[LAAMN] CIA/British/Chinese intelligence role in Rendition Sent "Suspects" to Qaddafi's Libya

[Cort Greene]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/08/special-report-britain-rendition-libya

Special report: Rendition ordeal that raises new questions about secret
trials

In 2004, Fatima Bouchar and her husband, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, were detained
en route to the UK, and rendered to Libya. This is the story of their
imprisonment, and the trail of evidence that reveals the involvement of the
British government

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   -
  - Ian Cobain 
  - guardian.co.uk , Sunday 8 April 2012
  11.26 EDT
  - Article
history

 [image: Fatima Bouchar, the wife of Abdul Hakim Belhaj. Both were detained
in 2004 and rendered to Libya.]
Fatima Bouchar, the wife of Abdul Hakim Belhaj. Both were detained in 2004
in Bangkok with the help of MI6 and rendered to Libya. Photograph: Irina
Kalashnikova for the Guardian

Just when Fatima Bouchar thought it couldn't get any worse, the Americans
forced her to lie on a stretcher and began wrapping tape around her feet.
They moved upwards, she says, along her legs, winding the tape around and
around, binding her to the stretcher. They taped her stomach, her arms and
then her chest. She was bound tight, unable to move.

Bouchar says there were three Americans: two tall, thin men and an equally
tall woman. Mostly they were silent. She never saw their faces: they
dressed in black and always wore black balaclavas. Bouchar was terrified.
They didn't stop at her chest – she says they also wound the tape around
her head, covering her eyes. Then they put a hood and earmuffs on her. She
was unable to move, to hear or to see. "My left eye was closed when the
tape was applied," she says, speaking about her ordeal for the first time.
"But my right eye was open, and it stayed open throughout the journey. It
was agony." The journey would last around 17 hours.

Bouchar, then aged 30, had become a victim of the process known as
extraordinary rendition . She
and her husband, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, a Libyan Islamist militant fighting
Muammar Gaddafi, had been abducted in Bangkok and were being flown to one
of Gaddafi's prisons in Libya , a
country where she had never before set foot. However, Bouchar's case is
different from the countless other renditions that the world has learned
about over the past few years, and not just because she was one of the few
female victims.

Documents discovered in Tripoli show that the operation was initiated by
British intelligence officers, rather than the masked Americans or their
superiors in the US. There is also some evidence that the operation may
have been linked to a second British-initiated operation, which saw two men
detained in Iraq and rendered to Afghanistan. Furthermore, the timing of
the operation, and the questions that Bouchar's husband and a second
rendition victim say were subsequently put to them under torture, raise
disturbing new questions about the secret court system that considers
immigration appeals in terrorist cases in the UK – a system that the
government has pledged to extend to civil trials in which the government
itself is the defendant.

This year, the Crown Prosecution Service announced police had launched an
investigationinto
the "alleged rendition and alleged ill-treatment" of Bouchar and
Belhaj, and a second operation in which a Libyan family of six were flown
to one of Gaddafi's prisons.

It appears inevitable that Scotland Yard's detectives will want to question
the man who was foreign secretary at the time – Jack Straw.

Ten years before Bouchar's abduction and rendition, many of her husband's
associates had been permitted to settle in Britain. These men were members
of al-Jama'a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah fi-Libya, the Libyan Islamic
Fighting Group (LIFG), an organisation formed in the early 1990s and
dedicated to Gaddafi's removal. The LIFG was not banned in the UK, and its
members appear to have found the country a convenient place to gather and
raise funds. There were even r

[LAAMN] Bolivian Minister asks for increased repression against union and social movements

[Cort Greene]

*This information comes from many different news services in Bolivia.*
* *
*Cort Greene*
* *
*April,9th 2012*
* *
* *
*Within the backdrop of increased state repression against the six
indigenous women leaders and the founder of the Permanent Assembly on Human
Rights in Bolivia (APDHB) and 17 other main leaders of last years march
against the illegal opening of  TIPNIS , the militarization of  the area
and coercion and buying off by the MAS government of President Morales of
different indigenous grouping over it and the  government's intention to
establish  a center for bilateral intelligence with the  Colombian
government.*
* *
*This past week Government Minister, Carlos Romero, has asked the Attorney
General to intervene against the social movements and unions on the pretext
that they are or will violate the rights of others with excesses against
the government and the government must block and prosecute those
individuals and leaders responsible. for such actions.*
* *
*Upcoming Protests and Actions:*
* *
*The Executive Committee of the Central Obrera Boliviana (COB) have called
for a national strike of 24 hours on Wednesday, April 11 in the nine
departments of the country, which was announced by Executive Secretary,
Juan Carlos Trujillo over increases in wage demands by the union that the
government has not met. *
* *
 *Doctors  and the Medical association at the public health system will
resume on Tuesday a strike to protest a provision that increases their
working hours from 6 to 8 hours a day.*
**
*Public transport representatives will meet on Tuesday to set a new
night rate structure, which has been rejected by the neighborhood councils
who have called on a struggle against the fare raises.*

