Baltimore Activist Alert June 13 – June 20, 2013
"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.
Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.
1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Homage to Harriet – through June 23
6] Tour de Peace – through July 3
7] BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing -- through Aug. 31
8] Created Equal exhibit – through Aug. 31
9] Wildlife Rescue exhibit – through Sept. 2
10] Rally against FBI/NSA Spying – June 14
11] D.C. Demonstration for the Gitmo Hunger Strikers – June 14
12] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – June 14
13] Participate in a Blood Drive – June 14
14] Protest planned drone base – June 14
15] Genuine Progress Indicator – June 14
16] Silent peace vigil – June 14
17] Screening of "Enemy Alien" – June 14
18] Ballroom dancing – June 14
19] Foreclosure workshop – June 15
20] 2013 WALK FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN – June 15 - 22
21] Olney Peace vigil – June 15
22] West Chester, PA demo – June 15
23] Silent vigil at Capitol – June 15
24] Fresh Beets Benefit Concert – June 15
25] Music for Peace by Jewish and Palestinian Youngsters – June 15
1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.
2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.
To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.
4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.
5] – Homage to Harriet, works about and inspired by the life and legacy of Maryland-born abolitionist Harriet Tubman, continues through June 23 at Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, 830 E. Pratt St. Call 443-263-1800. Go to http://www.africanamericanculture.org/.
6] – From Thurs., Apr. 4 through Wed., July 3 follow the Tour de Peace across the country. Visit http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/tour-de-peace-road-less-taken.html.
7] – The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., hosts an exhibit Learning, Listening, Leading: BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing in Baltimore City, which documents the achievements of BUILD, featuring the leaders who made these changes possible, through Sat., Aug. 31. Call 410-396-5430. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
8] – Created Equal, an exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, is on display through Aug. 31 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. Call 410- 396-5430 or go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
9] – Wildlife Rescue is a new Maryland Science Center's travelling exhibit. It allows for experiment and exploration of the science of how we can save Earth's ecosystems. Visitors to the exhibit will be introduced to the rescue efforts used by experts, have a chance to experiment with puppets and costumes, and learn survival. The exhibit at the Science Center, 601 Light St., will continue through September 2. Call 410-685-5225 or go to http://www.mdsci.org.
10] – Attend a Press Conference and Protest Rally against FBI/NSA Spying on Fri., June 14 at noon across from Upper Senate Building, Delaware Ave. & Constitution Ave. Join the Montgomery County Civil Rights Coalition, Defending Dissent Foundation, CODEPINK, Washington Peace Center, Bill of Rights Defense Committee and many others to protest spying and to support Edward Snowden and all whistleblowers! It’s not enough to be outraged. Times like this require concerted, committed, and focused grassroots action! Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/394947703953205/.
11] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House. Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. However, on June 14, as the hunger strike continues into 128 days, the vigil will Support Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention. The men detained at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo are engaged in a large-scale hunger strike, which began in early February. The vast majority of the 166 prisoners have been held for more than 11 years without any charge or fair trial, with no end to their detention in sight. Demand that President Obama use his authority to close Guantánamo! See www.witnesstorture.org. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.
12] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.
13] – Participate in a Blood Drive on Fri., June 14 from noon to 6 PM at 453 New Jersey Ave. SE. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood – and it only takes 15 minutes of your time to make a donation that can literally save someone's life. As a part of the re-launch of their "Faith in Action" volunteer campaign, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is hosting a blood drive. Donors can sign up at www.redcrossblood.org with the sponsor code: 0531295.
14] – The monthly demonstrations at Horsham Air Guard Station (Easton & County Line Roads) will continue on the last Saturday of each month through September as part of the campaign to stop the planned drone command center announced to open by October 1. There is regular bannering/leafleting on the 2nd Friday of the month, from 4 to 5 PM at the SEPTA entrance, 15th & Market Sts. (NW corner), across from the west side of Philadelphia City Hall.
15] – On Fri., June 14 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, 700 Aliceanna St. As the first U.S. state to adopt a Genuine Progress Indicator, Maryland is at the leading edge of a national and global movement to rethink and reorient how we measure economic performance and social progress. At the heart of this movement is recognition that economic growth alone cannot deliver progress--indeed will not be possible at all--if we do not do more to support what really matters for our people and our future: improving family well-being, harnessing the power of our societal wealth through greater equity, and living more sustainably in our natural world. The Institute for Policy Studies' Genuine Progress Project and Demos, in cooperation with the Town Creek Foundation, are proud to welcome Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley for a special keynote dialogue in our second GPI in the States Summit, which is bringing leaders from around the country to Baltimore to learn about the Maryland GPI and other important new efforts in states such as Oregon and Vermont. Joining Governor O'Malley in this dialogue is Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and one of our country's leading thinkers on well-being measurement and sustainable economic growth. A RSVP is required for admission. Go to www.ips-dc.org. Email info@ips-dc.org.
16] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., June 14 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, and was recently moved because of the construction on Charles St. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture is promoting June as Torture Awareness Month. TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE. So the weekly vigil on June 14, 21 and 28 will focus torture. Email campaign@nrcat.org or go to www.tortureisamoralissue.org.
17] – See a screening of "Enemy Alien" on Fri., June 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at The Jerusalem Fund, 2425 Virginia Ave. NW, WDC 20037. Call 202.338.1958. This first-person documentary is the gripping story of the fight to free Farouk Abdel-Muhti, a gentle but indomitable Palestinian-born human rights activist detained in a post-9/11 sweep of Muslim immigrants. Told through the eyes of the filmmaker, the grandson of Japanese Americans interned during World War II, this documentary takes on unprecedented intimacy and historical resonance. Attendance is free and open to the public. RSVP is required--http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/ht/d/EventDetails/i/38307.
18] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be June 14. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.
19] – Congressperson Elijah Cummings invites you to the annual Foreclosure Prevention Workshop on Sat., June 15 at Woodlawn Senior High School from 9 AM to 3 PM. More than 20 mortgage lenders, attorneys and counselors will be there to meet with you and reach solutions to your mortgage issues on the spot through one-on-one sessions. Register at http://cummings.house.gov. Call 410-685-9199.
20] – Get involved with the 2013 WALK FOR OUR GRANDCHILDREN. KEEP FOSSIL FUELS IN THE GROUND. CLIMATE ACTION NOW. Contact Steve Norris at earthsun2@gmail.com. The Walk, led by elders and grandparents, welcomes and encourages participation from all generations. Walkers will gather on Sat., June 15 near Camp David, and over seven days travel 63 miles, arriving at the White House on Sat., June 22.
The walk dramatizes the need to liberate our children and grandchildren from fossil fuels, beginning this summer with the rejection of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Camp David is the point of origin, referencing President Eisenhower naming the retreat after his grandson David, and his work to liberate the world from the destructive effects of fascism, - just as we must now mobilize to confront climate change and liberate our children and grandchildren from fossil fuels. The actual walk starts in Camp Catoctin Mountain Park, a federal campground next to Camp David, with training and orientation on June 15. Located in the campground is Evergreen Chapel, where President Obama often worships. On Sunday the 16th, some walkers may respectfully attend services in the chapel, perhaps wearing green scarves. If President Obama and his family are present, we invite him, Michelle, their children and their grandmother to join our walk.
After church on the 16th the walk proceeds through several Maryland communities over the next six days. During the walk educational events, prayer services, teach-ins, listening circles, discussions, caravan performances, interviews and nonviolent protest activities take place in various parks, churches, town halls, theaters and at other venues in cities and towns along the way.
21] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is June 15. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.
22] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.
23] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., June 15. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.
24] – The Food and Faith Network presents the Fresh Beets Benefit Concert on Sat., June 15 at 7 PM at St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church, 1525 Newton St. NW. Proceeds from the concert will go to funding the Food and Faith Network's work to address food inequality and access issues in the D.C. area. The night will be a high-energy intro into how they are working to shape the sustainable food economy through faith-based Fresh Stops. BUY YOUR TICKETS at http://Quixote.org/FreshBeets. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/364762183625223/.
25] – Hear Passionate Music For Peace by Jewish and Palestinian Youngsters on Sat., June 15 at 8 PM at Busboys and Poets Cafe, 5th and K Sts. Hear songs of compassion and coexistence by members of HEARTBEAT [http://HeartBeat.fm/]. Look up https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1jxIeytuomnGnSBR-XLsFW8t1-CFdLTsVWR99PdKs6Ik.
To be continued.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Extensive Research Shows Monsanto’s #1 Selling Herbicide Roundup is Killing You
Extensive Research Shows Monsanto’s #1 Selling Herbicide Roundup is Killing You
By Anthony Gucciardi
You are likely already aware of Monsanto’s crimes against humanity and nature, but are you aware that even major research institutions have shown time and time again that Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide Roundup has been linked to lethal conditions like Lymphoma and DNA damage?
It’s all available through the United States National Library of Medicine’s PubMed tool, which is actually a tool that allows you to crawl the world’s largest medical library for pieces of research. In this case, a voluminous amount of peer-reviewed research exists concerning the devastating effects of Roundup. Scientific studies that have linked Roundup to 44 different diseases, including Lymphoma, liver cancer, and Parkinson disease. And I’ve actually teamed up with Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo to give you an entire PDF detailing the numerous research pieces on Roundup that documents these dangers.
In an interview with Sayer on Monsanto’s Roundup, we actually discussed not only what this information means for humankind, but how we can use it to stop Monsanto:
Now this PDF I just linked up is actually the result of extreme labor, and it’s usually sold to scientists and researchers for their own projects. I managed to deliver it free to NaturalSociety readers so that you will share this information and let your neighbors know that spraying their lawn with Roundup this summer to kill a few weeds is not a good idea. Because remember, Roundup is still selling in record numbers around the nation through outlets like Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Unknowing homeowners, landscapers, and what have you are going in, seeing this stuff on sale, and picking it up because the sign says it’s the most effective at killing weeds. And it surely is effective at killing weeds, it may also just take you down as well. To really understand this we have to go back to the dark history of Monsanto and the creation of glyphosate — the primary component behind Roundup that’s patented by Monsanto.
This is a highly toxic substance that was originally concocted by none other than Monsanto chemist John E. Franz back in 1970, and its responsible for the negative health conditions behind Roundup. And just like Monsanto’s former creations like DDT, PCBs, and Agent Orange, the massive death toll is completely denied for years and years (until it cannot be ignored anymore and is quelled via a financial settlement).
The difference is that now we have the means to assemble and stop Monsanto before more people are killed by its irresponsible creations that threaten humanity and nature equally. Join me in the Monsanto Video Revolt this July 24th and before, and let’s continue the resistance against this conveyor belt of disease known as Monsanto.
This article was published at NationofChange at: http://www.nationofchange.org/extensive-research-shows-monsanto-s-1-selling-herbicide-roundup-killing-you-1372601505. All rights are reserved.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
By Anthony Gucciardi
You are likely already aware of Monsanto’s crimes against humanity and nature, but are you aware that even major research institutions have shown time and time again that Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide Roundup has been linked to lethal conditions like Lymphoma and DNA damage?
It’s all available through the United States National Library of Medicine’s PubMed tool, which is actually a tool that allows you to crawl the world’s largest medical library for pieces of research. In this case, a voluminous amount of peer-reviewed research exists concerning the devastating effects of Roundup. Scientific studies that have linked Roundup to 44 different diseases, including Lymphoma, liver cancer, and Parkinson disease. And I’ve actually teamed up with Sayer Ji of GreenMedInfo to give you an entire PDF detailing the numerous research pieces on Roundup that documents these dangers.
In an interview with Sayer on Monsanto’s Roundup, we actually discussed not only what this information means for humankind, but how we can use it to stop Monsanto:
Now this PDF I just linked up is actually the result of extreme labor, and it’s usually sold to scientists and researchers for their own projects. I managed to deliver it free to NaturalSociety readers so that you will share this information and let your neighbors know that spraying their lawn with Roundup this summer to kill a few weeds is not a good idea. Because remember, Roundup is still selling in record numbers around the nation through outlets like Home Depot and Lowe’s.
Unknowing homeowners, landscapers, and what have you are going in, seeing this stuff on sale, and picking it up because the sign says it’s the most effective at killing weeds. And it surely is effective at killing weeds, it may also just take you down as well. To really understand this we have to go back to the dark history of Monsanto and the creation of glyphosate — the primary component behind Roundup that’s patented by Monsanto.
This is a highly toxic substance that was originally concocted by none other than Monsanto chemist John E. Franz back in 1970, and its responsible for the negative health conditions behind Roundup. And just like Monsanto’s former creations like DDT, PCBs, and Agent Orange, the massive death toll is completely denied for years and years (until it cannot be ignored anymore and is quelled via a financial settlement).
The difference is that now we have the means to assemble and stop Monsanto before more people are killed by its irresponsible creations that threaten humanity and nature equally. Join me in the Monsanto Video Revolt this July 24th and before, and let’s continue the resistance against this conveyor belt of disease known as Monsanto.
This article was published at NationofChange at: http://www.nationofchange.org/extensive-research-shows-monsanto-s-1-selling-herbicide-roundup-killing-you-1372601505. All rights are reserved.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
CIA Six arrested protesting killer drones program
Pictures of Saturday's CIA Killer Drone Protest:
http://photobyted.smugmug.com/Category/Drone-Protest-CIA/30261854_qLp29r#!i=2605232421&k=jvzkpD7
Saturday, June 29, 2013 9:58 PM
We've published the press release on the CIA protest here: http://www.popularresistance.org/activists-arrested-at-cia-protesting-killer-drones/. This gives you a link you can use in social media, Facebook, twitter etc.
We'll add photos when we get them.
