THE INDYPENDENT Issue #57, September 22 – October 5, 2004 • a free paper for free people HAVING A MAD TIME DIRTY DEALINGS • IRAQ REELING

ANDREW SMENOS COVER BLOWN: Liberals Get Kerryied Away COLOMBIA’S PAGE 15 DEALER-IN-CHIEF PAGE 11 PROTESTS GO MOBILE PAGE 13 nyc.indymedia.org MAYIMBE 2 SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 THE INDYPENDENT in the entire editorialprocess. in theentire clarity. We welcomeyourparticipation forlength,contentand edit articles ofparticipation. forms weencourage all unteer support, onvol- entirely relying organization Asan theoffice. just helpusrun totheweb,takephotosor articles events andrallies,self-publish Michael Ulrich,MatthewWasserman Suzy Subways, John Tarleton, Rhianna T Sarah Stuteville, Sparkman, CatrionaStuart, Erica Sackin,AnnSchneider, ShebaSethi,Tim James Powell, Nuckel, Ryan Nordstrom, Ana Nogueira,Jennifer LeanneMurphy,Moore, Nik Mishal, Neri, Lydia Krales, F.Ti AdamLouie,Am A.K. 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We are in-depth andaccuratecoverageof progressive, ethicbyproviding media media activists. networkofvolunteer international an is the IndependentMediaCenter theworld, than 100citiesthroughout With autonomouschaptersinmore WHAT ISINDYMEDIA? NYC IndependentMediaCenter NEW YORKCITY The print team reserves therightto The printteamreserves The Indypendent anew The IMCseekstocreate NYC: www.nyc.indymedia.org GLOBAL: www.indymedia.org MEDIA CENTER [email protected] INDEPENDENT 34 E.29thSt.2ndFloor political andculturalself-repre- Donald Paneth,KatePerkins,M mothy Martin, EdgarMata,Yonimothy Martin, Office andMail: Office 212.684.8112 Shawn Redden,FrankReynoso, NY, NY10016 cia, Alfredo Garzon, Garzon, cia, Alfredo The Indypendent Phone: Email: Web: is fundedbybene- community-based media tofacili- Neela ark Pickens, yson, Flugen- , film elia H. WHERE DOIGETMYCOPYOF BELOW 14THST. dance andmore; music, film,poetry, Art, Resistance. tinian Cultural ents atributetoPales- pres- Al-Awda Massacres, of theSabraandShatila and the22ndAnniversary oftheIntifada Anniversary Commemorating the4th CULTURAL RESISTANCE AL-AWDA FESTIVAL OF 7 –11PM•Free www.times-up.org North Union Square their cities; of ily car-cloggedstreets together toridetheordinar- clists spontaneouslycome monthwhenbicy- every cities onthelastFridayof of event heldinhundreds This isaninternational CRITICAL MASS 7PM •Free www.worldunityfestival.com W. 218thSt.andIndianRd. Inwood HillPark 9/26); (through cators andactivists leaders,edu- and religious workshops,Indigenous arts exchanges. Music,visual positivecultural and create age youthempowerment and socialjustice,encour- cultivatepeace awareness, environmental promote spiritual consciousness, The intentionistoraise WORLD UNITYFESTIVAL 10AM –9PM•Free FRI SEPT24 at 34E.29St.,2ndfloor. 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SOARES SOARS TO NOVEMBER BALLOT Muddy David Soares stunned fellow Democrats last week when he upset incumbent Albany District Attorney Paul Clyne in the Sept. 14 primary. Centering his cam- paign on the full repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws, Soares won 62 percent of the vote. Waters "The people of Albany have spoken CRIME & CONTRACTS AT THE ILA loud and clear, and all the DAs in New York state need to hear them," Soares, BY BENNETT BAUMER 38, told the Associated Press. "The Rockefeller drug laws need to be enovese crime family soldier George Barone allegedly repealed." The state’s prosecutors have whacked so many people he couldn’t keep track. “I didn’t been among the main opponents of keep a scorecard, but it was probably ten or twelve,” Barone changing the laws, which have some of G the harshest penalties in the nation for testified in Gambino boss Peter Gotti’s trial last year. Barone got his start in the 1940s as a longshoreman ship cleaner by drug offenses. Soares will face Republican Roger day in Manhattan. By night, he was a mob hit man “protecting” Cusick in the November election, while Genovese interests in the International Longshoremen Association (ILA). Clyne will run on the Independence These days, the now sickly, aging enforcer is better known as CW-1 (a Party line. cooperating witness), and Barone’s cooperation with federal authorities is leading to the arrests of top ILA officials. ILLEGAL DRUGS RETURN TO Harold Daggett, an ILA General Organizer rumored to be next in line TIMES SQUARE to lead the union, was arrested in July for extorting money on the water- That’s right, kids, marijuana, Ecstasy front. and crack cocaine are all back in Times An International Longshoremen mid-level vice president, Louis Square – under glass. The Drug Enfor- Saccenti was charged with perjury this past summer as well. cement Administration hopes its travel- In testimony before the New York/New Jersey Waterfront ing exhibit, Target America: Drug Commission in October 2003, International President John Bowers Traffickers, Terrorists and You, will spoke about the meeting to decide how Daggett was to become his suc- become “the world’s highest profile cessor. The meeting took place in a restaurant with recently indicted antidrug museum.” Miami longshoremen official Arthur Coffey and CW-1, who muscled The exhibit includes replicas of an Bowers into choosing Daggett as the next ILA President. Afghan heroin factory, a motel-room “I know [Barone’s] reputation, I am not going to ask a lot of questions. methamphetamine lab, and a tenement crackhouse – and a display supposedly I am figuring now how the hell to get out of the place,” said Bowers, demonstrating “the link between drugs according to federal court documents. and terror.” It shows “artifacts” from The feds aren’t the only ones responsible for the ILA leadership’s legal the September 11 attacks on the World troubles. Rank-and-file longshoremen are waiting on word from a NIK MOORE Trade Center and Pentagon. Manhattan federal judge on whether their master contract will be struck Target America is brought to New York down. The Indypendent reported voting irregularities and possible fraud discuss and strategize for creating a democratic union. Veteran Baltimore tourists with public and private dollars, during the union’s June contract ratification. Local 333 member John Blom has been active passing out fliers, talking including the generous sponsorship of “We filed a lawsuit and an injunction to stop them from ratifying the to co-workers, and traveling to other ports to speak out against conces- Hewlett-Packard. contract. This effort is about the contract, but also to empower working sions in the master contract. people in the union,” said Leonard Riley of Local 1422 in South Carolina. “The primary issue in Baltimore with young workers is lack of a wage FLICK A BIC TO PICK Riley and others contend that international officials, some with bridge,” Blom said. The master contract, if a judge rules it is valid, pro- A BIKE LOCK close ties to organized crime, take care of their home ports at the vides no way for new hires in the ports who work enough hours to gain Turns out that Kryptonite bicycle locks expense of others. significant pay increases. “Because younger people are employed at a can take a sledgehammer, but not a flick “We feel strongly that some who are international and local officers lower rate, it’s cheaper to give them the work and that means there is less of the wrist with the right kind of pen. Long haven’t represented the whole coast. They use their clout to get better for [veteran workers].” the standard defense against bike deals in their local agreement,” commented Riley. Locals ratify a master The Port of Baltimore voted down the master contract by a 5-1 major- thieves, "u-locks" can be foiled in sec- onds by inserting the ink tube of a dis- contract and then must bargain their own local contracts with the steve- ity. Blom also contends that a couple years ago international leaders set posable Bic pen. After a few days of inter- dore companies. up Baltimore Local 2066 as a “ghost local” with few real members to net buzz, the lock's manufacturer Riley gave as an example the International’s pension fund. In Port take jurisdiction and power from his local. Local 2066 unanimously Ingersoll-Rand was forced to admit the Charleston, South Carolina, the pension is based on man-hours on the voted for the master contract – with only five people voting. embarrassing design flaw and offered an pier, which Riley said brought in more than $20 million. In contrast, in ILA members in the Philadelphia-Delaware region still haven’t nego- exchange, provided owners produce a reg- New York, shipping companies pay into the fund based also on tonnage tiated a local contract and haven’t ruled out a job action. “It looks very istered key number, anti-theft protection moved. Riley calculated that Charleston would gross more than $200 critical. We’re the largest local in Philadelphia and Delaware, and we’re registration or proof of purchase. While million if its pension was based on tonnage. not taking any cuts,” said Local 1291 Vice President Royce Adams. everyone else is scrambling to find a Longshoremen dissidents held a meeting in Virginia last month to replacement lock now, most bike mes- sengers switched to double-locking heavy chains years ago after industrious thieves don’t miss an issue started using freon to crack the lock. OOH BABY BABY IT’S A WILD WORLD SUBSCRIBE A London-to-Washington flight was divert- ed to Maine on Sept. 21 when it was dis- covered that Yusuf Islam, formerly known as singer Cat Stevens, was aboard the TODAY plane. When Islam’s name surfaced on a “The Indypendent combines the spirit of direct action government watch list, the Transportation Security Administration requested the with a searing critique of corporate power.” plane land at the nearest airport. In THE INDYPENDENT - Naomi Klein Maine, Islam was questioned by FBI and Immigration officials: and denied entry into the United States. Federal officials said Islam was denied entry on national Bill me Check enclosed security grounds, but had no details about why the peace activist might be consid-

