LaborGroups News 05Jan04
www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews05Jan04.pdf
www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews05Jan04.doc

1) LaborGroups FreeMail Information
2) Building Bridges - 1. NAFTA at Ten 2. NYC Bill of Rights Resolution
3) Sen. Paul Simon endorsed Obama and more...
4) U.S. border closing plans revealed
5) Chicago Calendar of Events
6) Illinois Labor In The Press
7) Tandoori Democrats - Part 2
8) JBS Announces Major New Web Site to Support Campaign
9) New Union Financial Disclosure Requirements
10) Building Bridges Radio presents David Rovics
11) At what expense, prison labor?
12) Blog of the Moderate Left
13) Iowa Controversy over TV ad
14) Labor Mystery Booktalk in NYC
15) Epling's Death Was no Accident
16) The DISH Vol. 6 No 52
17) GAP Founder Pushes Privatization
18) Jan. 5 News & Letters Discussion
19) Lou Dobbs list as of 12-30-2003
20) 8 Articles About Job Destruction
21) Protesters wary of new tactic by feds
22) Privatization-Postal employees brace for change
23) Cashing in our future at the Bush Pawn Shop
24) Carolyn Kay's "Make Them Accountable"
25) TruthOut
26) Calendar of Anti-War/Anti-Racist Events
27) Stop the Disappearances Car Caravan
28) George Orwell's 1984--a generation late, but it has arrived

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1) LaborGroups FreeMail Information

All of the free e-mail services are back up and fully function, with
the exception of 134online.com and 73online.com, which I am still waiting
to resolve.
www.73online.org

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2) Building Bridges - 1. NAFTA at Ten 2. NYC Bill of Rights Resolution


WBAI Radio’s Building Bridges:


Your Community & Labor Report


Produced & Hosted by Mimi Rosenberg & Ken Nash


Monday, January 5, 2004, 7 p.m. EST, over 99.5 FM


or streaming live at www.2600.com/offthehook/hot2.ram


****************************************************************


* NAFTA at Ten with

MARTHA OJEDA, Director of the Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras,

a maquiladora worker and a union organizer

ANTONIA JUHASZ, Project Director with the International Forum on

Globalization

LAURA CARLSEN, Director of the Americas Program of the

Interhemispheric Resource Center based in Mexico City

and

* Labor Forum for N.Y.C. Council Bill of Rights Resolution with

Juan Fernandez, President, Local 154, DC37, AFSCME
Udi Ofer, Project Director, New York Civil Liberties Union
Michael Ratner, President, Center for Constitutional Rights

****************************************************************

NAFTA at Ten

New Year's Day 2004 marked the tenth anniversary of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) which caused wide scale job loss in the U.S. especially in the manufacturing sector, displaced Mexican farmers from their land, and greatly expanded the low wage maquiladora sector in Mexico. Now the U.S. is promoting expansion of NAFTA to Central America with CAFTA and throughout the Americas with the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

With

· MARTHA OJEDA, Director of the Coalition for Justice in the

Maquiladoras, a maquiladora worker and a union organizer .

"We got low wages, sexual harassment, environmental destruction and

birth defects. Most maquiladora workers are very young, between 16 & 25,

because their eyes, backs and hands haven't given out yet -- their hours

are so long that their youth passes without seeing the sun."

· ANTONIA JUHASZ, Project Director with the International Forum

on Globalization

"Ten years of NAFTA, nine of the WTO, and over 50 of the Intl. Monetary

Fund (IMF) and the World Bank has led directly to environmental

degradation, job loss and human rights abuses for those who gain jobs, &

assaults on access to the necessities of life. As the benefits increasingly

and more clearly go to a dwindling pool of global elites, the demand for

alternatives among the rest of the world grows and unites."

· LAUREN CARLSEN, Director of the Americas Program of the

Interhemispheric Resource Center based in Mexico City.

"NAFTA has displaced 1.75 million farmers from their land, forcing them to

migrate to the cities or the U.S.. Farm prices, especially for maize [corn],

have plummeted in the face of subsidized imports from the United States."

******************************************************************

Labor Forum at DC37 for NYC Council Bill of Rights Resolution

with

Juan Fernandez, President, Local 154, DC37, AFSCME
Udi Ofer, Project Director, New York Civil Liberties Union
Michael Ratner, President, Center for Constitutional Rights

Immediately after 911, with little public debate, the U.S. Congress enacted the

Patriot Act, and then the Homeland Security Act, followed by new federal orders,

rules and regulations infringing on civil liberties and civil rights. In response, 3

states &over 200 cities have adopted resolutions in support of individual

Constitutional rights. On 12-15-2003 despite the urging of a coalition called the

NYC Bill of Rights Defense Campaign, the NYC Council failed to join the list.

But the resolution is coming up again on Wed., Jan. 7 for The NYC Council to

take a stand against secret detentions without charges or access to counsel;

spying on lawful political and religious speech; and ethnic and religious

profiling. The resolution calls upon federal, state and local officials and NYC

agencies and institutions to affirm and protect civil rights and civil liberties.

Call NYC Council Speaker Miller to support Resolution 909 to Defend

The Bill of Rights

at 212-788-7397

or email miller (at) council.nyc.ny.us miller (at) council.nyc.ny.us>

********************************************************************

To listen to selected archived Building Bridges programs click on link below:

www.la.indymedia.org/news/

For more information visit

www.buildingbridgesonline.org

Send e-mail to mimi (at) buildingbridgesonline.org mimi (at) buildingbridgesonline.org>

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3) Sen. Paul Simon endorsed Obama and more...

Great article ... Obama had the endorsement of the great Sen. Paul Simon and has more congressional endorsements than any other candidate.
Obama's endorsements stacking up

December 31, 2003

BY STEVE NEAL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Democratic U.S. Senate contender Barack Obama has moved ahead of rival Dan
Hynes in the competition for endorsements from the state's congressional
delegation.



Evanston Rep. Jan Schakowsky, chief deputy whip of U.S. House Democrats, is
the fourth member of the Illinois delegation to join forces with Obama.

Downstate Rep. Lane Evans and Chicago Representatives Danny K. Davis and
Jesse Jackson Jr. are also supporting Obama.

Rep. William O. Lipinski of the Southwest Side and Jerry Costello of
Belleville are Hynes' supporters in the congressional delegation.

Northwest Side Rep. Rahm Emanuel, whose endorsement has been sought by Hynes
and Obama, has indicated that he is likely to remain neutral in the primary.

Emanuel, who once recruited candidates as national campaign director for the
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, regards Hynes and Obama as the
leading contenders for the senatorial nomination and is optimistic about the
prospects of either in a general election.

