Trina e-mails asking that we highlight Scott Ritter's "Semper Fraud" (which he discussed with Randi Rhodes on her show Wednesday). From the article:

Such questions were fraught with political implications, and when raised within months of a national election for the presidency, both Senator Roberts and Senator Rockefeller decided that any investigation into how the Bush administration used this flawed intelligence – the so-called "Phase Two" of the Select Intelligence Committee's report – would wait until after the election was done. The need for "Phase Two" was underscored by the recent release of the Presidential Commission on Intelligence and WMD, which found that the U.S. intelligence community was "dead wrong" on Iraq. However, the chairman of that Commission noted that it wasn't in his mandate to investigate how the bad intelligence was used by policymakers. This is not surprising, given the fact that it was President Bush himself who set that mandate. But the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, charged with conducting appropriate oversight as a separate but equal branch of government, has no such limitations. In fact, to not go forward with the "Phase Two" investigation would represent a gross dereliction of duty on the part of those senators so charged.
But avoidance of responsibility to the American people, and to the American military – Marines included – seems to be what Senator Roberts is all about lately. On April 10, in an appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press, Roberts was as slippery as he was disingenuous when dealing with the issue of investigating how policymakers made use of the bad intelligence on Iraqi WMD. "I'm more than happy to finish this, and I want to finish it, but we have other things that we need to do," he said when asked about the "Phase Two" report. "I don't know what that accomplishes over the long term. I'm perfectly willing to do it, and that's what we agreed to do, and that door is still open … so we will get it done, but it seems to me that we ought to put it in some priority of order, and after we do get it done I think everybody's going to scratch their head and say, 'OK, well, that's fine. You know, let's go to the real issue.'"
The real issue is the over-1,550 American military personnel who have lost their lives based upon the decision to invade Iraq. The more than 11,000 wounded Americans. Tens of thousands of dead Iraqis. Every one of these tragic casualties represents a reason to ask the hard questions, and demand honest and complete answers. The men and women who are fighting in Iraq are doing so because they took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. As the chairman of the Senate Committee responsible for the oversight of one of the largest failures of intelligence in American history, Senator Roberts is walking point for everyone who has been touched by this war, combatant and noncombatant alike.

Rachel Maddow's radio show debuted this morning on Air America. It was a strong first hour and Kent Jones came on near the end to provide many laughs. If Air America wants to get behind this show, the smart thing to do is to repeat it directly after The Mike Malloy Show.
Those who want to listen via radio (or who have no choice in the matter) but can't catch the show at such an early hour (five a.m. to six a.m. eastern time) might be able to catch the hour long show at night. If you missed The Rachel Maddow Show, remember that Air America Place is archiving episodes.

I'm sure Maddow was nervous on the first day of her solo show but she didn't show it. It was a strong show that was focused and didn't meander this way and that. If you were a fan of Unfiltered, I'd recommend that you check it out. (It's not Unfiltered. You can't have Unfiltered with just one person. Rachel Maddow, Lizz Winstead and Chuck D made Unfiltered what it was.
Guests such as Mike Papantonio helped out as well. But The Rachel Maddow Show is a strong show and if you were an Unfiltered fan, I think you'll enjoy it. Maddow's doing her own thing here and she's off to an incredible start.)

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Airport Police Try To Seize Camera Containing Evidence Of Same At Shannon
While planespotting OUTSIDE Shannon Warport in broad daylight last Sunday, some planespotters found themselves on the receiving end of a fit of madness from one of the APOs who decided somehow that he had jurisdiction outside his patch.
[. . .]
Following the EYFA Anti-War Conference in Co Clare last week, some of the participating peaceniks held a vigil in Ennis, where they distributed leaflets and food to the fine people of the banner county.
We informed the locals that there has been a huge increase in troop movements through Shannon. (95,584 in the first three months of 2005 alone. There has also been more frequent sightings of C-130s and US Navy logistic flights at Ireland's de facto warport.)
Over a hundred leaflets were handed out to the public, who also appreciated the free food.
Afterwards, 7 of us went to Shannon to check up on our local US military airstrip. As usual we went to the industrial estate bordering the airport, rather than into the airport itself.
[. . .]
I told him that he had no jurisdiction outside the airport as he was not a Garda.
"How do you know I'm not a garda?!" he snapped back at me.
"You're wearing an airport police inspectors uniform" I replied.
At that point I warned him that it was a serious offence to impersonate a Garda and that he should not pass himself off as a member of An Garda Siochana.
(We have this on tape, and he knew we were taping it, that’s probably why he was engaged in a tug of war with the camerawoman – so the tape would be admissible in evidence should the DPP choose to prosecute this man)
Rather than admit that he was not a Garda, this man kept up the pretence. "I am an authorised officer" he said.
"Yes, under the Air Transport and Navigation Acts" I replied, "that gives you jurisdiction inside the airport. We are not IN the airport."

The above is from Tim Hourigan's "'Good German' and Shannon Airport 'Police' Inspector Impersonates A Garda Siochana" over at IE Indymedia (Ireland). What? You thought it was just in Colorado that Bully Boys pose as something they're not and attempt to evict lawful citizens?

Yes, we're in the Indy Media Review. (And my apologies for no evening posts last Thursday due to problems with Blogger. We did miss the Indy Media Review as a result.)

Bolton and Negroponte aren't the only people causing concerns. Patrick steers us to Boston Indy Media where you'll find a heads up via Massachusetts Global Action's "Deval Patrick: 'Too much baggage...' say activists:"

Current Coca-Cola employee, Deval Patrick, has "too much baggage" to represent the Commonwealth says, Kim Foltz, Campaign Director of Massachusetts Global Action (MGA). "With his recent $2.1 million cash infusion from Coca-Cola and confidentiality agreement, we're worried that he cannot have anything but serious conflicts of interests when it comes to water issues, labor rights, and the health of our kids."
A growing network of organizations, including MGA, the India Resource Center, and Corporate Campaign, has grave concerns about Coca-Cola's practices.
Activists are challenging Coke's depletion and contamination of water resources in India, while trade unionists are exposing the corporation's complicity in paramilitary intimidation and suppression of labor unions in Colombia.
"Meanwhile," Foltz adds, "Deval Patrick is that he is being paid to be silent about Coca-Cola!"
Amit Srivastava, director, India Resource Center, notes that Patrick has "never spoken out against Coca-Cola's practices in India. These include selling soft drinks with high pesticide levels and depleting of water resources in at least four communities."
In addition, Foltz notes, "Coca-Cola's systematic targeting of children and young people in the United States have profoundly negative health impacts."
A candidate "needs to tell me that my child's health is front and center of their campaign.
No Coke hack can tell me that," complains Suren Moodliar, parent and local labor rights activist.
Foltz notes that her organization "will be monitoring the upcoming campaign for evidence of corporate influence."