Name ered a risk to the U.S. Islam has vocalized SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 his opposition to all political violence. Address After September 11, Islam issued a state- ment saying: "No right thinking follower of City State Zip Islam could possibly condone such an action: The Quran equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of E-Mail Phone the whole of humanity." Barred from the Subscription rate: $27/year (23 issues). Angel rate: $100/year. Make checks payable to the NYC U.S., Islam was expected to be returned IMC Print Team and send to: 34 East 29th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016. Or for even faster Sept. 22 to London. service email your address to [email protected] and we will begin your subscription right away! 3 4 SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 THE INDYPENDENT I crime statisticsandmaps themaccordingto using COMPSTAT (adatabase thatcompiles Impact beganinJanuary of2003,whenpolice, implemented inthecity lastyear. Operation Schools grewoutofotherpolicingprograms Opportunity Schools.” Centers” thenreassignedtospecial“Second school andplacedin“OffSiteDetention violations, theywouldberemovedfromthe policy. IfaSpotlightStudentcommittedthree be subjectedtoa“Threestrikesyou’reout” dents wouldbecome“SpotlightStudents”and violated schooldisciplinecodes.Thesestu- erance policy”towardstudentswhorepeatedly also includedtheestablishmentofa“zerotol- inside twelve“ImpactSchools.”Theprogram addition toexistingSchoolSafetyOfficers, 150 on-dutyNewYork PoliceOfficers,in ment “OperationImpactSchools.” Department inJanuaryof2004toimple- teamed upwiththeNewYork Police Bloomberg andSchoolChancellorJoelKlein over violentcitypublicschools,Mayor the city. Inresponsetoincreasingconcerns that werelabeledthemostviolentschoolsin eleven otherhighschoolsandjuniorhighs named oneofthe“DirtyDozen”alongwith metal detectors.Lastwinter, theschoolwas means muchmorethantheinconvenienceof for thoseattendingschoolslikeLane,security high schoolstudentsinNewYork City, but their firstclasses. ing uptogetthroughsecuritychecksbefore underway forthestudents,whoarealreadylin- won’t start foroveranhourbutthedayiswell towards FranklinK.LaneHighSchool.School honks fromfrustrateddriversastheyhead around rumblingdeliverytrucks,earning flat-brimmed capsandoversizedteesmaneuver Brooklyn andQueens.Highschoolstudentsin B IMPACT: OPERATION THREE STRIKES,YOU’REOUTOFPUBLICHIGH The DirtyDozen Y The philosophybehindOperationImpact The schoolsecurityprogramplacedabout Metal detectorshavelongbeenarealityfor along JamaicaAvenue neartheborderof morning ushersinthenewschoolyear t is7:30a.m.Acool,bright,September S ARAH S TUTEVILLE New York thegatesofFranklinK.LaneHighSchool. Policepatrol tration, someworry focusing attentionand ment, themayor’s officeandschooladminis- that thecityison right track.” are alwaysdevilsinthedetails.We’re hopeful approach ofOperationImpact,thoughthere is alsoanadvocateofImpact.“We likethe Division attheUnitedFederationofTeachers, their kids’education,”saidBrowne. deal withdisciplineproblemsthatdisrupt are gladtoseesomethingishappening to relieved toseemorepoliceintheschoolsand safety. “Generallyspeaking,peopleare Browne, applaudsthisapproachtoschool will increasefrom150to200. number ofpoliceassignedtotargeted schools to theoriginalImpactSchools,andthat get thesamekindofpoliceattentionapplied revealed thatanadditional30schoolswill while feloniesdropped48percent.Kelly in thepastyearhaddropped10percent, Kelly declaredthatcrimeinImpactSchools school thisyear, PoliceCommissionerRay celebrated asasuccess.Onthefirstdayof megaphones thatstudents“movealong.” outside theentrance,whoregularlyinsistover from aclusterofcopsinsidepatrolcarsparked rity isineffect.Studentsalsoreceiveorders mands ishardlytheonlysignthatstrictsecu- guarding. Robinson’s steadystreamofcom- as theysauntertowardtheirongatesheis shouts OfficerRobinsonatreturningstudents you willnotbeallowedinsidetheschool!” repeat, allparentsmuststayoutsidethegate, get ontheright.Noparentsinschool, cies toplaceslikeFranklinK.LaneHigh. Impact Schools,whichwouldtakethesepoli- wake ofthat,thecitylaunchedOperation summonses andalmost31,000arrests.Inthe Impact asuccessyearlater, citing364,000 presence inthoseneighborhoods. the highestcrimeareasandincreasedpolice crime severityandprecinct),createdalistof But despitesupport fromlawenforce- Jim Baumann,DirectoroftheSafety Deputy CommissioneroftheNYPD,Paul Operation ImpactSchoolshasbeenwidely “If y’allhaveI.D.yougetontheleft,ifnot Mayor Bloomberg declaredOperation PHOTOS: ALEXSTONEHILL percent ofstudentsatLaneareexpectedto extend beyonddisciplinaryissues.Only27 Teach UsDon’t CuffUs. Vargas ofthePrisonMoratoriumProjectand lems areasymptomofthat,”saysRaybblin poverty andunderfunding.Disciplineprob- The realproblemsintheseschoolsare people arebeingdeniedtheirbasicrights. instead ofasocialandeconomiclens,young in publicschoolsthroughacriminallens problems incityschools. funds onsecurityobscurestheunderlying OEALONG: MOVE Problems atmanyoftheImpactSchools “By approachingsolutionstotheproblems City cops enforce security before classbegins. security before City copsenforce who askedthemforI.D. and became“aggressive”withsecurityagents were arrestedwhenthey“gotoutofcontrol” gram. AtFranklinK.Lane,twostudents reported sixarrestsonthefirstdayofpro- week ofOperationImpact’s implementation tal problemsinNewYork Cityschools.” they’ve beguntoaddressthereal,fundamen- put morecopsinthesekids’lives,notthat gram likeImpactonlyprovethattheyhave vinced: “Numbersandstatisticsfromapro- year, alwaysfornothavingmyI.D.inthehalls.” been putindetentionmore,likethreetimeslast the timeanddon’t respecttheteachers.I’ve things seemthesame.“Kidsstillcutclassall that despitetheincreasedpolicepresence, Lane asanexample. under control.TheofficecitedFranklinK. chaotic hallwayshavebeguntobebrought Jacqueline, asophomoreatLane. you inaroom,anddealwithyou,”says when yougetintroubletheygrabyou,put cell phonesallowed,noglassbottles,now don’t put upwithstuffanymore,thereareno Impact, ofcourse,arethestudents.“They city’s publichighschools,saidTaveras. tricts. Onlyabout300counselorsserveallofthe is onlyathirdofthatotherurbanschooldis- and otherstudentsupportservicesinNewYork Education Statistics,spendingoncounseling would knowwherethey’recomingfrom.” would respectthecounselors,andcounselors and thepeoplediscipliningthem.Thekids there couldbearelationshipbetweenthekids be totrainalumniascounselors.“Thatway approach todisciplineinviolentschoolswould tral todisciplineandthatanalternative more police.” night, sheshouldbemetbycounselors,not crying becausetherewasagangshootinglast begin toknow. Ifsomegirlcomestoschool kids aregoingthroughthatwecan’t even the wrongangle.“Therearethingsthese Impact programapproachesdisciplinefrom schools foralmosttwodecades,feelsthatthe intendent whohasworkedinNewYork City Black andLatinopopulations. Schools, allofwhichservepredominately this arerepresentativeofalltheImpact for freelunch.Dishearteningstatisticslike grade leveland89percentofstudentsqualify ninth graderscanreadatanappropriate graduate ontime,only11percentofentering Raybblin Vargas, too,remainsuncon- But Jasmine,alsoasophomoreatLane,says According tothemayor’s office,formerly A The peoplemostaffectedbyOperation According totheNationalCenterfor Taveras believesthatcommunicationiscen- Santiago Taveras, alocalinstructionalsuper- New York Times article publishedthe THE INDYPENDENT SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 5 T.S. AND —S.W. —S.W. rnc followup rnc hose arrested were taken to Pier 57, a disused city bus depot on Police Side Highway. the West PHOTO: ANTRIM CASKEY That account differs radically from that “It was toxic,” says Kathie Bell, who Charlie Griffin, who works in a Jeffrey Parrot says he was held at Pier spoke to a lot of the bus drivers “We “They put down carpeting the last day,” In response, Mayor Bloomberg told the spokesperson Paul Browne told the press that the facility was clean and that no one was held there more than eight hours before being transferred to Central Booking. of the prisoners who wereits kept in barbed-wire-toppedThe holding pens. floors were covered with an oily sub- stance and “chalky black stuff, like char- Stefanelli. “People coal,” says Wendy were covered black dust.” She in this estimates she was there about 12 hours. was held at Pier 57 for 15 hours. “People were starting to break out in welts.” Manhattan hardware store, spent 11 hours at the pier after being arrested near Herald Square on Aug. 31. He says there were yellow signs on walls warning workers to wear protective gog- gles and gloves. 57 for 19 hours, and police “took my cell phone because they said I could make a bomb.” who worked there,” says Joel Kupferman Environmental Law and of the New York Justice Project. “They fueled the buses there, they changed the oil and the trans- mission fluid. A lot of it wound up on the It’s a modern-age tar pit.” floor. Kupferman says that over 100 people held there reported respiratory problems and skin inflammations that lasted more symptoms consistent with than a day, exposure to diesel fuel, but the city Department of Health “didn’t want to hear it.” Kupferman says. Lawyers for the detainees are now testing 60 articles of clothing for toxic contamination, he adds. press that jails are “not supposed to be Club Med.” ‘Not Club Med’ Pier 57 T Police give a protestor CPR on the streets of NYC. Most of the detainees are taking ACDs, highest Under a 1991 ruling by the state’s “It had the appearance of intentionally slow- fundamentally wrong something “There’s In the habeas-corpus writ filed by the Many people are already planning to sue Judge Cataldo will hold a hearing Sept. 27 failure to meet that deadline, says The city’s motorscooter into a crowd of protesters on Aug. “Josh” Banno, an Arizona anar- 30, and Yusuke chist accused of setting fire to a papier-maché dragon at the Aug. 29 march. adjournments in contemplation of dismissal – get arrested again which means that if you don’t within six months, the records are supposed to be sealed, but if you do get arrested again, you have to face both the old and new charges. appearance tickets, desk Others received DATs, essentially a summons. court, everyone arrested in the city must be arraigned or released within 24 hours, except in extenuating circumstances. During the conven- tion, hundreds of people were held for two days were only released after State and or longer, Supreme Court Justice John Cataldo held the city in contempt Sept. 2. “They were ing it down,” says Bruce Bentley. arraigning people on serious felonies faster than they were on DATs.” with 10 hours in jail for shoplifting and 48 hours for protesting,” says NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman. National Lawyers Guild Sept. 1, Connie Steensma of Manhattan alleged that when she called Central Booking to find out what hap- son, she was told “all pened to her 17-year-old of the demonstrators would be held until after President Bush left town.” Kathie Bell says a police officer at Pier 57 told her “you’re being detained to keep you off the streets.” Other detainees say police were simply con- fused and disorganized. the city for false arrest, being held for more than 24 hours, and the conditions at Pier 57. The NYCLU is “certainly” going to litigate on two issues, arrest tactics and the length and condition of detention, says Dunn. the suit will be aimed at stopping However, such practices, not at winning damages for individuals. The Guild plans to sue for unlawful arrests and infringement of First and Fourth Amendment rights, says Bentley. in Additional information is likely to emerge these lawsuits, when the city will be forced to turn over records to the plaintiffs’ lawyers. on whether to hold the city in criminal con- tempt for keeping 470 people in jail past the court-ordered deadline to release them. “suggests that there was either Alex Vitale, gross negligence by numerous police supervi- sors… or there was an intent to keep people off the streets as long as possible.” ARRAIGNMENTS: WITH ALL DELIBERATE SPEED? WITH ALL DELIBERATE That has changed, says Brooklyn College Of the more than 1,800 people arrested, Pre-emptive mass arrests are a common Many people say police couldn’t or wouldn’t Many people say police couldn’t “I wasn’t protesting that day,” says Wendy protesting that day,” “I wasn’t “COURTESY, PROFESSIONALISM & RESPECT”: “COURTESY, sociology professor Alex Vitale, a co-author of sociology professor Alex Vitale, report on the suppression of the the NYCLU’s Feb. 15, 2003 antiwar demonstration. “This approach of rounding up people who have not committed any criminal act under the pretext that they are blocking the sidewalk was used on Square on Sunday a wide scale in both Times the 29th and throughout the day on Tuesday the 31st in numerous areas including Ground Zero, Union Square and the steps of the New he says. “It is a disturb- Public Library,” York ing and unconstitutional development.” with violations, primarily 1,480 were charged parading without a permit and disorderly con- The rest were charged duct, says Bruce Bentley. with misdemeanors, mostly obstructing gov- that basi- ernmental administration – a charge cally translates as “disobeying a police officer” – and resisting arrest. Fifty-six were accused of felonies. All but a handful of those, according have been reduced to misde- to Bentley, meanors. The main exceptions are Jamal with assault- a Harlem youth charged Holliday, ing a plainclothes detective who rode his tactic police used them to disrupt protests; at the 2000 demonstrations against the International Monetary Fund in Washington and the Republican convention in Phil- police have generally adelphia. But New York preferred to use massive numbers of officers and obsessive penning. tell prisoners why they were being arrested. know what I was “My arresting officer didn’t says Bell. Parrot says that being arrested for,” when he asked what he was being charged prob- know, with, the officer told him, “I don’t ably disorderly conduct.” Stefanelli, 35, a clothing stylist from Brooklyn who was arrested at East 26th Street and Park South on Aug. 31. She was on her way Avenue to meet her boyfriend when she saw police throwing a man to the ground. When she tried to call a friend who works for the NYCLU, a man in civilian dress – who’d previously sug- gested that she leave the area – told police, “Arrest those two girls.” She too was charged with parading without a permit and two counts of disorderly conduct. “indiscriminate” arrest tactics ensured the arrest of innocent people: “Any time you use nets to trap an entire block or a section of sidewalk, you’re guaranteed to get people who were not doing anything illegal or not part of the demonstration.” PARKMAN S IM T ISHNIA AND