The Hynes camp had once been hopeful of locking in the endorsements of seven
of the state's nine Democratic U.S. representatives. Chicago Rep. Bobby L.
Rush, who has longtime ties to the Hynes camp but whose constituency favors
Obama, caught Hynes by surprise when he endorsed commodities millionaire
Blair Hull.

Chicago Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, the state's only Latino congressman, had
also been viewed as a probable supporter by the Hynes campaign. But
Gutierrez, at the request of Gov. Blagojevich, has delayed his endorsement.

Democratic sources said Tuesday that Gutierrez is leaning toward Hull. Among
the Democratic senatorial hopefuls, Blagojevich is closest to Hull and
former Board of Education President Gery Chico.

Schakowsky, who has helped raise $25 million as chief of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee's Women Lead program, is among her party's
more effective fund-raisers and indefatigable campaigners.

The 9th Congressional District, which Schakowsky represents, includes the
city's northern lakefront, Evanston, Morton Grove, Niles and most of Des
Plaines. It is expected that her endorsement will strengthen Obama in these
communities and among white progressives beyond Schakowsky's congressional
district.

Earlier this year, Schakowsky explored a possible run for the Senate but
chose to remain in the House, where she is a key ally of House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), whose endorsement could make a difference
in the March 16 primary, has indicated that he is likely to be neutral. In
1996, Durbin won his party's nomination to succeed his mentor Paul Simon
with powerful help from Simon and then Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.

Durbin is closest to Dan Hynes among the '04 senatorial contenders but also
thinks highly of Obama, Chico and Hull. His reluctance to take sides in a
competitive primary isn't surprising. Since Durbin himself will be seeking
re-election in four years, he may not wish to alienate African Americans or
Hispanics by coming out against Obama or Chico.

Hynes is outpacing Obama in the endorsements of former members of the
Illinois congressional delegation. Dan Rostenkowski, former chairman of the
House Ways and Means Committee, former Downstate congressman and 1998
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Glenn Poshard, and former Sen. Alan J.
Dixon of Belleville were early passengers on the Hynes bandwagon.

Obama is supported by former Congressman Abner J. Mikva, who later served as
chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Before he died
earlier this month, former Sen. Paul Simon had decided to endorse Obama.
Sources close to Simon said that he had booked a press conference with Obama
and was also planning a statewide flyaround to announce his choice. Obama is
the most legitimate heir to Simon's legacy of doing good.

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4) U.S. border closing plans revealed

News Update from Citizens for Legitimate Government
January 3, 2004
www.legitgov.org/
legitgov.org/index.html
U.S. border closing plans revealed --Terror attack could force shutdown, documents show American law might hurt Ontario manufacturing, trade --The United States would virtually close the Canada-U.S. border if a terrorist attack were launched anywhere near it, according to documents obtained under access-to-information legislation.

Address to receive newsletter: clg_newsletter-subscribe (at) mlm.legitgov.org clg_newsletter-subscribe (at) mlm.legitgov.org>
Address to not receive newsletter: clg_newsletter-unsubscribe (at) mlm.legitgov.org clg_newsletter-unsubscribe (at) mlm.legitgov.org>
(or, pls. write to: signup (at) legitgov.org signup (at) legitgov.org>, and I can add your name to the roster) lrp/mdr/CLG

The CLG Newsletter is edited by Lori Price, General Manager, Citizens for Legitimate Government.


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5) Chicago Calendar of Events

mail.laborgroups.org/pipermail/nwrc2600_laborgroups.org/Week-of-Mon-20031229/000047.html

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6) Illinois Labor In The Press

www.ilir.uiuc.edu/lii/news.html

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7) Tandoori Democrats - Part 2

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

In a recent newsletter titled "Tandoori Democrats" I explained that all
the Democrats, with the exception of Al Sharpton and Mosely Braun,
support the goals of India Political Action Committee (USINPAC). Those
goals include preserving H-1B and L-1 visas, and squelching all moves
to restrict offshoring to India.
So why, you may ask, are Indians so much more effective at influencing
U.S. politicians than the American public? The answer is simple -
Indians understand that Washington is run by money, while American
workers naively believe that politicians can be swayed by appealing to
their sense of morality or patriotism. Politicians aren't influenced by
the threat of votes because Americans tend to vote for the politicians
that can afford the most expensive PR campaigns. To win votes takes
money, and that's why USINPAC is more than happy to bankroll politics
in the USA.

The Washington Post reports:

According to the Political Money Line Web site, which tracks
campaign contributions, USINPAC has given $25,000 to Democrats
and $35,000 to Republicans for the 2003-2004 election cycle.
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, is the largest recipient so far, getting $10,000 from USINPAC.
Don't expect Grassley to pass legislation to restrict offshoring or
H-1B visas until the American public is willing to give him more money
or to mount a serious threat to boot him out of office on election day.
That's politics, like it or not.

While a handful of concerned Americans send emails to politicians or
post messages on internet gossip groups, USINPAC actively holds
meetings with US politicians to buy influence. Americans can gripe all
they want about their job losses, but the fact is that Indians have
learned the ropes of our political system better than most citizens,
and that's why they are getting their way.
www.usinpac.com/activities.asp

USINPAC's activities focus on strengthening a grassroots
network to work on issues concerning the community. These
activities include:
Developing and strengthening USINPAC through a diversity
of projects and initiatives.
* Breakfast on the Hill (View Calendar)Find a hotel in
Washington DC
* Monthly scheduled breakfast events on Capitol Hill with
policy makers like Senator Orrin Hatch, Senator Charles ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
E. Grassley, Senator John Kerry, and others.
* Power Behind the Power Luncheons
Monthly scheduled luncheons with Chief of Staffs or Legislative Directors of key committees on Capitol Hill, i.e. International, Small Business Relations, Finance, Immigration * Capitol Hill Days
* Quarterly visits on Capitol Hill to petition for/against key
issues and pending legislation concerning the Indian American
community
Hatch loves those USINPAC breakfeasts, and here is what he gives for
thanks:

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with USINPAC last year and asked the organization to identify Indian Americans qualified for federal
judgeships. He applauded USINPAC's involvement in the U.S.
political process.