Lloyd e-mails to note Anna Thompson's "Congresswoman Cynthia Mckinney Urges Reform of Voting Process at Historic Conference" (Tennesse IMC):

Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney adressed the closing of the National Election Reform Conference Saturday, April 9th in Nashville. Congresswoman McKinney is the first black female elected to Congress from the state of Georgia. Elected in 1992, she served five consecutive terms. In 2002 she was the subject of an intense campaign by the Republicans to run her out of office for questions she asked about Bush Administration knowledge of events surrounding September 11th. After a two year hiatus she returned to the public arena and successfully regained her seat. She addressed the National Conference on Election Reform regarding the historical suppression of the black vote and modern attempts at gerrymandering and voter suppression.
"Thank you for coming together and doing this in the South. Most issues that move Americans to act are not happening in the South. When did the Bush administration know about September 11th? I suffered mightily for asking that question. Like you I feel victimized by a system that is slipping away from the grips of the American people. In 1992 I was the first black woman elected to Congress. Soon afterwards, my district was redistricted into a new district that was only 30% black. I was supposed to lose but I didn't, then came September 11th. Republicans came out of the woodwork.""Now here in the South African Americans have had to grapple with their right to vote in every election. Now African Americans are still angry about what happened in Florida in 2000, but it didn't stop there. In Florida I watched what happened. The same kind of crass effort to stop the vote has happened in Georgia. It happened in my district and across the South."
[. . .]
"Before I was ushered out of Washington DC I had met with an African American accountant. He had devised a voting method entitled 'TruVote.' His machine was the kind of machine that you are asking for. It gave you a paper receipt, it generated a randomly generated number and if you called a 1-800 number then a computer would tell you what race you voted in and it gave you the numbers of votes cast in that district and would tell you what offices you voted for. TruVote had the solution. I called Mr Gibbs and I wanted him to go with me to California and demonstrate his machine. Two nights later I heard he had been in an accident in which he perished. He was supposed to go to Ohio to testify and so Avon Gibbs loss is our loss, is America's loss. I hope part of this election reform activism recalls his memory."

Gary e-mails to draw our attention to this by imc "News: Civil & Human Rights Amherst Takes Strong Stands Against U.S. Use of Torture." It's from Western Masachussettes Indy Media and details the efforts by the local Bill of Rights Defense Committee in Amherst:

On Monday evening, the Town of Amherst’s Select Board voted unanimously to sign on to a letter rejecting U.S. use of torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners, drafted by the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. That same evening, by a vote of 7-1, Eugene’s City Council approved a resolution based on the letter. Many more communities are expected to join Eugene and Amherst in the coming weeks, as the BORDC’s grassroots coalition seeks to challenge the Bush Administration’s tacit approval of torture and rendition post 9/11.The letter asks the United States government to affirm that it will not through its own actions, or through others acting on its behalf, engage in any acts of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment anywhere in the world. The BORDC asks local government bodies, veterans groups, retired military officers, and national organizations to sign on to its letter because U.S. use of torture places U.S. and allied military forces at greater risk of similar treatment if they are captured. The BORDC plans to deliver the letter to President Bush and all members of Congress in early May.Nancy Foster, Amherst community member and longtime civil liberties supporter, introduced the letter to the Amherst Select Board. The five-member Board praised Foster and offered their unanimous support for the letter. They plan to send their own copies of the letter to Amherst's Congressional representatives, in addition to endorsing BORDC's letter.

Again, for disclosure reasons, I volunteered with the Bill of Rights Defense Committee in my area. I'm really glad (and proud of you) that so many community members are seeking out their local committees and seeing how they can make a difference.

Lily visited Portland Indy Media and found "NPR ¿'news'?" by Progressive Democrat. What is about Portland IMC that makes them turn out such strong media criticism. (The Third Estate Sunday Review highlighted Jen Amos' "Commercialized Progressive Talk Radio Shows Its True Colors" this past Sunday.) This week Progressive Democrat tackles the issue of NPR:


Sometimes NPR isn't so bad, maybe almost pretty good . . . sometimes. But other times, like today, NPR covered two stories with a definite pro-Bush slant, just to make sure that no one would doubt that its reporting is "balanced"! Especially wouldn't want to step on the toes of any of its corporate or "non-profit" foundation supporters!
1. "Politics of the Weak Dollar" (first in a three-part series). The falling dollar was covered from the point of view, in a quote repeated twice and told as though from a neutral expert, that the Bush administration's responsibility for the fast-approaching dollar crisis is limited to a policy of "benign neglect." No mention of the role played by the egregious deficits under Bush, propelled primarily by the Iraq war and Bush's insistence upon cutting taxes for the rich. Compare NPR's coverage with a more balanced report by the Christian Science Monitor -- not a Democratic, and far less leftist, news source. Here are excerpts from a report as of late last November:
The dollar is now down 50 percent against the euro since October 2000, and hit a its lowest level since 1995 against a basket of foreign currencies last week. Up to now, the White House has let the Treasury deal with the dipping dollar. In comments to the press in London, Treasury Secretary John Snow threw cold water on any move to join the Europeans in managing the dollar's fall. "The history of efforts to impose nonmarket valuations on currencies is at best unrewarding and checkered," he said. Decades ago, such an attitude was labeled "benign neglect."

We'll take this moment to get a report from community member Ruth who is following NPR for us.