W efore last month’s Republican convention, efore last month’s and the New Mayor Mike Bloomberg they Police Department boasted that York

TEVE S The NYPD’s main tactic was mass arrest, The NYPD’s “They forced us onto the sidewalk, [shout- Kathie Bell, 55, an activist and real estate Dunn says that such The NYCLU’s Police were extraordinarily efficient at making Police were extraordinarily efficient Those contrasts have left many wondering Civil Liberties In the courts, says New York “My suspicion is that it was intentional,” Calling such allegations “ridiculous,” coun- office refused to comment press The NYPD’s spokesperson, Ed Skyler, The mayor’s ARRESTS: THE ORANGE DRAGNET Y primarily at the Aug. 27 Critical Mass bicycle ride and on Aug. 31, the day of numerous small direct-action protests. They moved with teams of remarkable precision, sending large officers to head people off at gathering spots, or setting traps, like the East 16th Street snare on Aug. 31. There, police nabbed about 300 pro- testers at once by forcing them onto a blocked- off side street off Union Square and enclosing them with orange netting. ing] ‘Move, Move, Move,” says Jeffrey Parrot, one of those arrested. “Then they started attacking, rushing around and pulling people out for arrests.” salesperson from Chelsea, was also arrested on 16th Street. She says police told the crowd “‘if you’re peaceful, we’ll let you go’ – then they with arrested us.” She was eventually charged parading without a permit and two counts of disorderly conduct. B arrests a day. were ready and able to handle 1,000 at a time arrests, corralling scores of people over 1,800 peo- within orange nets and seizing including ple during the week of the convention, so efficient at 1,100 on Aug. 31. They weren’t set up a special processing the prisoners. The city protesters (and detention center for arrested besludged with bystanders) in an old bus depot regular crimi- automotive offal. They postponed arraigning con- nal cases to clear the courts for of people vention detainees, but kept hundreds in jail for far longer than the legal 24-hour limit. and Police Commissioner whether Bloomberg Ray Kelly had a deliberate policy of pre-emp- tive detention. “There was obviously some kind of collusion or coordination between local effort and the RNC in terms of trying to make sure that this was as muffled a protest as possible,” City Councilmember Bill Perkins (D- charges Manhattan), who chaired a Council hearing on think they the police tactics Sept. 15. “I don’t were overwhelmed. I believe that they purpose- fully delayed the detainees.” Union (NCLU) lawyer Christopher Dunn, “the judges were there, the district attorneys any arrestees.” were there, but there weren’t There are “more questions than evidence” about whether the delays were intentional, he “has- Administration says, but the Bloomberg offered any credible information as to why n’t people were held so long.” adds Bruce Bentley of the National Lawyers Guild. “Do we have absolute proof? No.” (D-Queens) said, Jr. cilmember Peter Vallone, “It would have actually helped the Rep- ublicans if there was violence in the streets.” the delays were “what According to Vallone, happens when a thousand people break the law period.” in a four-hour over the phone, saying they would only take questions submitted in writing, and responded to an e-mail with the message that they “DO NOT ACCEPT E-MAIL REQUESTS. PLEASE PHONE THIS OFFICE.” dismissed the Sept. 15 Council hearing as “grandstanding.”

Preemptive Strikes Hit Home Hit Strikes Preemptive B 6 SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 THE INDYPENDENT M Internet usageduring investigations. library patrons’circulation recordsand be interpretedtoallow theFBItosearch Act, includesbroadlywordedsectionsthatcan struggle againstcensorship,”Freedmansaid. dear: truth,accesstoinformationandthe for democracyandallthatlibrarianshold pendent media,wearesupportingthefight after theconvention.“Bysupportinginde- ians withwebresources,”shesaid. track downthetruthbycallingbacktolibrar- control duringprotests.“We werethereto group’s originalpurposewastoassistinrumor of RadicalReference,saidthatpartthe Barnard CollegeinNewYork andaco-founder shops forindependentjournalists. Reference plantoholdfact-checkingwork- and librarysciencestudentsofRadical –themedia. still neededreferenceassistance librarians discoveredonegroupofpeoplethat doned Manhattanaftertheconvention, lic restroom. ammunition todirectionsthenearestpub- thing fromalittleacademicanti-Bush protests, fromdemonstratorsinneedofany- answered queriesonlineandonthestreetsat self-titled RadicalReferenceLibrarians what theydobest:answeringquestions.The protest-support groupcenteredarounddoing B and IntotheStreets Out oftheStacks radical librariansprovidemovementwithreferences Y The librarians’nemesis,theUSAPatriot The librarianshavenarrowedtheirfocus Jenna Freedman,areferencelibrarianat In response,thelibrarians,libraryworkers But asdemonstratorsandRepublicansaban- E MILY National Conventiontojoina the stacksduringRepublican ore than150libraryworkersfled W ALTZ the librarians’intricate communicationsys- other cyclists,hesaid. Union SquaretocorralBaiottoandagroup of police dreworangenetsacrossthestreetnear Mass bikeridewhenhewascaptured.The New York PublicLibrary, wasintheCritical librarian gotarrestedwhileprotesting. sionate, infact,thatoneRadicalReference tored bythegovernment.Theyaresopas- mation andtherighttoaccessit,unmoni- journalists. Theyarepassionateaboutinfor- Reference solelytoanswerquestionsandaid to journalists. evaluation andthepublicresourcesavailable They willalsoofferinstructiononsource their overarchinggoaltorelaythetruth. Radical Referencememberssaid,ispartof adult cellwhenyouarearrested?” what ageareyouoldenoughtobeputintoan service. convention thatservedasaquestion/answer phone tolibrariansonstreetreferenceduty. found informationonlineandrelayeditby at theirreferencedesks,otherlibraryworkers people findpublicrestroomsandsubways.Back delegates’ hotelsandwarprofiteershelped protests. Theyprovidedprotestorswithlistsof mation ontheirhats,patchesandsignsat chants forfreedomofinformation. shushing patronsandinstead,ledprotestersin library workersscrappedthetraditionalroleof activists oftheirservices,theRadicalReference Although itcouldn’t saveBaiotto fromjail, Matthew Baiotto,aseniorlibrarianforthe But librariansdidn’t createRadical The switchtofact-checkingworkshops, The groupalsocreatedawebsiteprior to the The librarianstoutedtheletter“i”forinfor- To fightbackagainsttheactandtoalert People postedinquiriessuchas,“At EDGAR MATA EDGAR MATA at 7pm at 34 E. 29th Street, 2ndfloor,at 7pm34E.29thStreet, welcome. betweenPark&Madison.Allare RNC 2004: “We were everywhere” –theIMCphototeam.OpenteammeetingsThursdays “We everywhere” were association hadno of spokeswoman, Larra constitutional rights of libraryusers.”The Patriot Actapresentdangertothe USA the non-parti library USA PatriotAct.Aspokeswomanforthe Association shareasimilarperspectiveonthe luncheon, officialsoftheAmericanLibrary USA PatriotAct.” tion,” and“Standup,fightback,againstthe books andeducation,notforwaroccupa- with cardboardsigns,chanting,“Moneyfor the HistoricalSocietyonCentralParkWest Radical Referencelibrariansgatheredoutside Act intolaw. Patriot married amanwhosignedtheUSA science andajobatpubliclibrary, butshe was oncealibrarian,withmastersinlibrary Reference librariansconsiderhypocrisy–she the Wednesday oftheconvention. attend aluncheonattheHistoricalSocietyon The informanthintedthatLauraBushwould employee oftheNewYork HistoricalSociety. Reference receivedcamefromalibrary tributed information. listsandwebsites,con- e-mail through Librarians aboutthegroup heard everywhere those whoareliterallyin-the-know. –aclubfor inter-library informationcabal beyond RadicalReferencetoasprawling check onhisrelease. dispatch nearbystreetreferencelibrariansto tem allowedFreedman,theco-founder, to Although theyweren’t presentatthe To remindBushofherformercareer, The firstladyrepresentswhatRadical One ofthemostimportanttipsRadical The communicationsystemextended association saidtheorganization is san, butit“considerssectionsof Clark, saidthelibrary ficial statementcon- For moreinformation,www.radicalreference.info Freedman said. “Besides, haveyouseenKerry’s platform?” patrons’ rightsandaccuratereporting. ans saidtheywouldstaytogethertofightfor President Bushlosestheelection,librari- continue topromotetheirwork.Even if of theDeweyDecimalsystem,buttheywill away their“i”hatsandreturnedtotheannals consideration thatweareatwar.” a phoneconversation.“Theydon’t takeinto McClay, creatorofLibrariansForBush,saidin USA PatriotActoutofproportion,”Greg Radical Reference.“Theyareblowingthe to “LibrariansAgainstBush,”asubgroupof called “LibrariansForBush”indirectresponse Library inMassachusettsstartedawebsite stance. OnelibrarianattheBillericaPublic cerning RadicalReference. PHOTO: RADICALREFERENCE outside theNewYork PublicLibrary. services Eve Novaktouttheirreference volunteer LiaFriedman(right)andfriend ANY QUESTIONS?: Radical Referencelibrariansmayhaveput Other librarianstakeamoreconservative Radical reference Radical reference ANTRIM CASKEY THE INDYPENDENT SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 7 Jed Brandt — Christopher Day , one central office in New York Times New York “We’re not inside your home or your busi- “We’re A recent poll showing George Gallup W. they When Gallup calls households Like most poll firms,Gallup deliberately Gallup has a reputation as a venerable In the 2000 elections, Gallup showed Political polling has been made doubly “Cameras are the equivalent of hundreds a fortified building would oversee cameras from police, avi- a host of agencies including ation, public transportation and sanitation, possibly mounted on street-sweeping vehi- cles. There is even the option for private security cameras to submit their feeds as well. City officials boast it could be the most sophisticated public monitoring system in the world and will be operational by 2006. ness,” Mayor Daley said. “The city owns the own the streets and we own sidewalks. We in public if you walk the alleys.” However, you can expect to be watched. Bush with a 13 percentBush with a lead over John Kerry people who fear has spooked many of Bush. A closer inspec- another four years revealstion of that poll more something dis- polling turbing: deliberately manipulative techniques intended to create the false impression of a commanding lead for Bush. Similar methods were used by United during the States polling firms Venezuela in lead-up to the recall vote on Hugo Chavez. vote decisively Ultimately Chavez won that him losing. in spite of polls that showed same tricks. Gallup is using some of the youngest male always ask to speak to the producesof the household first. This a dis- proportionately male, and therefore dispro- portionately Republican sample. on their partytilts the people they poll based identification in order to produce results that reflect the views of “likely voters.” Unlike most other firms, though, Gallup’s figures are per- based on the assumption that 40 cent of voters will be Republicans and 33 percent will be Democrats, even though all the data (including the past several elec- tions) indicates that the reverse is much more likely to be the case. polling firm, but their methods have become less and less reliable since they were sold The Gallup family jeal- by the Gallup family. ously guarded the appearance of neutrality. By contrast, the present CEO of Gallup, James Clifton, contributes thousands of dol- lars to Republican candidates. Bush with a double-digit lead right before the election, when all the other major polls showed a neck and neck race. As we all 2000 were the Gallup polls in now know, dead wrong. unreliable The this year by two new factors. first is that pollsters only call landlines while increasing or numbers of people only have only answer their cell phones. Anger at Bush has energized communities with traditionally low voter turnouts, producing a nationwide surge in new voter registrations. It is difficult for polling organizations to know how to accu- rately take these factors into account, so mainly they don’t. — Surveillance Nation: Own the Streets,” “We Says Chicago Mayor Election Polls Push Right of sets of eyes,” said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley at the unveiling a new federally-subsi- dized program to add hundreds of additional surveillance cameras throughout the city coordinatedrecognition with an advanced software able to identify suspicious activity. Chicago police already have 2,000 cameras in operation. What’s new is the software that promises“wandering” to highlight people near important buildings, leaving packages and unattended or pulling over on a highway, it will be able to track individuals by following According them from one camera to another. to the DAVID GOCHFELD DAVID So that was a concrete, measurable goal What would you say to all those people who really hard to see the effects of I think it’s If John Kerry is elected, do you think some of this The experience during the Clinton years So is it possible that there’ll be some short- United for Peace and Justice can be reached at that we met. Our long-term framework, though, is the desire to see a grassroots move- What I ment flourish around the country. hope people will take away from an event like August 29 is that there are many different have a directory of ways to contribute. We hundreds of groups listed that you can con- have huge numbers of tact and join. We events listed on our calendar of ways to plug efforts. into different organizing went to the march, were really jazzed up by what they saw there, then came home and watched Bush’s approval ratings improve? you this kind of work. When you organize, have to operate on faith that if you stir things up enough, and help inspire enough people to take action, that good things will come of it down the road, that changes will result. activist fervor will die down? was that there was an initial demobilization and then there was a quite powerful resur- gence of some very innovative, dynamic, quite saw the flourishing of radical movements. You Earth First!, you saw the flourishing of the global justice activism that was on display in the Seattle WTO protests. There was a lot of that really powerful, important organizing came into being during the Clinton years. term demobilization as people become wrongly complacent thinking that electing a Democrat will be the answer to any number pos- it’s of problems the country faces? Yeah, likely to be sible. But I think that if so, it’s short-lived. (212) 868-5545 www.unitedforpeace.org. in Spain, the El País ANTRIM CASKEY AMELIA H. KRALES It’s always hard to say with a protest at the It’s How do you measure the impact of a huge event You know, the West Side Highway deci- the West know, You Do you feel it was a mistake to have accepted the A lot different than it does now. At times A lot different than it does now. What did it look like around here the few weeks major dailies in Japan, all except CNN. time what it has sparked, what it has achieved. Clearly one of the things we were looking to accomplish was to be on the front page of every major newspaper around the world on the opening day of the Republican were the top convention. And we were. We news story in every major media outlet around the world – like that? sion was one of the difficult decisions UFPJ ever made. There was strong internal dis- agreement about whether or not to accept the clear that reversing the decision was site. It’s absolutely the right thing, and that it was what our grassroots base wanted us to do. Obviously we would have liked to have had a march that went up past Madison Square Garden to Central Park through Times what our ideal would have Square. That’s been. But in the end it all worked out. We had half a million people marching in the streets, twice what we were expecting months ago. West Side Highway rally site at first, only to turn West it down later on? there were fifty to a hundred people working in this space – just a constant whir of activ- ity: people putting together posters, meet- ings every night, lots of press conferences. Obviously there was a lot of news unfolding around the whole permit fight. leading up to this most recent march? opposition. The Bush Administration was not able to rally international support in a way that it would have been able to otherwise. WITH LESLIE KAUFFMAN to discuss her work, the march EAN