Look at who UNINPAC invites to breakfeast:

www.usinpac.com/both.asp
Past Breakfasts
Tom Lantos (D-CA), Ranking Member, House International Relations
Committee on September 13, 2003
Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
on September 10, 2003
Breakfast with Congressman Tom Davis, Chairman, Committee on
Government Reform
Breakfast with Rep. Chris Cox, Chairman, Select Committee on Homeland
Security, US House of Representatives
Democratic Party Leadership Day, on May 20, 2003
Breakfast with Sen. Joe Biden (Democrat-Delaware), on April 9, 2003
Breakfast with Senator Sam Brownback (Republican-Kansas), on March 19,
2003
Breakfast with Representative Joseph Crowley (Democrat-New York), on
February 13, 2003
Breakfast with Senator Richard Lugar (Republican-Indiana) on January
28, 2003
Breakfast with Senator Chuck Grassley (Republican-Iowa) on December
18, 2002
Breakfast with Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican-Utah) on November 21,
2002

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
USINPAC and the 2004 Predidential Elections
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

USINPAC is way ahead of the ball game when it comes to buying
influence. They have a sophisticated fund raising campaign to pay all
the Democrats and Bush. That way no matter who wins the election, India
gets the jobs.

www.usinpac.com/2004PresidentialElections.asp

With the Presidential Election now less than a year away, campaigning for the nomination among the Democrats is now in
full swing. On the Republican side, President Bush will be the
nominee for re-election. All of the candidates have been keenly
seeking the support of the Indian American community. Several have
reached out actively to our community.


Many Americans are angry that they are losing their jobs to the
importation of H-1B and L-1 visa holders but they don't put their money
where their mouth is when it comes to influencing legislation. USINPAC
backs up their rhetoric with money and that's why they are winning on
Capitol Hill. Click on the previous link and then click on the picture
of any of the presidential candidates. Then click the button on the
left hand side that says, "Make a Contribution". You will see the same
message with the candidate's name. The text will read like this:

The Indian American Support Group for [fill in the blank with a Democrat or Bush] welcomes contributions in any amount, howsoever small or large (up to the legal limit of $2,000 per person). We will gratefully
bundle all contributions and forward them to [fill in the blank]
Campaign Committee. Pooling of individual contributions from
Indian
Americans will help ensure that our voice is heard in the campaign
and subsequently.


If you want to read the Candidates message to USINPAC, just click the
left hand button at:
www.usinpac.com/2004PresidentialElections.asp

Refer to "Tandoori Democrats" for excerpts of the messages. (The links
on Tandoori Democrats are no longer valid so use the new webpage in
order to read the text.)
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Is Bush better than the Tandoori Democrats?
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Don't think that Bush is any better than our Tandoori Democrats because
USINPAC is raising money for him too. Read what Sanjay Puri, executive
director of USINPAC has to say:

Asked if he had received a position paper from President Bush, he
smiled. "Not yet. We are working on it. It's in the pipeline," he said.
In case you are curious about what USINPAC wants in return for their
generosity:

Next on USINPAC's domestic list of issues is immigration and
the controversial H-1B visas that allow foreign professionals with special skills to come to the United States to work. Indians
currently are major beneficiaries of the program, obtaining 40 percent of the 65,000 visas issued annually. There are bills in Congress to reduce or eliminate the H-1B visa program, but Mr.
Puri
said his organization has been working that issue hard, and he is
confident the program will remain in place, at least for the time
being.

American workers are definitely guilty of apathy and ignorance when it
comes to preserving jobs, but even if they wised up, the cards are
stacked against them. That's because the rules that regulate foreign
entities and how they can support political action committees such as
USINPAC are very fuzzy. The Indian government has already stated that
they support USINPAC, and you can bet their support is in cold hard
Dollars and Rupees.

If only our own president cared as much about jobs for it's citizens as
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee does, we wouldn't have such a bad
unemployment problem. Vajpayee made it very clear why USINPAC is
important to India when he said, "The mission you have started has to
succeed." So far, their mission seems to be quite a success story.

For more about Vajpayee, see this page:
www.usinpac.com/240903_nr.asp

------------------------------------

washingtontimes.com/world/20031219-093705-9413r.htm

Indian Americans ascend the Hill

By Tom Carter
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published December 20, 2003

After years of sitting on the political sidelines, the
Indian-American community is organizing, lobbying Capitol Hill,
collecting campaign funds -- and U.S. politicians are paying attention.

