[Onthebarricades] US protests against Bushites, and global protests against US abuses
Andy
ldxar1 at tesco.net
Fri Aug 29 18:02:59 PDT 2008
ON THE BARRICADES: Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/
* Bush protested in Monticello
* Bush protested in Maine
* Bush protested by workers in Cleveland
* McCain protested in Atlanta
* Several more Monticello stories
* McCain protester thrown out by goons
* Four arrested at Rove protest
* Bush, McCain protested in Mesa, Phoenix
* Bush commencement speech draws protests at Furman University, SC
* Clinton backers protest party meeting
* Students protest Rove speech, block car
* Cheney protested in Richmond, Virginia
* Protester assaulted near McCain rally
* "The story behind my O'Reilly protest"
* UK: Protest over trial of Guantanamo inmate
* CANADA: Kids for Khadr - protest over underage Canadian at Guantanamo
* CUBA: Rally in support of Cuban Five political prisoners
* PAKISTAN: Fiery protests over trial of Pakistani woman
http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=8620581&nav=menu496_2_6
Demonstrators Protest President Bush
Posted: July 4, 2008 06:15 PM
Updated: July 4, 2008 06:09 PM EDT
Not everyone was happy to see President Bush in Albemarle County Friday.
Demonstrations took place before during and after Friday morning's
naturalization ceremony. A couple of hundred protesters lined Route 20,
while a handful of others briefly disrupted the ceremonies at Monticello.
Protestors say they wanted to make sure the president and the public heard
their message.
Protesters shouts interfered with Bush's remarks at the outset of the
cermony, and the president responded by saying he agrees that "we believe in
free speech in the United States of America." Six protestors were removed
from the ceremony. According to Albemarle County Spokesperson Lee Caitlin,
none were arrested. There were no charges were filed against the
protestors.
But that was not the only place where the commander-in-chief drew
opposition. As the president's motorcade drove by more than a hundred people
lined Route 20 to express their displeasure with Mr. Bush.
There were two counter-protestors. Jeff Wray, who supports President Bush,
said "and with George Bush, our president, being here, he oughtta be
welcomed, instead of protested against." Even still Wray says he understands
why people protested the visit. "Of course they have a right" he stated,
"and that's what makes this country so great, to do what they're doing."
Some protestors say it was patriotism that motivated them to show up.
Protestor Erin Wise Ackenbom said, "I almost didn't get out of bed. But as
my husband got out of bed and played July fourth music to all of camp, I
thought I should do my part."
Throughout the morning we spoke with many of the protestors and they all
spoke very highly of the Albemarle county police officers who were securing
the area.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/NEWS03/808030424/1004/NEWS03
Protesters begin march to Bush compound
August 3, 2008
The Associated Press
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — A few dozen anti-war protesters in Kennebunkport have
begun marching to Walker's Point, where President Bush is spending the
weekend at his parents' seaside home.
The number of demonstrators who set out on the 2-mile march Saturday under
overcast skies was far fewer than the 1,700 who gathered in the same
location last summer when Bush met with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
The march was led by several activists who carried a giant dove made from
white bed sheets. During the march, protesters chanted, "No justice, no
peace. U.S. out of the Middle East."
Bush is attending a wedding during his three-day stay in Maine, which could
mark his last visit to Kennebunkport as a sitting president.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/34460
Bush at Monticello: Tickets and Protests
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2008-07-01 12:02.
Activism
To get in you must pick up free tickets at 7 a.m. on Wednesday at the
Monticello Visitors Center. Bring as many people as you can, and each
request the maximum of four tickets. Go early!
To protest outside meet at 8 a.m. on Friday at Quarry Park. Please bring
posters, signs, costumes, banners, props.
Here's a map that includes Monticello, the visitors center, and Quarry Park:
Map.
Here's a new flyer: PDF Flyer.
Keep phoning Monticello! The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a private
nonprofit, owns and operates Monticello with a professed mission of
preservation and education. Call Monticello right now and ask them to
uninvite Bush: (434) 984-9822. Then let the Daily Progress newspaper in
Charlottesville know that you've done that: enewstips at dailyprogress.com
The Unitary Executive is scheduled to disgrace the grounds of Thomas
Jefferson's house, Monticello, in Charlottesville, Va. During a July 4
naturalization ceremony, immigrants will swear to "support and defend the
Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies,
foreign and domestic" at an event besmirched by the presence of the
Constitution's leading domestic enemy. Jefferson's Declaration of
Independence from King George faulted him for harassment by his troops,
elevating the military above civilian power, denying people a fair trial by
jury by transporting them overseas to be tried on false accusations, and
other abuses that have been matched by our current King George. He has
claimed the power to ignore laws, to rewrite laws, to adhere to secret laws,
to discard habeas corpus, to spy without warrant, to detain without charge,
to torture, to murder, and to lie the nation into wars of conquest. All
citizens, old and new, have a duty to support and defend the Constitution, a
document that requires the impeachment of a president as criminal and
abusive as the current one.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Working_America_group_protests_Bush_in_0731.html
Working America group protests Bush in Cleveland
David Edwards and Diane Sweet
Published: Thursday July 31, 2008
About 100 AFL-CIO members wearing red shirts booed and made thumbs down
gestures as Bush's motorcade passed on the way to Lincoln Electric.
The protesters gathered in front of an expanse of vacant parking lots
outside of the defunct Euclid Square Mall.
"If you look around here, you see a wasteland," said Harriet Applegate,
executive secretary for the North Shore AFL-CIO. "Northeast Ohio has been
incredibly hard hit by the Bush administration."
