| Progressive Calendar 10.04.10 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001 tc.umn.edu)
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| Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2010 03:55:23 -0700 (PDT) | |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 10.04.10 1. Protest at FBI 10.05 4:30pm 2. info [at] rnc8.org - Support the RNC 8 3. WAMM - Put the "WAMM-y" on the FBI 4. UN Assoc MN - UN in Rwanda Cambodia & Yugoslavia/reserve by 10.10 5. Michael Edwards - Tyranny's last stand: the tipping point is here 6. Dave Bicking - FBI raids: Next action steps 7. Amy Goodman + 3 - FBI raids antiwar activists in Chicago & Mpls --------1 of 7-------- Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 13:46:57 -0500 From: Rowley Clan <rowleyclan [at] earthlink.net> Subject: Protest at FBI 10.05 4:30pm Thousands have come together in response to the FBI raids on seven homes and an anti-war office on Friday, September 24, 2010. Across the country organizations and individuals are standing together to protest the United States government's attempt to silence and criminalize anti-war and international solidarity activists. Jess Sundin said, "These raids and subpoenas are an attack on anti-war and other progressive movements. It is an attack on our freedom to speak, our freedom to assemble with like-minded people, and our freedom to tell the government that their actions and policies are wrong. It is an attempt to clear the way for more wars and occupations of other countries by the U.S. military." Protests against the intimidation and harassment have taken place or are planned in cities across the country. From Minneapolis and Chicago, to Los Angeles, Atlanta, Kalamazoo, MI and Dallas, Texas. The response has been tremendous and continues to grow. We are calling for further actions to take place in the coming week as the first Grand Jury Subpoenas call for activists to appear on October 5. Monday October 4 : Call Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General: 202-353-1555 Demand : *End repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists! **Return all materials seized in the raid! **Stop the Grand Jury Subpoenas of activists! And please add an even broader request to ask all elected congresspersons to convene new Church Committee type hearings so that history does not repeat with new COINTELPRO abuses. The situation needs to be scrutinized at the highest levels to prevent McCarthyism and COINTELPRO abuses from repeating. *** Tuesday October 5: Act in solidarity with activists called before the Grand Jury Demonstrate outside the Minneapolis FBI (corner of Marquette and Washington Ave.) at 4:30 pm. on Tuesday, October 5th. Organize demonstrations in your community! *** Sign the Petition Now: www.iacenter.org/stopfbi Reach out to your organization or community group and send a statement of solidarity. Steff Yorek, a long-time antiwar activist and one of the activists whose homes was searched said, "The assistance and support we have already received has been tremendously encouraging, with your help we can stop this outrageous fishing expedition and attack on progressive movements." download the leaflet <http://stopfbi.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/oct-2-stop-fbi.pdf> ***Please print and distribute in your community today! Committee To Stop FBI Repression: www.stopfbi.net Email: stopfbi [at] gmail.com Wow!! Check out this creative truth-to-power message shown right on the FBI Headquarters' walls! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFqf9QXtV0 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFqf9QXtV0&feature=player_embedded> &feature=player_embedded <http://nigelparry.com/> nigelparry.com: the website less traveled <http://nigelparry.com/lists/user/login.php> Want an e-mail when there's something new? Join the e-mail news list today! <http://nigelparry.com/news/monkeytimesphotos.shtml> multimedia blog Truth <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFqf9QXtV0&feature=player_embedded> To Power: Guerrilla Projection on FBI Headquarters Highlighting Suppression of Dissent Various activists, Monday, October 4th, 2010 It is one week after a nationally-coordinated series of FBI raids seizing computers and documents, grand juries subpoenas and harassment of antiwar activists in Minneapolis, Chicago, California and North Carolina. A group of activists and video artists from the Glass Bead Collective, DARTT and Indymedia executed a guerrilla projection on the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to highlight the new government campaign to define nonviolent solidarity with groups in Palestine, Lebanon and Colombia as terrorism. "We are shining a bright light on the F.B.I. and its unlawful COINTELPRO style nationwide attack on the antiwar movement", said Vlad Teichberg of the Glassbead Collective. "The latest Grand Juries in Chicago and New York have targeted the homes and families of solidarity activists. These latest attacks are effectively criminalizing the support of global social movements and is a blatant attempt to take away the freedom of association from American citizens." "These F.B.I. raids are a recent reminder of the constant attacks our communities face every day" said Teichberg. He continued, "we wanted to bring truth to power by projecting images of the victims of F.B.I. attacks". Nigel Parry produced the remixed FBI logo and "We kept files on..." series of graphics for this action. The FBI itself has a public list of <http://foia.fbi.gov/famous.htm> celebrities it kept files on. Not all were subjects of investigation. Some, such as The Beatles, had received death threats. The "Lady Gaga has a file" screen, visible in the video, is speculative. However, the singer and pop culture icon has made several political stands and seems a very likely candidate. For more information, visit the Committee to Stop FBI Repression at stopFBI.net <http://stopfbi.net/> and follow @stopfbi <http://twitter.com/stopfbi> on Twitter. Facebook Profile Picture Badge. Download and reuse at will. FB will auto resize this larger image. Please add a link in the caption to stopFBI.net --------2 of 7-------- Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2010 23:50:05 -0700 (PDT) From: info [at] rnc8.org Subject: Support the RNC 8 You were with us when the