KZ
ACTIVISTS ARRESTED DECRYING KILLER DRONES AT CIA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2013
Contacts: Max Obuszewski 410-366-1637 or Joy First 608-239-4327
LANGLEY, VA – Fifty people protested killer drones at the main gate of the CIA today, and six individuals were arrested. The action was organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR], a group that has been active in challenging U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries, abolishing torture, closing Guantanamo, and bringing an end to drone warfare.
Members of NCNR previously sent a letter to CIA Director John Brennan requesting a meeting to discuss ending the drone program, and have received no response. Because the group is concerned about continuing deaths from drone strikes, they decided they must act, and they must personally go to the CIA and ask for a meeting. They were joined by Cindy Sheehan, Brian Terrell, and other activists from Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace, Answer, and many individuals affiliated with other groups to protest the illegal and immoral CIA killer drone program. Sheehan is the mother of Casey who was killed in 2004 in Iraq. Terrell was recently released from federal prison after serving a 6-month term for a peaceful protest against drones at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
The group walked up to the gates of the CIA with a copy of the letter they had sent to Brennan. When they were denied a meeting, six individuals crossed onto the base. After announcing a mock drone strike, five people lay down on the ground and were covered with pictures of drone victims. The sixth person keened and wailed over the bodies. After 20 minutes, the group rose up and began to walk further onto the base carrying pictures of drone victims. They were arrested, and cited and released on site.
Somewhere around 3500-4500 people have been killed by drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and other places around the globe with no due process. According to a study from Stanford and NYU only 2% of those killed are high-level targets. Over 200 children have been killed in Pakistan alone. According to Malachy Kilbride, NCNR, “These illegal drone strikes are not making people in the U.S. any safer and will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.”
NCNR citizen activists believe they have the right and a Nuremberg responsibility to highlight perceived illegal government operations. Moreover, the Nuremberg trials pointed out that citizens must act to prevent their government from further illegal activities. Ellen Barfield, Vets for Peace, commented on the arrests stating, “Because our government seems incapable of restricting drone weapons, these brave citizens are practicing their Nuremberg responsibilities.”
Those arrested were Joy First, Mt. Horeb, WI; Malachy Kilbride, Arlington, VA; Max Obuszewski, Baltimore, MD; Phil Runkel, Milwaukee, WI; Cindy Sheehan, Vacaville, CA; and Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Lexington, KY.
####
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
http://photobyted.smugmug.com/Category/Drone-Protest-CIA/30261854_qLp29r#!i=2605232421&k=jvzkpD7
Saturday, June 29, 2013 9:58 PM
We've published the press release on the CIA protest here: http://www.popularresistance.org/activists-arrested-at-cia-protesting-killer-drones/. This gives you a link you can use in social media, Facebook, twitter etc.
We'll add photos when we get them.
KZ
ACTIVISTS ARRESTED DECRYING KILLER DRONES AT CIA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2013
Contacts: Max Obuszewski 410-366-1637 or Joy First 608-239-4327
LANGLEY, VA – Fifty people protested killer drones at the main gate of the CIA today, and six individuals were arrested. The action was organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR], a group that has been active in challenging U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries, abolishing torture, closing Guantanamo, and bringing an end to drone warfare.
Members of NCNR previously sent a letter to CIA Director John Brennan requesting a meeting to discuss ending the drone program, and have received no response. Because the group is concerned about continuing deaths from drone strikes, they decided they must act, and they must personally go to the CIA and ask for a meeting. They were joined by Cindy Sheehan, Brian Terrell, and other activists from Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace, Answer, and many individuals affiliated with other groups to protest the illegal and immoral CIA killer drone program. Sheehan is the mother of Casey who was killed in 2004 in Iraq. Terrell was recently released from federal prison after serving a 6-month term for a peaceful protest against drones at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
The group walked up to the gates of the CIA with a copy of the letter they had sent to Brennan. When they were denied a meeting, six individuals crossed onto the base. After announcing a mock drone strike, five people lay down on the ground and were covered with pictures of drone victims. The sixth person keened and wailed over the bodies. After 20 minutes, the group rose up and began to walk further onto the base carrying pictures of drone victims. They were arrested, and cited and released on site.
Somewhere around 3500-4500 people have been killed by drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and other places around the globe with no due process. According to a study from Stanford and NYU only 2% of those killed are high-level targets. Over 200 children have been killed in Pakistan alone. According to Malachy Kilbride, NCNR, “These illegal drone strikes are not making people in the U.S. any safer and will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.”
NCNR citizen activists believe they have the right and a Nuremberg responsibility to highlight perceived illegal government operations. Moreover, the Nuremberg trials pointed out that citizens must act to prevent their government from further illegal activities. Ellen Barfield, Vets for Peace, commented on the arrests stating, “Because our government seems incapable of restricting drone weapons, these brave citizens are practicing their Nuremberg responsibilities.”
Those arrested were Joy First, Mt. Horeb, WI; Malachy Kilbride, Arlington, VA; Max Obuszewski, Baltimore, MD; Phil Runkel, Milwaukee, WI; Cindy Sheehan, Vacaville, CA; and Janice Sevre-Duszynska, Lexington, KY.
####
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Saturday, June 29, 2013
CITIZEN ACTIVISTS GO TO CIA: DEMAND END TO KILLER DRONE PROGRAM
CITIZEN ACTIVISTS GO TO CIA: DEMAND END TO KILLER DRONE PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joy First 608 239-4327, Malachy Kilbride 571 501-3729
WHO: Members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] have been active in challenging U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. Frequently NCNR members are arrested, and then speak out against U.S, policies in the courtroom.
WHAT: NCNR members will be joined by other activists from Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace, Answer, and many individuals affiliated with other groups to protest the illegal and immoral CIA killer drone program.
WHEN: Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 3 PM
WHERE: The main gates of the CIA, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd. Langley, VA
WHY: The citizen activists mailed a letter to CIA Director John Brennan, asking to meet with him to discuss the CIA drone program. Since they have received no response, they must go to the CIA personally and ask for a meeting.
Somewhere around 3500-4500 people have been killed by drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and other places around the globe with no due process. According to a study from Stanford and NYU only 2% of those killed are high-level targets. Over 200 children have been killed in Pakistan alone. According to Malachy Kilbride, NCNR, “These illegal drone strikes are not making US citizens any safer and will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.” Activists across the country continue to work to bring an end to the illegal and immoral drone program.
NCNR citizen activists believe they have the right and a Nuremberg responsibility to highlight perceived illegal government operations. Moreover, the Nuremberg trials pointed out that citizens must act to prevent their government from further illegal activities.
####
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joy First 608 239-4327, Malachy Kilbride 571 501-3729
WHO: Members of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR] have been active in challenging U.S. invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. Frequently NCNR members are arrested, and then speak out against U.S, policies in the courtroom.
WHAT: NCNR members will be joined by other activists from Code Pink, World Can’t Wait, Veterans for Peace, Answer, and many individuals affiliated with other groups to protest the illegal and immoral CIA killer drone program.
WHEN: Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 3 PM
WHERE: The main gates of the CIA, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd. Langley, VA
WHY: The citizen activists mailed a letter to CIA Director John Brennan, asking to meet with him to discuss the CIA drone program. Since they have received no response, they must go to the CIA personally and ask for a meeting.
Somewhere around 3500-4500 people have been killed by drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and other places around the globe with no due process. According to a study from Stanford and NYU only 2% of those killed are high-level targets. Over 200 children have been killed in Pakistan alone. According to Malachy Kilbride, NCNR, “These illegal drone strikes are not making US citizens any safer and will only perpetuate the cycle of violence.” Activists across the country continue to work to bring an end to the illegal and immoral drone program.
NCNR citizen activists believe they have the right and a Nuremberg responsibility to highlight perceived illegal government operations. Moreover, the Nuremberg trials pointed out that citizens must act to prevent their government from further illegal activities.
####
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Senators Blast NSA for 'Secret' Interpretation of Laws
Published on Friday, June 28, 2013 by Common Dreams
Senators Blast NSA for 'Secret' Interpretation of Laws
Lawmakers say covert 'reinterpretation' of laws permitted widespread surveillance of American communications
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Lawmakers blasted the Obama administration for their "secret reinterpretation" of known laws, which they say has effectively "mislead" both the public and their representatives, granting the federal government broad powers to monitor and mine the world's communications.
"We are concerned that by depending on secret interpretations of the Patriot Act that differed from an intuitive reading of the statute, this program essentially relied for years on a secret body of law," writes the group of 26 Senators in a letter sent Thursday.
"This and misleading statements by intelligence officials have prevented our constituents from evaluating the decisions that their government was making, and will unfortunately undermine trust in government more broadly."
Civil liberties groups—who have issued repeated warnings regarding the Patriot Act and the changes to FISA in 2008—may or may not find the lawmakers' surprise convincing given Congress's role in passing both pieces of legislation.
The letter—addressed to Director of National Security, James Clapper—demands that the intelligence chief answer a series of questions on the scale and legal justification for the widespread secret spy campaign recently revealed by the Guardian via documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
They write:
To ensure that an informed discussion on PATRIOT Act authorities can take place, we ask that you direct the Intelligence Community to provide unclassified answers to the following questions:
• How long has the NSA used PATRIOT Act authorities to engage in bulk collection of Americans' records? Was this collection underway when the law was reauthorized in 2006?
• Has the NSA used USA PATRIOT Act authorities to conduct bulk collection of any other types of records pertaining to Americans, beyond phone records'?
• Has the NSA collected or made any plans to collect Americans' cell--site location data in bulk'?
• Have there been any violations of the court orders permitting this bulk collection, or of the rules governing access to these records? If so, please describe these violations.
• Please identify any specific examples of instances in which intelligence gained by reviewing phone records obtained through Section 215 bulk collection proved useful in thwarting a particular terrorist plot.
• Please provide specific examples of instances in which useful intelligence was gained by reviewing phone records that could not have been obtained without the bulk collection authority, if such examples exist.
• Please describe the employment status of all persons with conceivable access to this data, including IT professionals, and detail whether they are federal employees, civilian or military, or contractors.
As their colleagues in the Senate spout false statistics about the efficacy of the dragnet program and denounce Snowden as a "traitor," the coalition behind the letter—which was organized by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—admitted in a press statement that this reliance on secret law raises "serious civil liberty concerns and all but removes the public from an informed national security and civil liberty debate."
The Senators signing the letter are: Ron Wyden (D-Or), Mark Udall (D-Co), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), Mark Kirk (R-Il), Dick Durbin (D-Il), Tom Udall (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jon Tester (D-Mt), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dean Heller (R- Nev),Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), Patty Murray (D-Wash), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Al Franken (D-Minn), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chris Coons (D-Del), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), Max Baucus (D-Mont), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)
_____________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/28-10
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Senators Blast NSA for 'Secret' Interpretation of Laws
Lawmakers say covert 'reinterpretation' of laws permitted widespread surveillance of American communications
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
Lawmakers blasted the Obama administration for their "secret reinterpretation" of known laws, which they say has effectively "mislead" both the public and their representatives, granting the federal government broad powers to monitor and mine the world's communications.
"We are concerned that by depending on secret interpretations of the Patriot Act that differed from an intuitive reading of the statute, this program essentially relied for years on a secret body of law," writes the group of 26 Senators in a letter sent Thursday.
"This and misleading statements by intelligence officials have prevented our constituents from evaluating the decisions that their government was making, and will unfortunately undermine trust in government more broadly."
Civil liberties groups—who have issued repeated warnings regarding the Patriot Act and the changes to FISA in 2008—may or may not find the lawmakers' surprise convincing given Congress's role in passing both pieces of legislation.
The letter—addressed to Director of National Security, James Clapper—demands that the intelligence chief answer a series of questions on the scale and legal justification for the widespread secret spy campaign recently revealed by the Guardian via documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
They write:
To ensure that an informed discussion on PATRIOT Act authorities can take place, we ask that you direct the Intelligence Community to provide unclassified answers to the following questions:
• How long has the NSA used PATRIOT Act authorities to engage in bulk collection of Americans' records? Was this collection underway when the law was reauthorized in 2006?
• Has the NSA used USA PATRIOT Act authorities to conduct bulk collection of any other types of records pertaining to Americans, beyond phone records'?
• Has the NSA collected or made any plans to collect Americans' cell--site location data in bulk'?
• Have there been any violations of the court orders permitting this bulk collection, or of the rules governing access to these records? If so, please describe these violations.
• Please identify any specific examples of instances in which intelligence gained by reviewing phone records obtained through Section 215 bulk collection proved useful in thwarting a particular terrorist plot.
• Please provide specific examples of instances in which useful intelligence was gained by reviewing phone records that could not have been obtained without the bulk collection authority, if such examples exist.
• Please describe the employment status of all persons with conceivable access to this data, including IT professionals, and detail whether they are federal employees, civilian or military, or contractors.
As their colleagues in the Senate spout false statistics about the efficacy of the dragnet program and denounce Snowden as a "traitor," the coalition behind the letter—which was organized by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)—admitted in a press statement that this reliance on secret law raises "serious civil liberty concerns and all but removes the public from an informed national security and civil liberty debate."
The Senators signing the letter are: Ron Wyden (D-Or), Mark Udall (D-Co), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt), Mark Kirk (R-Il), Dick Durbin (D-Il), Tom Udall (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jon Tester (D-Mt), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Dean Heller (R- Nev),Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt), Patty Murray (D-Wash), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Al Franken (D-Minn), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Chris Coons (D-Del), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), Max Baucus (D-Mont), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)
_____________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/28-10
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Close Gitmo protesters arrested
Dear Friends,
June 26 marked the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Following a National Religious Campaign Against Torture led prayer service/vigil outside the White House, Witness Against Torture, CODEPINK, Veternas For Peace and others collaborated in a nonviolent resistance action at the White House in support of the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers who were on day 140 of the hunger strike calling for an end to their indefinite unjust detention. 21 people were arrested in the picture post card area of the White House sidewalk and Diane Wilson (Day 57 of her solidarity hunger strike) was arrrested after she climbed over the White House fence. Elliott Adams (day 41 of his solidarity hunger strike) was detained on the White House sidewalk for a short period of time and then released without charge.
