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LaborGroups News 14Jan04

LaborGroups News 14Jan04
www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews14Jan04.pdf
www.laborgroups.org/LaborGroupsNews14Jan04.doc

1) Ed Czarnecki's Labor Education Newsletter Jan. 2004
2) AFL-CIO's Work in Progress, January 12, 2004
3) Bush Tries to Sell Free Trade at Summit
4) Wal-Mart Audit Finds Labor Violations
5) Safety Online Newsletter
6) Please SLAP Me !
7) Message from your ENEMY, the National Right to Work Foundation
8) What President Bush must do to win the Nobel Peace Prize
9) DL21C/IADO Meet and Greet US SENATE CANDIDATES- THURSDAY
10) NEW DATE: 1/31/04 Day of Solidarity with Grocery Workers
11) Do Conservatives have a Monopoly on God?
12) THREE OBAMA EVENTS!
13) O'Neill: Bush lacked Iraq weapons proof
14) Global Warming: Not Just Another Issue
15) Pledge not to Shop Safeway!
16) Public Hearing on FTAA police violence
17) Help Stop Safeway! Save Affordable Health Care!
18) Winning ad! To the Super Bowl?
19) MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2004 - MLK LIFE HONORING CELEBRATION AT SSA
20) Bush vs States In Fight Over Education Funding
21) David Rovics
22) CLG News
23) TruthOut
24) The Corporate Reform Weekly
25) Carolyn Kay's "Make Them Accountable"
26) Yucca Mountain Court Date January 14 and Chair of Yucca
27) War College Report
28) ANSWER !
29) Mexico Solidarity Network
30) Rob Sanchez's JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER !
31) New Energy Newsletter and Energy Bill Action Alert
32) DNC: Tell Us Your Story !
33) MoveOn WINNER
34) LCV
35) ACORN Annual Report 2003
36) WhiteHouse.org

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1) Ed Czarnecki's Labor Education Newsletter Jan. 2004

CZARNECKI’S LABOR EDUCATION NEWSLETTER Vol. VIII No. 11 JANUARY 12, 2004

LABOR EDUCATION RELATED ITEMS

SCHWARZENEGGER CUTS UC INSTITUTE FOR LABOR & EMPLOYMENT’S BUDGET The Governor unilaterally eliminated $2 million from the ILE budget (no other University research program was singly out for elimination). Director Katie Quan kquan (at) uclink.berkeley.edu Phone 510-643-7213 urges individuals to go to www.unionvoice.org/campaign/uclaborctr which will fax a letter to the California legislators (please also send copy of letter to ILE) See also an article “Class Warfare” by David Bacon that appeared in the Jan. 12 issue of “The Nation” www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml
In a related activity, Nelson Lichtenstein nelson (at) history.ucsb.edu has formed a national “Committee to Defend Labor Studies Scholarship” against attacks from the right-wing. Interested in learning about such attacks and in catalogue the information. Note: On a broader scale the Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC) is setting up a new ezine Right Web News rightweb.irc-online.org to track America’s right-wing .

UAW-FORD UNIVERSITY - EXAMPLE OF DISTANCE LEARNING
www.uawford.com/UFU/Intro.cfm When trying to promote online learning, oftentimes overlooked are union and company arrangements. This site lists courses, resources, universities involved and range of degrees.

BILL BARRY DEVELOPING HISTORY PROJECT OF STEELWORKERS AT SPARROWS PT.
Bill, the Director of the Labor program at the Community College of Baltimore Co., bbarry (at) ccbcmd.edu has the first installment at www.sparrowspointsteelworkers.com Each title page features the Bethlehem Steel Chorus.
FOCUS ON PACE & UE EDUCATION ACTIVITIES www.paceunion.org &
www.ranknfile-ue.org PACE (Paper, Allied-Ind, Chemical & Energy Workers) trains over 7,000 members per year. It’s site has Steward Tips, info on Human Rights Committees, and section on Mobilizing the Membership with good illustration of the One-On-One training program. It’s S & H section looks at Cancer in the workplace, worker rights and “Training Philosophy”. Also has info on Sex Harassment and ADA (Americans with Disability Act).
Can’t even list all the topics covered in UE’s (United Electrical Workers) Information for Workers section. Sub sections entitle: Workplace Rights, Grievance Handling, Negotiations, Worker Friendly Laws and Workplace Issues, Job Protection and Effective Locals (New Members, Newsletters etc.)
Has new section: Protecting Members’ Rights When They’re Called to Military Service. Union also has a Steward Kit, a Leadership Guide, and an extensive list of videos, pamphlets and books.

TEACHING K-12 ECONOMICS ecedweb.unomaha.edu/K-12/home.cfm A resource from the Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha’s Center for Economic Education. Though some of the material might be too elementary for labor educators, there is a section on the use of Internet sites that suggests new approaches to teaching economics.

ITEMS RELATING TO LABOR UNION – WORKERS

NLRB OFFERS TOLL FREE INFORMATION SERVICE www.nlrb.gov When one calls 1-866-667-6572 and after a brief into, callers are automatically linked to the appropriate NLRB Regional Office where they can talk to an Information Officer or receive referral to other government service. Sounds like a winner. Reported in IRRA mailing list.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION INFORMATION SOURCE www.crinfo.org
This site funded by the Wm. & Flora Hewitt Foundation lets viewers search the CRInfo resources by topics using a keyword-based system. Also has conflict resolution stories from wide variety of sources. Site also gives info on Mini-Grant Programs. Reported in IRRA mailing list.

END OF THE SATURN EXPERIMENT ?
The UAW and General Motors agreed on a new contract that allows the union & GM to negotiate a transition next year toward the umbrella contract (instead of their separate agreement). If the two sides cannot agree the negotiated four year contract will remain in force. Source: AP release Dec. 15.

SOLIDARITY CENTER’S REPORT ON NAFTA IN MEXICO www.solidaritycenter.org At the 10th Anniversary of NAFTA, this report “Justice for All: The Struggle for Worker Rights in Mexico” takes a hard look at the promise and the consequent failure of NAFTA.

HEALTH CARE STATISTICS AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES PROPOSALS. www.kff.org www.kff.org/uninsured By the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Health Insurance Coverage in America 2002 provides info on coverage by any possible sub-group. Site also has Side-by-Side Summary of P(residential Candidates Proposals for Expanding Health Insurance Coverage.