**
*The Tarija have announced protests on the occasion of its anniversary this
April 15th,  for control of  the resources generated by a gas field
operated by the Spanish company Repsol and that royalties should be shared
with Chuquisaca,  as according to a recent government study.*
**
*All this on top of the CIDOB and other social movements  proposed start of
the second march against a road through the TIPNIS (national park and
indigenous territory) on April 25 that will be leaving from Chaparina
heading to La Paz and expected to take over a month which will lead to a
capitalist extraction model that is the policy and plan of the MAS
government.*


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[LAAMN] Katrina vanden Heuvel: A Moral Crisis in America, Gunter Grass: What Must Be Said (trasslation of "Was gesagt werden muss")

[Ed Pearl]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/republicans-are-causing-a-moral-crisis-in-america/2012/03/26/gIQACSM2dS_story.html


 Katrina vanden Heuvel 

 

Katrina  
 vanden 
Heuvel 

Opinion Writer 


Republicans are causing a moral crisis in America



By Katrina vanden Heuvel 

 , 


Washington Post: March 27 


There is moral crisis afoot! So say the Republican candidates 
  for president, 
their pals in Congress and in state houses. Abortion, gay marriage, 
contraception 

  — contraception, for Pete’s sake — things that so shock the conscience that 
it’s a wonder The Washington Post can even print the words!

Here’s something I bet you wouldn’t think I’d say: They’re right. There is a 
moral crisis in the United States. The only thing is — they’re wrong about what 
it is and who is causing it.

The real crisis of public morality in the United States doesn’t lie in the 
private decisions Americans make in their lives or their bedrooms; it lies at 
the heart of an ideology — and a set of policies — that the right-wing has used 
to batter and browbeat their fellow Americans.

They dress these policies up sometimes, give them catchy titles like Rep. Paul 
Ryan’s 

  “Path to Prosperity.” But they never cease to imbue them with the kind of 
moral decisions that ought to make anyone furious. Ryan’s latest budget really 
is case in point 

 . It’s a plan that says that increases in defense spending are so essential, 
that massive tax cuts for the wealthy are so necessary, that we must pay for 
them by ripping a hole in the social safety net. The poor need Medicaid to pay 
for medicine and treatment for their families? We care, we really do, but the 
wealthy need tax cuts more. Food stamps the only thing standing between your 
children and starvation? Listen, we feel your pain. We get it. But we’ve got 
more important things to spend money on. Like a new yacht for that guy who only 
has one yacht.

It’s hard to point to a single priority of the Republican Party these days that 
isn’t steeped in moral failing while being dressed up in moral righteousness. 
This week, for example, they are hoping the Supreme Court will be persuaded 

  by radical (and ridiculous) constitutional arguments to throw out some or all 
of the Affordable Care Act 

 . Sure, you could argue that it’s really nice to make sure 31 million people 
who didn’t have health care can get it. Sure you could make the case that 
lifetime limits are a bad thing, that women shouldn’t have to pay more for 
health insurance just because they’re women, that the United States shouldn’t 
be a country where you die because you lost your coverage when you lost your 
job. But then again, liberty. Let’s not forget liberty. Also, freedom.

It is a very strange thing that the people who lecture most fervently about 
morality are those who are most willing to fight for policies that are so 
immoral. They watch Wall Street turn itself into the Las Vegas strip, take the 
economy down and destroy people’s lives and livelihoods. To that they say, “By 
God we need less regulation. Get me the hose, I have things to water down!” 
They see a CEO of a bank or a corporation, someone who passed off all of the 
risk and took on all of the reward, and they say, “Get that man a bigger bonus! 
In fact, get him two!”

They see corporate interests flood the political system with unfathomably large 
sums 

  of money 

 , they see lobbyists defining the terms of debate, and they say, “Now this . . 
. this is what democracy should look like.”

They see an environmental crisis spinning out of control, the effects of 
climate change being felt already, the possibility of the biggest natural 
disaster in modern human history. To which they ask, “Anyone know if we can 
drill this hole any deeper?”

So yes, Rick Santorum. Yes, Mitt Romney. Yes, Paul Ryan and Republican 
politicians all over this

[LAAMN] SouthCom Opens a Base in the Argentine Chaco: Humanitarianism or U.S. Control Center?

[Cort Greene]

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/news-briefs-archives-68/3560-the-southern-command-opens-a-base-in-the-argentine-chaco-humanitarianism-or-us-control-center

  *The Southern Command Opens a Base in the Argentine Chaco:
Humanitarianism or U.S. Control Center?* [image:
Print]
  Written
by Jorge Colmán, Translation by Jim Rudolf
Thursday, 05 April 2012 19:10


Source: Agencia Popular de Comunicación
Suramericana

When [President] Bush introduced the strategy of "preventative war" against
terrorism, the rules established in the post-war world changed
fundamentally. The strategic objective of the United States became the
control of all regions containing strategic resources. The Iraq War and
subsequent actions demonstrated the arbitrariness of the empire and its
partners.

In South America that control has been hindered by the failures of greater
economic integration (FTAA). But in no way has it tempered the intentions
of the U.S. for political and economic control. The installation of bases
in strategic areas has been, and continues to be, a military objective.
Other bases with diverse characteristics exist beyond the bases in Colombia
(primary operations center of the Southern Command).

