From pat_wobbly at hotmail.com Tue Nov 4 05:23:43 2003 From: pat_wobbly at hotmail.com (Pat S) Date: Tue, 04 Nov 2003 05:23:43 -0800 Subject: [news] US starting up the draft? Message-ID: http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sss092203.html The Selective Service System wants to hear from men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members of a local draft board. Prospective Board Members must be citizens of the United States , at least 18 years old, and registered with the Selective Service (if male). Prospective Board Members may not be an employee of any law enforcement occupation, not be an active or retired member of the Armed Forces, and not have been convicted of any criminal offense. Once identified as qualified candidates for appointment, prospective Board Members are recommended by the Governor and appointed by the Director of Selective Service, who acts on behalf of the President in making appointments. Each new member receives 12 hours of initial training after appointment, followed by 4 hours of annual training for as long as he or she remains in the position. They may serve as Board Members for up to 20 years, if desired. Local Board Members are uncompensated volunteers who play an important community role closely connected with our Nation's defense. If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines. Positions are available in many communities across the Nation. If you believe you meet the standards for Selective Service Board Membership, and wish to be considered for appointment please visit our web site at: http://www.sss.gov/fslocal.htm _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca From resist at resist.ca Tue Nov 4 16:46:08 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Tue, 04 Nov 2003 16:46:08 -0800 Subject: [news] News release from Cuban Embassy in Canada Message-ID: <1067993168.26747.510.camel@murray> EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA IN CANADA Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Canada 388 Main St., Ottawa, Ontario K1S 1E3 Tel: (613) 563 0141 ext 243 --- Fax: (613) 563 0068 cuba at embacuba.ca --- www.embacuba.ca NEWS RELEASE Today, November 4, 2003, the United Nations General Assembly passed, by a vote of 179 to 3 the resolution entitled Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo of the United States of America against the Republic of Cuba. The Government of Cuba celebrates this statement of the international community, expressed with such an overwhelming voting pattern. Once again the United States confirms its isolation in maintaining a criminal policy that violates international law that damages international commercial and financial relations and that is cruel to the Cuban people. It is a policy rejected on legal and moral grounds, contrary to the principles and goals of the U.N. Charter. Since 1992 the United Nations has repeatedly condemned this economic aggression but has faced an attitude of non-compliance by the government of the United States. The economic blockade has lasted for more than 40 years. Its comprehensive nature has damaged the Cuban economy in all areas of life and society. The estimated amount of economic loss for Cuba exceeds 72 billion dollars. The desired goal of choking the Cuban economy and bending the will of the Cuban people by misery and starvation has failed absolutely. But the policy of economic blockade has had its toll in the lives of a whole generation of Cubans. In spite of an enormous effort and a creative struggle to avoid its impact, the country has faced considerable obstacles and difficulties in developing its economy, in providing for its citizens and in ensuring many of the basic needs that should not be denied to any human being. From gflett1 at shaw.ca Wed Nov 5 04:06:03 2003 From: gflett1 at shaw.ca (Gordon Flett) Date: Wed, 05 Nov 2003 04:06:03 -0800 Subject: [news] Garments Worker Killed and 200 injured, Bangladesh Message-ID: <3FA8E7AB.8060CA4@shaw.ca> Dear Gordon, Greetings. One Garment Worker Killed And More Than 200 Injured By Police. One garment worker named Kamal was killed and more than 200 injured including 20 bullets injured following series of clashes between Police and garment workers at BSCIC industrial park in Fatulla, Narayangoang near to Dhaka city yesterday 3rd November. Six injured including one bullets injured are NGWF member. More than a dozen police personel including an assistant superintendent of police (ASP)and tree sub inspectors (SI)were also injured.Several garment factories,vehicles and offices also damaged. In the BSCIC industrial park area there was unrest situation in some factories named Pantex,Tamanna, Obonti and Crony. There was irregularities in payment in these factories. Workers demanded payment of outstanding wages, Festival bonus and other facilities. On 2nd November at night, there was a meeting on which Management, labour leader and local administration participated.This meeting was continued up to 3am on 3rd november. But it was failed and police arrested one labour leader Mahmubur Rahman Ismail. As a result workers became unruly. In this situation some hired people by management threaten the workers.The situation became unrest and bad. Finally police fired and after that the battle started between the workers and police in different places. One worker named Kamal killed and more than 200 injured including 20 bullets injured. Police arrested 20 workers. All the factories and offices till today 4th november closed in Narayangong.Tomorrow 5th November, half day general strike will be observed in Narayangong. Against this killing, in Dhaka city there were many demonstrations. NGWF organized a Condolence & Protest Rally today at 11 am . From the rally , the federation demanded: 1.compensationTk.500,000/ for the killed worker's family. 2.Sufficient and better treatment of all injured workers. 3. Unconditional release ( free ) of 20 arrested workers and 4. Fullfill the demands of the concerned factories workers. Amirul Haque Amin General Secretary National Garments Workers Federation 4.11.03 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by AFTAB IT MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Wed Nov 5 23:58:52 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 23:58:52 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: failure notice Message-ID: <009801c3a43b$d1deef60$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 11:55 PM Subject: failure notice > Hi. This is the qmail-send program at resist.ca. > I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses. > This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out. > > : > Sorry, no mailbox here by that name. (#5.1.1) > > --- Below this line is a copy of the message. > > Return-Path: > Received: (qmail-ldap/ctrl 13317 invoked from network); 6 Nov 2003 07:55:36 -0000 > Received: from unknown (HELO priv-edtnes11-hme0.telusplanet.net) ([199.185.220.222]) > (envelope-sender ) > by resist.ca (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP > for ; 6 Nov 2003 07:55:36 -0000 > Received: from PAUL ([207.6.244.213]) by priv-edtnes11-hme0.telusplanet.net > (InterMail vM.5.01.06.05 201-253-122-130-105-20030824) with SMTP > id <20031106075536.KFXJ22761.priv-edtnes11-hme0.telusplanet.net at PAUL> > for ; Thu, 6 Nov 2003 00:55:36 -0700 > Message-ID: <006401c3a43b$71a7e480$6401a8c0 at PAUL> > From: "Paul Browning" > To: > Subject: Fw: [R-G] The CIA and CIA "extraordinary renditions" > Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2003 23:56:11 -0800 > X-Priority: 3 > X-MSMail-Priority: Normal > X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 > X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > To: > Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 11:14 PM > Subject: [R-G] The CIA and CIA "extraordinary renditions" > > > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A522-2003Nov4.html > > > > Washington Post November 5, 2003; Page A01 > > > > Deported terror suspect details torture in Syria > > > > Canadian's case called typical of CIA > > > > By DeNeen L. Brown and Dana Priest > > > > Toronto -- A Canadian citizen who was detained last year at John F. > Kennedy > > International Airport in New York as a suspected terrorist said Tuesday he > > was secretly deported to Syria and endured 10 months of torture in a > Syrian > > prison. > > > > Maher Arar, 33, who was released last month, said at a news conference in > > Ottawa that he pleaded with U.S. authorities to let him continue on to > > Canada, where he has lived for 15 years and has a family. But instead, he > > was flown under U.S. guard to Jordan and handed over to Syria, where he > was > > born. Arar denied any connection to terrorism and said he would fight to > > clear his name. > > > > U.S. officials said Tuesday that Arar was deported because he had been put > > on a terrorist watch list after information from "multiple international > > intelligence agencies" linked him to terrorist groups. > > > > Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Arar case > fits > > the profile of a covert CIA "extraordinary rendition" -- the practice of > > turning over low-level, suspected terrorists to foreign intelligence > > services, some of which are known to torture prisoners. > > > > Arar's case has brought repeated apologies from the Canadian government, > > which says it is investigating what information the Royal Canadian Mounted > > Police gave to U.S. authorities. Canada's foreign minister, Bill Graham, > > also said he would question the Syrian ambassador about Arar's statements > > about torture. In an interview on CBC Radio, Imad Moustafa, the Syrian > > charg? d'affaires in Washington, denied that Arar had been tortured. > > > > Arar said U.S. officials apparently based the terrorism accusation on his > > connection to Abdullah Almalki, another Syrian-born Canadian. Almalki is > > being detained by Syrian authorities, although no charges against him have > > been reported. Arar said he knew Almalki only casually before his > detention > > but encountered him at the Syrian prison where both were tortured. > > > > Arar, whose case has become a cause celebre in Canada, demanded a public > > inquiry. "I am not a terrorist," he said. "I am not a member of al Qaeda. > I > > have never been to Afghanistan." > > > > He said he was flying home to Montreal via New York on Sept. 26, 2002, > from > > a family visit to Tunisia. > > > > "This is when my nightmare began," he said. "I was pulled aside by > > immigration and taken [away]. The police came and searched my bags. I > asked > > to make a phone call and they would not let me." He said an FBI agent and > a > > New York City police officer questioned him. "I was so scared," he said. > > "They told me I had no right to a lawyer because I was not an American > > citizen." > > > > Arar said he was shackled, placed on a small jet and flown to Washington, > > where "a new team of people got on the plane" and took him to Amman, the > > capital of Jordan. Arar said U.S. officials handed him over to Jordanian > > authorities, who "blindfolded and chained me and put me in a van. . . . > They > > made me bend my head down in the back seat. Then these men started beating > > me. Every time I tried to talk, they beat me." > > > > Hours later, he said, he was taken to Syria and there he was forced to > write > > that he had been to a training camp in Afghanistan. "They kept beating me, > > and I had to falsely confess," he said. "I was willing to confess to > > anything to stop the torture." > > > > Arar said his prison cell "was like a grave, exactly like a grave. It had > no > > light, it was three feet wide, it was six feet deep, it was seven feet > high. > > . . . It had a metal door. There was a small opening in the ceiling. There > > were cats and rats up there, and from time to time, the cats peed through > > the opening into the cell." > > > > Steven Watt, a human rights fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights > > in Washington, said Arar's case raised questions about U.S. > counterterrorism > > measures. "Here we have the United States involved in the removal of > > somebody to a country where it knows persons in custody of security agents > > are tortured," Watt said. "The U.S. was possibly benefiting from the > fruits > > of that torture. I ask the question: Why wasn't he removed to Canada?" > > > > A senior U.S. intelligence official discussed the case in terms of the > > secret rendition policy. There have been "a lot of rendition activities" > > since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the > > official said. "We are doing a number of them, and they have been very > > productive." > > > > Renditions are a legitimate option for dealing with suspected terrorists, > > intelligence officials argue. The U.S. government officially rejects the > > assertion that it knowingly sends suspects abroad to be tortured, but > > officials admit they sometimes do that. "The temptation is to have these > > folks in other hands because they have different standards," one official > > said. "Someone might be able to get information we can't from detainees," > > said another. > > > > Syria, where use of torture during imprisonment has been documented by the > > State Department, maintains a secret but growing intelligence relationship > > with the CIA, according to intelligence experts. > > > > "The Syrian government has provided some very useful assistance on al > Qaeda > > in the past," said Cofer Black, former director of counterterrorism at the > > CIA who is now the counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department. > > > > One senior intelligence official said Tuesday that Arar is still believed > to > > have connections to al Qaeda. The Justice Department did not have enough > > evidence to detain him when he landed in the United States, the official > > said, and "the CIA doesn't keep people in this country." > > > > With those limitations, and with a secret presidential "finding" > authorizing > > the CIA to place suspects in foreign hands without due process, Arar may > > have been one of the people whisked overseas by the CIA. > > > > In the early 1990s, renditions were exclusively law enforcement operations > > in which suspects were snatched by covert CIA or FBI teams and brought to > > the United States for trial or questioning. But CIA teams, working with > > foreign intelligence services, now capture suspected terrorists in one > > country and render them to another, often after U.S. interrogators have > > tried to gain information from them. > > > > Renditions are considered a covert action. Congress, which oversees the > CIA, > > knows of only the broad authority to carry out renditions but is not > > informed about individual cases, according to intelligence officials. > > > > > > Priest reported from Washington. Staff writers John Mintz and Glenn > Kessler > > in Washington contributed to this report. > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Rad-Green mailing list > > Rad-Green at lists.econ.utah.edu > > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green > > > From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Thu Nov 6 00:18:53 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 00:18:53 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: [R-G] The CIA and CIA "extraordinary renditions" Message-ID: <00b801c3a43e$9db442f0$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 11:14 PM Subject: [R-G] The CIA and CIA "extraordinary renditions" > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A522-2003Nov4.html > > Washington Post November 5, 2003; Page A01 > > Deported terror suspect details torture in Syria > > Canadian's case called typical of CIA > > By DeNeen L. Brown and Dana Priest > > Toronto -- A Canadian citizen who was detained last year at John F. Kennedy > International Airport in New York as a suspected terrorist said Tuesday he > was secretly deported to Syria and endured 10 months of torture in a Syrian > prison. > > Maher Arar, 33, who was released last month, said at a news conference in > Ottawa that he pleaded with U.S. authorities to let him continue on to > Canada, where he has lived for 15 years and has a family. But instead, he > was flown under U.S. guard to Jordan and handed over to Syria, where he was > born. Arar denied any connection to terrorism and said he would fight to > clear his name. > > U.S. officials said Tuesday