-Caveat Lector- [radtimes] # 187 An informally produced compendium of vital irregularities. "We're living in rad times!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send $$ to RadTimes!! --> (See ** at end.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents: --Burn a Flag For Freedom --Violence rising along border --Anti-globalisation clashes in Italy --Guerrillas in Their Midst --Group intent on violence at summit --Responding To Domestic Terrorism --US Military Microwave Weapon Considered For Civilian Control =================================================================== Burn a Flag For Freedom <http://www.lewrockwell.com/moody/moody12.html> by Rob Moody March 17, 2001 It is seldom that any liberty is lost all at once. ~ David Hume A constitutional amendment prohibiting physical desecration of the US flag was introduced last Tuesday in both houses of Congress. Well, hallelujah! All of our problems are solved. Seriously, though, is this a problem? When was the last time you heard about a US flag being "desecrated" on American soil? Probably in 1989, when Congress passed the Flag Protection Act, which made "desecration" of the flag a federal offense. Of course, the Law of Unintended Consequences kicked in when the act went into effect, and many people burned flags in protest. The only US flags I ever see being "desecrated" are in places like Gaza and Iraq, due to the fact that we can't seem to mind our own business. Do you ever see any foreigners burning a Swiss flag? I wonder why. There is nothing that raises my blood pressure like a phony baloney, plastic banana patriot who wants to show everyone how patriotic he is by taking away our freedoms. Most of these people have never served their country in any way or put their lives on the line for it. Politicians love this issue because it allows them to cast a vote for patriotism while distracting us from the issues that really matter. In the Senate, the bill was introduced by Orrin Hatch (figures) and Max Cleland (not only is he one of my senators, I went through the same ROTC program and belonged to the same fraternity that he did at Stetson). The amendment reads, "Congress shall have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." My dictionary defines desecrate as: "To violate the sacredness of : profane." Sacred is defined as: "1. Dedicated to or reserved for the worship of a deity. 2. Worthy of religious veneration. 3. Made or declared holy.6. Of or relating to religious objects, rites or practices." Profane is defined as: "Showing irreverence or contempt toward God or sacred things : blasphemous." So is the flag now worthy of religious veneration, as the Nazi flag was at the Nuremberg rallies? Rep. Duke Cunningham (R, CA), the sponsor of the amendment in the House, said: "This Congress is committed to doing everything we can to ensure our symbol of national pride and freedom [except for the freedom to 'desecrate' that symbol] is protected. Millions of American men and women have died in defense of this nation [No, most of them died in unnecessary wars started by socialist presidents] and the flag that represents the history of our nation [unlike the Confederate flag, which simply represents hate]. The American flag is a national treasure. It is the ultimate symbol of freedom, equal opportunity and religious tolerance." Is it also a symbol of political tolerance? Are we mature enough to allow peaceful people to "desecrate" the flag, even though it may deeply offend us? Rep. John Murtha (D, PA), the co-sponsor of the amendment in the House, said: "The flag is a solemn and sacred [there's that word again] symbol of the many sacrifices made by our founding fathers and our veterans throughout several wars as they fought to establish and protect the founding principles of our nation. [I would argue that about the only veterans who did this were those in the Revolutionary War and Confederate veterans in the War Between the States.] Veterans in particular and many other Americans as well feel deeply insulted when they see our flag being desecrated." So does each person now have a right to not be insulted? If so, the First Amendment is dead. As the Supreme Court ruled in Texas V. Johnson 491 U.S. 397 (1989), "If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable." American Legion Commander Ray Smith said of the amendment: "Protecting Old Glory is not about speech. [The government conceded in court that flag burning constitutes expressive conduct.] It is about protecting our Constitution [By attacking the First Amendment?] from wrong-headed judicial activism [Striking down a bad law as unconstitutional is not judicial activism; taking over a school district is.] that enabled a razor thin majority [The same kind of majority you would gladly accept in Congress?] in a single court [yeah, the U.S. Supreme Court] to rip away from the American people a right they cherished for over 200 years. [What right? A right to not be insulted by someone 'desecrating' the flag?] This amendment will return our flag and our Constitution to a status intended by its authors and our founding fathers." If they intended it, why didn't they write anything about it? Is there anything about "desecration" of the flag in The Federalist