prosecutor dropped the terrorism enhancement charges. You were with us when the judge granted the joint trial. You were with us as the defendants and their lawyers fought in court to have the charges thrown out. And you were with us when the prosecutor completely dropped the charges against Eryn, Luce and Monica. Now we need you to be with us as Garrett, Max, Nathanael and Rob go to trial. During the upcoming trial, we'll have numerous volunteer needs. Here are just a few: HOUSING: Live in the Twin Cities and have space to spare? Help provide housing for folks coming to the trial! And check out our website if you need help finding a place to stay. Go to http://rnc8.org/housing/ to get plugged in. FOOD: We want to serve lunch twice a week in court, as well as a dinner every Friday. If you can donate or procure food, cook, clean up, or any or all of the above, email info(A)rnc8.org and let us know. CHILDCARE: We'll need childcare so parents can attend court, as well as help entertaining kids at evening events. If you want to help us out by watching the junior rebels, email info(A)rnc8.org and let us know. COURT SOLIDARITY: One of the simplest things to do is court solidarity, the respectful presence of supporters in the courtroom gallery as a demonstration of community support. We are asking for court solidarity for the duration of the trial. We also need people to take notes on the court proceedings. Know how you wanna get involved? Great! Email us at info(A)rnc8.org and we'll get you plugged in. Wanna help but not sure how? Join us for an optional volunteer orientation on Saturday, Oct. 23rd at 3pm (this will likely take about an hour). Email us at info(A)rnc8.org for the location. In solidarity, The RNC 8 Defense Committee Some Notes on Trial Trial may likely be several weeks long. If, like most of us, you can only attend for a limited amount of time, pace your attendance accordingly. Remember that although it is important to have a strong showing of support in the first week (which is expected to be mostly pretrial motions and jury selection), it's equally important to have strong court solidarity during the rest of the trial as well. Also remember that our behavior and appearance in the courtroom can create a positive OR negative impression on the judge and jury. Court is expected to typically begin at 9am, recess for lunch, and conclude around 4:30pm Monday - Friday, but this schedule can change. Check RNC8.org or our email/twitter/facebook for updates before you go. --------3 of 7-------- Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:57:07 -0500 (CDT) From: Women Against Military Madness <wamm [at] mtn.org> Subject: [WAMM] Put the "WAMM-y" on the FBI Hi folks, It's time to put the "WAMM-y" on the FBI with the following actions: Call today as part of a national call-in. Ask that the FBI stop targeting peace groups and use their time and our tax dollars better by focusing their efforts on ending the war. Ask that they call off the grand jury inquisition. Ask that they stop abusing the Patriot Act by using its powers to violate first amendment rights. You may call President Obama at 202-456-1111. You may call Attorney General Eric Holder at 202-353-1555 or 202-514-2001. Tuesday, October 5th will be the first day that folks from Minnesota peace groups will have to appear before a grand jury in Chicago. We will rally again outside of the FBI building, 111 Washington Avenue (corner of Washington and Marquette Avenues downtown), Minneapolis. We will show our support for those Minnesotans who are made to travel all the way to Chicago to have their civil rights further violated. Rally begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. ongoing meeting at Walker Methodist Church, 3104 16th Avenue South, Minneapolis. to provide support, political, financial and moral, to those that have been targeted. United we stand- divided, well, they pretty much pick our peace groups off one at a time. Find more way to help at www.stopfbi.net. We know you are busy, and there is so much we all are struggling to change, but if we lose this battle, it will have repercussions for a long time to come. You know as well, maybe even better than I do, that they will continue to usurp power until the people demand it back! -Kim Doss-Smith, WAMM Director --------4 of 7-------- From: United Nations Association of Minnesota <info [at] unamn.org> Subject: UN in Rwanda, Cambodia, & Yugoslavia/reservations by 10.10 United Nations Association of Minnesota & World Without Genocide Please join us for conference The United Nations: Searching for Justice in Rwanda, Cambodia and Yugoslavia, on Saturday, October 16th. The conference occurs shortly before United Nations Day, celebrated on October 24th, and is this year's celebration and rally for the United Nations. United Nations tribunals have been created to prosecute perpetrators of mass violence in Rwanda, Cambodia, and Yugoslavia. This conference examines the issues surrounding the creation of the tribunals, the search for forensic evidence, and the challenges of defining and instituting justice. Speakers will be Dr. Gregory Stanton, on constructing justice tribunals; Andrew M. Baker, M.D., forensic examinations in Kosovo; Prof. Barbara A. Frey, preventing transfer of small arms used to commit atrocities; Judge Edward Wilson, divergent responses to ethnic strife in Rwanda and Kosovo; and Prof. Peter Erlinder, defending the accused at the Rwanda tribunal. The event is open to the public. Admission is $10. Reservations are required by Oct. 10 at www.worldwithoutgenocide.org/registerUNevent. [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=mke9oddab&et=1103740521489&s=347&e=001ZvSWT0aNJ9iFxcgoOpbLyksSV2EP20oeeVV61k3qsaEU8QMMrZpXYWfTdQVxv3-zGDSF9BbtRmXfgspiNp9XL0vh5WbD2EVVtoV2UlRwSEqrG4U34zGrhkVv5JD60Oqpne5N5jpjSIkN_hyVMdoJ6Q==] Two CLE credits are available. Continuing education credit is available for teachers. For additional information, contact 952-693-5206 or info [at] worldwithoutgenocide.org [mailto:info [at] worldwithoutgenocide.org] Co-sponsors: William Mitchell College of Law; United Nations Association-Minnesota; University of Minnesota: STAND-UMN, Program for Health and Human Rights, Human Rights Program. Give Your Support We strive to bring the community events like this, that support the mission and values of the United Nations. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution in support of these programs, please send to: United Nations Association of Minnesota 211 N. First Street, Ste 410, Minneapolis, MN 55401 612-455-6065 / info [at] unamn.org --------5 of 7-------- Tyranny's Last Stand: The Tipping Point is Here by Michael Edwards October 4th, 2010 Dissident Voicev In Malcolm Gladwell's provocative book The Tipping Point, he gives many examples of how seemingly small, insignificant decisions can radiate to cause an eventual wave of change that overtakes the prevailing modes of behavior. He clearly extrapolates how the silent leaders of society - not the ones on TV, or the ones we appoint - set trends through their singular ability to recognize an underlying need, or change of direction. It can be as simple as a clothing style, a type of cuisine, a new travel destination .,. or the need to change the world's political course. I believe there are signs that The Tipping Point for free humanity has been reached; from here on out, there will be an open dialogue between the forces of tyranny and the forces of freedom. The idea that in order to recognize tyranny, you must force it to act as such, is very much the case right now. Humanity is rebelling worldwide to the dictates of Elite overlords and petty bureaucrats alike. The small, silent statements of resistance have reached a classic tipping point. Whether it is tax rebellion, free speech, freedom of religion, the freedom to speak out against endless war, women's rights in oppressive regimes, or the freedom to grow one's own food in peace, the small defeats and victories have become a sustained chorus of resistance to ever-increasing forces of control. This chorus has coalesced from the choirs of different nations, different genders, different political affiliations, different races, and different socio-economic positions. This is the ultimate sign of a true tipping point: critical mass has been reached. The modern pantheon of enemies has now been identified, along with their demiurges, by even the most common of men. The enemies are the banking consortium; the global Elite born and bred from mega-wealth; the academics and economists who disconnect ideas from reality; and the scientific and military minds who are so compartmentalized by design that they rarely know what sort of dictatorship to which they are making their contributions. These are the groups that every man, woman, and child recognizes instinctively, because they are the same personalities encountered in our childhood. Until this point, these dictators have had the smugness to assume that the ones they view as the weak would cower forever. These tyrants have vastly underestimated the power of numbers and the exponential factors by which simple numbers can increase to create a tipping point that can cause an overnight Sea change. The few who had the most courage, while enduring mass ridicule, have spoken out for decades against a coming full spectrum tyranny. These natural leaders are now raising their voices even louder and more urgently. Some of these pioneers have withdrawn from their previous missions in acknowledgment of The Tipping Point; many have decided to redouble their efforts. Regardless, little by little their collective audience has grown; whether in stadiums, or on Web sites, or in home discussion groups; the numbers have swelled, prompting a massive fear response from tyrants who know (with their instincts) when an uprising is taking place. So now we see tyranny emerging in its most blatant form: citizen spies; government COINTELPRO operations against peaceful assembly; technological surveillance of every stripe, and the jackbooted common thug promoted to the top of the class in order to enforce an increasingly regimented society where thought is an actual liability. The good news is that it is already too late for the forces of tyranny; they have had their reign for long enough - The Tipping Point has been reached. The previous fence-straddlers - even from the mainstream media - are now sounding the alarm. And true patriots everywhere who have seen the writing on the wall for a long time coming are now sounding the charge. Tyranny has been fatally weakened by its continual pursuit of the lowest common denominator. All that remains is a hollow shell without the substance to counter a new Humanity tipping toward unbridled freedom. Michael Edwards is a writer and editor of Activist Post. His articles have appeared on many alternative news sites. --------6 of 7-------- Date: Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:39:59 -0500 From: Dave Bicking <dave [at] colorstudy.com> Subject: FBI raids: Next action steps Dear Greens, The peace activists who have been raided and subpoenaed continue to need your help and solidarity. This is really for all of us. The Green Party and its members have been great so far. Thank you!! Quick listing of support needed, with details and explanations to follow: 1) Call in to the President and Department of Justice, especially TODAY, before the first Grand Jury appointment tomorrow. 2) Leaflet and hold signs outside rally with Vice President Joe Biden, tomorrow morning, October 5, 8:30am, at Macalester College. 3) BIG rally - IMPORTANT - tomorrow, Tuesday October 5, 4:30pm, outside FBI headquarters, 111 Washington Ave. S. 4) Support committee meeting, Thursday, October 7, 7pm, at Walker Church (continues each week). 5) Call our local elected officials and candidates. 6) Sign the national petition, at www.stopfbi.net 7) Sign local Community Support Statement. 8) Donate! 9) Personal and "material support" for those raided. 10) Help the AWC rebuild its contact database. 11) Inform yourself and spread the word. Feel free to forward any of my emails. 