On November 8, the voters of New York City will elect a new mayor. Incumbent Republican Michael Bloomberg is being challenged by Democrat Fernando Ferrer. Also on the ballot are a half dozen minor party candidates, including Thomas Ognibene of the Conservative Party and Tony Gronowicz of the Green Party. By the time the race is over, Bloomberg, a billionaire media mogul, will have spent more than $100 million from his personal fortune, shattering all spending records for any elected office in the United States other than president. Ferrer, a veteran politician from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country, is running a shoestring campaign in which he has been outspent by Bloomberg by an astounding 17-to-1.
Bloomberg's television and radio commercials have blanketed the airwaves for months in more than a half-dozen languages, so it should come as no surprise that public opinion polls show the mayor with a commanding lead.
A Ferrer victory would make him the first Latino mayor in New York history, and coming on the heels of Antonio Villaraigosa's successful run for mayor of Los Angeles earlier this year it would signal that the nation's exploding Latino population has begun to redefine and realign political power in urban America.
Throughout this long campaign, however, many progressive and liberal activists in the city, even in the African American and Latino communities, have sat on the sidelines or shown little enthusiasm for the Democratic challenger. Those progressives -- in an echo of Bloomberg's own campaign -- claim that Ferrer is a lackluster candidate and political hack. They view the current mayor as a political moderate who is a Republican in name only, who is more conciliatory to the city's Black, Brown and poor communities than his predecessor Rudy Giuliani, and thus they regard Bloomberg's re-election as acceptable, and largely inevitable, outcome. Most of the city's organized labor leaders have backed the Republican mayor, except for a handful of the most militant unions, such as the transit workers, the huge Local 1199, and the Professional Staff Congress, which are doggedly fighting to elect Ferrer.
To a large number of progressives there is no fundamental difference between Ferrer and Bloomberg.
That viewpoint, in my opinion, is profoundly mistaken.
I believe the New York mayoral race of 2005 -- a contest to control a government that employs some 300,000 workers and dispenses an annual budget of more than $50 billion -- is a pivotal battle for the city's workers and its middle class, for the nation's 40 million Latinos and for the future of all urban America.
Many well-meaning progressives, unfortunately, have yet to grasp the stakes in this race, and that failure is rooted in two persistent weaknesses of the progressive movement.
1. Class and racial divisions among progressives themselves;
2. Lack of any rigorous analysis of the economic and political forces that are rapidly
transforming everyday life in metropolitan America to the point that the the poor, racial minorities and sections of the working class are being systematically driven out of the central cities.
I do not say these things lightly.
As a journalist who has chronicled big city politics in this country for decades, as a Puerto Rican with long experience in movements for racial and ethnic equality, and as a labor activist who has consistently fought to revive the American trade union movement, I learned long ago that outward appearances are often deceiving, that the surface manifestations of any political process often mask powerful currents swirling below.
Yet I have been amazed at the virtual absence of dispassionate and comprehensive analysis about this election; an analysis grounded in facts, one that places the conflict in the context of broader historical patterns, that consistently asks: what is in the best interest of working people and the marginalized or oppressed groups of New York City? Once you begin to look at the mayoral race from that deeper perspective, you begin to realize that there have been few times in recent memory when an urban electorate faced such a clear class choice -- in the personalities of the candidates, their stands on the issues, and the forces they represent.
Jonah e-mails to note Juan Gonzalez's "Where Have All The Fighters Gone? An Analysis of New York City Mayoral Race of 2005" (NYC Indymedia). Thursday nights, indymedia roundup. And to listen, watch or read a transcript of more on this topic, refer to Amy Goodman's interview with Juan Gonzalez from Democracy Now! entitled "Where Have All the Fighters Gone? Juan Gonzalez Analyzes the New York City Mayoral Race."
Maria e-mails to note Steven T. Jones and Tim Redmond's "Party down: The GOP is in free fall, and it's time to take the country back" (San Francisco Bay Guardian News):
BASEBALL METAPHORS CAN be taken way too far. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald demonstrated that during the press conference he held on the criminal indictment of I. Lewis Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide. In a long and drawn-out analogy involving a pitcher and a hit batter, Fitzgerald likened himself to an umpire who had "dust thrown in his eyes," claiming Libby's lies had made it hard for him to determine who should be indicted for the vengeful outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA agent.
So we hate to even mention that particular sport again. But prominent media critic Robert McChesney offered us a way of describing the prospects of the indictment that seems to capture this moment in history rather well. It addresses the question of whether the political system and mainstream media will seize on the information in Fitzgerald's 22-page indictment to finally hold the Bush administration responsible for the deliberate lies that got this country into the quagmire in Iraq.
"This is a slow fastball right over the heart of the plate," he said.
McChesney's latest book, coauthored with John Nichols, is called Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy. It's an insightful diagnosis of why the news media helped the Bush administration trick the country into going to war.
And McChesney isn't hopeful that journalists have their eyes on the ball, particularly after watching the media miss similar opportunities to show the people how they'd been lied to, including Richard Clarke's insider revelations of ulterior motives for invading Iraq, the Downing Street Memo's proof that biased intelligence on Iraq was being fabricated, and the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq.
"They've had plenty of opportunities to hit it out of the park," McChesney told us.
And once again this past week, we've seen an awful lot of newspapers and broadcast outlets swinging at air.
• • •
Let's be clear about what's in this indictment, something Fitzgerald couldn't say for legal reasons but that should be clear to journalists with open eyes and minds. The document cites sworn testimony that Libby, Cheney, "a senior official in the White House ['Official A']" – who recent press revelations indicate is almost certainly Karl Rove – and at least four other administration officials actively conspired to out Plame as an undercover CIA agent.
That conspiracy was born of a desire to discredit and punish her husband, Joseph Wilson, for exposing President George W. Bush as knowingly lying about Iraq's efforts to obtain nuclear materials during his 2003 State of the Union speech.
Liang e-mails to note Quincey Jonez's "Campus Antiwar Network UC-Berkeley 2-Day Conference" (SF Indymedia):
On Saturday and Sunday (October 22 – 23) The University of California Berkeley hosted a two-day conference titled "On the Frontlines: Opinions for Youth in Times of War", which was co-sponsored by the Campus Antiwar Network and Military Out of Our Schools -- Bay Area. The scheduled activities for Saturday included workshop sessions, morning and afternoon plenary meetings as well as a Youth Concert. After arriving on campus, persons registered with the Conference and were given a schedule of events to attend during the course of the day’s events. One session titled "How to Counter Military Recruitment in High Schools" focused on a basic introduction about how the military recruits in public high schools, as well as strategies for counter recruitment given by several high school student activists. They described their attempts, successes and failures in mobilizing / educating their communities to resist temptations that the military promises new recruits. Kevin Ramirez of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors (CCCO) outlined the 5 methods used by the military to recruit high school students on campus and how to combat them:
• The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), a.k.a Military Eligibility Test, measures military occupation specialty or, which branch of the armed services the student is most applicable in. For the most part, this test is not explained to students before they take it, but is generally defined as a "career exploration program". Ramirez explained that a student can check Option 8 on the test, which will not send the student’s results to recruiters. He also said that students can refuse to take the test outright; but overall, more education about this test needs to get out to teachers, parents and students.
• JRTOC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Core) programs are nationwide, numbering over 3500 units. These programs bring students into the daily life of officers; learning tactics and military protocol. Local communities need to be opposed to these programs and learn as much about them as possible.
• The No Child Left Behind Act, specifically Section 9528 rule which forces schools to give student contact information to military recruiters or risk losing federal funding.. Since school funding is directly effected in regard to their compliance with the NCLB program, checking the "Opt Out" option can restrict a student's results from going to recruiters.
• Armed Services Recruiting Tables (Tabling) takes place in high schools and colleges nationwide. These Tabling groups are frequent and cover most campuses; the primary way to counter Tabling is to find out when they are coming to school. Setting up a counter-protest on those specific dates is the most potent way to combat Tabling. Equal Action Laws are required by law to provide students with facts on both sides of the issues. http://www.objector.org/moos/equal-access.html
• Recruit Support Battalions (RSBs) are new-wave techniques used by recruiters to provide hands-on activities to high school students. Some examples are portable rock-climbing walls and adventure vans, a.k.a. War Simulators that demonstrate how to use a M1 assault rifle. Again, the main way to counter these activities is to find out when and where these RSBs will be con campus.
After the CCCO presentation, high school students told their own stories about combating recruiters at their respective schools. One student from Rochester NY, Jerry, described how he and a group of students handed out flyers on campus and asked other kids how they felt about recruiter efforts at their school. They efforts were fairly successful because by teaching students about the "Opt-In / Opt-Out" policy in the No Child Left Behind Act, many students decided to "Opt-Out" of the program once they heard the truths behind the lies.
Another student, junior Rico Chenyek from Berkeley High School, described his own efforts. He organized a Social Action Committee which focused on social justice by having teach-ins on campus, educating the student body about the lies and truths of army recruiters. Once word-of-mouth spread, the turn outs became so large that his school scheduled a daylong event which included a graphic slideshow of the horrors of War.
Ruby Butler from the Youth Empowerment School described efforts to educate young people about military recruitment by creating a Jeopardy style game that included categories: Drafting & Conscientious Objectors, Recruitment Ploys, and Money for Soldiers. By dividing the group into two teams, the children were able to interact with each other when answering questions posed to them. This type of game was played at YMCAs and schools in Oakland.
