Friday, March 16, 2007

Latest Administration offenses + upcoming demos

A lot has happened recently, continuing the Bush Administration's pattern of criminality and contempt for democracy.  Libby was indicted and the media actually highlighted calls for Cheney to resign.  Then this week the firing of the US attorneys led to calls for Attorney General Gonzales to resign.  The Administration has the right to fire the district attorneys he appointed, but this is the first time so many have been removed at once, in the middle of a term, and seemingly because they were not being properly partisan.  Now it has been revealed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed says he was behind the 9/11 attacks, etc.  There are many problems with this alleged confession.  Even the 9/11 Commission thought his statements in detention were suspect and possibly exaggerated.  And he was reportedly tortured, which is how a government gets false confessions from people.  Even worse, the media refuses to point out that he is apparently connected to Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, one of many connections between the ISI and 9/11.  Given the involvement of US allies and the US government in supporting al Qaida terrorism, I also find it suspect and one-sided that the Sudanese government was just found culpable in the attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.     
 
You can join the effort to stop the Administration's central crime, the Iraq War and the "Global War on Terror" by going to upcoming demonstrations (see the NC Peace & Justice update below).  I took out most of the contact information below, in case it is not posted publicly elsewhere; contact me at southplumb at gmail dot com for the info.  I might not be able to reply in time for the 3/17 events though.  
 