AFL-CIO member Gaelynn Dooley, 24, said the success of Lincoln Electric was
not representative of industry in the rest of the region.
"Our message today is that we need politicians who are accountable to
working families," Dooley said. "We've been hemorrhaging 340 jobs a day in
Ohio."
Just down the road, 8-year-old J.J. Conway held a "Go McCain" sign and
greeted Bush's motorcade along with his mom, Rebecca, and brother, Matthew,
4, "We're here supporting President Bush because there's so many anti-Bush
people," said Rebecca Conway, 36, who held a sign that read "My Pro-Life
President."
He’s worked hard and made a big impact on the social issues. He's defended
our country and kept us safe."
Democrats maintain that more drilling isn't the answer. And they argue a
point the White House itself concedes - allowing offshore drilling is not
going to lower gas prices now.
Bush himself said, "It took us a while to get to this position, and it's
going to take us a while to get out of it."
Still, Bush says more drilling would send an important signal to the world
that the United States is serious about expanding the oil supply. He says it
can be done in environmentally safe ways, but opponents fear oil spills and
drops in coastal tourism.
The soaring cost of gasoline has turned energy policy into a kitchen-table
issue. Millions of people who rely on their cars are eager to get some help
from elected leaders - and those leaders, especially those up for election,
want to show some action.
"If we’re worried about your gasoline price and recognize that it's high
because of the price of crude oil, and it's possible to find more oil right
here in the United States ... doesn't it make sense to try to find that
oil?" Bush said. "I think it does."
Bush also pushed for nuclear power and other forms of alternative energy.
Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are in a stalemate over how to
rein in energy prices. Using the country's frustration as leverage, the
president is trying to build pressure on lawmakers to take action before
they leave town for their August recess.
A gallon of gasoline costs $3.94 nationwide, down slightly from a month ago,
according to a daily survey of gas stations by AAA and the Oil Price
Information Service. The cost varies across the country, with several states
topping $4 a gallon.
The average cost a year ago was $2.89 per gallon - more than a dollar below
today’s cost.
Bush says many Americans are suddenly practicing their own version of
conservation.
"It's interesting to note that many of our consumers have already made the
decision to switch away from automobiles, like SUVs that consume a lot of
gasoline, to smaller cars," Bush said. "Why? Because you're smart. You know
how to handle your own business."
After his energy speech, Bush raised some cash for the Congressional Trust,
a Republican campaign fund for congressional candidates. The event was
expected to raise $530,000.
The fundraiser was held in Gates Mills, a Cleveland suburb, at the home of
insurance executive Umberto Fedeli in the Cleveland suburb of Gates Mills.
Like most of Bush's fundraisers this year, the event was closed to the
media.
On his way out of town, Bush stopped his motorcade so he could get out and
wish a happy birthday to a local woman, Ruth Harris, who was celebrating her
91st birthday.
Bush sat in a chair next to Harris and said "91 years old - how special."
When neighbors noticed what was happening, they soon surrounded the
president for a moment with him too.
The following video had this description on YouTube:
"On July 29, 2008 over 100 Working America members gathered as close as we
were allowed, to protest the president and his failed policies that have
hurt countless Americans. This is a video of the motorcade when President
Bush went by. Among the gathered are the Canton Cleveland and Youngstown
offices."
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/08/18/mccain_protest_fundraiser.html
Protesters mark McCain’s visit to Atlanta for fund-raiser
By AARON GOULD SHEININ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, August 18, 2008
More than 50 protesters marched in front of the Marriott Marquis on Monday,
shouting “Bush, McCain, same thing!”
But John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was safely
inside for a high-dollar campaign fund-raiser.
Enlarge this image
Mikki K. Harris/mkharris at ajc.com
Sen. John McCain arrives at the back entrance to the Marriott Marquis in
Atlanta for a fund-raiser Monday.
Enlarge this image
Mikki K. Harris/mkharris at ajc.com
Azita Ebrahimi (center) protests among a group of John McCain supporters
along Peachtree Center Avenue in front of the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.
ELECTION 2008
The Road to the White House
The protesters were a melding of groups from organized labor, seniors and
anti-war organizations. They competed for space and attention with about a
dozen young McCain backers.
As the Republicans shouted “McCain!” the protesters added, “Shame!”
Across Peachtree Center Avenue, Georgia Democratic Party chairwoman Jane
Kidd and state Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta) held a news conference to add
a more official voice of protest.
Kidd blasted McCain for only coming to the state to raise money and not to
meet with regular voters.
“Instead of listening to Georgians, John McCain chose to talk with people
who have given him thousands of dollars,” she said.
That includes Ralph Reed, said Adelman.
Reed is the former head of the Christian Coalition who in 2006 lost a bid
for the Georgia GOP nomination as lieutenant governor after he was
implicated, but not charged, in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal in
Washington.
Reed e-mailed supporters and friends to urge them to give to the McCain
campaign. Reed also instructed potential donors to send contributions
directly to him. Reed told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he sent the
e-mail at the request of the campaign and was given boilerplate language to
use. He said he has no role in the campaign or in this event, something the
McCain campaign confirmed.
But Reed’s involvement in raising money has been a source of ridicule and
scorn from Democrats.
Reed, Adelman said, “has sold his influence with Christian conservative
voters to the highest bidder.”
That was a reference to Reed’s work to mobilize evangelical voters against a
casino that would compete with one operated by an Indian tribe client of
Abramoff’s.
Adelman contended that McCain was meeting with Reed at the Marriott, but it
is not clear if that would happen, or even if Reed is attending the event.