NEW CANADIAN COMPASSIONATE CARE BENEFIT Effective Jan 4, Canadians will be paid for a six week period (following a two week waiting period) to provide care to a member of their family who is gravely ill. Basic benefit is 55% of average earnings up to max of $413 per week. Reported in Robert Drago’s WorkFam-L mailing list. drago (at) psu.edu
TALKING POINTS ON NEW MEDICARE DRUG LAW – REBUTTAL TO AARP
Too late to change the situation, but at least someone has taken the time to refute the AARP ads supporting the new Medicare Prescription Drug Law – from the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities www.cbpp.org/12-11-03health.pdf
WHAT MAKES A DAMN GOOD COMMUNITY ORGANIZER? By Hunter Bear (Hunter Gray) hunterbadbear (at) earthlink.net based on his 50 years of organizing. Covers the characteristics and qualities of an effective organizer.
(MEXICAN) BORDER COMMITTEE OF WORKERS WEB SITE www.cfomaquiladoras.org CFO stands for Comite Fronterizo de Obrer@s launched this Internet site with the Mexico-U.S. border Program of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). CFO is led by maquiladora workers with goal of organizing and educating the rank and file. Currently web page only in Spanish.

NEW REPORT – BLACK-WHITE GAP STILL HUGE www.FairEconomy.org/0115
To be available on Jan. 15th Dr. Martin Luther Kings’s birthday. By Dedrick Muhammad, Attieno Davis & Meizhu Lui, entitled: The State of the Dream: Enduring Disparities in Black & White. Looks at a dozen indicators and concludes US has failed to reach Dr. King’s vision of progress. Contact Betsy Leondar-Wright 617-423-2148 x13

NEW REPORT ON LIVING WAGE www.brennancenter.org/presscenter/releases_2003/pressrelease_2003_1210.html
Speaking of rebuttals, the report looks at the more than 100 living ways statures enacted by local governments and lo-and-behold finds they have improved the economies of these communities with little impact on their budgets.

HERMAN BENSON ARTICLE ON THE NEW UNITY PARTNERSHIP (NUP)
www.uniondemocracy.org/UDR/articles52.htm
The Director of the Assoc. for Union Democracy (AUD), gives his analysis of the attempt by five international union leaders to “restructure the AFL-CIO). Dejavue all over again?

SAFETY SERIES OF ARTICLES IN NEW YORK TIMES
Three major articles by David Barstow on Dec. 21 to Dec.23 covering: “A Trench Cave in”, “(lack of “Charges for Deaths in Workplace” and “California leads in Making Employers Pay”. There was also an editorial on Dec. 23.
Hopefully they will remain accessible in the NY Times web site for a while. www.nytimes.org
TWO ITEMS FROM LABOR JOURNALS
In the Winter/Spring 2004 issue of New Labor Forum, Steve Early reviews Dan Clawson’s new book – The Next Upsurge: Labor & the New Social Movements. qcpages.qc.edu/newlaborforum/ Latest issue not yet on web.
In the Winter 2003-4 issue of WorkingUSA, Judy Atkins & David Cohen provide an attempt to solve the current crisis in organizing in their article: A Proposal for a 21st Century Trade Union Education League. davidjc (at) comcast.net
THREE PUBLICATIONS FROM UC (UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA) PRESS
STATE OF CALIFORNIA LABOR www.ucpress.edu/journals/scl - has union membership data, organizing reports, info on labor legislation, immigration, living wages and California labor relations.
CHILDREN OF NAFTA by David Bacon www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/9989.html - looks at the effect of NAFTA on those who labor in agricultural field and maquiladora factories.
POCKET GUIDE TO HIGHER EDUC. EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONS ACT by Carol Vendrillo, Ritu Ahuja & Carolyn Leary. cper.berkeley.edu Handy resource of law that governs collective bargaining at Univ of Cal. and California State Univ. Systems

NEW BOOK; STICKING TO THE UNION: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE LIFE & TIMES OF JULIA RUTTILA www.palgrave-usa.com/catalogue/index.asp Story of union radical who worked to free Wobbly prisoners from Centralia Tragedy, led the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Intern’l Woodworkers of America and used picket signs and her typewriter to fight for rights of workers.

Compiled by Ed Czarnecki eczarnecki2 (at) comcast.net

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2) AFL-CIO's Work in Progress, January 12, 2004

www.aflcio.org/aboutaflcio/wip/wip01122004.cfm


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3) Bush Tries to Sell Free Trade at Summit

Bush Tries to Sell Free Trade at Summit


MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) - President Bush told leaders from across the Americas that free trade is the best road to prosperity in the hemisphere, but several Latin American nations remained unconvinced.

Although they still have broad disagreements, leaders at the 34-nation Summit of the Americas worked hard Monday to show that relations were improving, pledging to strengthen democracy and fight terrorism in the region.

The most visible example of that diplomatic outreach came when Bush invited Mexican President Vicente Fox to visit his Texas ranch. Fox accepted and praised Bush's new immigration proposal, which would allow some foreign workers to live temporarily in the United States.

The presidents smiled, shook hands and walked together into the new Monterrey public arena, where heads of state formally inaugurated the two-day summit of the Organization of American States.

Fox's spokesman, Agustin Gutierrez, said the tone of the bilateral meeting marked a ``180-degree turn'' from the past year, when Mexico and the United States faced off over the Iraq war and American executions of Mexican nationals.

The Sept. 11 terror attacks also distracted Bush from the immigration overhaul sought by Fox.

Bush also reached out to the rest of Latin America, saying his government was committed to ``embracing the challenge of ... bringing all the hemisphere's people into the expanding circle of development.''

He added that all countries ``must work to provide quality education and quality health care for all our citizens, especially those who suffer from HIV/AIDs.''

In another goodwill gesture, Secretary of State Colin Powell signed an agreement turning over to Peru $20 million allegedly stolen by a former Peruvian intelligence chief and stashed in American bank accounts.

But several Latin American nations - and even Canada - challenged Bush's argument that all free trade roads lead to prosperity, saying the United States has an unfair competitive advantage.

``Over the long term, trade is the most certain path to lasting prosperity,'' Bush said during the summit's opening ceremony. ``Together we will ... lift all our nations, and show the world that free societies and free markets can deliver real benefits to our citizens.''

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, who intended to use the summit partly to improve relations with Washington, criticized his southern neighbor's economic policies, saying developing countries cannot immediately compete in the cutthroat global economy.

He said even the United States and other rich nations once ``asked for time to adjust'' to changing economies through agricultural subsidies and other supports. Martin added that the time for those nations to eliminate such programs ``is long past due.''

The United States also faced opposition to its insistence on setting a 2005 deadline for the Free Trade Area of the Americas - a hemisphere-wide trade zone - in the summit's final declaration. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who opposes the accord, has pushed instead for a humanitarian fund that could be used to help countries during financial and natural disasters.

Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo criticized U.S. officials for refusing to lower agricultural subsidies while asking poor nations ``to play ball in the free trade court.'' Paraguay's president, Nicanor Duarte, called for ``Americas for all people, not for a few.''

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos said: ``This isn't the poorest continent, but it is perhaps one of the most unfair.''

Chavez, in a speech that ran long over the three-minute limit, passionately argued for ``a new moral architecture'' in the hemisphere that ``favors the weakest.''

He said he would like to join the economies of Latin America before any formal trade ties are established with North America. What currently exists, he said, is an ``infernal machine that produces more poor people each minute.''