12) Continue the struggle that these raids are intended to suppress. Work for peace and justice, including international solidartiy. All details below. First a brief news update: People have been subpoenaed to appear at the Federal Grand Jury in Chicago on the next three Tuesdays, at least: October 5, 12, and 19. At least a dozen people in several cities have received subpoenas, including some whose houses were not raided. Two or three are supposed to testify tomorrow. To my knowledge, all are planning not to speak to the grand jury or answer any questions. At this point, they have that right under the Fifth Amendment. That may change, if they are granted immunity. Most or all are not going to cooperate in this fishing expedition by the FBI. It is quite likely that some are going to go to jail for contempt, without any real evidence of guilt of any crime. See my previous emails for more about the danger of grand juries. Here is how one person who has been subpoenaed has explained it: "THE GRAND JURY: Computers, files, papers, cell phones, and many other materials were confiscated in the raids. All that will be gone through to look for any connection to anyone or anything that might provide evidence of "material support." At this point, we don´t know who they want to indict. Those of us who have been subpoenaed have been ordered to come to a grand jury hearing in Chicago, the first of which is on October 5. At that hearing, there is no judge and no lawyer. The prosecutor can ask anything, about who you know, what you think, who you´ve met, what you´ve said. The Department of Justice is "fishing," trying to piece together random information in a witch hunt for people who may or may not have broken an unjust law. If we refuse to put ourselves or others at risk by not speaking, we can be jailed for the duration of the Grand Jury. ( http://grandjuryresistance.org/ for more information on grand juries, including how they have been used to silence activists throughout history) WHERE WE ARE: I, and many other activists, have pleaded the fifth, and chosen not to testify. By doing so, we put ourselves at risk of going to jail. The next legal step is in the hands of the Department of Justice. They could cancel the Grand Jury. They could carry on, but decide not to bother with us. They could send us letters again, giving us the option to talk or go to jail. We don´t know when they will take the next step, or what it will be. We do know what our next steps will be. We will not be silent. We will not allow the harassment of activists to quiet our opposition to immoral policies. We will continue to speak out against the unjust investigation, the unjust law, and the unjust foreign policies of the US government. The community and the people are strong, and are already showing amazing solidarity around the country. ...... " This is very serious. Many people have already had their lives turned upside down, with computers, phones, and all their personal and financial records stolen from them. They wonder what the government, with all its power, is going to do to them next. This is likely to be a political test case for increasing repression of antiwar and other activism. Two websites for up to date information: http://antiwarcommittee.org/ http://stopfbi.net/ Here is what YOU can do: 1) Call and/or email the President and the Department of Justice. You should do this whenever you can, but we are especially calling for an outpouring of support TODAY, the day before the first day of the scheduled grand jury appearances. Your message for them and others should concentrate on three main points: a) End repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists! b) Return all materials seized in the raids! c) Stop the Grand Jury Subpoenas of activists! Contact information: i) President Obama: 202-456-1111 email contact form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact ii) U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder: 202-353-1555 email: askdoj [at] usdoj.gov iii) DOJ Inspector General Glenn Fine: 202-514-3435 or 1-800-869-4499 email: inspector.general [at] usdoj.gov 2) Vice President Joe Biden coming to town tomorrow for rally in support of Dayton. It is hard to go see the President, but the Vice President is coming here, and we should let him know how we feel! Also, Senators Franken and Klobuchar will be present. They COULD introduce a bill to repeal the "material support to terrorism" provisions, or at least the worst sections that criminalize speech and dissent. Many of the Democratic base who will be coming will be supportive of our position. We should reach them with this info. This is not planned to be a large presence, being last minute and early on a weekday morning. We'll have some signs and some leaflets. Contact me if you are interested in coming. *****Tuesday, October 5, doors open at 8:30am, so we should be there then. Rally at 9:00am. At Macalester College Leonard Center Field House, 1600 Grand Ave., SW corner of Snelling and Grand. The entrance is on Snelling Avenue, just south of Grand Avenue. 3) BIG rally at FBI headquarters tomorrow! (first day of grand jury) ***** Tuesday, October 5, 4:30pm, at FBI headquarters, 111 Washington Ave. S., SE corner of Washington and Marquette, in downtown Mpls. This is the same place and time of day as last Monday's rally. My friend counted 502 people at that rally; let's make this one bigger and louder! 4) A support committee has formed, with its first meeting last Thursday. There was a great show of support at that meeting, and we started our work, organizing the events in this email. The next meeting is this coming Thursday, October 7, 7pm, at Walker Church, 3104 16th Ave. S., Mpls. Meetings will continue at the same time and place each week. 5) Call and email our elected officials and candidates. Representative Ellison and Senators Klobuchar and Franken could introduce bills to change the law. City officials could pledge the city's intent not to cooperate with this federal repression. All could issue statements condemning the raids and supporting the targets of repression, and could come to our events. So far, with one exception, there has been TOTAL silence and inaction from every one of them, despite repeated requests from many of their constituents. Utter spinelessness, and/or complicity. The exception: Green Party City Council member Cam Gordon, Ward 2, Mpls, who has issued a very strong statement, and came to last Monday's rally. Contact information: [Here it is folks - all the contact info you never have at hand when you want it - well, here it is - SAVE IT! -ed] Mayor RT Rybak: mayor [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us 612-348-2100 City Council: (note: there were two raids in Ward 6, and one each in Wards 2, 8, and 9 - will they support their own constituents?) Kevin Reich, Ward 1 kevin.reich [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Cam Gordon, Ward 2 cam.gordon [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us (thank him) Diane Hofstede, Ward 3 diane.hofstede [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Barb Johnson, Ward 4 barbara.johnson [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Don Samuels, Ward 5 don.samuels [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Robert Lilligren, Ward 6 robert.lilligren [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Lisa Goodman, Ward 7 lisa.goodman [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Elizabeth Glidden, Ward 8 elizabeth.glidden [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Gary Schiff, Ward 9 gary.schiff [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Meg Tuthill, Ward 10 meg.tuthill [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us John Quincy, Ward 11 john.quincy [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Sandra Colvin Roy, Ward 12 sandra.colvin.roy [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Betsy Hodges, Ward 13 betsy.hodges [at] ci.minneapolis.mn.us Phone number for all is 612-673-22xx where xx is the Ward number, examples: Keven Reich 612-673-2201, Betsy Hodges 612-673-2213 Representative Keith Ellison: local phone: 612-522-1212 DC phone: 202-225-4755 email contact form: http://forms.house.gov/ellison/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm Senator Amy Klobuchar: local phone: 612-727-5220 DC phone: 202-224-3244 email contact form: http://klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm Senator Al Franken: local phone: 651-221-1016 DC phone: 202-224-5641 email contact form: http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al 6) Sign the national petition. Go to: http://www.iacenter.org/stopfbi/ 7) Sign the local Community Solidarity Statement. Info and text of petition at: http://www.tc.indymedia.org/2010/sep/community-solidarity-statement-activists-raided-and- subpoenaed-92410 OR, use this shorter link: http://tinyurl.com/2574zhs You can sign on by emailing your name as you would like it to appear, along with any affiliation(s) you would like to include, if any (for identification purposes only). The address: ActivismIsNotTerrorism [at] gmail.com Also, if you a member of any group, from local to national, please consider whether that group may also agree to sign on as an organization. Unfortunately, the list of signers is not being updated in a timely manner. I don't know if that is due to lack of data entry time, or problems posting on Indymedia. I am trying to find out the problem, and will let you know. Several friends signed over a week ago and their names don't yet appear. 8) Donate! This all costs money, for legal defense, signs and banners, etc. Also, the confiscated computers need to be replaced so that the AWC and activists can continue their work. To donate to the national support group, for legal defense, etc.: http://stopfbi.net/donate/ You can donate online, or send a check to the address listed there. To donate to the local Anti War Committee (AWC), to replace their computers and office equipment, and to help their ongoing work: Donation may be mailed to AWC, 1313 5th St SE, Mpls, MN 55414. For a tax deduction, you can make the check out to the Anti-War Committee Education Fund. However you donate, please specify how you would like the funds to be used. Or donate online at: http://antiwarcommittee.org 9) "Material support" for those raided: In particular, the Anti War Committee and the individuals raided need to replace their computers. The AWC says, "Computer Donations: donate your used (but well performing) computers (mac or pc). To make sure we can get many years of use out of them, we are requesting the following minimum specs: Processor: 1.5 GHz, Memory: 1 GB, Hard Drive: 80 GB." If you are interested in personal support to those involved (financial, child care?), contact me. 10) Help the AWC rebuild its contact database. Much of the AWC's contact information and mailing list was lost when their office computers, plus paper records, plus any copies maintained by individuals, were all confiscated. It may be years until they are returned. If you were on their contact list - or would like to be - go to this online form for entering your information: http://antiwarcommittee.org/?q=node/552 They need you! 11) Inform yourself and spread the word. Feel free to forward any of my emails. Go to the websites listed at the end of the news update. Read more about the Supreme Court case that I believe led to these raids, at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holder_v._Humanitarian_Law_Project It is quite brief, but it is up to date, and has good links, including links to one of the search warrants and one of the subpoenas. It also has this link to the text of the Supreme Court decision: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1498.pdf For some history of the FBI, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cointelpro Yes, it is just Wikipedia, but it is quite thorough, with good links. The FBI has been our enemy for a long time!! The purpuse and the tactics of COINTELPRO continue today. NEVER talk to the FBI! For some background on the uses and dangers of grand juries, see: http://grandjuryresistance.org/ 12) Continue the struggle! If we are intimidated, if we stop acting and speaking, the FBI will have won. Please help in any way you can. Dave Bicking 612-276-1213 [The above is a long & helpful source from a Green Party spokesperson. Do we have ANYTHING like this from ANY Dem spokesperson? No, and we're clearly not going to get anything - they're on the other side, sneaking along with repression. So why do we support them? Vote for them? Say nice things about them? Rely on them for anything whatsoever? When we need them to support basic justice and democracy and freedom, where are they? At the corporate slop trough, slurping and snorting it down. Worse than worthless. Collaboration & collusion with our sworn enemies - corporations and the ruling class. And Numero Uno in the collaboration is Obama, he who speaketh out of both sides of his mouth - and he is having another side put in so he can speak out of that too. -ed] --------7 of 7-------- FBI Raids Homes of Antiwar and Pro-Palestinian Activists in Chicago and Minneapolis By Amy Goodman and Jess Sundin and Joe Iosbaker and Coleen Rowley Source: DN!Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Join ZSpace AMY GOODMAN: Antiwar activists are gearing up for protests outside FBI offices in cities across the country today and tomorrow after the FBI raided eight homes and offices of antiwar activists in Chicago and Minneapolis Friday. The FBI's search warrants indicate agents were looking for connections between local antiwar activists and groups in Colombia and the Middle East. Eight people were issued subpoenas to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago. Most of the people whose homes were searched or who were issued subpoenas had helped organize or attended protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, two years ago. The federal law cited in the search warrants prohibits, quote, "providing material support or resources to designated foreign terrorist organizations." In June, the Supreme Court rejected a free speech challenge to the material support law from humanitarian aid groups that said some of its provisions put them at risk of being prosecuted for talking to terrorist organizations about nonviolent activities. Some of groups listed by name in the warrants are Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The warrants also authorized agents to to seize items such as electronics, photographs, videos, address books and letters. Friday's raids come on the heels of a Justice Department probe that found the FBI improperly monitored activist groups and individuals from 2001 to 2006. For more, I'm joined now by three guests. Joining us from Minneapolis, longtime antiwar activist Jess Sundin, whose home was raided by the FBI early Friday morning. She's a member of the Anti-War Committee, whose offices were also raided. Joining us via Democracy Now! video stream from Chicago is Joe Iosbaker, whose home was one of two raided in Chicago Friday. He's an employee of the University of Illinois in Chicago and a steward for SEIU Local 73. He helped coordinate buses from Chicago to the protests at the Republican National Convention in 2008. Also in Minneapolis we're joined by former FBI special agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley. Time named her Woman of the Year, Person of the Year in 2002. We welcome you all to Democracy Now! Let's begin in Minneapolis with Jess Sundin. Tell us what happened. JESS SUNDIN: Friday morning, I awoke to a bang at the door, and by the time I was downstairs, there were six or seven federal agents already in my home, where my partner and my six-year-old daughter had already been awake. We were given the search warrant, and they went through the entire house. They spent probably about four hours going through all of our personal belongings, every book, paper, our clothes, and filled several boxes and crates with our computers, our phones, my passport. And when they were done, as I said, they had many crates full of my personal belongings, with which they left my house. AMY GOODMAN: Were you the only one there that morning? JESS SUNDIN: No, my partner and my first-grade daughter were also there. AMY GOODMAN: And what exactly did they show you to get in? JESS SUNDIN: Well, we have a porch where you can't see exactly who's outside. And so, they had already let themselves into the porch by the time my daughter - my wife opened the door. And when they came in, they showed us this four-page document that listed, as I said, all the kinds of things that they were entitled to look - to search for in my home, as well as a subpoena to appear before a grand jury. My name was listed on the search warrant, but both myself and my partner received subpoenas for the grand jury in Chicago. AMY GOODMAN: Let's go to Chicago, to Joe Iosbaker. Describe what happened to you on Friday morning. JOE IOSBAKER: Well, it's the exact same story. It was a nationally coordinated assault on all of these homes. Seven a.m., the pound on the door. I was getting ready for work, came down the stairs, and there were, I think, in the area of ten agents, you know, of the - they identified themselves as FBI, showed me the search warrant. And I turned to my wife and said, "Stephanie, it's the thought police." AMY GOODMAN: And they came in? JOE IOSBAKER: They came in, and they proceeded to set up their operation in our living room, and they proceeded to photograph every room in our house. And over the next, I don't know, thirty or forty-five minutes, they proceeded to label every room and then systematically go through every room, our basement, our attic, our children's rooms, and pored through not just all of our papers, but our music collection, our children's artwork, my son's poetry journals from high school - everything. AMY GOODMAN: And were they explaining to you what they were doing as they were raiding your house? JOE IOSBAKER: There was - there were - some of the officers, you know, were telling us what they were doing. Most of them were not. But they gave us some explanation. AMY GOODMAN: What exactly did they say to you? JOE IOSBAKER: Well, they - all they said in terms of the content of what they were looking for is that they - you know, they showed us the search warrant, and I was - my wife and I were both subpoenaed, as well. AMY GOODMAN: What organizations are you involved with, Joe? What do you think they're looking for? JOE IOSBAKER: Well, as you said at the start, I'm a trade unionist primarily. That's how most people know me. I'm also the staff adviser at UIC for the Students for a Democratic Society chapter. AMY GOODMAN: That's University of Illinois, Chicago. JOE IOSBAKER: Correct. And, you know, I've been a political activist for thirty-three years, so I've been a member of a lot of organizations and campaign. AMY GOODMAN: Coleen Rowley, you're a former FBI agent, whistleblower, named Time Person of the Year in 2002. Can you explain what you think is happening here? And also, put it in the context of this very interesting Justice Department IG - Inspector General - report that has just come out on their surveillance of whistleblowers - rather, the surveillance of activists over the last almost decade. COLEEN ROWLEY: Well, I can't really detail all of the legal factors that have changed since 9/11, but there simply has been a sea change. For instance, when I taught constitutional