Several hundred donors milled around the hotel’s Imperial Ballroom, while
donors who gave larger amounts met privately with McCain in another room.
Reed was not visible in the ballroom 30 minutes before the event was to
start.
http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/20080705_protesters_razz_bush_at_july_4_event/
Protesters Razz Bush at July 4 Event
Posted on Jul 5, 2008
bbc.co.uk
When President Bush took to the podium on July 4 to speak at a
naturalization ceremony, there were some in the crowd besides those gathered
to be sworn in as American citizens. Shortly after he began speaking at
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello home in Virginia, demonstrators began popping
up in the audience—including one dressed as Uncle Sam, who was subsequently
tackled and led out by security guards.
http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=10446
LA Times Report On Bush Protesters
07-05-2008
LA Times
It was his last Fourth of July as president -- and his first visit to
Monticello, the home of the author of the Declaration of Independence,
Thomas Jefferson. It was not a long trip. It took the presidential party 40
minutes by helicopter from the White House -- plus a 10-minute motorcade --
to arrive at the home Jefferson built for himself and his family in
Charlottesville, Va.
The president's stated purpose was to welcome and attend the swearing-in of
72 new citizens from 30 countries, including one from Burma. But his voice
showed emotion when he talked about spreading freedom to other countries,
one of his stated rationales for the war in Iraq. Quoting Jefferson as
saying that the principles of the Declaration were universal, Bush said: "We
honor Jefferson's legacy by aiding the rise of liberty in lands that do not
know the blessings of freedom." Without mentioning Iraq, Afghanistan or the
war on terrorism, he added, "And on this Fourth of July, we pay tribute to
the brave men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of
America." Watch the video here.
Bush was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, shouting "Defend the
Constitution, Impeach Bush!" and "War Criminal!" Bush diverged from his
prepared remarks to respond to the hecklers, explaining to
America's newest citizens, "We believe in free speech in the United States
of America."
One of the protesters, David Swanson, has gone online to explain his
behavior, saying
When Bush opened his mouth to speak I shouted "Defend the Constitution,
Impeach Bush!" I repeated that several times, as people nearby knocked me
over, cops handcuffed me, people gave me smiles and thumbs up signs. They
threw me out and a couple of more defenders of our Constitution behind me,
and then a few more, and then a few more. The handcuffed citizens who'd done
their duty kept coming down the hill. They did not arrest us but did give us
a ride down the mountain where we joined a crowd of protesters in the road
who greeted Bush's limo coming and going.
Bush, who celebrates his 62nd birthday on Sunday, said he was delighted to
spend part of the weekend at the home of the nation's third president, who
died on July 4, 1826, the 50th birthday of the United States.
"This is a fitting place to celebrate our nation's independence," Bush said.
"Thomas Jefferson once said he'd rather celebrate the Fourth of July than
his own birthday. To me, it's pretty simple -- the Fourth of July weekend is
my weekend birthday."
Praising Jefferson's achievements -- a well-read man whose book collection
formed the basis of the Library of Congress -- Bush noted that although
Jefferson was the nation's first secretary of State, second vice president
and third president, he hated public speaking. Alluding to his own
reputation for muffing a speech line from time to time, Bush said, "It seems
Jefferson got away with only delivering two public speeches during his
presidency." Pausing for the laugh, he added, "I'm sure a lot of Americans
wish that were the case today."
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/12/mccain-campaign-not-secret-service-had-bushmccain-protestor-removed/
McCain Campaign (NOT Secret Service) Had “Bush=McCain” Protestor Removed
By: SilentPatriot on Saturday, July 12th, 2008 at 6:00 PM - PDT
As Steve reported Tuesday, a 61-year old librarian named Carol Kreck was
removed from a McCain campaign event for holding a sign that read
Bush=McCain. At the time, the local officer who asked Kreck to leave said he
was doing so because the Secret Service had asked him to. Well, it turns out
that it was the McCain campaign who personally wanted her booted.
Denver Post:
It was Sen. John McCain’s staff who asked security at the Denver Center for
the Performing Arts to remove people holding protest signs at the venue —
not U.S. Secret Service agents, who were not involved in Carol Kreck’s
ouster from the galleria.
But Thursday, after two days of being vilified by bloggers, letter writers
and others, the Secret Service emphatically denied involvement.
“Contrary to some recent reporting, the Secret Service had no involvement in
Ms. Kreck being removed from the area,” said Malcolm D. Wiley Sr., spokesman
for the Secret Service. “It was not done at our request or suggestion. Any
assertion to the contrary is inaccurate and inconsistent with our
established policies and procedures.”
So not only was a 61-year old woman who posed no threat whatsoever kicked
out a public event in a manner that clearly violates the First Amendment, it
turns out it was the McCain campaign who made it all happen. It seems her
sign hit very close to home.
Kreck blogs about the ongoing incident at HuffPo. You can order her Bush =
McCain sign in various formats (T-shirt, bumpersticker, etc) and part of the
proceeds will go to Kreck’s defense fund.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/07/28/10657/
Published on Monday, July 28, 2008 by The Chicago Tribune
Four Arrested In Protest of Karl Rove
by Katie Fretland
DES MOINES - Former Bush advisor Karl Rove was invited to speak at a GOP
fundraiser in Des Moines, Iowa, but he did not get the warmest of welcomes
from four residents who pledged to arrest him.