Chavez also pointed out that the United States escaped the Depression not through initiatives like free trade, but through the New Deal, a far-reaching, socialist program that provided government jobs.

As the Venezuelan president spoke, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva nodded and smiled enthusiastically, while Bush, across the room, leaned tiredly on his hand.

Bush referred to another controversial U.S. initiative when he urged countries to ban all corrupt officials from crossing their borders. The United States has asked other leaders to agree to a proposal that would ban corrupt nations from the OAS.

``Today, I signed a proclamation denying corrupt officials entry into my country,'' Bush said Monday. ``I urge other countries to take similar actions.''

The president also took aim at Chavez, who recently accused the United States of ``sticking its nose'' into his country's affairs when Washington urged that he allow a referendum on his recall from office to proceed.

The ``support of democratic institutions ... gives hope and strength to those struggling to preserve their God-given rights, whether in Venezuela, or Haiti, or Bolivia,'' Bush said.

Chavez told reporters Monday that the United States was suffering from a ``lack of information'' and ``great contradictions'' in its attitude toward his country.

``We are working to make clear to the world what we are,'' he said. ``Venezuela has a vigorous, participative democracy with a country rebuilding itself from scratch.''

On the Net:

Organization of American States: www.oas.org



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4) Wal-Mart Audit Finds Labor Violations

Wal-Mart Audit Finds Labor Violations





NEW YORK (AP) - An internal audit of about 25,000 workers at Wal-Mart Stores found thousands of labor violations, including minors working during school hours and workers not taking breaks or lunches, a newspaper reported.


The audit found 1,371 violations of child-labor laws, including minors working too late, too many hours in a day or during school hours. On more than 60,000 occasions, workers missed breaks and on 16,000 they skipped meal times, in violation of most state labor regulations.


The audit, conducted in July 2000 and distributed to top Wal-Mart executives, polled employee records at 128 stores across the country, the New York Times reported in Tuesday editions.


Wal-Mart officials downplayed the audit's findings, saying workers often forgot to punch in and out during breaks or skipped lunches so they could leave early.


The audit, by Wal-Mart auditor Bret Shipley, ``doesn't reflect actual behavior within the facilities,'' Mona Williams, Wal-Mart's vice president for communications, told the paper. The company had enacted no reforms in response to the report, she said, because other Wal-Mart auditors had reviewed Shipley's work and found it flawed.


But Wal-Mart critics said the audit revealed the company had sacrificed workers' rights in pursuit of profit.


``Their own analysis confirms that they have a pattern and practice of making their employees work through their breaks and lunch on a regular basis,'' James Finberg, a lawyer who has worked on several lawsuits against the company, told the Times. ``What this audit shows is against their own company policy and against the law in almost every state in which they operate.''


More than 40 lawsuits have accused the company of forcing employees to skip breaks and lunches, according to the Times. Wal-Mart has successfully petitioned courts to keep the audit sealed.


Wal-Mart employs 1.2 million people at 3,500 stores in the United States.


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5) Safety Online Newsletter

1) North Safety Products introduces The Lightning Plus protective eyewear

Cranston, RI - North Safety Products is introducing the Lightning Plus as the product that has been engineered to set a new performance standard in safety, but designed for users.

Margie Wolfe, Product Manager for North's eyewear line says, "we wanted to improve the looks while still keeping the sporty style that we created in 1998. The Lightning Plus is designed with an innovative 'bowed temple' to fit virtually anyone - and fitting everyone properly is a difficult challenge for safety officers concerned with both compliance and inventory issues....
www.safetyonline.com/nl/68387/1191269

2) OHIOAN DONATES FUNDS FOR NEW OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY SCHOLARSHIP

DES PLAINES, IL (January 12, 2004) - Aiding future professionals entering the occupational safety, health and environmental field, Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM, of Fairborn, OH, donated $5,800 this week to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Foundation to establish the 'Warren K. Brown Scholarship....
www.safetyonline.com/nl/68388/1191269

3) Americans Urged to Test for Radon

January is Radon Action Month - an opportune time for Americans to test for radon in their homes. Because families are spending more time indoors during the winter months, January is a good time to test for this radioactive, invisible, odorless gas. Exposure to radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. EPA estimates that approximately 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year are radon-related....
www.safetyonline.com/nl/68389/1191269


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

Chicago Safety:
CACOSH
www.CACOSH.org

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6) Please SLAP Me !

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone's had a relaxing break and is
excited to get back to classes and kick some corporate/university admin.
butt this term.
There's lots of stuff going on throughout the midwest and the country as
well. Here are some important things that you should all know about...

1. SLAP MEETING
Thursday Jan. 22nd at Malcolm X College
1900 W. Van Buren
(right off of the UIC-Medical Center stop of the Blue Line)
look for another email with the exact room locations
free dinner! I hope to see everybody there!

the meeting will focus on student campaigns this spring (Coca-Cola, living
wage, etc.)

2. CIW events and actions throughout Chicago...

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is getting ready for a big spring. They
are planning a big action in Irvine California and a big action in
Lousiville, KY (for more info see www.ciw-online.org).

In addition:

ROAD TRIP TO LOUSIVILLE!
Chicago SLAP will take vans down to Lousiville for a one day trip to attend
the big action. The cost will be about $5 a person for transportation to
Lousiville for one day. The date is Friday Feb. 27th. We will leave in the
morning, go to the action, hang out for a while, and return to Chicago by
Friday night.
CIW TOUR
Also, Francisca, a farmworker from Immokalee and a translator, will be in
Chicago from Jan. 29th-Jan31rst. If you would like Francisca to speak at
your school, church, or to your organization, please contact me at
ella (at) uchicago.edu ASAP.


3. USAS National Conference

United Students Against Sweatshops will hold there annual conference in
Atlanta, GA this Feb. 14th-15th (www.usasnet.org for more information)
Chicago SLAP is thinking about renting vans and driving down. Please email
ella (at) uchicago.edu if you are interested in going on the vans.


4. Student day of Action against the War

Remember March 5th last year, when we all walked out of class. That was a
lot of fun and students and youth in this city sure shocked a lot of people
with what we accomplished. Well it's happening again (or at least a day of
action if not a walk out). Come to a citywide planning meeting this Friday
(Jan 16th) at Trinity Church at 26th and Michigan. Email Dan at
dwlb (at) uchicago.edu if you want more information.


Best, Ella Hereth
Student Labor Action Project
312-342-7564


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7) Message from your ENEMY, the National Right to Work Foundation

======================================================
January 13, 2004
======================================================
COURT GIVES GO AHEAD TO WORKERS’ SUIT AGAINST HEARTLAND AND STEELWORKERS’ PACT IMPOSING UNION AT AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS Discovery to proceed in court challenge against quid pro quo sweetheart deal ......................................................
www.nrtw.org/b/nr.php3
......................................................
Akron, Ohio (January 13, 2004) – An unprecedented federal court challenge filed by employees objecting to a new unionization method gained momentum today when a United States District Court cleared the path for full discovery into details of a backroom deal intended to unionize the employees without so much as a secret ballot vote.