Diane Wilson ended her 58 day hunger strike in solidarity with the Guantanamo prisoners upon her release from jail and court yesterday. She was chared with unlawful entry. All others who were arrested have a July 16 court date.
See below photo's, video and slide show of the June 26 White House action.
With deep gratitude for all who participtated in this powerful witness on behalf of the hunger strikers. The struggle continues.
In peace and hope, Art
Photos by Ted Majdosz
http://photobyted.smugmug.com/CloseGuantanomo/White-House-Protest-in-Support/30205718_7bcpfK#!i=2599472321&k=GtDZVLV
Blog of Action by Ted Majdosz (Include Names of Those Arrested)
http://www.photobyted.com/
Video/Slide-Show of action on below web site:
http://closegitmo.net/media/videos/video-of-diane-scaling-white-house-fence/
For Immediate Release – Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Contact: Gerry Condon 206-499-1220
Veterans Arrested At White House Guantanamo Protest
Vietnam Veteran Diane Wilson Goes Over White House Fence
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
A dynamic protest outside the While House against the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba came to a climax Wednesday when Vietnam veteran Diane Wilson climbed over the White House fence. Suddenly, there she was standing on the White House lawn like an apparition in her orange prison jumpsuit. Wilson was quickly surrounded by heavily armed Secret Service agents and a menacing police dog. She was arrested, charged with unlawful entry and turned over to police in Washington, DC, where she was being held in jail as of Wednesday night.
Diane Wilson, a former Army medic and member of Veterans For Peace, is on Day 57 of a water-only fast in solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners at Guantanamo. Shortly before going over the White House fence, Wilson explained “I decided to take drastic action because in this situation time is of the essence. If President Obama doesn’t hear our message and act soon, the blood of the men on hunger strike in Guantanamo will be on his hands.”
Over twenty other protesters, including two members of Veterans For Peace, were subsequently arrested when they refused to leave the sidewalk in front of the White House, where they were reading the names of 86 prisoners who have been cleared for release yet remain imprisoned at Guantanamo.
Elliott Adams, a former president of Veterans For Peace, was arrested as he attempted to chain himself to the White House fence. Surprisingly, he was released without charge, perhaps after the police learned he was on Day 41 of an open-ended hunger strike. “I just can’t sit and enjoy my life when my country is doing such terrible things to these people,” said Adams.
Veterans For Peace member Helen Jaccard was also arrested and carted off to jail by the Park Police, along with nearly 20 other protesters, including several women from Code Pink. They were released after several hours, charged with disobeying a lawful order, and given a court date of Tuesday, July 16. “I had never been arrested before,” said Jaccard, “but if you really care about justice, there comes a time when you have to be willing to cross that line. Today was that time for me.”
ACTION PHOTOS HERE, care of VFP member Ellen Davidson
The US is holding 166 prisoners at Guantanamo, over 100 of whom have been carrying on a long term hunger strike to protest indefinite detention and inhuman conditions. The US Army is force-feeding over 40 prisoners with painfully invasive metal-tipped tubes forced through their nose and into their stomachs, a procedure that is widely considered to be torture. Several prisoners are in the hospital in critical condition.
Tarak Kauff, who serves on the Board of Directors of Veterans For Peace, has fasted for 19 days. “The conditions at Guantanamo continue to be horrifying and barbaric,” said Kauff. “President Obama, who once said ‘under my administration the United States does not torture,’ could stop this with one phone call – immediately. Instead, the President, the U.S. military establishment, and Congress display more inhumanity, more cruelty and indifference to human suffering with each passing day.”
Contact hunger striker Elliott Adams, 518-441-2697 or by email at elliottadams@juno.com
To interview the Veterans For Peace hunger strikers, contact Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220
For more information, go to www.CloseGitmo.net, www.witnesstorture.org and www.veteransforpeace.org.
Organized locally. Recognized nationally. Exposing the true costs of war since 1985.
VETERANS FOR PEACE
NATIONAL OFFICE: 216 S. Meramec Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63105
PHONE: (314) 725-6005 FAX: (314) 227-1981 E-MAIL: vfp@veteransforpeace.org
www.veteransforpeace.org
June 26 marked the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Following a National Religious Campaign Against Torture led prayer service/vigil outside the White House, Witness Against Torture, CODEPINK, Veternas For Peace and others collaborated in a nonviolent resistance action at the White House in support of the Guantanamo Hunger Strikers who were on day 140 of the hunger strike calling for an end to their indefinite unjust detention. 21 people were arrested in the picture post card area of the White House sidewalk and Diane Wilson (Day 57 of her solidarity hunger strike) was arrrested after she climbed over the White House fence. Elliott Adams (day 41 of his solidarity hunger strike) was detained on the White House sidewalk for a short period of time and then released without charge.
Diane Wilson ended her 58 day hunger strike in solidarity with the Guantanamo prisoners upon her release from jail and court yesterday. She was chared with unlawful entry. All others who were arrested have a July 16 court date.
See below photo's, video and slide show of the June 26 White House action.
With deep gratitude for all who participtated in this powerful witness on behalf of the hunger strikers. The struggle continues.
In peace and hope, Art
Photos by Ted Majdosz
http://photobyted.smugmug.com/CloseGuantanomo/White-House-Protest-in-Support/30205718_7bcpfK#!i=2599472321&k=GtDZVLV
Blog of Action by Ted Majdosz (Include Names of Those Arrested)
http://www.photobyted.com/
Video/Slide-Show of action on below web site:
http://closegitmo.net/media/videos/video-of-diane-scaling-white-house-fence/
For Immediate Release – Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Contact: Gerry Condon 206-499-1220
Veterans Arrested At White House Guantanamo Protest
Vietnam Veteran Diane Wilson Goes Over White House Fence
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
A dynamic protest outside the While House against the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba came to a climax Wednesday when Vietnam veteran Diane Wilson climbed over the White House fence. Suddenly, there she was standing on the White House lawn like an apparition in her orange prison jumpsuit. Wilson was quickly surrounded by heavily armed Secret Service agents and a menacing police dog. She was arrested, charged with unlawful entry and turned over to police in Washington, DC, where she was being held in jail as of Wednesday night.
Diane Wilson, a former Army medic and member of Veterans For Peace, is on Day 57 of a water-only fast in solidarity with the hunger striking prisoners at Guantanamo. Shortly before going over the White House fence, Wilson explained “I decided to take drastic action because in this situation time is of the essence. If President Obama doesn’t hear our message and act soon, the blood of the men on hunger strike in Guantanamo will be on his hands.”
Over twenty other protesters, including two members of Veterans For Peace, were subsequently arrested when they refused to leave the sidewalk in front of the White House, where they were reading the names of 86 prisoners who have been cleared for release yet remain imprisoned at Guantanamo.
Elliott Adams, a former president of Veterans For Peace, was arrested as he attempted to chain himself to the White House fence. Surprisingly, he was released without charge, perhaps after the police learned he was on Day 41 of an open-ended hunger strike. “I just can’t sit and enjoy my life when my country is doing such terrible things to these people,” said Adams.
Veterans For Peace member Helen Jaccard was also arrested and carted off to jail by the Park Police, along with nearly 20 other protesters, including several women from Code Pink. They were released after several hours, charged with disobeying a lawful order, and given a court date of Tuesday, July 16. “I had never been arrested before,” said Jaccard, “but if you really care about justice, there comes a time when you have to be willing to cross that line. Today was that time for me.”
ACTION PHOTOS HERE, care of VFP member Ellen Davidson
The US is holding 166 prisoners at Guantanamo, over 100 of whom have been carrying on a long term hunger strike to protest indefinite detention and inhuman conditions. The US Army is force-feeding over 40 prisoners with painfully invasive metal-tipped tubes forced through their nose and into their stomachs, a procedure that is widely considered to be torture. Several prisoners are in the hospital in critical condition.
Tarak Kauff, who serves on the Board of Directors of Veterans For Peace, has fasted for 19 days. “The conditions at Guantanamo continue to be horrifying and barbaric,” said Kauff. “President Obama, who once said ‘under my administration the United States does not torture,’ could stop this with one phone call – immediately. Instead, the President, the U.S. military establishment, and Congress display more inhumanity, more cruelty and indifference to human suffering with each passing day.”
Contact hunger striker Elliott Adams, 518-441-2697 or by email at elliottadams@juno.com
To interview the Veterans For Peace hunger strikers, contact Gerry Condon at 206-499-1220
For more information, go to www.CloseGitmo.net, www.witnesstorture.org and www.veteransforpeace.org.
Organized locally. Recognized nationally. Exposing the true costs of war since 1985.
VETERANS FOR PEACE
NATIONAL OFFICE: 216 S. Meramec Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63105
PHONE: (314) 725-6005 FAX: (314) 227-1981 E-MAIL: vfp@veteransforpeace.org
www.veteransforpeace.org
Friday, June 28, 2013
Baltimore Activist Alert - June 28-30, 2013
Baltimore Activist Alert June 28 – July 4, 2013
"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.
Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.
1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Tour de Peace – through July 3
6] BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing -- through Aug. 31
7] Created Equal exhibit – through Aug. 31
8] Wildlife Rescue exhibit – through Sept. 2
9] D.C. Demonstration for the Gitmo Hunger Strikers – June 28
10] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – June 28
11] Demonstrate on the Four Year Anniversary of the Honduran Military Coup – June 28
12] Protest failure to investigate killer drone strikes – June 28
13] Silent peace vigil against torture – June 28
14] The Election Integrity Movement – June 28
15] Spiritualist speaks -- June 28
16] Discussion with Israeli Member of Knesset – June 28
17] Ballroom dancing – June 28
18] Israel’s Bedouin community – June 28
19] Breakfast with the Animals – June 29
20] Starvin’ for Justice – June 29 – July 3
21] Buy Nicaragua – June 29
22] Olney Peace vigil – June 29
23] West Chester, PA demo – June 29
24] Silent vigil at Capitol – June 29
25] Demonstration at Horsham Air Guard Station – June 29
26] Stop the Gap Deathtraps – June 29
27] Protest CIA assassinations – June 29
28] Rally to tell VP Biden: No KXL – June 29
29] Alzheimer’s – June 30
30] Peace and Pancakes – June 30
31] REAL Egyptian Revolution – June 30
32] JIDS Dialogue – June 30
33] Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee meeting – June 30
34] Pentagon Vigil – July 1
1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.
2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.
To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.
4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.
5] – From Thurs., Apr. 4 through Wed., July 3 follow the Tour de Peace across the country. Visit http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/tour-de-peace-road-less-taken.html.
6] – The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., hosts an exhibit Learning, Listening, Leading: BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing in Baltimore City, which documents the achievements of BUILD, featuring the leaders who made these changes possible, through Sat., Aug. 31. Call 410-396-5430. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
7] – Created Equal, an exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, is on display through Aug. 31 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. Call 410- 396-5430 or go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
8] – Wildlife Rescue is a new Maryland Science Center's travelling exhibit. It allows for experiment and exploration of the science of how we can save Earth's ecosystems. Visitors to the exhibit will be introduced to the rescue efforts used by experts, have a chance to experiment with puppets and costumes, and learn survival. The exhibit at the Science Center, 601 Light St., will continue through September 2. Call 410-685-5225 or go to http://www.mdsci.org.
9] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House. Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. However, on June 28, as the hunger strike continues into 142 days, the vigil will Support Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention. The men detained at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo are engaged in a large-scale hunger strike, which began in early February. The vast majority of the 166 prisoners have been held for more than 11 years without any charge or fair trial, with no end to their detention in sight. Demand that President Obama use his authority to close Guantánamo! See www.witnesstorture.org. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.
10] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.
11] – Demonstrate on the Four Year Anniversary of the Honduran Military Coup on Fri., June 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM at the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW. The event will include Street Theater organized by SOA Watch to remember the coup against President Manuel Zelaya, led by School of the Americas graduates. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/141148539415408/.
Also involved and concerned about the World Bank Role in Violence is Witness Against Torture. Visit www.witnessforpeace.org. Email owen@soaw.org or walker@witnessforpeace.org,
12] – On Fri., June 28 at 4 PM, gather at the U.S. Attorney's Office, 2100 Jamieson Ave., Alexandria to protest Killer Drone Strikes. Demonstrate outside Neil MacBride’s office. National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance members delivered a criminal complaint on May 21 to MacBride’s office. This petition called for an investigation of Obama, John Brennan and others involved in the CIA drone program. But the citizen activists have not received a response. Hence, there will be a demonstration against killer drone strikes. Email joyfirst5@gmail.com.
13] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., June 28 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, and was recently moved because of the construction on Charles St. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture is promoting June as Torture Awareness Month. TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE. So today’s vigil will focus on torture. Email campaign@nrcat.org or go to www.tortureisamoralissue.org.
14] – On Fri., June 28 starting at 5:30PM with a book signing, hear a distinguished panel to discuss issues raised in author Marta Steele's new book "Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols: The Election Integrity Movement's Nonstop Battle to Win Back the People's Vote, 2000-2008." Panelists include Mike Hersh (moderator), National Communications Coordinator of Progressives for Democratic Action (PDA); Rebecca Wilson (panelist), Co-Chair of SAVEourvotes.org; and Marta Steele (panelist). Steele is a grassroots writer and journalist as well as academic book and journal editor. Her educational background is in classical antiquity and linguistics. A graduate of Wellesley College (BA) and UCLA (MA), she has taught English, rhetoric, ancient Greek, and Latin at the college level. She has also worked fulltime as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor. As an activist since 2001, she has focused on peace, interfaith issues, and election integrity. She resides in Washington, DC, just hours away from her daughter Liza, a PhD candidate in sociology at Princeton University.