Ruth: The thing that stood out the most on Moring Edition this morning was this:

April 14, 2005 - After confirming plea deals in Georgia and Alabama Wednesday, confessed bomber Eric Rudolph will serve life in prison. Afterward, he said his 1996 attack at the Atlanta Olympics was meant to embarrass the federal government. In reference to a fatal 1998 bombing at an Alabama women's clinic, he said "abortion is murder."

The intro into the segment contained no mention of any bombing other than the Olympics. And when the issue of his bombing of a gay dance club was mentioned, the reporter quickly rushed into how Rudolph's own brother was gay. The report played out to me like an excuse as opposed to a factual accounting. (The introduction to the segment was much worse.) It was as though his actions were being minimized. And what is terrorism but the actions of Rudolph?
NPR listeners had to make that connection themselves because the report played out like poor misunderstood Rudolph.

We'll hop over to Australia to note our friend Luke of wotisitgood4. Natalie draws our attention to his post "lie sin:"

* you know how much i hate all these stupid ricin stories - there's been a bunch of them in the last few years, but there hasnt been a single legitimate one, and this one looks dodgy too - the details are so murky.
* the beeb is playing it up like alqaida wants to destroy the world with a long scary piece headlining their bulletins. the beeb has moved so close to cnni in the last year that its difficult to tell the two apart. the beeb, in print and on teeve helpfully tell us "If they had succeeded officials in the UK believe the impact on our lives would have been as great as 9/11." - but the details seem a whole lot murkier than the headlines...
* " the plan was to smear nicotine poison on the handles of cars and houses" LINK http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4441763.stm
* "Even a small number of beans was capable of producing a substantial number of fatal doses through inhalation or injection.”" LINK http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4393754 ie. *not* touching doors handles
* "The jury found Bourgass guilty of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance by using poisons and explosives for which he was given a 17 year sentence." LINK http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=629209
* the cases "cost an estimated £50m" and 8 out of 9 folks werent charged LINK http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=629209
* the acquitals " also undermines the justification for the Iraq war. Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State, used the plot to back his case for the conflict before the UN. Tony Blair also claimed the ricin "find" was evidence of the threat of weapons of mass destruction to Britain." LINK http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=629209
* "Defense lawyers said that despite one of the biggest police investigations of recent times, there was little proof of a major plot." LINK http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/13/international/europe/13cnd-ricin.html
* " "no traces of manufactured ricin had been found," despite the initial reports that traces of the toxin had been found" LINK - which reminds me of the ricin 'find' in a parisian train station a while back - the ricin was later downgraded to table salt or some such.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/13/international/europe/13cnd-ricin.html

Liang draws our attention to UCSC Students Against War's "UCSC Students Kick Military Recruiters Off Campus." This April 5, 2005 article is from Santa Cruz Indymedia:

Earlier today, about 300 UC Santa Cruz students led by Students Against War (SAW) kicked Army, Navy and Marine Corps recruiters out of the annual Career Center Job Fair, marking yet another success for the nation-wide counter-military recruitment campaign.
Joined by Watsonville's Brown Berets, SAW protesters gathered for a rally at the campus bookstore and occupied the streets in a traffic-stopping procession up to the Stevenson Event Center where the Job Fair was being held.
Students were motivated by fiery speeches about the racist, sexist, classist and heterosexist biases of the military, all of which are in violation of the UC Santa Cruz's non-discrimination policies.
As the march began, a small group of students infiltrated the Job Fair and surrounded recruiter’s tables, chanting and linking arms. This small group was soon joined by more students from the march who pushed their way through front and side doors, chanting, "Whose Campus? Our Campus!" as Job Fair administrations attempted to literally shove them out the door.
Ultimately, 100 students were able to surround recruiters' tables while the remaining 200 marchers stayed outside the Event Center, blocking the entrances and chanting in support of those on the inside.
Student negotiators struck a bargain with the Career Center Administrators after SAW protestors had occupied the Job Fair for about an hour.
Protesters agreed to stop the disruption and leave the Job Fair once recruiters left the site and did not return. After all the military recruiters received a police escort out of the Event Center, protesters were granted a make-shift booth where a few representatives could remain at the Job Fair to educate students about anti-military, pro-peace options for future employment.

You'll find photos at the link above. And others are also doing counter-recruiting. Indybay IMC
has "Counter Recruiting in the Central Valley: Activists Threatened With Arrest:"

Counter recruiting activists handed out fliers, talked to students, and were threatened with arrest at a job fair at Fresno City College. Army recruiters objected to the activists and claimed they were interfering with their job. After complaints were made to the event organizers the counter recruiters were asked to leave. Instead of leaving they were joined by more supporters and continued to hand out fliers and talk to students. Fliers and brochures were distributed throughout the day by FCC students and community supporters.
The counter recruiters were told that the community college had rules prohibiting free speech and that if they wanted to hand out fliers they would have to fill out a form and wait at least ten working days. Campus police were more concerned with a littering problem than the First Amendment. Read the story here Last month the Reedley Peace Center held a vigil for peace and heard a presentation by high school students about their efforts to counter the lies of military recruiters on campus. Additional counter recruiting efforts are being planned in the Central Valley. To find out about upcoming counter recruiting events go to the Peace Fresno web site.

At a time when elected officials and political mouthpieces posture and distance themselves from advocating for peace, thank God the college campuses are alive.

We'll close by noting what Mike e-mailed in from Boston Indy Media, homefries' "The Coup in Nepal: An Interview with a Boston Eye-Witness:"

In the midst of a civil war, Nepal's king recently staged a coup, suddenly shutting down media coverage and arresting hundreds of people. Sage Radachowsky is a Boston-based ally to the struggle for democracy in Nepal. He was there on February 1st, 2005 when the king took over. Listen to this radio interview to learn more about the conflict between Maoists and the king, hear stories of what life is like there, and learn about the U.S. reaction.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Troy e-mails to note Ricky Baldwin's "Anti-War 'Main Event' in downtown Champaign" from Urbana-Champaign IMC. Besides noting an event for this Saturday, Baldwin also does a great job establishing where we are and how we got there:

After protesting US imperialism on North Prospect for the past three years, AWARE is trying out a new venue in downtown Champaign this Saturday April 16 from 2-4 pm. (Champaign)

The new facilities at One Main Street are not even full of shops yet and the protests are already starting out on the sidewalk, brought to you by the organizers of "Prospect for Peace".