Obtaining free legal assistance from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys, Wanda Patterson filed the suit in July 2003 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio against Heartland Industrial Partners, LLP, Collins & Aikman Corp., and the United Steel Workers of America (USWA) union. Patterson is seeking to overturn a sweetheart arrangement that, among other things, requires all companies acquired by Heartland to help impose unionization on their employees and then force those employees to pay union dues as a condition of employment.


The U.S. District Court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss Heartland, Collins & Aikman, and the union. The court ordered the parties to begin pre-trial discovery, in which Wanda Patterson and her coworkers can subpoena documents and investigate the deal.


Patterson’s suit calls into question the legality of a rapidly emerging organizing trend – especially prevalent in the automobile, textile, and hotel industries – in which struggling union organizers abandon traditional grassroots-driven unionization drives and instead elicit assistance from companies to impose compulsory unionism on their own employees through highly coercive “top-down” organizing methods.


“Not only does the backroom deal between Heartland and the Steelworkers union sacrifice workers’ freedom to decide their own representation, it sells them out in the first contract,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “The court’s decision to proceed is an important step down the road toward outlawing these coercive, often secret, agreements nationwide.”


Patterson is an employee of the Collins & Aikman Corp., an Ohio-based automotive parts manufacturer recently acquired by Heartland.


Under the pact at issue, Heartland forces acquired companies to operate under a so-called “neutrality agreement” that requires company managers to assist USWA union officials in organizing their employees. In return, union officials pour unsuspecting workers’ trust funds into Heartland, promise to stifle employee rights under federal law, and limit employees’ ability to influence their own wages, benefits, and working conditions.


In 2001, Heartland bought out the Collins & Aikman Corp. and forced the company to accept a “neutrality agreement” with the USWA union.

In denying the motion to dismiss, the court wrote that Heartland “…has apparently selected and contracted with a union of Heartland’s choice.” It is argued that such activity violates provisions of federal law intended to prohibit conflicts of interest, sweetheart deals, and other employer-union coercion.
======================================================
National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
8001 Braddock Road | Springfield, VA 22160
www.nrtw.org | (800) 336-3600
======================================================
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, is assisting thousands of employees in close to 300 cases nationwide. Its web address is:
www.nrtw.org/


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8) What President Bush must do to win the Nobel Peace Prize

What President Bush Must Do to Win the Nobel Peace Prize

January 4, 2004

President Bush wants Iraq to have a constitution in place before one–man–one–vote elections are held. He fears a one–man–one–vote election would by won by the Shiite majority who would establish an Islamic Republic. And it is not to be hoped for that the Iraqi Shiites would settle for a token Islamic Republic as did the Afghan Sunnis. So President Bush wants a constitution to be written that would exclude a significantly islamic republic before a one–man–one–vote election is held.

But who is to write that constitution? The Shiites inist upon a one–man–one–vote election of the constituent assembly. President Bush prefers a constituent assembly be formed from delegates chosen by local governments.

However those local governments were for the most part appointed by the American and British coalition partners. So a consituent assembly made up of delegates from local governments would not be accepted as legitimate by the Iraqi Shiite majority. Neither would any constitution it might write.

An additional complication is the Kurds want a federal republic of autonomous regions. That’s why the Sunni Arabs recently rioted in Kirkuk. An Iraq composed of autonomous regions would place the oil region in northern Iraq under the control of the Kurds and the oil region in the south of Iraq under the control of the Shiites. There is no oil in central Iraq where the Sunni Arabs live.

An autonomous Kurdish region also is opposed by the Turks who fear its oil income would serve as a basis for a greater Kurdistan which would include the Kurds in south-western Turkey.

Saddam prevented both an Islamic Republic and a separatist Kurdish sautonomous region by imposing a bloody dictatorship on the Kurds and the Shiites. When he gassed the Kurds he was not gasing his own people. His own people were the Sunni Arabs who were his base of support and to whom he gave preferential tratement.
The Sunnis Arabs fear they will be expelled from Kirkuk,Mosul and Basra and end up with an empty oil bag in post-occupation Iraq. They fear a Shiite and Kurdish dominated government that would take revenge for the mass killings Saddam Hussein This fear is one of the reasons for the Sunni Arab guerillas war against the Coalition forces.
The Shiites have a well armed militia of their own. But they are biding their time to see what will happen next. Why should they get involved when Americans and Sunni Arab guerrilas are killing each other?

Saddam cut this Iraqi Gordian knot of contradictions with the bloody sword of tyrannical rule.

If President Bush can find some way to untie this Gordian knot of contradictions, he will deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.


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9) DL21C/IADO Meet and Greet US SENATE CANDIDATES- THURSDAY

Do you want to learn more about the U.S. Senate Democratic Candidates from Illinois?

Who are they and what are their priorities?

If so, please join IADO and Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (DL21C) as we host a happy hour to

“Meet and Greet”

U.S. Senate Democratic Candidates and campaign representatives

Ask about the candidates’ views on the economy and jobs,

immigration, healthcare, the environment,

or the issues that concern you.

Thursday, January 15, 2004

Elephant and Castle Pub

111 W. Adams St.

5:30pm – 7:30pm

$5 Admission. Appetizers will be served.

To RSVP or if you have questions about the event,

please contact: Sonia Desai at sdesai (at) rookspitts.com sdesai (at) rookspitts.com>

The Indo-American Democratic Organization (IADO) was founded in Chicago in 1980. It lobbies on behalf of the Indian American community on issues such as immigration, affirmative action, education, social security, healthcare reform and hate crimes. Its goal is to get more Indian Americans to participate in the political process from voting

to running for elected office. Website is www.iado.org

Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century (DL21C) was formed in Chicago in 1992. DL21C is dedicated to working within the political system for the public interest and to continually recruit, educate, train and support the next generation of Democratic voters and leaders. Website is www.dl21c-chicago.org

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

Sincerely,

Rafi K. Jafri
Vice-President, DL21C

Check out DL21C's website at www.dl21c-chicago.org .
A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections and the County
Clerk is or will be available for purchase from the State Board of
Elections, Springfield, IL, or from the County Clerk, Cook County, IL
Contact DL21C: (312) 409-DL21C or info@dl21c-chicago.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD. PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO TWO FRIENDS.


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10) NEW DATE: 1/31/04 Day of Solidarity with Grocery Workers

NEW DATE!

Join us on a
DAY OF SOLIDARITY

Massive
March
and
Rally

in support of striking and locked-out grocery workers

Saturday, Jan. 31 @ 12 noon

Great Western Forum
3900 West Manchester Blvd. (at Prairie Ave.)
Inglewood

Corporate America Wants to Take Your Health Care!
The health care you help save may be your own!

For more information contact the L.A. County Federation of Labor
at 213-381-5611 x15 or email Norma Lopez,
nlopez (at) launionaflcio.org.