Papers? Do we really need to desecrate (to use their term) the world's greatest legal document by attaching this feel-good, do-nothing amendment to it? This cheapens the Constitution and diminishes the respect that people have for it, thereby ensuring that more meaningless amendments will be added in the future. In light of the advent of hate (thought) crimes and the European Union's recent move to ban criticism of itself, do you see where we're headed with this amendment? What's next, a ban on criticism of the Constitution? The Presidency? The armed forces? Federal agencies and employees? And why are statists so eager to protect the flag? Because a flag helps give the State legitimacy. As Harry Browne has asked, how can you tell the difference between a government office and an office run by a gang or the mafia? Easy, the government office is the one with a flagpole out in front. Folks, this is a done deal; this will be our next amendment. Forty-nine state legislatures have passed resolutions calling on Congress to pass the amendment and send it to the states for ratification, and each Congress, the amendment fails to pass in the Senate by only a few votes. There are a lot of true patriots out there, and many of them fly US flags. But after this amendment is passed, the biggest patriots - and by far the most courageous - will be those people who burn their flag, not because they hate America, but because they love free speech. ---------- Rob Moody is a financial planner in Atlanta. =================================================================== Violence rising along border <http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/0318borderviolence.html> No end in sight as criminals tail eager migrants By Hernon Rozemberg The Arizona Republic March 18, 2001 12:00:00 AGUA PRIETA, Sonora - Gilberto Corona filled his pockets with two months of savings and climbed on an old bus in Veracruz, leaving his wife and daughter behind. Nearly three days later, tired, hungry and thirsty, he stepped off the bus in this border town and shelled out 7,000 pesos - about $780, almost all he had brought - to a stranger who promised to take him across to Arizona. Then his American dream vanished along with his guide. He tried to make it alone. But over the next two days, he was mugged at gunpoint, wandered for miles in the desert and was ditched in the middle of the night by a group of fellow dream-seekers he had joined. Without a peso to his name and ready to collapse, Corona opted to stay alive instead of struggling on. He hailed a U.S. Border Patrol agent last week on Arizona 80 in Douglas, about a mile and a half into the United States. Migrants heading into Arizona increasingly are getting robbed, mugged and beaten before crossing the border, officials and immigrants say. That's in large part because Arizona's border towns are among the busiest of all U.S.-Mexican crossings. The Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which includes Douglas and Nogales, reported 71,036 migrant arrests in 1992. Last year, agents caught 617,716 crossers. As more undocumented migrants from Mexico and other Central American countries come here, criminals are right behind. The shooting of a crosser by a Border Patrol agent March 5 made headlines, but migrants say they fear the trip up to the border more than U.S. law enforcement. The shooting was ruled accidental, but is still being investigated by state and federal agencies. "I think that now there are more chances of getting killed on our side," said a man in his early 40s waiting to cross into Arizona last week. "The risks are definitely increasing." Migrants are vulnerable because they carry large amounts of cash, cross in remote areas and many times must depend on strangers. A study to be released this week reports that 648 people were murdered along the entire border from 1985 to 1998; 36 murders were committed along the Arizona-Mexico border. Researchers tracked the numbers through death certificates. "Until just about two years ago, Arizona seemed to enjoy a free pass (from violence). But now, with a larger volume of migrant flow, it's becoming like California and Texas were like in the 1980s," explained Karl Eschbach, a University of Houston sociology professor who co-wrote the study, "Causes and Trends in Migrant Deaths Along the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1985-1998." "Now you've got a free-for-all down there. The Douglas area is particularly out of control," he said. Gang battles between border criminals intensify the violence, the study found. But opportunistic coyotes or polleros, guides hired to smuggle migrants to the other side, are more to blame, said Nestor Rodriguez, a co-author of the new report. Twenty years ago, coyotes were difficult to find. Migrants felt comfortable crossing on their own. But as the United States beefed up border security, migrants started turning to experienced smugglers to guide them across. Now, Rodriguez said, there are two distinct types of coyotes. Many long-time coyotes know the migrants and make the entire trip with them, starting in their hometowns. The new, less loyal type of coyote, is based at the border and usually meets clients there for the first time. They take money from migrants, promising to smuggle them across the border, but often leave them stranded in harsh desert conditions, where they are easy prey for still more criminals. "Mostly, (these newer coyotes) are petty criminals posing as freelance smugglers that are really after peoples' money," Rodriguez said. 