On Saturday April 16 from 2-4 pm members and supporters of the Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort (AWARE) will gather with signs and leaflets to express their opposition to US war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq -- and any future "preventive" wars.

The group has been demonstrating on North Prospect near Marketview in Champaign for over three years, since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, because they feared the US government would response inappropriately.

Yet little did they know how right they were.

Within weeks of the attacks, Congress passed a comprehensive revision of civil liberties under the euphemistic title "USA PATRIOT Act", leading to an ongoing national outcry. Last month the Montana State legislature passed a resolution denouncing the Act, joining a handful of other states and dozens of US cities including Urbana.

Soon thereafter the Bush Administration embarked on a "war on terrorism" (apparently a euphemism for a kind of international campaign of intimidation, the express purpose of which was to "shock and awe" -- or, terrorize -- US enemies. The first attack came in Afghanistan, where the purported planners of the Sept. 11 attacks had been hiding. The government there had had the nerve to ask for evidence before extraditing any suspects.

"We don't need evidence," was the Presidential reply. "We already know they're guilty."

Then in Iraq, where the US finally lost the majority world support it had enjoyed little over a year before, as millions of angry protesters now took to the same streets that US supporters had recently walked.

The Bush Administration declared that the Iraqi government still harbored "weapons of mass destruction" even after years of UN weapons inspections.

Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell even made a dramatic speech before the UN, in which he promised to reveal evidence of the weapons, as well as the infamous connections to al-Qaida.

The evidence turned out to be an "artist's rendition" of alleged mobile weapons factories and recordings of unidentifiable men speaking Arabic -- along with Mr. Powell's assurances, of course.

No WMDs were ever found, apart from a few that had been sealed earlier by UN inspectors -- some of which subsequently disappeared during or after the US invasion. Likewise the much-touted connections to al-Qaida, later shown to be built on shifting sands as well, except that since the invasion and overthrow of the Iraqi government sympathy for and connections to a wide variety of terrorist factions has blossomed in Iraq.

The US Administration also threatened numerous nations along the way, including Somalia, Syria and Iran, and famously warned, "Either you’re with us or you're with the terrorists."

Now US troops are still mired in Afghanistan and Iraq, hopelessly surrounded by homegrown resistance as well as imported Islamist fighters, defending foreign-imposed governments and US-based profiteers, with no end in sight.

Protesters say their support has been growing on North Prospect, with fewer and fewer expressions of disapproval and more and more exuberant expressions of support, but the super-busy street is not a very good venue for actually talking to people.

One Main Street offers the opportunity to talk with passers-by as well as the slower automobile traffic. A large rally on March 19 commemorating the second anniversary of US war in Iraq drew larger than expected crowds at the site.
http://www.ucimc.org/feature/display/31706/index.php

We'll also note something from Eric Alterman. We don't note him here that often. (I think we've done it once and I was the one noting him.) But he got slapped down by Gerald Boyd in a gatekeeper moment (on Boyd's part surprisingly). Though it may be a long time coming, I'll admit that I felt sorry for him. And in the last print copy of The Nation that's arrived in my mail box, he has an article about the phony WMD investigation.

From Alterman's "Case Closed:"

After all, for all his hurt feelings on display before the report was released, does anyone think Colin Powell would have given radically different testimony to the world at his famous February 2003 UN speech if the single drunken defector who was his main source had offered another perspective, one Powell and his bosses didn't want to hear? What if "Curveball" (or as Maureen Dowd aptly termed him, "Goofball") had echoed what Powell originally knew but conveniently forgot--that, as the Secretary explained in Cairo in February 2001, Saddam Hussein "has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors." Would anyone in the Administration have cared what this unreliable drunk said? What of the many, many intelligence experts who warned, pre-invasion, that the data were being manipulated by hawks in the Pentagon and the Vice President's office? Did anyone listen to them?
[. . .]
Yet even in the most critical reports of this phony whitewash, one aspect of this shameful episode went by largely forgotten: the media's willingness to publicize, vouch for and frequently hype the dishonest case the Administration put forth. I am not speaking just of Judith Miller's willingness to act as unpaid propagandist for the Pentagon, breaking the Times's own reporting rules on its front page in order to mislead its millions of readers. Rather, just about every bigfoot in the business signed on for this bad-acid trip across Bushland. I refer again to a devastating study by former Des Moines Register editorial page editor Gilbert Cranberg of the immediate reaction of the press to Powell's channeling of Goofball at the United Nations, which should serve as a cautionary example to any reporter who ever again takes this Administration at its word. Despite the fact that Powell cited almost no verifiable sources and included more than forty vague references to "human sources," "an eyewitness," "detainees," "an Al Qaeda source," "a senior defector," "intelligence sources," his words were treated as if the reporters present had personally witnessed God handing him the evidence on tablets atop Mount Sinai. Powell offered up, we were told in our finest newspapers: "a massive array of evidence," "a sober, factual case," "an overwhelming case," "a smoking fusillade...a persuasive case for anyone who is still persuadable," "an accumulation of painstakingly gathered and analyzed evidence," "an ironclad case...incontrovertible evidence," "succinct and damning evidence...the case is closed."

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Only thought I was done. Troy also calls our attention to a Sunday event via Food Not Bombs' "Come to the Food Not Bombs Kick off Picnic! Sunday -- 4pm Scott Park" from Urbana-Champaign IMC:

It's been a long winter of hibernation, but now we're ready to shake off the snow, get out in the sun, and serve up some tasty food to the hungry masses! To begin the season, we're having a huge community picnic with live music, relaxing, and dancing.

WHEN:
Sunday, April 17th @ 4pm
WHERE:
Scott Park,
Springfield and Third in Champaign.

Food Not Bombs is one of the fastest growing anti-war, anti-poverty revolutionary movements active today with chapters all the world. We share free vegetarian food with anyone who wants it.

