Has Jayson Blair returned to the New York Times?

Where has former president Bill Clinton been this week?

Does the Times hate Northern Ireland?

Those are interesting questions.

They all came about when Krista noted a "World Briefing" on May 25th.

Krista: Did you see the paragraph? What is that about?

Here's the paragraph (from "World Briefing" and by Brian Lavery) that Krista's referring to:

NORTHERN IRELAND: I.R.A. STILL RECRUITING, WATCHDOG GROUP SAYS
The Irish Republican Army continues to recruit and train new members and maintain an arsenal, and it retains the ability to return to a full-scale terror war, according to a report by the Independent Monitoring Commission, a watchdog group set up by the British and Irish governments last year to check paramilitary groups in the province. The 59-page report found that both republican and loyalists groups were involved in crime and that loyalists were responsible for four times as many shootings as republican groups. The report "presents a disturbing picture," the Irish government said in a statement, and Britain's secretary for Northern Ireland, Peter Hain, demanded "crystal clarity from the I.R.A." on ending it's activities. The four-member commission offered faint praise to Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, the I.R.A.'s political wing, for publicly urging the I.R.A. to seek an alternative to armed struggle. If the I.R.A. disbands, Mr. Adams "will have demonstrated leadership of a high order," it said.

The first interesting thing that stood out about the paragraph was that there was a much longer article that didn't appear in the national edition of the paper (my guess is the longer article didn't appear in print -- I could be wrong). The longer article (also by Brian Lavery) is dated May 24th online and entitled "I.R.A. Is Still Armed and Dangerous, Official Report Says." Again, it didn't make the print edition of the national paper. (If someone wants to argue that, please note the page number, I've been over the May 24th edition -- and am saving it in case someone wants to argue it "must" be in the paper.)

It didn't make the national edition on May 25th. Some may argue (and they could be right) that the earlier story was just too much even for the New York Times which becomes the New York Tantrum on the subject of Northern Ireland. Yes, on at least one topic the Timid can become the Tantrum. And the original article is a little more even handed (a little -- it also defines terms that readers new, or not well versed, need defined such as who are the "loyalists").

Let's deal with a basic first. The Times (Lavery or "Lavery" if what made it into print reflects editorial input and not Lavery's own writing -- something Times reporters have e-mailed to complain about) gets it wrong even on the basics. It's not a 59 page report. Look, I'm the last to slam anyone on math but the page numbers are printed on each page. We're talking about the Independent Monitoring Commission's Fifth Report (available online in PDF format). The last five pages are "annex" -- e.g. "appendix." The text is 54 pages and I'm having difficulty remembering another time that the Times has padded out a report by including the appendix in the page count.

Let's note something else, the non-published story addresses the membership of the committee. It's four people and one of them is a "a former deputy director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency among them." We're speaking of Richard "Dick" Kerr and you can read his online bio if you're interested. For some reason, the Times wasn't interested in printing that aspect of the story. Strange.

Equally strange is what made it into print -- a huge misrepresentation of the report. When Krista e-mailed, I found the report online (translation, it's really easy to find The Fifth Report). It's not the way the Times painted it. I couldn't believe Lavery would so distort it.

So what's going on here?

I have no idea. Lavery's original article was a bit more even handed. Someone decided to reduce it to a "World Briefing." Is Jayson Blair back on the Times' staff but now working as an editor?

What else, for instance, could explain the closing sentence of what appeared in print (and it appears in the unprinted, longer version as well):

If the I.R.A. disbands, Mr. Adams "will have demonstrated leadership of a high order," it said.

The Fifth Report doesn't say that. Excuse me, they do say "will have demonstrated leadership of a high order." That does appear in the report (page 48). But the start of that sentence does not refer to disbanding the I.R.A. The start of the sentence refers to the goals outlined in Gerry Adams' April 6, 2005 speech. In that speech, he called for the I.R.A. to give up arms and dedicate themselves to political goals. He did not call for them to disband.

The Times hasn't run a correction on that statement. Let's be really clear, The Fifth Report does not say what the Times says it said.

(For the record, page 48 of The Fifth Report reads: "In his statement of 6 April 2005 as President of Sinn Fein Gerry Adams indicated views related to some of the considerations we raised earlier in this Section and if he is able to develop this and to deliver as he seems to have suggest he will have demonstrated leadership of a high order." His speech didn't raise that. Nor did the commission say "the IRA needs to disband." They took the same position Adams took in his speech.)

You can read Gerry Adams speech here. The source is CounterPunch (that's where the link takes you). As a result, some might say (visitors), "Oh, they've left out something! You know those damn lefties!"

Well, let's give you another source. But before you go to that link (a U.S. government site), let's note that our State Department didn't interpret the speech the way Lavery or "Lavery" does.

06 April 2005
United States Welcomes Sinn Fein Call for IRA To Abandon Violence
The United States welcomes the April 6 statement issued by Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams calling for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) "to renounce violence and rely on purely political and democratic means," according to State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
"We await concrete actions by the IRA to support the policy advocated by Mr. Adams," said Boucher.

After that statement, Adams' speech is reprinted. Note that this is the site for our embassy in England.

Adams speech did not call for the IRA to disband. Read it and you'll see that. Note Boucher's comments and you'll see that our government's reading of the speech didn't see it as a call for the IRA "to disband." For some reason Lavery (or "Lavery") pulls a section of a sentence in The Fifth Report to create the idea that the Independent Monitoring Commission said they'd praise Adams if the IRA disbanded.


How did the false announcement that the IMC was suggesting they'd praise Adams if the IRA disbanded make it into print?

If you're a visitor (welcome) you may be a little confused. But members long ago brought up the attitude of hostility that the paper has shown to Northern Ireland. We've dealt with that many times before.

In terms of editorials, the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day is still something shocking.

I say "shocking" because the peace in Ireland is tentative. And the paper presents itself as socially responsible. But in that editorial as well as in the slew of articles, the Times pushed an agenda with distortions of reality (and I'll stand by that claim) that shocked a lot of people because it was akin to throwing gas on smoldering fire. That wasn't "socially responsible." It was the sort of thing you'd expect from the New York Post, but not the Grey Lady.