"Howard Dean was the first to send us a position paper," said
Sanjay Puri, executive director of the Virginia-based U.S. India
Political Action Committee (USINPAC). "We sent Dean's comments out to
our members. It was written up in the Indian press. He was very good on
Kashmir and immigration. I'm told [that] after we sent it out to our
members, his Web site got a lot of hits and donations from Indian
Americans." Mr. Puri, an information-technology entrepreneur and founder of
USINPAC, said Indian-American doctors, professionals and business
owners have been asked for money by politicians for years. They
donated, but rarely asked a candidate's position on issues of interest
to the Indian community. "That has got to change," said Mr. Puri, whose lunch at Capitol
Hill's White Tiger was interrupted several times by Indians who
recognized him and wanted to say hello. Just 14 months old, USINPAC has 27,000 members among the estimated
2 million Indian Americans living in the United States. It is an
affluent and educated population that is growing by 10 percent a year. Mr. Puri said 40,000 Indian physicians are practicing medicine in
the United States. Some 60 percent of the small hotels in the United
States are owned by Indians. In addition, Indian information technology
(IT) specialists, who have created more than 1,000 IT businesses and
hundreds of thousands of IT jobs in the United States, are everywhere
in the U.S. computer industry. "The Indian population [in the United States] will double by the
next census," he said. "And we are slowly taking over -- in a good way
-- the hospitality industry. Indians are hard-working people,
fulfilling the American dream. " Mr. Puri said the idea for an Indian-American political action
committee jelled when a friend, Lane Forsythe, encouraged him to start
one. Mr. Forsythe had several years' experience with the pro-Israel
National PAC. He is now listed on the USINPAC Web page, along with Mr.
Puri, as responsible for "Capitol Hill Outreach." "The Jewish lobbying groups work hard. They participate. They show
up. They are a successful model. We'll do the same. ... Our community
is on the move, so far untapped, but we are working our way toward
recognition," said Mr. Puri. And USINPAC has become a force to reckon with. The Indian caucus in the House of Representatives has more than 175
members. USINPAC held a very successful Capitol Hill reception on July
19, with several Jewish lobbying organizations, to raise awareness of
international terrorism. "We have a consensus on terrorism, whether it is at the World Trade
Center, the Parliament in Delhi, or on the streets of Jerusalem.
Terrorism has to be addressed and stopped," Mr. Puri said. Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican and chairman of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, met with USINPAC last year and asked the
organization to identify Indian Americans qualified for federal
judgeships. He applauded USINPAC's involvement in the U.S. political
process. Indian Americans should "continue to get involved in the process,
continue to break down barriers and reach out to political leaders in
both political parties," he told the group at a meeting on Capitol
Hill. USINPAC also takes credit on its Web site for helping defeat the
candidacy of Rep. Dan Burton, an Indiana Republican, who in January
sought the chairmanship of the House International Relations Committee
subcommittee on South Asia. "Burton has long tried to damage U.S.-India
relations," the Web site contends. Mr. Burton's office, while acknowledging "some tension" with Indian
Americans regarding his positions on India, said this week that the
congressman took the chairmanship of Government Reform's human rights
and wellness subcommittee, precluding him from the South Asia post, one
that by seniority should have been his. Asked if the organization has the breakdown of Hindu and Muslim
membership and how that might affect the issues USINPAC tackles, Mr.
Puri bristled. "We are a political organization, not a religious organization. Our
members are Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Jain. We are a political
organization, addressing the issues that concern our community," he
said. Next on USINPAC's domestic list of issues is immigration and the
controversial H-1B visas that allow foreign professionals with special
skills to come to the United States to work. Indians currently are
major beneficiaries of the program, obtaining 40 percent of the 65,000
visas issued annually. There are bills in Congress to reduce or
eliminate the H-1B visa program, but Mr. Puri said his organization has
been working that issue hard, and he is confident the program will
remain in place, at least for the time being. USINPAC is also making its presence known internationally. It is
lobbying hard for the United Nations to admit India as a permanent
member of the Security Council. And in September, India's Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee met with senior officers of USINPAC. "The mission you have started has to succeed," he told the group. The Indian diplomatic community sees the organization as a
"positive," noting that USINPAC and the Indian government sometimes
work similar issues on Capitol Hill. "The Indian community has reached a level of economic, social and
cultural stability that they are now confident and want to take part in
the political life of the United States. We see that as a positive
factor," an Indian diplomat said, speaking on the condition of
anonymity. He said that while the embassy sometimes helps educate USINPAC
about issues by providing information that is not always readily
available or public, he cautioned that USINPAC should not be seen as an
arm of the government or embassy. "They are independent. We do not jointly coordinate activities," he
said. Mr. Puri said that a few years ago the majority of the
Indian-American community voted Democrat, but that is changing. "We are definitely trending toward Republican," he went on.
"Doctors are concerned about malpractice insurance and trial lawyers.
There are many Indian small businessmen and entrepreneurs. Lower taxes
and less regulation is a message they hear." He said that he expects the Indian-American community to vote
about 50 percent Democrat and 50 percent Republican in the next
election -- and this is reflected in USINPAC's donation record. According to the Political Money Line Web site, which tracks
campaign contributions, USINPAC has given $25,000 to Democrats and
$35,000 to Republicans for the 2003-2004 election cycle. Sen. Charles
E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, is the largest recipient so far, getting
$10,000 from USINPAC. The recent campaign of Republican Bobby Jindal for governor of
Louisiana brought a ground swell of support from the Indian community,
Mr. Puri said. "Most of the support was from outside the state, from people who
had nothing to gain by an Indian being elected governor. It was a
matter of pride," Mr. Puri said. While that campaign failed, Mr. Puri said his organization has its
eye on next November. Shortly after Mr. Dean's comments were posted on the USINPAC Web
site, Mr. Puri said the other Democratic presidential candidates got
their own position papers to his office in Tysons Corner. He said the Republican outreach to the Indian community, so far,
has been a little clumsy, focusing more on tapping the Indian wallets
on his mailing list, rather than addressing Indian issues. Asked if he had received a position paper from President Bush, he
smiled. "Not yet. We are working on it. It's in the pipeline," he said.

====================================

Support this Newsletter and ZaZona.com by donating:
www.zazona.com/Donations.htm

To Subscribe send an email to
H1BNews (at) ZaZona.com


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8) JBS Announces Major New Web Site to Support Campaign

Legislative Alert: Activate Congress to Reject the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)

Background: The Central American Free Trade Agreement, which was negotiated last month, will soon go before Congress for its approval. The administration is using CAFTA as a significant steppingstone to facilitate the even broader and much more dangerous Free Trade Area of the Americas, which envisions the ultimate merger of all nations of the Western Hemisphere under a European Union-style supranational government.

Fortunately, CAFTA may be the most politically vulnerable of the series of FTA's designed to set the stage for the FTAA, the granddaddy of them all. Building opposition to CAFTA is an opportunity to build a foundation of opposition to the FTAA.

Request: Contact your representative and senators now in opposition to CAFTA. Then persuade others to check out our Stop the FTAA web site and do the same.

www.stoptheftaa.org/news/index.html

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9) New Union Financial Disclosure Requirements

Washington, D.C. (January 2, 2004) – The U.S. District Court ruled on New Year's Eve to block the implementation of the Bush Administration's new union financial regulations that were scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2004.

U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington, DC, granted the AFL-CIO's motion for a preliminary injunction, thereby effectively halting implementation during the 2004 reporting year. However, the court will decide the ultimate fate of the regulations at a later time.


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10) Building Bridges Radio presents David Rovics


WBAI Radio’s Building Bridges:


Your Community & Labor Report – National Edition


Produced & Hosted by Mimi Rosenberg & Ken Nash


Presents David Rovics


To listen or download:

www.laborradio.org/audio/bbridges/bb12-29.mp3

56 kbps for high speed connections 58:00

sf.indymedia.org/uploads/rovicsntl.mp3

24 kbps for dial up connections 58:00

***********************************************************************


David Rovics is one of the best political songwriters in the


English-speaking world today. His songs are a powerful


musical challenge to the status quo. they are so effective


because they are both politically sharp and contain beautiful


poetry.

Join Building Bridges and songwriter David Rovics as we use music to ready

ourselves for the New Year and continue to maintain and build a social movement. Since the mid-90s Rovics has been spending most of his time on tour, playing At concerts and rallies around the U.S. and Canada and various countries in Europe. Rovics is a musical tribune for the campaigns and

struggles of our times. While the world’s rulers are waging the so-called

“war on terror”, Rovics is writing songs from within the heart of the US

empire exposing and challenging its “war of conquest”.

Since we first discovered Rovics, our enthusiasm for his music has grown.

The folk-music scene has traditionally had a left-wing stream within it, which

is what we like about it. Rovics doesn’t avoid taking a clear stand in favor of justice for the oppressed and dispossessed, he cuts to the heart of the

injustice, but it gets better – it’s the creative way he gets his messages

across. Rovics is expert at including very radical ideas in his songs in a way

that doesn't come across as doctrinaire or even especially radical.

One particularly notable aspect of Rovics' music is his revolutionary

optimism — something the progressive movement could do with more of.