that Arar was deported because he had been put > on a terrorist watch list after information from "multiple international > intelligence agencies" linked him to terrorist groups. > > Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Arar case fits > the profile of a covert CIA "extraordinary rendition" -- the practice of > turning over low-level, suspected terrorists to foreign intelligence > services, some of which are known to torture prisoners. > > Arar's case has brought repeated apologies from the Canadian government, > which says it is investigating what information the Royal Canadian Mounted > Police gave to U.S. authorities. Canada's foreign minister, Bill Graham, > also said he would question the Syrian ambassador about Arar's statements > about torture. In an interview on CBC Radio, Imad Moustafa, the Syrian > charg? d'affaires in Washington, denied that Arar had been tortured. > > Arar said U.S. officials apparently based the terrorism accusation on his > connection to Abdullah Almalki, another Syrian-born Canadian. Almalki is > being detained by Syrian authorities, although no charges against him have > been reported. Arar said he knew Almalki only casually before his detention > but encountered him at the Syrian prison where both were tortured. > > Arar, whose case has become a cause celebre in Canada, demanded a public > inquiry. "I am not a terrorist," he said. "I am not a member of al Qaeda. I > have never been to Afghanistan." > > He said he was flying home to Montreal via New York on Sept. 26, 2002, from > a family visit to Tunisia. > > "This is when my nightmare began," he said. "I was pulled aside by > immigration and taken [away]. The police came and searched my bags. I asked > to make a phone call and they would not let me." He said an FBI agent and a > New York City police officer questioned him. "I was so scared," he said. > "They told me I had no right to a lawyer because I was not an American > citizen." > > Arar said he was shackled, placed on a small jet and flown to Washington, > where "a new team of people got on the plane" and took him to Amman, the > capital of Jordan. Arar said U.S. officials handed him over to Jordanian > authorities, who "blindfolded and chained me and put me in a van. . . . They > made me bend my head down in the back seat. Then these men started beating > me. Every time I tried to talk, they beat me." > > Hours later, he said, he was taken to Syria and there he was forced to write > that he had been to a training camp in Afghanistan. "They kept beating me, > and I had to falsely confess," he said. "I was willing to confess to > anything to stop the torture." > > Arar said his prison cell "was like a grave, exactly like a grave. It had no > light, it was three feet wide, it was six feet deep, it was seven feet high. > . . . It had a metal door. There was a small opening in the ceiling. There > were cats and rats up there, and from time to time, the cats peed through > the opening into the cell." > > Steven Watt, a human rights fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights > in Washington, said Arar's case raised questions about U.S. counterterrorism > measures. "Here we have the United States involved in the removal of > somebody to a country where it knows persons in custody of security agents > are tortured," Watt said. "The U.S. was possibly benefiting from the fruits > of that torture. I ask the question: Why wasn't he removed to Canada?" > > A senior U.S. intelligence official discussed the case in terms of the > secret rendition policy. There have been "a lot of rendition activities" > since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the > official said. "We are doing a number of them, and they have been very > productive." > > Renditions are a legitimate option for dealing with suspected terrorists, > intelligence officials argue. The U.S. government officially rejects the > assertion that it knowingly sends suspects abroad to be tortured, but > officials admit they sometimes do that. "The temptation is to have these > folks in other hands because they have different standards," one official > said. "Someone might be able to get information we can't from detainees," > said another. > > Syria, where use of torture during imprisonment has been documented by the > State Department, maintains a secret but growing intelligence relationship > with the CIA, according to intelligence experts. > > "The Syrian government has provided some very useful assistance on al Qaeda > in the past," said Cofer Black, former director of counterterrorism at the > CIA who is now the counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department. > > One senior intelligence official said Tuesday that Arar is still believed to > have connections to al Qaeda. The Justice Department did not have enough > evidence to detain him when he landed in the United States, the official > said, and "the CIA doesn't keep people in this country." > > With those limitations, and with a secret presidential "finding" authorizing > the CIA to place suspects in foreign hands without due process, Arar may > have been one of the people whisked overseas by the CIA. > > In the early 1990s, renditions were exclusively law enforcement operations > in which suspects were snatched by covert CIA or FBI teams and brought to > the United States for trial or questioning. But CIA teams, working with > foreign intelligence services, now capture suspected terrorists in one > country and render them to another, often after U.S. interrogators have > tried to gain information from them. > > Renditions are considered a covert action. Congress, which oversees the CIA, > knows of only the broad authority to carry out renditions but is not > informed about individual cases, according to intelligence officials. > > > Priest reported from Washington. Staff writers John Mintz and Glenn Kessler > in Washington contributed to this report. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Rad-Green mailing list > Rad-Green at lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green From resist at resist.ca Thu Nov 6 12:01:04 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 12:01:04 -0800 Subject: [news] Toronto Police found not guilty in murder of Otto Vass Message-ID: <1068148864.892.217.camel@murray> -----Forwarded Message----- From: sabate To: copb-van-l at lists.resist.ca Subject: [copb-van-l] Toronto Police found not guilty in murder of Otto Vass Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 11:23:32 -0800 PROTEST THE VERDICT JUSTICE FOR OTTO VASS Thursday, Nov. 6, 5 PM 7-11 Store, corner of College and Lansdowne The four police officers who beat Otto Vass to death at the 7-11 store on August 9, 2000 have all been found not guilty of manslaughter. The verdict came as no surprise to those of us who have followed the history of police violence in this city. But that doesn't make it any the less of an outrage. The police lawyers' tactic - putting the character and psychiatric history of Vass on trial rather than the 51 blows inflicted on Vass by the cops - was successful. This is what happens on those rare occasions when police are called before the courts because of their violence: the victim is put on trial. There is a lot to criticize in the way the trial was conducted. The prosecution was half-hearted and inept. Crucial evidence - particularly the eyewitness testimony of two witnesses who graphically described the police violence at the preliminary hearing - was never heard by the jury. The most damning witness against the cops was deported before the trial began, and because the Crown had not interceded with immigration officials, the judge would not allow the sworn testimony from that earlier hearing to be read out to the jury. And the judge in his summation of the case all but instructed the jury to find the cops innocent. There will be later opportunities to say more on the conduct of the trial, but now is the time to act. We cannot allow this court to have the last word on Otto Vass's fate. Tomorrow at 5 PM, at the 7-11 store parking lot where he was killed more than three years ago, the Committee for Justice for Otto Vass has called for a memorial service. Please spread the word. Another trial was possible Analysis of the Otto Vass murder trial by Don Weitz The jury has been sequestered in the case of the four police officers charged with manslaughter in the August 9, 2000 death of Otto Vass. The trial may be over, but the controversy will continue, regardless of the verdict. Here are just some of the issues. 1) The opening argument that was heard too early The problems began at the very beginning of the trial. It is normal practice in criminal cases for the Crown Attorney - prosecuting the accused - to make an opening statement, and then take whatever time is necessary to present the evidence. Only after that does the defence make an opening statement, and call its own witnesses. But on September 16, Judge Patrick Lesage allowed the defence to present its opening arguments immediately after the opening from Crown Attorney Desmond McGarry. For 45 minutes, one of the defence attorneys, Earl Levy, went on and on and on almost exclusively about Mr. Vass' psychiatric history. The effect was to shift attention from the events of August 9 to the story of Otto Vass' life. From that day forward, it was not clear who was on trial - the four police officers, or Otto Vass. 2) The witness the jury never heard The jury heard testimony from five eye-witnesses. But there was a sixth, and his evidence was never presented to them. Amir Hameed was quoted in the Toronto Star August 10, 2000 (the day after Vass was killed), saying: "They (the police) were beating him worse than an animal - He wasn't fighting back at all." Hameed said one officer held the man down and punched him in the face while the other hit him on the legs with a baton. "He was just screaming due to the pain," Hameed said. "He never hit an officer - they never gave him a chance, and he never tried to." On Friday August 11, Canadian Press wrote the following: "(The officer) hit him with the baton 40 or 50 times, with all his energy," said Amir Hameed, who said he watched the incident from his apartment across the street. None of this testimony was heard because Hameed was deported from Canada to Pakistan on an unrelated matter June 10, 2003. The Crown's office knew that Hameed was under threat of deportation, but for more than a year after the preliminary inquiry in June of 2002 (where Hameed testified), they did nothing to prevent or delay that deportation. It is very likely that had they contacted Immigration authorities, Hameed would have been kept in the country until he testified. Had Immigration refused after being contacted by the Crown, Lesage indicated that he would have considered having Hameed's testimony from the preliminary inquiry, read in as evidence. But because the Crown did not do "due diligence" to ensure Hameed's presence in the country, Lesage ruled on October 7 - with the jury out of the room - that Hameed's testimony would not be allowed in the trial. 3) The grieving widow who was kept out of the court-room Vass was painted as a mentally-ill "monster" who "met his destiny" (in the words of one of the police lawyers) when he died after the encounter with the police on August 9. The jury was never given a picture of the human side of Vass to counter the demonization coming from the police lawyers. They didn't even have the presence in the court-room - until the closing days of the trial - of his grieving widow, Zsuzsanna. This was one of the most outrageous aspects of the trial. In what other circumstances would the wife or husband of a homicide victim be excluded from the trial of those accused in the homicide? The judge argued that the exclusion was necessary because Zsuzsanna had been called as a witness (by the police lawyers of all people), and all witnesses were excluded from the court room. But Zsuzsanna was not a witness to the crime. She was nowhere near the 7-11 on August 9, 2000. It was the opinion of many that she had only been called by the police lawyers in order to exclude her from the court-room. The constant presence of a grieving widow in the audience was bound to have an influence on the jury, showing that Vass was a human being, with a life and loved ones. But on September 23, Lesage ruled that Zsuzsanna be excluded. 4) The objections that were never raised It is usually the case that the Crown has more resources at its disposal than the defence. But in this case, with four police on trial, it often seemed to be exactly the reverse. Four defence lawyers would grill each witness. Four defence lawyers were there to raise objections against the Crown. And with the cacophony coming from the defence side, time and again, when it seemed like an objection would surely arise from the Crown's side, there was nothing but silence. This came to a peak October 20, when Zsuzsanna finally took the stand. For hours she was grilled by the defence lawyers. They opened up the matter of her civil suit against the police (she is suing for damages, in a matter that can't be heard until the criminal trial is complete). They were pressing her, trying to portray her as someone willing to fudge the truth for financial gain. Finally it was not the Crown who objected, but the judge, who told the defence that this was not the place to prosecute the civil case. It was only after the judge intervened, that finally objections were heard from the Crown. There are other matters that should be of real concern to any interested in the cause of justice. It took eleven weeks for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to lay charges in the first place. If any other four people (i.e. not police officers) were seen kicking and hitting a man who subsequently died, would it have taken eleven weeks to lay charges? And once charges were laid, there was no preliminary inquiry for almost two years, and the trial itself began more than three years after the event. Memories fade with time, witnesses can (and in this case, did) fall from sight - there is a reason that the old expression says "Justice delayed is Justice denied". Justice for Otto Vass. From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Fri Nov 7 23:28:01 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 23:28:01 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: Bush Admin limiting scholarly publishing Message-ID: <027501c3a5c9$d741a940$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 3:28 PM Subject: Bush Admin limiting scholarly publishing Attn: Corporate Influence Working Group RE: academic freedom, US imposing restrictions on scientific research texts of certain countries From: Jane Franklin, Date: 10/24/03 RE: Bush Administration now limiting scholarly publishing by Cuban From: "Debra Evenson", Date: 10/24/03 9:45 AM New U.S. Treasury Department Rules Cast Chill Over Scientific Publishing Engineers are warning that rules issued by the U.S. Treasury Department this month could restrict the free exchange of scientific information. The Bush administration says the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, with more than 350,000 members worldwide, must stop editing scholarly papers submitted by researchers living in countries under a U.S. trade embargo, or apply for a special license to do so. On Oct. 1 the Treasury Department informed the Institute that editing a research paper is equivalent to providing a service to authors and therefore violates U.S. trade restrictions that prevent U.S.-based organizations from doing business with countries such as Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Sudan. "U.S. persons may not provide [an embargoed author] substantive or artistic alterations or enhancement of the manuscript, and IEEE may not facilitate the provision of such alterations or enhancements," the director of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control wrote in a letter to the IEEE. Trade policy prohibits "the reordering of paragraphs or sentences, correction of syntax, grammar and replacement of inappropriate words by U.S. persons." The IEEE must now apply for a special license to edit papers from researchers in trade embargoed nations. Concerned that it may have otherwise violated U.S. trade laws, the IEEE had already stopped editing papers written by members in the embargoed countries, and had prevented those engineers from viewing its journals online. In a statement issued after the Treasury Department's decision, the IEEE said it would apply for a special license immediately and resume editing papers as soon as the license was granted. Kenneth Foster, a professor of bioengineering and an IEEE member, worries the Treasury Department's decision will have a chilling effect on scientific publishing. "What [the letter] describes as needing a license is exactly what every journal in the world does," he told the Chronicle of Higher Education. From: http://www.caut.ca/english/bulletin/2003_oct/news/sciencepub.