Food Not Bombs is open to everyone.


Co-Sponsoring Groups:
Afrikan-American Cultural Arts Program
Anti-War, Anti-Racism Effort
Campaign for Access to Emergency Contraception
Campus Vegetarian Society
CERRVCU
Citizens for Peace and JusticeIllinois
NORML
Men Against Sexual Violence
Planned Parenthood Teen Awareness Group
School for Designing a Society
Take Back The Night Organizers
UIUC NORML/SSDP
Uni High Activism Club
University YMCA
Urbana Permaculture Project
See also:http://www.readysubjects.org/fnbhttp://www.foodnotbombs.net

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]
 

At The Nation's website, they've posted a new article by Naomi Klein today. It's entitled "The Rise of Disaster Capitalism."

Note, these are the opening paragraphs. I prefer to read Klein in print form so I'm just reading the opening paragraphs and will wait for the issue to arrive in the mail before reading the rest.
Also note that Klein's article and the editorial from The Nation on the Patriot Act (linked to in the last post) are available online to all, not just subscribers of the magazine.

From Klein's article:

Last summer, in the lull of the August media doze, the Bush Administration's doctrine of preventive war took a major leap forward. On August 5, 2004, the White House created the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, headed by former US Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual. Its mandate is to draw up elaborate "post-conflict" plans for up to twenty-five countries that are not, as of yet, in conflict. According to Pascual, it will also be able to coordinate three full-scale reconstruction operations in different countries "at the same time," each lasting "five to seven years."

Fittingly, a government devoted to perpetual pre-emptive deconstruction now has a standing office of perpetual pre-emptive reconstruction.

Gone are the days of waiting for wars to break out and then drawing up ad hoc plans to pick up the pieces. In close cooperation with the National Intelligence Council, Pascual's office keeps "high risk" countries on a "watch list" and assembles rapid-response teams ready to engage in prewar planning and to "mobilize and deploy quickly" after a conflict has gone down. The teams are made up of private companies, nongovernmental organizations and members of think tanks--some, Pascual told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in October, will have "pre-completed" contracts to rebuild countries that are not yet broken. Doing this paperwork in advance could "cut off three to six months in your response time."

The plans Pascual's teams have been drawing up in his little-known office in the State Department are about changing "the very social fabric of a nation," he told CSIS. The office's mandate is not to rebuild any old states, you see, but to create "democratic and market-oriented" ones. So, for instance (and he was just pulling this example out of his hat, no doubt), his fast-acting reconstructors might help sell off "state-owned enterprises that created a nonviable economy." Sometimes rebuilding, he explained, means "tearing apart the old."

The article is not yet up at Naomi Klein's website (No Logo) but I'm guessing it will be shortly.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

??? e-mails to draw our attention to this editorial from the Billings Gazette entitled "Gazette opinion: Time to make USA Patriot Act SAFE for all:"

The 2005 Montana Legislature took a bipartisan stand for principles of liberty and freedom embodied in the state and U.S. constitutions when it overwhelmingly approved a resolution saying that provisions of the USA Patriot Act should expire this year.

Senate Joint Resolution 19 was supported by 39 senators and 87 representatives. The resolution united legislators from all points of the political spectrum because they all support fighting terrorism but oppose "any portion of the USA Patriot Act that violates the rights and liberties guaranteed under the Montana Constitution or the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

The resolution doesn't have the force of law. But it does "exhort" state officials against assisting with any investigation or detentions under the USA Patriot Act that violate constitutionally guaranteed rights. It requests public schools and colleges to notify each individual whose education records have been obtained by law enforcement under the Patriot Act. It requests public libraries to post a notice to patrons that their library records may be obtained by federal authorities.
[. . .]

The Patriot Act was rushed through Congress in the terrifying days immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Even then, the congressional majority recognized that some of the act's far-reaching powers should not be permanent. That's why 16 provisions are due to sunset at year's end.
That's why a group of congressional Democrats and Republicans are supporting the Security and Freedom Enhancement Act of 2005. House and Senate versions of the SAFE Act were introduced earlier this month with Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, sponsoring the Senate bill.

"It is possible to fight terrorism without eroding the Constitution and the rights of Americans," Craig said.

The range of support for the SAFE Act speaks volumes about why this legislation is necessary. It has the backing of the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the American Conservative Union and the League of Women Voters.

We'll also note The Nation editorial "Patriot Act Evasions:"

The sunset review of the Patriot Act marks a singular opportunity for Congress to catalogue abuses and rethink the Administration's rights-shredding approach to security. The Administration's obsession with secrecy makes a proper evaluation difficult, but the limited evidence so far available is alarming. Through January 2005 the Justice Department served at least 155 "sneak-and-peek" search warrants, undermining the fundamental American tradition requiring reasonable notice of searches and seizures. Many of those secret warrants involved not terrorism but conventional prosecution for violent crime and drugs--a broadening of police power with no national-security justification. Personal records have been seized on thirty-five occasions. And then there is what is not knowable. The expanded use of secret courts to hear secret evidence, particularly against foreign nationals but against citizens as well: Secret evidence was apparently a factor in the wrongful arrest of attorney Brandon Mayfield for what proved to be nonexistent connections to the Madrid bombing. The growing unease across party lines was unmistakable. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy blasted "the Administration's destruction of legitimate oversight" while former GOP Representative Bob Barr argued that national security "has taken precedence" over protecting civil liberties.

There is great risk that Congress will settle for technical fixes that limit the most highly publicized Patriot Act powers, or procrastinate on serious reform with another two years of sunset review. The Patriot Act, for all its noxiousness, is the symptom, not the disease--or rather, the gateway drug for an Administration addicted to the expansion of unaccountable executive-branch power. When Congress passed the act in 2001, not even its critics foresaw the full breadth of the Administration's sustained assault on civil liberties and the rule of law, against which federal courts are now in open revolt. For all his charm, the new Attorney General showed his true colors when senators Ted Kennedy and Patrick Leahy pressed the issue of rendition and the torture convention. Far from his highly hyped spirit of compromise, Gonzales replied three separate times with determinedly evasive logic: Prisoners should be kept away from abusive regimes only "when we believe it's more likely than not that they will be tortured."