Law enforcement officers arrested Rev. Chet Guinn, 80, and three members of
the Catholic Worker peace movement, Edward Bloomer, 61, Kirk Brown, 25, and
Mona Shaw, 57, on Friday for their attempt to make a citizen’s arrest,
according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. They were cited for trespassing and
released.
Reuters reported that the arrest was prearranged and happened when the group
stepped past a gate. The protesters accused Rove of, among other things,
conspiracy to defraud the United States ahead of the Iraq War, leading to
the deaths of United States military and Iraqi civilians, the Gazette
reported.
Two of the protesters, Brown and Shaw, were previously arrested and released
without charges when they tried to arrest Rove in March at the University of
Iowa.
A group of netroots activists is also pushing for the prosecution of Rove
for his refusal to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in
Washington.
Earlier this month, the former White House deputy chief of staff, refused an
order to testify about the firing of federal prosecutors and allegations of
selective prosecution of Democrats seen as political opponents.
The committee asked Rove to testify about whether he influenced the
prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on corruption charges.
While he refused to testify, Rove wrote a letter to ranking committee member
Lamar Smith (R-Texas) that he did not try to influence the prosecution in
any way.
Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.)
have threatened to hold Rove in contempt. The White House has argued
executive privilege allows immunity for Rove from testifying.
The committee has also subpoenaed Attorney General Michael Mukasey to turn
over documents relating to the leak of CIA agent Valerie Plame’s identity,
including complete FBI interview reports with Rove and others.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/05/27/20080527bush-protests0527-ON.html
Protesters shout at Bush, McCain in Mesa
43 comments May. 27, 2008 03:26 PM
Associated Press
At his first stop during a brief visit in Arizona, President Bush was
greeted by protesters shouting anti-war slogans Tuesday and carrying signs
denouncing Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.
The president was making an appearance at Silverado Cable Company, a
family-owned business in Mesa that manufactures electric wiring assemblies
for aircraft and military vehicles.
A common complaint among the 250 protesters who lined the sidewalk near the
business was that a McCain victory would be a continuation of the Bush
administration. Protesters often cited their opposition to the war in Iraq.
After he leaves the cable business, Bush is scheduled to attend a private
fundraiser for McCain at a home in Phoenix.
While the president attends fundraiser, Democratic activists, labor
supporters and war protesters are expected to line up outside the Phoenix
Convention Center. The center is where the campaign had initially planned —
but later canceled — a fundraiser.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33691
Protesters greet "McBush" in Mesa, Phoenix
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2008-05-28 23:38.
Media
By Arizona Capitol Times
Hundreds of people stood behind a barricade of police officers to see a
security convoy scurry President Bush into a west Mesa manufacturing
facility on May 27 before kicking off a three-day fundraising tour for Sen.
John McCain.
It wasn't a warm reception by any means. And a private gathering in Phoenix
later that afternoon - the president's first official campaign appearance
for McCain - drew an equally cold response from protestors who carried signs
with messages such as "McBush - No Third Term."
"It is time we as American citizens stand up against this president," said
Kathy Romano, 61. "And we need to stand against a favored son who stands
with this president, too."
The scene was probably much different inside the Mesa-based Silverado Cable
Co. where Bush spoke. The crowd was no doubt made up of Bush supporters and
GOP loyalists, as the venue was chosen because the business reaped the
benefits of Bush's tax cuts. But it's difficult to know for certain because
both events were closed to the media, and Bush and McCain's only public
appearance was a short photo op at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport before Bush
boarded Air Force One.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Bush_commencement_speech_at_Furman_prompts_0520.html
Bush commencement speech at Furman prompts protest
Associated Press
Published: Tuesday May 20, 2008
By MEG KINNARD
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Some faculty members at Furman University have suggested
they won't attend graduation ceremonies because President Bush is scheduled
to speak, but a group of conservative students wants the university to step
in and block the protest.
Bush is scheduled to give Furman's graduation speech May 31 at the fairly
conservative school of 2,625 undergraduate students with Baptist roots.
More than 500 members of the Furman community signed a letter released
Monday asking that administrators refuse to allow faculty members to skip
ceremonies in protest of the Bush visit. The move comes after more than 200
students and faculty members signed a statement earlier this month
criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and
environmental issues.
"Some professors seem intent on turning what should be a celebration of
their students' accomplishments into a forum to air their political
differences with President Bush," said the letter, released Monday by
Conservative Students for a Better Tomorrow.
Christopher Mills, a junior leading up the Conservative Students effort,
said Tuesday that no faculty members had signed the letter, which also asks
that the petition opposing the visit be removed from the university's public
Web site.
"Their letter doesn't really have anything to do with commencement," said
Mills, 21, an economics major. "We were just disappointed that they were
putting publicity above professionalism and above the students that they've
taught for four years."
Judy Grisel, a neuroscience professor who signed the petition opposing
Bush's visit, said she and other faculty members were merely exercising what
they see as their obligation to share their viewpoints and ideas.
"At a liberal arts college, we really try to train people to think
critically and respect other peoples views," said Grisel. "And we have been
expressing our views in very civil ways."
Spokesman Vince Moore said the administration planned to meet with Mills'
group to discuss posting its letter on the university's Web site.
The faculty letter was removed from Furman's official website, but a cached
copy of the document can be viewed here.
The Furman address is one of three Bush is giving this year. The president
spoke May 4 at a Greensburg, Kan. high school that was ripped to pieces last
year by a strong tornado. He also is scheduled to speak at the U.S. Air
Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., on May 28.
http://wbztv.com/national/Furman.University.graduation.2.737471.html
May 31, 2008 10:00 pm US/Eastern
Peaceful Protest Greets Bush At Commencement
GREENVILLE, S.C. (CBS) ― About 20 Furman University professors made plans to
stand in silent protest during President Bush's commencement speech Saturday
night at the Baptist-founded school.