Pru's items for Sunday were waiting for tonight but she found two things she'd rather highlight.
From The Socialist Worker, Charlie Kimber's "David Blunkett's resignation and arrogance of the Blair set:"
The resignation of work and pensions secretary David Blunkett is a further sign of the decay of the Blair regime. Almost daily there is a sense that this rotten government is being run from an embattled bunker where all but the most faithful have departed and even the previously loyal acolytes have slunk away or engaged in self-destructive behaviour.
It is the Iraq war which, above all else, has sunk Blair. As the wound of the war refuses to heal, his government becomes more bizarrely out of touch over everything.
Blunkett embodies the arrogance of the Blair set. He revelled in his reputation for standing with the police and harrying asylum seekers. Most recently he declared that the benefit system was "crackers" and that incapacity claimants should stop watching daytime television.
If one event sums-up his attitude it was in 2002 when 80 Asians in Bradford were convicted for daring to defend their community from Nazi-inspired attacks. Then home secretary Blunkett described those jailed as "maniacs" who should stop "whining" about their sentences and attacked the "bleeding heart liberals" who questioned the length of the prison terms.
Just like Peter Mandelson's demise in British politics, Blunkett's fall is an indication of the way New Labour ministers have fallen in love with the lifestyles of the rich. It is nothing new for Labour leaders to crawl to the wealthy and beg invitations to their parties and their villas.
But New Labour has taken this to a new height. An openly pro-business party can brazenly consort with those who used to be regarded as the party's enemies.
Blunkett, with his relationship with the publisher of right-wing magazine The Spectator and his honorary membership of Annabel's club, fell in with a rich set. But to live like then he needed far more than his ministerial salary of £130,347, and it was disaster when he was reduced to a backbencher on just £57,500.
Within weeks of being forced to resign from the cabinet he picked up a slew of jobs, consultancies and after-dinner speaking engagements which together paid £70,000.
His first employer, Indepen, tells privatised utility firms how to deal with government regulators. Blunkett was paid over £15,000 for seminars on "his perspective on government and how government works".
Then just before the election, he was hired by DNA Structures Ltd, a firm that trades as DNA Bioscience and markets paternity test kits. He bought 12 shares in the firm for £15,000 which, according to some financial experts, would have been worth £500,000 if the company had won the contracts which enabled it to be floated as a public company.
He didn’t even bother to follow the code which says he should declare such jobs, with their potential conflict of interest.
Now his failures have caught up with him. The end of the Blair regime cannot come soon enough.
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Pru also notes Anindya Bhattacharyya's "Guilty men are in the White House: Warmongers trapped by Iraq lies" (The Socialist Worker):
George Bush's tower of lies over Iraq is threatening to come crashing down around his ears.
A senior White House official -- Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- was indicted on five counts on Friday of last week by a US special investigator.
Libby was a key architect of the war in Iraq and, as the New York Times wrote last week, "had the exalted position of being a full member of president Bush's inner circle, holding three pivotal jobs at once -- assistant to the president, chief of staff to the vice president and Dick Cheney's national security adviser".
He now faces charges of perjury, obstruction and making false statements -- which could land him in jail for 30 years.
The fall of Libby was the heaviest of a series of blows that rocked the White House. On Tuesday of last week, two and a half years after the invasion of Iraq began, it was announced that the total number of US troops killed in Iraq had reached the 2,000 mark. The 2,000th GI fell in Vietnam in 1965, six years after the first two Americans were killed in a guerrilla attack.
Libby’s indictment stems from the lies spread by the Bush administration — with Tony Blair’s connivance -- in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. He used forged documents to claim Saddam Hussein was attempting to buy nuclear material from Niger, and then conspired to destroy those who revealed his lies.
The US media is speculating over whether the scandal will spread to implicate Karl Rove, Bush's right hand man, and even the president himself.
And polls now show that 54 percent of Americans believe Bush was wrong to invade Iraq -- up from 24 percent in March 2003.
Meanwhile the White House is desperately trying to rescue Bush's reputation.
That's what is behind his cronies' attempts to distract attention by recycling discredited allegations against George Galloway.
But with Bush in trouble, campaigners are stepping up the pressure to get the troops out of Iraq.
sign up for INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCESaturday 10 December, 10amWith delegates from Iraq & USRoyal Horticultural Hall80 Vincent Square,
London SW1for more info go to www.stopwar.org.uk
For more on anti-war campaigning go to 'Let's keep fighting to get our boys home'
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The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
democracy now
juan gonzalez
amy goodman
indymedia
nyc indymedia
the socialist worker
quincey jonez
steven t. jones
tim redmond
charlie kimber
anindya bhattacharyya
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Indymedia Roundup World Can't Wait
Mini-demonstrations of about a hundred persons each were organized at eight points along Wilshire Blvd. starting at noon today. These demonstrations are building to a mass rally and march today at 5pm at Westwood and Wilshire Blvds. These pictures were taken at Wilshire and Fairfax around 1pm today. Aside from that site, noon demonstrations were held along Wilshire at Figueroa, Alvarado, Vermont, Normandie, Crenshaw, Westwood and the 3rd Street Promenade. The critical mass bicyclists are riding the entire length of Wilshire to knit the demonstrations together and sweep them into Westwood for the major gathering at 5pm. A short clip of them as they passed Fairfax is included in this report.
The above is from Not Waiting's "World Can't Wait Pre-Demos All Along Wilshire Building to Mass Demo at 5pm Today" (LA Indymedia) and was sent in by Cindy. It's Thursday and we're doing the Indymedia roundup (we have one mainstream in this entry) and the focus here is The World Can't Wait events from Wednesday.
Cindy also notes Felix Prosser's "URGENT! World Can't Wait--High School student suspended for organizing" (LA Indymedia):
This is an urgent update Sara Escudero, a high school student who's been part of organizing the most vibrant student movement since the 1994 Prop-187 walkouts was suspended for two days by the principal of Reside High, for passing out leaflets without his permission. This bully then told her they're going to try to expel her, and threatened to arrest her because some stickers made their way onto a police car and she had stickers.
Students like Sara have been putting themselves on the line for the future -- of humanity! We've got to have their backs. Call Reseda High to protest. Join the massive protest in the streets, along Wilshire, beginning at noon.
Marlene e-mails to note "Report From Los Angeles" (The World Can't Wait):
Determined to Drive out the Bush Regime, thousands of high school students walked out of schools all over L.A. county today and made their way to World Can't Wait convergence points all along Wilshire Blvd. Many of them risked suspensions, expulsions, and even arrest, while some had to break out of locked down campuses and past school administrators, locked school gates, and police threats.
At a rally at the Westwood Federal Building, thousands of people crowded the lawn in front of the stage, stirred by the words and performances of Bianca Jagger, Rickie Lee Jones, Culture Clash and others. The rally was followed by a spirited march of 2000-2500 people through Westwood Village, where they were warmly greeted by onlookers.
The rally and march were covered by CNN, Indymedia, Telemundo, and local television channels 4, 7, 9, and 13, among others.
High School Walkouts:
--L.A. High: almost entire school walked out; someone driving down the street saw a crowd of 500 Black and Latino students in front of the school with signs, chanting against Bush, fists in air.
--Belmont HS: a student was passing out leaflets yesterday before school; jumped by cops, pepper-sprayed and arrested; today, at least 75 students and some teachers walked out
--Downtown Business Magnet HS: over 100 students walked out
--Marshall HS: over 100 students walked out
--Montebello HS: all week long, students have been wearing WCW armbands. Today, 40 students didn't go to school but gathered close by the school and had a march down Whittier Blvd. in ELA, carrying signs and chanting "Ya Basta" "F**k Bush" "Bush Lies, 1000s Die" "Queremos Paz, Quermos Justicia." Then they got on buses to go to Alvarado; when they told the bus driver what they were doing, she let them all ride for free.
--Van Nuys HS: on lockdown. Situation developing as we write. According to students inside, 20 students arrested when they tried to walk out. Students say dean physically assaulted 2 students--including a young woman--to try to prevent them from leaving. Students say they have a right to protest Bush and its unfair for school to try to stop them.
Reseda HS: one student suspended yesterday for "leafletting without proper authorization." Today, students tried to walk out but school principal issues lock down order and locked all the doors to the school. Some students jumped the fence. Reports still coming in from students inside.
Lincoln HS (East LA): 150 students tried to walk out; police blocked the front door and administrators blocked all other exits. Students still trying to figure out how to get out.
Hamilton HS: one group of 20 students walked out led by their assistant vice-principal and went to Westwood; another group of students walked out and went to Crenshaw.
Vista del Lago (Mar Vista): "a lot" of students walked out
Grant HS: 20 students walked out
Beverly Hills HS: some students tried to walk out but were threatened with suspension by admin. Haven't heard back from them.
Downey HS: 10 students walked out
Santa Monica HS & John Adams Middle School: 100s of students walked out
Orthopedic Hospital Medical Magnet HS: 60 students walked out
Harvest Charter School: a number walked out
Fairfax HS: lots of students walked out
South Gate HS: 10 students
Lynwood HS: 40-50 tried to walk out but prevented so they staged a sit-in in front of administration office. Admin. now trying to suspend 4-5 students for trying to walk out.