D

HEA S f you were reading the papers before the Republican convention, you probably heard about United for Peace and Justice, organ- How long have you worked for United for Peace I came on board pretty much as soon as you let down at all that the February 15 Were Of course, to do the work you had to have Writer, editor and activist Leslie Kauffman Writer, Y and the 2004 presidential elections. and Justice? there was a staff, in January 2003. It was sup- posed to be short-term, but the response to the February 15 march was enormous. We held another big march two days after the war began, on March 22, 2003. By May, when Bush declared mission accomplished and that major combat operations were over, we had hundreds of member groups – with more groups signing on. It was around then that it became clear that we were going to City continue to have an office in New York and a full-time staff. stop the war from happening in the event didn’t first place? some hope that we could actually stop the war, but I was fairly pessimistic about our ability to do so. What we did do – February 15 was the day of protest in world history, single largest the stop the war, And while we didn’t ever. war has unfolded very differently than it been that massive would have if there hadn’t izers of the Aug. 29 march against the Bush agenda. Despite squabbles with the city and the police department over the use of Central Park as a rally site (the city eventually sided with the grass), the event came off almost with- out a hitch, drawing 500,000 people. mobilizing coordinator, serves as UFPJ’s working to bring individuals into the peace movement. This week she sat down with The Indypendent B Riding the Peace Train Peace Train Riding the I partyInvite 7/8/04 10:59 PM Page 1

Join The Indypendent and NYC Indymedia for a cocktail party and hear the inside story on protest organizing around the Republican National Convention. We will outline the extensive plans around the convention, the politics of the various coalitions and what independent media will be doing to get the news out as it happens.

TUESDAY, JULY 27 6:30-8:30 P.M. at the home of Marilyn Clement 8 WEST 13TH ST. APT. 2RW R.S.V.P.

The Indypendent is the flagship newspaper of the global Indymedia movement with coverage of local, national and internation- al events. Published biweekly, The Indypendent won six awards from the Independent Press Association in 2003.