They also said they would wear "We Object" T-shirts as part of their
opposition to Bush's policies on the Iraq war, global warming and other
issues.
"We think that this is a very respectful, very mild form of protest," said
Judy Grisel, an associate neuroscience professor who helped organize the
protest.
Bush intended to urge students "to help build a culture of responsibility,"
his press secretary, Dana Perino, told reporters Friday.
The speech, she said, "will reflect on how he went into public service
because he was concerned about the culture and how he is heartened by the
progress that has been made, especially in the young people who are
embracing bedrock values of faith and family." for the many young people
today who he says are embracing bedrock values of faith and family.
The president also planned to the emphasize volunteering, military service
and "living lives of integrity."
In addition to the protest plans, 31 other professors have been granted
"conscientious objector" status, allowing them to skip commencement
exercises in objection to Bush's visit, university spokesman Vince Moore
said Friday. There are 230 full-time professors at Furman.
Part of the animosity comes from the faculty's disagreement with Furman's
president, David Shi. They say he failed to consult them before inviting
Bush, breaking a tradition of having students give commencement speeches.
Moore said Shi agreed with professors who voted this month to admonish him
for not first consulting them.
Furman University is a private liberal arts institution, founded in 1826.
More than 3,000 undergraduates and graduates make up the student body.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96b780f0-2f46-11dd-8c1d-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1
Hundreds protest over disputed states
By Chris Bryant in Washington
Published: May 31 2008 20:23 | Last updated: June 1 2008 03:18
Democratic officials reached a compromise in Washington on Saturday to seat
the disputed Michigan and Florida delegations at reduced strength, sparking
ire from Hillary Clinton’s campaign and threats to press the issue to the
party’s convention in August.
The states were penalised for moving forward the date of their primaries but
the nullified votes have since taken on a crucial importance as Barack Obama
and Mrs Clinton battle it out for the nomination.
Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, said that he
predicted “a very spirited discussion”.
Before the Rules and Bylaws committee, a panel of 30 officials from across
the country, began wading through arguments on Saturday morning,
representatives were forced to run a vociferous gauntlet through hundreds of
Clinton supporters, many of whom had been bussed in for the meeting.
The restive, mostly female crowd that gathered in the early morning sunshine
outside a hotel near Washington Zoo on Saturday were not about to let slip
their opportunity to convince wavering committee members that their votes
should count.
The enthusiastic demonstrators whistled and hollered ”50 states not 48!” at
each passing vehicle, no doubt hopeful that one of the committee’s members
was inside.
T-shirts, badges and homemade banners some emblazoned with Mrs Clinton’s
image were omnipresent, a reminder that the New York senator’s hopes of
staying in the race could hinge on the committee’s decision.
”It might be our last fight,” said Brenda Fuller, from Ocala, Florida, whose
vote in the state primary on January 29 was nullified. ”I sure didn’t feel
good about that. I expected my vote to count. The voters had nothing to do
with the changing of the [primary] date.”
Some of those in the crowd said they expected some form of compromise, with
a decision to award only half the delegates or voting rights seen as a
strong possibility.
But many said they would not settle for anything less than full
representation. One banner held aloft outside the hotel read: ”I am not a
half voter”.
Until last year Denise King, a maths teacher from upstate New York, was a
member of the Rules and Bylaws committee and she said she was disappointed
not be inside on Saturday. ”I think they are going to make some kind of
change but I don’t think it’s going to be one that satisfies people,” she
said. ”[Obama] should have agreed to have a revote in both states.”
Several protesters said that they would switch their votes to John McCain if
Mrs Clinton failed to capture the Democratic nomination.
”This party will not heal. Hillary supporters are not going to support
Obama,” said Sandy Lamanna, a university professor in Scranton,
Pennsylvania.
Lisa Martin, an educational researcher from Washington DC agreed. ”Obama
claims to be the great uniter but he’s actually ended up the great divider.
I will absolutely vote for John McCain [if Hillary loses], you don’t
question his patriotism.”
Others said that once the heat of the moment had passed most of Mrs Clinton’s
supporters would rally round Mr Obama if he became the Democratic
presidential candidate.
”There are a lot of angry women here but a lot can go on between now and
November,” Trudy Mason, a member of the New York state democratic committee,
said.
The Obama campaign discouraged its supporters from attending the rally but
some turned up regardless.
Ignoring a gaggle of ardent Clinton supporters, Don Squires, from Washington
DC, held up a banner laden with undisguised sarcasm. It read; ”Change the
rules until I win, it’s only fair.”
He said: ”Hillary’s campaign reminds me of the definition of chutzpah – the
boy who kills both his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the
court because he is an orphan.”
His son, Scott, holding up his own ironic placard, said he voted for the
first time in Michigan but he was disappointed not to find Mr Obama’s name
on the ballot.
”If you were an Obama supporter the only choice was to vote ’uncommitted’.
It doesn’t seem fair.”
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/28/clinton_backer_plan_rules_and.html
Clinton Backers Plan Rules and Bylaws Protest
By Garance Franke-Ruta
The cracks in the divided Democratic Party just got a little deeper.
A group of high-profile Hillary Clinton supporters, Democratic fundraisers
and Florida Democrats is planning to hold a day-long rally Saturday outside
the Washington hotel where the Democratic National Committee's Rules and
Bylaws Committee Meeting will be considering the fate of votes cast in the
Michigan and Florida primaries to call attention to what they say is the
exclusion of women's voices from the democratic -- and Democratic -- process
and the disenfranchisement of Michigan and Florida voters.