At 6 PM, hear a panel discussion: "Does your vote count? The Election Integrity movement and the battle over ballots" will be discussed at Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville 20781. Go to http://www.pdamerica.org.
15] – You are invited to a talk “SPIRIT INTERVENTION IN OUR LIVES & THE SPIRITUAL REALM" on Fri., June 28 at 7 PM with Dr. Vanessa Anseloni, PsyD, PhD, at 4217 East-West Highway, Bethesda 20814. This is to continue with the Solstice celebration and days of powerful experiences and the presence of generous spirits working tirelessly for the health and spiritual healing of the members of the community and their families and friends.
Anseloni is a neuroscientist, psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland. Fifth generation Spiritist, Dr. Anseloni is also the president and founder of the Spiritist Society of Baltimore and the Spiritist Society of Virginia. Vanessa Anseloni is a Spiritist medium and fraternal counselor, and coordinates spiritual treatments and workshops in the U.S. and worldwide. She is also the co-author of the book The New Generation with Divaldo Franco and the editor-in-chief of The Spiritist Magazine. RSVP at shantiyoga2@earthlink.net.
16] – On Fri., June 28 at 8:30 PM, join J Street DC Metro and Tifereth Israel for a discussion with Israeli Member of Knesset Adi Kol at Tifereth Israel, 7701 16th St. NW. Koll, who earned her PhD from Columbia, is part of an emergent, forward thinking wave in Israeli politics. She is a member of Israel's new Yesh Atid party, which made a return to peace negotiations a condition for its involvement in the new Israeli government.
With Secretary of State John Kerry working to get the parties back to the table, MK Koll will provide an Israeli perspective on what is at stake and an insider's perspective on how Israeli politics will influence the government's return to negotiations. Tifereth Israel also invites all attendees to a pre-event Shabbat dinner beginning at 7:30 PM. RSVP to http://act.jstreet.org/act/dc_062813.
17] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be June 28. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.
18] – On Fri., June 28 at 8 PM, you are invited to hear Amal Elsana Alh’jooj, director of North American Relations for the Arab Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation and the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (AJEEC-NISPED), at Mishkan Torah Synagogue, 10 Ridge Road in Greenbelt, Maryland. Ms. Alh’jooj will briefly describe the Bedouin community within the state of Israel, share her personal experiences growing up in that society, and discuss her efforts to promote women’s rights within the Bedouin community while at the same time working to create an atmosphere of equality, mutual understanding, and respect for both the Arab and Jewish populations in her home country.
A leader of Israel’s Bedouin community, Ms. Alh’jooj earned a BA in social work from Ben-Gurion University and a MA in community development from McGill University, where she is currently working on her doctorate. She is visiting under the auspices of the New York–based Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, which is working to advance civic equality in Israel.
19] – Breakfast with the Zebras, Rhinos, and Ostriches at the African Journey on Sat., June 29 from 8:30 to 10 AM at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Drive. A same day entry to the park is included with the ticket price. Children under two are free, but they still require a ticket. Call 410-366-7102. Visit http://www.marylandzoo.org.
20] – From Sat. June 29 to Wednesday, July 3, join the annual Starvin’ for Justice Abolition of the Death Penalty Annual Fast and Vigil Events in Washington, D.C. Go to http://www.abolition.org/fastandvigil/.
21] – Barbara Larcom [mailto:barbara.larcom@gmail.com] invites you to a Saturday Sidewalk Sale: Paintings, Posters, Pottery & More from Nicaragua! Casa Baltimore/Limay and Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance will be at the sidewalk sale on the SW corner of Maryland Ave. and 27th St., Baltimore 21218 on Sat., June 29 between 10 AM and 2 PM. Each visitor will receive a FREE note card based on a Nicaraguan painting. Call 410-662-6292. Proceeds from Casa Baltimore/Limay sales will benefit aid and development projects in Baltimore's friendship community, San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua. See http://www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org. Proceeds from Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance sales will benefit NCA's ongoing promotion of Nicaraguan culture within the United States, as well as provision of fair compensation to Nicaraguan artists for their work. See http://www.NCAfairtrade.org.
22] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is June 29. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.
23] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.
24] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., June 29. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.
25] – The monthly demonstrations at Horsham Air Guard Station (Easton & County Line Roads) will continue on the last Saturday of each month through September as part of the campaign to stop the planned drone command center announced to open by October 1. On Sat., June 29 from noon until 2 PM, be at the demonstration at the Horsham Air Guard Station, site of the planned Drone War Command Center, Route #611/Easton Road & County Line Road, Horsham, PA. Visit www.brandywinepeace.com or call 610-544-1818.
26] – Stop the Gap Deathtraps on Sat., June 29 at 1 PM at 1120 Connecticut Ave. NW. Students, consumers, workers and community members will come together in cities across the world to demand that Gap and Wal-Mart put an end to deathtrap factories in their supply chains. There’s too much at stake for Gap and Wal-Mart to continue their business-as-usual approach to fire and building safety. That’s why labor rights advocates have declared an International Day of Action. Email Garrett Strain at garrett@usas.org.
27] – On Sat., June 29 at 3 PM, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance and others will demonstrate against killer drones at the main gate of the CIA, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd., Langley, VA. At some point, a group will attempt to deliver a letter to John Brennan seeking a meeting to end the assassination program. Email mobuszewski@verizon.net. Visit http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/antidrone-activists-file-war-crimes-complaint-against-obama-brennan-and-others. NCN R will follow up on an earlier delivery of a criminal complaint with an action of nonviolent civil resistance at the CIA. Call Max at 410-366-1637 if you need a ride.
28] – Rally to tell VP Biden: No KXL on Sat., June 29 from 5 to 7 PM at the Richmond Convention Center, 401 N. 3rd St, Richmond. The Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline would have major climate consequences for Virginia -- rising seas flooding Norfolk, hotter temperatures threatening our health and agriculture, and more severe storms wreaking havoc on our communities. The Obama administration needs to see that Virginians oppose the pipeline, and Vice President Biden is coming to Richmond to speak at a VIP dinner. RSVP at http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/index.phpoption=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=302&Itemid=48&year=2013&month=06&day=29&title=rally-to-tell-vp-biden-no-kxl&uid=ce23ebfa2431d6c88a06e3214f668da9&catids=6
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29] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to noon. On Sun., June 30 the platform address is “Alzheimer's: Disease and Discovery” by Kate LaClair, BES member. Alzheimer's disease has become more prominent in the last several decades as more people live longer than ever before. Despite several decades of research, we remain unable to treat or cure the disease effectively, but new research is bringing exciting developments that could change the future for patients and their families. Learn more about some of the cutting edge research that is changing the way we approach Alzheimer's disease, and what insights it can give us into the foundations that make us who we are. Go to http://bmorethical.org/ or Twitter: @bmorethical or Facebook: http://fb.com/bmorethical/or email ask@bmorethical.org.
30] – Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.
31] – Get over to a Solidarity Protest for the REAL Egyptian Revolution at Lafayette Park by the White House at noon on Sun., June 30. Egyptians, activists, and allies of the revolution, please join our solidarity protest on June 30th 2013, as Egyptians rise up and call for a REAL revolution. This protest is simultaneous with over 15 million Egyptians who are demanding that the promises of the 2011 uprising be fulfilled. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood betrayed the people and the revolution. The Egyptian revolution was stolen. It’s time to get it back! See https://www.facebook.com/events/542250445810873/.
32] – The next JIDS dialogue will involve some important topics on Sun., June 30 from 2:30 to 5:15 PM at the Islamic Center of Maryland, 19411 Woodfield Rd., Gaithersburg 20879. The session will be devoted to the subjects of violence and fanaticism. The two speakers are both experts in the field, there will be plenty of time for the community to weigh in on these subjects.
Rabia Chaudry will be giving a presentation on "Violent extremism and Issues Related to Radicalization among Muslims." Rabia is an attorney and President and founder of the Safe Nation Collaborative. Her firm provides Countering Violence Extremism (CVE) and cultural competency training to law enforcement, correctional, and homeland security officials, and national security and CVE training to Muslim communities and institutions.
Professor Jing Lin will be giving a talk entitled "The 'Angry Young Men' Today: Problems in Education and Culture, and Solutions." She is Professor in International Education Policy at University of Maryland. She received her doctorate from the University of Michigan, and has done extensive research on peace education and environmental education, which result in books entitled "Love, Peace and Wisdom in Education: Vision for Education in the 21st Century" (2006), "Educators as Peace Makers: Transforming Education for Global Peace" (2008), and others. She is the co-editor of two book series, one on Peace Education, and the other on Transforming Education for the Future. She teaches courses on Education for Global Peace, Ecological Ethics and Education, World Religions and Implications for Education, Culture and Education in a Global Context, Gender and Education, International Higher Education, and Modes of Inquiry. Jin will be joined in her presentation by one of her students at the University of Maryland. Immediately after the above dialogue is completed, there will be a meeting of the JIDS Social Action Committee. Go to www.jids.org.
33] – You are invited to attend a community-wide meeting to discuss the future of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area. For the past thirty-one years, the H/N Committee has spearheaded organizing the annual remembrance activities. The H/N Committee leadership has been meeting to discuss the pressing need to renew focus and energy. It is imperative that we include the broader community in these discussions. The meeting will be held on Sun., June 30 from 3 to 6 PM at the Mount Rainier Christian Church. 30th and Bunker Hill Rd, Mt. Rainier 20712. Call John at 703-822-3485.
34] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Mon., June 24, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.
To be continued.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours.
The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.
Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center. Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com. If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski [at] verizon.net.
Tune into the Maryland Progressive Blog at http://mdprogblog.org.
1] Books, buttons & stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Join Nonviolent Resistance lists
4] Buy coffee through HoCoFoLa
5] Tour de Peace – through July 3
6] BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing -- through Aug. 31
7] Created Equal exhibit – through Aug. 31
8] Wildlife Rescue exhibit – through Sept. 2
9] D.C. Demonstration for the Gitmo Hunger Strikers – June 28
10] Justice for Palestine/Israel vigil – June 28
11] Demonstrate on the Four Year Anniversary of the Honduran Military Coup – June 28
12] Protest failure to investigate killer drone strikes – June 28
13] Silent peace vigil against torture – June 28
14] The Election Integrity Movement – June 28
15] Spiritualist speaks -- June 28
16] Discussion with Israeli Member of Knesset – June 28
17] Ballroom dancing – June 28
18] Israel’s Bedouin community – June 28
19] Breakfast with the Animals – June 29
20] Starvin’ for Justice – June 29 – July 3
21] Buy Nicaragua – June 29
22] Olney Peace vigil – June 29
23] West Chester, PA demo – June 29
24] Silent vigil at Capitol – June 29
25] Demonstration at Horsham Air Guard Station – June 29
26] Stop the Gap Deathtraps – June 29
27] Protest CIA assassinations – June 29
28] Rally to tell VP Biden: No KXL – June 29
29] Alzheimer’s – June 30
30] Peace and Pancakes – June 30
31] REAL Egyptian Revolution – June 30
32] JIDS Dialogue – June 30
33] Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee meeting – June 30
34] Pentagon Vigil – July 1
1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available. “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Donate your books to Max. Call him at 410-366-1637.
2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/. Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR]. It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed. It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to the war in Iraq.
To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to donmuller@msn.com. Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.
THE NOTICES LIST will include only notices of NCNR actions and related information and is open to any interested person to subscribe. It will be moderated to maintain focus & will include periodic notices about getting involved in NCNR national organizing. To join the NOTICES List, send an email message to ncnrnotices-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. You will get a confirmation message once subscribed. If you have problems, please write to the list manager at ncnrnotices-admin@lists.riseup.net.
4] – You can help safeguard human rights and fragile ecosystems through your purchase of HOCOFOLA Café Quetzal. Bags of ground coffee or whole beans can be ordered by mailing in an order form. Also note organic cocoa and sugar are for sale. For more details and to download the order form, go to http://friendsoflatinamerica.typepad.com/hocofola/2010/02/hocofola-cafe-quetzal-order-form-2010.html. The coffee comes in one-pound bags.
Fill out the form and mail it with a check made out to HOCOFOLA on or before the second week of the month. Be sure you indicate ground or beans for each type of coffee ordered. Send it to Adela Hirsch, 5358 Eliots Oak Rd., Columbia, MD 21044. Be sure you indicate ground (G) or bean (B) for each type of coffee ordered. The coffee will arrive some time the following week and you will be notified where to pick it up. Contact Adela at 410-997-5662 or via e-mail at adela4peace@verizon.net.
5] – From Thurs., Apr. 4 through Wed., July 3 follow the Tour de Peace across the country. Visit http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/tour-de-peace-road-less-taken.html.
6] – The Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., hosts an exhibit Learning, Listening, Leading: BUILD's 35 Years of Organizing in Baltimore City, which documents the achievements of BUILD, featuring the leaders who made these changes possible, through Sat., Aug. 31. Call 410-396-5430. Go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
7] – Created Equal, an exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, is on display through Aug. 31 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. Call 410- 396-5430 or go to http://www.prattlibrary.org/locations/central.
8] – Wildlife Rescue is a new Maryland Science Center's travelling exhibit. It allows for experiment and exploration of the science of how we can save Earth's ecosystems. Visitors to the exhibit will be introduced to the rescue efforts used by experts, have a chance to experiment with puppets and costumes, and learn survival. The exhibit at the Science Center, 601 Light St., will continue through September 2. Call 410-685-5225 or go to http://www.mdsci.org.