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.530 / Virus Database: 325 - Release Date: 2003-10-22 > begin 666 tmp-26799-87.txt M"BTM+0I/=71G;VEN9R!M86EL(&ES(&-E SUPPORT THE A-CHANNEL WORKERS OF CEP LOCAL 1900 ON STRIKE IN EDMONTON EMAIL COMPANIES THAT CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE WITH A-CHANNEL http://www.cep1900.ca/advertisers.html SCAB WEBSITE: A scab has set up a website using a URL similar to CEP Local 1900. It is http://www.cep1900.com/ Be so kind as to let this scab know what you think of their SCAB website by emailing them: webmaster at cep1900.com From skisby at web.net Sat Nov 8 10:44:06 2003 From: skisby at web.net (Steve Kisby) Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2003 10:44:06 -0800 Subject: [news] Do Not Buy War Toys Campaign Launched Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20031108104406.0227fdd0@pop.web.net> Media Release For Immediate Release Do Not Buy War Toys Campaign Launched VANCOUVER -- November 7, 2003 -- Artists Against War today launched its Do Not Buy War Toys Campaign by calling on all shoppers, in particular parents, to not buy war toys or war games. Artists Against War activists and supporters then entered a popular Vancouver toy store (Toys 'R' Us on 1145 West Broadway) and placed warning stickers on war toys and games advising shoppers of the dangers in buying those toys and games. War toys and games increases aggression and violent behaviour in children and later in life can lead to aggression, violent behaviour, and even death when problem solving and relating to others. "We ask parents, is this what you really want for your children?" said Steve Kisby, one of the artists launching the campaign. "We note that we are seeing this aggressive and violent behaviour in high profile ways such as in the actions of the U.S. Administration," Kisby continued. Betty Griffin, a grandmother and secretary of End The Arms Race, joined the group of artists putting warning labels on war toys and games sporting a "Santa Doesn't Like War Toys" button. End The Arms Race successfully convinced the Woodwards chain of department stores to stop selling war toys all together during the height of the cold war. The placing of warning labels on war toys and games is the campaign's first action during the Christmas buying season to raise public awareness about the effects war toys and war games on children. The stickers placed on the war toys said "WARNING: This war toy promotes and may cause aggression and violent behaviour in children and may lead to aggression and violent behaviour when problem solving or relating to others." Artists Against War is a collective of like-minded individuals working for positivity and creativity, and speaking out for peace in a world which too quickly moves towards war. What we have to offer is art in body, shape, and soul -- art of the mind, art of the spirit, art of the movement. Artists Against War's Do Not Buy War Toys Campaign is also a project of the Stopwar.ca Coalition. -30- For more information, contact: Artists Against War: Steve Kisby, 604-323-0204, 604-645-2099 (pager), skisby at web.net http://www.artistsagainstwar.org End The Arms Race (EAR): Betty Griffin, 604-687-3223, 604-929-2306 http://www.peacewire.org Stopwar.ca Coalition: Irene MacInnes, 604-737-1299, 604-603-8537 (cell), iremac at shaw.ca Jef Keighley, 604-522-7911, 604-506-4437 (cell), keighley at caw.ca http://www.stopwar.ca War Resisters League: http://www.warresisters.org/ http://www.warresisters.org/wartoys_flyer.pdf From resist at resist.ca Sat Nov 8 17:40:43 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2003 17:40:43 -0800 Subject: [news] Pink Slips Issued to Hundreds of Healthcare Workers Message-ID: <1068342042.1472.28.camel@murray> ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Pink Slips Issued to Hundreds of Healthcare Workers From: "Bob Wilson" Date: Fri, November 7, 2003 5:04 pm To: -------------------------------------------------------------------------- News Releases November 7, 2003 Pink slips issued for hundreds of health care workers at St. Vincent-Heather Hospital Hospital to close while health authority spends more than a million dollars in cost-cutting advice Providence Healthcare today issued lay off notices to more than 450 health care workers in preparation for the shutdown of B.C.'s only acute care hospital specializing in geriatric health. The news comes on the same day as revelations that the health authority that funds St. Vincent's-Heather spent more than $1.3 million on consultants for cost-cutting advice. The Hospital Employees' Union says the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has its priorities all wrong. "There are 1,840 seniors waiting for cataract surgery at St. Vincent's-Heather," says HEU secretary-business manager Chris Allnutt. "But instead of using scarce health care dollars to shorten their wait, the health authority is shutting down the hospital and its operating rooms, firing health care workers while spending more than a million dollars for tips on how to cut even more services." Allnutt called on the health authority to break its dependence on high-priced consultants, branding exercises and corporate reorganization and get back to the basics of delivering good care. St. Vincent's-Heather is scheduled to close on March 31, 2004. -30- From resist at resist.ca Sat Nov 8 18:00:00 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:00:00 -0800 Subject: [news] TransLink Founder Attacks TransLink Plan Message-ID: <1068343200.1471.32.camel@murray> The Georgia Straight November 6-13, 2003 TransLink Founder Attacks TransLink Plan By Charlie Smith One of the founders of TransLink has claimed that the regional transportation authority is making a big mistake by funding the proposed Richmond/Airport/Vancouver Rapid Transit project and replacing Vancouver's trolley buses. TransLink's $370-million contribution to the RAV project and its $273-million expenditure on new trolley buses account for more than half of the transportation authority's $1.2-billion capital-expenditure proposals between 2005 to 2007. The TransLink board is expected to vote on the three-year financial strategy in December. On November 4, White Rock economist Marvin Shaffer, cochair of the transition team that created TransLink in 1999, told a Vancouver city council committee that the transportation authority will be required to inject a $36-million-per-year subsidy into the RAV project over the long term. Shaffer said that over the shorter term, TransLink's subsidy may increase to $45 million per year. "It also recognizes that senior governments will be contributing over $100 million per year in subsidy," he said. In a report submitted to council, Shaffer claimed that TransLink has not provided any economic justification for building the RAV line at this time. He acknowledged that RAV would provide "time savings" for transit users, but suggested this would come at a "tremendous" cost. "Greater separation of bus service with more extensive bus priority, queue jumpers and signal control would in itself improve travel times and reliability," Shaffer wrote in the report. "Multiple corridor rapid bus service could provide even more benefit. The benefits of these rapid bus improvements would not equal the benefit of RAV, but they could be achieved at a fraction of the cost, serve the passenger load well beyond 2010, and free up resources for higher priority requirements in the region." Shaffer told council that there was no economic or environment justification for the trolley-replacement plan. He said Vancouver is "almost alone" among North American cities in pursuing electric trolley buses, which cost more than twice as much per vehicle as the latest generation of diesel buses. The federal government has estimated the economic cost of greenhouse-gas emissions at $15 per tonne, Shaffer added. He said that TransLink would be spending $150 per tonne to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from buying new trolley buses over diesel buses. "TransLink would have a more effective greenhouse-gas program by tree planting than it could by buying trolley buses at this time," Shaffer told council. Supporters of the trolley buses say these vehicles don't create air pollution and they are much quieter than diesel buses, improving livability. Shaffer urged council to tell TransLink to reconsider the RAV project and the trolley-replacement plan. Later that afternoon, however, Mayor Larry Campbell and five councillors--Jim Green, Peter Ladner, Raymond Louie, Tim Stevenson, and Sam Sullivan--approved a staff recommendation to endorse TransLink's three-year financial strategy and 10-year outlook. Four Coalition of Progressive Electors councillors--Fred Bass, Tim Louis, Anne Roberts, and Ellen Woodsworth--voted against the majority. http://www.straight.com/?defaultarticle=&defaultnode=45193&layout=227&pagefu nction=Load%20Layout&PHPSESSID=61d9ae13d97f9fcd09acc80b59dc515d From skisby at web.net Sat Nov 8 18:22:11 2003 From: skisby at web.net (Steve Kisby) Date: Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:22:11 -0800 Subject: [news] We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20031108182211.00d526e8@pop.web.net> Media Release For Immediate Release We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur VANCOUVER -- November 8, 2003 -- Local activist groups Vegan Voices and Artists Against War/Artists For Peace today calls on the Hudson's Bay Company ("The Bay") to stop selling clothing made with fur and have launched a campaign asking people put pressure on The Bay to stop selling clothing made with fur. Supporters of Vegan Voices and Artists Against War/Artists For Peace gathered in front of The Bay in downtown Vancouver, some completely nude, chanting "We'd rather go naked than wear fur" and holding signs bearing messages such as "We bare our skin to save the animal's skin". The event and campaign launch took place on the corner of Georgia & Granville between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. Saturday, November 8. The event and campaign is to increase public awareness about the unnecessary cruelty in using animal fur for fashion. Fur is an unnecessary, cruel, and inhumane fashion accessory and there are many synthetic materials that are warmer, lighter, and can be just as fashionable. A fact sheet, "Commonly Asked Questions About Fur", is being distributed as part of the campaign (copy attached). "We want The Bay to stop selling fur in its stores," said Megan Babb, media spokesperson for the event. "We are opposed to the unnecessary use of animal fur for the purpose of fashion. We encourage people to join in the boycott of The Bay until they stop selling fur," said Babb. According to Statistics Canada (CANSIM, table 003-0013 and Catalogue no 23-603-UPE) "2 million animals in Canada and 40 million world wide are cruelly killed for fur each year." The signs that protesters were holding during the event said: "We'd rather go naked than wear fur", "Fur is dead animals", "Killing for fashion is wrong", "Dead animals are not clothing", "Fur is dead skin", "Fur: no skin off your back", "Cruelty is never in fashion", and "Compassion is always in fashion". The flyer being handed out reads "Tell The Bay To Stop Selling Fur! Call: 604-681-6211. Two million fur-bearing animals are brutally murdered every year in Canada for their fur. As a consumer, you have the power to make the killing stop. Call The Bay at 604-681-6211 and tell them to stop selling fur!". - 30 - For more information: Vegan Voices: Johnathan Skinner, 604-642-0384, jskinner at beyondvirtual.com http://www.veganvoices.org Artists Against War/Artists For Peace: Conrad Schmidt 604-215-9395, 604-537-2044 (cell), ninemonkeys at blaze.ca http://www.artistsforpeace.ca - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Commonly Asked Questions About Fur Q: What's wrong with fur? A: What if you were killed for your skin? Fur is an unnecessary, cruel and inhumane fashion accessory. There are many synthetic materials that are warmer and lighter. The people who climb mount Everest and face the freezing temperatures up there wear synthetic materials -- not fur. Q: Don't they make humane traps? A: Since when has stealing an animal away from it's family, killing it, and tearing off it's skin been humane? The people who trap animals for fur are in it for the money... and so they will do this in the cheapest way possible. That means steel-jawed leg-hold traps, body grip traps and snares. All of these are very painful, crushing the legs and bodies of it's victims. An animal can be trapped there for days before the trapper returns to kill and collect them. Q: Isn't trapping necessary for wildlife population control? A: Wildlife population has maintained itself just fine for the millions of years before humans invented trapping. And it would continue to do so without humans interfering. Q: Are fur farms more humane than trapping? A: No. Fur farmers often in-breed animals in order to get specific colours of fur... this leads to horrible deformations, deafness and disease... but as long as the fur's okay, the farmer doesn't care. These animals are kept in tiny little wire mesh cages that have barely enough room to move around. They live their entire lives trapped there with no veterinary care and are constantly exposed to frigid outdoor temperatures... why? Because the fur grows longer in the cold. Just imagine how you would feel if you were trapped there, for your entire life in a cage not much bigger than yourself... just so someone can make a profit by killing you and tearing off your skin. Q: How many animals are killed for fur? A: According to Statistics Canada, over one million animals are farmed for their fur, and another million are trapped each year. This is in Canada alone... worldwide over 40 million animals are tortured and killed ruthlessly for their coats. Q: I don't know anyone who wears a fur coat... how can this number be so high? A: Fur isn't only used for full coats. 