A WCW activist reported that groups of youth and students were on corners throughout the Pico-Union barrio with WCW signs and banners, chanting WCW slogans (these were beyond the students at Wilshire Alvarado).
300 people came out at Figueroa: a very diverse crowd: 25 critical mass bicyclists; city hall workers in suits; teachers w/ their students; an older gay couple who'd made t-shirts especially for the day with WCW and the web address that they gave away to everyone at the corner; then several waves of high school students that rushed through the corner on their way to Alvarado.
Fairfax: @ 150 people on all 4 corners with banners and signs. Among those present were Out Against the War, Fairfax HS students, Axis of Justice. Lots of homemade signs and banners among a sea of WCW signs and banners; making banners and signs on-the-spot. Lots of honking cars, people on corners leafletting cars, signing up recruits, selling t-shirts. Young and old at their first demo ever agitating on the bullhorn @ why the Bush Regime must go and why the world can't wait.
At Crenshaw: @ 300 people, including students from LA High (escorted by administrators), Hamilton HS, and Harvest Charter School (escorted by their teachers). Very lively chanting, WCW banners and signs.
Vermont: UTLA board member said he and board members were going to join people from Immanuneul Presbyterian Church and Hollywood Congregational Church at noon (but we haven't heard back yet).
Colleen wanted Martha Groves and J. Michael Kennedy's "Angelenos Join in Anti-Bush Protest" (LA Times):
The Westwood rally attracted an estimated 1,200 protesters, including some who walked out of work and school to join in. The nighttime protest clogged traffic in parts of the Westside for hours.
Additionally, an estimated 1,000 Los Angeles students walked out of local high schools Wednesday for various daytime protests around the city. Among the schools hit by walkouts were Los Angeles High, Hamilton High and Lincoln High.
The protests were put together by World Can't Wait, a coalition formed recently to stage the rallies. The protesters used the anniversary of Bush's reelection to call for his resignation in major population centers that included Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago.
At the Wednesday evening rally in Westwood, two dozen cardboard boxes were draped with American flags to resemble caskets.
[. . .]
Monica Carazo, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said World Can't Wait sent out fliers to schools urging students to leave school on the day of the protest.
"A lot of us were wondering where they were going," she said.
The protests began about noon along Wilshire Boulevard. Various speakers and musicians participated, including jazz vocalist Rickie Lee Jones; Edwin Ellis, the president of Veterans for Peace, Los Angeles; activist Bianca Jagger, and organizer Lucy Lee.
Colleen's argument for including the LA Times article was strong. The Los Angeles Times is not indymedia but it did actually report on the World Can't Wait activities. The New York Times sure didn't. So we'll make an exception and note them here.
Last night, I made a crack about Van Nuys (which I stand by -- not the people who live there, the ones in charge of the area) and Doyle found an article with more on the lockdown, Dana Bartholomew's "High school lockdown linked to Bush protest" (LA Daily News):
Van Nuys High School was temporarily locked down Wednesday after students protested against the Bush administration as part of a national demonstration.
Van Nuys High School Principal Herman Clay directed students to remain on campus and at their desks for 1 1/2 hours after he said two dozen students disrupted classes during the protest.
Some students said administrators threatened them with expulsion if they left campus and that one student was thrown to the ground as campus police attempted to take their pictures.
The lockout occurred as 1,000 Los Angeles students - including about 15 or 20 from Van Nuys High School who were accompanied by an administrator - left class to join a midday rally hosted by The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime. The New York-based group had staged protests in 70 U.S. cities.
"We had a few other kids, I suppose in sympathy, they went around campus uttering anti-Bush statements," said Clay, who locked down the campus between 10:45 a.m. and the end of lunch. "They had refused a directive to go to class."
"This really wasn't a big deal. We only went through (the lockdown) because we didn't want to take the risk of more kids out of class."
The Los Angeles protest included a midday march down Wilshire Boulevard and a rally held outside the Federal Building.
The Providence Phoenix runs a big, long, pointless whine that may have been pertinent a year ago but only demonstrates how out of touch the writer is. As Lily notes, "It's so nice for these people who never bother to get informed just sit around with their thumbs up their asses pretending to have studied the situation as they give the most banal of 'analysis.'"
Micah e-mails to note "The feathers war hawk Hillary [Clinton]" -- Kristen Lombardi's "Cindy Sheehan for President: Or Senate. The Anti-war left seeks a challenger for Hillary Clinton" (The Village Voice):
Not surprisingly, activists take issue with her October 2002 vote to authorize President Bush to use military force in Iraq. And they find fault with votes the senator has cast ever since. She has backed every war appropriations bill, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars. She has filed legislation calling for expanding the U.S. Army by 80,000 soldiers over four years. And she has yet to push for a firm timetable for American troop withdrawal.
Leaders in the anti-war movement brought their complaints to the senator last month, as part of a Capitol Hill lobbying effort. On September 22, Clinton met with the movement's superstar, Sheehan, in a well-publicized meeting. New York activists, by contrast, got some face time with a legislative aide four days later. Thirty or so people, representing organizations from Syracuse to Albany and Manhattan, showed up at Clinton's office. They crammed a tiny room, surrounding the aide so, in the words of Colin Eager of Buffalo, "he'd feel a little bit of pressure."
They came with one request: They want Clinton to embrace a Senate resolution, sponsored by Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold, urging President Bush to submit to Congress a timeline for withdrawal. To activists, Eager says, the measure "is an immediate, concrete thing she could and should do. It's not a radical thing to ask the president for an exit plan."
Clinton, however, has yet to respond. (In fact, only one senator, California Democrat Barbara Boxer, has signed on to the bill.) Says Eisenberg, who also attended the September 26 meeting, "I can only conclude the senator is just not interested in our message."
[. . .]
Douglas Muzzio, who teaches political science at Baruch College, explains that activists "are asking Clinton to do the impossible." Activists tend to see the senator's positions as politically expedient, cold calculations designed to please everyone. But Muzzio sees it differently. "I think she believes in her votes. She is like a neo-liberal," he says, a true liberal on social issues, a true hawk on defense.
In other words, he says, "she is not their natural ally. She's not their 'it' anyway."
I've deleted a bunch of nonsense from the above. Not the journalist's nonsense but a lot of "defenders." Hillary needs to speak for herself and if she doesn't, she shouldn't be surprised if a planned run for president is derailed by others' truths about the health care plan of the 90s. This won't be the right screaming "socialized medicine!" This would be from people who worked on this issue for some time before 1992 and feel that universal health care was trashed in efforts by Hillary and company to appease the insurance companies.
Unlike the sadly named "Count Dookie" of Providence (kids, stay away from his "chocolate" cereal), Anya Kamenetz has a grasp on reality. Rachel e-mails to note Kamenetz's "Generation Debt: The New Economics of Being Young" (The Village Voice):
One Saturday this summer, Monique Dols, a Columbia University senior and a national leader of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN), saw again why she has been working so hard to reach potential military recruits. "We were handing out flyers for an event with the brother of a military resister," Dols says of that day in Washington Heights. "Three 16-year-old [ROTC] cadets walked by in full military uniform. We started talking to them, and it turned out they were completely against the war. They had joined because it was an after-school program that provided structure and something for them to do. The priorities of a society that puts millions into military recruitment and continually cuts funding for after-school programs, that's backward, and that's the reality people are responding to."
When this column first covered counter-recruitment in January, the movement was a scattered, grassroots phenomenon, led by old-guard lefty organizations like the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors and Veterans for Peace. Since then, public opinion has turned decisively against the war in Iraq, and the active-duty army fell 8.5 percent short of its recruiting goals in the period that ended September 30, its worst year since 1979; the National Guard and army reserves did even worse. Counter-recruitment is growing into a truly broad, multigenerational, national movement that serves as a model for how diverse constituencies on the left can and should work together.
Jonah notes the news of NYC's World Can't Wait rally, Jed Brandt's "World Can't Wait, NYC: Hundreds Walk-Out, Thousands March" (NYC Indymedia):
I'm putting the size estimate at 2,000, with surges and ebbs along the way. It seemed that around 600 were gathered listening to the speakers, but as the march began crowds of students came in from the West and South sides of Union Square, swelling into the street and stretching for blocks.
Many people joined and fell away from the march as it progressed, with peaks that appeared significantly larger as the march moved through midtown. I have rarely seen this kind of spontaneous joining of protests. This says as much for the mood of the city as the spirit of the crowd.
Walkouts were organized at Midwood, Roslyn, Saunders, Beacon, and Notre Dame high schools. Campus walkouts came from Hunter College, CCNY, Baruch, Westchester Community College, with a lunchtime surge of NYU students at the Union Square rally.
Of the core crowd, 75% were high school and college students who had walked out from city-wide high schools and Manhattan campuses. The crowd was energetic, and noticably distinct from the "usual suspects" of the New York activist left who were conspicuously missing in action as coherent groupings.
The crowd was thoroughly diverse by race, with whites about 50% of the crowd; the rest evenly divided among Latinos, Blacks and Asians. There were no religious groups clustered by distinctive clothing. Unlike many protests in the thousands, there were no observable contingents based on identity or ideology. High-school crews and a horn/drum band created energy eddies in the crowd.