'It's still worth it' Hard statistics on border violence are difficult to come by. Mexican consulates started tracking migrant assaults in 1999. But officials say their numbers are extremely low because most migrants, especially those who make it through, don't want to risk going to authorities to report attacks. "We only find out from the Border Patrol after they interview people they arrest. There must be tons of cases out there we'll never know about," said Roberto Burgos, record-keeper for the Mexican Consulate in Nogales. Robbed by bandits Last week, a group of 27 migrants trying to cross to Douglas in 30-degree weather flagged down a Border Patrol agent for help. Some other migrants down the road had been robbed by a group of five bandits armed with semiautomatic weapons and they were afraid they would be next. The agent allowed them over to the U.S. side, escorting them for two miles before the group crossed back to Mexico. Despite the risks, migrants hoping to establish a better life in the United States are as determined as ever to keep trying. And trying. Four college-age men walked alongside the Agua Prieta border last week. They had traveled 26 hours straight from Morelos in central Mexico. Earlier that day, they were sent back by the Border Patrol after failing to get in, their fourth botched attempt in six days. And apparently, not their last. "I'm out of money, but I've got to get to my friends in (the state of) Washington," said a 20-year-old who gave only his first name, Ernesto. "Even if I have to make it across on my own. It's still worth it. I've got no future here." If it doesn't work out in Agua Prieta, perhaps the foursome will try for better luck in Naco to the west. A town just a 10-minutes drive from Bisbee, Naco is starting to become a popular alternative. 'Ready to die' "I'm ready to die if I have to," said Javier Lopez, 48, who was traveling with three friends. "I'm not going over to rob or kill anybody, just to work. All I want to do is work. I can't be of much help in an office because I don't have an education, but I've got a good set of hands to work the fields." Jesus "Chuy" Gallegos doesn't need statistics to know that violence is rising. He sees and hears it daily. Gallegos runs the Frontera de Cristo ministry in Agua Prieta, where he has lived for 11 years. Many times, he has given shelter to migrants who were attacked. He's not a bit surprised about the rising criminal element in his town, considering how lucrative the people-smuggling business has become. "Coyotes are all over the place here. In fact, many seem to be staking out their own territory along the border. And they have a free reign because they know nobody's going to turn them in," said Gallegos, noting that coyotes demand $700 to $1,000 per Mexican migrant and as much as $5,000 for other nationalities. With warmer weather on the horizon, the number of migrants and number of attacks will rise. The Border Patrol began increased ground and air patrols west of Tucson last week. Officials said they hope the agents' presence will deter desert border crossings or allow agents to snatch border crossers before they fall prey to smugglers. Residents of the Agua Prieta/Douglas community don't think law enforcement alone will stop the trouble. Healing Our Borders, a community group still forming with members on both sides of the fence, is pushing for alternative methods to ease the violence. "I don't think that people have a good understanding of what goes on down here," said Father Bob Carney of St. Luke's Catholic Church in Douglas, one of the group's founders. "We're talking about what seems like organized crime that's draining people to their last drop of blood. Everything is up for sale nowadays - a little water, a spot on the ground to sleep on." One idea that's gaining support from activists and politicians is to allow temporary work visas for undocumented migrants. Mexican President Vicente Fox supports the idea. President Bush is considering it. Irma Villalobos de Teron, mayor of Agua Prieta, said the move would throw a lifeline to the formerly quiet town that, mainly due to the arrival of U.S.-bound migrants, has exploded from 50,000 to 130,000 residents in the past five years. "This type of a program would cut down the pollero business and, thus, cut down violence," she said. But even if the guest worker idea, based on the Bracero program established in the 1940s, were to pass, officials from both sides agree that, at the same time, the Mexican economy must improve and produce more and better-paying jobs. "Between increased migration and the Border Patrol's raising the stakes with more enforcement, the violence isn't going to stop anytime soon," said Eschbach, the university professor involved in the border migrant death study. "For the foreseeable future, I see Arizona continuing to be the hotspot." ---------- Reach the reporter at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or (602) 444-8480. =================================================================== Saturday, 17 March, 2001 Anti-globalisation clashes in Italy <http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1226000/1226593.stm> Thousands of anti-globalisation protesters have clashed with riot police in the Italian city of Naples. An estimated 20,000 demonstrators gathered to protest against a meeting of the Global Forum - a conference of government and technology leaders being held in the city. Police fired teargas and rubber bullets at demonstrators after they broke through barricades in an attempt to reach conference delegates from 120 governments. More than 100 people were injured in the violence, including one police commander who was taken to hospital with serious head wounds. Paving stones and smoke bombs were thrown from the crowds and rubbish containers were set on fire. The protest was organised by the No Global Network and included hard-line left-wing groups, anarchists, environmentalists and local unemployed people from Naples. Witnesses said the central square looked like a battlefield as ambulances ferried the injured out. Helicopters overhead Several people, including journalists and parliamentarians, accused the police of using "gratuitous violence", but the Naples police chief said his men were attacked and the response was fitting. A journalist and photographer said they had been beaten up by the police, while protest organisers said a pregnant woman had been among those hurt. An Italian television crew was also attacked by the protesters. Cars and offices were damaged in the protest and shop windows were smashed. Many store owners had shut their businesses in anticipation of the violence. Helicopters circled overhead monitoring the clashes and about 100 people are reported to have been arrested. "The situation is under control, but we remain vigilant," police spokesman Nicola Izzo said. The demonstrators gathered at the scene after arriving in Naples on trains from Milan and Palermo. Digital divide A total of 6,000 police had been drafted into the city, and had sealed off the centre with barricades and riot vehicles in preparation for possible clashes. The global forum, involving 800 delegates from governments and international organisations, has focused on how new technologies change the concept and practice of government. While the five-day forum has a section dedicated to the digital divide, and ways of ensuring electronic access to developing nations, the protestors say the Internet age is only exacerbating inequalities. Tight security has been imposed at dozens of summits and high-level finance meetings throughout Europe and the United States since huge anti-globalisation riots wrecked a meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Seattle in 1999. --------- See also: No Global Network <http://www.noglobal.org/> =================================================================== BusinessWeek, MARCH 13, 2001 Guerrillas in Their Midst By Geri Smith Subcommander Marcos and his Zapatistas arrive -- unarmed -- in Mexico City to begin a dialogue with Vicente Fox's new government Mexico City's historic downtown plaza, the Zo'calo, was jammed with 100,000 people on the afternoon of Sunday, Mar. 11. News helicopters flew overhead, and hundreds of spectators crowded the balconies of surrounding hotels and government offices, waiting for a flatbed trailer carrying 24 guerrilla leaders from the Zapatista Army of National Liberation to roll into the plaza. It was the culmination of a two-week, 2,100-mile trek from the jungle of the southern state of Chiapas to the political epicenter of Mexico. When the ski-masked, fatigues-clad but unarmed guerrillas stepped onto a stage just in front of the National Palace, the crowd cheered. Then, an Indian shaman performed a ritual cleansing ceremony. "HELP US." Subcommander Marcos, the pipe-smoking, Jesuit-educated former university professor who has led the Zapatista struggle for Indian rights in the Chiapas rain forest for more than a decade, spoke to the crowd for just 20 minutes. "No longer are we ashamed of the color of our skin. We are proud to see that we are the color of the earth," said Marcos, whose blue eyes and tall stature mark him as the only non-Indian among the Zapatista leadership. Then he added what could best be described as a plea: "They say we're nothing more than a photo opportunity, an anecdote, a spectacle, a perishable product with a rapidly approaching expiration date. We're not coming to tell you what to do. We're coming to ask that you help us." The crowd responded: "You're not alone! You're not alone!" Next to me, a 17-year-old high school student held up one end of a banner depicting a Rubenesque figure of a reclining naked woman wearing a ski mask and cradling a submachine gun. The poster read: "With war, there's no democracy, land, or freedom." I asked the student, Adria'n Correa, why he was there. "We want to see a solution to the Chiapas conflict. It's up to President [Vicente] Fox and the Congress to make it happen now." WELL-TIMED ATTACK. Mexico has changed dramatically since the Zapatistas burst onto the scene on January 1, 1994, taking over a handful of small towns in the Chiapas countryside. The