whitebeard

Don't curse the darkness, light a candle.

The Cuban Five

The Cuban Five are five Cuban men serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being falsely accused and wrongfully convicted in U.S. federal court in Miami, on June 8, 2001 of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges.
 
We have received an email from COMITATO ITALIANO GIUSTIZIA PER I CINQUE who are putting together a demonstration to be held on Saturday, the 13th of September to protest the wrongful imprisonment of these five men.  Our Italian friends, in their appeal for support and solidarity from the Italian community, have written: "In particolare ci darebbe davvero grande soddisfazione la presenza di amiche e amici della colonia statunitense che vivono e lavorano in Italia."  (It would give us great satisfaction to have the presence of our friends from the United States who live and work in Italy.)
 
http://www.freethefive.org/whoarethefive.htm
 
http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=7634
 
http://www.liberenlos5.cult.cu/index.php?lang=2
 
http://www.giustiziapericinque.org/
 
Please let us know as soon as possible what you think about endorsing and participating in this demonstration.  info@peaceandjustice.it
 
Thanks.
 
Anna, Becky, Gene, Maria Chiara, Rose and Stephanie

posted by: Whitebeard at 15:38 | link | comments |
us, cuba

Trouble the Water

Two of Michael's producers from "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- Tia Lessin and Carl Deal -- have made an incredible documentary that's opening tomorrow in New York and L.A. (and the rest of the country over the coming weeks). It's called "Trouble the Water" and it won the Grand Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Click here for more info ( http://troublethewaterfilm.com/ ) -- and go see it!

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:46 | link | comments |
us, civil rights, democracy, censored news, resisters

SOS Italia

Fascist state censors Pirate Bay

We're quite used to fascist countries not allowing freedom of speech. A lot of smaller nations that have dictators decide to block our site since we can help spread information that could be harmful to the dictators.

This time it's Italy. They suffer from a really bad background as one of the IFPIs was formed in Italy during the fascist years and now they have a fascist leader in the country, Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi is also the most powerful person in Italian media owning a lot of companies that compete with The Pirate Bay and he would like to stay that way - so one of his lackeys, Giancarlo Mancusi, ordered a shutdown of our domain name and IP in Italy to make it hard to not support Berlusconis empire.

We have had fights previously in Italy, recently with our successful art installation where we had to storm Fortezza in order to get our art done. And as usual, we won. We will also win this time.

We have already changed IP for the website - that makes it work for half the ISPs again. And we want you all to inform your italian friends to switch their DNS to OpenDNS so they can bypass their ISPs filters.
This will also let them bypass the other filters installed by the Italian government, as a bonus. And for the meanwhile - http://labaia.org works (La Baia means The Bay in Italian).
And please, everybody should also contact their ISP and tell them that this is not OK and that the ISPs should appeal. We don't want a censored internet! And the war starts here...<P><HR></P>_______________________________________________
USC4P&J Members mailing list
this from http://thepiratebay.org

posted by: Whitebeard at 16:10 | link | comments |
democracy, italy

Palestinian families

Susiya Village – Fifth Demolition Looming
In the 1830’s, poverty-stricken Palestinian families left their villages in the South Hebron region and purchased land up to 20km on the outskirts. The families lived in the numerous and spacious caves spread throughout the area and made their living from the surrounding hills and fields (today the southernmost part of the West Bank). In the generations that followed, these families developed a unique culture and way of life based on their sheep herding, agriculture and cave dwelling. The Israeli occupation led to expropriate the Palestinian farmers’ land due to the establishment of military bases, the declaration of certain areas as “firing zones‿ and closed military zones. From the early 1980’s the Israeli government confiscated more land as it began building settlements in the area.

In the early 1980’s, the cave-dwelling Palestinian community of Susiya (about 60 families) was concentrated next to an archaeological site containing Byzantine, Roman and Hellenistic ruins and an ancient Jewish synagogue from the second temple period.

http://www.operationdove.org/

http://www.operationdove.org/?p=146

A video

OPERAZIONE COLOMBA
Corpo Nonviolento di Pacedella Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII
NONVIOLENT PEACE CORPS
www.operationdove.org
 SEGRETERIA - OFFICEVia Mameli, 547900 Rimini, Italia
Tel./Fax  +39 0541 29005
operazione.colomba@apg23.org
www.operazionecolomba.it

COMUNICATO STAMPA
4 agosto 2008

Successo della marcia nonviolenta dei bambini palestinesi
in risposta  alle violenze dei coloni
nonostante gli arresti di attivisti israeliani e internazionali