There was a red-and-black flag, a few American flags -- and the omnipresent flash green of the World Can't Wait stickers and placards.
Duncan e-mails to note Sofia Jarrin-Thomas' "The World Can't Wait: Students Against the War" (Boston IMC):
Cambridge Latin High School students came to protest in spite of what they called an "empty threat" from the principal to suspend them for three days if they joined the national day of action against the war.
The students were also greeted by Harvard staff who have been protesting the war every Wednesday at noon, ever since the Abu Ghraib torture scandal erupted, by walking in silent protest around campus. Similar walkouts occur every Wednesday at Boston College and Boston University.
"It's so good to see all these young people coming out against the war!" said an elderly activist who has regularly walked out on Wednesdays.
One of the organizers, Steven Bloomfield, spoke to the crowd about meeting hate with healing as a tool for defeating the architects of war. "We will not become victims of this war," he said. He recently was awarded the 2005 Peace and Justice Award by the Cambridge Peace Commission for his commitment to anti-war activism.
Racism, classism, and relocating funds to social causes instead of a war were many of the issues talked about at the protest. According to the National Priorities Project, the cost of war totaled about $205 billion by the end of the 2005 fiscal year.
The "World Can't Wait" campaign was set up as a civilian response to the Bush administration's mishandling and cover-up of intelligence to pursue an illegal war in Iraq.
Eddie e-mails to note Pete's "It Went Down Downtown" (Houston Indymedia):
A noontime rally today at Market Square, organized by the World Can’t Wait Coalition, demanded the removal of the current right wing administration. Touted as "the beginning of the end of the Bush regime" the rally coincided with last year’s contested election and sought to launch the mobilization of opposition groups of all stripes.
Members of local band Free Radicals started things off by playing drums. Although no horns were available, the duo succeeded in paying homage to the Crescent City by thumping a mildly rousing New Orleans beat. The following 10 or so speakers represented a wide array of people concerned about the state of the United States and its government. The organizers of the event, some of them aligned with the Revolutionary Communist Party, issued a call to action to counter the horrible atrocities and failures of the Bush administration. Their literature (some of which was recited by a speaker) declares "your Government, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights." This writer agrees with the above statement but wonders about the use of "your government?" It seems that, assuming we live in this country, “our government” or, simply, "the government" would be appropriate.
Preferring to paint the town with pastel touches, as opposed to plain red, Jerome and Dominguez slammed some soul-elevating political poetry. The poem by Jerome was an intensely angry yet creative piece. Its message of unity was felt by everyone. Dominguez gave us a soul-searching social critique. I laughed, I thought of things in new and unsuspected ways, and I found out that he has a great singing voice.
A woman from New Orleans spoke of her desperate fight for survival in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Her story was frightening and seemed to further confirm that governments need to prioritize human lives. George Rider spoke of the immense ecological challenges we face. The New Black Panther Party was there in force. They called for power to be in the hands of the common people. Nick, a local writer/ activist/musician, warned of the dangers of authoritarianism. He encouraged people to get involved in non-hierarchical groups such as indymedia.
The rally was inspiring but was weakly attended (there were 30 to 70 people). Maybe a Saturday or Sunday rally would draw a bigger crowd.
Liang e-mails to note "PROTESTS IN SAN FRANCISCO AND NATIONWIDE TO 'STOP' THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION" (SF Bay Area Indymedia):
People held rallies, feeder marches, and caravans from all over the Bay Area to gather in San Francisco. They converged at 12pm in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, rallied from 12pm to 1pm, marched at 1:30pm, and an ended with another rally at 4:30pm in Civic Center Plaza. The march down Mission Street and back up Market was a sea of energized youth carrying aloft the distinctive WCW signs, doted with red “Not Our President! – Not in Our Name” posters and Earth flags.
Event speakers included Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace, California State Senator Carole Migden, SF Supervisor Chris Daly, CODEPINK’s Media Benjamin, Jeff Paterson on behalf of Not in Our Name, Paul George of the Pennisula Peace and Justice Center, a taped message from Mumia Abu Jamal, and a statement from WCW initiators the Revolutionary Communist Party.
After the main march left Civic Center, there was an unpermited breakaway march. As the march moved up Mission Street, a Molotov cocktail was tossed at the Chronicle Building. Near the end of the march, a small group sat down in the the street near Hyde and Market as a form of direct action. The police moved in and nine protesters were arrested. A tenth protester was arrested accused of having Molotov cocktails in their posession.
Tommy e-mails to note "Report from Atlanta" (The World Can't Wait):
500 to 600 people gathered in Woodruff Park downtown for the 1 PM rally. The crowd was mainly college and high school students. At least 7 high schools and 1 middle school had walkouts. The MC's of the rally were two students, one from Georgia State University and one from Spelman College, both of whom introduced themselves as having been activists for a whole 2 months! The first part of the rally was high school and middle schools students coming up to talk about why they came and what happened at the walkouts. At one high school, the administration had called an "intruder alert" at 10:45 AM, which means all the doors were shut and no one was allowed to leave their classrooms. The walkout had been scheduled for 11 AM. The "alert" was over at 11:15. One student walked out during the alert; others left when it was over. At another school, students were threatened with suspension and not being allowed to graduate.The rally was high energy and featured local hip-hop group The Expatriots. Speakers included the mother of the first soldier from Georgia to be killed in the Iraq War; the deputy director for the Southern Region of Amnesty International on the torture policy of the Bush administration, vice president of Concerned Black Clergy on the lessons of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, and a representative of A Justice for All coalition on the threat of the Alito nomination on abortion rights. A whole group of students from Spelman College spoke as well. Someone from the crowd came up to speak about the hunger strike going on at Guantanamo. The World Can't Wait announcement was made by a group of high school students.
Many older activists at the rally were amazed and inspired by the outpouring of so many passionate and outspoken youth. There was a sense that a new movement among high school and college students has emerged on the scene as of November 2nd.The day ended with a spirited march through downtown. Many youth on the march now see themselves as organizers of the movement to Drive Out the Bush Regime!
500 to 600 people gathered in Woodruff Park downtown for the 1 PM rally. The crowd was mainly college and high school students. At least 7 high schools and 1 middle school had walkouts. The MC's of the rally were two students, one from Georgia State University and one from Spelman College, both of whom introduced themselves as having been activists for a whole 2 months! The first part of the rally was high school and middle schools students coming up to talk about why they came and what happened at the walkouts. At one high school, the administration had called an "intruder alert" at 10:45 AM, which means all the doors were shut and no one was allowed to leave their classrooms. The walkout had been scheduled for 11 AM. The "alert" was over at 11:15. One student walked out during the alert; others left when it was over. At another school, students were threatened with suspension and not being allowed to graduate.The rally was high energy and featured local hip-hop group The Expatriots. Speakers included the mother of the first soldier from Georgia to be killed in the Iraq War; the deputy director for the Southern Region of Amnesty International on the torture policy of the Bush administration, vice president of Concerned Black Clergy on the lessons of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, and a representative of A Justice for All coalition on the threat of the Alito nomination on abortion rights. A whole group of students from Spelman College spoke as well. Someone from the crowd came up to speak about the hunger strike going on at Guantanamo. The World Can't Wait announcement was made by a group of high school students.Many older activists at the rally were amazed and inspired by the outpouring of so many passionate and outspoken youth. There was a sense that a new movement among high school and college students has emerged on the scene as of November 2nd.The day ended with a spirited march through downtown. Many youth on the march now see themselves as organizers of the movement to Drive Out the Bush Regime!
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
world can/'t wait
The above is from Not Waiting's "World Can't Wait Pre-Demos All Along Wilshire Building to Mass Demo at 5pm Today" (LA Indymedia) and was sent in by Cindy. It's Thursday and we're doing the Indymedia roundup (we have one mainstream in this entry) and the focus here is The World Can't Wait events from Wednesday.
Cindy also notes Felix Prosser's "URGENT! World Can't Wait--High School student suspended for organizing" (LA Indymedia):
This is an urgent update Sara Escudero, a high school student who's been part of organizing the most vibrant student movement since the 1994 Prop-187 walkouts was suspended for two days by the principal of Reside High, for passing out leaflets without his permission. This bully then told her they're going to try to expel her, and threatened to arrest her because some stickers made their way onto a police car and she had stickers.
Students like Sara have been putting themselves on the line for the future -- of humanity! We've got to have their backs. Call Reseda High to protest. Join the massive protest in the streets, along Wilshire, beginning at noon.
Marlene e-mails to note "Report From Los Angeles" (The World Can't Wait):
Determined to Drive out the Bush Regime, thousands of high school students walked out of schools all over L.A. county today and made their way to World Can't Wait convergence points all along Wilshire Blvd. Many of them risked suspensions, expulsions, and even arrest, while some had to break out of locked down campuses and past school administrators, locked school gates, and police threats.
At a rally at the Westwood Federal Building, thousands of people crowded the lawn in front of the stage, stirred by the words and performances of Bianca Jagger, Rickie Lee Jones, Culture Clash and others. The rally was followed by a spirited march of 2000-2500 people through Westwood Village, where they were warmly greeted by onlookers.
The rally and march were covered by CNN, Indymedia, Telemundo, and local television channels 4, 7, 9, and 13, among others.