NC Peace & Justice Update, 3/15/2007

> www.NCpeacejustice.org   www.UnitedforPeace.org
>
> Let This Year Mark the Final Four
>
> As the NCAA Basketball Tournament begins and we
> cheer our North Carolina teams on to the Final Four,
> we will also fill Carolina streets and Congress's
> voicemail with urgent calls to make this the Final,
> Fourth anniversary of the Iraq War.
>
> As dozens of people are killed and hundreds wounded
> in Iraq nearly every day, and Congress dithers on
> cutting the funding for the war and setting a
> timetable for withdrawal, thousands of people in
> cities and towns throughout the United States will
> take to the streets to urge Congress and the White
> House to bring all the troops home now and take care
> of them when they get here.
> Please add one of these exciting events to your
> calendar this next week!
>
> North Carolina: 4th Anniversary of the Iraq War
> Events:
>
> March 17: Fayetteville Peace March & Rally: 10:00
> Gather at Community Health Center, 12:00 March,
> 1:00-4:00 Rally at Rowan Street Park.
> ( www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org)
> March 17: Support Military Resisters Rally,
> Greensboro, 11 am Governmental Plaza, Greene St.
> Downtown ( ncwcw.blogspot.com)
>
> March 17: March on the Pentagon, Washington DC
> (Buses from Chapel Hill 919 942-1740
> www.internationalistbook.org; and Charlotte,
> March 19: Vigils in Cities across NC on the 4th
> Anniversary of the War, listed at
>
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=79&id=
>
>
> March 20: Student Walk-Out, Rally, and March, 12:00
> UNC's Pit, Chapel Hill ( www.Chapelhillsds.org),
> Critical Mass Bike Ride Against the War from
> Carrboro Town Commons, 12:30
> March 24: Building Peace Rally in Asheville,
> 2:00-4:00 City Hall ( www.wncpeacecoalition.org).
>
> March 26: Court Date for Students Arrested at Rep.
> David Price's Chapel Hill Office, 9:00 am,
> Hillsborough Court House
> related: March 28: NAACP sponsors the HK on J People
> of Color Legislative Day, Raleigh State Legislature,
> includes Resolution to Bring the Troops Home. Info:
> ncnaacp at gmail dot com
>
> Next Monday will mark the fourth anniversary of the
> war in Iraq. Across the country, MoveOn members and
> allies will join together at candlelight vigils to
> commemorate this day, honor the sacrifices of our
> troops, and voice our stronger-than-ever call to
> bring them home soon and safe.
>
> Event List at:
>
http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=79&id=
>
> Fayetteville March and Rally for Peace, Saturday
> March 17, 2007
>
> Holly Near Headlines Rally, Veterans Caravan to
> Arrive in Fayetteville
>
> Singer Holly Near has been to Fayetteville before.
> And she'll be back on March 17, 2007, at the
> Fayetteville peace rally.
>
> In 1971, Holly was part of the legendary FTA tour
> with Donald Sutherland, Jane Fonda, and other stars.
> The troupe presented militantly funny shows of
> antiwar songs and skits to wildly enthusiastic
> audiences of GIs and others near military bases
> around the US and across the Pacific.
>
> "FTA" by the way, stood for "Free The Army" -- among
> some other, less printable versions of the acronym.
> The tour was the basis for an early insurgent
> documentary film by the same name, which was briefly
> released, then suppressed by pressure from high
> places, with the Nixon White House topping the list
> of suspects. (More about Holly at:
> www.hollynear.com)
>
> Holly will be back in Fayetteville on March 17,
> doing a set of her music to headline the fourth
> annual peace march and rally there. She's eager to
> make a return visit to one of the nation's largest
> army posts, to be part of a growing and vocal
> movement to end the Iraq war a movement which now
> represents the sentiments of most US troops as well.
>
> Veterans for Peace will launch a veterans caravan,
> bound for the Gulf Coast, from Fayetteville on March
> 17, where the huge task of recovery and rebuilding
> remains far from being finished.  The caravan will
> include representatives from Veterans For Peace,
> Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families
> Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War, signers of
> the Appeal For Redress, and possibly several war
> resisters.  To keep up with Caravan plans:  X. Rally info:
> www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org
>
> Please join Holly Near and Veterans for Peace in
> Fayetteville on March 17. And please pass this
> message on.
>
> Rally info: www.fayetteville-peace-rally.org
> The 2007 Fayetteville Peace Program: Pre- March
> Stage Rally Begins @ 10:00 a.m., March @ 12:00,
> Rowan Street Park Program at 1:00 pm (Program also
> online at www.NCpeacejustice.org )
>
> Seeking Volunteers for "Guernica" Performance in
> Fayetteville
>
> We are slotted to perform our 10-12 minute piece
> "Guernica" at the Fayetteville march and rally on
> Sat. the 17th. We have a few people to do it with
> but need about 6 more.  If you can come to a
> rehearsal at 1:00 on fri. at the Carrboro town
> commons and are interested in being a part of the
> performance in Fayetteville please get back to us. I
> invite you all to come to the march anyway, which
> solemnly commemorates the 4th year of this unjust
> and illegal war. It starts at noon, though, people
> arrive at the start point at 10:30. We will be
> carrying the Giant Peace Crane and the Green Man.
> Cackalack Thunder will also be there drumming like
> mad.
>
> This Saturday, March 17, March on the Pentagon!
>
> Make plans now to join hundreds of thousands of
> veterans, military families, and peace and
> impeachment activists in a nonviolent march for
> peace and impeachment, beginning at 12:00 at the
> Vietnam War Memorial (23rd Street and Constitution
> Ave. NW) and ending at the Pentagon.
>
> http://www.marchonpentagon.org
>
> At the assembly site, between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30,
> there will be a pre-march People's Assembly.
> Contingents and organizations will be providing
> information displays and literature tables. We will
> be joined by the famous Bread and Puppet Theater.
> There will be children's activities, including
> sign-making for the march, where our children can
> also pick up anti-war balloons. There will be a
> large Impeach Bush tent with impeachment materials
> and a place for impeachment advocates from around
> the country to gather.
>
> Greensboro Troop Surge Protesters Found Guilty
> Protestors Argue "Necessity"; File Immediate Appeal