Or at least not from the image the Times promotes for itself. Anyone who read the Times during the Clinton era is quite aware that the image isn't quite valid. Check out Bob Somerby's The Daily Howler for multitude of examples. Here we'll just note that Paul Krugman was discouraged from using "lie" (in any of its forms) while speaking of the Bully Boy in the 2000 campaign but it was fine to report on the "lies" of Al Gore. Forget for a moment that we're speaking about the Bully Boy and Gore. Just think about how the "staid" Timid was willing to nix a candidate being called a liar but perfectly happy to let a sitting vice-president be called that. It doesn't really jibe with the paper's promoted image. But it happened and it happens.

And for some reason, it's perfectly okay to be one sided in editorials and reporting (AND REPORTING) in the Times on the issue of Northern Ireland.

Some might wonder if that's little harsh. I don't think it is. When Krista e-mailed about the story, I replied to her that I'm sure the report popping up in the World Briefing had something to do with what was going on in Ireland that week and that I doubted the Times would tell their readers about that.

What am I talking about?

Where the hell has Bill Clinton been?

If you read the Times, you don't know he's been in Ireland. You also don't know that he met with Gerry Adams (the vile Gerry Adams to judge by the Tantrum's coverage).

This wasn't a hop-off-the-plane-take-a-photo-and-leave visit. Nor was it even a one day visit.
So why didn't the Times tell you about it?

Our former president feels the need to visit to Ireland and you'd think that would rate something, at least a paragraph. But if you got your news only from the New York Times, you never learned of his visit.

Now what else happened Tuesday, May 24th? That's when Lavery's original report was filed (and the paragraph appeared in print on the 25th). That's when the meeting took place.

It's a little strange that, when noting a report on the situation in Ireland, they can't work in a sentence to say, "Hey, Bill Clinton's there right now."

It took something like nineteen days (check my math) to report on the Downing memo but they're ready to go to print the next day with the "59 page" report from the Independent Monitoring Commission? (The report was released on the 24th of May.)

(Report on does not mean "mention in passing." Until Douglas Jehl reported on it, it wasn't reported on it. Paul Krugman did do an op-ed on it but I'm referring to the reporting in the paper. Douglas Jehl's "British Memo on U.S. Plans for Iraq War Fuels Critics" was the first reporting on the memo in the Times. The Sunday Times of London broke the story "The secret Downing Street memo" May 1st, Jehl's article ran in the New York Times on May 20th. )

If people are questioning the coverage of Northern Ireland in the Times, that's why.

It makes no sense at all that the Times has never informed readers that Bill Clinton's been in Ireland. It makes no sense at all that they run with a report on the situation that comes out the day Bill Clinton is meeting with Gerry Adams and the Times can't tell you about the meeting.

I don't know what the New York Tantrum's problem is with Adams and Sinn Fein or why they've used terms like 'bully.' (Used in their screeching editorial before St. Patrick's Day.) Possibly with Arafat dead and still nursing their red face over the "He's gone! He's gone! And the people want him gone!" reporting (and editorializing) on Hugo Chavez in 2002, they now need a new fall guy.

But it's pretty shameful and it's past time that the Tantrum was called on their childlike behavior. In March, when the war on Adams and Sinn Fein was in full bloom at the Tantrum, a lot of people took a pass on commenting on the realities at play in the area. (CounterPunch was one of the few to note it.) So maybe the Tantrum thinks it can still play readers?

And maybe this will continue to for sometime. I don't know. I know there were e-mails asking why we were bothered about it in the first place?

We were bothered about it in the first place because Dominick raised the issue. If you've forgotten, that's when the Tantrum was telling you it was all over for Adams and Sinn Fein was sure to see a huge defeat in the upcoming elections. Dominick has family there and that's not what they were seeing. I phoned people I knew (college professors and reporters) and that's not how they saw it. It's how the Tantrum saw it.

A "G.K." e-mailed me to tell me "You will be so humiliated when The New York Times is once again proven right!"

The elections have been held, the Tantrum was wrong.

They pushed a story that no one I spoke to saw. They pushed a story that went against everything I had ever learned about the area (for undergraduate and graduate work, Ireland was one of the few non-Latin American countries I emphasized).

I don't know how the paper got away with it at the time. But it still continues and I really hope people are noticing it. (I know we've noticed, and will continue to note it, in this community. But I'm speaking of outside this community which basically means, domestically, CounterPunch and only CounterPunch. If you saw it somewhere else, please e-mail the site. We'd be happy to spotlight articles on this topic.)

Bill Clinton truly achieved something with the Good Friday Accord (my opinion). For some reason, the Tantrum's decided that a war on Adams and Sinn Fein is in their best interest. It's not in the interest of the area. We stated back then that there was not the huge move away that the Tantrum was reporting. (And the elections proved our assertion correct.) But the Tantrum didn't get called on it after.

And the behavior continues. It wants to stamp its feet and scream like an angry toddler.

I have no idea why that is.

But anyone who knows about the area realizes that the Tantrum's coverage is questionable.
Reporting, not editorials, have maintained one line on the area for some time now. And if it were a realistic one, that would be fine. The claims that Newsweek caused rioting over their Koran story was nonsense, my opinion, because they were reporting what they were told. If there's a problem, big if because I don't think Newsweek is as influential in that area as the fright wing would have you believe, the problem wasn't with Newsweek, it was with the actions that took place. Newsweek just reported on the actions.

And there are some in Northern Ireland whom the the Tantrum's coverage has represented. They aren't in the majority and there's never been the groundswell that the Tantrum has claimed was present. Which is why to so many members of this community (including Eli and Krista) the Tantrum's coverage has read like a war on Northern Ireland.

I don't think any member has argued (and I haven't) that only good news needs to be printed. I feel I need to put that in for any visitor that stumbles across this. The issue is that the Tantrum has repeatedly misrepresented what was happening in Northern Ireland.

This week we saw the non-reporting of Bill Clinton's visit. (Omission.) We saw the Tantrum skew the reporting on the Fifth Report the Independent Monitoring Commission.

If the I.R.A. disbands, Mr. Adams "will have demonstrated leadership of a high order," it said.

The second section of the sentence (the quote) is from the report. The report did not say the IRA needed to disband. (Nor did Adams.) The Tantrum has been suggesting that -- in reporting and in their Saturday editorial preceeding Saint Patrick's Day.

