Peace Activists Occupy Federal Building!
On Friday, March 16, local peace activists—known as the War No More 11—occupied both congressional and senate offices at the Keating Federal Building in downtown Rochester protesting the illegal war in Iraq.
The group, organized by the Declaration of Peace coalition, occupied the offices of Senators Chuck Shumer and Hilliary Clinton as well as Representative Louise Slaughter`s office declaring they would remain until the Congresspeople would l) de-fund the war and occupation of Iraq, 2) Co-sponsor legislation calling for the safe and rapid withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq and the closure of all military bases in Iraq, 3) bear responsibility for the destruction in Iraq and the cost of reconstruction there, 4) rescind prior agreements giving control of the Iraqi economic sector to occupying forces, and 5) oppose all plans to attack Iran. The occupiers continued to read the names of Iraqi and American dead until the Federal building was officially closed at which time Homeland Security said they were free to leave without charges or otherwise a court appearance ticket would be issued with an automatic $500.00 fine. Three of the occupiers were issued appearance tickets.
Accounts from Friday: Joy by Chava Redonnet | War No More Eleven by Peter Mitchell | Statements from some of the War No More 11
Want to get involved? Come out for discussions on what to do about the illegal war against Iraq and the pending invasion of Iran!
'Honoring Israel' or Pushing for Nuclear Holocaust?
Last week City Newspaper had an article featuring a group called Christians United for Israel (CUFI). I was a little surprised to see an event sponsored by this organization featured in City. However, a number of local churches and a Jewish organization are sponsoring the group in Rochester. The article, called "Local evangelicals join 'Honor Israel' push", raises a number of issues. The CUFI organization is led by Reverend John Hagee, a fire and brimstone fundamentalist minister with a large following and big bucks to play with. Hagee is very involved in prophesying the so called 'End Times' when the antichrist will lead the world to destruction. After this, Christ will return and rule over the faithful. Israel is crucial to those who believe that the 'End Times' are imminent because it is where the action is predicted to occur.
Apparently the group is holding a number of events around the country this year to generate support for their ideas—including Rochester. According to a piece on [The Jewish Week] Hagee was a guest at an AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) event where he was warmly applauded. This is very strange because much of Hagee's polemic is really not very flattering to Jews. The City article cites a feature by Max Blumenthal that ran in The Nation last August during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In an interview on Democracy Now!, Blumenthal stated that many Jews believe that the group is using the appearance of 'honoring' Israel to undermine the credibility of Jews everywhere.
Read Judy's full commentary here.
Judy Bello lives in Webster, NY and is involved in various anti-war initiatives including RAW Street Theater group.
Can you say nuclear? NUCLEAR. Nuclear. Not Nuclur, nuclear.
As George Lakeoff writes at greater length, all the major Dem[ocratic] Pres[idential] candidates are tacitly oking the "concept" (i.e. a tacit policy) of preemptive nuclear attack on Iran.
Cheney: "All options [are] on the table."
H. Clinton: "No option can be taken off the table."
Edwards: "[W]e need to keep all options on the table"
Obama: "I think we should keep all options on the table."
Feckless and reckless democratic presidential candidates witlessly and thoughtlessly breach the nuclear taboo. The equally feckless media scribes cluelessly quote these candidates but don't get it either.
The public, sick of the lying bastards in the Administration that backed us into the quagmire of Iraq, now stand by helpless as the stewards of the "national interest" prepare to "double down" Iraq into a preemptive attack on Iran, turning the Iraq mess into a regional catastrophe. The Apocalyptic lobbying firm of Woofowitz and Pearly has pointed out that this would make attacking any country anytime for any reason well established as both policy and practice. "The beauty of this, the hidden beanie, is that whether we use nukes or not, the official backing of 'all options on the table' includes nukes, obviously. "All" is all. Thus, we feel the psychological barrier has been irrevocably breached. With help from from our enemies (democrats), call it a fait accompli. Sooo easy," said Woofowitz and Pearly spokesperson Blab A. Mouth.
Eager not to be seen in the "foreign policy wusses" spotlight, democratic candidates are falling all over themselves to mimic Cheney who has said "all options are on the table" everywhere he could find a microphone. Clinton has told the all too eager AIPAC "No option can be taken off the table," clearly and explicitly allowing for nuclear bunker busters without saying "nuclear."
Can you say nuclear? NUCLEAR. Nuclear. Not Nuclur, nuclear. Read the full rant!