The political objective is the alignment of Latin America with the U.S.
"antiterrorist" policy (a revamped National Security Doctrine for the new
millennium), under the pretext of placing stubborn countries in the "axis
of evil," and thus marking them as enemies of the U.S. and NATO.

Like Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay, Argentina sits atop one of the largest
reserves of fresh water in the world: the Guarani Aquifer. It is contained
largely within the Rio de la Plata Basin, and it is therefore an economic
and military objective of the United States.

For that reason it is alarming that a base or emergency center is being
built by the U.S. Southern Command in the Argentine province of Chaco. The
news, published by the government, revealed that the base will serve
humanitarian aims, "...designed for natural emergencies such as floods or
droughts, but it can be used as well for epidemics like dengue fever..."

This infrastructure will include the latest technology for the research and
detection of natural disasters, since it will be connected to satellite
stations that will monitor Argentine rivers and all other elements
representing potential dangers that can cause natural disasters. As we can
see, this base could control the Plata Basin, one of the military
objectives of the Southern Command.

Ana Ester Ceceña has reported for several years that "...they currently
talk of 725 recognized bases, but there are more. Some bases are secret and
many settlements are provisional or can be dismantled, used for training or
supposed social support for the local populations. The latter is the case
for the operations of New Horizons, launched by the Southern Command of the
U.S. Army, and training operations that generally are conducted in
collaboration with local security forces but are directed by the
Americans..."

It is not a coincidence that the base will be located at the airport of
Resistencia [capital of the province of Chaco], where not only civilian
aircraft but also military planes can land. This, plus its geopolitical
position (almost in the center of the Guarani Aquifer), presents the
location as ideal from a military perspective. Ana Esther Ceceña described
this type of area as having mature state structures and legal norms, as
well as having 'seam' countries, which play the role of buffer zones and of
mediators for the disciplining of countries in the Third Region, called the
gap, in which the danger areas are located, and where the United States
must have an aggressive policy of surveillance, control and the imposition
of norms of adequate operating standards (of states as well as of armies
and security forces, of commerce and investments) for the establishment of
a truly globalized system (See Pentagon's New Map:
http://thomaspmbarnett.squarespace.com/storage/pnm.jpg).

Although we can say that the staff on the base will be Argentine, the U.S.
Southern Command will remain in charge of their training. What is not
mentioned is which satellites will use the base, and that the U.S. will
have access to economic and military information of Argentina.

The initiator of these negotiations was Earl Anthony Wayne, whose
background includes "...combating the financing of terrorism, international
energy policy, commerce, intellectual property and investment policy,
international telecommunications policy, international transportation
policy, supporting U.S. firms abroad..." (He was later sent to Afghanistan,
and he is the current U.S. ambassador to Mexico.) If we consider all of
these details, we find that none of them are by

[LAAMN] Delegation to Venezuela: Food Sovereignty, Human Rights, and Community Power (July 16 to 26, 2012)

[Williams Camacaro]

 

 

Delegation to Venezuela: Food Sovereignty, Human Rights, and
Community Power (July 16 to 26, 2012)

We will examine issues of land reform, urban agriculture, rural
development, fishing rights, and food sovereignty within a dynamic political
context. Venezuela is an outstanding example of a country that strives to
ensure its citizens’ right to food while bolstering its domestic agriculture
sector, with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture. We will also explore other
areas of social transformation, including education, healthcare, and direct
citizen participation in the political process. Plus trips to beaches, parks,
and other sites of interest.

When: July 16 to
26, 2012

Tentative Itinerary. Start and end in Caracas; visits to the
states of Portuguesa, Barinas, Yaracuy, and the Amazon.

Day 1: Caracas – Arrival; orientation/welcome; visits to social
programs and discussions with community leaders and local authorities
Day 2:
Visits to urban agriculture sites and other community initiatives in different
communities in Caracas, including 23 de Enero, El Valle, and Petare.
Days 3 and
4: Visits to rural areas in the states of Yaracuy and Barinas: learn about
agrarian reform and agroecology through visits to agricultural cooperatives,
biological control laboratories, food processing coops, and agricultural
education programs
Days 5 and 6: Visits to indigenous communities and 
agroecology
projects in the Amazon (pending confirmation)
Days 7 and 8: Visit to the
Afro-Venezuelan coastal community of Chuao, known for producing some of the
world’s best cocoa; learn about artisanal cacao production as well as artisanal
fishing and Venezuela’s progressive fishing laws; enjoy beautiful beaches.
Day
9: Caracas: free day for sight seeing, getting souvenirs, etc.
Day 10:
departure

Cost for Activities: $1100. This will cover all lodging, all
ground transportation, 2 meals per day, qualified trip leaders, and
Spanish-English interpretation. Additional expenses during the trip will be
minimal.
 Airfare not included.

To Learn more and hold a spot for either trip, email cbalbertolov...@gmail.com.
Please be in touch as soon as possible, as space for both trips is very
limited. Please allow several days for responses.

Sponsored by the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of NY.