Several songs are infused with the confidence that we will ultimately win

and that things will be so much better when we do. “After the Revolution” sketches a vision of victory. Another is “Resistance”, which includes the

chorus (addressed to the rulers): “There will always be resistance/The

next battle will always be near/As long as you have everything/There will

be those who have nothing to fear/And little by little, or maybe all at once,

you will lose/Because our future is not yours to choose.” Taken as a whole, Rovics' music is revolutionary, inspiring, hard-hitting and sometimes

humorous. If you like left-wing music, you will like David Rovics.

BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

************************************************************************

Building Bridges is regularly broadcast over WBAI, 99.5 FM in the N.Y.C Metropolitan area on Mondays from 7-8pm EST and streamed at www.2600.com/offthehook/hot2.ram

for more information email knash (at) igc.org knash (at) igc.org>


------------------------------------------------------------------------
11) At what expense, prison labor?

I think this will be very important to your group
of small manufacturing/craft unions. The States have
some of the best pipe fitters, welders, metal workers,
scaffold builders, carpenters etc. locked up and THEY
well know it Bob. In Texas, they plan to build a
prison unit in Texas City, the Heart of the Petro
Chemical complex and bus men to work in the plants.

The Texas DOC has Already created a branch called:
Texas Dept of Corrections Industries.

The penal Slave Society of the 21st. Century already
has a foot hold in Texas. There are families that
have 3 generations locked up and numerous extended
members. It has BECOME Socially acceptable to be
locked up, no bad mark on the family like it used to
be. The young/poor men expecxt to go to jail where
they will see thier unckles/cousins etc..

With this prevailing social atmosphere, it will not
take the State of Texas long to inculcate a penal
Slave work force that will become the norm for the
21st. Century. Those same men/women could be doing
the same work outside but cannot find the jobs as they
have no transportation, home base to exist from etc. The DOC of Texas knows all that and will solve the
problem for them: They have a bed for them to sleep
in, a kitchen to feed them and buses to take them to
work. The Only draw back is, they will recieve very
little pay for the long hours they will be forced to
work and they will be Slaves that belong TO the State.


I already Know that you understand all this Bob as I
do but why cannot the rest of the Citizens of this
Country see it. Stoping it is going to be hard.

Please relay all this to those you think will see what
is coming and try to stop it.

In Solidarity! Dwight

********************************************

December 30, 2003 At what expense, prison labor?
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2001825583_prisonlabor30.html
By Don Brunell, Carolyn Logue and Rick Bender Special to The Times
The Washington Supreme Court is taking another look at a law that allows
the state Department of Corrections to award preferential contracts to
private companies, giving them the unique advantage of using prison
labor to compete against other private businesses in our state. The Supreme Court is reconsidering its decision issued earlier this year
allowing private companies to set up shop inside the walls of state
prisons. We applaud the court's reconsideration. When our state constitution was
established in 1889, a coalition of labor and business groups came
together and successfully urged the founders to outlaw the use of prison
labor to the detriment of free labor. The resulting provision, Article II, Section 29 of the Washington
Constitution, says "... the labor of convicts of this state shall not be
let out by contract... ." Over a century later, we again come together to remind the court that
the framers of the constitution never intended a private company to have
the benefit of captive prison labor to actively compete against
employers that don't enjoy this state-subsidized workforce. The same
constitutional provision states "... the Legislature shall by law
provide for the working of convicts for the benefit of the state... ."
This means having prisoners engaged in work that directly benefits the
state, such as making license plates and government office furniture,
and providing goods and services directly to state and local government
agencies at a reduced cost to taxpayers. It does not mean having the state provide labor to favored companies
competing with the private sector. In Washington, there are nine such
prison industries. These are private companies allowed to set up their
business within the walls of a state correctional facility. It's a noble purpose to provide inmates with training that they can use
productively when they are released from prison. But that isn't what's
happening today. Take the example of one such business — MicroJet, which is at the
center of the suit against the state by the Washington Water Jet Workers
Association. MicroJet's industry involves a specific method of metal
fabrication. It has set up operations within the walls of the Monroe
Correctional Complex. Using its lower overhead and captive prisoner
workforce, it competes directly for contracts with a handful of local
private sector firms engaged in the same industry. MicroJet's
competitive advantage is so dominating that three competing companies
have gone out of business in the past four years and one has moved to
Idaho because they simply can't compete with MicroJet's unfair
advantage. Several things are wrong with this situation: • MicroJet is not providing goods or services that directly benefit
state and local governments; • Workers are paid much less than the prevailing wage in the private
sector and MicroJet does not have to provide them any benefits; • The workforce is entirely captive — MicroJet doesn't have to deal
with employees taking a vacation, being recruited by rivals, or taking a
day off to be with a sick child; • MicroJet lowers its overhead costs through cheaper labor costs,
subsidized utilities and security, and therefore enjoys a competitive
advantage that's entirely underwritten by taxpayers; and • Although job training is touted as one of the purposes of prison
industries, not one inmate that has worked for MicroJet at Monroe has
returned to society and applied for or been hired by one of MicroJet's
free-market competitors. In fact, MicroJet requires its prison workers
to sign contracts barring them from competing with MicroJet for two
years after leaving prison. This isn't workforce training for re-entry
into society. On the one hand, the state has made great strides to improve the
business climate to attract new businesses and to expand existing
businesses and industries. On the other hand, the state does nothing to
bolster economic vitality by subsidizing an unfair competitive advantage
for some private sector businesses at the expense of others struggling
to survive. Already hundreds of jobs competing with MicroJet have been lost in the
last four years. Our workforce can't afford to lose more family-wage
jobs. The state Supreme Court is right to take another look at the
constitutionality of private companies using prison labor to unfairly
compete with free-market firms. Although the state should provide workforce training to inmates so they
can be productive members of society upon release, that training should
not come at the expense of workers and families whose lives depend on
jobs put at risk by a state subsidy for private businesses operating
inside prison walls. The framers of our state constitution rejected this unfair arrangement
at our constitutional convention in 1889. It is all the more urgent that
the Supreme Court uphold the framers' intent and reject it today. Jobs
and lives hang in the balance. Don Brunell is president of the Association of Washington Business.
Carolyn Logue is Washington director of the National Federation of
Independent Business. Rick Bender is president of the Washington State
Labor Council. The three organizations jointly filed an amicus brief
supporting the water-jet workers' suit.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
12) Blog of the Moderate Left

moderateleft.blogspot.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------
13) Iowa Controversy over TV ad

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

In Iowa, a controversy is brewing over a TV and radio ad campaign that
strikes out against the importation of foreign labor. It appears that
the labor unions and presidential candidate John Kerry don't like the
pro-American message. Kerry blasted the TV ad, saying it was "meant to
scapegoat and turn Iowans against one another." Kerry may have a point
since the ad criticizes companies that prefer to hire cheap foreign
labor and offshore jobs to other countries. Many unions have decided
that illegal aliens can be recruited into the unions so they have
decided to support amnesty and guest-worker visas.

