[Links] are in-house, offsite links are noted . Backed-up links are to (archive.org) and (archive.today).
E da Ref, with the Black Rider Liberation Party (BRLP) [link], is seeking support for their newspaper, the African Intercommunal News Service [GoFundMe.com link], published for the New African community, documenting the campaigns for community defense against systematic racism (like in Ferguson, Oakland, LA), updates on community programs, and more! The BRLP is an expanding national network, with chapters across North America (and in New Zealand), working in the community with urban farms, personal defense and literacy classes, "Watch-A-Pig" programs, and more. The Northbay MDS and BRLP also remind you to Defend Jihad Mujahid Muhammad [link], a hero of the People!Stories are reviewed and provided by Northbay MDS Committees.
Committee to Protect Journalists ask that you support the #RightToReport [CPJ.org petition link]
Remember Josh Wolf, journalist of the People! [ActivistBloggerFilm.com]
In a world where traditional and new media are increasingly colliding, the question inevitably arises: "What is the definition, role, and responsibility of a journalist?"
Days after posting on his blog his video of a San Francisco protest, Josh Wolf received a surprise visit that would land him not only in the center of a national first amendment debate, but in a federal penitentiary for a record-breaking seven and a half months...
Blogger Josh Wolf sparked a national debate and gained international notoriety when, at the risk of imprisonment, he refused to surrender his video of a San Francisco demonstration to federal authorities. He consequently spent 226 days in a federal penitentiary - the longest in U.S. history for a journalist protecting his source material.After his record-setting incarceration and release in April 2007, Wolf leveraged his new celebrity to join San Francisco’s colorful mayoral race on the platform of "creating true participatory democracy."
More information about the incident:
** [ActivistBloggerFilm.com/resources] [archive.org] [archive.today]
** "Freelance Journalist Josh Wolf released after 224 days in prison" (2007-04-04) [RSF.org link] [archive.org]
"MANAGING A NIGHTMARE: THE CIA REVEALS HOW IT WATCHED OVER THE DESTRUCTION OF GARY WEBB" (2014-09-25) [firstlook.org link] [archive.org]
and next week the Committee for the Study of History & the Current Context will release the "Drug Tug" stories, published 1985 outlining how certain CIA contractors were documented bringing the vice of Latin American death squads to the shores of the Napa Valley.
Northbay Copwatch [link]:
** "FBI Director Equates Protecting Personal Privacy with Lawlessness" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
A straight-A high school class-clown tweets humorous photos (one with a gun). A private security agency called GEOCOP, flagging potential student threats in hopes of winning lucrative contracts with public-sector security agencies, chose to target the student, classifying him as a terrorist threat because his grandparents live in Yemen (in Arabia). All students are now under constant monitering, with a local FBI man organizing a "Stop the Fear" movement to dignify the new regime of 100% surveillance, and opportunistic security agents are interfering with and ruining the lives of peaceful students.
** "Huntsville schools say call from NSA led to monitoring students online" (2014-09-26) [Al.com link] [archive.today]
** "Huntsville student explains tweets that led to spying on students" (2014-09-25) [al.com link] [archive.today]
Committee to Free 'em All! [link]
** Become a Human Rights Pen Pal! [link]
Find out more about the Human Rights campaign at [PrisonerHungerStrikeSolidarity.wordpress.com]
** "A New Provision Threatens California Inmates' First Amendment Rights" (2014-07-13) [NewRepublic.com link] [archive.org]
** "CDCr Proposes Draconian Visiting Policies" (2014-09-27) [PrisonerHungerStrikeSolidarity.wordpress.com link] [archive.org]
** Free Eisha Love, Transwoman Facing Attempted Murder Charges for Self-Defense from Hate Crime [Change.org link]
Committee to Defend Workers' Rights! [link]
** "Labor played big part in massive climate march" (2014-09-25) [PeoplesWorld.org link] [archive.today]
** "Members Are Angry at the Union for… Wait, What?!" (2014-09-23) [LaborNotes.org link] [archive.today]
** "Bus Company Fails at Racial Divide and Conquer" (2014-09-25) [LaborNotes.org link] [archive.today]
** "Victory At Market Basket" (2014-09-22) [LaborNotes.org link] [archive.today]
On August 27, the United Farm Workers (UFW) union posted a story about a Gerawan foreman ordering a pesticide applicator to lie about what time he sprayed the pesticides after workers became sick. More than 4,000 UFW supporters responded by sending an e-mail to the Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner. That was enough to get him moving--at a snail's pace that is. He did interview the pesticide applicator, but still has not scheduled interviews with the victims or the other witness. See more at "Gerawan foreman ordered pesticide applicator to lie after workers get sick" (2014-08-26) [UFW.org link] [archive.today].Workers were fed up with delays! So on Friday, Sept. 26th, they held a demonstration at the Fresno County Agricultural Commissioner' office. They want him to make a decision and hold Gerawan accountable.