Check out these articles from past delegations:

http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2008/magdoff040208.html

http://monthlyreview.org/090824shiavoni-camacaro.php

For additional information, see: http://wp.me/puMTZ-4L



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[LAAMN] Reflections by Fidel Castro: Stephen Harper’s illusions

[Cort Greene]

http://www.solvision.co.cu/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3244:reflections-by-fidel-castro-stephen-harpers-illusions&catid=18:reflexiones-de-fidel&Itemid=146

Reflections by Fidel Castro: Stephen Harper’s illusions

Monday, 09 April 2012 09:01 Source: Radio Habana Cuba
[image: 
E-mail]
[image:
Print]
[image:
PDF]
[image: Cuba: Cuban revolution Leader Fidel Castro]The leader of the Cuban
Revolution, Fidel Castro, said in his latest written reflections that the
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the US President Barack Obama
should be questioned about what position will they assume towards the
Malvinas issue in the upcoming Americas Summit.

Full Text of Reflections of Fidel Castro:

I think –and I do not intend to offend anyone- that this is how the Prime
Minister of Canada is called.  I deduced it from a statement published on
“Holy Wednesday” by a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of that country.
The   United Nations Organization membership is made up by almost 200
States –allegedly independent States.  They continuously change or are
forced into change.  Many of their representatives are honorable persons,
friends of Cuba; but it is impossible to remember the specifics about each
and every one of them.

During the second half of the twentieth century, I had the privilege of
living through years of intensive erudition and I realized that Canadians,
located in the northernmost region of this hemisphere, were always
respectful towards our country.  They invested in areas of their interest
and traded with Cuba, but they did not interfere in the internal affairs of
our State.

The revolutionary process that began on January 1st, 1959, did not
introduce any measure that affected their interests, which were taken into
account by the Revolution in maintaining normal and constructive relations
with the authorities of that country where a significant effort was being
made in the interest of its own development. Thus, they were not
accomplices of the economic blockade, the war and the mercenary invasion
that the United States launched against Cuba.

In May of 1948, the year that witnessed the foundation of the OAS, an
institution with a shameful history which did away with what little was
left from the dreams of the Liberators of the Americas,Canada was from
belonging to it. It kept that same status for more than 40 years, until
1990. Some of its leaders visited us.  One of them was Pierre Elliott
Trudeau, a brilliant and courageous politician who died prematurely.  We
attended his burial on behalf of Cuba.

The OAS is supposed to be a regional organization made up by the sovereign
States of this hemisphere.  Such an assertion, like many others which are
made everyday, involves a great number of lies. The least we can do is to
be aware of them, if we are to preserve the spirit of struggle and our
confidence on a more decent world.

The OAS is supposed to be a pan-American organization.  Any country in
Europe, Africa, Asia or Oceania could not belong to the OAS just because it
has a colony, as it is the case of France in Guadeloupe; or the Netherlands
in Curaçao.  But the British colonialism could not define the status of
Canada and explain whether it was a colony, a republic or a kingdom.

The Head of State of Canada is Queen Elizabeth II, although she vests her
powers upon a Governor-General appointed by her.  Therefore, we could ask
whether the United Kingdom is also part of the OAS.

Likewise, the Honorable Foreign Minister of Canada does not dare to say
whether or not he supports Argentina in the thorny issue of the Malvinas
Islands.  He has only expressed beatific wishes for peace to prevail
between the two countries.  But Great Britain has there its biggest
military base outside its territory in violation of Argentina’s
sovereignty.  It did not apologize for having sunk the ‘*General Belgrano*’
cruiser which was sailing outside the jurisdictional waters that they
themselves established which led to the futile sacrifice of hundreds of
youths who were doing their military service. We should ask Obama and
Harper what stand they will take in the face of the fairest claim by
Argentinato be given back the sovereignty over the islands so that it is no
longer deprive

[LAAMN] Rally to shut down San Onofre Sunday, April 29th

[gdjohnson2]

See:

http://shutdownsanonofre.org







.

53 Year Old Mom Looks 33
The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worried
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4f832accdfbf8225d07st04vuc

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[LAAMN] A World Without UNRWA?

[Ed Pearl]

http://www.alternet.org/story/154878/a_world_without_unrwa

A World Without UNRWA?

By Randa Farah,
AlterNet: April 7, 2012 

With the world media focusing on the crisis in Syria, it has been forgotten
that Syria is home to some 400,000 Palestinian refugees.  This includes
14,000 Palestinians who inhabit a refugee camp in the bombarded city of
Homs, and who rely on UNRWA, the UN Agency tasked with assisting Palestinian
refugees, for their daily needs.

Hamas's recent condemnation of the Assad regime is unlikely to endear it to
the Syrian government, but in fact over the years Syria has treated the
Palestinians relatively well, if one compares the way Lebanon, Jordan, and
Egypt have treated their Palestinian refugee communities. Moreover, unlike
Israel, Syria has never threatened the UN Agency or plotted its demise, a
move that could precipitate a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions.