If you see editorials asking for action on the Patriot Act and would like to share them with the community (or to write your own) please e-mail common_ills@yahoo.com.

Robby also notes this, also by Mark at Hudson Mohawk Indy Media:

The unvieling of the "Bottles" will be a highlight of the annual Earth Day Lobby Day at the Capitol on Tues. April 19th. Inspired by the recent Cristo gates at Central Park, the Capitol will be circled with bottles. Please join at 11:45 AM to assist. The Lobby Day starts at 10 AM. Issues include climate change, the Bigger Better Bottle bill, wetlands protections, burn barrells, and preserving open space. In one second we use 80 throwaway, non-deposit bottles in NYS. In 30 seconds, we use 2400 throwaway non-deposit bottles. This is how many we will use to encircle the capital.

There will be a "Bottles" event that the local greens are helping to organize at 11:45 AM, trying to circle the Capitol with bottles in support of the Big Better Bottle Bill.

In just one week hundreds of the state's most concerned environmentalists will gather at the Capitol in Albany for Earth Day Lobby Day. Make your plans to join us now. Be part of the fun and help protect New York's environment at the same time.

Join citizen activists, students and local, state and national environmental groups for Earth Day Lobby Day 2005 on Tuesday, April 19th in Albany. Hear from leading environmental and government leaders, and lobby for important environmental issues in New York State, including smart growth, clean energy, the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, wetlands protection and a ban on backyard burning.
When:
Tuesday,
April 19th,
10:00AM-3:30PM
(Registration opens at9:30AM)
Where:
Hearing Room B,
Legislative Office Building,
Albany
Cost: $5 (free for students and those on a limited income)
For more information or to register, visit:http://actionnetwork.org/ct/dd1LMG51ImwR/, or contact LauraDiBetta at 518-462-5526 ext. 221, or edld (at) eany.org.

Sprawl: The Community Preservation Act allows towns to voluntarily plan for the future while providing them with the resources they need to purchase land for walking or biking trails, parks and wilderness. It can help working family farms stay in business, protect wetlands that keep drinking water clean, and preserve a town’s special places. Support A.6450 DiNapoli/S.3153 Marcellino.
Anti-Indian Point leader Lisa Rainwater van Suntum speaking at the Earth Day Lobby Day rally.
Wetlands Protection: New York’s wetlands are vital for clean drinking water, flood prevention, and wildlife habitat. However, due to changes in federal jurisdiction from a 2001 Supreme Court decision and subsequent interpretations by the Bush Administration, the federal government has significantly cut back its wetlands regulation program.
Since NYS law only applies to wetlands 12.4 acres or larger, many of the state’s isolated wetlands are left unprotected.
Support legislation, A.2048 DiNapoli/S.2081 Marcellino, giving New York authority to regulate wetlands one acre or larger.
The state should establish permit application fees to help pay for increased wetlands protections. (Expanded the Bottle Bill: The Returnable Container Act – the Bottle Bill – is New York’s most successful recycling and litter prevention program. Since 1983, more than 75 billion bottles and cans bearing a 5-cent deposit have been returned and recycled. Now it’s time to expand the program to include noncarbonated drinks, like bottled water, iced tea, juice and sports drinks that make up more than 20% of New York’s beverage market.
Support the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, A.2517-a DiNapoli/S.1290-a LaValle. (Read full memo)

Clean Energy & Global Warming:
New York must take bold action to free itself from its dependence on coal, oil and other harmful fossil fuels and to fight global warming. One of the most important steps would be to cap carbon pollution from in-state power plants.
Support legislation, A.4459 DiNapoli/S.2703 Marcellino, requiring the state to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants at least 25% from 1990 levels by January 1, 2008.

Ban Backyard Burning:
Open burning of household trash -- mostly through the use of backyard burn barrels -- has
been banned in New York, except in municipalities of less than 20,000. Still, backyard burning
is by far the largest
Participants of the Tour de Burn Barrel, a 200-mile bike ride to bring attention to the backyard burning of waste, finish their trip at Earth Day Lobby Day.
Burn barrels are a major source of dioxin emissions in the state.
Burn barrels also release large quantities of heavy metals, acid gases, and other toxic chemicals that not only endanger public health, but also contaminate food supplies, especially meat and dairy products.
Support legislation, A.3073Koon/Maziarz, that would ban burn barrels statewide.
EDLD 2005 Cosponsors: Alliance for Democracy; Arbor HillEnvironmental Justice, Corp.; Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition;Citizens Campaign for the Environment; Citizens' EnvironmentalCoalition; Citizens for a Clean Environment; Delaware-OtsegoAudubon Society; Earth Day NY; Environmental Advocates of NY;Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; Long Island Neighborhood Network;Long Island Pine Barrens Society; National Wildlife Federation;Natural Resources Defense Council; NY Public Interest ResearchGroup; North Shore Land Alliance; Orange County Land Trust;PEF/EnCon; Putnam Valley Residence Coalition; Renewable EnergyLong Island; Riverkeeper; Rockland County ConservationAssociation; Scenic Hudson; Sierra Club - Atlantic Chapter;SPOC, Inc.; Sustainable South Bronx; Vision Long Island; W.Haywood Burns Environmental Education Center; WESPAC Foundation;Westchester Land Trust
See also:http://www.eany.org/takeaction/earthday.html

Thanks Robby for highlighting that. I think that even if you're nowhere in the Albany area, it provides you with issues to think about.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

Robby e-mails to alert everyone to the following events covered by Mark at Hudson Mohawk Indy Media:


Ralph Nader and rock icon Patti Smith will headline a rally for Peace in Albany on Saturday April 16th at the Emmanual Baptist church, 275 State St., Albany NY at 1:30 PM. Other speakers will include Dr. Alice Green, New Paltz Deputy Mayor Rebecca Rotzler and Joe Lombardo. The rally will call for: Bring the Troops Home, No War for Oil, Stop to Corporate Profiteering, Protect Civil Liberties. Starting at 9 AM before the rally, the Greens are organizing a progreasive grassroots organizing conference. Workshops will be offered on peace; labor; women; campus organizing; universal health care; and running for local office

Ralph Nader and rock icon Patti Smith will headline a rally for Peace in Albany on Saturday April 16th at the Emmanual Baptist church, 275 State St., Albany NY at 1:30 PM.