High School Walkouts:
--L.A. High: almost entire school walked out; someone driving down the street saw a crowd of 500 Black and Latino students in front of the school with signs, chanting against Bush, fists in air.
--Belmont HS: a student was passing out leaflets yesterday before school; jumped by cops, pepper-sprayed and arrested; today, at least 75 students and some teachers walked out
--Downtown Business Magnet HS: over 100 students walked out
--Marshall HS: over 100 students walked out
--Montebello HS: all week long, students have been wearing WCW armbands. Today, 40 students didn't go to school but gathered close by the school and had a march down Whittier Blvd. in ELA, carrying signs and chanting "Ya Basta" "F**k Bush" "Bush Lies, 1000s Die" "Queremos Paz, Quermos Justicia." Then they got on buses to go to Alvarado; when they told the bus driver what they were doing, she let them all ride for free.
--Van Nuys HS: on lockdown. Situation developing as we write. According to students inside, 20 students arrested when they tried to walk out. Students say dean physically assaulted 2 students--including a young woman--to try to prevent them from leaving. Students say they have a right to protest Bush and its unfair for school to try to stop them.
Reseda HS: one student suspended yesterday for "leafletting without proper authorization." Today, students tried to walk out but school principal issues lock down order and locked all the doors to the school. Some students jumped the fence. Reports still coming in from students inside.
Lincoln HS (East LA): 150 students tried to walk out; police blocked the front door and administrators blocked all other exits. Students still trying to figure out how to get out.
Hamilton HS: one group of 20 students walked out led by their assistant vice-principal and went to Westwood; another group of students walked out and went to Crenshaw.
Vista del Lago (Mar Vista): "a lot" of students walked out
Grant HS: 20 students walked out
Beverly Hills HS: some students tried to walk out but were threatened with suspension by admin. Haven't heard back from them.
Downey HS: 10 students walked out
Santa Monica HS & John Adams Middle School: 100s of students walked out
Orthopedic Hospital Medical Magnet HS: 60 students walked out
Harvest Charter School: a number walked out
Fairfax HS: lots of students walked out
South Gate HS: 10 students
Lynwood HS: 40-50 tried to walk out but prevented so they staged a sit-in in front of administration office. Admin. now trying to suspend 4-5 students for trying to walk out.
A WCW activist reported that groups of youth and students were on corners throughout the Pico-Union barrio with WCW signs and banners, chanting WCW slogans (these were beyond the students at Wilshire Alvarado).
300 people came out at Figueroa: a very diverse crowd: 25 critical mass bicyclists; city hall workers in suits; teachers w/ their students; an older gay couple who'd made t-shirts especially for the day with WCW and the web address that they gave away to everyone at the corner; then several waves of high school students that rushed through the corner on their way to Alvarado.
Fairfax: @ 150 people on all 4 corners with banners and signs. Among those present were Out Against the War, Fairfax HS students, Axis of Justice. Lots of homemade signs and banners among a sea of WCW signs and banners; making banners and signs on-the-spot. Lots of honking cars, people on corners leafletting cars, signing up recruits, selling t-shirts. Young and old at their first demo ever agitating on the bullhorn @ why the Bush Regime must go and why the world can't wait.
At Crenshaw: @ 300 people, including students from LA High (escorted by administrators), Hamilton HS, and Harvest Charter School (escorted by their teachers). Very lively chanting, WCW banners and signs.
Vermont: UTLA board member said he and board members were going to join people from Immanuneul Presbyterian Church and Hollywood Congregational Church at noon (but we haven't heard back yet).
Colleen wanted Martha Groves and J. Michael Kennedy's "Angelenos Join in Anti-Bush Protest" (LA Times):
The Westwood rally attracted an estimated 1,200 protesters, including some who walked out of work and school to join in. The nighttime protest clogged traffic in parts of the Westside for hours.
Additionally, an estimated 1,000 Los Angeles students walked out of local high schools Wednesday for various daytime protests around the city. Among the schools hit by walkouts were Los Angeles High, Hamilton High and Lincoln High.
The protests were put together by World Can't Wait, a coalition formed recently to stage the rallies. The protesters used the anniversary of Bush's reelection to call for his resignation in major population centers that included Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Chicago.
At the Wednesday evening rally in Westwood, two dozen cardboard boxes were draped with American flags to resemble caskets.
[. . .]
Monica Carazo, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District, said World Can't Wait sent out fliers to schools urging students to leave school on the day of the protest.
"A lot of us were wondering where they were going," she said.
The protests began about noon along Wilshire Boulevard. Various speakers and musicians participated, including jazz vocalist Rickie Lee Jones; Edwin Ellis, the president of Veterans for Peace, Los Angeles; activist Bianca Jagger, and organizer Lucy Lee.
Colleen's argument for including the LA Times article was strong. The Los Angeles Times is not indymedia but it did actually report on the World Can't Wait activities. The New York Times sure didn't. So we'll make an exception and note them here.
Last night, I made a crack about Van Nuys (which I stand by -- not the people who live there, the ones in charge of the area) and Doyle found an article with more on the lockdown, Dana Bartholomew's "High school lockdown linked to Bush protest" (LA Daily News):
Van Nuys High School was temporarily locked down Wednesday after students protested against the Bush administration as part of a national demonstration.
Van Nuys High School Principal Herman Clay directed students to remain on campus and at their desks for 1 1/2 hours after he said two dozen students disrupted classes during the protest.
Some students said administrators threatened them with expulsion if they left campus and that one student was thrown to the ground as campus police attempted to take their pictures.
The lockout occurred as 1,000 Los Angeles students - including about 15 or 20 from Van Nuys High School who were accompanied by an administrator - left class to join a midday rally hosted by The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime. The New York-based group had staged protests in 70 U.S. cities.
"We had a few other kids, I suppose in sympathy, they went around campus uttering anti-Bush statements," said Clay, who locked down the campus between 10:45 a.m. and the end of lunch. "They had refused a directive to go to class."
"This really wasn't a big deal. We only went through (the lockdown) because we didn't want to take the risk of more kids out of class."
The Los Angeles protest included a midday march down Wilshire Boulevard and a rally held outside the Federal Building.
The Providence Phoenix runs a big, long, pointless whine that may have been pertinent a year ago but only demonstrates how out of touch the writer is. As Lily notes, "It's so nice for these people who never bother to get informed just sit around with their thumbs up their asses pretending to have studied the situation as they give the most banal of 'analysis.'"
Micah e-mails to note "The feathers war hawk Hillary [Clinton]" -- Kristen Lombardi's "Cindy Sheehan for President: Or Senate. The Anti-war left seeks a challenger for Hillary Clinton" (The Village Voice):
Not surprisingly, activists take issue with her October 2002 vote to authorize President Bush to use military force in Iraq. And they find fault with votes the senator has cast ever since. She has backed every war appropriations bill, totaling hundreds of billions of dollars. She has filed legislation calling for expanding the U.S. Army by 80,000 soldiers over four years. And she has yet to push for a firm timetable for American troop withdrawal.
Leaders in the anti-war movement brought their complaints to the senator last month, as part of a Capitol Hill lobbying effort. On September 22, Clinton met with the movement's superstar, Sheehan, in a well-publicized meeting. New York activists, by contrast, got some face time with a legislative aide four days later. Thirty or so people, representing organizations from Syracuse to Albany and Manhattan, showed up at Clinton's office. They crammed a tiny room, surrounding the aide so, in the words of Colin Eager of Buffalo, "he'd feel a little bit of pressure."
They came with one request: They want Clinton to embrace a Senate resolution, sponsored by Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold, urging President Bush to submit to Congress a timeline for withdrawal. To activists, Eager says, the measure "is an immediate, concrete thing she could and should do. It's not a radical thing to ask the president for an exit plan."
Clinton, however, has yet to respond. (In fact, only one senator, California Democrat Barbara Boxer, has signed on to the bill.) Says Eisenberg, who also attended the September 26 meeting, "I can only conclude the senator is just not interested in our message."
[. . .]
Douglas Muzzio, who teaches political science at Baruch College, explains that activists "are asking Clinton to do the impossible." Activists tend to see the senator's positions as politically expedient, cold calculations designed to please everyone. But Muzzio sees it differently. "I think she believes in her votes. She is like a neo-liberal," he says, a true liberal on social issues, a true hawk on defense.
In other words, he says, "she is not their natural ally. She's not their 'it' anyway."
I've deleted a bunch of nonsense from the above. Not the journalist's nonsense but a lot of "defenders." Hillary needs to speak for herself and if she doesn't, she shouldn't be surprised if a planned run for president is derailed by others' truths about the health care plan of the 90s. This won't be the right screaming "socialized medicine!" This would be from people who worked on this issue for some time before 1992 and feel that universal health care was trashed in efforts by Hillary and company to appease the insurance companies.
Unlike the sadly named "Count Dookie" of Providence (kids, stay away from his "chocolate" cereal), Anya Kamenetz has a grasp on reality. Rachel e-mails to note Kamenetz's "Generation Debt: The New Economics of Being Young" (The Village Voice):
One Saturday this summer, Monique Dols, a Columbia University senior and a national leader of the Campus Antiwar Network (CAN), saw again why she has been working so hard to reach potential military recruits. "We were handing out flyers for an event with the brother of a military resister," Dols says of that day in Washington Heights. "Three 16-year-old [ROTC] cadets walked by in full military uniform. We started talking to them, and it turned out they were completely against the war. They had joined because it was an after-school program that provided structure and something for them to do. The priorities of a society that puts millions into military recruitment and continually cuts funding for after-school programs, that's backward, and that's the reality people are responding to."