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11) Do Conservatives have a Monopoly on God?

www.laborgroups.org/Progessive-Papal-Mandates.doc

www.laborgroups.org/U.S.-Bishops-Respect-Life.doc

This week, Pat Robertson endorsed Bush for re-election and felt the need to
simultaneously add his own Prophet-like visions: "I really believe I'm
hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's
shaping up that way...The Lord has just blessed him...I mean, he could make
terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what
he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and
God's blessing him."
So now that it's apparently official that God is against us, I thought I
would send this to Pat and share it with all of you as well. Attached are
some Encyclicals regarding property rights and the distribution of wealth in
our Brave New World. In it, various Pope's over the better part of a
century eventually conclude that the State must play a vital role in
adjusting its socio-economic policies to distribute wealth to the working
class. I have also attached a statement from the U.S. Council of Bishops
regarding crime, punishment, and rehabilitation in America. They also
address some very important issues reiterating the Church's unequivocal
opposition to the death penalty and acknowledgement of blatent racism in our
Criminal Justice System.
Enjoy, and God bless.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
12) THREE OBAMA EVENTS!

Join the Barack Brigade at a

VOLUNTEER MEETING

Saturday, January 17th
Campaign Headquarters
310 S. Michigan, Suite 1720
10:00 A.M.


Come find out how you can help Barack win!
Learn how to get involved in your community.
We'll have Obama Blue signs, stickers and other campaign materials available.
Refreshments will be served. No RSVP necessary.

Call 312-427-6300 if you have any questions.

Paid for by Obama for Illinois, Inc.

STATE SENATOR BARACK OBAMA FOR U.S. SENATE!

Support the most progressive and intelligent candidate in the race for US
Senate. www.obamaforillinois.com

Join Chicago Activists for two meetings at the Obama Headquarters this week:

PLEASE SEND AN E-MAIL TO GREER (at) UCHICAGO.EDU IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ATTENDING
EITHER OF THESE MEETINGS WITH THE U OF C DELEGATION

--Jan 13, Tue, 7 pm, UNITE Hall, 333 S. Ashland WAR & THE ECONOMY Forum sponsor: Committee for New Priorities/Jobs With Justice
Info: 312-666-3037



THURSDAY, 15 January 2004
STUDENTS FOR OBAMA COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING
Young Chicago Activists will meet to organize a February State-wide Youth/Young
Adult Rally. UofC supporters will meet at 5:10 in front of the Reynolds Club
(57th and University) to catch the #6 to downtown. The meeting begins at 6 PM
at 310 S Michigan (Suite 1720). This is a FANTASTIC opportunity!

SATURDAY, 17 January 2004
VOLUNTEER COORDINATING MEETING
UofC supporters will meet at 9:15 AM in the front of the Reynolds Club (57th
and University) to catch the Metra inbound to downtown. The meeting begins at
10 AM. If there is interest, we will grab a bite to eat for lunch at COSI
after the meeting. The meeting begins at 10 AM at 310 S Michigan (Suite 1720).

Barack Obama is both a professor of constitutional law at the University of
Chicago Law School and a state senator.

THANK YOU!

all best,

kgl
-- Kristin Greer Love Second Year in the College, University of Chicago Political Science and Law, Letters & Society 5625 S Ellis Avenue Room 222A Chicago, Illinois 60637 773.339.1450

------------------------------------------------------------------------
13) O'Neill: Bush lacked Iraq weapons proof

O'Neill: Bush lacked Iraq weapons proof
WASHINGTON -- Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says he saw no proof that Iraq had the weapons of mass destruction that President Bush said justified waging war with Saddam Hussein, Time magazine reported.

www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-neill12.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------
14) Global Warming: Not Just Another Issue

Future Hope column, January 12, 2004

Global Warming: Not Just Another Issue

By Ted Glick

I've been in and around the environmental movement since the
first Earth Day in 1970, which I attended while living in
Philadelphia, Pa. For many years I've been following news
reports and articles about the dangers of global warming. In
2002, during my Green Party U.S. Senate campaign in New
Jersey, this was one of my top issues. Among other things,
we distributed over 100,000 copies of a campaign brochure
which prominently featured this position: "Move towards
energy independence, reverse global warming and create jobs
through a crash program to get energy from the sun, the wind
and other renewable fuels."

But the truth of the matter is that, while I've done what I
could in the context of my primary political and life
commitments, I've seen this as one of a number of major
issues, like racism, corporate exploitation, sexism, war,
health care, workers' rights, etc. I haven't felt that it
needed any special priority.

As the new year begins, however, that has changed. My major
new year's resolution is to become more directly involved in
helping to build a massive and activist movement as quickly
as possible on the issue of global warming or, to be more
accurate, catastrophic climate disruption.

This is not just another issue. It is an absolutely central
one. There is widespread agreement in the world scientific
community that unless we dramatically shift from the use of
fossil fuels to the use of clean and renewable energy, we
are facing a truly apocalyptic future. Among the likely
consequences:

-The Hadley Center, a major climate research laboratory in
Britain, recently said that, "by 2040, most of the world's
forests will begin to die." (1)
-The near-disappearance of arctic sea ice. "It is 40%
thinner than it was forty years ago." (2)
-"Climate change would probably exacerbate hunger and
poverty around the world. . . People who are highly
dependent on farming, fishing or forestry will see their
livelihoods destroyed." (3)
-We will see heat waves worse than the one last summer in
Europe that killed upwards of 35,000 people.
-Hurricanes, tornadoes and other severe storms will become
more frequent and deadlier. May, 2003 brought 562 tornadoes
to the United States, 163 tornadoes higher than the previous
monthly high of 399, set in 1992.
-"Results of a major study showed yesterday that more than a
million species will become extinct as a result of global
warming over the next 50 years." (4)
-"New research in Australia suggests that the amount of
water reaching the rivers will decline up to four times as
fast as the percentage reduction of rainfall in dry areas.
This, alongside the disappearance of the glaciers, spells
the end of irrigated agriculture." (5)
-The melting of the glaciers and arctic sea ice could lead
to a shutting down of the Gulf Stream, "which bathes the UK
and northwest Europe in warm water carried northwards from
the Caribbean" (6) And because the Gulf Stream is the
"engine" powering what is called the "Great Ocean Conveyor.
. . a twisting, swirling current that wends through all the
world's oceans," (7) "the possibility exists that a
disruption of the Atlantic currents could have implications
far beyond a colder UK and northwest Europe, perhaps
bringing dramatic climatic changes to the entire planet."
(8)

This is much more than "another important issue." It is hard
to describe it as anything other than the major issue of our
day. Can you get more basic than the survival of life on
earth as we know it?

We won't be able to move from a world of massive inequality,
racism, war and poverty to a world of economic and social
justice unless we who are pro-justice activists-ALL of us,
not just those who are part of the environmental
movement--prioritize this and move quickly to build a
powerful, visible, broadly-based and unified movement in the
United States to make this an issue the rulers and their
parties must respond to. And 2004 is very much the year to
do it. Such a campaign is a natural for those of us who
understand how tied in the Bushites are to the oil and coal
companies and who are working to mobilize the largest and
broadest vote for democracy, peace and justice in November.