"Our purpose is not to divide the party or attack the DNC or Senator Obama,"
said the Hillary Rapid Responders, one of the rally planners, in an online
announcement of it. "At the same time, Hillary's strong support cannot be
dismissed in DNC efforts to unify the party."
The rally is perhaps a more unusual intra-party affair than such words
suggest, pitting powerful Democratic women against a party for which they
have done much.
The event is being co-organized by the Women Count PAC -- founded by five
top Clinton supporters, including longtime Clinton friend and fundraiser
Susie Tompkins Buell and Stacy Mason, a former editor of Roll Call - -and a
coalition of disparate other groups working under the umbrella of the New
York-based group Count Every Vote '08. It will draw together some of
Clinton's most loyal backers and be emceed by Jehmu Greene, the former
president of Rock the Vote who sat on the DNC committee that spent 2005
trying to reform the party's primary process.
Announced speakers so far include National Organization for Women President
Kim Gandy and Florida Democratic congresswoman Corinne Brown. Organizers say
that they expect individuals to come in from 26 different states for the
rally, as well as some major celebrity speakers, and that they are receiving
logistical assistance or other support from the pro-Clinton United
Federation of Teachers and EMILY's List. The group Florida Demands
Representation, organized by James Hannagan, will also be there.
The rally was the brainchild of a young Clinton fundraiser and New York
attorney who is a member of Count Every Vote '08, according to the group's
spokeswoman Karen Feldman, a political consultant from Hudson, N.Y., who
specializes in female candidates. Count Every Vote '08 first came together
in mid-March to lobby Democratic superdelegates on behalf of Clinton. "When
we started we were a group of women primarily supporting Hillary Clinton,"
said Feldman of the initial team, which also included legendary N.Y. Clinton
fundraisers Ricki Lieberman, Pamela Hayes, and Barbara Layton, as well as
Allida Black, the project director and editor of The Eleanor Roosevelt
papers at George Washington University who has known Clinton for years
through human rights circles.
Black also joined together with Tompkins Buell to start Women Count PAC two
weeks ago, along with Clinton fundraiser and Silicon Valley executive Amy
Rao, former Roll Call editor Mason and corporate communications specialist
Rosemary Camposano. The group raised more than $250,000 in four days,
Camposano told The Trail, and used that money to buy ads in the New York
Times, USA Today and four newspapers in Kentucky and Oregon.
In response to the ads, "we started getting e-mails and phone calls -- just
thousands and thousands of women saying, 'How we can stand up?' 'How can we
help?'" says Camposano. "We've been hearing from women who feel like women,
as group, we are 51 percent of the country and we don't have a voice when
getting heard in the media. ... We're hearing from the women who feel
completely outraged about being ignored in this process and being
marginalized."
The latest ad, which ran in the Times over the weekend, called on women
readers to attend the May 31 rally.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/11516096/detail.html
AU Students Protest After Karl Rove Speech
No Arrests Were Made
POSTED: 12:21 am EDT April 4, 2007
UPDATED: 10:28 pm EDT April 4, 2007
WASHINGTON -- White House advisor Karl Rove was the target of a protest on
the American University campus Tuesday night, News4 reported.
Rove was on the campus talking to the school's Young Republicans club for
about an hour. Afterward, when Rove got outside, more than a dozen students
began throwing things at his car, an American University spokesperson said.
The students then got on the ground and lay down in front of his car as a
protest.
The students said security officials picked them up and carried them away so
Rove could leave.
Police said they have dealt with a lot of protests on campus and this one
was handled peacefully. No one was arrested.
American University is reviewing the incident to determine if any students
should faces charges under the school's code of conduct. The university said
the students were given a designated area to protest and violated that
agreement.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/33709
Protest Cheney in Richmond, Virginia, Friday, May 30, 2008, 5 PM @ Richmond
Center
Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2008-05-29 15:52.
Activism
Tomorrow (Friday, May 30th) Cheney will be speaking at a Republican Party
fundraiser at the Richmond Convention Center, 403 N 3rd St., Richmond, VA
23219 Map at 6PM.
Protesters will begin gathering in front of the Convention Center between
5:00 and 5:30 PM.
Cheney, the architect of the criminal neocon agenda, needs to know that
Richmonders do not share his world view. Drop what you're doing and spread
the word. This is a big one. Please don't let the rest of the world think
Richmond welcomes war criminals.
More on his visit: http://www.rpv.org/node/1666
Contact: 804-240-4206
>From the Democratic Party of Virginia (which goes on to ask for money,
rather than what I'm asking for: protests!):
Just yesterday, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan accused
Dick Cheney of misleading the media and public.
Tomorrow - just two days after these allegations hit the air waves - the
Republican Party of Virginia will proudly display this architect of the Bush
agenda in an attempt to fill their campaign coffers.
Vice President Dick Cheney will emerge from his undisclosed location to
appear as the keynote speaker at the Commonwealth Gala during the 2008
Virginia Republican State Convention. With the funds raised at that event,
he and the Virginia Republicans will try to turn back the clock on the
progress we have made in Virginia.
At the dinner, Vice President Cheney will join the GOP's U.S. Senate
candidates -- former Governor Jim Gilmore and Delegate Bob Marshall.
Also in attendance will be Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Lieutenant
Governor Bill Bolling and Senator Ken Cuccinelli, all likely candidates for
statewide office in 2009.