When this column first covered counter-recruitment in January, the movement was a scattered, grassroots phenomenon, led by old-guard lefty organizations like the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors and Veterans for Peace. Since then, public opinion has turned decisively against the war in Iraq, and the active-duty army fell 8.5 percent short of its recruiting goals in the period that ended September 30, its worst year since 1979; the National Guard and army reserves did even worse. Counter-recruitment is growing into a truly broad, multigenerational, national movement that serves as a model for how diverse constituencies on the left can and should work together.
Jonah notes the news of NYC's World Can't Wait rally, Jed Brandt's "World Can't Wait, NYC: Hundreds Walk-Out, Thousands March" (NYC Indymedia):
I'm putting the size estimate at 2,000, with surges and ebbs along the way. It seemed that around 600 were gathered listening to the speakers, but as the march began crowds of students came in from the West and South sides of Union Square, swelling into the street and stretching for blocks.
Many people joined and fell away from the march as it progressed, with peaks that appeared significantly larger as the march moved through midtown. I have rarely seen this kind of spontaneous joining of protests. This says as much for the mood of the city as the spirit of the crowd.
Walkouts were organized at Midwood, Roslyn, Saunders, Beacon, and Notre Dame high schools. Campus walkouts came from Hunter College, CCNY, Baruch, Westchester Community College, with a lunchtime surge of NYU students at the Union Square rally.
Of the core crowd, 75% were high school and college students who had walked out from city-wide high schools and Manhattan campuses. The crowd was energetic, and noticably distinct from the "usual suspects" of the New York activist left who were conspicuously missing in action as coherent groupings.
The crowd was thoroughly diverse by race, with whites about 50% of the crowd; the rest evenly divided among Latinos, Blacks and Asians. There were no religious groups clustered by distinctive clothing. Unlike many protests in the thousands, there were no observable contingents based on identity or ideology. High-school crews and a horn/drum band created energy eddies in the crowd.
There was a red-and-black flag, a few American flags -- and the omnipresent flash green of the World Can't Wait stickers and placards.
Duncan e-mails to note Sofia Jarrin-Thomas' "The World Can't Wait: Students Against the War" (Boston IMC):
Cambridge Latin High School students came to protest in spite of what they called an "empty threat" from the principal to suspend them for three days if they joined the national day of action against the war.
The students were also greeted by Harvard staff who have been protesting the war every Wednesday at noon, ever since the Abu Ghraib torture scandal erupted, by walking in silent protest around campus. Similar walkouts occur every Wednesday at Boston College and Boston University.
"It's so good to see all these young people coming out against the war!" said an elderly activist who has regularly walked out on Wednesdays.
One of the organizers, Steven Bloomfield, spoke to the crowd about meeting hate with healing as a tool for defeating the architects of war. "We will not become victims of this war," he said. He recently was awarded the 2005 Peace and Justice Award by the Cambridge Peace Commission for his commitment to anti-war activism.
Racism, classism, and relocating funds to social causes instead of a war were many of the issues talked about at the protest. According to the National Priorities Project, the cost of war totaled about $205 billion by the end of the 2005 fiscal year.
The "World Can't Wait" campaign was set up as a civilian response to the Bush administration's mishandling and cover-up of intelligence to pursue an illegal war in Iraq.
Eddie e-mails to note Pete's "It Went Down Downtown" (Houston Indymedia):
A noontime rally today at Market Square, organized by the World Can’t Wait Coalition, demanded the removal of the current right wing administration. Touted as "the beginning of the end of the Bush regime" the rally coincided with last year’s contested election and sought to launch the mobilization of opposition groups of all stripes.
Members of local band Free Radicals started things off by playing drums. Although no horns were available, the duo succeeded in paying homage to the Crescent City by thumping a mildly rousing New Orleans beat. The following 10 or so speakers represented a wide array of people concerned about the state of the United States and its government. The organizers of the event, some of them aligned with the Revolutionary Communist Party, issued a call to action to counter the horrible atrocities and failures of the Bush administration. Their literature (some of which was recited by a speaker) declares "your Government, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights." This writer agrees with the above statement but wonders about the use of "your government?" It seems that, assuming we live in this country, “our government” or, simply, "the government" would be appropriate.
Preferring to paint the town with pastel touches, as opposed to plain red, Jerome and Dominguez slammed some soul-elevating political poetry. The poem by Jerome was an intensely angry yet creative piece. Its message of unity was felt by everyone. Dominguez gave us a soul-searching social critique. I laughed, I thought of things in new and unsuspected ways, and I found out that he has a great singing voice.
A woman from New Orleans spoke of her desperate fight for survival in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Her story was frightening and seemed to further confirm that governments need to prioritize human lives. George Rider spoke of the immense ecological challenges we face. The New Black Panther Party was there in force. They called for power to be in the hands of the common people. Nick, a local writer/ activist/musician, warned of the dangers of authoritarianism. He encouraged people to get involved in non-hierarchical groups such as indymedia.
The rally was inspiring but was weakly attended (there were 30 to 70 people). Maybe a Saturday or Sunday rally would draw a bigger crowd.
Liang e-mails to note "PROTESTS IN SAN FRANCISCO AND NATIONWIDE TO 'STOP' THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION" (SF Bay Area Indymedia):
People held rallies, feeder marches, and caravans from all over the Bay Area to gather in San Francisco. They converged at 12pm in San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, rallied from 12pm to 1pm, marched at 1:30pm, and an ended with another rally at 4:30pm in Civic Center Plaza. The march down Mission Street and back up Market was a sea of energized youth carrying aloft the distinctive WCW signs, doted with red “Not Our President! – Not in Our Name” posters and Earth flags.
Event speakers included Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace, California State Senator Carole Migden, SF Supervisor Chris Daly, CODEPINK’s Media Benjamin, Jeff Paterson on behalf of Not in Our Name, Paul George of the Pennisula Peace and Justice Center, a taped message from Mumia Abu Jamal, and a statement from WCW initiators the Revolutionary Communist Party.
After the main march left Civic Center, there was an unpermited breakaway march. As the march moved up Mission Street, a Molotov cocktail was tossed at the Chronicle Building. Near the end of the march, a small group sat down in the the street near Hyde and Market as a form of direct action. The police moved in and nine protesters were arrested. A tenth protester was arrested accused of having Molotov cocktails in their posession.
Tommy e-mails to note "Report from Atlanta" (The World Can't Wait):
500 to 600 people gathered in Woodruff Park downtown for the 1 PM rally. The crowd was mainly college and high school students. At least 7 high schools and 1 middle school had walkouts. The MC's of the rally were two students, one from Georgia State University and one from Spelman College, both of whom introduced themselves as having been activists for a whole 2 months! The first part of the rally was high school and middle schools students coming up to talk about why they came and what happened at the walkouts. At one high school, the administration had called an "intruder alert" at 10:45 AM, which means all the doors were shut and no one was allowed to leave their classrooms. The walkout had been scheduled for 11 AM. The "alert" was over at 11:15. One student walked out during the alert; others left when it was over. At another school, students were threatened with suspension and not being allowed to graduate.The rally was high energy and featured local hip-hop group The Expatriots. Speakers included the mother of the first soldier from Georgia to be killed in the Iraq War; the deputy director for the Southern Region of Amnesty International on the torture policy of the Bush administration, vice president of Concerned Black Clergy on the lessons of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, and a representative of A Justice for All coalition on the threat of the Alito nomination on abortion rights. A whole group of students from Spelman College spoke as well. Someone from the crowd came up to speak about the hunger strike going on at Guantanamo. The World Can't Wait announcement was made by a group of high school students.
Many older activists at the rally were amazed and inspired by the outpouring of so many passionate and outspoken youth. There was a sense that a new movement among high school and college students has emerged on the scene as of November 2nd.The day ended with a spirited march through downtown. Many youth on the march now see themselves as organizers of the movement to Drive Out the Bush Regime!
500 to 600 people gathered in Woodruff Park downtown for the 1 PM rally. The crowd was mainly college and high school students. At least 7 high schools and 1 middle school had walkouts. The MC's of the rally were two students, one from Georgia State University and one from Spelman College, both of whom introduced themselves as having been activists for a whole 2 months! The first part of the rally was high school and middle schools students coming up to talk about why they came and what happened at the walkouts. At one high school, the administration had called an "intruder alert" at 10:45 AM, which means all the doors were shut and no one was allowed to leave their classrooms. The walkout had been scheduled for 11 AM. The "alert" was over at 11:15. One student walked out during the alert; others left when it was over. At another school, students were threatened with suspension and not being allowed to graduate.The rally was high energy and featured local hip-hop group The Expatriots. Speakers included the mother of the first soldier from Georgia to be killed in the Iraq War; the deputy director for the Southern Region of Amnesty International on the torture policy of the Bush administration, vice president of Concerned Black Clergy on the lessons of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement, and a representative of A Justice for All coalition on the threat of the Alito nomination on abortion rights. A whole group of students from Spelman College spoke as well. Someone from the crowd came up to speak about the hunger strike going on at Guantanamo. The World Can't Wait announcement was made by a group of high school students.Many older activists at the rally were amazed and inspired by the outpouring of so many passionate and outspoken youth. There was a sense that a new movement among high school and college students has emerged on the scene as of November 2nd.The day ended with a spirited march through downtown. Many youth on the march now see themselves as organizers of the movement to Drive Out the Bush Regime!