The American people are with us on this issue. "A survey in
1999 found that 62% of the public favored renewable energy
over conventional sources. . .The Sierra Club in a similar
survey showed 80% supporting change." (9) We need a
sophisticated, multi-tactical, emergency campaign to save
life on earth, one which involves everything from door to
door campaigning to full-page ads in major newspapers to a
massive march on Washington in the fall to persistent
pressure on Congresspeople, including non-violent sit-ins at
their offices if necessary. Such a campaign could begin to
turn that public opinion into concrete legislation to shift
our tax money from the subsidizing of oil, coal and nuclear
into a crash program to move rapidly towards the use of
clean and renewable energy sources and to conserve energy
through the retrofitting and weatherization of all our homes
and buildings.

Such a program is also a massive jobs program. It provides a
strong argument against the plans for on-going war and
empire building in pursuit of control of oil in the Middle
East

It is "anti-terrorism" program in that it can move us
towards "energy independence" and out of the Middle East. It
can also help lay the basis for an international plan to
transfer clean energy to poor countries. "Virtually all
developing countries would love to go solar; virtually none
can afford it. [A $300 billion a year] fund could come from
a small tax on international currency transactions, which
total $1.5 trillion every day. A tax of a
quarter-penny-per-dollar on those transactions would yield
about $300 billion a year for windfarms in India, solar
assemblies in El Salvador, fuel cell factories in South
Africa, and vast solar-powered hydrogen farms in the Middle
East." (10)

Perhaps Earth Day this April could become the public
launching point for such a campaign, rather than an
opportunity for polluting corporations to "swallow the
ecological crisis and regurgitate it as a PR opportunity,"
in the words of Vermont environmental activist Doyle
Canning.

We need to act as if the possibility of a decent future for
our children and their descendants is dependent upon what we
do this year and the next few years. Because it is.


Ted Glick is the National Coordinator of the Independent
Progressive Politics Network (www.ippn.org), although these
ideas are solely his own. He can be reached at
futurehopeTG (at) aol.com or P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J.
07003.


1) Ross Gelbspan, interviewed in the February, 2003 Z
Magazine
2) Bill McKibben, "Some Like It Hot," in the July 5, 2001
N.Y. Review of Books
3) The United Nations Environment Programme
4) Steve Connor, "U.S. Climate Policy Bigger Threat to World
Than Terrorism," January 9, 2004, The Independent
5) George Monbiot, "With Eyes Wide Shut," in the August 12,
2003 Guardian
6) Bill McGuire, "Will Global Warming Trigger a New Ice
Age?," November 13, 2003 Guardian
7) Brad Lemley, "The New Ice Age," September, 2002 Discover
8) Bill McGuire, "Will Global Warming Trigger a New Ice
Age?," November 13, 2003, the Guardian
9) Sidney J. Gluck, "The Necessity for a New Energy Policy"
10) Ross Gelbspan, "Rewiring The World's Energy," December
21, 2003, the Boston Globe


------------------------------------------------------------------------
15) Pledge not to Shop Safeway!

------------------------------------------------------------------------
16) Public Hearing on FTAA police violence

Join us at a Public Hearing on the shocking suppression and
unjustified use of force by law enforcement during the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Summit. The Hearing is being
held jointly by the City of Miami Civilian Investigative Panel
(CIP) and the Miami-Dade County Independent Review Panel (IRP).
Several groups including the South Florida AFL-CIO will be
making statements to demonstrate the extent of police management
misconduct.

WHEN: Thursday, January 15 ¿ 5:00 pm

WHERE: Miami City Hall
Commission Chambers
3500 Pan American Drive
Coconut Grove, Florida

LET OUR VOICES BE HEARD!!!!

For more information call the South Florida AFL-CIO at
305-593-8886.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
17) Help Stop Safeway! Save Affordable Health Care!

I just returned from Southern California, where, as you may
know, more than 70,000 Southern California grocery workers have
been on strike or locked out for four months. They are holding
the line for access to affordable health care against a
Safeway-led charge to destroy health benefits for workers and
their families to increase their already-sizable profits.
Many times during the holidays, I would go by the picket lines.
Workers were there at all hours, often with their families. None
of them expected to be out on the line this long, but they
promised to continue because they are fighting for all of us.
Some people are calling this the most important strike in the US
since the UPS strike of 1997; everyone in California and across
the country is looking to this strike to see if health care will
remain affordable for anyone.

These workers and their families urgently need support from
people like you across the country.

When you stand up to Safeway, you're not just helping them;
you're helping to defend access to affordable health care for
yourself and everyone else across the country. The outrageous
attacks on health care in Southern California by supermarkets
like Safeway, Albertsons, and Kroger are just the start; we need
show solidarity to stop employers NOW, before they take this
attack across America.

Please send this message to Safeway even if you've contacted
them before, and then tell your friends about this struggle and
donate to the strike fund at
www.unionvoice.org/ct/jd12wSY1v7fm/strikefund/.

Thanks,

Ben McKean
National Organizer
United Students Against Sweatshops


------------------------------------------------------------------------
18) Winning ad! To the Super Bowl?

The Bush In 30 Seconds ad contest has a winner! The entrants were honored last night by a crew of celebrities ranging from Michael Moore and Al Franken to Chuck "D" and Margaret Cho. But the ads were the stars -- the crowd was bowled over by their power. The Overall Best Ad and People's Choice Winner was (drumroll) "Child's Pay" by Charlie Fisher of Denver, CO.

To see the winning ads and support getting them on the air, go to:

www.moveonvoterfund.org/superbowl/

Building on the power and creativity of this work, were making an important announcement: With your help, we can take the winning ad to the Super Bowl. We were planning to play the winning ad nationally on CNN during the week of Bush's State of the Union address, but the response to the ads has been way beyond our expectations. We've been working to put together something even more exciting. A political ad has never been placed on the Super Bowl before, and with your help, "Child's Pay" will be the first. Together, let's send Washington a clear message: no more politics as usual.

The Super Bowl ad will cost $1.6 million to place nationally, but we can afford this if we can complete our $10 million dollar grassroots campaign, which now stands at $7.5 million. Can you help?

To make an instant, secure contribution, by credit card or check, go to:

www.moveonvoterfund.org/superbowl/

Remember, for every two dollars you give, a dollar is added by a matching grant, so your contribution goes even further.

The energy at the Hammerstein Ballroom last night was incredible.

The winning ad, "Child’s Pay," by Charlie Fisher, 38, of Denver features young children working in difficult service and manufacturing jobs -- washing dishes, hauling trash, repairing tires, cleaning offices, assembly-line processing and grocery checking -- followed by the line: "Guess who’s going to pay off President Bush’s $1 trillion deficit?"