publicity-savvy Zapatistas had chosen their moment carefully: They attacked on the day the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect, and they did so to protest the exclusion of Mexico's 10 million indigenous people from the benefits of free trade. In doing so, the Zapatistas were among the first to protest globalization -- long before protesters in Seattle stormed trade talks and farmers in Europe trashed McDonald's. Although Mexico has benefited from membership in NAFTA as exports have tripled since 1994, the message of Mexico's home-grown guerrilla movement still rings true: Countries should not be content merely with participating in the global economy. They must make sure that the benefits of free trade trickle down to the poor. For seven years, Marcos and his ragtag army have hammered home that theme, mostly through their Web site (www.ezln.org) and a series of rambling communiques and interviews that the enigmatic Marcos granted in his jungle hideout. Encircled by tens of thousands of Mexican Army troops, the guerrillas were never a military threat. Indeed, some of them carried carved wooden guns in the two-week armed conflict that claimed 145 lives back in 1994. "ANYONE CAN COMPLAIN." But they didn't lack international supporters. Sympathizers from Europe, the U.S., and Canada trekked to Chiapas to visit Marcos' jungle outpost, a hamlet called Reality, anxious to see first-hand one of the world's few active guerrilla movements. At the rally, several prominent supporters showed up, including Danielle Mitterrand, the widow of the former French President, Portuguese Nobel prize-winning writer Jose' Saramago, and French antiglobalization activist Jose' Bove'. For years, the Mexican government, citing a ban on political activity by foreigners, expelled those who dared show their solidarity with the Zapatistas. But when Fox won the presidency last year, he stopped that practice. "This march demonstrates that we already live in a mature democracy where anyone can express himself, where anyone can complain, and where anyone can shout or criticize the President," Fox said in his weekly radio address on Saturday. He also accepted the Zapatistas in Mexico City, the seat of government. "Welcome to the political arena," Fox told them. Indeed, the Zapatistas seem to have left the jungle for good and are expected to form some sort of left-of-the-mainstream political action group. Although Mexico continues to be a country where a vast gulf separates rich and poor, Marcos and his followers cannot help but have noticed that the political scene has changed dramatically with the ouster last year of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), breaking up its corrupt, often feudalistic rule. If they want to get their message across in today's Mexico, they're better off participating in the political system. PRESIDENTIAL OVERTURES. Although the Zapatistas and Mexico's left distrust former Coca-Cola exec Fox and his center-right National Action Party (PAN), it's hard for them to compete with Fox's popularity or his recent blitz of pro-Indian initiatives. Fox has worked hard to accommodate the Zapatistas' demands. Minutes after taking office last Dec. 1, he ordered the Mexican army to begin withdrawing from areas surrounding the guerrillas' jungle outposts. He released nearly two dozen Zapatista political prisoners. Fox also named Xo'chitl Ga'lvez, an indigenous woman who rose from extreme poverty to become a much-admired high-tech entrepreneur and philanthropist, as his presidential adviser on indigenous affairs. Fox had hoped Marcos would be impressed by the initiatives, and last week he invited the masked guerrilla to visit him at Los Pinos, the presidential palace. Marcos shunned the invitation, suspicious of the government's motives and dismissive of Fox's sincerity. Indeed, at the Mexico City rally, a woman rebel leader named Esther who spoke to the crowd ridiculed Fox's program to provide microcredits to the country's poor, saying: "We don't want small jobs, Volkswagens, or TV sets." Marcos says: "It's time for this country to stop being shamefully dressed only in the color of money." Many in the crowd agreed. And it was a mixed bunch: From spiked-haired punks to middle-class bureaucrats and indigenous families dressed in the embroidered huipiles of one of Chiapas' dozens of ethnic groups. As Marcos &Co. stepped back onto the truck that would take them to a university campus, where they'll camp out for now, the crowd dispersed peacefully. I joined the stream of people walking back to the subway, city buses, and parked cars, and I spoke to Rau'l and Concepcio'n Delgado, both architects, who had brought their 12- and 17-year-old sons to the rally. "We wanted them to understand there are many Mexicos -- the Mexico that everyone sees, and the Mexico that few want to see. If we want a future for everyone in this country, there has to be a fairer distribution of wealth." "ZAPATOUR" T-SHIRTS. The Zapatista leaders have pledged to stay in Mexico City until the indigenous-rights bill is passed. They may have a long wait: Some members of Congress are worried that the law, which would grant local autonomy and control of some natural resources to indigenous communities, could