Update: "Is it now Prima workers vs the Koch Brothers?" (2014-09-26) [UFW.org link] [archive.today]
Prima workers are frustrated. A state mediator that Prima (not the UFW) specifically asked for, awarded them a contract on September 28th of last year. The workers want their contract already. They are eager to have the wages and benefits it offers them. But the mammoth fruit grower Prima refuses to implement this contract and to pay them the millions in back wages they’re already owed. Why, you ask? Because Prima has the money to manipulate the system to avoid having to put the contract into effect. Prima has spent megabucks on an assortment of law firms, public relations firms and anti-union consultants -- some of whom have been paid $3,000 a day. The average Prima worker makes just $110 for a 10-hour day during peak season. If that wasn't enough, now, this multi-million dollar company is benefiting from slick media campaigns that include billboards along Central Valley highways. Who’s behind the ads attacking the UFW, the workers’ chosen union? The Center for Worker Freedom, a project of Americans for Tax Reform, led by Grover Norquist. According to news sources, Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform has reportedly received significant financial support from the billionaire Koch brothers.
Ban Depleted Uranium Weapons! [link]
** "Veteran seeks answers on depleted uranium" (2014-09-25) [thehill.com link] [archive.today]
USA Fascism [link]:
** "HOW FORMER TREASURY OFFICIALS AND THE UAE ARE MANIPULATING AMERICAN JOURNALISTS" (2014-09-25) [firstlook.org link] [archive.org]
** "More Ferguson Protesters Arrested as Police Chief Offers 'Unacceptable' Apology" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
The Mississippi Prison State:
** "With No Freedom in Sight, Illegally Jailed Inmates in Mississippi Demand Answers; People jailed in Scott County often find themselves waiting years for trial—or even charges" (2014-09-25) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "Mississippi Sued Over 'Hellish' Conditions in For-Profit Prison" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "Civil Rights Advocates Take Action to Protect All Prisoners at East Mississippi Correctional Facility" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
Solano Peace, Justice & Freedom Coalition [link]:
** "Signed Agreement Locks in Ten More Years of Afghan War" (2014-09-30) [CommonDreams.org] [archive.today]
** "The U.S. is now in a PERPETUAL state of War!" (2014-10-01) [Peace link] [archive.today], a compilation of news and statistics, from "US Labor Against the War", a non-partisan working-class network Working for Peace and Protecting the People of the World against indiscriminate death by modern warfare. With so many bombings by the USA across the world, the peace movement needs volunteers and donations to continue doing what it can to save lives! Find out how you can help, here [archive.today/fYr1L].
** Special report -
The People of Syria have been suffering from terrorism, beheadings and bombings since 2011, funded directly by an alliance (Saudi Arabia, USA, and Israel) who seek to destabilize Syria and allow privately-held companies to take over the publicly owned oil producing regions. Instead, the People of the USA are being told that We are the victims of the the tyranny of al-Qaeda terrorism.
The goal of the alliance is destroying the government of Syria and replace it with something like what current model of Deathsquad Republic governing Libya, Ukraine, or Iraq, each taken over by a NATO-allied government, each worse than what they replaced with hundreds of the thousands of dead civilians killed for their political beliefs or ethnic status.
The alliance bombs the oil refineries controlled by alliance-funded militants within the jurisdiction of Syria, preventing their competition (the state-owned oil company of Syria) from profiting from the oil fields. Of course, more war means more profits for the alliance's weapons companies, and gives a reason to keep military operations across northern Arabia's oil producing regions.
Separately, eyewitness reports to survivor testimony say (a "single" jet) of the NATO alliance (flying out of Turkey or Iraq) is attacking refugee convoys coming out of Syria to NATO member Turkey, and we know that the refugees are fleeing absolute cultural obliteration from (former) NATO subsidiary "ISIS / ISIL" aka the "Syrian Rebels", whose ideology calls for a people's war against any culture not adhering to their ideology, and who are used by NATO to destabilize the government of Syria, despite the hundreds of thousands murdered, exiled or enslaved since 2011.