Something's going on here and it needs to be noticed. We dropped all coverage of this the week of Saint Patrick's Day because if the Tantrum's distortions were going to take hold, it would be that week when even our lazy broadcast media will do a story on Ireland. All the members who wrote in during that week were advised that we were not mentioning here because we weren't going to promote the Tantrum's agenda in a week where any controversy could allow their agenda to take hold.

It never took hold. (One story the Tantrum pushed made it to CNN on St. Patrick's Day. A friend who barely pays attention to any news saw it during lunch and called to ask what was going on?) But for whatever reason the Tantrum is pushing one side of a story and presenting it as the majority opinion. (Perhaps the majority opinion of people at the Tantrum?)

Their reporting on this is akin to Judith Miller's grudge f**king of the United Nations. I think it's something people should be aware of.

I tried to pull this entry together the night of the 24th but, as I told Krista in an e-mail, it wasn't coming together. Last night it didn't either. I'm sorry Krista had to wait so long for this entry.
No, I don't think Jayson Blair's been hired by the Times as an editor. But to get to the point where I could write about this in something approaching a calm manner (and make a joke) took some time. I have no idea why this issue of coverage in the Times hasn't led to more discussion.
It's pretty important when you consider the history of the area and how much unrest has gone on there.

The Times reporting has been skewed and wrong (and in the case of Sinn Fein being 'over,' proven wrong by the elections). They give the impression that they're reporting on the will of the majority in Northern Ireland and that's frankly not the case. If they know something that others don't, they'd do well to print it flat out and quit allowing innuendo and slams to pass for reporting.

Bill Clinton was very interested and active in the peace process in the area (and obviously remains interested and active as evidenced by his visit). The Bully Boy, from the start, has shown no interest. While it's true that the Times spins in the wind, ever changing position to back up whatever the current position of the current State Department holds on a country, they've gone beyond what our State Department (at least publicly) expresses about the area.

A number of you e-mailed Daniel Okrent repeatedly in March about this issue. No surprise, Okrent's response was the silence that greeted anything that wasn't "what I want to write about." He's gone now (thankfully). Maybe the new public editor will address it?

I have no idea. But complaints to the Times haven't led to it being addressed. ("Big surprise" as Wally noted after he received no response to his e-mails on the topic.) It's really strange to see the Grey Lady so actively go from New York Timid to New York Tantrum.

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

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

The Senate Intelligence Committee failed to reach final agreement on Thursday on a proposal that would expand the Federal Bureau of Investigation's powers to demand records and monitor mailings in terror investigations, but officials said they were confident that the committee would come to a consensus on the issue.
The committee met in private for two and a half hours amid continuing complaints from civil liberties advocates and some Democrats that the proposal would give federal investigators too much power to conduct "fishing expeditions" in pursuing terrorism leads. Senate Republican leaders and the Bush administration, who are backing the proposal, say it provides the F.B.I. with essential tools in fighting terrorism.

The above is from Eric Lichtblau's "Little Progress in Bid to Extend Patriot Act" inside this morning's New York Times.

That's an A16 story. On the front page we get some lifestyle-trend stories (surrogates having children for same-sex couples which is hardly breaking news for this decade, the last decade or the one before) and the rise in home entertainment (ditto). (Note to Laura M. Holson and the Times, everytime you do another story on the 'collapse' of the box office, you only negate your efforts to, for instance, kiss David Geffen's ass as you attempt to get that toe hold in Los Angeles.
If Holson knows her subject -- big if to many -- she needs to start noting the economy in these type of stories if she must run them. But not even Entertainment Weekly would run a "health at the box office" series on Memorial Day weekend.)

So what does it matter when lifestyle and trend stories make the front page?

Gina Kolata is a front page survivor. On April 20th, her article "Some Extra Heft May Be Helpful, New Study Say" appeared on the front page. Which of course means it was picked up by NPR (Morning Edition -- and became the source of the kind of ha-ha morning chat you'd expect from one of the television networks, not NPR). Kolata did note that it was a study (one) and that the findings were preliminary (e.g. no peer based review).

But why did that story ever appear on the front page to begin with?

One study and the Times front pages it? They're still dealing with that story. For instance, over a month later, today they run "Study Tying Longer Life to Extra Pounds Draws Fire." This is also by Gina Kolata and here's an excerpt:


The study under attack was published last month by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute. It concluded that people who are overweight but not obese have a lower death risk than people of normal weight. The scientists also reported that being very thin increased the risk of death, even if the thinness was longstanding and not due to illness.
In a seminar and news conference yesterday at the public health school, in Boston, the critics said other studies, including their own, had found that the death risk from excess pounds increased continuously from normal weight to overweight to obesity.

What goes on the front page gets attention. This topic, originally, made the front page. A single study with no peer review made the front page. Now the peer review is coming and the paper buries the story inside.

Maybe the answer is to move away from putting lifestyle and trend stories on the front page?

Now let's note Thom Shanker's "Inquiry by U.S. Finds 5 Cases of Koran Harm:"

An American military inquiry has uncovered five instances in which guards or interrogators at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba mishandled the Koran, but found "no credible evidence" to substantiate claims that it was ever flushed down a toilet, the chief of the investigation said on Thursday.
All but one of the five incidents appear to have taken place before January 2003. In three cases, the mishandling of the Koran appears to have been deliberate, and in two it was accidental or unintentional, the commander said, adding that four cases involved guards, and one an interrogator. Two service members have been punished for their conduct, one recently.

Billie e-mails to note Anne Kornblutt's "Treasurer of Texas Group Is Fined Nearly $200,000:"

A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that the treasurer of a political action committee formed by United States Representative Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, broke campaign finance laws as the group propelled the party into power in the Texas House in 2002.
The judgment awarded nearly $200,000 to five Democrats who were ousted by Republican candidates backed by Texans for a Republican Majority, the political committee founded by Mr. DeLay to help win control of the Legislature.

This story (and the one on Koran abuse)? Front page or inside the paper? If you guessed inside the paper, you are correct.

Laura M. Holson can tell you about Matthew Khalil, "a senior at" UCLA, who prefers his popcorn and movies at home on the front page. Actual news (and Holson has no grasp of the cycles of the box office so the half-baked story can't be justified that way) is shoved inside. The result is tongues wag about Holson (with jokes about her trolling around UCLA) and real news doesn't get attention.