9] – A peace vigil takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at Lafayette Park facing the White House. Join the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker and friends. However, on June 28, as the hunger strike continues into 142 days, the vigil will Support Guantanamo Hunger Strikers--Close Guantanamo & End Indefinite Detention. The men detained at the U.S. prison in Guantánamo are engaged in a large-scale hunger strike, which began in early February. The vast majority of the 166 prisoners have been held for more than 11 years without any charge or fair trial, with no end to their detention in sight. Demand that President Obama use his authority to close Guantánamo! See www.witnesstorture.org. Contact Art Laffin: artlaffin@hotmail.com.
10] – A vigil for Justice in Palestine/Israel takes place every Friday from noon to 1 PM at 19th & JFK Blvd., Philadelphia (across from Israeli Consulate. It is sponsored by Bubbies & Zaydes (Grandparents) for Peace in the Middle East. Email cswartz@pil.net. Go to http://phillyjewishpeace.org/.
11] – Demonstrate on the Four Year Anniversary of the Honduran Military Coup on Fri., June 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 PM at the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW. The event will include Street Theater organized by SOA Watch to remember the coup against President Manuel Zelaya, led by School of the Americas graduates. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/141148539415408/.
Also involved and concerned about the World Bank Role in Violence is Witness Against Torture. Visit www.witnessforpeace.org. Email owen@soaw.org or walker@witnessforpeace.org,
12] – On Fri., June 28 at 4 PM, gather at the U.S. Attorney's Office, 2100 Jamieson Ave., Alexandria to protest Killer Drone Strikes. Demonstrate outside Neil MacBride’s office. National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance members delivered a criminal complaint on May 21 to MacBride’s office. This petition called for an investigation of Obama, John Brennan and others involved in the CIA drone program. But the citizen activists have not received a response. Hence, there will be a demonstration against killer drone strikes. Email joyfirst5@gmail.com.
13] – There is a silent peace vigil on Fri., June 28 from 5 to 6 PM outside the Cathedral of the Incarnation, University Parkway and St. Paul St. The vigil is sponsored by Homewood Friends and Stony Run Meetings, and was recently moved because of the construction on Charles St. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture is promoting June as Torture Awareness Month. TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE. So today’s vigil will focus on torture. Email campaign@nrcat.org or go to www.tortureisamoralissue.org.
14] – On Fri., June 28 starting at 5:30PM with a book signing, hear a distinguished panel to discuss issues raised in author Marta Steele's new book "Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols: The Election Integrity Movement's Nonstop Battle to Win Back the People's Vote, 2000-2008." Panelists include Mike Hersh (moderator), National Communications Coordinator of Progressives for Democratic Action (PDA); Rebecca Wilson (panelist), Co-Chair of SAVEourvotes.org; and Marta Steele (panelist). Steele is a grassroots writer and journalist as well as academic book and journal editor. Her educational background is in classical antiquity and linguistics. A graduate of Wellesley College (BA) and UCLA (MA), she has taught English, rhetoric, ancient Greek, and Latin at the college level. She has also worked fulltime as a newspaper reporter and magazine editor. As an activist since 2001, she has focused on peace, interfaith issues, and election integrity. She resides in Washington, DC, just hours away from her daughter Liza, a PhD candidate in sociology at Princeton University.
At 6 PM, hear a panel discussion: "Does your vote count? The Election Integrity movement and the battle over ballots" will be discussed at Busboys and Poets, 5331 Baltimore Ave., Hyattsville 20781. Go to http://www.pdamerica.org.
15] – You are invited to a talk “SPIRIT INTERVENTION IN OUR LIVES & THE SPIRITUAL REALM" on Fri., June 28 at 7 PM with Dr. Vanessa Anseloni, PsyD, PhD, at 4217 East-West Highway, Bethesda 20814. This is to continue with the Solstice celebration and days of powerful experiences and the presence of generous spirits working tirelessly for the health and spiritual healing of the members of the community and their families and friends.
Anseloni is a neuroscientist, psychologist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland. Fifth generation Spiritist, Dr. Anseloni is also the president and founder of the Spiritist Society of Baltimore and the Spiritist Society of Virginia. Vanessa Anseloni is a Spiritist medium and fraternal counselor, and coordinates spiritual treatments and workshops in the U.S. and worldwide. She is also the co-author of the book The New Generation with Divaldo Franco and the editor-in-chief of The Spiritist Magazine. RSVP at shantiyoga2@earthlink.net.
16] – On Fri., June 28 at 8:30 PM, join J Street DC Metro and Tifereth Israel for a discussion with Israeli Member of Knesset Adi Kol at Tifereth Israel, 7701 16th St. NW. Koll, who earned her PhD from Columbia, is part of an emergent, forward thinking wave in Israeli politics. She is a member of Israel's new Yesh Atid party, which made a return to peace negotiations a condition for its involvement in the new Israeli government.
With Secretary of State John Kerry working to get the parties back to the table, MK Koll will provide an Israeli perspective on what is at stake and an insider's perspective on how Israeli politics will influence the government's return to negotiations. Tifereth Israel also invites all attendees to a pre-event Shabbat dinner beginning at 7:30 PM. RSVP to http://act.jstreet.org/act/dc_062813.
17] – There is an opportunity to participate in ballroom dancing, usually every Friday of the month, in the JHU ROTC Bldg. at 8 PM. Turn south on San Martin Dr. from the intersection of Univ. Parkway and 39th St. Drive on campus by taking the third left turn. The next dance will be June 28. Call Dave Greene at 410-599-3725.
18] – On Fri., June 28 at 8 PM, you are invited to hear Amal Elsana Alh’jooj, director of North American Relations for the Arab Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation and the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (AJEEC-NISPED), at Mishkan Torah Synagogue, 10 Ridge Road in Greenbelt, Maryland. Ms. Alh’jooj will briefly describe the Bedouin community within the state of Israel, share her personal experiences growing up in that society, and discuss her efforts to promote women’s rights within the Bedouin community while at the same time working to create an atmosphere of equality, mutual understanding, and respect for both the Arab and Jewish populations in her home country.
A leader of Israel’s Bedouin community, Ms. Alh’jooj earned a BA in social work from Ben-Gurion University and a MA in community development from McGill University, where she is currently working on her doctorate. She is visiting under the auspices of the New York–based Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, which is working to advance civic equality in Israel.
19] – Breakfast with the Zebras, Rhinos, and Ostriches at the African Journey on Sat., June 29 from 8:30 to 10 AM at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, 1876 Mansion House Drive. A same day entry to the park is included with the ticket price. Children under two are free, but they still require a ticket. Call 410-366-7102. Visit http://www.marylandzoo.org.
20] – From Sat. June 29 to Wednesday, July 3, join the annual Starvin’ for Justice Abolition of the Death Penalty Annual Fast and Vigil Events in Washington, D.C. Go to http://www.abolition.org/fastandvigil/.
21] – Barbara Larcom [mailto:barbara.larcom@gmail.com] invites you to a Saturday Sidewalk Sale: Paintings, Posters, Pottery & More from Nicaragua! Casa Baltimore/Limay and Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance will be at the sidewalk sale on the SW corner of Maryland Ave. and 27th St., Baltimore 21218 on Sat., June 29 between 10 AM and 2 PM. Each visitor will receive a FREE note card based on a Nicaraguan painting. Call 410-662-6292. Proceeds from Casa Baltimore/Limay sales will benefit aid and development projects in Baltimore's friendship community, San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua. See http://www.CasaBaltimoreLimay.org. Proceeds from Nicaraguan Cultural Alliance sales will benefit NCA's ongoing promotion of Nicaraguan culture within the United States, as well as provision of fair compensation to Nicaraguan artists for their work. See http://www.NCAfairtrade.org.
22] – Friends House, 17715 Meeting House Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860, hosts a peace vigil every Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 AM, on the corner of Rt. 108 and Georgia Ave. [Route 97] in Olney, MD. The next vigil is June 29. Call Chuck Harker at 301-570-7167.
23] – Each Saturday, 11 AM – 1 PM, Chester County Peace Movement holds a peace vigil in West Chester in front of the Chester County Courthouse, High & Market Sts. Go to www.ccpeace.org. Email ccpeacemovement@aol.com.
24] – There will be a peace vigil on the West Lawn of the Capitol at noon on Sat., June 29. Look for the blue banner with the message, "Seek Peace and Pursue It.--Psalms 34:14." The vigil lasts one hour and is silent except when one responds to the occasional questions. Go to http://www.quaker.org/langleyhill/seekpeace.htm or email seekpeacevigil@yahoo.com.
25] – The monthly demonstrations at Horsham Air Guard Station (Easton & County Line Roads) will continue on the last Saturday of each month through September as part of the campaign to stop the planned drone command center announced to open by October 1. On Sat., June 29 from noon until 2 PM, be at the demonstration at the Horsham Air Guard Station, site of the planned Drone War Command Center, Route #611/Easton Road & County Line Road, Horsham, PA. Visit www.brandywinepeace.com or call 610-544-1818.
26] – Stop the Gap Deathtraps on Sat., June 29 at 1 PM at 1120 Connecticut Ave. NW. Students, consumers, workers and community members will come together in cities across the world to demand that Gap and Wal-Mart put an end to deathtrap factories in their supply chains. There’s too much at stake for Gap and Wal-Mart to continue their business-as-usual approach to fire and building safety. That’s why labor rights advocates have declared an International Day of Action. Email Garrett Strain at garrett@usas.org.
27] – On Sat., June 29 at 3 PM, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance and others will demonstrate against killer drones at the main gate of the CIA, 900 block of Dolley Madison Blvd., Langley, VA. At some point, a group will attempt to deliver a letter to John Brennan seeking a meeting to end the assassination program. Email mobuszewski@verizon.net. Visit http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/antidrone-activists-file-war-crimes-complaint-against-obama-brennan-and-others. NCN R will follow up on an earlier delivery of a criminal complaint with an action of nonviolent civil resistance at the CIA. Call Max at 410-366-1637 if you need a ride.
28] – Rally to tell VP Biden: No KXL on Sat., June 29 from 5 to 7 PM at the Richmond Convention Center, 401 N. 3rd St, Richmond. The Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline would have major climate consequences for Virginia -- rising seas flooding Norfolk, hotter temperatures threatening our health and agriculture, and more severe storms wreaking havoc on our communities. The Obama administration needs to see that Virginians oppose the pipeline, and Vice President Biden is coming to Richmond to speak at a VIP dinner. RSVP at http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/index.phpoption=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=302&Itemid=48&year=2013&month=06&day=29&title=rally-to-tell-vp-biden-no-kxl&uid=ce23ebfa2431d6c88a06e3214f668da9&catids=6
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29] – Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 306 W. Franklin St., Suite 102, Baltimore 21201-4661, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion from 10:30 to noon. On Sun., June 30 the platform address is “Alzheimer's: Disease and Discovery” by Kate LaClair, BES member. Alzheimer's disease has become more prominent in the last several decades as more people live longer than ever before. Despite several decades of research, we remain unable to treat or cure the disease effectively, but new research is bringing exciting developments that could change the future for patients and their families. Learn more about some of the cutting edge research that is changing the way we approach Alzheimer's disease, and what insights it can give us into the foundations that make us who we are. Go to http://bmorethical.org/ or Twitter: @bmorethical or Facebook: http://fb.com/bmorethical/or email ask@bmorethical.org.
30] – Join the Kadampa Meditation Center for Peace and Pancakes on Sundays at 10:30 AM at KMC Maryland, 2937 North Charles St. All are invited to participate in guided meditation and chant praying for world peace. There will be a talk based on Buddhist thought followed by brunch. Call 410- 243-3837. Brunch is $5.
31] – Get over to a Solidarity Protest for the REAL Egyptian Revolution at Lafayette Park by the White House at noon on Sun., June 30. Egyptians, activists, and allies of the revolution, please join our solidarity protest on June 30th 2013, as Egyptians rise up and call for a REAL revolution. This protest is simultaneous with over 15 million Egyptians who are demanding that the promises of the 2011 uprising be fulfilled. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood betrayed the people and the revolution. The Egyptian revolution was stolen. It’s time to get it back! See https://www.facebook.com/events/542250445810873/.
32] – The next JIDS dialogue will involve some important topics on Sun., June 30 from 2:30 to 5:15 PM at the Islamic Center of Maryland, 19411 Woodfield Rd., Gaithersburg 20879. The session will be devoted to the subjects of violence and fanaticism. The two speakers are both experts in the field, there will be plenty of time for the community to weigh in on these subjects.
Rabia Chaudry will be giving a presentation on "Violent extremism and Issues Related to Radicalization among Muslims." Rabia is an attorney and President and founder of the Safe Nation Collaborative. Her firm provides Countering Violence Extremism (CVE) and cultural competency training to law enforcement, correctional, and homeland security officials, and national security and CVE training to Muslim communities and institutions.
Professor Jing Lin will be giving a talk entitled "The 'Angry Young Men' Today: Problems in Education and Culture, and Solutions." She is Professor in International Education Policy at University of Maryland. She received her doctorate from the University of Michigan, and has done extensive research on peace education and environmental education, which result in books entitled "Love, Peace and Wisdom in Education: Vision for Education in the 21st Century" (2006), "Educators as Peace Makers: Transforming Education for Global Peace" (2008), and others. She is the co-editor of two book series, one on Peace Education, and the other on Transforming Education for the Future. She teaches courses on Education for Global Peace, Ecological Ethics and Education, World Religions and Implications for Education, Culture and Education in a Global Context, Gender and Education, International Higher Education, and Modes of Inquiry. Jin will be joined in her presentation by one of her students at the University of Maryland. Immediately after the above dialogue is completed, there will be a meeting of the JIDS Social Action Committee. Go to www.jids.org.