** An anti-fascist international Revolutionary Anarchist Group joins defense of Kurdistan in Syria against "ISIS / ISIL" [link]
** "US Relaxing Standards for Killing Civilians in Iraq and Syria" (2014-10-01) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.org]
** "Civilian Deaths Mount as US Bombing of Syria Expands: 'We will pay with our blood,' says Abu Ibrahim, who fled his city of Raqqa ahead of US bombing. 'In big wars, the civilian will pay.'" (2014-09-25) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "Syria becomes the 7th Predominantly Muslim country bombed by 2009 Nobel Peace Laureate" (2014-09-23) [FirstLook.org link] [archive.org]
** "The Khorasan Group: Anatomy of a fake terror threat to justify bombing Syria" (2014-09-28) [FirstLook.org link] [archive.org]
** "U.S. strikes to avert another 9/11: America deploys its awesome arsenal - including its new F-22 Raptor stealth fighter over fears Jihadis were about to launch attacks on passenger planes" (2014-09-23) [DailyMail.co.uk link] [archive.today] (reading monopolist media is like watching a trashy movie).
** "ISIS, Khorasan Mean U.S. at Highest Risk Since 9/11: New York's Top Cop" (2014-09-23) [NBCNews.com link] [archive.today]
** "Syria air strikes: US targeted Khorasan terrorist group to stop 'imminent attack'" (2014-09-29) [Independent.co.uk link] [archive.today]
** "U.S. Army preparing to deploy division headquarters to Iraq" (2014-09-23) [UPI.com link] [archive.today]
** "Oil installations in Syria hit by anti-ISIS coalition" (2014-09-25) [RT.com link] [archive.today]
** "Air war in Syria could last years" (2014-09-24) [USAToday.com link] [archive.today]
** "France to strike ISIL in Iraq but not Syria" (2014-09-18) [AlJazeera.com link] [archive.today]
** "French hostage Herve Gourdel beheaded in Algeria" (2014-09-24) [BBC.com link] [archive.today]
** "France considers expanding air strikes to Syria" (2014-09-25) [Telegraph.co.uk link] [archive.today]
** "French, U.S. planes strike Islamic State, Britain to join coalition" (2014-09-25) [Reuters.com link] [archive.today]
** "Joining US War, British Parliament OKs Bombing of Iraq" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "Apocalypse Now, Iraq Edition Fighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over" (2014-09-23) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "(USA-backed) Syrian rebels linked to al-Qaeda behead man using small knife in front of children" (2014-02-02) [DailyMail.co.uk link] [archive.today]
** News clipping photo (at left) of a letter to the editor to the Daily Mail in the U.K. using the words of Richard Jones, a British blogger [archive.org].** Message from "World Can't Wait" peace coalition: The bombing announcement on September 22 was accompanied by allegations that a previously unknown group was threating the U.S. In "The Fake Terror Threat Used to Justify Bombing Syria" (2014-08-29) [FirstLook.org link] [archive.org], Glenn Greenwald and Murtaza Hussain have challenged the Obama administration's claim that the "Khorasan Group" was a threat to the U.S., and even that it ever existed: "There are serious questions about whether the Khorasan Group even exists in any meaningful or identifiable manner.
What happened here is all-too-familiar. The Obama administration needed propagandistic and legal rationale for bombing yet another predominantly Muslim country. While emotions over the ISIS beheading videos were high, they were not enough to sustain a lengthy new war.
So after spending weeks promoting ISIS as Worse Than Al Qaeda™, they unveiled a new, never-before-heard-of group that was Worse Than ISIS™. Overnight, as the first bombs on Syria fell, the endlessly helpful U.S. media mindlessly circulated the script they were given: this new group was composed of “hardened terrorists,” posed an “imminent” threat to the U.S. homeland, was in the “final stages” of plots to take down U.S. civilian aircraft, and could “launch more-coordinated and larger attacks on the West in the style of the 9/11 attacks from 2001.”
Hussain said on Democracy Now September 29, "" [DemocracyNow.org link] [archive.org]: "The Khorasan group itself, which we had been hearing about in the media was a new enemy and was a definable threat against the United States, did not really exist per se; it was simply a group of people whom the U.S. designated within a Syrian opposition faction as being ready to be struck."