I haven't seen the video but I would like to publish comments by those
that have. (Be sure to indicate in your response whether I can use your
name.)

The TV ad was done by an organization that helped to defeat Senator
Spencer Abraham (R-MI) from public office - and they did it by putting
ads on TV that criticized his support for H-1B. You can bet that the
cheap labor lobby and their lap dogs like Kerry are running scared
because they know how vulnerable they are if the public finds out that
they are working to destroy jobs of Iowa residents.

More info on the Coalition for the Future of the American Worker (CFAW)
follows the Des Moines article along with information that will explain
what you can do to keep these ads on the air.
------------------------------------

desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/23148745.html

Labor leaders blast TV ads by anti-immigration group
By BRIANNA BLAKE and JONATHAN ROOS

01/01/2004

Iowa labor leaders Wednesday urged TV stations to pull anti-immigrant
political ads that appear to represent a coalition of Iowa workers.

"They don't represent anybody in the labor movement in Iowa," said Iowa
Federation of Labor President Mark Smith.

The ads, airing on KCCI and WHO television stations in central Iowa,
call on the presidential candidates to change their positions on
allowing more immigrant workers into the United States. The image of a
fist hitting a punching bag, printed with a human face, is shown while
a narrator talks about foreign workers dragging down wages and taking
jobs away from Iowans.

"Tell the candidates it's time to take a stand for Iowa's workers," the
narrator says.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, campaigning Wednesday in
western Iowa, blasted the ad campaign, saying it was "meant to
scapegoat and turn Iowans against one another." Kerry, a U.S. senator
from Massachusetts, said immigration reform is needed"so that people
don't have to die in the desert to find a better life for themselves."

Union officials said the Coalition for the Future of the American
Worker, the out-of-state group that produced the ad, works under the
guise of labor and is trying to pit Iowa-born workers against immigrant
workers during the last few weeks before the Jan. 19 caucuses.

"It's just racist stuff with no factual basis," said Smith, who
represents some 135,000 workers in Iowa. "In effect, what they're
saying is that the state would be better if we got rid of all the
immigrants."

Organized labor in Iowa has supported immigrants and worked to help
organize them, officials said. In September, Iowa labor unions
sponsored the nationwide Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, saying the
best way to prevent immigrants from lowering American wages is to give
them legal status and to unionize them.

"We are in favor of changing the standard to let immigrants come here
easier," said Dan Albritton, president of the South Central Iowa
Federation of Labor. "There are companies right here in Iowa
encouraging illegal immigration, and they're the ones exploiting these
immigrants."

Roy Beck, spokesman for the Coalition for the Future of the American
Worker, said the ad is part of a national campaign unfolding over the
next few months.

"We don't represent any union members in Iowa, but we do represent the
interest of labor," said Beck.

Beck said the coalition doesn't consider itself to be anti-immigrant.
Labor officials and anti-bigotry organizations disagree.

"The Coalition for the Future of the American Worker is one of the many
fronts created by national anti-immigrant groups to conceal their
agenda," said Devin Burghart of the Center for New Community, an
anti-bigotry group based in Chicago. "The so-called coalition is
actually the creation of the two largest anti-immigrant organizations,
the Washington, D.C.-based anti-immigrant group, Federation for
American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, and the Virginia-based Americans
for Immigration Control."

In past years, FAIR purchased similar anti-immigration ads in Iowa
shortly before the party caucuses that launch the presidential
nominating process.

Burghart said that both AIC and FAIR in the past have received more
than $1.4 million from the white supremacist foundation known as the
Pioneer Fund. The Pioneer Fund was founded in 1937 to further the cause
of purifying the American gene pool by encouraging the descendants of
white colonialists to procreate, Burghart said.

"The ads are not designed to bring jobs to Iowa," said Burghart.
"Instead, they are an attempt to promote fear, hatred and intolerance."

According to the 2000 Census, Hispanics are Iowa's largest immigrant
group.

There are about 25,600 Hispanic workers in Iowa, according to 2001 U.S.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission data. More than half of
Hispanic workers are employed in blue-collar jobs, such as those at
meatpacking plants or construction sites. Not all Hispanic workers are
immigrants; the commission keeps data only by race and ethnicity.

Smith warned of groups who create misconceptions about immigrant
workers and labor organizations.

"They present their message subtly and play on people's economic fears.
There's all kinds of things we could do to improve our economy instead
of scapegoating certain groups of people."

=====================================================
TV ad script
======================================================

VIDEO: Open on a punching bag dummy in hardhat and construction worker
clothes. Suddenly a fist enters the frame and hits the dummy.
ANNCR: How much longer can Iowa workers be the punching bags for greedy
corporations and politicians?

VIDEO: Fist hits dummy again
ANNCR: First, meatpackers replaced Iowans with thousands of foreign
workers.

VIDEO: Fist hits dummy again
ANNCR: Next, they cut wages in half.

VIDEO: Fist hits dummy again, and names of amnesty and guestworker
bills scroll over the screen.
ANNCR: Now, politicians want new laws to import millions more foreign
workers and give amnesty to illegal aliens.

VIDEO: Cut to shot of fully deflated dummy.
ANNCR: Tell the candidates it's time to take a stand for Iowa's
workers. Tell them no more foreign workers and no amnesty for millions
here illegally.

VIDEO: Cut to logo, tag and website
COALITION FOR THE FUTURE AMERICAN WORKER
202-332-8025
www.americanworker.org
ANNCR: Paid for by the Coalition For The Future American Worker.

=====================================================
Radio ad script
=====================================================

ANNCR: What are the greedy corporations and the politicians going to do
to the people of Iowa next?

For years now the meat packing industry has recruited thousands of low
wage foreign workers for jobs once held by Iowans, cutting wages by
nearly half. The results affect almost every person in the state.

Some schools now require full time translators on staff to cope with
the influx of non-English speaking students.

Taxpayers have been stuck with millions of dollars of expenses for
jailing law-breaking illegal immigrants. Even Iowa health care is
affected. Primarily because Iowa is the illegal home to thousands of
immigration cheaters who take jobs, drive down wages and drive up
taxes.

Now, politicians are considering new laws that would import millions
more foreign workers and give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens,
encouraging even more illegal immigration.

Tell the candidates no more foreign workers and no amnesty for illegal
aliens. Tell them the people of Iowa have had enough.

Paid for by the Coalition For the Future American Worker.


======================================================
About the CFAW
======================================================

The Coalition for the Future American Worker has been around for more
than five years. Its website link is:
www.americanworker.org/

The Coalition describes itself as "an umbrella organization of
professional trade groups, population/environment organizations, and
immigration reform groups. CFAW was formed to represent the interests
of American workers and students in the formulation of immigration
policy."