Nella giornata di sabato 2 agosto 2008 si è svolta con successo la marcia nonviolenta indetta per chiedere la fine dell’espansione degli insediamenti e delle aggressioni dei coloni dell'area a sud di Hebron, violenze che si protraggono nonostante ormai da tempo la Commissione per i Diritti dei Bambini del Parlamento Israeliano abbia deliberato l’obbligo di scorta da parte dell’Esercito Israeliano per proteggere i bambini palestinesi dai continui attacchi dei coloni.
Più di un centinaio di bambini palestinesi, accompagnati dai propri genitori e supportati da decine di attivisti israeliani e internazionali, tra cui i volontari di Operazione Colomba (Corpo Nonviolento di Pace della Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII) e del Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT - ONG Statunitense), hanno pacificamente percorso la via che congiunge il villaggio di at-Tuwani al villaggio di Tuba.
Tale strada è interdetta per i palestinesi dell'area a causa delle continue aggressioni da parte dei coloni israeliani del vicino avamposto illegale di Havat Ma'on (Hill 833).
Intorno alle 10:30 la marcia, appena iniziata, è stata però fermata con la forza dall'esercito israeliano che, dichiarando l'intera area "zona militare chiusa", ha tentato di arrestare un palestinese e ha aggredito, cercando di strozzarlo, un attivista del CPT accorso per impedire l'arresto.
La marcia è stata quindi sospesa ma, alcune ore più tardi, mentre i militari impedivano il passaggio ai volontari internazionali aggredendo e arrestando una volontaria dell’Operazione Colomba, i bambini, accompagnati dagli adulti, sono finalmente riusciti ad incamminarsi verso Tuba.
La volontaria di Operazione Colomba è stata aggredita da un ufficiale israeliano, quando poi si è recata dalla polizia per sporgere denuncia, è stata a sua volta accusata di aver aggredito l’ufficiale e dunque arrestata.
Nonostante un video mostri che l’aggressione è avvenuta esclusivamente da parte del soldato, la volontaria di Operazione Colomba è stata rilasciata soltanto a tarda notte e su di lei pendono ancora accuse ingiustificate.

Per contattare i volontari dell’Operazione Colomba in Palestina e Israele
Tel: 00972 – 548.130.634 / 548.052.843

Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII
    Il responsabile Generale
   Giovanni Paolo Ramonda

             Animatore Generale Operazione Colomba
       Antonio De Filippis

http://www.operazionecolomba.com/

 

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:22 | link | comments |
israel, peace, palestine, resisters

Sami Al-Alian

posted by: Whitebeard at 08:58 | link | comments |
us, democracy

AMERICAN FEUD

AMERICAN FEUD
http://www.americanfeud.org/Home.html

An entire political science course in 90 minutes, AMERICAN FEUD is the first documentary to trace the history of Liberalism and Conservatism in the United States.

Designed to appeal to a general audience as well as students and political activists, AMERICAN FEUD explores the back story of a political system seemingly in crisis.

Interviews and appearances

   ★   NOAM CHOMSKY:  Linguist & Philosophy Professor

★  G. GORDON LIDDY:  Radio Talk Show Host & Watergate conspirator

★   HOWARD ZINN:  Historian & Author

★   THOMAS FRANK:  Author, “What’s the Matter With Kansas?

★   KEVIN PHILLIPS:  Former Republican Strategist & Author

★   MICHAEL BARONE:  Co-author, “The Almanac of American Politics”

★   DAVID BOAZ:  Libertarian Scholar

★   MICHAEL KAZIN:  Historian & Author, former 1960's Leftist

★   MONA CHAREN:  Syndicated Columnist & Author 

★   LEE EDWARDS:  Goldwater Campaign Aide & Scholar of Conservatism

★   DONNA BRAZILE:  Democratic Strategist & Author

★   ADRIAN WOOLDRIDGE:  Co-author, “The Right Nation”

posted by: Whitebeard at 09:02 | link | comments (1) |
us, civil rights, democracy, resisters

Open letter to Obama

Dear Senator Obama

We write to congratulate you on the tremendous achievements of your campaign for the presidency of the United States.

Your candidacy has inspired a wave of political enthusiasm like nothing seen in this country for decades. In your speeches, you have sketched out a vision of a better future--in which the United States sheds its warlike stance around the globe and focuses on diplomacy abroad and greater equality and freedom for its citizens at home--that has thrilled voters across the political spectrum. Hundreds of thousands of young people have entered the political process for the first time, African-American voters have rallied behind you, and many of those alienated from politics-as-usual have been re-engaged.

Here are key positions you have embraced that we believe are essential to sustaining this movement:

§ Withdrawal from Iraq on a fixed timetable.

§ A response to the current economic crisis that reduces the gap between the rich and the rest of us through a more progressive financial and welfare system; public investment to create jobs and repair the country's collapsing infrastructure; fair trade policies; restoration of the freedom to organize unions; and meaningful government enforcement of labor laws and regulation of industry.

§ Universal healthcare.

§ An environmental policy that transforms the economy by shifting billions of dollars from the consumption of fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, creating millions of green jobs.

§ An end to the regime of torture, abuse of civil liberties and unchecked executive power that has flourished in the Bush era.

§ A commitment to the rights of women, including the right to choose abortion and improved access to abortion and reproductive health services.

§ A commitment to improving conditions in urban communities and ending racial inequality, including disparities in education through reform of the No Child Left Behind Act and other measures.

§ An immigration system that treats humanely those attempting to enter the country and provides a path to citizenship for those already here.

§ Reform of the drug laws that incarcerate hundreds of thousands who need help, not jail.

§ Reform of the political process that reduces the influence of money and corporate lobbyists and amplifies the voices of ordinary people.

Howard Zinn

Read the entire letter

posted by: Whitebeard at 23:15 | link | comments |
iraq, us, democracy, peace, war, world trade, elections, resisters