"Where are we with Drone resistance", part of the latest Drone Action Organizers Bulletin, September 12, 2014 [KnowDrones.com link] [archive.org]
Federal charges dismissed against 16 Anti-Drone Activists, Nonviolent Action continued at Beale Air Force Base, where a peace vigil was held at the Wheatland Gate on South Beale Road on Monday, September 29, from 3 to 5 p.m. Then early Tuesday, September 30, several people engaged in strategic nonviolent action at 7 a.m. at the Main (Schneider) Gate. The action was creative, colorful, and strictly nonviolent but activists said there was a definite risk for more arrests.
Protesters called for an end to war, poverty, and climate change. The action was one of over 250 peace demonstrations taking place around the country throughout September. These locally organized actions are being coordinated with Campaign Nonviolence, which is “a long-term movement to build a culture of peace by mainstreaming active nonviolence and by joining the enduring, nonviolent struggle to abolish war, end poverty, reverse climate change, and challenge all violence.”
The Reverend Sharon Delgado, a retired United Methodist minister from Nevada City who was among those arrested at Beale in April, said, “These three evils are intertwined. War creates carnage while consuming resources that could be invested in education, health care, renewable energy, job creation, and services that could create a strong society and lift the poor out of poverty. Modern warfare, dependent on fossil fuels for high-tech weaponry, is also a big contributor to climate change.”
Beale, located just outside Marysville, California, is home to the Global Hawk Drone, a surveillance drone that assists in finding targets for armed Predator and Reaper drones. Anti-drone demonstrators have kept up a sustained presence at Beale for the past three years, calling for peace and drawing attention to civilian deaths and the illegality of the US drone warfare program. More than 50 people have been arrested but only 8 have been convicted.
For more information, visit the Occupy Beale Website [OccupyBealeAFB.org] [archive.org]
"Drone Resister Found Guilty For Bringing People's Order of Protection to Hancock Airbase" [UpstateDroneAction.org] [archive.org]: September 19, Syracuse, NY -
Carrying flowers and three documents to Hancock drone base can result in severe consequences. Drone resister, Mark Colville, of the Amistad Catholic Worker, in New Haven, Connecticut, was found guilty, after a two day trial and fifty minutes of deliberation by a De Witt Town Court jury.
On December 9th, 2013, Colville and two Yale Divinity students, brought a People's Order of Protection to the front gate of the base to prevent further victims of drone attacks perpetrated from inside Hancock Airbase. This action was in response to a request on Nov. 25th, 2013, by Raz Mohammad, an Afghan, who's brother-in law was killed by a U.S. drone strike. Gate personnel rejected the petition.
Colville, who's not an attorney chose to represent himself. He faced five charges, including violation of the Order of Protection, (O.O.P's) (max - 1 yr) given on behalf of Colonel Evans. Activists are challenging the validity of these O.O.P.'s, which the Colonel acknowledged in court, in two separate cases, are served "to keep the protesters away from my base". Colville was also charged with Obstruction of Government Administration (max. 1 yr), 2 Disorderly Conduct charges (15 days max each), and Trespass (15 days max).
Colville's action is a part of a global campaign to ban weaponized drones. Locally, the five year Upstate Drone Coalition campaign has resulted in multiple trials, acquittals and convictions, including the sentencing of grandmother, Mary Anne Grady Flores, to one year for taking photos of an Ash Wednesday witness from the cross walk in front of the base. She was found guilty of violation of her O.O.P.'s.
After trial Colville stated, "This court, by its conduct, continues to condemn itself by manipulating and misapplying the law, intentionally disregarding the cries for justice from those who the law is supposed to protect. The petition that we brought to the base, the People's Order of Protection, demanding that we give relief to the innocent victims of these horrible drone killing machines remains unresponded to. We will continue to tell the truth in the streets of the Town of De Witt and in its court room until true justice flows down like a mighty river."
An hour before trial, in judge's chambers, Assistant District Attorney McNamara and Mark Coville met with Judge Jokl, who promised to sentence Colville to the maximum penalty allowed. When Colville asked "Why?" The judge responded, "Because I think you deserve it."
Sentencing will be on Dec. 3rd, at 4pm, at 5400 Butternut Drive, De Witt Town Court, E. Syracuse.