For more information call: (212) 684-8112 THE INDYPENDENT SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 9 On Sept. 17, the Florida Supreme Court, as well A district judge in Colorado rejected the Democ- who contributed York, New Mexico Judge Wendy In Florida, a Democratic judge ruled that the the Democratic Party has challenged Additionally, reported Times the St. Petersburg Interestingly, preventing Nader from appearing on the ballot. District Judge Paul Lipscomb intervened in the “Secretary of State Bill Brad- asserting that matter, bury violated election laws,” and in fact, “made up laws” to deny Nader ballot access. Nader will appear on the ballot. as district judges in Colorado and New Mexico, ruled on legal challenges brought by the Democra- tic Party against Nader/Camejo. that because Nader was not affiliated rats’ argument with the Reform Party for a year before he was nom- inated, Nader had no right to ballot access. campaign in April, ruled that $1,000 to John Kerry’s appearance on the Reform ticket in other Nader’s states prohibited him from running as an independ- precedent set by ruling overturned the ent. York’s other independent candidates in the state. In 1980, Rep. John Anderson ran in New Mexico as an inde- pendent presidential candidate while running under a variety of parties in other states. The Nader cam- paign has appealed this ruling. Reform Party was unable to nominate a candidate barring Nader because they were not a national party, Supreme Court rejected this from the ballot. Florida’s reinstating Nader by a 6-1 verdict. argument, Virginia, or is challenging Nader in California, Texas, Virginia, West Illinois, Idaho, Delaware, Washington, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and others. that the Bush campaign filed its election documents a day late to the Florida Secretary of State. Thus, Presi- dent Bush has no legal right to appear on the ballot in rather than Florida. Yet, using their resources to challenge the Bush campaign, Florida Democ- rats chose to fight Nader instead. ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS BY FRANK REYNOSO BLOCKING THE BALLOT BLOCKING on Sept. 5, Nader Washington Post Washington EDDEN R Neutralizing Nader Neutralizing he Republican Party knocks voters off the ballot. The Democratic Party knocks candi- dates off the ballot.” This statement by HAWN S On Aug. 30, Maine Democratic Party chair- In Pennsylvania, Democrats utilized help from Democratic Secretary of State Bill Bradbury The Democratic Party, charges the Nader cam- charges The Democratic Party, Moffet, a former Democratic Congressman Toby David Jones, a former staffer for Rep. Dick in the Writing Y counters that only four percent of his campaign con- tributions have come from Republicans. In a press release dated Aug. 19, the Center for Responsive Politics stated that 51 donors identified as Republi- cans donated $54,300 to Nader while contributing even more – $66,000 – to Democrats. woman Dorothy Melanson testified in a public hear- ing that the national Democratic Party is funding efforts throughout the country to stop Nader from appearing on ballots. Reed Smith, a corporate law firm that supports many Republican candidates, to keep Nader off the ballot. that his they have succeeded, arguing Thus far, appearance on the ballot as an independent violates state law because he is running under the Reform Party on other state ballots. An appeal by Nader to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is pending. ballot, claiming that removed Nader from Oregon’s pages of petitions signed by registered voters were incorrectly numbered. After these signatures were a second set of petitions were disqualified, purged, Kevin Zeese, spokesperson for Presidential candidate Ralph Nader and running mate, Peter Camejo, illus- trates the growing anger of the Nader campaign with the Democrats’ attempts to deny them ballot access. paign, is conspiring with public officials, lawyers and corporate lobbyists to force the three-time presiden- tial candidate to expend precious resources in state- by-state court battles rather than articulating a cam- paign message. from Connecticut who worked with Nader decades ago, recently started a group called The Ballot Project whose mission, Moffet said, is to “neutralize [Nader’s] campaign by forcing him to spend money and resources” defending his right to appear on the ballot. Gephardt (D-MO), founded the National Progress Fund, which coordinates strategies to remove the web- ticket from the ballot. Jones’s Nader-Camejo recently began airing ads site, NaderFactor.org, a conspiracy by the GOP to fund Nader. charging Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe claimed that, “in state after state, Nader has become an extension of the Republican Party and their corporate backers.” B T “ not happening in Iraq, New York will be hit, not happening in Iraq, New York Washington will be hit, London will be hit, Paris Washington When Bush and Allawi say the war has made Amer- is mostly homegrown, created by The insurgency journalists who Nir Rosen, one of the few Western put the number of insurgents the Pentagon Last year, There is increasing coordination between the Iraqi These attacks are filmed, the footage then used in there will be plenty of new recruiting Come January, More ominous, in these 21st century conflicts, the will be hit.” in a perverse sense. Middle they are right, ica safer, East fanatics no longer need to try penetrating fortress America in the hopes of killing infidels when more prac- than 150,000 Americans are available for target tice in Iraq. the occupation itself and dire economic circum- stances, and motivated by nationalism and religion. But the Iraq war is also becoming a pan-Arab and Muslim battle, fed by satellite television images of Iraqis blown apart, incinerated and gunned down dur- ing the last 18 months. Colin Freeman, a freelance reporter in Iraq, says the country has become a “mag- net for extremists and terrorists, not just from the Middle East but as far away as central Africa.” has ventured into rebel-held Fallujah, reported in July foreign fight- on video discs for sale that feature, “Young ers from Saudi Arabia and other countries... giving tes- timonies before going out on suicide operations.” in Iraq at 5,000, never changing the number even as it issued press releases claiming to have killed hundreds and arrested thousands of rebels. Now it has upped the figure to 20,000. But one military analyst puts the alone at 100,000. number of Sunni insurgents resistance and internationalists. As the resistance has shifted from hit-and-run tactics of improvised explo- sive devices and mortar attacks to standing and fight- ing in complex ambushes, suicide bombers are now being used against U.S. military convoys, not just stationary targets. popular homemade videos that serve as recruiting devices for the resistance throughout the region. Rosen sampled the Fallujah cinema, which “depicted various operations conducted by the resistance, primarily as well as various crimes against U.S. military targets, of the occupation, destroyed homes, abusing prisoners, and a lot of bloody dead people accompanied by mournful chanting Islamic music.” elec- Even if Iraq’s videos if the Pentagon has its way. many Iraqis will likely dismiss them as tions occur, illegitimate, intensifying the resistance. A second Bush Administration promises years of grinding and spreading warfare in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has its own simmering rebellion, and the neocons in power want to bomb Syria or Iran next. resistance eventually takes the war to the occupying as Israelis and Russians can attest. Republi- country, cans would probably welcome another horrific attack on U.S. soil. It is all they need to eliminate civil liber- ties and social services, and fully impose their authori- tarian and reactionary agenda. , more states, “The . Also skipping , “At a minimum, Washington Post Washington Times Baltimore Sun The London Observer reports that registration will start ficers and possibly troops to protect them.” The Times With the resistance targeting collaborators, finding targeting the resistance With The United Nations is supposed to provide key sup- U.S. forces and their Iraqi allies are already spinning The Association of Muslim Scholars, a body of cler- elections are intimately connected to the U.S. Iraq’s Staying on message, Allawi added, “Iraq is fighting The aim is to restore “Iraqi government control,” but Yet the U.S. attack is scheduled to begin at the Yet than 500 Iraqi police fled or joined the resistance. Only 83 took part in the assault, receiving a one-month bonus of $200 each from a U.S. Army colonel. thousands of Iraqi civilians to staff the registration offices will be almost impossible. At least 45 Iraqi translators have been killed in Baghdad alone since the beginning of 2004. No one is safe, from drivers to clothes washers to own election commission has adopted a carpenters. Iraq’s according to a U.N. “deliberate low profile” out of fear, report, thus hampering public outreach. port, but it “has been unable to field more than a skele- ton staff in Baghdad out of fears for the staff members’ according to the safety,” town is the British Army. main British combat force in Iraq, about 5,000-strong, will be reduced by around a third by the end of October,” just as the planned U.S. assault is about to begin. a limited election as a legitimate one. Prime Minister Allawi has said that towns such as Fallujah could Ayad be bypassed in the vote. The Bush Administration is suggesting that limiting the vote to 18 cities may be sufficient. Filkins states in the the American commander said, local conditions would have to be secure for voting to take place in the coun- 18 provincial capitals for the election to be consid- try’s ered legitimate.” ics representing 3,000 Sunni mosques in Iraq, has come out against the election. One leader said, “As long as we are under military occupation, honest elec- tions are impossible.” election. Allawi recently visited the U.S. to promote the Bush campaign message. Echoing his benefactors, Allawi told ABC News that the intensity of resistance attacks, which totaled 2,700 in August and wounded are making a some 1,100 GIs, shows that insurgents “last stand, so they are putting a very severe fight on are winning.” Iraq. We this war on behalf of the civilized nations…. If this is Iraq’s security forces exist only on paper. During the exist only on paper. security forces Iraq’s according to the Afar, siege of Tal terrorists,” U.S. forces encircled the city in early Sep- and water for days, and turned off electricity tember, bombed residential areas. At least 55 people were killed, many of them civilians, according to the city hospital. A humanitarian crisis ensued as 150,000 people – most of Afar – fled the bombardment. Tal same time voter registration commences in 600 offices throughout Iraq for an estimated 12 million potential voters. 1 and last for six weeks, “requiring thousands of Nov. police of Sept. 19, “foreign ing out were flush- The model may Afar. Saying they Afar. Iraqi city of Tal very well be the on Sept. 16, Blumen- New York Times New York caught in the middle.” and civilians would be leadership would escape, respect to the bad guys, their ilitary forces would prevail, inconclusive results with The Guardian UPTA aving opened the gates of hell in Iraq, the Bush Administration is diving right in. White House and Pentagon officials say they plan to casualties would be high, there would be explains, “U.S. m thal quotes retired Gen. Joseph Hoare, who A.K. G The timing is integral to the Bush-Cheney campaign Dexter Filkins wrote in the The deadline is to allow time to organize Iraqi elec- The deadline is to allow time to organize more than 30 election In Afghanistan, however, Karzai is favored heavily to win whatever quasi- elections, the Pentagon plans to prepare for Iraq’s To Y B reconquer rebel towns in the “Sunni Triangle” following reconquer rebel towns in the “Sunni Triangle” the U.S. election. House is planning to besiege Iraqi The White strategy. cities after the presidential vote so as not to have its mes- sage of an “improving Iraq” marred by images of mas- sive civilian and military casualties. “A senior American commander said the military intended to take back Fallujah and other rebel areas … the deadline the as early as November or December, Americans have given themselves for restoring Iraqi government control across the country.” tions in January for a transitional national assembly. ones in Afghanistan slated elections, and similar Iraq’s campaign for Oct. 9, are central to promoting Bush’s everything is message: Iraq is part of the war on terror, improving there, increasing attacks are a sign of the desperation, and we are winning . insurgents’ workers have been killed, the 18 presidential candidates campaign outside of Kabul because of a lack of can’t security (President Harmid Karzai was forced to aban- don his only campaign rally to date after a rocket nar- rowly missed his helicopter in the town of Gardez), and anti-U.S. forces are intimidating voter educators. Says have no news- “We one provincial election coordinator, papers, no local radio, so we depend on our teams of civic educators. And they are scared.” election ensues, allowing Bush to make a surprise visit to Kabul in October to congratulate the Afghan presi- dent on winning re-election. Another sign of progress. soften up the Sunni Arab electorate with bombing (Fal- lujah is already being bombed daily). Former Bill Clin- ton adviser Sidney Blumenthal spoke with an ex-Marine Corps commandant who predicts that the Bush admin- istration will “flatten” Fallujah “after the first Tuesday In in November.” H ran a story revealing that . “They knew the stories of Bush’s . Bush’s Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush’s Fortunate Son Dallas Morning News “When the media stumbled upon a story regarding source, he certainly wasn’t If Rove was Hatfield’s dirty tricks, Consider also the history of Rove’s In 1986, Moore and Slater report, Rove told Four years ago during the Bush-Gore race, the Gore role in the case was In trademark fashion, Rove’s New It may well have returned in the form of Times Rove’s lifelong loyalty to the Bushes and the fact that he lifelong loyalty Rove’s in the White House. now has an office adjacent to Bush’s But leaking the story to Hatfield essentially discredited the story and sent it into the realm of conspiracy theory. Soon after the book was published and just as St. Mar- launching of the book, was preparing a high-profile tin’s the Hatfield was a felon who had served time in jail. In the book. pulled response, St. Martin’s 1972 cocaine-possession arrest, Rove Bush’s W. George He did so by had to find a way to kill the story. says Sander Hicks, the for- destroying the messenger,” of Soft Skull, which stepped in to pub- publisher mer lish cocaine and drink busts would come out, so they made certain that it would come out of the mouth of a guy journalist Greg Palast, who said they could smear,” wrote the forward to the book. drug use. Instead he was trying trying to expose Bush’s And it to discredit and ultimately kill the story. worked. Few reporters since have dared to touch it. Slater in their chronicled by James Moore and Wayne book Bush Presidential reporters that someone had bugged the office where gubernatorial he was campaign manager for Texas candidate Bill Clements. On the morning of a major debate, Rove called a press conference. He said, know who did this. But there is “Obviously I don’t no doubt in my mind that the only ones who would benefit from this detailed, sensitive information would be the political opposition.” The press quickly assumed the bugging was done by Clements’ opponent, Mark White, who was leading candidate won Rove’s in the polls. On election day, and the source of the bug was never found – but many reporters later concluded that Rove himself had placed it. camp mysteriously obtained sensitive campaign mate- rials from the Bush campaign, including a video of the governor prepping for a debate and detailed cam- Texas paign strategy notes. Rove soon accused the Gore cam- paign of secretly taping Bush. Later a former employee of a Bush campaign advisor admitted to supplying the information to Gore. He never leaves fingerprints behind. It is never clear. known as the “Mark of Rove.” documents. Roman font on forged and others have . The book quoted an , it could well be phase story, as he admitted for the story, Boston Globe 60 Minutes Fortunate Son 60 Minutes URKE B ow that Dan Rather and CBS News have admitted they were misled into reporting on documents about President Bush’s forged IKE M The dominant thinking seems to be that if the docu- greatest weaknesses It is recognized that one of Bush’s As investigations by the If Rove is behind the leaking of the allegedly forged If you think this sounds like a nutty conspiracy the- Remember the allegations that Bush was arrested in PressIn 1999, St. Martin’s published a critical biog- Hatfield later said that his source was none other than Y