An Associated Press story set in Ohio (I'm finding it hard to believe Albert Salvato was too busy to cover this for the Times -- maybe the paper's waiting to dispatch Tom Zeller Jr. to mock and insist it's all "tin foil hat time" again?), "Trouble Over State Investment in Coins Is Deepening in Ohio" captures Zach's attention if not the Times'. From the article:

The focus of the investigation is Tom Noe, a private coin dealer and Republican donor who led the coin investment. Democrats have alleged that Mr. Noe was awarded the state's business in return for campaign contributions to Republicans, who control most of state government.
Officials do not know what assets are missing or where those items are supposed to be, said a bureau spokesman, Jeremy Jackson. Investigators went into Mr. Noe's coin shop under a court order issued Thursday morning, but were not able to remove coins from their cases to inspect them and verify their authenticity, Mr. Jackson said.
The bureau had made $15.3 million from the investments, while Mr. Noe has collected about $3.8 million in commission.

Trevor e-mails to note Jim Yardley's "A Crescent of Water Is Slowly Sinking Into the Desert:"

In this desert oasis where East once met West and that is home to one of the world's greatest shrines to Buddhism, the water is disappearing. Crescent Lake has dropped more than 25 feet in the last three decades while the underground water table elsewhere in the area has fallen by as much as 35 feet.
[. . .]
"I would call it an ecological crisis," said Zhang Mingquan, a professor at Lanzhou University who specializes in the region's hydrology. "The problem is the human impact. People are overusing the amount of water that the area can sustain."

Francisco e-mails to suggest that, on the topic of the Bolton blockage, we read the entry at A Winding Road. Here's an excerpt from "Senate Dems Delay (ie Filibuster) Bolton Confirmation:"

Well, the Democrats are doing something right, at least. Today they blocked a final vote on John Bolton's confirmation as Ambassador to the United Nations. They aren't pledging to filibuster the nomination for good, unfortunately, though they really should be. The filibuster is intended for exactly this sort of situation, in which a dominant majority is trying to confirm someone who is grievously wrong for the job.
What they are doing, though, is filibustering Bolton (though they're not actually using the F word!) until the State Department comes through with crucial documents it's been withholding from the Senate. These documents are directly related to Bolton's suitability for the job that Bush has nominated him to and by withholding them, the State Department is attempting to thwart the Senate's very real responsibility to Advice and Consent.

Ben e-mails to note Douglas Jehl's "Democrats Force Senate to Delay a Vote on Bolton:"

The move put off until at least June 7, when the Senate returns from its Memorial Day break, any decision on Mr. Bolton's nomination, and it set Democrats and Republicans in the Senate at odds once again just three days after they reached a compromise intended to avert filibusters on judicial nominations. Senator Bill Frist, the majority leader, described himself as "very, very disappointed" by what Senator Harry Reid, the top Democrat, conceded was the "first filibuster of the year."

Kelli wonders if this will lead the Bully Boy to make a recess appointment.


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

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

As the Senate moves to complete the spending bill for the Higher Education Act next month, a growing number of organizations concerned about privacy rights are fighting a Department of Education plan that would require colleges and universities to place personal information on individual students into a national database maintained by the government.
If included in the spending measure, the plan would radically change current practice by requiring schools to provide personal information on all students, not just those receiving federal aid.

The above is from Michael Janofsky's "Plan to Gather Student Data Draws Fire" in this morning's New York Times.

Wally e-mails to note Julia Preston's "Judge Says U.S. Must Release Prison Photos:"

A federal judge in New York told the Defense Department yesterday that it would have to release perhaps dozens of photographs taken by an American soldier of Iraqi detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, said at a hearing that photographs would be the "best evidence" in the public debate about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib. The hearing, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, came in a Freedom of Information Act suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union to obtain material about military prisons in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In other Iraq court news, note the Associated Press story entitled "Solider Charged In Iraqi Killing Is Acquitted" and John DeSantis' "Marine Accused of Murder In Iraqis' Deaths Is Cleared" (both of which appear on A17).

Kara e-mails to note Raymond Bonner's "U.S. Embassy in Indonesia Closes as Web Site Plots an Attack:"

The United States Embassy was closed here on Thursday because of what officials would describe only as an unspecified security threat. But a Western counterterrorism official and a private security analyst said the decision had been made after a diagram of the embassy and details of how best to carry out an attack were posted on a Web site.
The diagram, which was posted on www.Istimata.co.nr by a group calling itself the Brigade Istimata International, showed the location of the ambassador's office, surveillance cameras and heat detectors.
[. . .]
Despite the embassy closing on Thursday, counterterrorism officials say that the threat of a terrorist attack has diminished here.
Seeming to underscore this, the Jakarta International School, which most American students attend and which has been a potential terrorist target in the past, remained open on Thursday, as did the American Recreation Club, where embassy personnel and their families swim and play tennis.

Kara notes that if Bonner's in the Friday paper, that "just leave Scott Shane to save us from the Attack of Lifestyle Stories in Saturday's paper."

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

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

??? e-mails Zachary Lown's "Demonstration to Expose Recruiter's Lies in Silver Spring Friday"
from DC Indymedia:

On May 27th
at 5pm
the DC Anti War Network (DAWN)
in conjunction with Code Pink
will demonstrate in front of the Georgia Avenue military recruiting station
to expose the lies and predatory aims of military recruiters.
(Please see below for directions.)
For those of us in DC who are parents or students, for those of us who have family members or friends in the military or know someone who is thinking about joining, we have a responsibility to unmask these military salesmen as they attempt to lure DC’s youth into an unjust and illegal war. All are encouraged to join us in this action.

As the United States government finds itself sinking increasingly deeper into a classic colonial quagmire in Iraq the ranks of the soldiers being used to occupy the country are continuously thinning. With military recruitment down the US is desperate to get more boots on the ground. This has increased pressure on military recruiters who will lie and manipulate young people so as to draft them into the army.
Young people are being targeted as never before as military recruiters are invading public schools, shopping centers and playgrounds. Yet even as their sales pitch rises to a crescendo military recruiters are being confronted by students across the country. From Seattle to Connecticut high school and college students are chasing recruiters off of their campuses in a movement that has come to be known as "counter recruitment."
On January 20th at Seattle Central Community College over 300 students surrounded a military recruiting stand forcing the recruiters off campus. Jorge Torres and Darrin Hoop from Students Against War in Seattle describe the event, "The hapless recruiters tried to act as if the crowd wasn’t bothering them and continued to pass out their literature. Students ripped it up in their faces and threw it in the air like confetti. Others tore off their tablecloth and pounded on the table. After fifteen minutes the recruiters were escorted off campus. The crowd followed behind, chanting 'Don’t come back!', and 'You should be ashamed!'" Students are reporting similar actions in places like the University of Texas in Austin, City Community College in New York, and Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts.