rights in the FBI, one of the main top priorities was First Amendment rights. And while this is not the first time that you've seen this Orwellian turn of the war on terror onto domestic peace groups and social justice groups - actually, we had that begin very quickly after 9/11, and there were legal opinions, Office of Legal Counsel opinions, that said the First Amendment no longer controls the war on terror - but even so, this is shocking and alarming that at this point we have the, you know, humanitarian advocacy now being treated as somehow material support to terrorists. We've also just seen, ironically, four days before this national raid, we saw the Department of Justice Inspector General issue a report that soundly criticized the FBI for four years of targeting domestic groups such as Greenpeace, the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh, different antiwar rallies, even involving a finding that the FBI director had given them a falsehood to Congress as to the justification for the FBI to monitor a peace group. AMY GOODMAN: What about what's happened in Iowa, Coleen Rowley? COLEEN ROWLEY: Well, that's another instance. And that one is actually after the scope of the IG investigation. The IG investigation only went to 2006. There have been requests for that IG to go further. Obviously there's been four more years. And in 2008, we found out through a Freedom of Information request that there's 300 pages of - I think it was four or five, six agents trailing a group of students in Iowa City to parks, libraries, bars, restaurants. They even went through their trash. So, this is another reason why peace groups, and certainly law professors, have to be very concerned now about this misinterpretation that says advocacy for human-rights. I just have to mention, we have a famous Minnesotan who wrote Three Cups of Tea. And he obviously sets up schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His name is Greg Mortenson. Obviously, people like him and Jimmy Carter are even at peril, given this wide discretion now to say that anyone who works in a foreign country, even for peace or humanitarian, anti-torture purposes, could somehow run afoul of the PATRIOT Act. AMY GOODMAN: The Church Committee in the 1970s really blew the lid open on CIA spying at home, and also guidelines then, regulations, were passed afterwards. How do they apply today, when Americans are being surveilled, infiltrated, spied on at home? COLEEN ROWLEY: Well, that's another one of the factors, besides this Supreme Court ruling. Right after 9/11, the Attorney General began to erode those guidelines. He basically said that FBI agents could go into mosques and places like that to monitor, so that was the beginning. The very - almost the last official act that Bush did in 2008 was that he totally erased those prior AG guidelines. There is really no need to even show factual justification now. The presumption is entirely reversed. And basically the FBI need only say that they were not targeting - that they were not targeting a group solely based on their exercise of First Amendment rights. So the presumption really did, again, a complete flip-flop. And, of course, that's why you see these various scandals now coming out. It should be no surprise to someone that if there's no restraints, the green light is on, that you see, of course - I actually kind of sympathize with the FBI. I used to train these agents, and I can understand the enormous pressure they're under. And, of course, this is why it's so incredibly important to get the word to the officials who are in charge of using their discretion that they should use their discretion to look for real terrorists instead of to go after peace groups. AMY GOODMAN: Jess Sundin, what are your plans now? I mean, over the weekend I saw online the video of your mass emergency meeting - many people came out for this, rallying around - and also talked about the RNC 8, the eight people who were preemptively arrested in the lead-up to the Republican convention, all charged on terror counts. All of those terror counts have been dropped now. But it certainly was a very frightening time. What are your plans now? JESS SUNDIN: Well, as you mentioned, in the Twin Cities we had a meeting the night that the raids happened. There were more than 200 people who gathered, and really every organization in the Twin Cities. But I'd say countless organizations across the country have contacted us to ask us how they can help. There will be, today and tomorrow, as you mentioned earlier, demonstrations in at least twenty cities around the country. We've had word of plans for demonstrations at embassies in other countries, as well, at US embassies. So, one of the things we're doing is trying to call attention to what's happened and really make it clear to people that we have done nothing wrong. There is no basis to the claim that we've in any way given support to terrorist organizations. But in fact, we are being - we are being - there is attention on us because of our work in the antiwar movement, and in particular, our perspective of solidarity with people in the countries where the US war and militarism are happening. We, following up on these demonstrations, are going to be pulling together a network of people from many of these organizations that have expressed their concern. Folks who want to get tied into that can find us through the Anti-War Committee website, which is very outdated. We're doing our best to get it up. Of course, as we explained, all of our computers were seized. So we're doing a lot of catch up, trying to get ourselves organized. And, of course, we're also very concerned with making legal plans to protect ourselves. A number of people have been called before a grand jury in Chicago. And we, you know, don't want to be - you know, a case to be framed up around us. All of us are quite confident that nothing that was found in our homes will give substantiation to the claims against us. And there's, in fact, no charges against us. But we want to do everything we can to both protect ourselves legally while at the same time working with the movement to call attention to what's happened. AMY GOODMAN: Joe Iosbaker, I wanted to ask you about the other house that was raided. Just looking at an AP piece, FBI agents in Chicago took a laptop and