Each of these unabashed members of the far right-wing, from Cheney to
Cuccinelli, has continually and consistently used their positions of power
to put their party before progress.
When our nation and our Commonwealth have needed practical solutions, each
of these extremist Republicans has opposed progress at every level.
http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/GJNEWS_01/156483288
Protester assaulted across the street from McCain rally location
Article Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2008
ROCHESTER — Someone assaulted a protester standing across the street from
the Rochester Opera House where Republican presidential candidate John
McCain was expected to speak today at noon.
Police broke up the scuffle at around 9:50 a.m. Andy Kaplan of Portsmouth
was assaulted. Police were still working on their report just past 10 a.m.
and did not have the name of the suspect.
There were two protesters across the street from City Hall, where the Opera
House is located.
McCain is scheduled to hold a town-hall-style meeting there
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/29/9265/
Published on Thursday, May 29, 2008 by Think Progress
The Story Behind My O’Reilly Protest
by Barry Nolan
So, I’m that TV guy who got fired by Comcast over Bill O’Reilly. I protested
the fact that O’Reilly was chosen to receive the Governors Award at this
year’s Emmy Awards ceremony. That’s the highest honor that they hand out.
The important word here is: honor.
Now granted — you won’t find a lot of Albert Schweitzers or Mother Teresas
working in television, but at least the people who had been honored in the
past had pretty much followed the part of the Hippocratic oath that says,
“First, do no harm.”
O’Reilly was an appalling choice, not because of his political views, but
because he simply gets the facts wrong, abuses his guests and the powerless
in general, is delusional, and, well, you might want to Google: Narcissistic
Personality Disorder.
Plus there was that whole sexual harassment thing — the lawsuit he settled
for an estimated $10 million. Not the kind of guy you normally think of when
it comes time to pass out honors.
I found that most of my colleagues felt the same way. So, on May 10th at the
Emmy Awards dinner, I quietly passed out a document that contained — not my
opinion — but O’Reilly’s own words and quotes from his sexual harassment
lawsuit. And that is what got me fired. I got fired from my job on a news
and information network for reporting demonstrably true things in a room
full of news people.
Normally, in the great scheme of things — this should be a total non-story.
“Overpaid White Guy Gets Fired from Cushy Job for Shooting Mouth Off.” Yawn.
But these are not normal times. After the word got out that I was fired — I
started hearing from people from all over the country who were outraged. A
guy in Texas who had once worked with O’Reilly and had seen a meltdown like
the one on Youtube — a weather anchor in Arizona — a woman in China no less.
And it all got me to thinking about the myth of free speech. In today’s
America, speech is only “free” when you are talking down to someone less
powerful that you. Speak “up” — and look out.
In your work life, they can fire you, as I found out, for quietly saying
something that is widely known to be true. Put a lid on it.
And in our role as citizens, we have been told by O’Reilly to shut up, or
Fox Security may pay you a visit. We are called traitors if we simply speak
the truth about the absence of WMD’s — the way the war is going — the
disgraces of Abu Ghraib, of Gitmo, of waterboarding. Shut up.
So, when exactly do they think we have the right to speak up? To speak the
quiet simple truth, to people who have more power than us?
Well, I think now would be a good time. The fog of fear is lifting. The
balance of power is shifting. People are beginning to talk to each other
again instead of shouting. I think it’s time to reclaim the right to free
speech — even if it comes at a price.
Meanwhile, if anyone needs any lawn work done or his or her car detailed —
give me a call.
Barry Nolan is a veteran TV journalist who was recently fired by Comcast
Cable’s CN8 channel in Boston for protesting an award honoring Bill O’Reilly.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/06/401212.html
Guantanamo bay / Binyam Mohamed Protest, London 15.06.08
Billy Macrae | 15.06.2008 22:02 | Iraq | Repression | Terror War | London |
World
Images from the protest in London appealing for solidarity with Binyam
Mohamed - the last UK resident in Guantanamo bay threatened with the death
penalty.
Binyam Mohamed is a refugee from Ethiopia, who was granted indefinite leave
to remain in the UK, was seized in Pakistan and rendered to Morocco, then
sent to Afghanistan, and then Guantanamo Bay.
This protest featured several people dressed in hoods and orange boiler
suits in the style of prisoners at Guantanamo bay, and about 20 or so other
participants dressed in orange outfits / nappies with the words 'Fair trial
my ass' on their behinds - a reference to Binyam Mohamed's trial at which he
faces the death penalty.
Speeches were read and songs were sung, as the mock-prisoners sank to their
knees outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar square. They were then
marched through the square and paraded around by a mock- US army general.
The atmosphere was jolly but determined. It went off peacefully, and the
police monitored the whole thing carefully.
The event was timed to coincide with George Bush's visit to London. He will
have breakfast with Gordon Brown (the British Prime Minister) on Monday.
Across town the Anti-Bush rally got underway in Parliament Square. More
photos from that to come.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/06/02/5746951-cp.html
Kids for Khadr: high schoolers protest for release of Canadian terror
suspect
By Jessica Mcdiarmid, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - A group of high school students chanted slogans, sang songs and
waved angry placards in front of the U.S. consulate Monday as they urged
U.S. officials to send terror suspect Omar Khadr back across the border to
face justice in Canada.
The group of about 40 students from St. Mary's Secondary School in Cobourg,
Ont., an hour's drive east of Toronto, is arguing that Khadr, 21, was a
child soldier when he was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan six years
ago.
They want him freed from the controversial military prison in Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, where he has been in custody since July 2002, charged in the
death of an American soldier.