90% of foxes raised on fur farms are killed for fur trim, for things like collars and cuffs on jackets. These trimmings offer no additional warmth to the clothing at all, they are just there for "the look". Even kid's jewelry is often made with real fur that has been trimmed or dyed different colours. Synthetic materials can be used instead to achieve the same look -- without the cruelty. Q: Isn't fake fur more harmful to the environment? A: Turning animals into coats is far worse environmentally than producing synthetic fur. An energy consumption study by the Ford Motor Company found that it takes 66 times more energy to raise and kill animals for their fur than it does to create synthetics. [ More specific details about this study: A synthetic fur coat was found to require 120,300 BTU (British Thermal Units), which is approximately equal to the amount of useful energy in one gallon of gasoline (128,000 BTU). A coat made from trapped animals required 433,000 BTU, and a coat made from cage-raised animals required a staggering 7,965,800 BTU-66 times more energy than what is needed for a fake fur. Unlike most comparisons of real and synthetic fur products, this study took into consideration the feed required for cage-raised animals and the transportation, skinning, scraping, drying, and dyeing of pelts. ] Q: How is raising or trapping animals for fur different than raising or hunting animals for food? A: There is a major difference. We recognize that meat consumption is considered by some to be necessary to human survival. However, there is no justification for the commercial killing of animals for their pelts. The advent of synthetic fabrics that are warmer and lighter than fur has eliminated the need for fur garments. To condone the killing of animals for the sake of fashion cheapens life, including our own. Q: They can't just raise the animal for it's fur... don't they use the rest of it? A: When was the last time you ate fox meat for dinner? How about mink? Probably never. The bodies are simply disposed of... it's just unwanted waste to the fur industry. Some fur farms grind them up and feed them back to the animals... and we all know that's how Mad Cow disease got started. Q: What about leather? A: Information about leather can be found at the following web site: http://www.cowsarecool.com Q: I want to see the fur trade stopped. What should I do? A: As a consumer you have a lot of power. If everyone stops buying fur, then stores will stop selling it, and fur farms and trapping will be a thing of the past. So don't buy clothing made of fur, or lined or trimmed with fur (be sure to check the tags). Don't buy fur toys or decorations. Encourage your friends and families to do the same. Together, we can make a difference. References: - Ford Motor Company, Scientific Research Laboratory - Statistics Canada, CANSIM, table 003-0013 and Catalogue no 23-603-UPE http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/prim46.htm - PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals http://www.peta.com - HSUS - The Humane Society of the United States http://www.hsus.org - Coalition To Abolish The Fur Trade http://www.banfur.com - The Fur-Bearers Association http://www.banlegholdtraps.com From resist at resist.ca Mon Nov 10 16:43:43 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 16:43:43 -0800 Subject: [news] OCAP takes 'Gatekeeper' Squat, MP vows conversion to social housing Message-ID: <1068511423.1471.422.camel@murray> ** check end of report for details of election night action ** OCAP takes 'Gatekeeper' Squat, MP vows conversion to social housing On Saturday, November 8th in the heart of downtown Toronto's east end, All Saint's Church was packed with people who came to eat a hot meal and to rally for a demonstration called by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. We had put out a call to take over an abandoned building in a community well aquainted with living in poverty. Over 500 people then took to the streets in a spirited march that made its way through a neighbourhood dense with homeless shelters, low income housing, and parks where people live and die with the reality of how serious the housing crisis in this city really is. Once the march had crossed the Don Valley Parkway on Gerrard Street, it was suddenly diverted to surround an old building standing in front of the Don Jail. As people rushed the property, the front door was opened and banners fell from the windows. Unprepared, the police flanking the march were unable to prevent people from joining those who had already occupied the building in advance. Chaos ensued as police attempted to stop the flow of people from filling the squat. Four people were arrested, including a longtime OCAP member whose child was snatched from her shoulders by a female police officer. The two year old boy was held by cops refusing to return him to his father, who stood within arm's reach. Immediately enraged, the crowd entered into a stand-off with police that ended only after negotiations with the cops returned the child to his dad. All those arrested were charged with various assault and obstuct police charges, and have since been released from police custody. At one point during the occupation of this building, jail officials decided to limit visitation for people wanting to see friends and family at the Jail. This was a callous and unnecessary action and we extend sincere regrets to anyone who was turned away from seeing their loved ones. Following the initial melee, the police were forced to back away completely from the squat and people and media were able to flood the occupied building. With power, running water, working telephone and fax lines, the building was ours. 558 Gerrard Street East was originally built as part of the Don Jail complex - the home of the jail's Gatekeeper. After the jail stopped using the buildings in 1974, the Gatekeeper's building was turned into a halfway house for people coming out of the Don, but due to budget cutbacks, it has been abandoned for a number of years. Throughout, the buildings have been owned by the Ontario Government, but the Tories planned to close the Don Jail and took initial steps by signing an agreement with Bridgepoint Health (at the time known as the Riverdale Hospital) putting the technical ownership of the property in the hands of Bridgepoint, but the Province remains leaseholder and so retains control of the property until the Jail is closed down. The corner of Broadview and Gerrard, like many in downtown Toronto has been the site of recent homeless deaths. During the first week of February of last year, a native man named Phillip Toulouse froze to death on the porch of the seldom use 'Governor's House', while the Gatekeeper's building sat empty just meters away. In the winter of 1996, 3 homeless men froze to death in this city. Irwin Anderson, who died just across the street from this building, was one of them. The police stood with hands tied. Eventually, a supervisor at the Jail conveniently appeared and, as a representative of the owner, told organizers that the building was 'structurally unsound' and in the interests of 'safety', he did not want people there. We were told that if the premises were not vacated within 15 minutes, he would be forced to call on the police to assist him in clearing the property. As anyone who had the chance to see inside would attest, the condition of the building was not at all in question. The ultimatum had no effect on the commitment of the people inside or their supporters outside to stand their ground. A group of people began to barricade themselves inside the building in anticipation of an eviction by the police. Timed to take place on the eve of a municpal election in this city, OCAP was calling on the mayoral candidates to respond to the taking of an abandoned building in a city where rent is sky high, buildings sit empty, large amounts of rental housing stand in disrepair, and shelters are filled beyond capacity. But in a bizarre twist, Federal Liberal Dennis Mills, MP for the ward in which the squat was taken, suddenly appeared on the scene late in the afternoon. After an initial attempt to intervene with the police, citing the fact that 'there had never been a riot in his riding in all his 16 years as MP', Mills was allowed to briefly tour the squat, at which point the cops were also using megaphones and banners to deem the demonstration an unlawful assembly and to announce their intended use of force. After it became clear to Mills that the police were set to carry out a full-on eviction of the building, Mills made a pledge. In front of media cameras and onlookers, he signed a statement stating that he would resign from his post in the House of Commons within one month, if he was unsuccessful in getting this building converted into social housing. His pledge was conditional on people leaving the building and its premises, which we forced the police to agree they would be free to do without facing criminal charges. Those occupying the building talked it over and the decision to leave was reached. We occupied this empty building, one of many in Toronto, to launch a campaign to defend our community and to take what belongs to the people who live in it. Condo owners and business associations cannot be allowed to push their greedy plans on our streets and our lives any longer. The time to step up our fight is now. Home to hundreds of people, the building once known as Street City is scheduled for demolition. It now stands empty and guarded by the same DC Security company that .protected. the Pope Squat at huge expense. At the end of this month, 60 Richmond, a heavily used drop-in program located in the already strapped east end neighbourhood, will shut down unless City officials step in with funding they could certainly afford to provide. We're building action on this now, and expect mayoral candidates who love to talk about 'communities' to satisfy our demands. On Monday Novermber 10th, as the municipal campaigning ends, OCAP wants to hear from the new mayor. While whoever wins will celebrate victory, the first order of business must be housing. And from the first moment, the new mayor must be held accountable. Words have been uttered about the future of empty buildings in this city. After the action taken this weekend, OCAP wants to know where the new mayor stands. We will go to the victory party to get an answer. Join us. Meet: OCAP office 10 Britain Street (just south of Queen Street East, west of Sherbourne) 7:30pm Monday, Novermber 10th ** Ontario Coalition Against Poverty NEW ADDRESS!: 10 Britain St. Toronto, Ontario M5A 1R6 416-925-6939 ocap at tao.ca www.ocap.ca ** From resist at resist.ca Tue Nov 11 11:23:13 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 11:23:13 -0800 Subject: [news] TELL THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD THAT THEIR COPS MUST KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF OUR KIDS! Message-ID: <1068578592.1459.451.camel@murray> this is the followup from the ocap squat demo. the woman in question (pj) was one of the founding members of the TAO/OAT collective and is an active OCAP member. -----Forwarded Message----- From: OCAP To: ocap at lists.tao.ca Subject: TELL THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD THAT THEIR COPS MUST KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF OUR KIDS! Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 12:47:04 -0500 (Note about Housing Rally at the Liberal Party Convention at bottom) TELL THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD THAT THEIR COPS MUST KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF OUR KIDS! ASSEMBLE JOHN STREET ENTRANCE OF METRO HALL (AT KING) THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, AT 1.00 PM During last Saturday's successful OCAP action to reclaim abandoned housing for the homeless, a new and terrifying police tactic was introduced. As you will see from the statement below by Jeff Shantz, the Police decided to try and intimidate those exercising their right to protest by threatening the removal of their children. A concerted effort was made to take away the two-year-old son of Jeff and his partner, PJ Lilley, and to involve child services in this vile process. At least one other parent at the same action was told to leave the scene or have her small child taken away from her. That these tactics failed was entirely due to the courage of the parents involved and the support of others at the event. Poor people with limited access to childcare have as much right to assemble and express dissent as anyone else. The slanderous notion that people who seek to involve their children in something as noble and important as social struggle are "unfit parents" is something that can't be tolerated or legitimized. The Police respond to legitimate and necessary attempts to resist poverty with massive displays of force. Having created such an environment, they then use it to try and remove the right of poor families to stand up and fight back. HOW THE TORONTO POLICE KIDNAPPED MY CHILD During the OCAP housing action on Saturday November 8, Toronto police officers abducted my 2-1/2-year-old son, Saoirse. Shortly after the march arrived at 558 Gerrard Street East to open the "Gatekeeper Squat," police attacked the child's mother, violently snatching Saoirse right off of her shoulders. When I attempted to stop this kidnapping in process, I was surrounded by officers who refused to let me retrieve my child, even after I had given identification showing that I was the father. After a tense stand-off, one officer told me, in the chilling language of a kidnapper, that, "The only way you will EVER get your child back is to get into one of our cars." When I got into the back seat of the police vehicle, rather than being allowed to leave with my son, the door was slammed shut and locked behind us and we were driven away. At this point it was quite clear that an abduction was underway. At no point was I told, despite repeated requests, why we were being held or where we were being taken. When the car came to a stop around the corner from the squat, at Broadview and Gerrard, I demanded to be released from the vehicle, since I was not being charged, to take my baby back to his food and essentials. It was at that stop that I heard the call come across the police radio ordering all officers to withdraw from the premises of 558 Gerrard East since they had no jurisdiction over the property at that point. This made clear that the police had no authority to stop people from approaching the property at the time that Saoirse's mom was attacked and arrested. The officer refused my request to be released and instead drove me and Saoirse to 51 Division where two calls were put in to get child services ready to take us, and thus legalize the police kidnapping. When I refused to go into the building two additional officers were sent out to "escort" us in. I still refused to enter the station since I had not been charged with anything and the reason for our being held had never been stated. At this point one of the officers who had come to escort us inside grabbed me violently by the arm and wrenching it shoved me against the car. I ended up with a badly sprained ankle that has required medical attention. The officer was not even phased by the fact that I was still holding Saoirse during this attack. When the officer continued the rough treatment I realized that things would not end well for me and Saoirse unless I got some help. Luckily right at the moment that I started shouting for help a passerby happened on the scene and came over to see what was going on. In response, the officer who had assaulted me told me that he was going to charge me with "causing a disturbance" for my calls for help. He then proceeded to shove me again. When I objected to this assault, the officer looked at his colleague and said, "You didn't see anything, did you?" Sensing that with the witness present this might be my only chance to avoid complete capture by child services, I clarified that I had not been charged with anything and then turned and walked away with Saoirse in my arms. Thankfully we were not pursued. I have absolutely no doubt that had the passerby not arrived at the very moment he did I would have been further assaulted and Saoirse would have been fully captured by child services. Clearly the Toronto Police will stop at nothing to protect private property and profit-making interests in this city. That they would abduct and traumatize a child in full view of several hundred people and reporters from major media outlets shows again that this is a force that is viciously out of control after years of indulgence from Queen's Park and City Hall. Police in this city have come to believe that they can get away with pretty much anything. At least one other parent has come forward to say that right after my son was abducted, an officer threatened to take her child if she didn't leave the demonstration immediately. Still, this is not solely about police violations of civil liberties at demonstrations. The violence the police inflicted on my family on November 8, is the same violence they inflict regularly on poor children and their parents in neighbourhoods across Toronto. While some might like to argue that a demonstration is not a safe place for children, it might be more appropriate to ask if, when it comes to the Toronto Police, there is any safe place in this city for poor children and their parents? We cannot allow the police to target children and their parents in the streets, in our neighbourhoods or in our homes. We must assert our right to stand with our children publicly in our communities and to raise our voices with our children. Jeff Shantz, November 10 ----------------------------------------------------------------- HOUSING MARCH AND RALLY: FRIDAY, NOV. 14th at 11 a.m., Grange Park (behind the Art Gallery of Ontario (at Beverly St., north of Queen St.) March to the Toronto Metro Convention Centre at Front and John St. On Friday, Nov. 14th at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto, it's almost a given that Paul Martin will be chosen as the new leader of the Liberal Party and the next Prime Minister of Canada. Join the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, Homelessness Action Group and FRAPRU (a housing advocacy group in Quebec) in a march and rally outside the convention centre, where we plan to build a house and unveil the latest report card on how little affordable housing has been built across Canada in the last year. Come out, bring your friends, family and co-workers and join us in reminding Paul Martin that 13 years ago he condemned the Conservative government for the homelessness crisis and the lack of funding for affordable housing. And then spent the last eight years in government doing virtually nothing. Homelessness is at a crisis and no one should have to spend another winter in the cold. Canada needs a National Affordable Housing Program and $2 Billion a year in funding. That's the message we want Paul Martin to hear... ** Ontario Coalition Against Poverty NEW ADDRESS!: 10 Britain St. Toronto, Ontario M5A 1R6 416-925-6939 ocap at tao.ca www.ocap.ca ** From mstainsby at tao.ca Tue Nov 11 22:02:21 2003 From: mstainsby at tao.ca (Macdonald Stainsby) Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 22:02:21 -0800 Subject: [news] Censorship At the Amnesty International Film Festival On Human Rights. In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <3FB1CCED.2030300@tao.ca> +AF8-Censorship At the Amnesty International Film Festival On Human Rights.