The most recent Israeli threats against UNRWA include an attack
  by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny
Ayalon, that blamed the Agency for perpetuating the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict.  In conjunction with a PR firm and the right-wing, US-based
StandWithUs organization, Ayalon has created a series of videos on YouTube
that attempt to promote Israel's image and spin the history of the conflict.
His most recent video is on Palestinian refugees.  Ayalon proposes that
UNRWA be dismantled and blames it for prolonging the refugee issue and the
conflict.  Instead, he proposes that Palestinian refugees be placed under
the UNHCR's mandate. In fact, however, the primary reason why UNRWA still
exists is due to Israel's consistent rejection of UN General Assembly
resolution 194 (III) calling for the right of refugees to return and
compensation.

There would be no need for UNRWA at all if the refugees were granted their
right of return. Indeed, after the signing of the Declaration of Principles
in September 1993, which had not included any reference to resolution 194
(III), UNRWA began preparations for its own dissolution, creating anxiety
among refugees - a process that was reversed due to Oslo's utter failure.

Due to the political impasse, UNRWA continues to provide assistance and
relief to the refugees. When the Agency started working in 1950, it was
responding to the needs of about 750,000 Palestine refugees. Today, 5
million Palestine refugees are eligible for UNRWA services (as the
descendants of the original Palestine refugees are also eligible for
registration.)

A peaceful solution has been made impossible by Israel's continued expansion
on Palestinian land and its illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank
including East Jerusalem, as well as its repeated bombardment of Gaza and
unlawful blockade. Israel's serpent-like Separation Wall swallows more land,
hundreds of checkpoints restrict movement, and an expanding apparatus of
laws and regulations make a "normal Palestinian everyday life" out of the
question. This repressive apparatus increases the dependence of refugees on
UNRWA's meager aid, while at the same time creating even more refugees and
internally displaced persons.

The Israeli Government has failed to make the Palestinians disappear
 ,
despite several plans and attempts that preceded the establishment of Israel
in 1948 and continue to this day. It is now proposing that UNRWA should be
dismantled, falsely claiming that it is the Agency that keeps the
Palestinian struggle alive, not the Israeli military occupation and
repression. Israel hoped UNRWA would help the refugees fade away into the
Arab world. Instead, the Palestinians have continued to strive for justice,
while the Agency has served as a constant reminder at the international
level, and to the Palestinians, that an original sin and an injustice were
committed in 1948. 

UNRWA does face internal challenges and ambiguities resulting from its
multi-faceted connections and conflicting interests, for example those of
its major donor the United States, which generally adopts the Israeli
position in regards to the refugee issue, while Palestinian aspirations are
to return to their homeland. Moreover, UNRWA as a UN organization is bound
by UN resolutions, including 194(III), but depends on these donors to
operate. Yet the Agency has coexisted with Palestinian refugees for over six
decades, acting as a reservoir of memory and holding thousands of documents
attesting to the Palestinian historical tragedy.

Israeli calls to withdraw funds to the Agency or even dismantle it should
cause concern. Sadly, today the Palestinian leadership no longer has the
unity and therefore the clout it had in earlier times, when it could both
hold UNRWA accountable and defend it from external assaults. It is
distracted by its diplomatic activities and the schism between Hamas and
Fatah that shows no signs of a

[LAAMN] 4/10 Pasadena, CA: Protest Pasadena PD shooting & Killing Kendrec McDade

[SIUHIN]

4/10 Pasadena, CA: Protest Pasadena PD shooting and  Killing 19-year-old 
Black college student Kendrec McDade
 
 
Dear Friends: 
On  March 24th, Kendrec McDade an unarmed 19-year-old Black college  
student and former Azuza High School football standout was killed by  Pasadena 
police.  Kendrec was  falsely accused of committing a robbery with a gun.  He 
was chased by police, cornered  in an alley and shot in the dark by 2 police 
officers 10  times. 
As  you can imagine the hearts of Kendrec’s family are broken at this 
brutal  murder and they along with concerned community members are calling for  
justice; we join them in asking for your support.  Hank Jones of the SF 8 has 
 forwarded the information below about a protest to take place on Tuesday  
April 10th.   Organizers are asking people to wear hoodies if  possible. 

- 
Kendrec  McDade 
NAACP  PASADENA, ACLU PASADENA FOOTHILL, PASADENA COMMUNITY COALITION, 
LEAGUE OF  WOMAN VOTERS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF PASADENA AND THE COMMUNITY AT 
LARGE  INVITE ALL TO ATTEND: 
ALL OUT  INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN AND KENDREC 
MCDADE (AND  ALL PROFILED VICTIMS) 
DATE:   APRIL 10TH 
TIME:  6:00 PM 
PLACE:   STEPS OF PASADENA CITY HALL 
THIS IS  OUR TIME TO COME OUT AS A UNITED COMMUNITY AGAINST RACIAL 
PROFILING, FOR  TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT AND JOBS NOT JAIL FOR THE MEN AND 
WOMEN 
OF OUR  COMMUNITY.
INFO CONTACT:  _FUBULEGAL@HOTMAIL.COM_ (mailto:fubule...@hotmail.com)  OR 
626  786-5204 