divide the country by giving extra-constitutional rights to the country's 10 million Indians, just 10% of the population. Some have expressed concern that secret balloting and women's rights -- two issues that have only recently become a key priority in Mexico's fledging multiparty democracy -- would not be guaranteed under the centuries-old traditions of hierarchical indigenous society. But at least the weapons have been laid down, and the dialogue has begun. As the plaza emptied, vendors slashed prices on the wares they had been noisily hawking even during Marcos' speech. T-shirts featuring an image of Marcos on the front and a city-by-city listing of the so-called "Zapatour" route on the back -- as if the two-week caravan had been a rock-band tour -- were the most popular item. Black guerrilla ski masks emblazoned with the logotype of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation were still going for 30 pesos, but as the bright sun blazed, vendors were accepting the best offers. "Get your Marcos memorabilia now! It may be your last chance!" shouted Dulce Zu'~iga, a 15-year-old vendor. If democratic dialogue flourishes as hoped, she may be right. -------------- Smith has covered Mexican politics and economics for BusinessWeek since 1992, when the North American Free Trade Agreement was being negotiated Edited by Thane Peterson =================================================================== >Wednesday, March 14, 2001 > >Group intent on violence at summit > >By MARK MacKINNON >From Wednesday's Globe and Mail > >Montreal - A group of anarchists and Communists -so unpredictable they >concern even those planning to protest alongside them at next month's Summit >of the Americas in Quebec City - says it plans to use violence to shut down >the meeting. > > Arguing that free-trade pacts are weapons that corporations use to hurt the >world's poor, the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (which goes by the acronym >CLAC, derived from the group's French name) says it is justified in using >any necessary means to stop the negotiation of a free-trade area of the >Americas. > > While the large majority of the groups planning to protest at the April >20-22 Summit - where the FTAA will be discussed by the leaders of 34 >countries from North and South America, are ardently non-violent - CLAC sees >things differently. > > Any damage CLAC does in Quebec City would be minimal "compared to the >day-to-day destruction that capitalism causes on the planet," said CLAC >spokesman Jean Francois Hamilton in an interview. > > Mr. Hamilton said that while his group isn't planning an organized campaign >of violence, it does support the use of a "diversity of tactics" to shut >down the summit. No CLAC member who resorts to violence will be denounced by >the group, he said. > > The group held a teach-in on the FTAA and the coming protest over the >weekend at the University of Quebec campus in Montreal. During the course of >three days of seminars on topics such as "police and prison" and "the >criminalization of poverty," would-be protesters were told to gird >themselves for battle against "genocidal globalization." > > "It's something worth fighting for and dying for when you're fighting for >your political rights," aboriginal-rights activist Mildred Popular told a >crowd of about 90 students, working poor and homeless crowded into a lecture >hall Friday night. > > That kind of talk has other activists heading to Quebec City worried. They >feel that CLAC and a sister group calling itself the Summit of the Americas >Welcoming Committee will obscure the message they're trying to get across - >that the FTAA and globalization at large should be directed by citizens >rather than corporations - by turning the summit into a street battle with >police. > > Some say Quebec City now has the momentum to be a larger protest than the >one that shut down the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle in 1999. >More than 10,000 people are expected to take to the streets for anti-FTAA >demonstrations. > > While few will go on the record criticizing CLAC, some activists in the >broader left are worried that CLAC members will go beyond vandalizing >storefronts at the summit, and that some may be planning to take explosives >to Quebec City. > > Philippe Duhamel, whose group SalAMI (a pun on the French for "bad MAI," >referring to the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment) is >organizing many of the events leading up to the Quebec City protest, >emphasized that all events sponsored by SalAMI will be non-violent. > > RCMP spokeswoman Julie Brongel said the police are keeping a careful eye on >CLAC as the summit approaches. "We certainly are very aware that there are >some groups that are going to be using violence at the summit. We just have >to be more resourceful with them." > > She said the RCMP would use "any tactics at our disposal" to avoid violence. > > Authorities are already digging in for the protests, notably by building a >controversial three-metre-high chainlink fence that will keep protesters >several kilometres from summit delegates. > > Marc Lortie, the federal government's advance planner for the summit, said >Monday that Quebec City will not turn into