+AF8- Macdonald Stainsby Beginning Thursday, November 6+AF4-th until Sunday the 9+AF4-th , Amnesty International held their annual film festival on Human rights. The listings were much of the usual fare for AI: Films on Tibet, Burma, Pinochet's 1973 coup in Chile, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, even a film on Israel's secret nuclear weapons program. The festival had one other film scheduled to be the last one shown. That film had been broadcast on the CBC's 'Passionate Eye' program (twice). It had won more awards than any other film on the list of films to be put on screen at the film festival. It has been shown across Europe, including the BBC. It was removed two days before the festival, and AI still hasn't clarified why or who convinced them to do this. The film is +IBw-The Revolution Will Not Be Televised+IB0-, and citing a series of contradictory reasons, the film was banned from the festival by Amnesty International, after it had already been booked and listed in all of the AI programs. A controversy immediately ensued, and it was Venezuelans who support the film who first noticed that the very people from Venezuela that the film exposed as human rights violators had launched a campaign against it globally, wherever people might see it. Don Wright, local region (BC Yukon) coordinator of AI, was interviewed on 'Democracy Now', a radio program in New York run on the station Pacifica. There, the arguments given were (quote): +IBw-...when we choose films we strive to choose films that are nonpartisan and nonpolitical to reflect the mandate of our organization.+AF4-1 <+ACM-sdfootnote1sym>+IB0- That is a rather bizarre statement, to say the least, for an organization dealing with human rights and coming from a film festival that included topics such as a successful coup in Chile and discussions of Israeli nuclear programs. Perhaps nuclear weapons in the Middle East and military coups in South America are non-political and failed coups in South America are? I guess I'm missing something here. And nonpartisan, well-- I guess the Chinese government will be invited to talk on why it maintains sovereignty over Tibet next year, no doubt that we need balance here. Another point that seems very disturbing, Don Wright also said: +IBw-I think I needed to clarify that the decision to include the film and then to not include the film was very much a local decision...+IB0-, which will be news to myself, Derrick O'Keefe and Peter Lypkie-- who were all told directly by Don Wright that he would lose his job if he showed the film. Amnesty International Canada would fire someone for showing a movie? That sounds like a pretty dangerous film. Many people attending the festival were told that Amnesty Canada (in Ottawa) had ordered the film pulled. I doubt we'll ever know which of these stories to believe. The first stories were that the film was not about human rights, and that to show this film-- I remind you it's been on the CBC and the BBC as well as elsewhere-- would create further ruptures in Venezuela, possibly leading to more violence. If this sounds just a tad far fetched, it should. Censorship begets lying, which begets more lies to justify the censorship, and on and on. Myself and only a few others ran a petition and information campaign out front of the film festival every night the festival ran. AI's supporters believe they are working to ensure an /end/ to censorship, and they also don't expect their organization to cave into outside pressures like this, especially from human rights violators. I am not exaggerating when I say that 90+ACU- were supportive and concerned, and 75+ACU- of the lineups-- over 300 people so far-- have signed in person the petition to demand that AI reinstate the film. Well, they didn't do that-- but you can still sign another petition online here: http://www.petitiononline.com/vendoc/petition.html ...and then do what's even more important: see the film for yourself and use your own mind. As a response to the banning, some good people got a generator and a TV and VCR down to the Pacific Cinematheque to show it out front of the theater. Not a single riot broke out in Caracas. A half an hour after the movie was supposed to be shown (8:25pm, to be exact) we put it on for viewing at the Dogwood Centre in East Vancouver. We filled all but three chairs and raised over a hundred dollars to keep presenting the movie, to make copies, and to make certain that everyone has the chance to see it, no matter what AI or violent, anti-government Venezuelans try to do. The film documents, from the inside out by the Irish Film Board (IFB), the events of the two days of the coup. The IFB had been in the parliament buildings making a separate documentary when the coup attempt happened and they simply kept filming. The documentary first shows events of the months leading up to the coup to learn about the struggle over democracy in the country. Hugo Chavez, the elected president of the country, has embarked on a dual campaign of democracy and social justice by holding referendums, democratizing the supreme court, the national assembly and now mildly redistributing wealth in a country with massive oil reserves-- yet a majority living in absolute poverty and illiteracy. The 'revolution' (as it styles itself) has begun providing health care to the rural and traditionally neglected regions of Venezuela while simultaneously empowering people through vast education campaigns as to the rights and duties of the citizen under the hyper-democratic provisions of the new constitution (itself written in consultation with the entire population). This has earned this government the wrath of the traditional ruling elites who have much to lose if the population is able to emancipate itself. This culminated in the US helping work with the 'opposition' (traditional ruling elites) to foment a military coup last April 2002. The extraordinary events of the coup, including the mass uprising of the people against it, are all documented from the inside out. The Venezuelan media are, in what AI called the +IBw-world's first media coup+IB0- in their original description, shown to be more than mere supporters of the coup. They blacked out the pro-Chavez demonstrations by decree, asked the population to help overthrow the government, they were even thanked at great length individually during the brief time of the dictatorship! The one channel that the government controls, channel 8, had it's signal cut during the coup. The coupistas even tried to use the media to say they still had power long after power and the military had been returned to civilian and constitutional rule. As I and many awards agree, the film is nothing short of extraordinary as you see Venezuelans refusing to have their democracy stolen by the wealthy and formerly powerful few. But don't take my word for it, I believe that you should make up your own mind. The film will be shown again November 28+AF4-th at SFU Harbor Centre downtown (Fletcher Challenge Theater) at 6:30pm. You have the right to see this film and make up your mind yourself. After Amnesty International caved into the ominous pressures of those sympathetic to the coup, we need to see this movie more than ever. The only way to deal with this kind of censorship imposed from above on a group that seems to have lost it's spine is to learn what they don't want you to know, and to see what you are not supposed to see. The same people who plotted the first coup are still trying to unseat the president, so history is far from over. If you want to get your hands on your own copy of the film, please contact me at mstainsby+AEA-tao.ca with a phone number and I will contact you when the cassettes are ready in the near future (to be sold at cost). Be a rebel: see the film that Amnesty censored. Contact AI Canada and demand they include the film across the country, this is a traveling festival. 1 800 AMNESTY (266-3789). email: pro+AEA-amnesty.ca 1 <+ACM-sdfootnote1anc>http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/06/1558221+ACY-mode=thread+ACY-tid=25 From skisby at web.net Wed Nov 12 17:42:57 2003 From: skisby at web.net (Steve Kisby) Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 17:42:57 -0800 Subject: [news] Hunger Strike Enters 17th Day Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20031112174257.01c44298@pop.web.net> http://www.alternatives.com/prms/2003/vsfc1112.pdf MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rob Baxter, 604.267.6065 rbaxter at epilogicconsulting.com Hunger Strike Enters 17th Day Pettigrew's Office Implies Protest Not Constructive VANCOUVER -- November 12, 2003 -- The hunger strike against the FTAA has entered its 17th day with word from Minister Pierre Pettigrew's office implying the protest was not constructive and claiming that the government had already engaged in extensive consultations with citizen groups. The activists have requested a meeting with Federal Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew to voice their and others concerns over Canada's negotiating position at the upcoming FTAA ministerial meeting in Miami on November 20 and 21. A spokesperson for the hunger strike responded by saying, "We believe that it is the government's consultation process which had been unconstructive. While the Liberal Government has allowed input they have continually ignored that input. When governments continue to ignore citizen concerns, citizens are forced to resort to new forms of protest." For example, many Canadians have expressed concern about that fact that the FTAA could force Canada to turn control of its municipal water systems over to multinational corporations. The FTAA could also prevent Canada from protecting its fresh water resources in rivers and lakes. Yet, the federal government refuses to exempt water from the negotiating table. Vancouver activists began the hunger strike on October 27 to protest Canada's negotiating position at the upcoming FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) ministerial meeting in Miami. Activists have set up a camp at the Peace Arch border crossing as part of the protest. The protesters have presented a series of principles that they would like immediate action on (attached). For more information on the hunger strike visit: http://www.economicjustice.ca The event is being organized by Artists For Peace (http://www.artistsforpeace.ca) Principles for Immediate Action 1. The City of Vancouver pass a resolution declaring Vancouver an FTAA-free zone. 2. The Federal Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew come to Vancouver and meet with the hunger strikers at our protest site before he attends the FTAA Summit in Miami this November. 3. The Canadian government commence action to repeal the investor-state provision of NAFTA (chapter 11) and preclude it's inclusion in the FTAA. 4. Before any Americas trade deal is signed by Canada, the Canadian government must take action to ensure that the rights of all of this continent's peoples are protected by a written code of human rights, signed by all countries involved, with real enforceable provisions. 5. A federal referendum be held to determine our (Canadian) participation in all present and future International Trade Agreements. 6. The FTAA not infringe on the right of local indigenous communities and nations to govern themselves, including the ability of those local communities and nations to control resources and lands within their territories. For more information, please also see: 1. Global Exchange's "Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas": http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/ftaa/Top10NoFTAA.pdf http://www.globalexchange.org/ftaa/topten.html 2. Council of Canadians' "Stop the FTAA": http://www.canadians.org/documents/stop_the_ftaa-e.pdf http://www.canadians.org/display_document.htm?id=108&isdoc=1 3. Vancouver Hunger Strike Against the FTAA: http://www.economicjustice.ca From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Thu Nov 13 15:57:26 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 15:57:26 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: [mobglob-discuss] [ACTION] Democratic Debate Needed on MissileDefence - Maude Barlow Message-ID: <016c01c3aa41$e40fc220$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Childs" To: Cc: Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 10:59 AM Subject: [mobglob-discuss] [ACTION] Democratic Debate Needed on MissileDefence - Maude Barlow > http://vancouver.indymedia.org/news/2003/11/82116.php > > Within days a secret federal cabinet decision could trap Canada into > Star Wars > by Maude Barlow * Wednesday November 12, 2003 at 10:36 AM > > > Within days a federal cabinet decision could trap Canada into > permanently supporting the U.S. military's missile defence scheme. And > Canadians won't know what hit them because Defence Minister John > McCallum is keeping the negotiations under wraps. Action is needed. > > Maude Barlow - Author and volunteer Chair of the Council of Canadians > > Democratic Debate Needed on Missile Defence > > November 12, 2003 > > > Dear Canadians, > > Within days a federal cabinet decision could trap Canada into > permanently supporting the U.S. military's missile defence scheme. > > And Canadians won't know what hit them because Defence Minister John > McCallum is keeping the negotiations under wraps. > > In May, Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien promised, "There will be a debate > in the House of Commons . . . we want to know everyone's position." > > For Canada's sake let's insist that Chr?tien fulfills his promise. > Visit http://www.ceasefire.ca right now to send your letter to the Prime > Minister asking for a debate in Parliament. > > Without your voice Chr?tien will let McCallum get away with quietly > locking Canada into George W. Bush's missile defence program. They'll > forge ahead knowing full well this military extravaganza will be more > costly, more dangerous, and just as grotesquely unworkable as the > original Ronald Reagan Star Wars scheme. > > Don't be surprised. The decision is coming down the pike and will be > made in secret. Why secret? Because the government knows that Canadians > oppose missile defence. > > But we can stop this crazy idea. Canadians are well aware that this > U.S. military program endangers our security and will waste billions of > dollars - money that needs to be allocated to social programs like > health care, housing and alleviating poverty. > > That's why I'm asking you to visit http://www.ceasefire.ca today. You > can get more information and take action now. > > Sadly, the decision to cuddle up to this military scheme will be made > to appease global corporations and the American far right after having > opposed their war on Iraq. > > But even more worrisome, adopting missile defence is just one piece of > an even larger agenda - deep integration between Canada and the United > States. This idea is being championed by some of the same folks who > brought us free trade and who now want Canada to adopt the U.S. dollar > and further integrate our economies. > > We