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
world can/'t wait
Democracy Now: Rosa Parks' life celebrated by Jesse Jackson, Bernice King, Bill Clinton, Aretha Franklin, Joseph Lowery, Jennifer Granholm, Al Sharpton ...
HRW Identifies Poland or Romania as Location of Secret CIA Prison
The Bush administration is refusing to confirm or a deny a Washington Post account that the CIA is using a secret, Soviet-era prison run in Eastern Europe to hold prisoners. The prison is apparently a part of global network of CIA-run prisons in several countries. At the request of US officials. the Post did not reveal the location of the facilities. Human Rights Watch has identified Poland and Romania as likely locations, citing flight records of CIA aircraft transporting detainees from Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the Polish defense ministry denied the allegations to the Financial Times. A Romanian spokesperson declined comment. Agence France Presse is reporting Czech Republic Interior Minister Frantisek Bublan says his country recently turned down a US request to set up a detention center on its territory.
Carter Criticizes Bush Administration on Torture, Iraq War
In light of the Washington Post revelations, Bush administration officials insist they will not tolerate the use of torture at home or in any foreign prisons. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said: "We're doing everything we can to protect America but we obviously do everything we can to do it in a way that's consistent with our legal obligations." Yet there are no indications the Bush administration has dropped a controversial proposal that would exempt CIA agents from a Senate ban on torture. Speaking in New York yesterday, President Jimmy Carter criticized the Bush administration's stance: "The insistence by our government that the CIA or others have the right to torture prisoners in Guantanamo and around the World is just one indication of what this administration has done that's a radical departure from past policies." Carter also lashed out at the Bush administration's justifications for the war on Iraq. Carter said: "I think that the claims that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and the claims that he had massive weapons of mass destruction that would threaten our country were manipulated at least to mislead the American people into going to war."
U.S. Launch Lethal Air Strikes While Attacks Kill Dozens in Iraq
In Iraq, separate incidents claimed the lives of at least 53 Iraqi civilians and six U.S. troops Wednesday. Two U.S. troops were killed near Ramadi when insurgents reportedly shot down their helicopter. The Washington Post reports U.S. aircraft returned and dropped bombs near the crash site, killing at least 20 people. Elsewhere in the country, a suicide bomber exploded a minibus in an outdoor market in the town of Musayyib, killing 20 people and wounding 60 others.
Groups Call on CPB Board to Release Investigator's Report
In this country, a coalition of grassroots organizations is calling on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to release a long-expected inspector general's investigation into wrongdoing by former Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson. Common Cause, the Center for Digital Democracy and Free Press have urged the CPB's board of directors to immediately release the report, which has only been reviewed in private. Tomlinson is accused of committing ethical and procedural breaches and misusing CPB funds.
The above four items are from today's Democracy Now! Headlines and were selected by Norah, Brian, Sam and Liang. Democracy Now! ("always worth watching," as Marcia says):
Headlines for November 3, 2005
- Funeral Service Held For Rosa Parks in Detroit
- HRW Identifies Possible Locations of Secret CIA Prisons
- Carter Criticizes Bush Administration on Torture, Iraq War
- Republicans Debate Rove's Future at White House
- U.S. Launch Lethal Air Strikes While Attacks Kill Dozens in Iraq
- Ex-Bolivian President Served Legal Summons in Washington
- GOP Proposes Cutting 300,000 Off Food Stamps
Jesse Jackson Delivers Eulogy at Rosa Parks Funeral: "Her Legacy is Secure. Her Work, Unfinished"
Over 4,000 people gathered in Detroit for the funeral of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on Wednesday. The funeral capped a week of tributes to the woman often referred to as the mother of the civil rights movement. Civil rights leaders, Congressmembers, Senators, pastors and many others spoke at the service. The Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered the eulogy. We play excerpts of the service. [includes rush transcript]
Bill Clinton: Rosa Parks "Made Us See and Agree that Everyone Should Be Free"
Former President Bill Clinton was one of the first speakers at the funeral of Rosa Parks Wednesday in Detroit. Clinton said, "Let us never forget that in that simple act and a lifetime of grace and dignity, she showed us every single day what it means to be free. She made us see and agree that everyone should be free. God Bless you Rosa Parks." [includes rush transcript]
Bernice King Delivers Remarks at Rosa Parks Funeral on Behalf of Her Mother, Coretta Scott King
The Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King delivered remarks on behalf of her mother - who recently suffered a stroke - at the funeral of Rosa Parks.
Michigan Gov. Granholhm: Rosa Parks is "Our Own Gently Powerful War Hero"
Jennifer Granholm - the first female Governor of Michigan - spoke at the funeral of Rosa Parks Wednesday. She compared Parks to a war hero and ended by saying, "By your actions [Rosa Parks] you have given us your final marching orders, we are enlisted in this war and on behalf of the state of Michigan ma'am, we are reporting for duty."
Joseph Lowery Calls on Condoleezza Rice to Extend Voting Rights Act
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a long-time civil rights activist and the co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was among the speakers the funeral of Rosa Parks. Lowery was also active in the movement to desegregate public transportation in Alabama in the early 1950's.
Al Sharpton: "Jim Crow Had Sons...He's a Little More Polished But the Results Are the Same"
Speaking at the funeral of Rosa Parks Wednesday, the Reverend Al Sharpton connected the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 60s to the struggles that are taking place today.
Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin Joins Jesse Jackson to Pay Tribute to Rosa Parks
Rev. Jesse Jackson's eulogy ended with him and the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin on stage together paying tribute to Rosa Parks.
Where Have All the Fighters Gone? Juan Gonzalez Analyzes the New York City Mayoral Race
Democracy Now! co-host and Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez gives an analysis of the New York City mayoral race between Republican Michael Bloomberg and Democrat Fernando Ferrer and talks about the lack of focus on urban America by both corporate and progressive journalists.
Keshawn e-mails to note Margaret Kimberley's "Bush and the Pirates on Trial" (Freedom Rider, The Black Commentator):
The name Lewis "Scooter" Libby was not a household word until very recently. That is how many very powerful people operate, in the shadows, known only to a few. Libby is now very well known. He was chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney until an indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice forced him to resign.
Libby is charged with lying under oath to a grand jury in the case of the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. Plame's husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, came under attack from Cheney, Libby and the rest of the Bushmen when he revealed the administration's lies about nuclear capabilities in Iraq, lies that helped make the case for war.
On July 14, 2003, conservative columnist Robert Novak revealed Plame's name, a possible violation of the law. It was difficult for special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald to determine if the law had been violated, but it became crystal clear that Libby was fibbing.
Valerie Plame's identity was not the only fact revealed in this melodrama. It became clearer just how cozy the Washington press corps had become with the Bush administration, and that Dick Cheney wields considerable power.
Corey e-mails to note Amitabh Pal's "New Yorker gets it wrong on Scowcroft versus Bush Junior" (Amitabh Pal's Weekly Column, The Progressive):
The Iraq debacle has discredited the neoconservative belief system so badly that even dated ideologies are making a comeback.
Take Jeffrey Goldberg's largely complimentary profile of Brent Scowcroft in the October 31, 2005, issue of The New Yorker.
Scowcroft, President Ford and President Bush senior's national security adviser, is emblematic of the realist foreign policy approach. (His mentor, after all, was none other than Henry Kissinger, who, when the United States abandoned the Kurds in the mid-1970s, infamously commented that "covert action should not be confused with missionary work.") Goldberg flatteringly juxtaposes Scowcroft's realism with the crackpot idealism of the neoconservatives, implying that if President Bush Junior had listened more closely to his father's counselor, then the world would be a better place.
Scowcroft was certainly one of the first members of the foreign policy establishment to come out against an Iraq invasion, penning an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on August 15, 2002.
"The central point is that any campaign against Iraq, whatever the strategy, cost, and risks, is certain to divert us for some indefinite period from our war on terrorism," he wrote. "Worse, there is a virtual consensus in the world against an attack on Iraq at this time. So long as that sentiment persists, it would require the U.S. to pursue a virtual go-it-alone strategy against Iraq, making any military operations correspondingly more difficult and expensive."
But just because he was right about some of the negative consequences of the war doesn't necessarily mean that his hard-bitten worldview is a decent alternative to the aggressive militarism of the neoconservatives. He has, throughout his career, been an apologist for dictatorships and now does business with some of them through the Scowcroft Group, the consulting firm he operates.
He was a military assistant to President Nixon at the end of the Vietnam War.
Lawanda e-mails to note Dennis Kucinich's "Democrats: It's the War" (In These Times):
Ending the war in Iraq is right for a lot of reasons. The war was unjustified, unnecessary and unprovoked. It is counterproductive, strengthening al-Qaeda and weakening the moral authority of the United States. It is deadly: Many Americans, and many, many more Iraqis, have been killed or injured as a result of the fighting. And it is costly: Well over $250 billion in taxpayer funds have already been spent, with no end in sight.