33] – You are invited to attend a community-wide meeting to discuss the future of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki Peace Committee of the National Capital Area. For the past thirty-one years, the H/N Committee has spearheaded organizing the annual remembrance activities. The H/N Committee leadership has been meeting to discuss the pressing need to renew focus and energy. It is imperative that we include the broader community in these discussions. The meeting will be held on Sun., June 30 from 3 to 6 PM at the Mount Rainier Christian Church. 30th and Bunker Hill Rd, Mt. Rainier 20712. Call John at 703-822-3485.
34] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop. The next vigil is Mon., June 24, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker. Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.
To be continued.
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Iraq Redux: Top Ten Ways TV Networks Are Screwing Us Again
David Gregory's attack on Glenn Greenwald is an example of how the media is acting as a government propaganda machine against Eric Snowden. (photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/266-32/18110-iraq-redux-top-ten-ways-tv-networks-are-screwing-us-again
Iraq Redux: Top Ten Ways TV Networks Are Screwing Us Again
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment
25 June 13
US television news is a danger to the security of the United States. First, it is so oriented to ratings that it cannot afford to do unpopular reports (thus, it ignored al-Qaeda and the Taliban for the most part before 9/11). Second, it is so oriented toward the halls of power inside the Beltway that it is unable to examine government allegations critically. US television news was an unrelieved cheering section for the launching of the illegal and disastrous Iraq War, which will end up costing the taxpayers many trillions of dollars, which seriously wounded 32,000 US military personnel (many of them will need help the rest of their lives), which left over 4000 soldiers, Marines and sailors dead, and which was responsible for the deaths of on the order of 300,000 Iraqis, the wounding of 1.2 million Iraqis, and the displacement from their homes of 4 million Iraqis (out of a then population of 26 million). In 2002 and 2003, Bush administration leakers and ex-generals led the television reporters and anchors by the nose. The corporations were all for the war, and they own the news. Where on-screen talent was unwilling to go along, such as Phil Donohue or Ashley Banfield, they were just fired.
Now, corporate television news is repeating this shameful performance with regard to the revelations by Edward Snowden of massive, unconstitutional government surveillance of Americans' electronic communications. The full failure to do proper journalism was on display on Sunday (when, unfortunately, critical voices such as Rachel Maddow are absent). Here are the propaganda techniques used to stack the deck on Sunday:
1. Focus on the personality, location, and charges against the leaker instead of the substance of his revelations.
2.
Smear Snowden with ad hominem fallacies. His transit through Moscow was held up as a sign of disloyalty to the United States, as though nowadays American business people and government officials don't transit through Moscow all the time. The US ships significant amounts of military materiel for Afghanistan through Russia. Is that treasonous?
3. Focus on politicians making empty threats against China and Russia for not being sufficiently obedient to the United States. The US can't do anything to either one that wouldn't hurt the US more than it did them.
4. Ignore important breaking stories that impugn the government case. For instance, The Guardian broke the story Saturday morning that the NSA PRISM program was small compared to the TEMPORA program of GCHQ, its British counterpart, which Snowden alleged has attached sniffers to the fiber optic cables that stretch from New York to London, and is vacuuming up massive amounts of email and telephone conversations. A Lexis Nexis search in broadcast transcripts for Sunday showed that no US news broadcaster mentioned TEMPORA or GCHQ. This was true even though the NSA has 250 analysts assigned to TEMPORA and even though that program sweeps up and stores exactly the kind of material (telephone calls, emails) that President Obama denied were being collected.
5. Skew the guest list. Television news interviewed Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and a gaggle of retired FBI and CIA figures. All of them without exception were cheerleaders for the Iraq War. Glenn Greenwald was virtually the only voice allowed on the other side. He was cut short on CNN and was at a disadvantage on television because he was on the phone from Rio. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Al Gore, Steve Wozniak, Pierre Omidyar, and a whole host of figures supportive of Snowden having told us what is going on were not invited on the air to balance the hard liners interviewed.
6. Accuse journalists of treason for reporting Snowden's revelations. This was the absolutely shameful tack taken by David Gregory on Meet The Press, when he asked Greenwald, "To the extent that you have aided and abetted Snowden, even in his current movements, why shouldn't you, Mr. Greenwald, be charged with a crime?" The "to the extent" and "aided and abetted" language isn't journalism it is shilling for the most despicable elements in Congress (and that is way over on the despicable scale).
7. Ignore past government misuse of classified information. Television news has studiedly avoided referring to Dick Cheney's outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA field officer (and therefore outing of all the CIA field officers who used the same dummy corporation as she did as a cover, as well as all local informants known to be connected to that dummy corporation). Television anchors seem to think that the government is always trying to 'protect' us and is on the side of the angels, and sidestep the question of whether secret information can be used for private or shady policy purposes. Plame, by the way, is warning about the intelligence-industrial complex.
8. Continually allege or allow guests to allege that Snowden could have taken his concerns to the NSA or to Congress internally. None of his predecessors had any luck with that approach. Even sitting senators of the United States of America like Ron Wyden have been muzzled and cannot conduct a public debate on these abuses.
9. No one on television has discussed how many of the 850,000 analysts with access to secret databases containing your information work for private corporations such as Booz Allen Hamilton. That is, they aren't even government employees. And, how much lobbying do these intelligence contractors do of Congress?
10. Focus the discussion on the alleged criminality of Snowden's disclosures instead of on the obvious lawlessness of programs such as Tempora, which sweep up vast amounts of personal information on private individuals and store them in data bases. As Noam Chomsky has said, the way to distract the public in a democracy is to allow more and more vigorous debate about a more and more narrow set of issues. By narrowing the debate to "how illegal were Snowden's actions?" instead of allowing the question, "how legal are the NSA's actions," the US mass media give the impression of debating both sides of a controversy while in fact suppressing large numbers of pertinent questions.
© 2013 Reader Supported News
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Call for investigation of killer drone strikes
Friends,
This letter was mailed on June 25. We do not expect a response, so we will gather outside the U.S. Attorney’s office at 4 PM on Friday, June 28. Join us at the protest.
Kagiso, Max
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE, 325 E. 25th Street,
Baltimore, MD 21218, 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon.net
June 25, 2013
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia,
United States Attorney’s Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
Dear Mr. MacBride,
As a group of concerned citizen-activists, representatives from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office on May 21. We were graciously granted a meeting with Eugene Rossi. At the meeting we presented a petition under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, this being a criminal complaint requesting a war crimes indictment against President Barack Obama, CIA Director John Brennan, and other government personnel for the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) which are used for extrajudicial and illegal purposes, causing the deaths of thousands of people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and other places around the world.
Unfortunately, we have not received a response from your office, though we were informed that our petition did reach your desk. Common courtesy would dictate a response.
We are not legal scholars. But it is rather obvious that when the Central intelligence Agency uses killer drones to assassinate people legal questions must be asked. Moreover, when four U.S. citizens are assassinated without any pretense of due process, this must be investigated. We believe these assassinations are illegal, and thus should be investigated and given judicial scrutiny. Our criminal complaint raises many reasons for legal scrutiny.
As a well-educated legal scholar, you must be aware that the killer drone program raises many Constitutional issues. So your silence on this issue is inexplicable.
Please respond to our petition. We would be available to discuss this matter at your convenience. Thanks for giving consideration of our request.
Peace,
Max Obuszewski
on behalf of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Ellen Barfield, David Barrows, Joy First, Malachy Kilbride, Jack McHale, Phillip Runkel, and Manijeh Saba
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
This letter was mailed on June 25. We do not expect a response, so we will gather outside the U.S. Attorney’s office at 4 PM on Friday, June 28. Join us at the protest.
Kagiso, Max
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE, 325 E. 25th Street,
Baltimore, MD 21218, 410-366-1637 or mobuszewski at Verizon.net
June 25, 2013
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia,
United States Attorney’s Office
2100 Jamieson Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314
Dear Mr. MacBride,
As a group of concerned citizen-activists, representatives from the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance visited the U.S. Attorney’s Office on May 21. We were graciously granted a meeting with Eugene Rossi. At the meeting we presented a petition under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, this being a criminal complaint requesting a war crimes indictment against President Barack Obama, CIA Director John Brennan, and other government personnel for the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) which are used for extrajudicial and illegal purposes, causing the deaths of thousands of people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and other places around the world.
Unfortunately, we have not received a response from your office, though we were informed that our petition did reach your desk. Common courtesy would dictate a response.
We are not legal scholars. But it is rather obvious that when the Central intelligence Agency uses killer drones to assassinate people legal questions must be asked. Moreover, when four U.S. citizens are assassinated without any pretense of due process, this must be investigated. We believe these assassinations are illegal, and thus should be investigated and given judicial scrutiny. Our criminal complaint raises many reasons for legal scrutiny.
As a well-educated legal scholar, you must be aware that the killer drone program raises many Constitutional issues. So your silence on this issue is inexplicable.
Please respond to our petition. We would be available to discuss this matter at your convenience. Thanks for giving consideration of our request.
Peace,
Max Obuszewski
on behalf of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Ellen Barfield, David Barrows, Joy First, Malachy Kilbride, Jack McHale, Phillip Runkel, and Manijeh Saba
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
A Legal Defeat for Anne Frank House
Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities. And I treasured my visit to the Anne Frank House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/arts/design/a-legal-defeat-for-anne-frank-house.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130627&_r=0
June 26, 2013
A Legal Defeat for Anne Frank House
By SCOTT SAYARE
PARIS — In what may prove to be the conclusion to a long and bitter legal battle over control of the legacy of Anne Frank, a district court in Amsterdam on Wednesday ordered the Anne Frank House to return a collection of archives to a foundation in Switzerland.
The Anne Frank Fonds, based in Basel, Switzerland, sued in 2011 for the immediate return of some 10,000 documents and photographs linked to Anne and her father, Otto Frank. The foundation, which manages the copyrights of Anne’s diary, had lent the documents in 2007 to the Frank House, a museum and research center in Amsterdam.
Officials at the House said that they were stunned at the lawsuit, having believed that the loans would be permanent, and contested ownership of a small number of items.
In its ruling, the court found the Fonds, which Mr. Frank designated as his universal heir, to be the rightful owner of the entire collection and within its rights to demand the archives’ return. The court ordered that the archives be transferred to the Fonds by Jan. 1, 2014.
The Frank House has not yet ruled out the possibility of an appeal, said Garance Reus-Deelder, the managing director. “We’re not quite ready yet to respond fully and in depth to the ruling,” Ms. Reus-Deelder said. “It is too soon to say.”
The lawsuit exposed deep divergences over just what Anne Frank’s legacy should be.
While the Fonds has said that several considerations, including taxes, drove the request for the archives’ return, it has also announced its participation in the founding of a Frank Family Center in Frankfurt, where it now intends to keep the archival collection. It has accused the House of restricting access to the archives and presenting Anne, who died at 15 in a concentration camp, as a sort of distorted and decontextualized child saint.
Ms. Reus-Deelder, of the Frank House, said that the Fonds seemed to have no such reservations when the loan took effect, and that the House had made few modifications to its presentation of Anne since then.
“We have not changed our course in any significant way,” she said.
Questions of presentation were not at the core of the lawsuit, said Yves Kugelmann, a board member and spokesman for the Fonds, speaking on Wednesday by telephone.
“The ownership is so clear,” Mr. Kugelmann said. “The whole issue is not complicated.”
But he added: “They don’t have legitimacy. They don’t have connections to the family. They are not the heir.”
In a statement, Ronald Leopold, the executive director of the Frank House, said the museum found the legal fight “deeply regrettable.”
“We hope that with this ruling we can now put this period behind us, and that the partnership between the Anne Frank Fonds and the Anne Frank House can be resumed in close consultation and dialogue, in the interests of the legacy and the spirit of Anne Frank,” Mr. Leopold said.
© 2012 The New York Times Company
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/arts/design/a-legal-defeat-for-anne-frank-house.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130627&_r=0
June 26, 2013
A Legal Defeat for Anne Frank House
By SCOTT SAYARE
PARIS — In what may prove to be the conclusion to a long and bitter legal battle over control of the legacy of Anne Frank, a district court in Amsterdam on Wednesday ordered the Anne Frank House to return a collection of archives to a foundation in Switzerland.
The Anne Frank Fonds, based in Basel, Switzerland, sued in 2011 for the immediate return of some 10,000 documents and photographs linked to Anne and her father, Otto Frank. The foundation, which manages the copyrights of Anne’s diary, had lent the documents in 2007 to the Frank House, a museum and research center in Amsterdam.
Officials at the House said that they were stunned at the lawsuit, having believed that the loans would be permanent, and contested ownership of a small number of items.
In its ruling, the court found the Fonds, which Mr. Frank designated as his universal heir, to be the rightful owner of the entire collection and within its rights to demand the archives’ return. The court ordered that the archives be transferred to the Fonds by Jan. 1, 2014.
The Frank House has not yet ruled out the possibility of an appeal, said Garance Reus-Deelder, the managing director. “We’re not quite ready yet to respond fully and in depth to the ruling,” Ms. Reus-Deelder said. “It is too soon to say.”
The lawsuit exposed deep divergences over just what Anne Frank’s legacy should be.
While the Fonds has said that several considerations, including taxes, drove the request for the archives’ return, it has also announced its participation in the founding of a Frank Family Center in Frankfurt, where it now intends to keep the archival collection. It has accused the House of restricting access to the archives and presenting Anne, who died at 15 in a concentration camp, as a sort of distorted and decontextualized child saint.
Ms. Reus-Deelder, of the Frank House, said that the Fonds seemed to have no such reservations when the loan took effect, and that the House had made few modifications to its presentation of Anne since then.