Members include:
American Engineering Association
BrainSavers.org
The Programmer's Guild
American Council for Immigration Reform
American Immigration Control
AMERICANS FOR BETTER IMMIGRATION (ABI)
FAIR Congressional Taskforce
Immigration Political Action Committee
POP.STOP
Virginians for Immigration Control
National Association for the Employment of Americans (NAEA)
American Jobs Coalition
AmericanLaborFirst.com
CitizensLobby.com
Hire American Citizens Professional Society
ZaZona.com
No More H-1B
The Rescue American Jobs Foundation
Information Technology Professional Association of America (ITPAA)
U.S. 1st

===================================================== CONTACTING THE REGISTER =====================================================
Read this Des Moines Register article in today's paper: desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/23148745.html
Would you please contact the Register reporters and editor in one of
the
following ways and express your opinions as union-related individuals?
--------------------------
SEND LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Word limit: None, but most publications prefer 250 words or less
E-mail: letters (at) dmreg.com
Or send from this page: desmoinesregister.com/help/letter.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
PHONE ONE OF THE REPORTERS OF THE STORY AND BE WILLING TO TALK TO AN
EDITOR
Here are all of the Newsroom contacts if you want to choose:
desmoinesregister.com/help/newsroom.html


======================================================
ACTION for those in Iowa-----List of TV stations with phone numbers to
call
=====================================================

There is a real question about whether the Coalition for the Future
American Worker (CFAW) ads will remain on the Iowa TV stations much
longer if the stations don't start hearing from a lot of Iowans saying
they like the ads.

The Iowa groups that call themselves Human Rights Groups are waging a
ferocious phoning campaign to the TV stations demanding that they pull
the ads.

It will be much easier for the TV stations to keep the ad money and to
tell critics that they also are hearing from tons of people who like
the ads and that the nature of political ads is that lots of people who
see them don't like them.

But they need your calls to them to be able to say that.

The following are the TV stations that are running the ads. Please call
any station which you can receive on your TV.

-------------------
Running on these Des Moines TV stations

KCCI-CBS 515-247-8888
WHO-NBC 515-242-3500

--------------------

Will run soon on these Des Moines (just call these and say in a general
way that you love the TV ads that are running defending Iowa workers
from importing foreign workers):

KDSM-FOX-515-287-1717
WOI-ABC-515-457-9645.

------------------------
Running on Sioux City stations:

KCAU 712-277-2345
KMEG 712-277-3554
KTIV 712-239-4100 (toll free 1-800-234-5848)

------------------------
Running on Cedar Rapids stations:

KCRG 319-398-8422
KGAN 319-395-9060 (toll free 1-800-642-6140)
KWWL 319-291-1200

=====================================================
Your phone message
=====================================================

After reading the ad copy below, call the stations and say something
like one of the following:

* Thanks for running the ads about the punching bag and protecting
American workers.

* Those punching bag ads are great. Thanks for running them.

* I am so glad to finally see the issue of immigration showing up on TV
in those ads.

* I read (heard) that a bunch of groups are trying to get you to stop
running those punching bag ads. I just want you to know that my vote is
for keeping them on the air.

* You need to know that most Iowans totally agree with those ads about
importing workers and hurting Iowa workers. I hope you won't stifle our
free speech by giving in to the protestors who are trying to stop the
ads.

* I'm so glad those immigration ads are running. Maybe they'll get the
presidential candidates to talk about an issue that is really big on
most Iowans' minds.

You should be prepared to answer any question about why you like the
ads. Talk about depressed wages, or the insanity of importing workers
when the number of jobs is declining. The insanity of importing workers
to depress wages when low wages are the main reason so many Iowa kids
leave the states as soon as they get out of school.

You will have your own reasons.

Do your best not to say anything negative about immigrants themselves
and be humane even when you talk about illegal aliens. Emphasize that
this is a public policy that is bringing great harm to Iowans. Maybe
you'll want to argue that reducing future immigration will be of great
benefit to immigrant workers already in Iowa.

You probably won't get much time to talk at all. So be prepared to make
your main point immediately.

====================================

Support this Newsletter and ZaZona.com by donating:
www.zazona.com/Donations.htm

To Subscribe send an email to
H1BNews (at) ZaZona.com


------------------------------------------------------------------------
14) Labor Mystery Booktalk in NYC

www.laborgroups.org/ED-Fund-Flier-booktalk.pdf

See above pdf flier

Shop Steward Solves

Murder Mystery in Hospital

Overcomes Management Resistance —

Unites the Staff in the Pursuit of Justice


THIS WON’T HURT A BIT

A student at a teaching hospital identifies the cadaver she is dissecting in

Anatomy class as a medical resident she knew. Although hospital

administrators are releived when a troublesome laundry worker is charged

with the murder, outraged, staff members go to their union steward, a

scrappy custodian named Lenny Moss, and ask him to find the real killer.


SOME CUTS NEVER HEAL

A beautiful female drug representative is murdered on the ward where

Lenny Moss works. Woven into the plot is a realistic story of workers

dealing with cutbacks in staff, asinine bosses, greedy doctors and

a hospital management that strives for greater profits and prestige

rather than guaranteeing good patient care.


TIMOTHY SHEARD

When he’s not investigating outbreaks and watching for smallpox and

anthrax attacks, Infection Control Nurse Tim Sheard writes mystery

short stories, plays and novels. He currently works at SUNY/Downstate

Hospital where he is Assistant Director of Infection Control, which includes

hospital preparation for Bioterror attacks. Tim’s most recent book

“The Fire in My Soul” is a real story about the struggle of a burn victim

for recovery

DC 37 Education Fund’s

Author’s Talk Committee

Presents

Author, Nurse and Shop Steward

Timothy Sheard

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

6:30 p.m. in Room 1

DC 37, 125 Barclay Street

(near West Street)

For more information contact Ken Nash,

DC 37 Ed Fund Library • 212-815-1699 or knash (at) dc37.net


------------------------------------------------------------------------
15) Epling's Death Was no Accident

---------------<<<>>>---------------
JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER
by Rob Sanchez
www.ZaZona.com
---------------<<<>>>---------------

Last week I did a call-in to Terry Anderson's Radio show because I felt
that the death of border patrol agent James Epling was not only being
downplayed by the media, but they were intentionally ignoring the
obvious fact that he was murdered. Every major newspaper that reported
the story said that Epling's death was caused by an "accidental
drowning". Now after more than a week, his murderer has been arrested.
James Epling was a selfless hero who risked his life to rescue a
Chinese woman from the cold swirling waters of the Colorado River while
at least four other illegal aliens watched from the shoreline. You
would the woman's partners in crime would be thankful that Epling
selflessly performed this rescue. In a show of gratitude the Mexican
"coyote" that was smuggling the Chinese into the U.S. murdered Epling
by drowning him.
The story of James Epling never made big news. It was in the back pages
of the Arizona Republic and other newspapers such as the Los Angeles
Times. In my opinion this story was downplayed because the media favors
open-border policies and therefore intentionally suppresses negative
news about the immigrants that are invading our country.