B The Mark of Rove National Guard service, a thorough investigation into who leaked the memos to CBS is in order. they were leaked in an effort to ments were forged, harm Bush. But it is worth considering another possi- bility: the Bush team itself may have “leaked” the documents. The whole affair seems to bear what forged is known as “The Mark of Rove,” as in Karl Rove, sen- ior advisor to President Bush; Karl Rove the wizard of dirty tricks. While John in the presidential campaign is Vietnam. Kerry fought in the war and earned three Purple Hearts, National Bush enlisted in the Texas W. a young George Guard with help, it turns out, from Ben Barnes, then- House. Barnes, of course, was a cen- speaker of the Texas tral figure in the first time to the media to intervening to get Bush into the Guard and keep him out of Vietnam. uncovered, Bush’s military record was shoddy at best, uncovered, Bush’s criminal at worst. He may be the first president who counter To could have been tried for going AWOL. “war hero” image, Bush supporters have Kerry’s ques- record in Vietnam, launched an attack on Kerry’s tioning his account of his service. They have also por- trayed him as having betrayed veterans when he spoke out against the war in his 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. documents shown on two of a strategy to kill all criticism of our Commander era record. War in Chief’s Vietnam been following Karl Rove’s you probably haven’t ory, career; a career replete with dirty tricks and sophisti- cated, pre-emptive political strikes. specifically cocaine? 1972 on drug-possession charges, But it is worth looking it is basically a non-story. Today back at why. raphy of Bush titled unnamed “high-ranking advisor to Bush” who revealed 1972 drug bust. The source told author J.H. Bush’s judge to Hatfield that Bush “was ordered by a Texas perform community service in exchange for expunging his record showing illicit drug use.” Karl Rove. That might seem ridiculous, considering N

8 8 SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 5, OCTOBER – 22 SEPTEMBER THE INDYPENDENT THE Darfur Waits U.N. Deliberates BY DONALD PANETH

NITED NATIONS, N.Y. – The extraordinary crisis of violence, displacement of people, burning of vil- Ulages, rape and murder in the Darfur region of Sudan is producing still another go-slow response in the United Nations Security Council. The Council, which has been deliberating the Darfur crisis since May, adopted a resolution on Sept. 18 call- ing for the appointment of a commission to determine “whether or not acts of genocide have occurred” and Above: Irene Peña (real name withheld) speaks about land development in the Phillipines. declaring that the Council would later consider “taking Below: Houses built by Santa Clara residents. Most of these homes are slated for destruction. PHOTOS BY LEAH OBIAS. additional measures.” The vote was 11 in favor, none opposed, four absten- tions. China, Russia, Algeria and Pakistan abstained, indicating a continuing division in the Council that goes beyond differences on this particular resolution. Sponsoring the resolution were the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Romania and Spain. The U.S. representative, John C. Danforth, summarized the situa- tion in Darfur. It is the largest humanitarian disaster in the world today, he said. Fifty thousand people have The Port or the People already died, with an estimated 8,000 deaths taking place monthly. Some 1.2 million persons have fled their FILIPINO COMMUNITY VOWS FIGHT TO THE DEATH homes, with about 100,000 refugees flowing into neigh- boring Chad. Four hundred villages have been destroyed. Sudanese government helicopters, bombers and sol- they did before relocation. diers, backed up by Arab “Janjaweed” horsemen, Nestled in the Western coast of the Philippine attack and destroy the villages, raping, killing and put- “Aggression during WWII, according ting their inhabitants to flight, he said. to our parents, was so grave,” Irene says. A World Health Organization survey reported Sept. 13 archipelago, south of Manila, the multi- “But for the second time, another war of that displaced people in north and west Darfur “are invasion has come to Santa Clara.” dying at between three and six times the expected rate.” Elected captain of the barangay (the The victims are black farmers, whose land is billion peso Batangas Port is currently in the equivalent of a town), Irene was ousted by a apparently coveted by the Sudanese central gov- top-down campaign led by the Philippines ernment in Khartoum. Port Authority, ostensibly because of her Those countries abstaining on the resolution declared second of its four phases of development. militant opposition to the port, as well her that the Sudanese authorities have been taking action ability to mobilize residents. in accordance with previous U.N. resolutions of June 11 BY LEAH OBIAS working as fisherfolk, vendors or porters. As night falls, her home transforms and July 30, that the threat of sanctions – referred to in They now occupy land the size of a base- into a community center. A young man the resolution as “additional measures” -- would do ANTA CLARA, PHILLIPINES – ball field, adjacent to a government proj- plays guitar on her porch. A group of more harm than good, and that more humanitarian Hand-painted signs across from the ect many times that size. teenagers and children begin to sing, assistance was reaching the displaced population. project site read “NO TO PHASE I arrived in Santa Clara in the late while the older women of the community Word had been received here earlier in the week S II.” The signs were created by the people afternoon, after having spent hours trav- prepare dinner. that the first convoy of trucks carrying U.N. World of Santa Clara, whose homes were demol- eling there in a jeepney – a refurbished One of my travel companions asks Food Programme aid across the Sahara desert had arrived at a refugee camp in eastern Chad on Sept. ished to clear space for the port’s con- American World War II vehicle now used Irene how the community is coping. 9, completing a 2,800-kilometer journey from Libya’s struction. Ten years after demolition, as public transportation. I had traveled With two more phases of development Mediterranean coast. they are still struggling to remain on via a dirt road that Santa Clarans had pending, another demolition is possible. Twenty trucks loaded with 440 metric tons of their land, and intend to stay there and cleared through marshland. The road will “Nothing will free us,” Irene responds. wheat flour had arrived in the town of Bahai after a fight until they die. be turned into an access road for the port “Nobody can free us, but only our 12-day drive. The wheat flour would feed some With financing from the Japanese gov- in exchange for electricity and a water strength could free us, and determina- 30,000 people for one month. ernment, the development of the project system in the community. tion. The strength and determination to At one time, Danforth’s American accent might have took shape in the 1990s, early in the Fidel My host, Irene Peña, welcomes me into fight to the last drop of our blood is the been heartening, perhaps reassuring, but in the Coun- Ramos presidency. Ramos had envisioned her home, a simple structure of one room only salvation.” cil chamber on Saturday it seemed suspect, even a globally competitive Philippine econ- with an attached bamboo kitchen and an threatening. Passage of the Darfur resolution enables omy. A new international port in Batangas open-air porch. Irene is a former local President Bush to address the opening of the annual would lessen traffic in Manila Bay and ease official and the keeper of the Santa General Assembly Sept. 21 from a positive viewpoint – the transfer of domestic goods from the Clarans’ recent documented history. She the United States acting through the United Nations in southern islands to the capital region. By keeps a photo album of the demolition an emergency situation. And yet Bush will still be able 1994, the project was poised to begin in and a tome of legal papers from the bat- to criticize the Security Council for its lack of unity. earnest – without the agreement of the tle the community fought to maintain The Bush administration is extremely adept at play- 1,467 families living on the land. their property. ing a situation from every conceivable angle, partly because they have the manpower and money to do it. Refusing to move, the people of Santa Santa Clarans take pride in having won In the resolution’s background is Secretary of State Clara created a warning signal: the strik- recognition as legal residents. Their Colin L. Powell’s Sept. 9 characterization of the Darfur ing of an empty container. On the morn- struggle now is for livelihood. During events as genocide in testimony before the Senate For- ing of June 27, 1994, someone began to construction of the port, Congress passed eign Relations committee. Following that, Fred Eckhard, strike. The demolition of the community several laws favoring privatization. Con- spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said had begun. Hundreds of uniformed tracts were given to skilled workers, and that Powell’s declaration could be viewed as tanta- Philippine National Police officers and employment in the community plum- THE INDYPENDENT mount to invoking Article 8 of the 1948 Convention on private contractors used tear gas and meted. Women turned to sex work, the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide. fired guns in the air. Some residents which increased with the presence of Article 8 provides that any adherent to the Convention linked arms and resisted, while others prostitution rings, and as Irene may call upon the U.N. to suppress acts of genocide. threw stones. One resident was shot and explained, people began selling drugs in The latest U.N. resolution comes nowhere close to others were hospitalized. Several con- order to survive. that. Rather, it stirs memories of previous U.N. failures tractors and policemen were also injured. According to a report issued by Ateneo for which Annan shared responsibility in Srebrenica, the Some residents decided to move to the de Manila University assessing the dem- former Yugoslavia in 1995 and Rwanda in 1994. two temporary relocation sites offered by olition and relocation, 87 percent of Instead of giving the reason for its weakness, however, the government after demolition, but respondents in the Balete relocation site both Annan and Danforth left the Council meeting SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 before it was over. Correspondents did not get an more than 400 families decided to stay. and 96 percent in the Sico site said they opportunity to question them, as they had expected to. Many had been on the land for a century, had less employment opportunities than 10 ATROCITIES HAVE DOUBLED UNDER COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT

Uribe CHAIM GARCIA Tied to Drug

Cartel RADICARADICA L L WALKINGWALKING BY BILL WEINBERG have doubled PEACE under Uribe. COMMUNITY TOURSTOURS he emergence of a 1991 report In an interview UNDER ATTACK from the U.S. Defense Intelligence with the independent While the paramili- T Agency (DIA) naming current Colombian press agency, taries claim to oppose Bruce Kayton leads 17 different Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as a Anncol, Mendez said: “Since leftist guerrillas, Colombia’s radical history walking tours of Man- high-level operative of the notorious the start of the present adminis- antimilitarist movement has hattan focusing on subjects Medellín cartel has been an embarrass- tration human-rights violations in [the recently been targeted for attack. On ment for both the United States and its northeastern region of] Arauca have July 29, the home of a leading member like bohemian Greenwich Village, top South American ally. Meanwhile, risen about 100 percent. The primary of Red Juvenil, an antiwar group in the antiwar movement, Malcolm X, rights groups in Colombia claim that victims have been the social movements, Medellín, was visited by two armed John Reed, Emma Goldman & more! atrocities have doubled under Uribe’s rule who at the moment have more than 10 men who first said they were from the – and the antimilitarist movement has leaders jailed, primarily those with a AUC, and later claimed to be from the again been targeted for attack. record of uncompromising and dedi- Administrative Security Department, a The Sept. 23, 1991, DIA report was cated protest against human-rights vio- government enforcement agency. The (718) 492.0069 released under the Freedom of Informa- lations, and of promoting a model of Red Juvenil activist was out at the tion Act to a D.C.-based research group, alternative development…” time, but her mother was at home with www.RadicalWalkingTours.org the National Security Archives. The Mendez harshly criticized U.S. support a two-month-old baby. The mother was report asserts that Uribe, then a senator for the Uribe regime: “The United States menaced with pistols, tied up and from the department of Antioquía, was plays a primary role in the violation of locked in the bathroom as the men “dedicated to collaboration with the human rights in Arauca... They give searched the house. Medellín cartel at high government lev- large amounts of aid to the 18th Brigade New threats and violence are also els.” It named him as a “close personal in Arauca, despite the prohibition reported from the Antioquía village of friend” of cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar, against giving aid to military units San José de Apartado, a self-proclaimed and claimed he helped Escobar secure which are involved in human rights vio- “peace community” which has declared his seat as an auxiliary congressman. lations. This Brigade is involved in many its non-cooperation with all armed An Uribe spokesman dismissed the human rights violations, and this aid is groups. On Aug. 11, a home in San José bluestockings report as preliminary, saying that Uribe used to continue them.” was torn by an explosion which left two was studying at Harvard in 1991. Rob women dead and two others injured, Zimmerman, a spokesman for the U.S. PARA BOSSES ADDRESS CONGRESS including the ten-year-old son of one of State Department, told the New York Meanwhile, Uribe’s so-called “peace dia- the women. The community’s statement Times: “We completely disavow these logue” with the right-wing paramili- on the incident said the explosion was allegations about President Uribe. We taries continues – which critics see as a caused by a grenade left behind by the have no credible information that sub- means of legitimizing the terror net- army months earlier during fighting WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22ND stantiates or corroborates the allegations work and bringing it under closer gov- with guerrillas of the Revolutionary @ 7pm - Free in an unevaluated 1991 report.” ernment control. On July 28, Salvatore Armed Forces of Columbia in a banana Reading: Lori Wallach: "Whose Trade But the National Security Archives’ Mancuso, now de facto leader of the field in the hamlet of La Union. Organization? A Comprehensive Guide Michael Evans said: “We now know that United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia The statement also said that members To The WTO" the DIA… had information indicating (AUC), spoke before Colombia’s con- of the peace community have been ver- that Alvaro Uribe was one of Colombia’s gress along with his fellow warlords bally threatened by paramilitaries in THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23RD top drug-trafficking figures.” Ramon Isaza and Ivan Roberto Duque. recent weeks, and that the road linking @ 7pm - Free Washington portrays Uribe as a key ally The leaders of the 20,000-strong AUC the village to the nearest town, Apartado, Reading: Ami Sakurai “Innocent World” THE INDYPENDENT in the war on drugs and terrorism, boast- had been given safe conduct to travel to has become increasingly dangerous. On ing that his administration has extradited Bogotá from the “safe haven” the para- July 30, a local merchant who sold water SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 @ 8pm - Free 150 accused traffickers to the U.S., more military network was granted in the in San José was killed by paramilitaries Final Performance: Mahina Movement than twice the number extradited in his north of the country as a condition of on the road. On Aug. 2, paramilitaries and Soul Nation predecessor’s four-year term. But there the talks. Mancuso said the paramilitary told San José residents in the Apartado Featuring: QT, Sparlha Swa And More! have been persistent claims that as chief of leaders should not be imprisoned, but bus terminal that they would launch SEPTEMBER 22 – OCTOBER 5, 2004 Colombia’s civil aviation authority in the should be honored for saving Colombia another blockade of the community and TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH late 1980s, Uribe protected drug flights. from becoming “another Cuba.” kill the community’s leaders. @ 7pm - $3 to $5 Suggested Uribe is proposing that AUC leaders The statement closed with an expres- Women's Poetry Jam & Women's RIGHTS ACTIVIST: ATROCITIES be “confined” for five to ten years, but sion of determination in the face of the Open Mic Featuring: Diane Spodarek HAVE DOUBLED UNDER URIBE not necessarily in prison, as a compro- threats and violence: “We again reiterate & Beatrix Gates Colombian human rights advocate Yenly mise measure. This possibility was not our commitment to continue building Angelica Mendez of the group Humanidad raised in prospective talks with the leftist paths of dignity in the midst of the war.” 172 Allen St. NYC 212.777.6028 Vigente, which works closely with peasant National Liberation Army, whose impris- groups in militarized rural areas, said that oned leader Francisco Galán addressed A longer version originally appeared in www.bluestockings.com 11 assassinations and arbitrary imprisonment Colombia’s congress in June. World War 3 Report- ww3report.com WORLD reform strategies. In return, groups repre- senting the peasants agreed to hold off on IN BRIEF protests for the duration of the 90 days. The agreement broke down with the Nueva Linda eviction, which Justo Mendoza RUSSIA LAUNCHES BUSH-STYLE of the National Coordinator of Indigenous ‘WAR ON TERROR,’ NEO-CONS and Campesino Communities described as BACK CHECHEN INDEPENDENCE “a massacre.” Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at Western "double standards" “THEIR VOICE WAS NEVER HEARD” towards the "war on terror" in the aftermath The Nueva Linda occupation began in of the Beslen school hostage crisis that left protest of the government’s inaction in investi- 326 dead and hundreds more wounded in a gating the disappearance of a campesino leader. small, southern Russian town. The United Hector René Reyes Pérez, an administrator at States and the United Kingdom have both provided asylum to Chechen separatist Nueva Linda known for taking the side of the Aslan Mashkhadov, who Russia blames workers, disappeared on Sept. 5, 2003. His dis- along with rebel leader Shamil Basayev for appearance followed a disagreement with plan- the deaths. Basayev claimed responsibility tation owner Vidal Fernández Alejos. Reyes for seizing the school, as well as the August was last seen with the owner’s bodyguard, bombing of two commercial airliners. Victor Chinchilla. Well-connected neo-cons including Richard On Oct. 13 of last year, campesinos occupied Perle, Elliot Abrams and former CIA director the plantation in protest, demanding an inves- R. James Woolsey, working through the tigation of Reyes’s disappearance. They would American Committee for Peace in leave, they declared, once the Ministry of Justice Chechnya, have longstanding relations with complied with its duties in the investigation. Chechen leaders deemed "terrorists" by the On Aug. 25, a new Ministry of the Interior, Russian government. The United States has Carlos Vielmann, promised to “get tough on called for a "negotiated settlement" to the the land invasions.” He delivered on that war in Chechnya, currently part of Russia, promise Aug. 31. while establishing military bases in Georgia, Between 1,000 and 2,000 heavily armed the largest country in the Caucus moun- police officers surrounded the community at 5 tains and former Soviet republic. Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded MATTHEW HIBBEN a.m. to initiate a dialogue with the his authority by re-introducing party-list elec- campesinos, some of whom were also armed. tions and bringing regional governors under It is unclear how the violence began. Carlos central appointment. Quintana Saravía, governor of Retalhuleu, charged the campesinos with initiating the CUBA OFFERS HIV PREVENTION conflict by throwing homemade bombs at the AND DRUGS TO CARIBBEAN police. Alexander Toro of the Human Rights Cuba has offered to train doctors and provide Ombuds office demurred, citing a police cheap anti-retrovirals to stem the HIV/AIDS blueprint for the eviction stating that if the epidemic in the Caribbean. Caribbean infec- campesinos refused to leave, the police would tion rates overall are second only to sub- proceed with force. EVICTED Witnesses reported unprovoked police Saharan Africa, while Cuba has one of the world's lowest HIV infection rates. Cuba first Cops Crack Down on brutality. Journalists videotaped the police gained attention in the fight against AIDS for shooting an elderly man six times. They its early, controversial policy of quarantining were subsequently beaten by police, their HIV-positive citizens. They quickly adapted Guatemalan Land Occupation equipment confiscated. The Guatemalan their health programs to concentrate on pre- newspaper Nuestro Diario quoted one jour- ventive measures including mandatory test- BY NEELA GHOSHAL razed to the ground by the army. Witnesses nalist: “A police officer told me ‘If you take ing, low-cost condoms and education. Cuba’s cited the burning of 500 houses at Nueva photos I’m going to kill you just like him’ socialized health system produces cheap hile activists took the streets of Linda, the extrajudicial executions of at least – and then he pointed his gun at a anti-retrovirals, which will be sold at "highly New York Aug. 31 in response to three campesinos, and the beating of journal- campesino and killed him.” competitive" prices to neighboring coun- the Republican National Con- ists who witnessed the events. Julia Cabrera, a single mother of 10 children, tries, undercutting U.S. pharmaceutical cor- W vention, a direct action of a different sort, in the told El Periódico that she witnessed police shoot porations. Regional leaders have responded with enthusiasm. Guatemalan state of Retalhuleu, culminated in A HISTORY OF OCCUPATIONS her sixteen-year-old son twice in the back, brutal violence. Police officers surrounded Guatemala has a long history of land killing him. Another child disappeared.“But I CHAVEZ CANCELS TRIP campesinos who had taken over the Nueva takeovers, in which landless peasants, reluc- did not see who took my six-month old baby,” TO U.N., VISIT TO HARLEM Linda plantation in the municipality of tant to relocate to city shantytowns and said Cabrera, “because the police grabbed me Champerico. The ensuing confrontation sweatshops, peacefully occupy plantations, by the hair and began to hit me.” For the second time, Venezuelan President resulted in at least nine deaths and dozens carving out spots to plant their corn and President Berger argued that the extreme Hugo Chavez has cancelled a trip to the United States to attend the United Nations General wounded or missing. beans. Land reform has not been a priority of measures taken by the police were necessary Assembly. The first time Chavez backed out of “Once more it has been shown that the gov- Guatemalan governments since the days of since the campesinos were armed and, he coming to New York, he insinuated a U.S. plot ernment defends the interests of large planta- Jacobo Arbenz, the liberal president deposed claimed, had links to organized crime. to down his plane. This time around, Chavez tion owners through violence,” said Daniel by the 1954 CIA-orchestrated coup that Guatemala’s Congress has taken the cited mechanical problems with his plane and Pascual, a leader of the National Coordinating touched off 36 years of civil war. While it campesinos’ side, condemning the violence instead visited the site of disputed clashes Body of Campesino Organizations, in an reemerged as a theme in the nation’s 1996 and calling for an investigation. A commission near the Colombian border. interview with Guatemalan national daily Peace Accords, progress has been slow to non- has been formed to search for the 20 to 30 peo- Colombian officials allege that Marxist newspaper, El Periódico. existent. A government agency has been ple who were missing following the violence. rebels were behind the killing of several Government representatives justified the established to address land claims, but hun- Campesinos told representatives of the Human Venezuelan soldiers on their side of the violence, blaming it on the presence of armed dreds of communities, many uprooted during Rights Ombuds office that they saw police chaotic 1,400 mile border. Venezuela has campesinos. “Although we regret the deaths the war, remain on a waiting list. Illegal plan- hastily throw bodies into a mass grave on the repeatedly clashed with right-wing Colombian that occurred, this eviction complied with the tation occupations have been, for many, the plantation, but a grave has not yet been located. paramilitaries in the area, and caught over law,” said Carlos Zúñiga of the Chamber of only way to survive. Campesino organizer Ursula Roldán told 80 of them outside of Caracas in the run-up to Agriculture. “The police officers were taken by A national strike organized by workers and El Periódico that the events were a result of the recent referendum on Chavez’s presidency. surprise by violent and armed people who, in campesinos on June 8 so successfully immo- government inaction in the Reyes case and Chavez had been scheduled to speak to spite of having lost the judicial process, con- bilized the nation’s economy that President lack of attention to campesino concerns. “The capacity crowds at Riverside Church in Harlem. tinue creating instability in the country.” Oscar Berger, of the conservative Grand indigenous and campesino groups organized INDIA’S ANTI-TERRORIST The violence at Nueva Linda harkens back National Alliance, immediately promised a marches and protests so that [Reyes’s disap- LAW REPEALED to the scorched earth policies of the early 90-day moratorium on violent evictions of pearance] could be clarified, but their voice 1980s, when hundreds of Mayan villages were peasants while reviewing potential land was never heard,” said Roldán. India’s Home Minister Shivraj Patil