Mike Connelly is a long time peace activist with Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace, Peace Action & Education, and Rochester Against War. Mike, who fancies himself a student of the Arms Race, had hoped by this time to be attending protests over cotton farmers abuse of boweevels or the harmful effects of soap on dirt rather than the next generation of nukes that have no reason whatever for being.
Democracy Now! Comes to Rochester!
In the culmiation of a multi-year struggle to get the award winning radio show Democracy Now! (DN!) on a local station, the Democracy Now! Committee of Metro Justice succeeded in convincing WROC AM 950 to pick up the program.
After literally having the phone hung-up on Metro Justice by WXXI President Norm Silverstein, the Democracy Now! Committee of Metro Justice decided that a new local outlet for DN! had to be found.
It might have been an aligning of the stars or just dumb coincidence because at one of the first public meetings between WXXI and Metro Justice, Michael Doyle, the General Manager of WROC AM 950, happened to be in attendance and listened to the energy and desire of a very committed group of people. Eventually these two forces found each other and an agreement was reached.
DN! can now be heard on WROC AM 950 on weeknights at 8PM.
Please take a moment to contact Michael Doyle at the station and commend him for picking up such a highly acclaimed news show.
See Metro Justice's DN! webpage for more information about scheduling.
February After-Mass Screening: Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land
Rochester Indymedia presents Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land U.S. Media & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict for our February After-Mass documentary film. We're also going to be passing the hat for the folks putting on Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues taking place on March 3rd.
Where: St. Joe's House of Hospitality located at 402 South Ave.
When: Friday, February 23rd, 7-9PM
Why: Special fundraiser for the Vagina Monologues!
What is Critical Mass? Ride Daily—Celebrate Monthly!
Free refreshments provided with discussion to follow. St. Joe's is wheelchair accessible and the event is free and open to the public. Bicycle storage available.
About the film: Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites—oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others—work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.
WELLSville Veterans Project: A Place for Healing
Wellsville, NY—Steve came from New Jersey, Toby’s from Indiana and Nick joined them from Detroit. Mike Blake was there for a while but he’s with his family right now. They share a small, green house in Wellsville with photos of friends killed in Iraq and nightmare-memories of a place where the flags on their arms were taken as targets. They live with injuries and problems but also with a sense of compassion so large that it could fill any house, pour into any conversation.
Like you, they’ve seen the stickers – “support our troops†– but they are starting where the yellow ribbons end because they’ve learned that the promises of support are surrounded by gaps and hurdles. They're involved in a project that will push those words into action and it’s right here in Wellsville.
So how would a guy from Muncie, Indiana or a suburb of Detroit end up in Wellsville? It’s because Kristin Van Huysen had this idea. Her homes in Wellsville were empty and needed work but they could house Iraq era veterans and lead the way for similar projects throughout the country, places where Iraq-vets could heal. Read the full article here.
Find your Congressional representatives and tell them to support HR 508, a bill which, among other provisions, requires that the US fully fund the health care needs for vets.
If you have things to donate to the project, or would like more information, email wellsvillevetsproject@yahoo.com or call 206-851-6448.
Mass D.C. Rally Holds New Congress Accountable: 300 from Rochester Join National Anti-War Rally
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2007 — An indeterminate number of protesters comprised of everyday people, organizers, citizen groups, lawmakers, celebrities and God knows what all, joined me in Washington over the weekend to protest the U.S. occupation in Iraq. You’ll notice a few things about that opening sentence: There is no body count on attendees; the word ‘celebrities’ doesn’t dominate the focus; and the word ‘war’ isn’t in it. This, because the overwhelming majority of participants were everyday people; the so-called “war†in Iraq is really an occupation of a sovereign state; and the tally of those attending the rally is any body’s guess. I’ve been to a number of huge rallies in my day, having come of age in the 60s, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
I will further confess that I’m exhausted not only by the occupation—but from what anyone who joined me riding chartered buses (we affectionately dubbed ours a ‘rolling gulag’) experienced when we were jammed into cramped seats among, beside and beneath our traveling gear. I can’t sleep in such conditions and so I now suffer the almost hypnotic symptoms of one who last slept on Thursday night, worked Friday and then left for DC at midnight, driving through the night and arriving early Saturday morning, to film the rally until late afternoon and then re-board the bus at 6 P.M., finally arriving home this morning at 4:30. Quite a sleepless stint by any measure, but being buzzed from the experience, I still found it impossible to sleep. So when I got home I decided I’d take a look at what the media were reporting about the rally. Read the rest of the article at Street Level.
Photos:
From the march (Javier): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
From the Capitol/march (Sera Brown): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16
Video: january 27, 2007 Washington DC March to End the War on Iraq
Other Accounts: Is Peace itself offensive?