It is also increasingly unpopular. For all these reasons, plus the increased spotlight that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita put on how much the war is draining resources desperately needed at home, Democrats should clearly call for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. If Democrats do not make this the centerpiece of their campaign in 2006, they risk repeating recent history, in which they failed to recover seats in the House and Senate.
National Democratic leaders have already tried, and tried again, to ignore the war, and it didn't work politically. During the 2002 election cycle, when Democrats felt they had historical precedent on their side--the president's party always loses seats in the mid-term election--the Democratic leadership in Congress cut a deal with the president to bring the war resolution to a vote, and appeared with him in a Rose Garden ceremony. "Let no light show" between Democrats and President Bush on foreign policy was the leadership's strategy, and it yielded a historic result: For the first time since Franklin Roosevelt, a president increased his majorities in both houses of Congress during a recession.
Then, in 2004, with the president vulnerable on the war, the Democratic Party again sacrificed the opportunity to distinguish itself from Bush. Members avoided the issue of withdrawal from Iraq in the Party platform, omitted it from campaign speeches and deleted it from the national convention.
Why is it an unconscionable political blunder to sweep the war and occupation of Iraq under the rug? Because the war is one of the most potent political scandals of all time, and it has energized grassroots activity all over the country.
Marcia notes Katha Pollitt's "Madam President, Madam President" (The Nation):
I can't help it. I love Commander in Chief. Sure, it's cheesy and underwritten and not as good as The West Wing. More story lines, please! More characters! More witty banter and moral ambiguity and multiple crises all coming to a head at the same time! But in a TV season in which the major network roles for women over 30 are as desperate housewives in size 0 stretch pants, this feminist fantasy about the first woman President gives me a thrill every Tuesday night at 9. Maybe there's more to life than Wisteria Lane, after all. I love Geena Davis as President Mackenzie "Mac" Allen, so unflappable and warm and confident and kind and clever, to say nothing of gorgeous and six feet tall. But then I've loved Geena Davis ever since she wrote a letter to Newsweek, at the height of the "date rape hype" hysteria, pointing out that speaking out against rape wasn't embracing the role of victim but rejecting it. Commander in Chief makes you realize how rarely on TV you get to see a woman in charge who isn't a dragon or a bundle of nerves--or a likable one who isn't incompetent, clumsy, silly or self-hating. Imagine, the show's been on since September 27, and Mac hasn't--yet--dissolved into a puddle of tears from the stress of running the free world while raising three kids and foiling the plots of sexist Republican Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton, played with delicious malice by Donald Sutherland.
Even more amazing, her husband, Rod Calloway (Kyle Secor), isn't sulking and acting out, even though one of Mac's first official acts when she moved up from being Vice President was to fire him as her Chief of Staff because otherwise people would assume he was running the show. He takes being First Gentleman with a sense of humor, pitches in equally with the kids and still wants to have sex. More miraculous still, so does Mac. Well, I said it was a fantasy. (Update: Looks like trouble is brewing in paradise. Sigh.)
Pundits wonder out loud if Commander in Chief will pave the way for a real-life woman President, like--oh let's just pick a name out of a hat--Hillary Clinton. Far be it from me to suggest that TV dramas don't affect Americans' real-life attitudes--I'd never even heard of cosmopolitans before Sex and the City and now I drink them all the time. The show may persuade some voters that it would be cool to have a woman President--"Madam President" has a nice ring to it. But it's unlikely to reach the gender-prejudiced. The substantial minority of voters who, according to polls, wouldn't vote for a woman nominated by their own party probably aren't watching the show, and besides, they're most likely Republicans (20 percent, versus 7 percent of Democrats) who would sooner admit the Earth is more than 10,000 years old than vote for Hillary. Mac Allen, moreover, is so androgynously terrific--even her name is unisex--she's less like a real woman politician than like one of Shakespeare's cross-dressing heroines--Rosalind, or Portia. It's hard to think of a woman within a thousand miles of the White House she doesn't make look frumpy and fussy and old and short.
Marcia asks if Ava and I are going to review Commander-in-Chief this weekend (The Third Estate Sunday Review)? No. We're doing a drama but that's not it.
Lynda e-mails to note Richard C. Crepeau's "Good Night and Good Luck" (Pop Politics):
Edward R. Murrow can be credited as the man who invented television journalism, having first perfected radio journalism during World War II. It should then be no big surprise that there is a high volume media buzz over the new film Good Night and Good Luck, George Clooney's homage to Edward R. Murrow.
The focus of the film is the April, 1954, television broadcast on CBS produced by Fred Friendly and Murrow exposing the overblown accusations, bullying methods and attack on individual rights by Senator Joseph McCarthy. At the time of the broadcast McCarthy was already moving precariously close to disaster.
The "See It Now" broadcast by Murrow, Friendly and CBS did not bring Joe McCarthy down under the force of Murrow's critical analysis, but it did give the teetering senator a push on the slippery slope. McCarthy was in trouble. His own Republican party was set to jettison him as a liability when he dared to take on the Army and therefore the Eisenhower administration. It was fine when McCarthy attacked Democrats and pinkos, but it was no longer amusing when he attacked the Secretary of the Army. A large number of newspapers and magazines had already done what Murrow did on "See It Now."
Liz e-mails to note Glen Ford and Peter Gamble's "Immunity Sought for Uncle Tom Behavior" (The Black Commentator):
Uncle Tom. Sellout. Race traitor. Minstrel. Self-hater. Sambo.
African Americans, who have known for centuries that living, breathing, groveling, shuffling characters walk among us who actually match these caricatures, have been put on notice that it is taboo to point out the obvious.
One would think white media and politicians would have enough to do, policing the racist statements of their own group. Yet instead of deploying their censorship squads to suppress explicit and implicit white supremacist speech -- which flows like a daily tsunami from George Bush's Confederate/Republican Party and all its unofficial manifestations -- corporate media and Democrats make common cause to suppress the free speech of Black writers and artists who dare to confront other Black people who have committed political offenses against African Americans.
How dare these bastions of white power and privilege attempt to act as arbiters of African American discourse! Seldom listening to Black people, they are quick to lecture at Blacks, insanely believing that white institutions -- and this includes Blacks who serve those institutions -- have earned even a subatomic particle's worth of moral authority in Black America.
The latest Dem/GOP/corporate assault on Black internal political autonomy targeted The News Blog, operated by Black New Yorker Steve Gilliard. Gilliard altered a photo of Maryland's Black Republican Lt. Governor, Michael S. Steele, a candidate for U.S. senator, to conform more closely to the historical archetype that Steele's reflexive subordinate behavior most resembles. "Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house," read the caption under what Gilliard had made to look like a flyer for Steele's one-man minstrel show.
Gilliard's blog, which he says gets about 15,000 visits per day, routinely lays waste to the high-and-mightily-evil Right. He has posted a photo of Bush cabal-embedded New York Times reporter Judith Miller, captioned: "The Face of Treason." A picture of New Orleans cops beating a retired Black school teacher was altered to depict the policemen wearing Ku Klux Klan robes, explaining: "The nigger made us beat him. It's his fault." Good stuff.
A few weeks before Gilliard put Lt. Gov. Steele in proper visual context, Black Republican Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell -- the vampire of 2004 who sucked the franchise out of that state's African American voters -- got The News Blog treatment.
The country club circuit is also what got Maryland's Michael Steele on Gilliard's dis-list. Steele's running mate (read, boss) Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., held a fund-raiser at a country club that had never in its 127-year history admitted an African American -- a non-problem as far as Steele was concerned. Rather, the senatorial aspirant, who may face former NAACP executive director and Democratic congressman Kweisi Mfume in the 2006 election, spends most of his "white" time badmouthing Blacks -- the primary function of his ilk -- in places like the Elkridge Club. Let the picture fit the crime.
"Generally, it is an accurate depiction of Steele's groveling, lackey behavior," said Gilliard, in an email to the Baltimore Sun. "It is 2005, and such an institution should not exist, nor should a governor with as many black people as the state of Maryland attend a function at such a place."
Ericka e-mails to note Jon Platner's "Who Is Samuel Alito?" (Planned Parenthood):
Concern over Alito's nomination is not limited to issues of reproductive freedom. In several cases related to gender and racial discrimination at the workplace, Alito endorsed standards of evidence that would make it substantially more difficult for victims of employee discrimination to prove their cases or even bring them to trial. Alito has also issued several judicial opinions that fly in the face of the constitutional separation of church and state.
On the day that Alito's nomination was announced, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NE) told Reuters that Alito might be "too radical for the American people." He said he looks forward to meeting Judge Alito and learning why right-wing extremists "are so much more enthusiastic about him than they were about Harriet Miers."
Planned Parenthood already understands why right-wing extremists are so enthusiastic about Alito's nomination. His judicial philosophy is far to the right of Justice O'Connor's. Based on his past ruling in Casey, we believe that Judge Alito would vote with the extremists on the court to further undermine reproductive and privacy rights.
Planned Parenthood did not oppose John Roberts' nomination until we had a chance to hear him explain his views in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. But Samuel Alito is a different case. His judicial record leaves no room for ambiguity on how he would rule in cases that challenge our most basic rights.
Planned Parenthood opposes the nomination of Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Alito could radically transform the Supreme Court and create a direct threat to the health and safety of American women.
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