The students spent several hours across from the consulate in downtown
Toronto, talking to passersby about Khadr's case and collecting signatures
on a petition. Most occupied themselves playing musical instruments, waving
banners, chanting and singing.
"Don't let torture go unchallenged," one placard read. "Guantanamo is
America's gulag," read another.
Jimmy Behan, 16, called Khadr's detention a "good example of the government
not stepping up to what it's agreed to in policies and treaties."
"I'd like to see Omar Khadr come to Canada and get a fair trial, and not be
tortured," Behan said.
Khadr is charged with the death of U.S. army medic Sgt. Christopher Speer
after he allegedly threw a grenade during a clash with American forces in
Afghanistan.
Khadr's lawyers allege their client has been abused, tortured and coerced
into making incriminating statements during his imprisonment. A recent 9-0
Supreme Court of Canada ruling said conditions under which Khadr is being
held violate U.S. and international laws.
The students, who are in grades 10 through 12, said Khadr's case was
particularly poignant to them because of his age.
"We're in a high school, so a lot of the people are the same age that Omar
was when he was captured," Grade 12 student Caitlin Worona said as passing
cars honked their horns in a show of support for the group.
"My little sister is 15 and a half right now and I really feel that's not
fair."
Teacher Gary O'Dwyer said since students began working on the cause in
February, they've held vigils in Cobourg and Ottawa and submitted a petition
with nearly 250 signatures to their local MP, Conservative Rick Norlock.
"There's a lot of apathy and young people get criticized for not being part
of the political system," O'Dwyer said. "This is a way for young people to
be part of the political system. I really hope politicians listen to what
they have to say."
He called it "embarrassing as a Canadian" to see a child captured and held
in prison for years.
The students say they plan to present a second petition to Norlock, who
recently tabled their first petition in the House of Commons.
While he has met with the students and respects their efforts, Norlock said
the charges against Khadr are "very serious" and must be dealt with within
the confines of the judicial system, even if it takes years of delays.
"I have faith in western democracy," Norlock said. "In the end, the right
thing will be done."
Last week, the federal Liberals called on the Tory government to urge the
U.S. to release Khadr following the sudden replacement of the American
military judge who ordered prosecutors to supply classified documents to
Khadr's defence team.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/4830033
Hundreds protest over Khadr's continued detention
ABC - July 28, 2008, 7:03 am
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Hundreds of Canadians have turned out in torrential rain in Ottawa and
Toronto to protest against the continued detention of Omar Khadr at
Guantanamo Bay.
The 22-year-old is accused of killing a US soldier in Afghanistan in 2002.
The rallies are part of a growing movement to try to persuade the Government
of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to have Khadr repatriated to Canada.
Khadr is the only western national left in Guantanamo and will face a
military tribunal in October on charges of killing a US soldier in
Afghanistan .
Khadr was 15 years old at the time.
In Toronto, the rally was held outside the US consulate. Among the crowd
were Khadr's sister and brother.
Organisers of the protest say Omar Khadr is the first child soldier to be
prosecuted in more than 100 years.
A recently released video of an interrogatio
http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=594823
Cuban Youths to Stage Protest Demonstration on Cuban Five Case
Posted: 2008/06/10
From: MNN
Cuban youths and students will stage a strong protest demonstration today
at 8 am, Cuba local time, at the Anti-imperialist Plaza, in front of the US
Interest Section in Havana, against the injustice practiced against the five
Cuban antiterrorist fighters unfairly held in US prisons.
HAVANA, Cuba, June 10 (acn) The youths will be joined by workers, artists
and revolutionary combatants who will also express their unconditional
support to Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando
Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, known as The Cuban Five, and their commitment to
restlessly work for their final return to their homeland.
The Cuban Five were imprisoned in 1998 and given extremely long and unfair
sentences by a biased Miami trial after they collected information on
Florida-based ultra-right groups that have committed terrorist actions
against the Cuban people over the past four decades.
A three-judge panel at the 11th Circuit of Atlanta’s Court of Appeals
recently ratified all convictions imposed on The Five, an action that has
been met with protests in different parts of the world.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080817/wl_sthasia_afp/usattacksafghanistanpakistan
Pakistani protesters torch US flag over suspect's arrest
Sun Aug 17, 11:14 AM ET
KARACHI (AFP) - Thousands of people rallied in Karachi Sunday, burning a US
flag and an effigy of President George W. Bush to protest the arrest of a
Pakistani woman by US authorities in Afghanistan.
The call for the rally was given by Jamaat-e-Islami, the main Islamic
religious party of Pakistan, to demand the release of scientist Aafia
Siddiqui, charged with trying to murder US officials in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui, 36, a mother-of-three who graduated from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, was arrested on July 17 in Afghanistan, extradited
to New York on August 4 and indicted the next day on a charge of attempted
murder.
The protesters burnt a US flag and an effigy of Bush, chanting "Free Aafia
Siddiqui," "Death to America" and "Death to Bush."
Police official Salman Syed told AFP that about 4,000 people attended the
rally, while organisers claimed three times that number were present.
"The US should immediately release Dr Aafia Siddiqui. God knows how many of
our daughters like Aafia Siddiqui are languishing in US jails," Mohammad
Hussain Mehanti, chief of Jammat-e-Islami, Karachi chapter, told protesters.
Siddiqui was wounded during an alleged shootout with FBI agents and US
military officers when she was questioned in Afghanistan. A US court put her
in medical care. She was on a 2004 US list of suspects linked to Al-Qaeda.
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