The event is being sponsored by local Green groups and urges that American troops be withdrawn from Iraq. Nader has also called for a halt to the corporate profiteering that has been rampant in the war effort in Iraq.

Other speakers will include Dr. Alice Green, New Paltz Deputy Mayor Rebecca Rotzler and Joe Lombardo. The rally will call for: Bring the Troops Home, No War for Oil, Stop to Corporate Profiteering, Protect Civil Liberties

Nader will also be speaking at peace rallies in Buffalo, Syracuse and Glens Falls during a three day upstate tour.

Suggested ticket prices at $10 in advance, $12 at the door. For more information, call 286-3411. To reserve a ticket, call 377-9478.

Smith will perform four songs at the event.

Punk rock's poet laureate, Patti Smith ranks among the most influential female rock & rollers of all time. She is a two-time Grammy nomineee.

In the 1970s, Patti Smith hit the underground music scene with an ecstatic blend of free-form poetry and three-chord rock. The woman hailed as the "godmother of punk" credits her signature sound to lessons in free-verse defiance from 19th-century poet Arthur Rimbaud and 20th-century music legend Bob Dylan.

Starting at 9 AM before the rally, the Greens are organizing a progressive grassroots organizing conference. Workshops will be offered on peace; labor; women; campus organizing; universal health care; and running for local office----------------

Grassroots Organizing Conference, Sat. April 16, 275 State St.
9 registration
9:30 Welcome, introductions, overview of day, bagels and cream cheese
9:45 Workshop One universal health care - Mark Dunlea Organizing Campus Greens - Steve Heath. Opposing the Draft / Military Recruitment- Carole Feraro
10:45 Plenary The Green Agenda for 2006- building the peace movement- 2005 local elections- getting 50,000 plus votes for GovernorJoe Lombardo, Peter LaVenia, Loralyne Krobetzky:
11:30 Workshop Two Running for Local office - Mark Dunlea Electoral Reform - David Lussier Women and the Greens - Rebecca Rotzler, Meghan Keegan, Mo Hannah
12:45 Adjourn

So if you're in the Albany, NY area and looking for something to do this weekend, this sounds like it could be both fun and informative.

As always, if there's an event in your area that you'd like highlighted (or one not in your area that you think members should know of) e-mail common_ills@yahoo.com.

There will be an Indy Media Review tonight. I'm picking out events from the e-mails at present because we have a member who's filing his income tax for the first time (he's young, not someone attempting to beat the government) so I'm in an i.m. window with him. Until he's completed the form, I'll just be noting announcements. After he's completed his form, I'll go on and start the Indy Media Review proper.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]

If you're in the Binghamton, NY area this weekend, Lily passes on this from Binghampton IMC
(author of the announcements is Binghampton IMC's Tarik M. Abdelazim):

FRIDAY. Book discussion of The Problem with the Media and Rich Media, Poor Democracy, both by Robert McChesney. BCC, Decker 201, 2 PM. With Bill Huston of Binghamton Indymedia.
SATURDAY.
"Taking Your place at the Table: Empowering Women to Run for Office. South Hills Presbyterian Church in Vestal, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM. This event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Broome & Tioga Counties and the Binghamton/Broome County YWCA. Keynote speakers will be Barbara Paoletti, Deputy Broome County Election Commissioner, and Phyllis Blackman, Tioga County Election Commissioner. Panelists include Suzann Buchta, Broome County Legislator; Sharon Exley, Town of Dickinson Council member; Ursula Hambalek, Vestal School Board; Donna Lupardo, New York Assembly; and Carol Sweeney, Town of Owego Supervisor. A $5 fee covers materials and refreshments (no one will be turned away for inability to pay).
"Bounce: Fundraiser for Veterans Services Center." Oakdale Mall, 9 AM - 9 PM. A basketball can not bounce itself--and neither can a veteran bounce back from tragedy alone. Come out and join the Veteran Services Center (VSC) in this symbolic event to raise awareness as well as funds so that we may continue to help local Veterans live healthier and happier lives. Strong community support is needed to keep the VSC from closing its doors this summer. Please join The VSC, various dignataries, and community members as we will be bouncing a basketball continuously for 12 hours. Here is a great opportunity to show your support for our troops, past and present. For more information, contact VSC: 771.8373 or visit http://www.binghamtonvsc.com

All our events are worth noting (and there are additional events) but I'd be most tempted by Robert McChesney's discussion. Our Media, Not Theirs (a book McChesney coauthored with John Nichols -- who writes for The Nation) always ends up on my coffee table, if I'm not pulling it off the shelves, someone else is.

E-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

Democracy Now! (Marcia: "always worth watching") has Tariq Ali and a very important story on the RNC protests and what the mainstream media doesn't appear to be grasping.

Headlines for April 14, 2005
- Abortion Clinic Pleader Pleads Guilty, Offers No Apology
- 18 Die in Twin Suicide Bombings in Baghdad
- U.S. Hostage in Iraq Pleads For His Life in Video
- Six Guantanamo Detainees Sue U.S. Citing Abuse
- New Questions Arise Over John Bolton
- House Votes to Repeal Estate Tax
- Anheuser-Busch Says No To Genetically Modified Rice
- Philadelphia to Pay $13M to Homeowners Affected by MOVE Bombing

NY Law Enforcement Caught Doctoring Video of RNC Arrests

New York law enforcement is caught doctoring video of arrests made during the Republican Convention. We speak with Alexander Dunlop, whose charges were dropped after the edited video was exposed, his lawyer Michael Conroy as well as a member of I-Witness Video who helped find the footage that eventually vindicated Alexander. And we get response from the NYPD. [includes rush transcript - partial]

Tariq Ali on Political Activism from Pakistan to Vietnam to Iraq
A conversation with writer and activist Tariq Ali on more than four decades at the forefront of the antiwar movement. Ali has written more than a dozen books on world history and politics as well as five novels, and scripts for both stage and screen.