[. . .]

The station is located three blocks from the Silver Spring Metro at the intersection of Silver Spring Ave. and Georgia Ave. From the South Side Metro Exit, walk one block east on Bonifant St. to Georgia Avenue, then right 2 blocks to the recruiting station. Driving on Georgia Ave. from DC, the recruiting station is on the left, about two blocks past East-West Highway (Rt. 410).
See also:
http://www.dawndc.net


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

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

Lily e-mails to note shoes' "Outgrowing Capitalism Conference This Weekend" from The Mad Hatters IMC:


Topic Connecticut Action When we all want to learn many subjects, it seems we all register for a conference and travel to New York City or Washington, D.C. Why not Hartford? It's about time! All you have to bring is T-shirts, bikes (optional), art for the communal art gallery and food donations!
Outgrowing Capitalism: A Gathering of Existing Structures NEMA, IMC's, FNB's, and more will be in Hartford
Friday,
May 27-29
kicking off with a Critical Mass ride at 4:30pm
at Bushnell Park
and get this, registration is free! ($10 donations urged).
This conference seems more exciting than others because new skills are offered, such as urban gardening and composting, beer/wine making, radical menstruation (as alternatives to pharmaceuticals), free schools, jewelry making and radical walking tour of Hartford. Each conference has their own time to let your hair or bald heads down but this one has a new twist: a punk rock prom!
Click here for the schedule.
Read more from the Organizing Committee...
Hartford is organizing a gathering to unite those working in the stuggle to outgrow the constraints of a capitalist society by sharing of skills, resources, and ideas on a local and broader geographic scale The weekend with include workshops with people currently organizing in their communities to find alternatives and a meeting to organize tangible resistance against oppressive systems.

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

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

Pru e-mails rt's "Bristol anti-war campaigner targetted with Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act" from Bristol Indymedia:

Bristol resident Dylan Thomas claims that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers have been used against him because of his anti-war campaigning. This interview discusses the alleged use of RIPA against this anti-war protestor and the sort of activities that gave rise to him being targetted with RIPA. It is not everyday that you get to interview a dead Welsh poet.
Mr. Thomas, you claim that you have been theh victim of use of the Regultion of Investigatory Powers Act. I understand that it is an offence for someone to tell you of a RIPA control order and there's a serious period of imprisonment involved. Assuming that nobody told you that you were targetted by RIPA, can you explain why you think that you have been subjected to this act, and what it actually means?
Yes of course. Well first off the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act is a very heavyweiht piece of legislation. It's one of Bliar's New Labour's serious heavy laws where the implications for the subject are very serious but there is deniability - everything's done the secret, unmentioned New Labour way so that there is no accountability. So, RIPA means that they can interfere in any aspect of your life - say your solicitor. They can demand that your solicitor sends copies of all your documents that he holds and to never tell you. If he tells you, he commits a criminal offence and can be sent off to prison. Like I said, the RIPA is heavyweight law - really powerful and it sort of sweeps lesser laws away with it's power. But it does have some problems because it clashes and conflicts with other laws because it's so heavyweight and powerful. Now where it clashes with other laws. That's where you can see the cracks. That's where you can see RIPA operating. One part of RIPA, why it's so powerful and heavy and awkward is that nobody can be tried for carrying out actions under it's authority. The issues can simply never come to court. Now from the documents I have, I am fairly certain that I had a RIPA order served on me between January and June or July 2003 and I may have had some since. I mean I know that my post is intercepted. The f***ers just steal it quite often and I just never see it. Legal documents even. They even steal legal documents sent to me. You see what happened is that at that time I was getting referred to New Deal every 2 weeks and I was appealling every one. So a sanction was getting imposed every two weeks. I've got twelve appeals in this period. That means twelve copies of documentation from the JobCentre referring me to New deal and me refusing, twelve copies from the Employment Service and twelve copies from the Appeals Service where I have lodged my appeals. Actually that's what I should have. It's not what I actually have.
Eh, Why not?
Well remember RIPA is heavyweight and clashes heavily with other laws. The trouble is that actions conducted under the authority of the act can never be tried in a court or tribunal. So what documntation have I got?. Once again, the RIPA does not sit well with repeated requests for appeals because appeals are like trials and actions under RIPA can never be tried. So the documentation is have is regualar documents, sometimes legal documents with gaps where RIPA is operating. Bingo!
Do you really have that. Really?
Well I think so. I reckon I can map what actions they took from the gaps in the documents. And i think that I have got more.
More?
Yes. Now the trouble is that it's not only the whole appeals that cannot be tried but certain aspects of them. So as these appeals progress you can study them to catch the issues that are raised but the Chairman cannot make a decision on. And when you make an administrative complaint. That's a laugh that is. It's because I'm a determined, stick-at-it little sod as well. It's only now these things are coming out.
So you mentioned administrative complaints. What happens there?
OK. so let me recap. I've got eleven New Deal appeals and one JobSeeker's Allowance appeal over the six months I was RIPAd. That should be twelve copies of documents from the Jobcentre, twelve copies from the Appeals Service and now they are starting to come through from the Social Security Commissioners. That's what finally gave it away actually.