Charlie Fisher is an advertising executive who was a registered Republican until the end of the first Bush administration, in 1992. He is currently on assignment in Denmark and flew in to attend the awards ceremony with his cameraman, P. Dreyer.

"I was thrilled just to participate in this contest," Fisher said. "When we finished editing ‘Child's Pay,’ I felt it was nice -- maybe a little too nice. Perhaps I learned that you don't have to paint a bulls-eye on someone’s forehead to be effective. Most importantly, my Republican father said this when I told him I was making an ad for this contest, not knowing what his reaction would be: ‘I am proud of you for taking part and acting in the world around you.’"

Thanks again to all the entrants who participated and thanks to everyone who's making it possible to put these ads on the air. We're going to take our country back.

Sincerely,
--Adam, Carrie, Eli, James, Joan, Noah, Peter, Wes, and Zack
The MoveOn.org Team
January 13th, 2004


------------------------------------------------------------------------
19) MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2004 - MLK LIFE HONORING CELEBRATION AT SSA

Monday, Jan. 19, 2004

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Life Honoring Celebration
His Dream Revisited

Continental breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m.
Program begins at 9 a.m. and will include an address by keynote speaker Erwin
McEwen of the IDCFS and performances by the KCR Ensemble (jazz), University of
Chicago students and local high school students

School of Social Service Administration Lobby
969 E. 60th St.

Come and celebrate social work and social justice values in action...We hope
to see you there!

***VOLUNTEERS ARE STILL NEEDED FOR THE DAY OF THE EVENT - please email
Quenette Walton at qlwalton (at) uchicago.edu if interested

Please forward this widely, especially to members of organizations not
affiliated with SSA.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
20) Bush vs States In Fight Over Education Funding

Bush vs States In Fight Over Education Funding
The ongoing battle between the Bush administration and states over educational funding has taken yet another turn. The No Child Left Behind program, engineered in 2002, mandates that all children can read and do math at grade level within the next 10 years. States have complained that they do not have the financial recourses to meet the demand while the Bush administration has now countered that the states have not accessed federal funding put into place to administer the program.
uspolitics.about.com/cs/newsmakingissues/i/BushStatesEdu.htm

Illegals Will Keep Their Jobs in New Bush Plan
On Wednesday, January 7th, President Bush will offer a new plan that will extend opportunities to illegal immigrants already in the United States. If they are currently employed, illegal immigrants will have options to enter the legal working community of the United States.
uspolitics.about.com/b/a/055528.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------------
21) David Rovics

Hey folks,
I'm in the midst of a tour of eastern Canada, just had a wonderful first visit to Halifax, Fredericton and elsewhere in the Maritimes thanks to the good people of the uberCulture Collective, and a great gig in Quebec City. Heading out next to Ontario, and then down south and west to Colorado, Utah, California and the Northwest.
I thought I'd send that out to my whole email list 'cause a big chunk of the list is out there anyway, and plus everybody seems to know someone somewhere in California. Every time I tell people I'm heading out towards California, they say, "oh, I have a brother in San Francisco" or something like that. So if you want to tell any of these people about my tour out there, feel free. Details are below. More details on these gigs and any changes or additions to 'em that may happen can be found in the "gigs" section of www.davidrovics.com .
Also, on my website there's now a section with translations of a bunch of songs into French, thanks to Caroline Harvey of Montreal.
I've been spending my free time working on transcriptions to songs for the next edition of my songbook, which is going to be released on AK Press, so maybe this run will stay in print better than previous efforts... More on that later.
Here's my itinerary for the next several weeks as it stands so far:

Wednesday, January 14th, 8 pm, Irene's, Ottawa, Ontario.

Thursday, January 15th, 7 pm (dinner at 6 pm), PARC, 1499 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario.

Wednesday, January 21st, 7 pm, Old Main Theater, Colorado University campus, on Pleasant Street (between 17th and Broadway), Boulder, Colorado.

Friday, January 23rd, 7 pm, Orson Spencer Hall, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Saturday, January 24th, Aspen, Colorado -- TENTATIVE.

Tuesday, January 27th, 8 pm, Che Cafe, UCSD campus. The fabulous Prince Myshkins will also be performing.

Wednesday, January 28th, 8 pm, Arts in Action, 1919 West Seventh Street, Los Angeles, California. Benefit for Brian Avery (activist with the International Solidarity Movement shot by the Israeli Occupation Forces). Michelle Shocked may also be on the bill.

Friday, January 30th, Santa Barbara, California -- details TBA.

Saturday, January 31st, west coast CD release party for Behind the Barricades: the Best of David Rovics (AK Press/Daemon Records) at the AK Press warehouse, 674 A 23rd St., Oakland, California.

Sunday, February 1st, 7 pm, Herbst Theater, San Francisco, California. This will be a gala event about 9/11 including lots of other musicians, poets and comedians.

Monday, February 2nd, 7 pm, Spangenberg Theatre, Palo Alto, California. This will be a gala event about 9/11 including lots of other musicians, poets and comedians.

Wednesday, February 4th, 8 pm, StudioZ, 314 11th St., San Francisco, California. Other performers include the Iron Sheik and Clowns Against War.

Friday, February 6th, 8 pm, Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street (between Broadway and Telegraph). Benefit for Bay Area SUSTAIN, including a short film screening on Palestine and an opening band.

Saturday, February 7th, Sonoma County, California -- details TBA.

Sunday, February 8th, 7 pm, The Community Center, Petrolia, California.

Wednesday, February 11th, 7 pm, Beginnings, Briceland, California.

Thursday, February 12th, 7 pm, Senior Room in the New Community Center, Arcata, California.

Friday, February 13th, Ashland, Oregon -- TENTATIVE.

Saturday, February 14th, 7 pm, Cosmic Pizza @ the Strand, 199 W. 8th Ave., Eugene, Oregon.

Tuesday, February 17th, noon, Multimedia Classroom Building, Room 22, WSU, Vancouver, Washington.

Thursday, February 19th, Capital Theater, Olympia, Washington -- other details TBA.

Friday, February 20th, 8 pm, Wise Club 1882 Adanac (behind Vancouver East Cultural Center), Vancouver, British Columbia. Concert including Ameena Mayer, David Morgan, Jess Hill, RC Weslowski, Lore, Darek Dawda, Amy Johnson, Solidarity Notes and me.

[To be removed from my email list just reply to this message and tell me to unsubscribe you.]

David Rovics
drovics (at) aol.com
(617) 747-4460 (voicemail)
(617) 872-5124 (cell)
PO Box 995
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

www.davidrovics.com
www.everreviledrecords.com
www.akpress.org
www.daemonrecords.com
www.soundclick.com/davidrovics
www.folkweb.com/davidrovics

------------------------------------------------------------------------
22) CLG News

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
January 12, 2004
www.legitgov.org/
All articles, dates, and links from summaries below are here:
legitgov.org/index.html
Please contribute today, for January expenses!! We need funds to continue. Thank you.