Additional Information: At Street Level | Tens of thousands across the nation protest the war on Iraq c/o Indymedia U.S. | Rochester Against War | Metro Justice | Protest: Scenes from the Washington March c/o City Paper | J27: Photos and video footage from the rush to the Capitol
Related: The US gears up for war with Iran | Protests Planned for Fourth Anniversary of US-Led War in Iraq
Our National Shame
Guantánamo is our national shame. Five years after Camp X-Ray opened to house prisoners from the US war in Afghanistan, about 500 prisoners remain there. Not one has been charged, tried, or convicted for any crime.
On January 11th, the 5th anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at Guantánamo, about 200 protesters turned out for a demonstration against the detention center and the troop increase in Iraq proposed by President Bush the day before. A dozen Rochester "prisoners" donned the prisoners’ black hoods.
According to Witness Against Torture—a campaign to shut down Guantánamo—only 8% of detainees were even considered to be Al Qaeda fighters by the US government. 95% of detainees were handed over to the United States by third parties in exchange for bounties offered.
The UN Commission on Human Rights has said treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo ‘seriously undermines the rule of law and a number of fundamental universally recognized human rights, which are the essence of democratic societies.’ Our country is losing its soul at Guantánamo. To regain one’s soul, one must repent. Read the full article here.
Photos from January 11th Protest in Rochester: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
Additional Information: Indybay coverage: International Protests Against Torture and Detention || Amnesty International’s 12-Point Programme for the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by Agents of the State || Protesting Guantánamo by Frida Berrigan || Reprieve's Seeds of Hope campaign for Guantánamo gardeners || Truth, Torture, and the American Way
After-Mass Screening: Live Nude Girls Unite!
Feeling a bit frosty with the sudden blast of winter weather we're experiencing? Want to get warmed up—quick? Do strippers and/or radical labor organizing give you heart palpitations? Then come out this Friday and get hot watching strippers—unionize that is!
Rochester Indymedia presents Live Nude Girls Unite! for our January After-Mass screening.
Where: St. Joe's House of Hospitality located at 402 South Ave.
When: Friday, January 26th, 7-9PM
What is Critical Mass? Don't put that bicycle away just yet! Ride daily—celebrate monthly!
This first person documentary follows Julia Query, lesbian/stand-up comedian/peepshow-stripper, and daughter of a feminist activist, on her raucous journey to help organize the only union of strippers in the United States. Shot on a variety of formats, Live Nude Girls Unite! weaves backstage and dancing footage with labor organizing, street protests, stand-up comedy and comic-book style "animation" making an intelligent and dramatic cutting-edge film.
Free refreshments provided with discussion to follow. St. Joe's is wheelchair accessible and the event is free and open to the public.
This is not a porn film.
Additional Information: Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights | COYOTE | Exotic Dancers Alliance | Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWAP-USA) | $pread Magazine
Water-Proof: A Study of Post-Katrina Culture
On January 3rd, the Harley School hosted a screening of the documentary Water-Proof: A Study of Post-Katrina Culture to a packed auditorium. The screening was a fund raising event for Harley House—a Flower City Habitat for Humanity/Harley School effort—currently being built on the North Side of Rochester. It was also a call to action for people to aid in the rebuilding of post-Katrina Louisiana.
The documentary chronicles the reconstruction effort, the devastation that remains a year later, and the struggle of everyday life currently underway in post-Katrina New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. According to their press release, the film-makers—Sawyer Carter Jacobs, Andrew Douglas Rea, and Rashid Albert Duroseau (all graduates of Harley School)—“hope to inspire our audience into volunteering, and entreat them to fall in love with the great coastal city.â€
Currently the film-makers are finishing the epilogue and are going to be entering the documentary into film festivals around the country. Rochester Indymedia has been in contact with the trio in the hopes of presenting a free screening sometime in May or June. Stay tuned for more information. See the trailer on YouTube. Contact the film-makers at bgfilms@gmail.com. If you'd like to get involved with the Harley House project, call 442-1770 ext. 3109, or email at harleyhouse@harleyschool.org.
Additional Information: Water-Proof: the film | New Orleans Habitat for Humanity | Flower City Habitat for Humanity | Harley House | Still Photos from the Film | New Orleans Indymedia
From Indymedia US: Common Ground Collective co-founder Scott Crow Under Investigation by FBI | Katrina Volunteers depart to Lebanon | Dozens of Cities Participate in "Critical Mass" Solidarity Ride on the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina | 9 Arrested in Action to Reopen New Orleans Public Housing | Common Ground Under Pressure