Dominick e-mails to note Dave Lordan "'Carlo Tried To Resist: This Is The Truth' : Giuliano Giuliani" from I.E. Indymedia:

Giuliano Giuliani is a leading Italian Trade Unionist whose son Carlo was murdered by the Italian Police during the July 2001 protests in Genoa against the G8 Summit. Since Genoa, Giuliano and his wife Haidi have become stalwarts of the international anti-globalisation movement, speaking at countless events and protests as well as campaigning for justice for their son. He will speak at a public meeting organized by G8 Mobilise on Thursday 26th May in Dublin.
Four years on from Carlo's murder, do you feel any closer to achieving justice for him?
It is very difficult after waiting for four years to even think about achieving justice. But we are doing everything possible to ensure that the truth be acknowledged. Carlo was killed while he was trying to defend the others and himself from being shot at by the police. Carlo tried to resist: this is the truth. Along with this truth, we also want to find out the exact chain of command on those days, and we want someone to take political responsibility for Carlo's murder. This is absolutely necessary for our country, for democracy, and in particular for all the other young people who are looking for a better world.
How have the police behaved during the investigation?
Terribly, no investigation has really been carried out, not even into the most disgraceful and violent behaviour of the police. After he was hit by a bullet, Carlo was kicked while he was lying on the ground and then one policeman broke his forehead with a stone. This is the behaviour of Nazis. So was what they did at the Diaz school or at the Bolzaneto barracks or in the streets: torture, extremely violent beatings, both physical and mental. These facts are unworthy of a civilized society and they cannot remain unpunished. Instead they are trying to cover, to hide and to mix up everything. Some Judges are also not doing their jobs, because dismissing a case, like Carlo's murder, contributes to the truth being hidden.

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

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

Boston's Indymedia has ""Nationalization or death!" Uprising in Bolivia / "¡Nacionalización o muerte!" gritan los movimientos sociales:"

* After holding an emergency meeting, the FEJUVE (Federación de Juntas Vecinales de El Alto) has descended from the mountains to the Altiplano of Bolivia and the capital city of La Paz to "take over the National Congress." In addition, they ratified a citywide strike as it entered its third day with no end in sight.
* Meanwhile a group of Army officials disassociated themselves with Carlos Mesa and called to the military to be united with the mobilizations.
* It is uncertain what will happen next. It is clear however that the road blockades at Copacabana, Desaguadero, Achacachi and Oruro with strong concentrations in the localities of Pallcoco, Batallas, Huarina, Warisata y Escoma (towns around La Paz, the capital) will be lasting. The protestors manning the blockades are members of the inidigenous Aymara community that have once again left their towns and villages to make their presence felt and voice heard in front of a deaf state. They are confronting the state’s partiality to the transnational companies and the state’s forgetfulness of the national majorities.en espanol: http://bolivia.indymedia.org/es/2005/05/17382.shtml

Also from Boston IMC, Brenda e-mails to note h-fries' "'Zine Library Opens in Harvard Square:"


A new library has opened up right in Harvard Square. But they don't have any books. Instead, they have 'zines. 'Zines are self-published magazines that address universes of different topics. There are 'zines about being a substitute teacher, how to compost, growing up as an immigrant, animal rights and high school crushes. They're becoming increasingly popular as everyone starts to make their own 'zine. Now there are 'zine libraries all around the country. This radio piece documents the opening of Boston's new 'zine library.
See also:
http://baamboston.org/papercut

From Chicago Indymedia Zach e-mails to note Ted Forsyth's "Animal Rights Activist Could Face 82 Years in Jail and Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Fines:"


Chicago animal rights activists drove to Madison to lend solidarity to Peter Young, who was arraigned today on charges of violating the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and conspiracy to interrupt interstate commerce. The maximum penalty he faces is 82 years in jail and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
Young was arrested on March 21st in San Jose, CA. He has been "WANTED" since 1998 after being indicted on charges of violating the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act by freeing more than 7,000 mink from five Midwestern fur farms.Young’s lawyer, Mr. Chris Kelly, entered the plea of not guilty to the alleged crimes being prosecuted against his client by the United States government represented by Mr. Robert Anderson.
Young was not alone as about 40 people showed up to lend support from across the Midwest packing the courtroom.
The hearing was held to address three items: 1) to enter a plea, 2) to set up a date to have a telephonic scheduling conference with Judge Crocker, and 3) to determine if Young could be released from detention.
The presiding judge, Judge Theresa M. Owens, stated that Young could be a flight risk and would not grant release from detention. Young's lawyer, Kelly, stated that his client would preserve the right to have a subsequent hearing on the matter. The presiding judge agreed and the prosecution had no objections.
Young is currently being held in Dane County Jail with the possibility of being moved to Jefferson County Jail. For information on sending books or writing directly to Peter, or donating money to his legal defense fund please see: SupportPeter.com###
See also:http://supportpeter.comhttp://madison.indymedia.org/newswire/display/24399/index.php

From Tennessee IMC, Durham Gal e-mails to note Joanna's "Coping With the Personal and Family Costs of War:"


Since the soldiers began returning from the Iraq war at the turn of the year, my therapy practice has been inundated with a variety of problems that come from the soldiers' experiences in this war.
One result that all therapists expected was PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms may include nightmares, flashbacks (even reenactment), disturbed sleep and hyper vigilance. This can be caused by a variety of incidents, from life threatening experience for the soldier himself to the experience of a good friend or buddy being injured or killed.
Many soldiers I've seen have PTSD symptoms due to the inhuman things that they had to do in this war. One was forced by his superior to run over a woman and child trying to stop a convoy on a road where many convoys were attacked. Another shot into a crowd that contained women and children and saw children die. Another was attacked by a kid he had befriended and given food to; then he had to kill the boy to save his own life.
One NCO had nightmares of watching two of his soldiers being blown up when they picked up what turned out to be a live bomb, on the orders of an officer who was collecting booty for his "trophy room." This NCO, a career soldier, then lost faith in the military when he was forced to lie about the incident to protect the officer.
Even jobs that some thought were "safe" from direct fire or war were not safe from this type of experience. One soldier in communications was stringing lines when he and his partner ran into an Iraqi soldier in a bunker. They hollered at him to get out, but he didn't. Although he didn't actually raise his weapon to them, he continued holding it loosely, and the soldier shot him, again under orders. Then he was wracked by guilt that the soldier didn't understand, might have been saved if he had acted differently, that the Iraqi was someone's son, someone's brother.
PTSD caused by this type of thing seems to be more difficult to treat, more difficult to recover from than the usual war experience of fire fights because the soldiers feel that they have lost an important part of themselves and fear that they are damaged permanently by behaving against their core beliefs. The violence of war creates violence at home when soldiers return. They most noticeable evidence of this is the dramatic increase in domestic violence, even the killings of spouses, since the soldiers started returning.