--- 
Each and every  day, those of us who are people of color and/or who have 
children of color  know the daily terror that racial profiling brings.  Kendrec
’s murder took place within  the context of the Trayvon Martin murder in 
Sanford, Florida and among  others the murder of a 68-year-old Black Veteran 
shot down in his own home  by police in White Plains New York.   These 
murders, including the shootings last week that targeted 5  Black men in Tulsa, 
Oklahoma, are part of the brutal history of lynchings  and other murders, as 
well as the dangers of walking, running or driving  while Black or Brown; all 
results of outright racism and/or racial  profiling.
Our hearts go  out to Kendrec’s parents and other loved ones.  As mothers, 
daughters, sisters,  wives we all too often have to be at the forefront of 
pressing for justice  at these miscarriages of justice. 
_Womenofcolor@globalwomenstrike_ (mailto:Womenofcolor@globalwomenstrike)
Global Women's  Strike/LA 

=
Action  LA Network
Actions for Peace & Justice Everyday!_http://www.ActionLA.org_ 
(http://www.peacenowar.net/) 


National Immigrant Solidarity Network _http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org_ 
(http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/)   
Action LA Network _http://www.ActionLA.org_ (http://www.actionla.org/)  
Peace NO War  Network _http://www.PeaceNOWar.net_ 
(http://www.peacenowar.net/)   
Activist Video Service _http://www.ActivistVideo.org_ 
(http://www.activistvideo.org/) 


New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles:  (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990
Chicago:  (773)942-2268


Please join the Action LA news  litserv, send e-mail to: 
_actionla-subscribe@lists.riseup.net_ 
(mailto:peacenowar-subscr...@lists.riseup.net) 


Please  consider making a donation to the important work of Peace NO War 
Network, Action  LA Network, National Immigrant Solidarity Network

Send check pay  to:
Action LA Network/AFGJ

Action LA Network
P.O. Box  751
South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751
(All donations are tax  deductible)

 


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[LAAMN] 4/10 Pasadena, CA: Protest Pasadena PD shooting & Killing Kendrec McDade

[SIUHIN]

4/10 Pasadena, CA: Protest Pasadena PD shooting and  Killing 19-year-old 
Black college student Kendrec McDade
 
 
Dear Friends: 
On  March 24th, Kendrec McDade an unarmed 19-year-old Black college  
student and former Azuza High School football standout was killed by  Pasadena 
police.  Kendrec was  falsely accused of committing a robbery with a gun.  He 
was chased by police, cornered  in an alley and shot in the dark by 2 police 
officers 10  times. 
As  you can imagine the hearts of Kendrec’s family are broken at this 
brutal  murder and they along with concerned community members are calling for  
justice; we join them in asking for your support.  Hank Jones of the SF 8 has 
 forwarded the information below about a protest to take place on Tuesday  
April 10th.   Organizers are asking people to wear hoodies if  possible. 

- 
Kendrec  McDade 
NAACP  PASADENA, ACLU PASADENA FOOTHILL, PASADENA COMMUNITY COALITION, 
LEAGUE OF  WOMAN VOTERS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF PASADENA AND THE COMMUNITY AT 
LARGE  INVITE ALL TO ATTEND: 
ALL OUT  INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN AND KENDREC 
MCDADE (AND  ALL PROFILED VICTIMS) 
DATE:   APRIL 10TH 
TIME:  6:00 PM 
PLACE:   STEPS OF PASADENA CITY HALL 
THIS IS  OUR TIME TO COME OUT AS A UNITED COMMUNITY AGAINST RACIAL 
PROFILING, FOR  TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT AND JOBS NOT JAIL FOR THE MEN AND 
WOMEN 
OF OUR  COMMUNITY.
INFO CONTACT:  _FUBULEGAL@HOTMAIL.COM_ (mailto:fubule...@hotmail.com)  OR 
626  786-5204 

--- 
Each and every  day, those of us who are people of color and/or who have 
children of color  know the daily terror that racial profiling brings.  Kendrec
’s murder took place within  the context of the Trayvon Martin murder in 
Sanford, Florida and among  others the murder of a 68-year-old Black Veteran 
shot down in his own home  by police in White Plains New York.   These 
murders, including the shootings last week that targeted 5  Black men in Tulsa, 
Oklahoma, are part of the brutal history of lynchings  and other murders, as 
well as the dangers of walking, running or driving  while Black or Brown; all 
results of outright racism and/or racial  profiling.
Our hearts go  out to Kendrec’s parents and other loved ones.  As mothers, 
daughters, sisters,  wives we all too often have to be at the forefront of 
pressing for justice  at these miscarriages of justice. 
_Womenofcolor@globalwomenstrike_ (mailto:Womenofcolor@globalwomenstrike)
Global Women's  Strike/LA 

=
Action  LA Network
Actions for Peace & Justice Everyday!_http://www.ActionLA.org_ 
(http://www.peacenowar.net/) 


National Immigrant Solidarity Network _http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org_ 
(http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/)   
Action LA Network _http://www.ActionLA.org_ (http://www.actionla.org/)  
Peace NO War  Network _http://www.PeaceNOWar.net_ 
(http://www.peacenowar.net/)   
Activist Video Service _http://www.ActivistVideo.org_ 
(http://www.activistvideo.org/) 


New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles:  (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990
Chicago:  (773)942-2268


Please join the Action LA news  litserv, send e-mail to: 
_actionla-subscribe@lists.riseup.net_ 
(mailto:peacenowar-subscr...@lists.riseup.net) 


Please  consider making a donation to the important work of Peace NO War 
Network, Action  LA Network, National Immigrant Solidarity Network

Send check pay  to:
Action LA Network/AFGJ

Action LA Network
P.O. Box  751
South Pasadena, CA 91031-0751
(All donations are tax  deductible)

 


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[LAAMN] Fw: Breaking News: Trayvon Prosecutor foregoes grand jury

[Romi Elnagar]

NAACP
  
Romi,

This afternoon, Florida State Attorney Angela Corey made a surprising 
announcement: She decided to forego a grand jury in the Trayvon Martin case.