need to let Prime Minister Chr?tien and incoming Prime Minister Paul > Martin know that we oppose missile defence. > > We've already surrendered our sovereignty in areas such as energy, > natural resources, social policy, and so-called harmonization of visa > and immigration policy. > > Now, Canada will give up even more sovereignty over our country's > defence and security by handing decision-making powers to the Pentagon. > > > We ought to remember that George W. Bush said he considers Canada's > water as part of his country's security policy. Thus "deep integration" > should come as no surprise - the U.S. President and his Canadian free > trade supporters seem to believe Canada is nothing more than a U.S. > resource supplier. And it 's unlikely that Paul Martin will stand up for > Canada. > > Yet there is a growing wave of democratic power that Martin and > Chr?tien cannot ignore. > > Canadians do not want further integration with U.S. social, political > and military policies. We believe in our health care. We believe in > peacekeeping and not wielding a big stick. We believe in our country. > And we believe that we are much safer engaging with the rest of the > world instead of forcing our will upon them. > > I'm confident that Martin and Chr?tien will change their minds when > Canadians boldly speak up in favour of Canadian security and Canadian > priorities. > > Missile defence will be a disaster for Canada. It will undermine our > sovereignty and security. It will likely force Canada to spend more > money on the military, and on the wrong kind of military priorities at > that (war-fighting instead of peacekeeping). > > That's why I hope you'll join me and visit http://www.ceasefire.ca to > send a letter to Prime Minister Chr?tien and copy it to Paul Martin, > letting them know that missile defence is unacceptable. And, at the very > minimum, let them know they need to be brave enough to make the decision > in public and not behind closed doors. > > Sincerely yours, > > Maude Barlow > > > www.ceasefire.ca > > _______________________________________________ > mobglob-discuss mailing list > mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca > https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/mobglob-discuss > From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Thu Nov 13 16:21:09 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 16:21:09 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: [mobglob-discuss] RCMP rapped for excessive force at Quebec protest Message-ID: <025d01c3aa45$33b21500$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Flett" To: "MobGlob Discuss" Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 2:49 PM Subject: [mobglob-discuss] RCMP rapped for excessive force at Quebec protest > Report rips RCMP brutality > 'Excessive, unjustified force' used on Quebec protesters > > Peter O'Neil > The Vancouver Sun > Thursday, November 13, 2003 > > The RCMP abused its power while using "oppressive" force against > protesters at the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, resulting > in a violation of both the Criminal Code and the Charter of Rights, > according to the RCMP Public Complaints Commission. > > "RCMP members used excessive and unjustified force," chief commissioner > Shirley Heafey concluded in her scathing report, obtained yesterday by > CanWest News. > > The report said the Mounties had the right to disperse protesters near a > gathering of leaders from North and South America, including U.S. > President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Jean Chr?tien. > > But the RCMP's tactical squad violated its own procedures by giving > inadequate warning and then using tear gas, rubber bullets, a "flash > bang" grenade and a Taser gun to scatter crowds during a day of protest. > > She recommended that the two senior RCMP inspectors responsible for > crowd control be "dealt with accordingly" and that individual officers > who "abused their power and authority" be subjected to "appropriate > sanctions." > > Ms. Heafey also said the RCMP should apologize to New Democratic Party > MP Svend Robinson, who received a letter from the Mounties in February > that dismissed his complaints and blamed the MP and other protesters for > the violence. > > Ms. Heafey, in supporting Mr. Robinson's appeal to the Public Complaints > Commission, outlined in graphic detail two examples of police brutality. > > In one instance, an officer shot 50,000 volts of electricity from a > Taser gun into a protester who was lying face-down on the pavement, > waiting to be arrested, with one arm held up for a handcuff and the > other over his head flashing the peace sign. > > The gun, according to the manufacturer's website, "is solely designed to > stop the most hardened of targets: extremely violent, aggressive, > goal-oriented and drug-induced suspects." > > In another instance, officers fired rubber bullets at a group of > well-dressed, adult men who had simply gathered 10 to 15 metres from an > RCMP post and shook hands. > > The laughing officers aimed their multiple laser range finders at the > crotch of one man, who appeared to be hit in the buttocks and was hiding > behind a tree. > > "One member clearly said: 'These guys don't speak a word of English, > boys,' to the laughter of others. The struck civilian switched to > English, pleading to speak with the 'officer in charge.' He was laughed > at by unknown members and told to 'go home' in English," Ms. Heafey > wrote. > > "This conduct was inappropriate and oppressive. The four civilians were > not aggressive and posed no threat." > > The circumstances surrounding both the Taser and the rubber bullet > incidents, according to Ms. Heafey, "could not have remotely called for > such disgraceful conduct." > > Ms. Heafey will deliver her final report, which is not binding on the > force, after the RCMP has an opportunity to comment on her interim > decision. Mr. Robinson, meanwhile, is continuing his own lawsuit against > the RCMP. > > RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli received the report yesterday and > will review the findings and recommendations before responding, said > Staff-Sgt. Paul Marsh. > > Mr. Robinson, who will make the report public today, said he ask > Solicitor General Wayne Easter to call in Commissioner Zaccardelli to > explain both the brutality and the RCMP's subsequent "whitewash" > investigation. > > "People just dismiss (protesters) as a bunch of radical young people > protesting against (free trade)," Mr. Robinson said. > > "These were a group of young people whose most basic rights were > trampled on and who were subject to breaches of the Criminal Code." > > Ms. Heafey's report says the RCMP failed to follow its own operational > policy. > > The RCMP, while having the right to disperse crowds in order to protect > foreign leaders, must follow their own rules which require officers to > give protesters sufficient time to act on those orders. > > She wrote that the RCMP must clearly tell protesters that they could be > arrested and charged if they don't disperse, and that they could also be > subjected to forceful measures such as the use of tear gas and rubber > bullets. > > Instead, the Mounties moved in only two minutes after the first verbal > order to disperse was given. > > "None of this tactical operational procedure was followed," she wrote. > > The report says the use of tear gas and other instruments of force were > likely counterproductive, including the tossing of an "incendiary and > disorienting device known as a 'flash bang,' which made a large > explosive 'flash' in the air followed by a loud 'bang' noise to 'scare > and confuse the crowd,' as described in the investigation report. > > "Under the circumstances at the time," wrote Ms. Heafey, "this may not > have been needed or helpful in dispersing the crowd in an orderly and > controlled fashion. The resultant fright and confusion was immediate and > plainly evident on both (RCMP) tapes." > > ? Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen > _______________________________________________ > mobglob-discuss mailing list > mobglob-discuss at lists.resist.ca > https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/mobglob-discuss From resist at resist.ca Fri Nov 14 11:27:13 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 11:27:13 -0800 Subject: [news] "We could lose this situation" - CIA on Iraq Message-ID: <1068838033.18295.77.camel@murray> http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1083847,00.html The Guardian November 13, 2003 "We could lose this situation" CIA says insurgents now 50,000 strong Crisis talks over transfer of power Julian Borger in Washington and Rory McCarthy in Baghdad The White House yesterday drew up emergency plans to accelerate the transfer of power in Iraq after being shown a devastating CIA report warning that the guerrilla war was in danger of escalating out of US control. The report, an "appraisal of situation" commissioned by the CIA director, George Tenet, and written by the CIA station chief in Baghdad, said that the insurgency was gaining ground among the population, and already numbers in the tens of thousands. One military intelligence assessment now estimates the insurgents' strength at 50,000. Analysts cautioned that such a figure was speculative, but it does indicate a deep-rooted revolt on a far greater scale than the Pentagon had led the administration to believe. An intelligence source in Washington familiar with the CIA report described it as a "bleak assessment that the resistance is broad, strong and getting stronger". "It says we are going to lose the situation unless there is a rapid and dramatic change of course," the source said. "There are thousands in the resistance - not just a core of Ba'athists. They are in the thousands, and growing every day. Not all those people are actually firing, but providing support, shelter and all that." Although, the report was an internal CIA document it was widely circulated within the administration. Even more unusually, it carried an endorsement by Paul Bremer, the civilian head of the US-run occupation of Iraq - a possible sign that he was seeking to bypass his superiors in the Pentagon and send a message directly to President George Bush on how bad the situation has become. Proof of the strength of the insurgents and their ability to strike anywhere in Iraq was provided in another devastating suicide bombing yesterday. This time the target was the Italian military police barracks in the south-eastern city of Nasariya. At least 17 Italians and eight Iraqis were killed, striking a blow at one of the few nations prepared to send troops to help the US and Britain contain the rising violence. Following crisis talks in Washington yesterday, Mr Bremer flew back to Baghdad armed with proposals to bolster the US-backed Iraqi governing council with more powers and more resources in an attempt to speed up elections. Under one of the proposals, the council could be expanded or transformed into a full provisional government backed by an interim constitution. That would represent a radical reversal of earlier US policy which was to put off the transfer of real power to an Iraqi government until after elections, which in turn would have to await a comprehensive new constitution. The new blueprint, which reverses that methodological progression and which is closer to what was done in post-war Afghanistan, emerged from an urgently arranged series of meetings between the president, his top national security advisers, and Mr Bremer, as the security situation in Iraq continued to deteriorate rapidly. In scenes last night reminiscent of the height of the war, US forces went back on the offensive with air strikes and armoured assaults on a suspected guerrilla stronghold near Baghdad. Guerrilla attacks, meanwhile, have become more frequent, bolder and bloodier. In public at least, the defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has insisted that the attacks are the work of a few remnants of Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist party and a handful of Islamic jihadists from other Arab countries. It is understood that Mr Bremer's administration is concerned about the impact of the decision by US forces to escalate their offensive against the insurgents, anxious that bombing and heavy-handed raids will increase popular support for the insurgency. Mr Bremer refused to provide details of the new US plan, but US and British officials said he was carrying proposals from Mr Bush aimed at bolstering the interim Iraqi leadership in the hope of winning the confidence of Iraqis and paving the way for elections pencilled in for the end of next year. But, according to some US officials, elections could be held in four to six months. The UN security council has given the Iraqi governing council until December 15 to come up with a constitutional blueprint and organising elections. The council, deeply divided by internal disputes, has shown little sign of meeting that deadline, but the new US proposals would put it under pressure to accelerate its work and the transfer of power. One of the options discussed in the White House yesterday was replacing the governing council with a new body. The council was hand-picked by Washington after the war, largely from returning exiles, but it has since disappointed US officials by its slow progress. Many of its 24 members fail to turn up to its meetings, and the CIA report said the council had little support among the Iraqi population. However, the secretary of state, Colin Powell insisted: "We are committed to the governing council and are prepared to help them in any way we can." "We're looking at all sorts of ideas, and we do want to accelerate the work of reform," Mr Powell said. "We want to accelerate the work of putting a legal basis under the new Iraqi government and we are doing everything we can to get the governing council equipped with everything they need." Project-X list: initiated for the (re)building of the Left. From resist at resist.ca Sat Nov 15 10:51:03 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 10:51:03 -0800 Subject: [news] CLC Executive Approves IWA Scabbing Message-ID: <1068922263.22111.18.camel@murray> -----Forwarded Message----- From: Will Offley To: project-x at resist.ca Subject: [pr-x] CLC Executive Approves IWA Scabbing Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 09:52:54 -0800 HEU Newsletters November 14, 2003 CUPE will continue to press case of BC health care workers The Executive Committee of the Canadian Labour Congress has rejected CUPEs solution to bringing the IWA-Canada into compliance with the CLC constitution. A neutral umpire appointed by CLC President Ken Georgetti ruled last month that IWA-Canada was in violation of the CLC Constitution when it signed voluntary partnership agreements with private health sector corporations that are taking over work from public health facilities represented by CUPE-HEU. In a conference call meeting earlier today, CUPE asked the CLC Executive Committee to decide on CUPEs previously tabled motion calling on IWA-Canada: to withdraw from these partnership agreements; to withdraw all its certification applications for former CUPE-HEU work currently before the BC Labour Relations Board; to withdraw from the IWA raid application covering workers at the Renfrew Long Term Care Facility; and to cease and desist from signing further agreements related to CUPE-HEU work. The motion was defeated. A motion proposed by CLC President Ken Georgetti was subsequently adopted. This motion calls on IWA-Canada to cease and desist from signing further voluntary agreements related to Bill 29 in BC, and to freeze its presence in the health care sector to the four voluntary agreements it has signed. Further, IWA-Canada is restricted within these four voluntary agreements to contracts already awarded or currently tendered. The position adopted by the CLC Executive Committee does not give CUPE-HEU the redress we are seeking. Delegates to CUPEs national convention recently voted unanimously to take whatever steps are necessary to pressure for full redress. CUPEs National Executive Committee and Board will be meeting mid-December to decide CUPEs next steps. Paul Moist National President Claude G?n?reux From dcr8on at sympatico.ca Sun Nov 16 07:31:59 2003 From: dcr8on at sympatico.ca (David Creighton) Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 