Margot e-mailed Sheree Sunday's "DU Bill passes in LA!" from New Orleans Indymedia. We're printing it in full partly because it's a press release and partly because it's an important story:

On May 12th, Peter Kovacs, the Managing News Editor of the New Orleans Times- Picayune, the region's major daily newspaper, in a telephone conversation with veterans advocate Bob Smith, and a Times-Picayune political analyst stated that a story concerning a bill giving the right for service women and men from Louisiana to a best practices health-screening test for exposure to depleted uranium would not be published.
The reason Kovacs gave was because the bill was not costing the state any money. Kovacs went on to say that the Times Picayune criteria for newsworthiness was how much it would cost. The fact that the bill supports the troops’ health concerns is not the criteria.
Four other media outlets in the region have already covered the story expressing concerns for the troops.
On Tuesday, May 3 , The Louisiana State House of Representatives passed a bill to give the right to all Louisiana Servicemen and women returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom for testing for depleted uranium contamination.
Louisiana is the first state in the nation to have their House pass this type of bill. The vote was 101 to 0 in favor. The Louisiana Brigade, with approximately 4,500 National Guardsmen, is expected to return home from Iraq between October and December 2005.
DU is radioactive and can cause leukemia, DNA breakdown, various other cancers, and birth defects in offspring of soldiers who have come into contact with it. The VA and the DOD have been conducting testing that is not sensitive enough to detect whether a soldier has been contaminated.
This bill would have helped alleviate that by pressuring the State’s Adjutant General to insure that the test mandated by DOD orders and Army regulations would be executed.
The "money" criteria used by the New Orleans Times-Picayune is shocking in light of the fact that the country is at war and legislation supporting the troops health concerns is of utmost importance.
F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
Bob Smith Chair
Depleted Uranium Awareness Committee
Louisiana Activist Network
www.newdemocracyrising.com/uranium.asp

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


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

Colorado Indymedia is up and running again. We're going to note three stories from the site tonight. I hope no one feels they're being favored at the expense of other sites. Having been hacked and now being back up, we're highlighting them entirely for this entry because a) I'm really happy they're back up and b) to get the word out.

From "Denver Three announce 'Don't Privatize My Freedom Campaign'-Congressman Mark Udall endorses campaign:"

Two months after being physically removed from the Bush Town hall meeting in Denver, the threesome announces it's Don't Privatize My Freedom" campaign with two goals: to increase awareness of the White House pattern of removing citizens from meetings based soley on viewpoint, and two, to demand anwers from the White House about who removed us, who trained them and gave them their "marching orders".
Denver – Two months after three Denver residents were removed from a presidential town hall meeting on Social Security because of the bumper sticker on their car, the Denver Three and victims of similar incidents in other states announce their kick-off of the "Don't Privatize My Freedom" campaign. Congressman Mark Udall's (D-CO) endorsement of the campaign was also announced .
The campaign will increase awareness of the White House pattern of removing citizens from town hall forums based solely on viewpoint, and will demand answers from the White House about how event staff are trained.
Similar viewpoint exclusion and removal tactics have been used by White House event staff at town hall forums in Colorado, North Dakota, Arizona, and New Hampshire.After the March 21 incident in Denver, Udall sent a letter to the White House demanding answers, but received none.
The Secret Service has now opened a criminal investigation into the matter, 8 out of 9 Members of Congress from Colorado have condemned the removal of the Denver 3, and Members of Congress from numerous states involved have demanded answers.
"When the same thing happens in four different states, it's not an isolated incident, it's a policy," said Alex Young, one of the Denver 3. "The White House has done everything possible to stonewall any question about who is training event staff to violate the rights of citizens at public events. With the Don't Privatize My Freedom campaign, we are demanding answers - and we'll get them."
The campaign gets underway with today's announcement, and will continue with a trip to Washington, DC to meet with members of Congress to ask for answers and "real" town hall meetings in all 4 cities and Washington, DC. to discuss social security in an honest and open way. The group and it's lawyers will be speaking on First Amendment rights and will be running in the Freedom Run in Denver on July 4th. To support Free Speech and the Don't Privatize My Freedom campaign, visit www.denverthree.org and buy a t-shirt or sticker today (no profits are made on the sales).

That's the entry in full. (It's in the public domain.) With the other two items, we'll do excerpts.

From "Why Such Drastic Changes Sought by Neo-cons?" (this article and the one above are credited to "Anonymous Poster"):

Of course it is the inevitable, looming oil crisis that awaits the US (becauseof her thirst for oil) that has given this Administration the justification toinvade Iraq on the "pack of lies" (1. Honorable George Galloway) that came out of this White House. That, although not justified in many people's minds, is pretty much understood by the rank and file.
The pre-emptive doctrine conjured up by Wolfowitz and Pearle in '92 wasfiled under "R" for "ridiculous" at the time. But it was dusted off and accepted by both major parties a few years ago (with little if any debate) because we simply must have a constant supply of oil - PERIOD. Well that does not explain the emergence of the recent, drastic changes in "domestic policies" that we are seeing advocated of late, such as:
1) the attempt at dismantling the Senate's ability to Filibuster,
2) the dissecting of the Bill of Rights (such as illegal search> protection, among others),
3) the attempt to diminish the safety net for retirees,
4) the changes in bankruptcy laws and attempts at tort reform,
5) the wiping away of decades of environmental protection,
These have now, suddenly, been heavily pushed. And in the case of the PatriotAct, it was passed with the help of democrats that hadn't even read the massive bill. They quite possibly will have very long term effects on the average American's life.
The Filibuster fight had to do with judgeships in the Appellate and Supreme Court which can have a major effect on American's lives.

Again, excerpt. There's more to the article and you can click on the link to continue reading.