Her decision has put the responsibility of whether or not to prosecute George 
Zimmerman squarely on her shoulders, and hers alone.

Thousands of NAACP members around the country have marched on behalf of Trayvon 
Martin and his family in the last few weeks. Thousands more have prayed and 
held vigils in his name. Tens of thousands of you have appealed to Florida 
State Attorney Corey, asking her to passionately pursue justice in the case.

In light of today's news, we've got to redouble our efforts.

Please sign the petition to Prosecutor Corey today - and when you are done, 
spread the word to your friends and colleagues:

http://action.naacp.org/page/m/474a3436/79932a57/7d6b5d61/2f617041/308911330/VEsE/

>From day one, Trayvon's parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, have been 
>pillars of courage. Even in their suffering, they have stood unwaveringly for 
>justice. Their example has inspired a global movement for justice for Trayvon.

Clearly, the Sanford police mishandled the investigation into Trayvon's death 
from the beginning. But we now have an opportunity to ensure that justice 
delayed does not become justice denied. 
Our most important task is to act now to make sure Prosecutor Corey handles 
Trayvon's case with an eye for justice.

Join our call to Prosecutor Corey for justice for Trayvon--and all our children:

http://action.naacp.org/sign-the-letter

Thank you for your support. Together, we will continue our fight for justice.

Ben

Benjamin Todd Jealous
President & CEO
NAACP

PS: The NAACP recently held a rally for Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. 
Watch the video of highlights from our Justice for Trayvon Rally. 
Donate | Join the NAACP | Blog | Take Action | Find Your Local Unit  

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[LAAMN] Fw: On April 10: No Justice! No Peace! 4 Trayvon Martin

[Romi Elnagar]

Please distribute
widely
Special prosecutor, Angela Corey, stated on April 9
that a grand jury will not hear the case of vigilante,
George Zimmerman, who lynched by bullet our brother and son,
Trayvon Martin, on Feb. 26.  Therefore, the investigation
will continue without an arrest.
Justice delayed = Justice
denied
International Day of Justice 4 Trayvon
Martin
TUES ► APRIL 10 
  TAKE TO
THE STREETS  

6 p.m. ►GATHER AT UNION SQUARE 
14th Street
& Broadway, Manhattan in New York City
We demand the
arrest of George Zimmerman and hold the police responsible
for him walking the streets free.
JUSTICE for
TRAYVON MARTIN

* JUSTICE FOR
RAMARLEY GRAHAM 
& ALL VICTIMS OF POLICE BRUTALITY
* STOP THE RACIST
STOP & FRISK POLICY

* JOBS NOT JAILS: A
Massive Jobs Program for Youth,
No police & vigilante terror
* STOP DEPORTATIONS
of Undocumented Workers

* NO MORE CUTS in
Education, School Closings, 
Teacher & Faculty layoffs  ►End tuition hikes

STOP THE WAR AGAINST
YOUTH
212-633-6646  •   i...@occupy4jobs.org   •   occupy4jobs.org



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[LAAMN] Fw: ADC Urges NRA to Withdraw Lt. Gen. Boykin's Invitation

[Romi Elnagar]

Subject: ADC Urges NRA to Withdraw Lt. Gen. Boykin's Invitation
 

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) 
 
ADC Urges NRA to Withdraw Lt. Gen. Boykin's Invitation
Washington, DC | www.adc.org | April 9, 2012 -- After learning that the 
National Rifle Association (NRA) is hosting retired Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" 
Boykin as the keynote speaker of their annual meeting prayer breakfast later 
this month, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) took action 
by bringing the community’s concerns regarding Lt. Gen. Boykin’s long track 
record of anti-Muslim and anti-Islamic rhetoric and hate speech to the 
attention of the NRA by writing a letter to NRA President David Keene. The 
letter expressed ADC’s disdain regarding the association’s choice of a keynote 
speaker that supports bigotry and racism towards members of our community; and, 
called for Mr. Keene and the NRA to withdraw their invitation to Boykin and 
choose someone better suited to speak. 

ADC President Warren David, as quoted in the letter, stated, “These statements 
are unacceptable and reflect Lt. Gen. Boykin’s disregard and seeming hatred of 
Islam and Muslims. Because the NRA is an organization that stands for the 
Second Amendment rights of all Americans and many Americans are Arab American 
and/or Muslim, I urge you to withdraw the invitation and cancel Lt. Gen. 
Boykin’s speech at your upcoming festivities. Doing so would reaffirm your 
commitment to protect the Second Amendment rights of the entirety of American 
citizens, including those Arab-American and Muslim citizens that chose to 
exercise their Second Amendment rights and also support the NRA.” 