Court OKs Police Roadblocks --The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police may set up roadblocks to collect tips about crimes, rejecting concerns that authorities might use the checkpoints to fish for unrelated suspicious activity. The 6-3 decision allows officers to block traffic and ask motorists for help in 'solving crimes' [enhancing the Bush police state]. Critics have complained that authorities might misuse the power, disguising dragnets as "informational checkpoints."

Bush advisers debating what to do about Syria --Civilians in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's office are pushing for military action against Syria short of an invasion and have drawn up plans for punitive airstrikes and cross-border incursions by U.S. forces, according to three officials.

War College Study Calls Iraq a 'Detour' --Institute's report warns anti-terror campaign may launch 'open-ended and gratuitous conflict.' A report published by the Army War College criticizes the Bush dictatorship's global war on terrorism as "unfocused" and contends that the war in Iraq is "unnecessary" and a "detour" that has diverted attention and resources from the threat posed by Al Qaeda.

Study Published by Army Criticizes War on Terror's Scope --A scathing new report published by the Army War College broadly criticizes the Bush regime's handling of the war on terrorism, accusing it of taking a detour into an "unnecessary" war in Iraq and pursuing an "unrealistic" quest against terrorism that may lead to U.S. wars with states that pose no serious threat.

War College Report: Iraq War an 'Error' --A report published by the Army War College calls the Bush dictatorship's war on terrorism unfocused and says the invasion of Iraq was "a strategic error."

Iraq troop rotation plan: Pentagon prepares for next war --by James Conachy "Over 250,000 US soldiers will leave or arrive in Iraq between now and the end of May in the largest rotation of troops in a combat zone that has been attempted by the American military since World War II. The risks of the massive movement of personnel and hardware are considerable and its implications, given the record of the Bush administration, are ominous."

Bush Sought to Oust Hussein From Start, Ex-Official Says --Dictator Bush was focused on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq from the start of his regime, more than seven months before the terrorist attacks that he later cited as the trigger for a more aggressive foreign policy, Paul H. O'Neill, Mr. Bush's first Treasury secretary, said in an interview broadcast on Sunday.

O'Neill says Cheney told him, 'Deficits don't matter' --Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said he was told "deficits don't matter" when he warned of a looming fiscal crisis. In a new book chronicling his rocky two-year tenure and in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, O'Neill also said Dictator Bush balked at his more aggressive plan to combat corporate crime because of opposition from "the corporate crowd."

I saw *this* one marching down Broadway a mile away: US Treasury seeks probe into papers taken by O'Neill --The U.S. Treasury has asked the U.S. inspector general's office to investigate how a possibly classified document appeared on Sunday in a televised interview of ex-Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, a department spokesman said on Monday.

Tuition fees, Iraq and Kelly row could end it all for Blair --Poodle Tony Blair's fightback over university top-up fees ran into immediate trouble yesterday with one Labour MP urging him to resign if he could not change the "back me or sack me" approach he has adopted over recent days.

US military 'brutalised' journalists --News agency demands inquiry after American forces in Iraq allegedly treated camera crew as enemy personnel --The international news agency Reuters has made a formal complaint to the Pentagon following the "wrongful" arrest and apparent "brutalisation" of three of its staff this month by US troops in Iraq.

Reuters protests about detention of staff in Iraq --News agency Reuters says it has made a formal complaint to the US military about the arrest and treatment of three of its staff held after a helicopter crash near the town of Falluja.

Large Explosions Rock Central Baghdad --Large explosions rocked central Baghdad late Monday, and Iraqi and U.S. security officials said at least two mortars exploded near the Baghdad Hotel.

Nine Iraqis, US soldier killed --US occupation forces shot dead seven Iraqis who "were trying to steal oil from a pipeline" [?!?] in central Iraq last night. According to the US Army, a group of 40 men armed with AK-47 assault rifles in 10 to 15 vehicles were spotted at the pipeline by the troops who were led to the area by an Iraqi informant.

U.S. Soldier Killed in Bombing in Baghdad --The U.S. death toll in the Iraqi conflict neared 500 Monday, with the explosion of a roadside bomb in the capital that killed one American soldier and wounded two.

Troops Disperse Iraqis Rioting for Food --Ukrainian soldiers fired into the air Monday to disperse hundreds of Iraqis who rioted for jobs and food as a second southern Shiite Muslim city was rocked by unrest — a barometer of rising frustration with the U.S. led-occupation in a region of Iraq considered 'friendly' to the Americans.

Baker Backed Loans That Added to Iraq Debt --Now assigned the task of reducing Iraq's debt, Bush coupmeister and Satanic nutball, James A. Baker III once gave crucial support for continuing a billion-dollar loan program to Saddam Hussein's government that accounts for most of the money Iraq still owes the United States.

Pepsi Refreshes Thousands of Totally Dead Iraqi Children --Mark Morford --Pepsi production returning to Iraq --PepsiCo Inc. plans to resume producing Pepsi in Iraq, using the same bottler that distributed fake Pepsi after economic sanctions forced the company out of the country... "'Iraqis have been great supporters of Pepsi over many years, and we're delighted to resume local production,' said Saad Abdul-Latif, president of the Middle East/Africa region of PepsiCo International, as lightning did not strike his pathetic ass dead on the spot. 'Because if there's one thing a bloody decimated war-ravaged piss-poor violence-torn rubble-strewn hate-wary completely miserable nation needs as it's being violently and unhappily occupied by the world's least welcome and most obnoxious superpower, it's syrupy sticky heavily carbonated high-sugar American-made fizzy crappy drinks that feed more dollars directly into the American corporate maw,' he really, really should have added. 'Pepsi: It quenches your brutally severed limbs!'"

Ten soldiers killed in Taliban attack --Taliban guerillas firing assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades have attacked an Afghan army post and killed 10 soldiers, according to a spokesman for the group.

U.S. Suffers 100th Death in Afghanistan --A U.S. soldier died over the weekend after a traffic accident near Kabul, becoming the 100th American fatality since the U.S.-led military campaign began in Afghanistan two years ago.

Air and Naval Blockade of North Korea to Prevent Nuclear Warhead Export --A naval and air blockade of North Korea was insisted on by neo-conservative Richard Perle, Bush’s defense policy advisor. "We need to assure South Korea that the 1962 Cuban-style blockade is the only alternative to avoid war," he added. This argument came from the book titled "An End to Evil: Strategies for Victory in the War on Terror," co-authored by Richard Perle, the former Assistant Secretary of Defense and David Frum, the former special assistant to Dictator George W. Bush.

U.S. Sends 'Anti-Terror' Team to W. Africa --The United States is expanding imperialistic ['anti-terror'] efforts to the remote reaches of West Africa's Sahara borders, dispatching U.S. troops and contractors.

U.S. Keeps Military Program in Uzbekistan --The United States is continuing to its military relationship with Uzbekistan, including paying to disable nuclear weapons from the old Soviet arsenal, under Dictator Bush's waiver of rules that required improvements in the country's human rights record.

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