Also note that Natalie tracked down the Democracy Now! story on the bicycle riders who were harrassed and arrested right before the RNC convention.

Critical Mass: Over 260 Arrested in First Major Protest of RNC (August 30, 2004)

Some 5,000 cyclists gathered in Union Square Park for "Critical Mass," a monthly bike ride around Manhattan. New York police arrested 264 people - many of them were held for 24 hours. [includes rush transcript]

As soon as possible, I'll go back into the original entry on the Times' coverage of the protests and add this to it but for anyone who's been waiting, that was the story. Elizabeth Press was the Democracy Now! reporter on that story.

The latest edition of The Black Commentator is up and Cedric notes Margaret Kimberley's latest
"Freedom Rider:"

On Wednesday, November 5, 2008, newspaper headlines will tell us that the Republican presidential candidate has defeated the Democrat. It is generally ill advised to make predictions about an electoral outcome, especially three years in advance. It is less dangerous to do so where the Democratic Party is concerned.
The winner may be Jeb Bush, or it may be Arnold Schwarzenegger. Don’t worry about who the Republican victor will be. Just know that the Democratic Party is once again on the road to Loserville.
Amazingly, the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) still holds sway. Despite the fact that their strategy has kept the House of Representatives in Republican hands for the last ten years, despite the loss of the Senate and two presidential elections, they are still a force to be reckoned with.
Most losers eventually figure out that they should just shut up and disappear, but not our friends at the DLC. They keep on talking, under the bizarre premise that if they just keep doing what they have been doing they will get a different result. Yes, that is a definition of insanity.

Over at The Daily Howler, as always Bob Somerby's addressing a number of important issues. Here's the part that Natalie wanted highlighted. Using Rush Limbaugh's potty mouth (blow jobs, blow jobs, blow jobs . . .) as a jumping point, Somerby explores the topic of exactly when will the supposed liberal spokesperson's start fighting back? From the entry:

Atrios said you should write the FCC. We’ll suggest you write to E. J. Dionne, Mark Shields and Al Hunt--and tell them it's time to stop the pretending.
Gutless cowards of the highest order, these perfumed poodles have stood by for years while the Rushes and Seans made a joke of your discourse. It's time we told them they have to speak up or they will be the ones we devour.
It's their names we'll drag all through the mud, as we should have done long, long ago.
Average Americans deserve to be told that Mark Levin's book is a fake and a fraud--
just as they deserved to be told about the depth of last year's Swift Boat buffoonism. And average Americans deserve to be told that Rush Limbaugh plays them for fools everyday--treats them like rubes, marks, tools, suckers.
Meanwhile, libs and Dems deserve real spokesmen, men and women who will stand up and fight. If E. J., Mark and Al won’t hunt, they need to retire, to get off the stage. They need to take their gathered millions and go off and spend it in Florida.
By the way: E. J. and Al will never fight unless they're forced to fight from below. So here's our question: Do you think that well-mannered fellows like Josh and Kevin are willing to make them do it? And while we're at it, how about David Brock? Will he call their names? How about John Podesta? Here at THE HOWLER, we're sick of calling the names of these lazy "spokesmen" while so many others seem to play it so safe. We're tired of these people's skilled silence.
So how about it, Kevin, Josh, David? Will you make E.J. fight?

We're also going to note Bob Somerby's Daily Howler from yesterday because I was so busy with the e-mails that I haven't had time to note it until now. (And when I did the Democracy Now! e-mail post yesterday, no Howler was yet up for Wednesday.) As always, there are a number of issues, but we'll focus on Somerby's comments on Nicholas Kristof. From yesterday's entry:

Yes, today we'll review one nasty case in which the press corps Kristof luvvs established its bald-faced corruption. But first, let's make one point for the record: It's odd to see Kristof complain about demagogues attacking the press from the right, because that's what he inevitably does when he engages in these ruminations. In yesterday's column, for example, he offers two examples of the press corps' failings--and both of the complaints he affirms come straight from conservative play-lists. First complaint? The press corps doesn't employ enough red-state evangelicals (quoted above). But then, here is the second complaint he affirms. It's another complaint from conservatives:
KRISTOF: I think we're nuts not to regulate handguns more strictly, but I also think that gun owners have a point when they complain that gun issues often seem to be covered by people who don't know a 12-gauge from an AR-15.
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Even after the press corps' trashing of Clinton and Gore--and
even as they refuse to challenge the latest kooky-con best-seller--Kristof gives two examples
of press corps misconduct. And in both examples, he pictures his press corps being unfair to those on the right!
But then, the key fact in this has long become clear: Pundits like Kristof will always type thus--until they are driven from power.
Boo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo! For those who have read Kristof over the years, it's impossible to imagine the sensitive scribe offering fair-and-balanced sets of complaints. It's impossible to imagine that Kristof would ever type up a passage like this one:
KRISTOF REVISED: I think journalists should be tough on White House hopefuls, but I also think that Democrats have a point when they complain that the press corps, including the New York Times, conducted a twenty-month "War Against Gore" during the 2000 White House campaign--and when they complain that the press corps' conduct may have put Bush in the White House.
No, you will never see Kristof type such a passage, and there are two reasons why you won't. First, Kristof always panders to "red state" redoubts like Yamhill, Oregon--his much-lamented rural home town. And second, polite "liberal spokesmen" never complain about what happened in Campaign 2000. Conservatives yell--and "liberals" don't.
And brave Kristof goes with the flow.
As we’ve told you: One group keeps yelling things that are false. One group refuses to say what is true. And scribes like Kristof go with the flow, affirming only complaints from the right. Yes, specific criticisms of the press corps may be misguided, inaccurate. But there's absolutely nothing "unfair" when the press is seen as "arrogant, untrustworthy." And there’s absolutely nothing unfair about this cohort's "dwindling credibility." Nicholas Kristof will never tattle. But it's a rep they've worked hard to obtain.

The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.

[Note: This entry originally appeared at The Common Ills.]