Thursday, March 17, 2005

Indy Media IV: Peace Rallies in Harrisonburg (VA), New Orleans, New Jersey & Tennessee; Depleted Uranium; PeteTridish & Prometheus Radio

cvilleindymedia.org has "Speak-Out Against the Occupation" by RisingUp Collective:

Anti-War Protest in Harrisonburg VA
Speak-Out against the Occupation

4pm, Saturday, March 19, Court Square.
There will be music, speakers, and a chance for everyone to shout out
their opposition on the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.
Bring drums, signs, banners, and come to speak out about how the war
brutalizes Iraqis and robs communities here at home; how the US has no
business spreading liberation while it continues to oppress people in this
country; how the war and occupation are wrong and need to end now.
Afterwards another group is organizing an interfaith vigil at the same
location.
Speak-Out against the Occupation

4pm, Saturday, March 19,
Court Square, Harrisonburg.
There will be music, speakers, and a chance for everyone to shout out
their opposition on the second anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.
Bring drums, signs, banners, and come to speak out about how the war
brutalizes Iraqis and robs communities here at home; how the US has no
business spreading liberation while it continues to oppress people in this
country; how the war and occupation are wrong and need to end now.
Afterwards another group is organizing an interfaith vigil at the same
location.
From Interstate 81 exit 33 West towards Harrisonburg. Go straight on 33 until you can't go anymore, and the big square in front of you is Court Square.

Madison Independent Media Center has "Over 30 Anti-war Activists Arrested at Gates of Depleted Uranium Weapons Builder" by John LaForge:

EDINA, Minnesota, March 14 -- More than 30 people were arrested early this morning at the entrance to Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Minnesota's largest military contractor and the nation’s No. 1 builder of toxic, armor-piercing munitions known as "depleted" uranium (DU) penetrators. As 200 rallied outside, the activists tried to deliver a formal written warning to ATK’s management about its legal liability for producing indiscriminate and illegal weapons.
In October 2003 and December 2004, three different Hennepin County juries found three groups of similar protesters 'not guilty' of trespassing after they successfully argued they had a legal 'claim of right' to deliver the warning.
Today's citations allege a lesser offense. Rather than the state trespass statute used in the past, Edina police issued city ordinance citations that carry a fine of $130.00. No court date has been set.
One result of the reduced charge is that defendants will not be allowed a jury trial but only a bench trial presided over by a judge. Those arrested were part of a weekend-long gathering organized by homeless shelter volunteers who operate Catholic Worker houses of hospitality around the Midwest.


"nola-imc" has news of a rally in New Orleans:

U.S. OUT OF IRAQ: GLOBAL DAY OF PROTEST
START DATE: 3/19/2005
START TIME: 12:00 PM
Duration: 3 Hours
Location: Treme
Location Details: Gather at Congo Square, in Armstrong Park on N Rampart St. at 11 AM. March will leave at noon
Event Topic: War/Militarization
Event Type: Protest
Contact Email:
jarena@tulane.edu
DESCRIPTION:
Global Day of Protest against war and occupation on 2nd anniversary of US invasion of iraq. sponsors: C3, Louisiana Activist Network, Hands Off Iberville Coalition


New Jersey Indymedia has "COALITION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE TO HOLD SOUTH JERSEY VIGILS MARKING SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF IRAQ INVASION" by Rob:

The Coalition for Peace and Justice will be holding three vigils on Saturday to mark the start of the Iraq War. Below is information detailing the times and locations of the vigils.
Saturday March 19th, 2005

2nd Anniversy of the start of the Iraq War.
Peace March
Atlantic City Boardwalk
2 PM Gather at North end of Showboat, walk to Kennedy Plaza for rally
Peace Vigil in Woodstown6 to 7 PM,
March 19th 2005
Intersection of Rts. 40 and 45, in center of Woodstown
Peace Vigil in Cherry Hill
Noon to 1 PM, March 19th 2005
Cherry Hill Mall
Rte 38 entrance by Red Lobster
See also:"
http://hometown.aol.com/norkarnatam/cpj.html"
"http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/112-03172005-464320.html"

Tennessee Independent Media Center has 'Tennessee Still Says "No to War!" on Saturday March 19th' by Abigail Thorton:

On Saturday, March 19, upwards of 2 million people will take to the streets around the world to protest the two year anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. People in more than 60 countries throughout the world - from Japan to South Korea to Spain to Australia to South Africa - will call for an end to the occupation, which they believe is only increasing violence and insecurity in Iraq.
In Tennessee, the Nashville Peace Coalition will host the Think Peace! Bring the Troops Home Now! Rally to raise consciousness about the occupation of Iraq and demand that President Bush begin to take responsibility for ending what is a grave humanitarian crisis.
In Chattanooga, protesters will send a message to the world that they do not support unprovoked American aggression against their brothers and sisters around the world, and in Memphis demonstrators will gather on the second anniversary for a protest march and rally starting at First Congregational Church and ending at Veterans Plaza in Overton Park with music, food and speakers.
"The unprovoked war against Iraq was a terrible tragedy for the Iraqi people, thousands of whom were killed during the last year, and for the close to 1500 U.S. soldiers who also lost their lives and thousands of others who've been injured," said Anna Thompson of the Nashville Peace Coalition. "It's time to hold our government accountable for the chaos it's created in Iraq - and for the fact that the Bush administration lied about the Iraqi threat to convince the American public of the need for war."

For more than two years, the United States has occupied Iraq resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 American Soldiers and over 100,000 Iraqis and has cost the taxpayers over $300 billion dollars. Popular sentiment is growing for a demand to Bring the Troops Home Now! and Bring Them Home Alive!
Despite the horrific nature of this war and the admission by the Bush Administration that the pretext for this war was a lie, the United States continues to occupy Iraq with over 140,000 troops. Impunity and corruption has permeated the governance of this occupation, and to continue committing these acts is immoral.
The rallies are being organized statewide by organizations such as the Nashville Peace Coalition and MidSouth Peace and Justice Center and will include events such as street demonstrations, a peace march, music and speakers. .
"The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours." Dr. Martin Luther King
In Nashville:
Event: Peace Rally to Bring the Troops Home
Date: Saturday March 19th, 2005 12pm-2pm.
Where: Centennial Park, 25th & West End NashvilleContact: NPJC 321-9066In

Memphis:
March 19- The World Still Says No
Saturday, 19 March 2005
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Organizer: Jacob Flowers 725.4990
Join us on the second anniversary for a protest march and rally starting at First Congregational Church and ending at Veterans Plaza in Overton Park with music, food and speakers.
This international day of protest will see hundreds of thousands around the globe joining together to end the occupation of Iraq.
Please help us make this the largest anti-war demonstration this city has ever seen.
Location:March- First Congregational Church to Overton Park, 12pm
Rally- Veterans Plaza at Overton Park, 1:30pm
URL: http://midsouthpeace.org

In Chattanooga:
Please join us in Chattanooga as we send a message to teh world that we do not support unprovoked American aggression against our brothers and sisters around the world!
JOIN OUR MARCH!!!
We March-Coolidge Park (4pm EST)We Rally-Miller Park (5pm EST)
We Pray-Silent, candlelit vigil (7pm EST)

Also noted at Tennessee Independent Media Center is Anna Thompson's "A Brief History of Media Consolidation:"

"Popular movements can make a difference. Focused, organized action can make a difference. It is worthwhile doing organizing," was the message PeteTridish, of the Prometheus Radio Project brought to the Davidson County Democratic Party Sunday, in anticipation of the upcoming barn raising for Radio Free Nashville, a low powered FM radio station which will be going on the air April 3rd.
PeteTridish began his organizing work in Philadelphia, PA in the 90's. Regarding his introduction to activism, he said that "I was involved in housing, environmental and many other campaigns with other activists. We were busy holding signs and standing in the street. We were lucky if we got a flash on the evening news. Our opponents had all the instruments of propaganda at their disposal. They could get on television and talk for fifteen minutes about their side. There is a profound imbalance when it comes to access to the media in this country. The companies we work against own the media and we realized they won't give us a fair shake."
PeteTridish became interested in addressing the imbalance of power when it came to media access and about that time he heard about Stephen Dunifer of Radio Free Berkely, who was running a low power fm radio station out of his backpack in Berkeley, California. Dunifer had been taken to court for his broadcasting activities and the judge in the case ruled that Dunifer had a right to free speech. The FCC is supposed to protect the First Amendment, and Dunifer was viewed as a legitimate threat by the corporate broadcasters like ClearChannel which owns 1200 radio stations. Inspired by Dunifer's actions, over 1000 pirate radio stations sprung up around the country in a period of four years.