> For Jury Trial
>
> On March 13, 2007, Seven of the nine protestors
> arrested at a January 11 anit-war demonstration in
> downtown Greensboro were found guilty today of
> impeding traffic; two other protestors will be heard
> on a different date. Upon sentencing by Judge
> Lawrence McSwain the protestors, who argued that the
> seriousness of the situation in Iraq necessitated
> their actions, registered an immediate appeal for a
> jury trial.
>
> On Saturday, March 17, there is a Support Military
> Resisters Rally in Greensboro, 11 am at Governmental
> Plaza, Greene St. Downtown.  The honored guest who
> needs and deserves our support is Greensboro
> resident Pvt. Terri Johnson, a local military
> resister. (ncwcw.blogspot.com)
>
> Chapel Hill and Carrboro Events:
> Tuesday March 20: Students for a Democratic Society
> call for a Student Walk-Out, Rally, and March,
> gathering at 12:00 in UNC's Pit (near the student
> union), Chapel Hill ( www.Chapelhillsds.org ).  There
> will also be a Critical Mass Bike Ride Against the
> War, leaving  from the Carrboro Town Commons at
> 12:30
>
> Monday, March 26 is the Court Date for students
> arrested at Rep. David Price's Chapel Hill Office,
> while protesting continued funding for the war.  The
> court hearing is at 9:00 am, at the Hillsborough
> Court House.  Please come to show your support!
>
> Asheville Building Peace Rally
>
> Saturday, March 24: 2:00-4:00 City Hall
> ( www.wncpeacecoalition.org).
>
> The Price of War in North Carolina:
>
> As Congress prepares to vote on $100 billion in more
> war spending, NPP brings to the table a new
> state-level publication on what this new price tag
> would mean for your state and congressional
> district.  It also shows the number of dead and
> wounded in each state and what the total amount
> spent on the Iraq War could buy your congressional
> district in children's health insurance, affordable
> housing units and new elementary schools.
> http://nationalpriorities.org/morewar
>
> Please Call Congress Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!!!
> Call 1-888-851-1879
>
> Ask to speak to your Representative
>
> Click here to find out who your Representative is
> [link to:
> http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml ]
>
> The election that shifted the balance of power in
> Congress last fall was based on one thing: the
> American people's rejection of the Iraq war and the
> policies behind it. Yet many Democrats, as well as
> Republicans, refuse to heed the will of the American
> people, and Congress is poised to approve another
> $93 billion - or more - in supplemental spending
> that will continue and even expand the war.
>
> The fight to end the war quickly is at a precarious
> point and we need your help. The Democratic
> Leadership announced its plan for Iraq and according
> to early news reports it doesn't go far enough.
>
> Progressives in Congress are standing strong-pushing
> for a swift, responsible exit that brings the troops
> home by the end of 2007. But Dick Cheney and his
> allies in Congress are on an all-out assault-saying
> that Democrats are "undermining the troops" by
> trying to end the war.1 And some Democrats are
> wavering.
>
> Can you call your Representative and tell him or her
> that you want our troops home safely this year? They
> won't vote until next week so we still have time to
> affect the final plan and your call could make all
> the difference.
>
> Other Nonviolent Actions for March, 2007
>
> Stopping the Supplemental War Budget
>
> The National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance is
> supporting and helping to organize a number of
> nonviolent direct action strategies this month to
> stop the supplemental war budget, and to demand that
> Congress do the people's business - as communicated
> to them last fall and in many subsequent polls,
> marches, rallies and actions - end the Iraq war,
> now! We urge you to consider joining us for the
> following:
>
> The Occupation Project - A campaign launched by our
> ally Voices for Creative Nonviolence, in which
> groups across the country are nonviolently occupying
> their Representatives' and Senators' offices,
> demanding an end to the war. Find out more at
> http://vcnv.org/
>
> The Christian Peace Witness - A major ecumenical
> gathering and nonviolent direct action at the White
> House on Friday, March 16. (And you don't have to be
> a Christian or religious to join!) Find out more at
>
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.cpw&item=cpw_organize_locally
>
> Declaration of Peace - To commemorate four years of
> war, as well as demand an end to it, our ally
> Declaration of Peace is organizing actions on March
> 16-19, both in Washington DC and around the country.
> Find out more at http://declarationofpeace.org/
>
> "No Business Before the People's Business!" March 26
> - 29 - The National Campaign for Nonviolent
> Resistance, in coordination with Voices for Creative
> Nonviolence, is organizing several days of
> nonviolent direct action tied to the U.S. Senate's
> consideration of the Iraq War supplemental budget,
> currently expected at the end of March. A variety of
> different nonviolent actions will be organized,
> based on the numbers and intent of those
> participating, as well as on the Senate schedule for
> that week.   If you can join us for these days of
> nonviolent actions, March 26 - 29, either as an
> individual or as an affinity group, please contact
> NCNR, as soon
> as possible. We welcome you to participate one day,
> two days, or for the entire week. (And while it is
> impossible to predict timing, the Senate vote on the
> supplemental could happen earlier rather than later,
> so we encourage people who can't be here the whole
> week to make plans to participate earlier in the
> week, if possible.) As noted, our plans will depend
> on who can attend, and time is short, so please let
> us know of your interest asap by contacting NCNR.
>
> "Poll: 58 percent want Iraq withdrawal by 2008 or
> sooner," CNN.com, March 13, 2007
> http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/13/iraq.poll/
>
> *** You are Subscribed to the NC Peace and Justice
> Update List, a weekly online newsletter maintained
> by the Campaign to End the Cycle of Violence, and
> the NC Coalition for Peace and Justice.  Visit
> http://www.ncpeacehub.org for more info.  This list
> is open to the public to join, but only the CECV
> Secretary can send messages.

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