And lastly, we'll excert from "A BREATH OF FRESH AIR SWEEPS INTO HELL" (also credited to "Anonymous Poster" which I'm assuming is for posting, the article carries the byline of John Chuckman):

Like a refreshing breeze blowing briefly over those damned to endure the hell created by America's government came the words of British M.P. George Galloway to an American Senate Committee. The man was simply magnificent. Tough, brave, and articulate - hurling unanswerable truth at blubbering political lowlifes in silk suits.
Washington is the most dishonest place on earth, and with that fact goes another, that the American people are among the earth's worst governed. These creepy American Gauleiters had wronged Galloway with faked accusations of his profiting from oil trading with Saddam Hussein. My God, it's just one filthy lie after another. They tried smearing Kofi Anan with the same kind of stuff.
Why is it so rarely Americans who take on their own lying, murderous political establishment? It has always been the same. How few Americans stood up to that bellowing angry drunk, political wife-beater, Senator Joseph McCarthy, or that ugly maggot sucking at the nation's liberties, J. Edgar Hoover.
George Galloway's real crime is to have been a sharp thorn in Tony Blair's side, a powerful critic of the stupid Iraq War. Blair dreamt he would rise to Churchillian heights by attending training classes in Crawford, Texas, on how to rig an illegal war. Today he looks more like the sad, depleted Lloyd George expressing his admiration for that rising new star in Europe, Hitler.

Again, that's an excerpt. Click the link to continue reading.

And congratulations to Colorado Indymedia on being back up. There are many other articles there. I picked those three, you might find something you enjoy more, so consider checking it out.

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

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

 

Quote of the week:

"60 American troops have been killed and that you are hearing this for the first time from me is obscene."


That's Randi Rhodes of The Randi Rhodes Show. There have been 64 American trooops killed in Iraq thus far this month.

(I'm assuming the quote is from this week. If not, it still fits. It was in an Air America news e-mail Gina forwarded.)

In other Air America Radio news:

Chuck D back "On the Real"
Air America Radio expands its programming with "On the Real," an inspirational Sunday night show co-hosted by Public Enemy founder and previous Unfiltered host, Chuck D and writer, actress, producer Gia Garel. "On the Real" launches Sunday, May 29th from 11:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. ET. Actor Jamie Foxx will be included in the guest line-up.

American Workers Find Voice on Air America
On Monday, May 16, Labor News was launched on WLIB 1190 AM in New York, the flagship station of Air America Radio. The United Federation of Teachers and The Associated Musicians of Greater New York Local 802 AFM sponsored the Workers Independent News segments, which are interspersed throughout Air America programming.

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

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

At CounterPunch, you can find Camilo Mejia's "Prisoners of Conscience:"


These findings represent important accomplishments for the antiwar movement, as they seem to indicate that military authorities are handling public dissent within the ranks with a bit more caution, as more members of the military are speaking out against the occupation. It would be interesting to see if these are isolated cases, or if the military is indeed making an effort to uphold the law.
Service men and women should know that expert testimony at my trial as well as at Pablo's trial, was that the invasion and occupation of Iraq are illegal under international, domestic, and military law. At my trial, professor Francis Boyle of the University of Illinois, testified that the Iraqi invasion and its aftermath is a crime against humanity, and a violation of Army Field Manual 27-10, which incorporates the Geneva Conventions. At Pablo's trial, Professor Marjorie Cohn from San Diego's Thomas Jefferson School of Law, testified that the war in Iraq violates the United Nations Charter, which authorizes the use of force only in self defense, or with the Security Council's approval. She also noted that according to the Nuremberg Principle and the Army Field Manual, disobeying an unlawful order is a duty, and claiming to be following superior orders constitutes no legal defense in the commission of war crimes. Interestingly, neither at my trial nor at Pablo's, did the prosecution ever put on evidence to counter the defense international law expert testimony.

From Independent Media Center, Keesha e-mails to note "June 10-12, 2005 'Weekend of Resistance' for Political Prisoner Jeff 'Free' Luers:"

In June 2001, 23 year-old forest defense activist Jeffrey "Free" Luers was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months in prison for the burning of three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV's) in Eugene, Oregon. To make a statement about global warming, Jeff and his codefendent, Craig 'Critter' Marshall, set fire to 3 Sport Utility Vehicles at a Eugene car dealership. Their stated purpose was to raise awareness about global warming and the role that SUVs play in that process. No one was hurt in this action nor was that the intent. An arson specialist at trial confirmed that the action did not pose any threat to people based on its size and distance from any fuel source. Despite the fact that this action hurt no one, caused only $40,000 in damages and the cars were later resold, Jeff was sent to prison for a sentence considerably longer than those convicted of murder, kidnapping and rape in Oregon state. Jeff is recognized as a political prisoner by the Jericho Movement and the Anarchist Black Cross Network and Federation and continues to write and agitate for his release while imprisoned at Oregon State Penetentiary. His appeal was filed in January 2002. You can read the latest on his appeal here.
The June 10-12th Weekend Of Resistance is three weeks away. Events for 2005 have already been planned in North America and around the world. Check out the Ideas for Action to plan an event in your community. Read about last year's June 12 Day of Action here and the FBI and Fox News' lies here.

From NYC Indymedia, we'll note NYCLU' "NYCLU: Prologned Detention Prior to Arraignment a Common Occurance:"

May 24, 2005 -- The New York Civil Liberties Union has called on the City Council to pass landmark civil rights legislation that will be introduced tomorrow. Known as the "Charge or Release" bill and introduced by Council Member Bill Perkins, it would mandate that individuals arrested in New York City are arraigned within 24 hours of arrest. The legislation seeks to resolve the serious problem highlighted during the Republican National Convention when hundreds of protesters were held far in excess of 24 hours and often charged with minor violations. The NYCLU and New York City Bill of Rights Defense Campaign revealed new research that indicates that holding arrestees for longer than 24 hours is routine in many parts of the City, particularly in communities of color."The law states that no one should be held for longer than 24 hours without being formally charged before a judge," said Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU. "But we are concerned that the practice of prolonged detention targeted protesters charged with minor offenses at the RNC, and on a daily basis, has a disproportionate impact on people of color. The Charge or Release bill will bring New York City into compliance with the 24-hour rule."

Also from NYC Indymedia, Sam e-mails to note "The Indypendent Issue #70:Riding out the Storm:"

The latest issue of the Indypendent is online and on the streets, with a focus on how Critical Mass is faring after 9 months of police repression.
Critical ConditionStill We RideNotes from the Underground Press2200 Call for Media UpheavalMedia: Go Where People AreWashington Sq. ShowdownThe Folk Song Riot of 1961Pot Gains in AlbanySRO Disappearance ContinuesResidential Hotel Turns Hostel on TenantsImperial Commander-in-ChiefBush's Botched CrusadeNuclear MythsAfrican Organic TechnoWhodunit?Second to NunWhere to Find the IndypendentDownload Full PDF

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

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