felony Riot Charges Pending Against
Kouddous and Salazar 

ST. PAUL--Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and producers Sharif
Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar have all been released from police
custody in St. Paul following their illegal arrest by Minneapolis Police on
Monday afternoon. 

All three were violently manhandled by law enforcement officers. Abdel
Kouddous was slammed against a wall and the ground, leaving his arms
scraped and bloodied. He sustained other injuries to his chest and back.
Salazar's violent arrest by baton-wielding officers, during which she was
slammed to the ground while yelling, "I'm Press! Press!," resulted in her
nose bleeding, as well as causing facial pain. Goodman's arm was violently
yanked by police as she was arrested. 

On Tuesday, Democracy Now! will broadcast video of these arrests, as well
as the broader police action. These will also be available on:
www.democracynow.org 

Goodman was arrested while questioning police about the unlawful
detention of Kouddous and Salazar who were arrested while they carried
out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the
Republican National Convention. Goodman's crime appears to have been
defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press. 

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous
and Salazar were arrested on suspicion of rioting, a felony. While the three
have been released, they all still face charges stemming from their unlawful
arrest. Kouddous and Salazar face pending charges of suspicion of felony
riot, while Goodman has been officially charged with obstruction of a legal
process and interference with a "peace officer." 

Democracy Now! forcefully rejects all of these charges as false and an
attempt at intimidation of these journalists. We demand that the charges be
immediately and completely dropped. 

Democracy Now! stands by Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and
condemns this action by Twin Cities' law enforcement as a clear violation of
the freedom of the press and the First Amendment rights of these
journalists. 

During the demonstration in which the Democracy Now! team was arrested,
law enforcement officers used pepper spray, rubber bullets, concussion
grenades and excessive force against protesters and journalists. Several
dozen demonstrators were also arrested during this action, including a
photographer for the Associated Press. 

Amy Goodman is one of the most well-known and well-respected journalists
in the United States. She has received journalism's top honors for her
reporting and has a distinguished reputation of bravery and courage. The
arrest of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar and the subsequent criminal
charges and threat of charges are a transparent attempt to intimidate
journalists.

Democracy Now! is a nationally-syndicated public TV and radio program
that airs on over 700 radio and TV stations across the US and the globe. 

Video of Amy Goodman's Arrest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

= = = = = = = = =
ABOUT DEMOCRACY NOW!
Democracy Now! airs on over 650 radio and TV stations, including
Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public
access, PBS, satellite TV stations (DISH network: Free Speech TV
ch. 9415 and Link TV ch. 9410; DIRECTV: Link TV ch. 375); on the World
Radio Network's European Service and on the Community Broacasting
Association of Australia service; as a "podcast", automatically
downloaded to your computer or portable audio player; and streams live
M-F at 8am EST at www.democracynow.org
= = = = = = = = =
Now real-time CLOSED CAPTIONED on TV!
You can also view/listen/read all Democracy Now! shows online:
http://www.democracynow.org
To bring Democracy Now! to your community, go to:
http://www.democracynow.org/get_involved/bring_to_station
= = = = = = = = =

posted by: Whitebeard at 09:03 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, democracy, censored news, resisters