“We have not changed our course in any significant way,” she said.
Questions of presentation were not at the core of the lawsuit, said Yves Kugelmann, a board member and spokesman for the Fonds, speaking on Wednesday by telephone.
“The ownership is so clear,” Mr. Kugelmann said. “The whole issue is not complicated.”
But he added: “They don’t have legitimacy. They don’t have connections to the family. They are not the heir.”
In a statement, Ronald Leopold, the executive director of the Frank House, said the museum found the legal fight “deeply regrettable.”
“We hope that with this ruling we can now put this period behind us, and that the partnership between the Anne Frank Fonds and the Anne Frank House can be resumed in close consultation and dialogue, in the interests of the legacy and the spirit of Anne Frank,” Mr. Leopold said.
© 2012 The New York Times Company
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
It is Easy to Be Silent About Killer Drone Strikes!
It is Easy to Be Silent About Killer Drone Strikes!
by Max Obuszewski, a member of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
In the USA first they came for the Muslims. I am not a reader of the Koran. Then they came for those who spoke out, including journalists. Why speak out? Then they came for the trade unionists. Who needs a union if you are experiencing economic bliss? Then they came for the whistleblowers. Why complain? Then they came for people of faith. But I am an agnostic. Finally they came for the activists, and by that time there was no left to speak up. Thanks to Pastor Martin Niemoller for his insight.
Let us explore his thoughts a bit further:
It is easy to be silent. It is easy not to see. It is easy to not notice. It is easy to not get involved. It is easy to theorize you cannot fight the power. It is easy to go about your life. It is easy to ignore injustice. It is easy not to hear the cries of pain and suffering.
Why bother to take action? Those drone strikes are killing terrorists. The National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency are keeping us safe. There is a need for secrecy, as it saves us from information overload. The administration, Congress and the courts know better. Our elected officials are sure to do what is best for the people. Trust them. Go shopping. Buy duct tape. You can always vote.
Despite the fog machine which envelopes the majority of people, there are those who refuse to remain silent against a government bent on warmongering and empire building. In fact, it can be surprising to discover the pockets of people in many parts of the country who see that they have a civic duty to speak out and challenge the injustices which abound.
To focus on one issue, there is the nationwide movement against the unmanned aerial vehicular assassination program. In spite of assurances from President Obama that the victims of drone strikes are surgical targets, it has been reported that hundreds of victims who are innocent of crimes against the US have been killed including civilian men, women, and children. Furthermore, people attending funerals in Pakistan have been killed by drone strikes. These victims have names and families who love them.
Unfortunately, there is no transparency with this assassination program, and no legitimate Congressional oversight. Instead of oversight, Congress performs the role of a cheerleader for the program. One does not need to be a legal scholar to understand there are constitutional questions to ask about the killer drone strikes.
How can Congress and the courts not take action when four U.S. citizens have been assassinated without any pretense of due process. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights brought a lawsuit in US federal court against the Obama Administration regarding the assassination of one of the victims--Anwar Al-Awlaki. The suit was lost on procedural grounds; however, the judge in the case stated "Can the executive order the assassination of a US citizen without first affording him any form of judicial process whatsoever, based on the mere assertion that he is a dangerous member of a terrorist organization?"
Yes it is easy to remain silent, and to mind my own business. Why not just ignore my conscience? Let others step up to the plate. Taking on the greatest empire ever is a guaranteed failure.
But I know so many others who are jousting with windmills. And I am a member of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, which opposed the machinations of the Bush-Cheney clique and now the failed policies of the Obama administration. As members of a peace and justice organization opposed to the continuation of the Bush administration’s failed wars, we condemn the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones) to kill citizens in at least seven countries. Besides opposing these war policies, we have great concern for people caught up in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia and Yemen. The use of drones is wrong on many levels: the illegality and immorality of assassinations, the violation of international law and the constitutional protection of due process, the targeting of civilian populations, and the disregard of sovereignty.
So I will be at the NCNR demonstration outside the Central Intelligence Agency on Saturday, June 29 at 3 PM. We have sent the director, John Brennan, a letter requesting a meeting to bring about an end to the use of killer drones by the CIA. It remains unlikely we will receive a response, so on June 29 we plan to demand a meeting. The most likely response will be the arrest of the citizen activists who believe they have a First Amendment right to petition government officials, especially when wrongdoing is the order of the day.
Will we be effective? Join us, observe the proceedings and pass judgment on this action. Once those of us who are arrested come to trial, we hope the court in Fairfax County, Virginia allows us due process before finding us guilty of some perceived crime. We hope to put the CIA on trial.
When the administration, Congress and the courts support an illegal and unconstitutional assassination program, it is the responsibility of citizen activists to challenge this immoral use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Because we take seriously our Nuremberg obligations, we will go to the CIA demanding that the US killer drone program be brought to an end immediately. Whatever happens at the CIA on June 29, we will continue to protest, risk arrest, and denounce the CIA and the U.S. military use of killer drones and a foreign policy of endless wars.
###
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
If the Government Is Tracking Your Location or Reading Your Email, Would You Ever Know?
Published on Friday, May 31, 2013 by Blog of Rights / ACLU
If the Government Is Tracking Your Location or Reading Your Email, Would You Ever Know?
by Patrick C. Toomey
Court rulings unsealed last week in Washington show for the first time a behind-the-scenes legal battle over when the government should have to tell you that it's tracking your location and reading your email. These documents—which came to light only as the public learned more about the government's controversial investigation of Fox News journalist James Rosen—reveal significant new details about the government's obligation to provide notice, after the fact, when it obtains geolocation data or obtains stored email messages. Indeed, the court orders bring to light a striking contrast: federal prosecutors in Washington routinely provide notice to individuals they track using cell-phone geolocation data, even if that notice is delayed, yet the government strenuously resists giving any notice to individuals when searching and reading their emails.
The government is required to tell you when it listens in on your phone calls or searches your home. Now, it appears that at least some prosecutors provide delayed notice when they use cell-phone data to track your location in real-time. If prosecutors in Washington can provide such notice, then prosecutors elsewhere should be doing it too. Last year, the public learned that the phone companies receive a staggering 1.3 million surveillance requests per year, many of which are likely for geolocation data. Although notification is apparently the norm in Washington we're not aware of similar practices anywhere else in the country.
As for government searches of your personal email account, you will likely never know—unless you are ultimately charged with a crime or your email service provider voluntarily tells you about the search (something few do, often because the government obtains a gag order). The lack of notice for email searches appears to be a central question in court documents unsealed last week, which show the government trying to convince at least three judges that it has no duty to provide notice to email subscribers.
The new details emerged in a series of court opinions debating whether the government was ever required to tell Rosen that it had obtained a warrant to search his Gmail account. Relying on the convoluted and outdated federal statute governing email searches—the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)—the government argued that it was excused from providing notice. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola of the D.C. District Court rejected the government's argument and highlighted the perverse consequences of its position. Pointing out that federal prosecutors in Washington typically provide notice when tracking a person's movements using cell-phone data, Judge Facciola wrote:
[T]he user of a cell phone whose telecommunications data has been intercepted and captured pursuant to a warrant would ultimately learn that the government has been surveilling her, even though a portion of that surveillance may have occurred when she was in a public place. The e-mail account holder, on the other hand, would never learn of the search of the entire contents of her email account. Thus, as the government would have it, while it would have to tell a person that it followed his movements one day as he walked from K Street to Connecticut Avenue, it would never have to tell him that it has read and copied the entire contents of the e-mail account that he opened when he arrived at his office on K Street.
While the government was unable to convince Magistrate Judge Facciola, it appealed and ultimately persuaded Chief Judge Royce Lamberth that it had no obligation to notify Rosen of the email search. In particular, Chief Judge Lamberth held that the government's duty to provide notice was satisfied when investigators presented the warrant to the email service provider—in this case, Google. Magistrate Judge Facciola had previously rejected the government's interpretation of the notification statute, describing it as a "meaningless act of telling the ISP what it already knows." Facciola also observed that "[i]t is irrational to think that Congress would . . . grant the government a perpetual dispensation from ever notifying a person of the remarkable intrusion that a search of his email account creates."
These court opinions and filings tell us a great deal about how the government interprets its authority to obtain highly personal information, and the extent to which it interprets the law to avoid informing individuals when they have been spied upon. The documents also prompt further questions and significant concerns. For instance, we learned for the first time that federal prosecutors in Washington generally give delayed notice to the targets of cell-phone geolocation tracking—but what about prosecutors in other parts of the country, at the federal, state, and local level? Is this practice the result of a specific court ruling confined to our nation's capital, or does it reflect a national policy adopted nation-wide by the Department of Justice?
Even more, the documents show that the government seeks to access ever-greater quantities of our personal information with even less protection for individuals. Our email accounts contain vast amounts of private information, including personal communications, financial records, and other sensitive material. Yet courts do not even mandate the kind of notice that would be required if the government wanted to rifle through the letters we keep at home. Our laws have not caught up to the reality of today's electronic communications. The government should be required to notify individuals it targets for searches, whether electronic or physical, even if that notice is delayed for a time. Currently, individuals will only learn of these electronic searches if and when they are charged with a crime. The strange result of this policy: innocent people who are never charged will never learn that they were the subject of government surveillance and this type of intrusive search.
The Department of Justice has long kept the public in the dark about the scale of its surveillance activities. Such secrecy over surveillance powers is simply not appropriate in a democracy.
© 2013 ACLU
Patrick C. Toomey is a fellow at the ACLU's National Security Project
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/31-8
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
If the Government Is Tracking Your Location or Reading Your Email, Would You Ever Know?
by Patrick C. Toomey
Court rulings unsealed last week in Washington show for the first time a behind-the-scenes legal battle over when the government should have to tell you that it's tracking your location and reading your email. These documents—which came to light only as the public learned more about the government's controversial investigation of Fox News journalist James Rosen—reveal significant new details about the government's obligation to provide notice, after the fact, when it obtains geolocation data or obtains stored email messages. Indeed, the court orders bring to light a striking contrast: federal prosecutors in Washington routinely provide notice to individuals they track using cell-phone geolocation data, even if that notice is delayed, yet the government strenuously resists giving any notice to individuals when searching and reading their emails.
The government is required to tell you when it listens in on your phone calls or searches your home. Now, it appears that at least some prosecutors provide delayed notice when they use cell-phone data to track your location in real-time. If prosecutors in Washington can provide such notice, then prosecutors elsewhere should be doing it too. Last year, the public learned that the phone companies receive a staggering 1.3 million surveillance requests per year, many of which are likely for geolocation data. Although notification is apparently the norm in Washington we're not aware of similar practices anywhere else in the country.
As for government searches of your personal email account, you will likely never know—unless you are ultimately charged with a crime or your email service provider voluntarily tells you about the search (something few do, often because the government obtains a gag order). The lack of notice for email searches appears to be a central question in court documents unsealed last week, which show the government trying to convince at least three judges that it has no duty to provide notice to email subscribers.
The new details emerged in a series of court opinions debating whether the government was ever required to tell Rosen that it had obtained a warrant to search his Gmail account. Relying on the convoluted and outdated federal statute governing email searches—the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)—the government argued that it was excused from providing notice. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola of the D.C. District Court rejected the government's argument and highlighted the perverse consequences of its position. Pointing out that federal prosecutors in Washington typically provide notice when tracking a person's movements using cell-phone data, Judge Facciola wrote:
[T]he user of a cell phone whose telecommunications data has been intercepted and captured pursuant to a warrant would ultimately learn that the government has been surveilling her, even though a portion of that surveillance may have occurred when she was in a public place. The e-mail account holder, on the other hand, would never learn of the search of the entire contents of her email account. Thus, as the government would have it, while it would have to tell a person that it followed his movements one day as he walked from K Street to Connecticut Avenue, it would never have to tell him that it has read and copied the entire contents of the e-mail account that he opened when he arrived at his office on K Street.
While the government was unable to convince Magistrate Judge Facciola, it appealed and ultimately persuaded Chief Judge Royce Lamberth that it had no obligation to notify Rosen of the email search. In particular, Chief Judge Lamberth held that the government's duty to provide notice was satisfied when investigators presented the warrant to the email service provider—in this case, Google. Magistrate Judge Facciola had previously rejected the government's interpretation of the notification statute, describing it as a "meaningless act of telling the ISP what it already knows." Facciola also observed that "[i]t is irrational to think that Congress would . . . grant the government a perpetual dispensation from ever notifying a person of the remarkable intrusion that a search of his email account creates."
These court opinions and filings tell us a great deal about how the government interprets its authority to obtain highly personal information, and the extent to which it interprets the law to avoid informing individuals when they have been spied upon. The documents also prompt further questions and significant concerns. For instance, we learned for the first time that federal prosecutors in Washington generally give delayed notice to the targets of cell-phone geolocation tracking—but what about prosecutors in other parts of the country, at the federal, state, and local level? Is this practice the result of a specific court ruling confined to our nation's capital, or does it reflect a national policy adopted nation-wide by the Department of Justice?
Even more, the documents show that the government seeks to access ever-greater quantities of our personal information with even less protection for individuals. Our email accounts contain vast amounts of private information, including personal communications, financial records, and other sensitive material. Yet courts do not even mandate the kind of notice that would be required if the government wanted to rifle through the letters we keep at home. Our laws have not caught up to the reality of today's electronic communications. The government should be required to notify individuals it targets for searches, whether electronic or physical, even if that notice is delayed for a time. Currently, individuals will only learn of these electronic searches if and when they are charged with a crime. The strange result of this policy: innocent people who are never charged will never learn that they were the subject of government surveillance and this type of intrusive search.
The Department of Justice has long kept the public in the dark about the scale of its surveillance activities. Such secrecy over surveillance powers is simply not appropriate in a democracy.