Most of the ruling elite favor open-border policies because they want
cheap labor and easy votes. That's why Bush and our so-called "Homeland
Security Secretary" Tom Ridge want to give amnesty and guest-worker
visas to anyone that crosses our borders.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said:
"The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to
grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals,
afford them some kind of legal status some way, but also as a country decide what our immigration policy
is and then enforce it."
Bush recently said:

Well, first of all, I have constantly said that we need
to have a immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee.

Since the Bush administration seems to be hell-bent on giving amnesty
to these invaders it's only fair that we start looking at who is
crossing the border. The second article describes how Mexican officials
are helping organized crime to smuggle Arabs into the USA - and nobody
knows how many are from Iraq! How's that for "homeland security"?

Now that we have cleared up any misunderstandings about James Epling's
"accidental drowning", let's take a look at the latest "accident" on
our border. According to the story at the end of this newsletter, a
Customs Enforcement investigator "mistakenly gave his office phone
number to suspects in an investigation" that were suspected of selling
missile engines to Iran. Would you believe it, another "accident". This
was no accident, this was a tip-off!
I'm mad as hell and not ready to celebrate this New Year as long as
these "accidents" on our border keep occuring.
Note: I found out that Terry Anderson is starting to archive his radio
shows online. At least I have some good news to report! Go to:
www.theterryandersonshow.com/PastShows.html

------------------------------------

www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0101borderagendr
owns01.html

Smuggling suspect is indicted

Charges linked to agent's death

Associated Press
Jan. 1, 2004 12:00 AM


SAN DIEGO - A federal grand jury indicted a 22-year-old man on
immigrant-smuggling charges in connection with the death of a U.S.
Border Patrol agent, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jose Antonio Vasquez Villasenor is charged with trying to smuggle at
least three Chinese nationals into the United States on Dec. 16 by
sneaking across the Colorado River near the California-Arizona state
line. Authorities said Border Patrol Agent James Epling, 24, drowned
while trying to apprehend the group.

Vasquez was denied bail in an appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate
Judge Roger T. Benitez in El Centro, Calif., U.S. Attorney Carol Lam
said in a statement. Three Chinese nationals have been detained as
material witnesses and may be ordered to remain in custody until the
case is concluded.

Court papers did not list an attorney for Vasquez, who was arrested
Dec. 16, or state where he is from.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of up to life in prison and a $250,000
fine on two charges in the 12-count indictment handed down by a grand
jury in San Diego, Lam said. He is accused of transporting illegal
aliens resulting in death and transporting illegal aliens for financial
gain.

The body of Epling was found in the river Dec. 19, three days after he
was last seen along a river trail just north of the Mexico border. An
autopsy by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office found that he
accidentally drowned.

Epling was found within 200 yards of where he was last seen in
54-degree water about 27 feet deep, according to the Border Patrol.
Divers used sonar and other high-tech equipment in the turbulent,
cloudy water.

He was a father of three, and his wife is expecting another child early
this year.

------------------------------------

www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php

Mexican Diplomat Charged With Helping Smuggle Arabs Into U.S.

by Terence P. Jeffrey
Posted Dec 31, 2003

The real life horror story that began eighteen months ago when an Arab
illegal alien named Youseff Balaghi showed up at a San Diego hospital,
dying from what the Border Patrol initially - and erroneously - feared
was radiation sickness, has now reached high into Mexico's foreign
service.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Imelda Ortiz Abdala was Mexico's consul in Lebanon.
On Nov. 12, 2003, Mexican authorities arrested her, according to the
Associated Press, "on charges of helping a smuggling ring move Arab
migrants into the United States from Mexico." The AP said Mexico had
also arrested "alleged ring leader Salim Boughader Mucharafille."
Boughader earlier pleaded guilty in the U.S. to the smuggling incident
that resulted in Balaghi's death.
Unfortunately, this story is not over.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Skerlos prosecuted Boughader. This week,
citing Ortiz's arrest, I asked him if there were other rings still
bringing Middle Easterners in from Mexico.
"Yes," he said.
Another Front

Far from Iraq, there's another front where the terror war's not over.
It's on our own border - and, here, the key enemies are the smugglers
who bring people such as Balaghi into California, and who collaborate
with allegedly corrupt officials such as Ortiz.

In congressional testimony in 2002, then-Assistant Immigration and
Naturalization Service Commissioner Joseph Greene said: "Information
available to the INS indicates terrorist organizations often use human
smuggling operations to move around the globe." According to a Library
of Congress study, "Organized Crime and Terrorist Activity in Mexico,
1999-2002," former Mexican national security adviser Adolfo Aguilar
Zinser said in May 2001: "Spanish and Islamic terrorist groups are
using Mexico as a refuge."
How is the U.S. countering the threat of terrorists using human
smuggling operations and finding refuge in Mexico? Rather than securing
our border generally, the government tolerates large-scale illegal
immigration, while trying to selectively stop the smuggling operations
most likely to move terrorists. The administration, Greene told
Congress, has put in place an "enforcement initiative aimed at
targeting alien smuggling organizations specializing in the movement of
U.S.-bound aliens from countries that are of interest to the national
security of the United States."
Balaghi was from Lebanon.

On June 5, 2002, he showed up, vomiting blood, at Scripps Memorial
Hospital-Chula Vista. He quickly died. When the Border Patrol heard his
symptoms, they feared radiation sickness - and dispatched an agent with
a detector to check his remains.
Balaghi was clean. But he was far from the only Middle Easterner
Boughader's ring had smuggled.
In an affidavit, Border Patrol Agent John R. Korkin said an
investigation "positively identified at least 80 Lebanese nationals
that have been, or were intercepted in the process of being, smuggled
into the U.S." by the ring. Boughader admitted in court to smuggling
more than 100. He was sentenced to one year in prison, and deported to
Mexico in November.

Almost immediately, Mexican authorities arrested him in their own
anti-smuggling case. A few days later, they arrested Ortiz.
She had worked in Mexico's foreign service for 25 years. From 1998 to
October 2001, AP reported, she was Mexico's consul in Lebanon. She
later directed the consular office in Mexico City.
She was fired in May, AP said, "after 150 Mexican passports