documents from the home of Palestinian American antiwar activist Hatem Abudayyeh, who is the executive director of the Arab American Action Network. His attorney, Jim Fennerty, said, The government's trying to quiet activists. The case is really is scary," he said. Abudayyeh is an American citizen. Can you talk about your work on Israel-Palestine, who Hatem Abudayyeh is? JOE IOSBAKER: Well, I actually have to talk about my wife's work. My wife is a longtime solidarity activist in the Palestine solidarity movement. And. AMY GOODMAN: Stephanie Weiner. JOE IOSBAKER: Correct. She was also subpoenaed. And really everyone in the antiwar movement in Chicago knows Hatem. You know, if you look back online at video of the protests here of thousands of people marching when Israel assaulted Gaza two years ago, Hatem was the emcee at almost every major rally. And the Arab American Action Network was the first center of the Arab community in the city, founded back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. So Hatem is the most prominent Palestinian activist in the city of Chicago. It's no surprise that they targeted him. AMY GOODMAN: And you're organizing, Joe Iosbaker, around Colombia. In a minute we'll be joined by Ingrid Betancourt, who was, well, as you know, held captive. JOE IOSBAKER: Yes. AMY GOODMAN: - for more than six years. But what about your work around Colombia, since it seems that Israel-Palestine and Colombia were major focuses of this FBI raid? JOE IOSBAKER: Well, I actually think that I should defer that question to Jess, who has much more experience in Colombia solidarity work. AMY GOODMAN: Jess Sundin in Minneapolis. JESS SUNDIN: Yeah, the antiwar movement has long been concerned with places that the US funds wars abroad, and there's a major civil war unfolding in Colombia, and it's the third-largest recipient of US military aid, so Colombia is very much an issue for the antiwar movement. I have traveled to Colombia and understand that it's the most dangerous place in the world to be a trade unionist. And, in fact, anyone involved in the social movement there is viewed by the government, as well as the paramilitary death squads, as a rebel and treated as such. And so, I know that the investigation is very interested in travel - I have traveled to Colombia - and [it] tried to establish some sort of organizational ties, which there aren't. But that said, I do support the Colombian struggle and have been very involved in that. AMY GOODMAN: Coleen Rowley, how do civil rights compare, what you're seeing today under the Obama administration, to President Bush, someone you certainly blew the whistle on? COLEEN ROWLEY: Well, I can't talk for another couple hours here, because that's how long it would take me. I actually urged the FBI from early on - I even wrote a chapter, "Civil Liberties and Effective Investigation." And unfortunately, these warnings have just been largely - of myself and many others - have been largely ignored. Even the 9/11 Commission focused - three of their recommendations, out of forty-one, were on creating a privacy and civil liberties oversight board. And Bush pulled the rug from under that board early on. And Obama, two years later, has never appointed any people, any of the five seats to that board, which is just incredible in light of what's gone on, even including the revelations of torture and warrantless monitoring. What people need to do is to basically ask for more than just an IG investigation. They need to ask for Congress to actually take on something like a new Church Committee. And that's actually been asked for. Barbara Lee, I think, actually had a proposal a year ago for something like that. So we should all contact our elected representatives and ask for Congress to take on greater oversight of this - what's going on. AMY GOODMAN: Well, we will certainly continue to follow this case as it unfolds. I want to thank you, Coleen Rowley, former FBI agent, whistleblower, named Time Person of the Year in 2002. Jess Sundin and Joe Iosbaker, thanks so much for being with us. I know this is a very difficult time for you. Both of their homes were raided, computers, notes, other things taken. That happened on Friday morning. And, of course, we'll continue to follow both these cases. --- Comment On This ZNet Article See All Comments (1) Democrats By Samson, at Sep 28, 2010 09:22 AM Even amongst the outrage, there's this strange tone that focus' on the FBI alone, and only blames Obama for not naming seats to some strange board that was probably never worth anything. What's not said is that the is OBAMA's FBI that's kicking in doors. You don't see anyone in the Obama administration saying this is wrong or that it has to stop. If this wasn't done on direct orders from the White House, then it's certainly not generating any orders to stop this. This is what the left gets from all of its years of sleeping with the Democrats. A black eye as they turn around and beat us. DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY DEMOCRAT in Nov. That's more effective than protests. Although, if the protests had enough sense to concentrate on that message then they are useful. There's one way to get a politician's attention. Threaten their jobs. Don't vote for them. If Obama is sitting on election night seeing horrible numbers for Democrats across the country, then he'll know his job is in danger two years from now. If this is part of an open and loud response from the majority of Americans who both want these wars to end and constitutional protections restored and respected, then there will be no mistaking the message. DO NOT VOTE DEMOCRAT. [Amen. As someone has recently said, You don't change the status quo by voting for the status quo. -ed] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar over 2225 subscribers as of 12.19.02 please send all messages in plain text no attachments vote third party for president for congress for governor now and forever Socialism YES Capitalism NO To GO DIRECTLY to an item, eg --------8 of x-------- do a find on --8 Research almost any topic raised here at: CounterPunch http://counterpunch.org Dissident Voice http://dissidentvoice.org Common Dreams http://commondreams.org Once you're there, do a search on your topic, eg obama drones
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