© 2013 ACLU
Patrick C. Toomey is a fellow at the ACLU's National Security Project
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/31-8
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
NSA "Disappears" Its Own Fact Sheet on Spying Program
Published on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 by Common Dreams
NSA "Disappears" Its Own Fact Sheet on Spying Program
After public outing for posting false information, agency removes "fact sheet" from website
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
The NSA moved quickly to cover its tracks Tuesday after being publicly exposed for posting a false "fact sheet" on the Prism internet spying program that deceptively portrayed U.S. privacy protections as stronger than they actually are.
The public statement was initially published last week to quell widespread outrage at the NSA snooping program, exposed by The Guardian in early June. Facing heated questioning from Congress, chastisement from international governments, and deep anger from those caught in the vast spying dragnet, the NSA hoped to clear the air by illustrating the oversight and limits placed on internet snooping.
Yet, the fact sheet turned out to contain serious falsehoods, making what was already a highly secretive spying operation even more mysterious.
Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall released a public letter Monday declaring the "fact sheet" to be significantly inaccurate because it, "portrays protections for Americans' privacy being significantly stronger than they actually are."
The senators, however, did not publicly reveal exactly where the inaccuracies lie, because they do not wish to expose classified documents. Rather, they shared the inaccuracies in a classified letter to the NSA.
After the public exposure, NSA officials admitted that the document contained falsehoods. NSA head General Keith Alexander wrote a letter to the senators admitting the fact sheet 'could have more precisely described' NSA targeting.
As the Washington Post reports, NSA Spokeswoman Judith Emmel skirted the question of inaccuracies yet acknowledged the "fact sheet" had been removed:
Emmel would not explicitly acknowledge that the fact sheet had been removed from the agency’s Web site. Instead, she referred to the text of a 2008 law that governs NSA surveillance programs.
“Given the intense interest from the media, the public, and Congress, we believe the precision of the source document (the statute) is the best possible representation of applicable authorities,” Emmel said in a prepared statement sent by e-mail to The Washington Post.
This is not the first time the NSA has been caught stretching the truth since the spying scandal broke.
Earlier this month, National Intelligence Director James Clapper was blasted for lying in a March testimony in which he declared that the NSA is not tracking and storing information on 'hundreds of millions of Americans.' Clapper defended his actions on the grounds that he responded in what he thought was 'the most truthful, or least untruthful manner.'
Senators Wyden and Udall are calling for the NSA to publicly admit to the falsehood, declaring, "When the NSA makes inaccurate statements about government surveillance and fails to correct the public record, it can decrease public confidence in the NSA's openness."
At this point, the public does not know which inaccuracies the NSA is admitting to.
An article in The Atlantic attempted to uncover the NSA statement's inaccuracies by comparing the disproved "fact sheet" with leaked documents. While they questioned many of the NSA statement's claims, they cast considerable doubt on the following "fact sheet" assertions:
• Any inadvertently acquired communication of or concerning a U.S. person must be promptly destroyed if it is neither relevant to the authorized purpose nor evidence of a crime.
• Any information collected after a foreign target enters the U.S. — or prior to a discovery that any target erroneously believed to be foreign was in fact a U.S. person — must be promptly destroyed unless that information meets specific, limited criteria approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Yet, the specific falsehoods pinpointed by the senators remain mysteries.
Trevor Trimm from the Electronic Frontier Foundation pointed to broad NSA deceptiveness but also could not pinpoint the specific inaccuracies exposed by the senators.
I can't really tell which statement Wyden and Udall think is inaccurate. Many of the statements are written to downplay the true scope of what the NSA does and how it affects Americans' privacy. For example, they say nothing about how they can hold onto communications forever if the communication is encrypted. Essentially they're saying, if you value privacy, you are suspicious. But I doubt this is what Wyden and Udall are talking about. This is exactly problem with keeping such sweeping surveillance powers behind the veil of secrecy - the public has no way of knowing if what the government says is true or not.
But I have no doubt Wyden and Udall are correct. They originally said Americans would be "stunned" to learn how the government was interpreting the Patriot Act, and they were proven right when the Verizon court order was published. Wyden also alleged the NSA could conduct "backdoor searches" of US persons data after targeting foreigners under the FISA Amendments Act, and it's becoming increasingly clear, judging by the latest report from the Guardian, that he was right about that too.
_____________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/26-3
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
NSA "Disappears" Its Own Fact Sheet on Spying Program
After public outing for posting false information, agency removes "fact sheet" from website
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
The NSA moved quickly to cover its tracks Tuesday after being publicly exposed for posting a false "fact sheet" on the Prism internet spying program that deceptively portrayed U.S. privacy protections as stronger than they actually are.
The public statement was initially published last week to quell widespread outrage at the NSA snooping program, exposed by The Guardian in early June. Facing heated questioning from Congress, chastisement from international governments, and deep anger from those caught in the vast spying dragnet, the NSA hoped to clear the air by illustrating the oversight and limits placed on internet snooping.
Yet, the fact sheet turned out to contain serious falsehoods, making what was already a highly secretive spying operation even more mysterious.
Senators Ron Wyden and Mark Udall released a public letter Monday declaring the "fact sheet" to be significantly inaccurate because it, "portrays protections for Americans' privacy being significantly stronger than they actually are."
The senators, however, did not publicly reveal exactly where the inaccuracies lie, because they do not wish to expose classified documents. Rather, they shared the inaccuracies in a classified letter to the NSA.
After the public exposure, NSA officials admitted that the document contained falsehoods. NSA head General Keith Alexander wrote a letter to the senators admitting the fact sheet 'could have more precisely described' NSA targeting.
As the Washington Post reports, NSA Spokeswoman Judith Emmel skirted the question of inaccuracies yet acknowledged the "fact sheet" had been removed:
Emmel would not explicitly acknowledge that the fact sheet had been removed from the agency’s Web site. Instead, she referred to the text of a 2008 law that governs NSA surveillance programs.
“Given the intense interest from the media, the public, and Congress, we believe the precision of the source document (the statute) is the best possible representation of applicable authorities,” Emmel said in a prepared statement sent by e-mail to The Washington Post.
This is not the first time the NSA has been caught stretching the truth since the spying scandal broke.
Earlier this month, National Intelligence Director James Clapper was blasted for lying in a March testimony in which he declared that the NSA is not tracking and storing information on 'hundreds of millions of Americans.' Clapper defended his actions on the grounds that he responded in what he thought was 'the most truthful, or least untruthful manner.'
Senators Wyden and Udall are calling for the NSA to publicly admit to the falsehood, declaring, "When the NSA makes inaccurate statements about government surveillance and fails to correct the public record, it can decrease public confidence in the NSA's openness."
At this point, the public does not know which inaccuracies the NSA is admitting to.
An article in The Atlantic attempted to uncover the NSA statement's inaccuracies by comparing the disproved "fact sheet" with leaked documents. While they questioned many of the NSA statement's claims, they cast considerable doubt on the following "fact sheet" assertions:
• Any inadvertently acquired communication of or concerning a U.S. person must be promptly destroyed if it is neither relevant to the authorized purpose nor evidence of a crime.
• Any information collected after a foreign target enters the U.S. — or prior to a discovery that any target erroneously believed to be foreign was in fact a U.S. person — must be promptly destroyed unless that information meets specific, limited criteria approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
Yet, the specific falsehoods pinpointed by the senators remain mysteries.
Trevor Trimm from the Electronic Frontier Foundation pointed to broad NSA deceptiveness but also could not pinpoint the specific inaccuracies exposed by the senators.
I can't really tell which statement Wyden and Udall think is inaccurate. Many of the statements are written to downplay the true scope of what the NSA does and how it affects Americans' privacy. For example, they say nothing about how they can hold onto communications forever if the communication is encrypted. Essentially they're saying, if you value privacy, you are suspicious. But I doubt this is what Wyden and Udall are talking about. This is exactly problem with keeping such sweeping surveillance powers behind the veil of secrecy - the public has no way of knowing if what the government says is true or not.
But I have no doubt Wyden and Udall are correct. They originally said Americans would be "stunned" to learn how the government was interpreting the Patriot Act, and they were proven right when the Verizon court order was published. Wyden also alleged the NSA could conduct "backdoor searches" of US persons data after targeting foreigners under the FISA Amendments Act, and it's becoming increasingly clear, judging by the latest report from the Guardian, that he was right about that too.
_____________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Source URL: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/26-3
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
WikiLeaks' Baltasar Garzón, the Man Edward Snowden Wants on His Side
Excerpt: "The former superjudge has denied he already represents Snowden, but confirmed he defends "the right of freedom of expression and freedom of information."
Baltasar Garzón is Snowden's choice for legal representation. (photo: Miguel Rojo/AFP)
WikiLeaks' Baltasar Garzón, the Man Edward Snowden Wants on His Side
By Guardian UK
26 June 13
Best known as the superjudge who ordered the arrest of General Pinochet, the crusading legal head of WikiLeaks has been approached by the NSA whistleblower to represent him
We are not familiar with the superstar judge in Britain. Our adversarial model of justice, in which evidence is gathered by the police and evaluated at trial by a supposedly neutral judge, pretty much precludes it. But in much of Europe, and wherever else in the world the inquisitorial system prevails, it is an independent prosecutor or examining magistrate who directs investigations, seeks out evidence, and interviews all concerned.
It is a role that can, when handled astutely, present the determined, charismatic and above all publicity-savvy jurist with a satisfyingly large stage on which to display their talents – and some do not shy from the opportunity.
One such is Baltasar Garzón, the celebrated – and controversial – Spanish human rights investigator who, as the legal head of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, is considering a request for help from US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Snowden is thought to be trying to get to a country – possibly in Latin America – that would not deport him to the US to face espionage charges. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has already been given asylum by Ecuador, and is sheltering in its London embassy. Garzón could act as a go-between.
The former superjudge has denied he already represents Snowden, but confirmed he defends "the right of freedom of expression and freedom of information – the same rights I defend [wherever] the release of information that reveals criminality is met with the persecution of those who expose it".
Garzón, now 57, is probably best known outside Spain for his spectacular coup in securing the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in 1998 in London, where the former Chilean military dictator had travelled for medical treatment. Pinochet was held for 18 months, but eventually released and allowed to return to Chile. Although Garzón ultimately failed to bring the ex-strongman to Spain to face charges of human rights violations for kidnapping and killing Spaniards in Chile, his attempt made headlines around the world.
At home, his crusading reputation was made in the 80s and 90s taking on Spain's toughest corruption and drug rings. He not only went after the violent Basque separatists ETA – but also the government, which was accused of deploying death squads to take out the group's leading members.
Garzón's judicial career in Spain was ended last year when he was banned from the bench for 11 years. The supreme court found him guilty of wiretapping conversations between defence lawyers and clients in a corruption probe involving the prime minister Mariano Rajoy's People's party. He had already been suspended since 2010 after a rightwing group accused him of violating a 1977 amnesty by reopening cases of alleged atrocities committed under the Franco dictatorship between 1936 and 1975.
He now spends little time in Spain, apparently preferring to deploy his talents – both legal and promotional – on an even wider stage.
© 2013 Reader Supported News
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
Baltasar Garzón is Snowden's choice for legal representation. (photo: Miguel Rojo/AFP)
WikiLeaks' Baltasar Garzón, the Man Edward Snowden Wants on His Side
By Guardian UK
26 June 13
Best known as the superjudge who ordered the arrest of General Pinochet, the crusading legal head of WikiLeaks has been approached by the NSA whistleblower to represent him
We are not familiar with the superstar judge in Britain. Our adversarial model of justice, in which evidence is gathered by the police and evaluated at trial by a supposedly neutral judge, pretty much precludes it. But in much of Europe, and wherever else in the world the inquisitorial system prevails, it is an independent prosecutor or examining magistrate who directs investigations, seeks out evidence, and interviews all concerned.
It is a role that can, when handled astutely, present the determined, charismatic and above all publicity-savvy jurist with a satisfyingly large stage on which to display their talents – and some do not shy from the opportunity.
One such is Baltasar Garzón, the celebrated – and controversial – Spanish human rights investigator who, as the legal head of anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, is considering a request for help from US whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Snowden is thought to be trying to get to a country – possibly in Latin America – that would not deport him to the US to face espionage charges. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has already been given asylum by Ecuador, and is sheltering in its London embassy. Garzón could act as a go-between.
The former superjudge has denied he already represents Snowden, but confirmed he defends "the right of freedom of expression and freedom of information – the same rights I defend [wherever] the release of information that reveals criminality is met with the persecution of those who expose it".
Garzón, now 57, is probably best known outside Spain for his spectacular coup in securing the arrest of Augusto Pinochet in 1998 in London, where the former Chilean military dictator had travelled for medical treatment. Pinochet was held for 18 months, but eventually released and allowed to return to Chile. Although Garzón ultimately failed to bring the ex-strongman to Spain to face charges of human rights violations for kidnapping and killing Spaniards in Chile, his attempt made headlines around the world.
At home, his crusading reputation was made in the 80s and 90s taking on Spain's toughest corruption and drug rings. He not only went after the violent Basque separatists ETA – but also the government, which was accused of deploying death squads to take out the group's leading members.
Garzón's judicial career in Spain was ended last year when he was banned from the bench for 11 years. The supreme court found him guilty of wiretapping conversations between defence lawyers and clients in a corruption probe involving the prime minister Mariano Rajoy's People's party. He had already been suspended since 2010 after a rightwing group accused him of violating a 1977 amnesty by reopening cases of alleged atrocities committed under the Franco dictatorship between 1936 and 1975.
He now spends little time in Spain, apparently preferring to deploy his talents – both legal and promotional – on an even wider stage.
© 2013 Reader Supported News
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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