a street circus as Seattle did. > > "The difference," Mr. Lortie told the National Press Club, "is that Seattle >was not prepared; Quebec is prepared. > > "The hooligans of Seattle will not be able to take over the agenda in >Quebec City." =================================================================== Responding To Domestic Terrorism SECRECY NEWS from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy March 15, 2001 "The ability of the United States Government to prevent, deter, defeat and respond decisively to terrorist attacks against our citizens... is one of the most challenging priorities facing our nation today," according to a recent counter-terrorism planning document. In the waning days of the Clinton Administration, government agencies developed a plan to coordinate their response to domestic terrorism, and particularly to incidents involving weapons of mass destruction. The plan is premised on the assumption that "a terrorist incident may occur at any time of day with little or no warning, may involve single or multiple geographic areas, and result in mass casualties." The plan identifies the responsibilities and authorities of various agencies and "outlines an organized and unified capability for a timely, coordinated response by Federal agencies to a terrorist threat or act." The January 2001 "United States Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan" is posted here: http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/conplan.html =================================================================== US Military Microwave Weapon Considered For Civilian Control <http://www.observer.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,458681,00.html> By Nick Paton Walsh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> The Observer 3-18-01 Riot shields and water cannon may soon be made obsolete by a revolutionary weapon that can stun a hostile crowd with invisible microwaves. The US Vehicle Mounted Active Denial System (VMADS), a radar dish mounted on the back of a tank or jeep, is interesting British police forces. The VMADS, or 'people zapper', uses a 'directed energy beam', according to a Pentagon spokesperson. 'When it comes into contact with skin it causes a sensation of heat to an uncomfortable level.' The Pentagon insists the beam causes no permanent damage - no one gets hurt, but the crowd or enemy soldiers retreat hastily. The weapon harnesses the beams found in kitchen microwaves. Travelling at the speed of light, the energy of the beam penetrates less than a millimetre under the skin, quickly heating the skin's surface. This triggers the body's defence reaction: pain. When the subject moves out of the beam, the pain stops. Scientists will start testing the weapons on goats and humans soon. Jane's Defence Weekly said recently the 'non-lethal' nature of some weapons 'might ... encourage military forces to use them directly against civilians and civilian targets'. 'It's part of this new political correctness on the battlefield,' said a spokesperson. 'The problem today in situations like Palestine is that you have adversaries mixing with innocent civilians. Forces now need a suite of weapons for different situations. You can score so many own goals by killing innocent civilians.' Scientists have spent $40 million developing the weapon at the Air Force Research Laboratory, New Mexico. Demand for non-lethal weapons grew after the disastrous US military mission to Somalia in 1993, when marines died because they could not shoot back without hitting civilians. The VMADS is the most sophisticated development in the search for the ultimate non-lethal weapon. The SAS recently began training with 'glue guns' that fire a web of resin from a gun-mounted aerosol. The resin hardens around opponents, paralysing them. =================================================================== "Anarchy doesn't mean out of control. It means out of 'their' control." -Jim Dodge ====================================================== "Communications without intelligence is noise; intelligence without communications is irrelevant." -Gen. Alfred. M. Gray, USMC ====================================================== "It is not a sign of good health to be well adjusted to a sick society." -J. Krishnamurti ====================================================== "The world is my country, all mankind my brethren, and to do good is my religion." -Thomas Paine ====================================================== " . . . it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds . . . " -Samuel Adams ====================================================== "You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no results." -Gandhi ______________________________________________________________ To subscribe/unsubscribe or for a sample copy or a list of back issues, send appropriate email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. ______________________________________________________________ **How to assist RadTimes: An account is available at <www.paypal.com> which enables direct donations. If you are a current PayPal user, use this email address: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, to contribute. 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