10:31:59 -0500 Subject: [news] War on terror methods for Miami anti-globalization protests Message-ID: <3FB7986F.A008FD8B@sympatico.ca> War on terror methods for Miami anti-globalization protests By Patrick Martin 14 November 2003 Thousands of anti-globalization demonstrators are expected in Miami, Florida this weekend to participate in a series of protests against a meeting of trade ministers from throughout the western hemisphere, gathered to prepare the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). The officials from 34 countries?the entire hemisphere with the exception of Cuba?will meet November 17-21. The Bush administration and local authorities in Miami are treating the anti-globalization protests as though they were a military engagement. Thousands of police are being mobilized, and the $8.5 million cost of the heavy police presence was included in the $87 billion supplemental appropriation passed by Congress last week to fund the occupation of Iraq. Most of the money will go for overtime pay for police from Miami-Dade County and several adjoining cities. A total of 2,500 police will be deployed over a 50-square-block area in the city?s downtown, surrounding the Hotel Inter-Continental, where the trade ministers will be meeting. Police have stockpiled bicycles, riot helmets, water cannon and long lengths of eight-foot-high security fencing. A temporary jail has been set up in Liberty City, the impoverished neighborhood near downtown that was the scene of rioting over police brutality two decades ago. The city center of Miami will be under siege-like conditions. Dozens of businesses have already decided to close for the entire week. Federal courthouses will be closed for the week and all criminal and civil jury trials have been canceled at Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Many public schools will close or relocate classes, including Miami Dade College, and cruise lines are removing ships from the port. Protest organizers have already complained of police harassment. Three anti-globalization activists were arrested November 11 on suspicion of burglary, as they walked near the warehouse where papier-m?ch? figures and other demonstration paraphernalia are being assembled. A spokesman for the protest organizers said their ?crime? was to be walking with backpacks on Veterans Day. The largest demonstration is expected to take place on Thursday, November 20, a march organized by the AFL-CIO. Smaller actions are scheduled on a daily basis, beginning the weekend before the ministers begin their meeting to discuss expanding the existing NAFTA structure to include all of North, Central and South America. One of the most ominous preparations for repression is the decision by Miami Police Chief John Timoney to have media reporters ?embedded? in police squads. These will include the bicycle squads which will serve as a mobile strike force, as well as Coast Guard units and the regular police patrols around the Inter-Continental Hotel. Journalists will be required to bring riot helmets and gas masks and be responsible for their own safety. Each reporter will be required to sign a release form and agree not to report on tactical details of the police operations, such as the number of officers in a unit or the number of units participating in a particular sweep. Timoney invited the Associated Press, NBC, Reuters, the Miami Herald, CNN, Fox and several TV stations to embed reporters, according to a report by Associated Press, which has not yet agreed to the proposal, pending release of a final draft of the rules that embedded reporters will have to follow. ?Embedding? journalists in Miami brings home to the domestic police front the methods of media manipulation practiced during the invasion of Iraq, when reporters were embedded with US military units to insure a steady flow of pro-war media coverage. Timoney said that he was drawing on both the military example and his own experience as police commissioner in Philadelphia during the 2000 Republican National Convention, when police carried out a brutal crackdown on demonstrators opposed to the right-wing policies of Republican nominee George W. Bush. He detailed the advantages of embedded coverage from the standpoint of the authorities. ?This is not the case of a camera crew or reporter showing up just as something is breaking,? he told AP. ?It?s not just a snapshot. You get the whole before, during and after. You get a clearer picture and a better story. I think we win in the long run.? Significantly, although the AP ran a dispatch on the embedding plan on November 10, there has been no notice taken in the national media, let alone any protest over plans to use military-style methods to direct the press coverage of a legal domestic political protest. Miami Herald Executive Editor Tom Fiedler indicated that there was no objection on principle to embedding. The practice, ?in no way makes us allies of law enforcement,? he told AP. ?Rather than being the allies, we are the monitors of law enforcement authorities.? Like the plan for embedding reporters, the decision to fund the police operations in Miami out of the Iraq war spending bill has enormous symbolic significance. The Bush administration looks upon the repression of domestic dissent as part and parcel of its global ?war on terror,? in which it reserves the right to use military violence against any and all opponents of the policies of American imperialism. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/nov2003/miam-n14.shtml See Also: Pentagon, media agree on Iraq war censorship Reporters to be ?embedded? in military [5 March 2003] The US media: propagandists for a criminal war [25 March 2003] Embedding, repression and murder: How the US military degraded journalism in Iraq [11 April 2003] From pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca Sun Nov 16 13:55:23 2003 From: pnbrown at vcn.bc.ca (Paul Browning) Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 13:55:23 -0800 Subject: [news] Fw: [R-G] A picture's worth 1,000 hateful words Message-ID: <003a01c3ac8c$56252660$6401a8c0@PAUL> ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2003 10:48 AM Subject: [R-G] A picture's worth 1,000 hateful words > Globe and Mail November 15, 2003 > > A picture's worth 1,000 hateful words > > By Heather Mallick > > There can be few things that more eloquently express the male hatred and > fear of women than the recent Associated Press photo of Junior Bush signing > into law a ban on late-term abortions while surrounded by six grinning > middle-aged Talibanic white men in suits. There isn't a woman in sight. > > Any all-male or all-female gathering of humans spells trouble. This would be > your classic case. > > These men are clapping because they have just signed a law bullying the > saddest, most frightened women in the United States -- the tiny group of > pregnant women who have just seen their past-20-week ultrasound and been > told things like, "Ma'am, it doesn't have a head." > > Until these men had it their way, most women in these straits would have > tried to obtain a late-term abortion, the accurate description of what these > men prefer to call a "partial-birth" abortion. The fetus may have any of a > number of conditions: spina bifida, lacking a skull, etc. Late-term > abortions are performed in Canada, but are, and have always been, very rare. > > > Now, in the United States, these men say the deformed fetus must be carried > to term without considering the mother's health. She may have wanted to do > this anyway. The men dwell lovingly on upsetting phrases such as > "skull-crushing." But the main point is not the medical technique used for > the abortion, it is that she no longer has any say in the matter. Even > 12-year-old rape victims who didn't realize they were pregnant would have to > go through with it. It rivals female circumcision for cruelty and pointless > misery. > > It still isn't easy for a Canadian woman to get an abortion, but at least > she has a chance, and her health comes first. I feel chewed up with sorrow > for American women. > > All these men in the photo are applauding, none more enthusiastically than > Republican Senator Rick Santorum, a father of six, whose claim to fame is > saying that if Americans allowed homosexuality, they would have to allow > bigamy, incest, adultery and "anything." By "anything," he means sex with > furniture or raccoons. What he wants mandated is missionary-position sex > with the lifelong spouse lifting her nightshirt for yearly planting. I don't > think men or women want sex like that tonight. Given the choice, I'd rather > have my wisdom teeth reinserted. I kept them just in case. > > Let's meet the guys in the photo. From left, we see House Speaker Dennis > Hastert (Likes: semi-automatic weapons, death penalty. Dislikes: patients' > bill of rights); Senator Orrin Hatch (Likes: death penalty, writing 300 > songs about love. Dislikes: flag-burning, gays who complain of being fired > for gaiety); Representative James Sensenbrenner (Likes: faster death > penalties, faster gun purchasing. Dislikes: alternative fuels); Rick > Santorum (we've already met); Representative James Oberstar (Likes: death > penalty, old people paying for own medication. Dislikes: World Trade > Organization, smut); Senator Mike DeWine (Likes: death penalty, big school > classes. Dislikes: trigger locks on guns). > > Weird how these men are pro-life right up to the point of birth, when they > suddenly become rigidly pro-death. > > The war between men and women used to be distant from me, fought in faraway > bars, foreign beds. But it's heating up and it's getting closer. I see > Afghan leaders present themselves and there isn't a woman among them. > There's nothing worse than men in groups: armies, all-male editorial boards, > all-male tables of content in magazines, all-male management, all-male > "greatest" lists. Where are the women? Worse, no one seems to notice, or > wonder if the world would be a less violent, more interesting place (for we > are without doubt the more interesting sex) if women had a say in running > it. > > The worst a female soccer team will do is get grass stains on their uniforms > and drive their dry cleaner to drink. The worst a male soccer team will do > is gang-rape. It happens in Britain -- part of the current wave of violence > by football players -- with many theories being floated to explain it, one > being that this is a way for men to have semi-sex with each other. > > The exclusion of women from the circles of power that rule our lives is a > damnable, dangerous thing. For me, the most painful case has always been > that of Rosalind Franklin. James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the > structure of DNA, right, and got their Nobel, place in history etc. Except > they couldn't have done it without the crucial work of Ms. Franklin, a > researcher who was driven from her job. > > Mr. Watson and Mr. Crick basically dismissed the brilliant Ms. Franklin as a > badly dressed, aggressive cow. Oh, and she was Jewish, and I shiver to think > how that went over. She died young, of ovarian cancer. > > The structure of DNA was discovered by Ms. Franklin, Mr. Watson and Mr. > Crick. Please use the three names. Even Cambridge is twisted with guilt over > this now. > > Ah, the freezing-out of women. Virginia Woolf wrote A Room of One's Own, > about small-scale personal female independence. But like it or not, power is > wielded by groups, even though the male reputation for working well in > groups is absurdly inflated. If only women could get into those groups > without fear or favour. Vote for them, hire them, promote them, treat them > like equals. Then maybe the most powerful men in the world's most powerful > nation wouldn't stand around a-clappin' and a-grinnin' at having kicked a > bunch of helpless women in the belly. > > Let us in. > > hmallick at globeandmail.ca > > > > _______________________________________________ > Rad-Green mailing list > Rad-Green at lists.econ.utah.edu > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green From christoff at resist.ca Sun Nov 16 17:03:42 2003 From: christoff at resist.ca (Stefan Christoff) Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 17:03:42 -0800 (PST) Subject: [news] CKUT Radio: Miami Mobilization to Defeat the FTAA Message-ID: CKUT Radio: Miami Mobilization to Defeat the FTAA Listen to an interview with Leslie Kauffman an organizer active in the mobilization to oppose the FTAA. Leslie is an activist with United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) which works throughout the US and is active in the mobilization to confront the upcoming Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Summit which is set to take place in Miami Florida from November 19th - 21st. The Miami FTAA Summit will bring together trade ministers from 34 countries, to push forward the implementation of the FTAA a sweeping agreement that would extend the failed NAFTA model of capitalist globalization to the entire Western Hemisphere, minus Cuba. A large mobilization is currently being planned to greet these trade ministers in Miami with a massive display of opposition and resistance to the FTAA. United for Peace and Justice an organization which came together in the US this last year to build resistance to the war in Iraq is actively mobilization towards the anti-FTAA demonstrations in Miami. UFPJ's involvement in the growing resistance to the FTAA is making the links between the free trade capitalist style globalization defined in the FTAA and the capitalist militarization and destruction defined through the war of terrorism. In the recent 87 billion dollar bill pass through US Congress to support the ongoing occupation of Iraq & Afghanistan was included 8.5$ million dollars in security funding to prepare for the upcoming popular mobilization against the FTAA in Miami. -> To listen to the interview with Leslie Kauffman of UFPJ visit: http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=8102 -> To get information on the Miami mobilization against the FTAA visit: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/ http://www.ftaaimc.org/ http://www.stopftaa.org/ ---------------------- From resist at resist.ca Mon Nov 17 21:42:00 2003 From: resist at resist.ca (resist) Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 21:42:00 -0800 Subject: [news] Police destroy Iroquois longhouse in Hamilton Message-ID: <1069134120.871.1167.camel@murray> From: "indigenous_resistance at ziplip.com" Date: Tue Nov 11, 2003 10:29:06 AM America/Vancouver To: info at redwiremag.com Subject: Police destroy Iroquois longhouse in Hamilton RAID ON THE LONGHOUSE IN RED HILL VALLEY On Thursday morning (November 6) beginning at 10:30 am, the City of Hamilton sent its police and security guards to end the 13-week aboriginal occupation of Red Hill Valley. The raid was conducted by over 60 police and security personnel. Fourteen people were arrested, four of whom were held overnight. They were released Friday between 10 am and 4 pm, and were greeted by dozens of supporters who had spent most of the day waiting in court for their appearance. Their trial is scheduled for November 21. They face fines up to $2000 each. The police banned all media from the site while they conducted the raid. They even arrested one Indymedia reporter for videotaping their activities from outside the restricted area. Other Hamilton media kowtowed to the media ban. The official reason given by police for banning media was that their presence might "encourage the protestors to act up". However, people arrested in the Longhouse report that they were treated in a brutal fashion. For example, two women report that police pulled at their clothing to expose parts of their bodies and painfully twisted their arms. They were carted out by seven male and one female officer and were taken out through the bush and across the valley, apparently to avoid media scrutiny. Two separate sources have reported that one police participant in the raid was the mysterious "protestor" that screamed obscenities and abuse at police last week in an attempt to discredit valley defenders. On the other hand, several police officers told protestors that they were not happy about attacking the Longhouse and were forced to do so by the City. The police raid was immediately followed by construction crews and heavy equipment of Dufferin Construction, the company whose