World Fascism Watch [link]:
Many national governments across Latin America are being reminded that they are under the sovereignty of an unelected bureaucracy representing private businesses and international banks whose primary interest is the dismantling of social programs, selling national resources, abolishing human rights and ecological protections:
** "The Fight to Keep Toxic Mining—and the World Bank—Out of El Salvador" (2014-09-23) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
** "U.S. to push worker rights trade case vs. Guatemala" (2014-09-24) [PeoplesWorld.org link] [archive.today]
** "Argentina Faces US Contempt Hearing and Daily $50,000 Penalty for Failure to Pay Hedge Funds" (2014-09-26) [CommonDreams.org link] [archive.today]
ACTION CALENDER!
"Solidarity Forever"
Abraham Lincoln Bridge Archives 78th Annual Bay Area Celebration
Sunday, October 5, 2014 2:00-4:00 PM
doors open at 1:00PM
Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison St Berkeley, CA 94704
Join Abraham Lincoln Bridge Archives(ALBA)'s Board Chair, Sebastiaan Faber, and Executive Director, Marina Garde, for an afternoon of song honoring the legacy of the courageous men and women of the Lincoln Brigade.
This year they pay tribute to the life and work of Pete Seeger, with previously unseen footage and the presentation of the spectacular Smithsonian Folkways' re-release of the legendary Songs of the Spanish Civil War albums from the 1960s that included Seeger's 1944 Songs of the Lincoln Brigade.
Featuring singer/songwriter Bruce Barthol with Velina Brown, Randy Craig, Tony Marcus, and Barrett Nelson. Other guests include:
* Peter N. Carroll, author, historian, Stanford Lecturer and ALBA's Chair Emeritus;
* Peter Glazer, author and UC Berkeley professor;
* Alison Mollman of the Equal Justice Initiative, standing in for Bryan Stevenson, winner of the 2014 ALBA/Puffin Award for Human Rights Activism.
Click here for Tickets: [http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/597685]
Tickets: $29 advance / $31 at door
Discounts for seniors, students, and Friends of the Freight
tel. (510) 644-2020
Stop the War on Workers & the Poor!
Attend the Assembly Against Poverty in New York!
WED, OCT 8 @ 4 PM
in front of the WORLD BUSINESS FORUM
At the Radio City Music Hall, 50th St. and 6th Ave in New York City
Send A Message to the 1%: Raise Our Wages! $15 & A UNION NOW!
The royalty of Wall Street and the leaders of the global corporate establishment will be attending THE WORLD BUSINESS FORUM (WBF). Paying two thousand dollars per seat, The WBF, the biggest of all the meetings of the 1%, will bring some 5000 chief executive officers, and heads of the fortune 500 corporations and banks to Radio City Music Hall on Oct. 7 and 8.
These are the 1% who make the decisions to lay off workers in mass, bust unions and keep the wages that ordinary workers take home as low as possible. The Theme of the World Business Forum is "Provocateurs: Open your mind to thinking differently". The theme is merely a cover for what this mega-meeting of the 1% has on its mind. Their real agenda is to come up with more creative ways to shed workers, pay workers as little as possible, bust unions, destroy the environment, destroy communities, plunder the world, and make the 99% poorer; all out of their insatiable quest for bigger profits.
The goal of THE ASSEMBLY AGAINST POVERTY outside will be to provoke thinking about how hard it is to live on $8 an hour, and how frightening it is to lose your job and your home, how social and economic inequality is devastating the 99% while the 1% get richer and richer. Let's remind the rich folks at this meeting that low-wage workers can't live on poverty wages. Workers need at least need $15 an hour, and a union now.
The Assembly Against Poverty, scheduled for 4 PM Wed., Oct. 8, will coincide with the World Business Forum's keynote speech by former head of the Federal Reserve Bank, Ben Bernacke. Remember him? He's the guy who decided it was more important to bail out Wall Street, than working and poor people.
The Assembly Against Poverty will feature low-wage workers; homeless people; unemployed young workers; women who make up the majority of low wage workers; retirees who are having their pensions drastically cut or destroyed; people with disabilities; immigrants who are forced to live in the shadows; LGBTQ workers and all whose lives have been made unbearable by the 1%.
Initiating Groups: Peoples Power Assembly; Occu-Evolve; International Working Women's Coalition; NY Coalition of Black Trade Unionists; May 1st Coalition for Worker and Immigrant Rights; Laundry Workers Center; Chris Silvera, IBT Local 808; Parents to Improve School Transportation (PIST); Community Labor United for Postal Jobs & Services (CLUPJS); East Harlem /EL Barrio Community Action (EHECA); Fight Imperialism, Stand Together (FIST); International Action Center
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