This action reflects ADC’s strong commitment to upholding and defending the 
civil rights of the entire Arab American community and to exposing those, like 
Lt. Gen. Boykin, who stand in opposition to part of our community. 

Read the full text of the letter to Mr. David Keene

###

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which 
is non-profit, non-sectarian and non-partisan, is the largest grassroots 
Arab-American civil rights and civil liberties organization in the United 
States. It was founded in 1980 by former Senator James Abourezk. ADC has a 
national network of chapters and members in all 50 states.

 Support ADC | Become A Member | Facebook | Twitter | www.adc.org
ADC | 1732 Wisconsin Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20007 | (202) 244-2990 | 
a...@adc.org  © 2012 ADC. All rights reserved.

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[LAAMN] FT 3/22/12: Obama gets the conservative vote

[scotpeden]

Obama gets the conservative vote

by Philip Stevens
Financial Times (U.K.)
3/22/12


The world does not get a vote in the US presidential election. Never mind,
politicians across the globe are lining up regardless behind Barack Obama.
It is not just the usual suspects – soggy Europeans who abhor the
culture wars waged by US conservatives. The Republicans are trailing in
places where they have traditionally had a strong edge on the Democrats.


The tone was set during David Cameron’s visit to Washington. Feted at
the White House, Britain’s Conservative prime minister all but endorsed
Mr Obama’s claim to a second term. Thumbing his nose at the
Tory party’s American cousins he declined to meet Republican leaders. Mr
Cameron’s government is legislating in favour of gay marriage. A
conversation with Rick Santorum might have been a little strained.

Centre-right parties hold office just about everywhere in Europe. Yet it is a
struggle to find leaders who would admit, even privately, to be crossing
their fingers for Mitt Romney. Mention Mr Santorum or Newt Gingrich and
they wince.


Politicians in the eastern half of the continent often approve of the
Republican front-runner’s tough stance towards Russia. Mr Obama’s
“reset” with Moscow was not universally popular in former vassal states
of the Soviet empire. On almost every other big foreign policy issue –
Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or the
handling of China – Europeans are closer to Mr Obama.

This is not to say that he has lived up to their exalted hopes. In
2008 Mr Obama was running against George W. Bush’s foreign policy
record. He was young, black and a multilateralist to boot. He talked
about diplomacy as an alternative to war. Europeans fondly imagined he
would set about remaking the world in Europe’s image. Unsurprisingly,
they have been disappointed.


That has been less true of voters. The 2011 Global Attitudes Survey
from the Pew Research centre showed that 88 per cent of Angela Merkel’s
German voters still expressed confidence in Mr Obama. The figure for
France was 84 per cent, for Britain 75 per cent and for Spain 67 per
cent.


The gulf between conservatives on either side of the Atlantic is as
much about cultural dissonance as policy disagreements. Arguments about
Russia or Middle East peace talks can be managed. Much harder is finding
any remaining common political ground between Christian Democrats and
Tea Party conservatives. There have always been differences about the
size and role of the state and about social policy. But now the gap
looks unbridgeable. Whatever happened, Europeans lament, to the party of
the east coast establishment? The Atlantic alliance, after all, was
built by Republicans.

The present Republican leadership is not shedding many tears.
Plaudits from Europeans do not fire up the party’s base. To the
contrary. As Mr Romney limps a little faster towards the Republican
nomination, he accuses Mr Obama of turning the US into a “European-style
entitlement society”. Little wonder that a recent survey by the polling
company YouGov showed that nearly three-quarters of voters in
welfare-friendly Sweden backed Mr Obama.


On the other side of the world, Mr Romney might have expected cheers
from America’s Asian allies. Japan, South Korea and Singapore have
traditionally favoured Republicans. So too has India. Republicans have
been identified as pro-business and pro-trade and, in a dangerous
neighbourhood, ready to maintain a powerful US presence. Mr Obama was
marked down for an early attempt to frame a conciliatory approach to
China.

Like Europeans, however, these allies worry about the rightward shift of
today’s Republicans. They struggle to make the connection between
the party of Eisenhower, Reagan and George H.W. Bush and the evangelical
conservatism of the Tea Party. They have grown used to Mr Obama, and
appreciate a toughening of his stance against China. The present US
administration, you hear Asian diplomats say, is “predictable”.


Oddly enough, China would also be expected to start with a bias in
favour of the Republicans. Richard Nixon, after all, gave the Communist
regime its opening to the world. Beijing prefers rightwing realpolitik
over liberal hand-wringing about human rights. The Republicans are
judged to be on the side of open markets; the Democrats as reflex
protectionists.

Mr Romney is doing his best to turn such calculations on their head.
He says the Chinese have “walked all over Mr Obama”. Its human rights
abuses mean that it cannot be a trusted partner. As for trade, one of
his first acts as president would be to indict Beijing for “currency
manipulation” and slap duties on Chinese imports.

The story is much the same on the other side of the Pacific. The last
President Bush built good relations with leaders in Brazil, Mexico and
Colombia. Mr Romney has seemed intent on alienating them by joining the
Republican bidding race