general manager is the brother of City Councillor Murray Ferguson. Dufferin proceeded to rip out trees and around 4 pm they destroyed the Longhouse. Floodlights were brought in and the destruction continued into the night. The half-hectare site was completely denuded of trees within 30 hours of the raid. The following statement was released by the Haudenosaunee the day before the raid: Wednesday, November 5, 2003 Iroquois Confederacy defends occupation in Red Hill Valley >From CHIEF ARNOLD GENERAL on behalf of the Confederacy to Governor General of Canada, Prime Minister of Canada, and the new Premier of Ontario. The City of Hamilton has not satisfied all required approvals and permits as it concerns Consecrated Sites and producing a Deed to demonstrate how and when they acquired the land from the Iroquois People. The federal Canadian crown, through its local Indian Agency, the Six Nations Band Council, also agreed in August with the Iroquois Confederacy People's position. Iroquois and allied indigenous people from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec and the United States are beginning to arrive in the area to support resistance to highway development through Red Hill Valley. The Valley includes former Iroquois village sites, burial grounds, medicines and sensitive wildlife habitats. Also, consecrated graves of British and American soldiers killed in the War of 1812 are located in the valley. Iroquois Confederacy People in that area were removed in the early 1800's under Canadian governor Francis Bond Head's Indian Removal policy. This followed the death of Joseph Brant. The Iroquois Confederacy asserted its jurisdiction on the Red Hill in Hamilton through posted notices August 6, 2003. By designating the Red Hill Valley as Six Nations land, the Confederacy reopened the area for Six Nations People to reestablish a presence. The Red Hill territory comes under the jurisdiction of international treaties between the Iroquois People and the Crown called the Two Row Wampum, the 1701 Five Nations Chiefs Treaty, and the Haldimand Treaty proclaiming all lands between lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron as indigenous people's country in 1784. Haldimand was deeded land north of the Niagara Escarpment for occupation by Europeans. Recently the City of Hamilton has made a statement and taken actions concerning the Red Hill Valley that need clarification at this time. As Iroquois Confederacy Chief delegate to act on issues regarding the Red Hill Valley, it is my duty and responsibility to clarify this Iroquois nations' understanding. 1) The City of Hamilton and the Iroquois People have agreed to consultations before actions are taken in the Red Hill Valley. 2) To this end the Iroquois People have agreed with the City of Hamilton to negotiate a resolution to our mutual concerns over the Red Hill Valley 3) At our last council meeting, the Iroquois Confederacy Chiefs deferred a decision regarding the terms of the negotiations. 4) Currently, no body or team of Iroquois Confederacy has been authorized to undertake negotiations with the City of Hamilton in any way. 5) Iroquois People called Firekeepers have been authorized to protect the Sacred Fire in the Red Hill Valley, and thus are also protected from any threat to their safety. From skisby at web.net Wed Nov 19 10:04:27 2003 From: skisby at web.net (Steve Kisby) Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:04:27 -0800 Subject: [news] Announcement About Hunger Strike On Thursday Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20031119100427.01ad969c@pop.web.net> http://www.alternatives.com/prms/2003/vsfc1119.pdf MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rob Baxter, 604.267.6065 rbaxter at epilogicconsulting.com Announcement About Hunger Strike On Thursday Local Vigil Planned in Solidarity with Protests in Miami VANCOUVER -- November 19, 2003 -- Activists will make an announcement about the hunger strike against the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) during a vigil at Noon on Thursday, November 20, in front of the World Trade Centre at Canada Place. The hunger strike has continued for 24 days. During that time there has been a camp set up at the Peace Arch border crossing as part of the protest. The vigil is planned to show solidarity with thousands that will be protesting during the FTAA Ministerial Meetings in Miami on November 20 and 21. Speakers will also bring updates from Vancouver residents who are in Miami. In recent days the activists have received support from various levels of government. Member of Parliament Libby Davis said, "I certainly offer my support to you in your campaign and will continue to speak out against the expansion of free-trade agreements." At Tuesday night's Vancouver City Council meeting Councilors Fred Bass and Ellen Woodsworth both spoke in support of the hunger strikers. They spoke as council was considering a motion to support efforts by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to deal with the effects of international trade agreements. Vancouver activists began the hunger strike on October 27 to protest Canada's negotiating position at the upcoming FTAA Ministerial Meeting in Miami. Activists have set up a camp at the Peace Arch border crossing as part of the protest. The protesters have presented a series of principles that they would like immediate action on (see Principles for Immediate Action attached). For more information on the hunger strike visit: http://www.economicjustice.ca The event is being organized by Artists For Peace (http://www.artistsforpeace.ca) Principles for Immediate Action: 1. The City of Vancouver pass a resolution declaring Vancouver an FTAA-free zone. 2. The Federal Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew come to Vancouver and meet with the hunger strikers at our protest site before he attends the FTAA Summit in Miami this November. 3. The Canadian government commence action to repeal the investor-state provision of NAFTA (chapter 11) and preclude it's inclusion in the FTAA. 4. Before any Americas trade deal is signed by Canada, the Canadian government must take action to ensure that the rights of all of this continent's peoples are protected by a written code of human rights, signed by all countries involved, with real enforceable provisions. 5. A federal referendum be held to determine our (Canadian) participation in all present and future International Trade Agreements. 6. The FTAA not infringe on the right of local indigenous communities and nations to govern themselves, including the ability of those local communities and nations to control resources and lands within their territories. For more information, please also see: 1. Global Exchange's "Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas": http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/ftaa/Top10NoFTAA.pdf http://www.globalexchange.org/ftaa/topten.html 2. Council of Canadians' "Stop the FTAA": http://www.canadians.org/documents/stop_the_ftaa-e.pdf http://www.canadians.org/display_document.htm?id=108&isdoc=1 3. Vancouver Hunger Strike Against the FTAA: http://www.economicjustice.ca At 22:53 18/11/03 -0800, Robert Baxter wrote: >Here is a Media Alert to send out tomorrow (Wednesday). I am doing this in >a hurry so please feel free to edit and improve. From skisby at web.net Sun Nov 23 21:57:10 2003 From: skisby at web.net (Steve Kisby) Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 21:57:10 -0800 Subject: [news] WLP Starts Stop War Games Campaign Message-ID: <3.0.3.32.20031123215710.01c9b918@pop.web.net> http://www.alternatives.com/prms/2003/wlp-1123.pdf FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Work Less Party Starts Stop War Games Campaign Party Members Warn Shoppers Of War Game Dangers VANCOUVER - November 23 2003 - The Work Less Party (WLP) of British Columbia today joined Artists Against War in its Buy No War Toys Campaign by calling on shoppers to not buy war toys or war games. War toys and games cause aggression and violent behaviour, and later in life can lead to aggression, violent behaviour, and death in relating to others and in problem solving. "The Work Less Party believes in a society that is healthier because it works less and has more time for leisure activities -- and those leisure activities should not include War Games," said Conrad Schmidt, the party's coordinator. At 1:00 PM on Sunday, November 23, members and supporters of the party entered "EB Electronics Boutique" (403-650 West 41st Avenue inside the Oakridge Shopping Center) and alerted shoppers of the dangers of war games by placing warning labels on war game promotional posters and on the war games being sold. Titles marked included: Call of Duty, Battlefield, Hidden and Dangerous, Kill Switch, Counter Strike, and Rainbow Six 3 -- whose poster boasts "We are freedom's answer to Fear". The stickers said "WARNING: This war game promotes and may cause aggression and violent behaviour and may lead to aggression and violent behaviour when problem solving or relating to others." EB Electronics Boutique was chosen because of its full page ad, in graphic color, that appeared last week in the Georgia Straight (November 13, page 43), promoting the war game Socom II -- U.S. Navy Seals for Christmas shoppers. This week's Georgia Straight (November 20, page 23) features the same ad except on behalf of Zellers. The Work Less Party of British Columbia was founded to encourage citizens to Work less, consume less, and live more. By doing this we will have a better quality of life, and at the same time preserve something of our planet for future generations. A better quality of life does not include war toys and war games. Artists Against War is a collective of like-minded individuals working for positivity and creativity, and speaking out for peace in a world which too quickly moves towards war. What we have to offer is art in body, shape, and soul -- art of the mind, art of the spirit, art of the movement. Artists Against War's Do Not Buy War Toys Campaign is also a project of the Stopwar.ca Coalition. -30- For information: http://www.worklessparty.org Conrad Schmidt, 604-215-9395, 604-537-2044 (cell), coordinator at worklessparty.ca Artists Against War: Steve Kisby, 604-323-0204, 604-645-2099 (pager), skisby at web.net http://www.artistsagainstwar.org From gflett1 at shaw.ca Fri Nov 28 09:19:52 2003 From: gflett1 at shaw.ca (Gordon Flett) Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 09:19:52 -0800 Subject: [news] In a Brave New B.C., Even Kids Will Work for the Man Message-ID: <3FC783B8.97D73BB7@shaw.ca> Bill Tieleman?s Georgia Straight Political Connections column for Nov 27 In a Brave New B.C., Even Kids Will Work for the Man By Bill Tieleman In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice. -- Charles Dickens, Great Expectations Believe it or not, Premier Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals are about to bring child labour back to British Columbia after it had been banned by the province since the Depression years of the 1930s. In early December, the Liberals will put in place regulations filling in the details of Bill 37, legislation passed in October that amends the Employment Standards Act to allow children as young as 12 years to work full-time. These regulations are, appropriately, being implemented as our thoughts turn back to the time of Charles Dickens, who not only penned A Christmas Carol but also wrote about the terrible conditions of child labour in the time of the Industrial Revolution in England. The child labour that the B.C. Liberals intend to permit isn't the innocent sort, like a paper route or a little help for the family business. A child as young as 12 years old will be allowed to work full-time at any occupation under provincial jurisdiction, no matter how dangerous, with only the consent of one parent. That includes farm labour, and working in a paint plant, gas station, restaurant, or door-to-door sales. Graham Bruce, the minister of skills development and labour who introduced the legislation, told the legislature on October 6 that Bill 37 allows children to work up to seven hours a day and up to 35 hours per week when not in school, and up to four hours a day and up to 20 hours per week when school is in session. Graeme Moore is deeply concerned about these changes. Moore spent 21 years working for the Employment Standards Branch, the last seven as a program director, but he is no longer with the government. "I resigned in disgust," Moore said in an interview with the Georgia Straight. "We're not talking about the girl or boy next door babysitting; we're talking about children working dawn to dusk, full-time. It's extraordinarily long hours for children as young as 12 years old." Moore says that unless something changes, B.C. will be the most child labour?friendly jurisdiction in all of North America. And he expects things to get even worse under the Campbell government. "We're living in an increasingly regulationless society. This is a libertarian government, not a liberal government," Moore said. The idea that parental consent means children will not be abused in the workplace is a nonstarter with Moore. "We know from history that parental consent did not keep children out of coal pits, out of cotton mills," he said. But those terrible conditions and their modern equivalents are apparently far from the thoughts of Graham Bruce. "We are changing the rules to better focus on protecting children but still ensuring they can take a job when they want. The solution is to require only written consent of a parent or guardian to employ a child aged 12 to 15 and to back that up with clear standards for those workplaces that employ kids," Bruce told the legislature on October 8. Moore, now a consultant on employment issues, says that in the absence of regulations that guard children against exploitation in the workplace, British Columbians should take action themselves. "There has to be a boycott of businesses using child labour. Consumers should be aware that some of the places they patronize could be using child labour," he said. "I hope B.C. parents who get upset about children in Pakistan or Bangladesh who are making soccer balls will get equally upset about children the same age working here." Although the legislation to allow child labour applies to most workplaces, Moore says it is particularly designed for one purpose: to allow children to work as farm labourers. "The inside story on farm labour is quite sordid," he said. "Berry crops are not viable unless they are subsidized by cheap labour. The B.C. Agricultural Council wants to import Mexican labour. Graham Bruce does not want that, so he is meeting their need for subsidized labour by changing employment standards to provide cheap labour, including child labour." It's likely no coincidence that just 10 days after Bill 37 was introduced, Bruce signed a "partnership agreement" with the B.C. Agricultural Council to "help protect vulnerable workers". The May 15 news release concluded with this clunker, which shows how much protection farm workers really got from the deal: "Bruce also announced changes to the employment standards regulation. Effective tomorrow, farm workers are excluded from hours of work, overtime and statutory holiday pay." Break out the champagne, sisters and brothers, we can work as long as we like without getting overtime or holiday pay! What a great government this is for us farm workers! But it isn't just the agricultural industry that benefits from child labour. The other reason for allowing children to work is cuts to welfare. Parents who can no longer collect social assistance will be under enormous pressure to have their children work to feed the family and pay the bills. "I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I'm convinced we're living out a social-engineering plan mapped out by the [right-wing] Fraser Institute," Moore concludes. Conspiracy theory? Let me see... The B.C. Liberals do a sleazy deal with farmers who need workers on the cheap, cut welfare payments and impose time limits on collecting them, and then overturn 70 years of protection against the use of child labour. Nah, no connection there. West Star Communications president Bill Tieleman has clients in labour, business, and nonprofits. He is a political commentator Thursdays on CBC TV's Canada Now and regularly on CBC Radio One's Early Edition. E-mail him at weststar at telus.net.