THE INDYPENDENT announced at a press conference on Sept 17 that the government plans to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota) and will amend another law to cover terrorism. WORLD WAR 3 REPORT The Bharatiya Janata party enacted Pota in March 2002, after an attack on the Indian VIGILANT, INDEPENDENT SENTRY OF TRUTH IN THE WAR ON TERRORISM parliament in December 2001. The act has been widely viewed as misused, especially against Muslims. The act includes provi- Bill Weinberg, Editor sions that can keep the accused jailed for a

SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 year without bail and requires the accused to prove his or her innocence, rather than www.ww3report.com

12 the prosecution prove his or her guilt. THE INDYPENDENT SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 13 “Having this kind of communication infra- “Having this kind of communication on Aug. 29, A perfect example of this was The text messages alerted activists to But with the real-time updates for activists “The big question in my mind is whether One journalist posted the following report: neering collective that develops technologies neering collective that develops 200 people sub- for political dissent. In Boston, were there York, scribed to the service. In New that far exceeded more than 5,500, a number expectations. Henry’s spontaneous, structure allows much more can be taken in fluid kinds of actions that “It says Henry. response to real-time events,” surprise, which maintains the element of effective.” ultimately makes them more a series of spon- when the Mouse Bloc staged in Times taneous street theater protests Square. During the RNC, Republican dele- gates had been offered discounts to Broadway activities. For shows ahead of the week’s hours, the police chased activists around as they confronted delegates coming out of the theaters. When the cops would shut down one action, text messages directed the activists to Police undoubtedly received the next target. the text messages along with the activists, but the spontaneity forced them to engage in a cat-and-mouse game with the activists. routes that remained open to travel to protests outside Madison Square Garden, as sections of the the police blocked off large independent journalists to They alerted city. where cameras were needed to document protests, legal observers to real-time rights violations, and activist medic teams to where people were in need of medical attention. comes a conundrum: If anyone can utilize the that mean that law enforce- service, wouldn’t ment could use it against the demonstrators or to shut down direct actions preemptively? our breaking-news reporting is more useful for us or for the police,” says Indymedia activist Josh Breitbart. “The group that prob- ably made most immediate use of the infor- mation was the NYPD.” “The Entire Scooter Goon Squad is wrapped around Fifth and 48th reading INDYMEDIA from an Internet phone booth. Everyone should come by and bring your video cameras.” Jeremy Scahill is a producer/reporter for the national radio and TV show Democracy Now! He can be reached at [email protected]. an art and engi-

Applied Autonomy, O

TXTMob launched two days before the “There is this ongoing problem of lack of The text messaging was coordinated pri- The project grew out of a concept devel- The project grew out of a concept “When there is a blockade or arrests, “When there is a blockade

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Democratic National Convention in Boston. Its overhead cost was the donated labor of Henry and others from the Institute for media coverage of protest activity, particu- media coverage of protest activity, larly in the United States,” says the founder of TXTMob.com, who goes by the nom de “Text-messaging guerre of John Henry. becomes another tool in the activist arsenal, a way of representing their actions to the out- rather than side world in a direct manner, being dependent upon establishment mass media to tell their story for them.” marily by using a free service from a website called TXTMob.com. Users could create a and sign up personal account free of charge for groups similar to e-mail list-serves. Some were unmoderated and had unreliable infor- mation. But others, like the ones operated by and the NY Comms col- nyc.indymedia.org lective, were moderated and accurate. oped by Aspiration Tech of San Francisco a of San Francisco oped by Aspiration Tech was based on a few weeks before the RNC. It which takes software package called Asterisk, and converts it to information from the Web phones. “It was speech to provide it to mobile showed how, a last-minute project, which $10, we could using free software and about information sys- create quality phone-based tems,” says Henshaw-Plath. After getting the system set up, he adds, a casual conversation it be cool to do lead to the topic of “wouldn’t something like this for the RNC protests the next week?” Despite almost no publicity, service received more than 2,000 calls over a period. four-day activists know where to go or how to avoid activists know where to go “All of this arrest,” Henshaw-Plath says. effective.” helps make the protest more tool for radical social change. N

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K N A R F essential CAHILL S

e’ve appropriated tech- he guerrilla musicians from the he guerrilla musicians from tuning Infernal Noise Brigade were to lead their instruments, preparing

EREMY J Then, Union Square started beeping with a Then, Union Square started beeping Throughout the Republican convention, In addition to the various groups using “Our task is to help facilitate horizontal com- Y an unannounced, unpermitted march from an unannounced, unpermitted Square Garden. Union Square to Madison the Indymedia Independent journalists from in their Center were putting fresh cassettes milling about video cameras. The cops were waiting for whatever was coming. alerts. symphony of cell-phone text-message the message. “From comms-dispatch,” read “Reports of police using orange mesh fencing to surround protesters at Herald Square. Riot cops moving in. Cameras, medics and legal observers needed.” independent journalists and activist groups used text-messaging technology to coordinate a groundbreaking week of direct action and comprehensive news reporting. It was one of the many creative, guerrilla tactics employed by the decentralized resistance movement in North America that grew out of the WTO protests in Seattle in 1999. In contrast to the multimillion dollar security budgets for the Democratic and Republican conventions and meetings in Miami, at the recent FTAA activists are using technology that is virtually cost-free to mobilize hundreds of actions and thousands of activists. text messaging to send out action alerts, warnings, news and announcements, the New City Independent Media Center set up York an automated “info-line” that activists could call 24 hours a day to hear breaking news from Indymedia, a calendar of events or a live stream from the A-noise radio collective, which was broadcasting from the streets. At protests past, the work of Indymedia was pri- marily available to people at home through it went mobile. the Internet. In New York, And it was a huge success. munication and information distribution to all the activists in the streets,” says Evan Henshaw-Plath, the Indymedia tech activist who developed the info-line concept. “The police want to keep the protests under control and stay a step ahead of the pro- testers. So, all of this communications infrastructure helps on a tactical level. W nology as an B TECHING BACK THE CITY THE BACK TECHING Text Mob Rule Mob Text T 14 SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 THE INDYPENDENT “ REVIEWS W A S Starts Now The Revolution point ofview“AmericanTaliban” Blues,” inwhichEarlesangfromthe right snipingfor“JohnWalker’s Last year’s Pennsylvania landscapeinwinter. an acousticguitartrackassparsea Washington,” apoliticallamentover depression drone;and“Christmasin Cannot KillMyPain,”adepths-of- I’m-back garage-rocker;“Cocaine songs like“IFeelAlright,”arowdy albums almostannually, including committed. Sincethen,he’s released musically prolificandpolitically served fourmonthsinjail. fell deepintoheroinandeventually tating againstthedeathpenalty. He ing tale“CopperheadRoad”andagi- in 1988withtheredneckpot-grow- and Stonesyhardrock,scoringahit musical territorybetweenbluegrass rocker inthemid-’80s,working established himselfasacountry- fired byRonaldReaganin1981.He son ofonetheair-traffic controllers tioned EmmaGoldmaninasong? other countrysingershaveevermen- at theSept.1laborrally.) Howmany vention lastmonth.(Hedidperform protest duringtheRepublicancon- to playthe“DefendJohnnyCash” would havebeentheperfectperson UTR,PLTC N CRITICISM AND CULTURE,POLITICS RTEMIS TEVE He revivedinthemid-’90smore Earle, 49,grewupinTexas, the R ECORDS E ARLE ist politics,SteveEarle Nashville rootsandleft- ith hiscombinationof Jerusalem attracted far- Aint SoSimple The SimpleLife I racy,” hesaysinthelinernotes.“In artists andascitizensofademoc- ately wantedtoweighin,bothas ally politicalalbumyet.“We desper- Starts… Now, John Walker Lindh. and spine-crackingyogapositionswhoprom- smiles withserene encounters manygurus began worshipingthem.InNewYork one to hatethem,butafterafewepisodes,I wink. Iwasprepared with asingleflirtatious causingchaos swampandfarmland, through Belt onthefutilityofworkandobedience. a missiontoeducatetheAmericanBible Hilton, twoblissed-outblondes,embarkon DalaiLamaasNicoleRitchie andParis pure then Fox’s“TheSimpleLife2:RoadTrip” is trapping oneselfinanillusion.Ifthat’strue, assumeits reality,tion istoalready thereby Buddhism teachesthattoansweraques- you’ve thoughtaboutittoomuch. s lifesimple?Ifyouranswerisyesorno, Earle’s latestalbum, Impossibly thin,theywobbleonhighheels is hismostintention- The Revolution kicks attheperfectequilibrium Looney, anddrummerWill Rigby– guitarist EricAmbel,bassistKelly croakier thanever, andtheband– most solidrecords;hisvoiceis isn’t enough.” It’s alsooneofhis times likethesevotingalonesimply a hotel, they pretend tobeguests,callingin a hotel,theypretend supposedtocleanatubat Iftheyare store. a itfullybakedfrom peel shrimp,theyorder supposedto a contractwiththem.Iftheyare show, themorevenmake unable tocontrol class, whohostNicoleandParisshowafter this work.Thejokeinsteadisontheworking of ushave.Ofcourse,theyneveractually do work thegrimytoilet-cleaningjobsthatmost tray tworichgirlswhosimplifytheirlivesand topor- spoiled it.“TheSimpleLife”purports “Religion istheopiateofmasses.”That aline byKarlMarx: low themwhenIread NicoleandParis. of famethatglowsaround their familiesforachancetowearthehalo and followthem,leavinghomeordisobeying toup ready their divinityinthewaygirlsare magnified intominordeities.You cansee are mortals they go?Intothecamera,where do gawking bystandersleftbehind.Where in tanningsalons,shop,andgiggleatthe pizza,goonjoyrides,bake schedule toorder Buddhas findtheloopholesinanywork focus ofNicoleandParis.Ourblonde butnoneI’vemethavethe ise nirvana, I wasabouttoleavemyownfamilyfol- LIZ TILLOTSON venues forplayingit. getting 86edfromClearChannel USA.” It’s alsoeasytoimagineEarle CIA/Livin’ inthemotherfuckin’ fuck theFCC/FuckFBI/Fuck of peopleshoutingthechorus,“So radio. It’s easytoimagineahallfull loudest rocker, railsagainstcorporate nik poem“Warrior.” “FtheCC,” apocalyptic, metallicmilitary-beat- off tofightinarichman’s war”tothe acoustic storysongsabout“poorboys relate totheIraqwar, fromsemi- between looseandtight.Fourtracks possible ifyoucommittoit. moment whenyourealizechangeis high point.Itperfectlycapturesthe ring-of-fire guitars,istheabsolute anthemic two-chordgroovewith Remember You” on they don’t reachmyhearttheway“I Harris, feeloutofplace,oratleast breakup duetwithEmmylou better. Thetwolovesongs,onea Condoleezza Ricealovelife”theme comic stripdidthe“give flavored tune,butTheBoondocks “Condi, Condi”isafunnycalypso- if wedon’t havearevolution. der whatitwillsoundlikeintenyears even thinktheword“union.”Iwon- coworkers I’vehadwhoarescaredto a lotharder. Iwanttoplayitforallthe John Lennon’s “Imagine,”anditrocks The titletrack,asurging, There areacouplemisses. This couldbeasgoodasong The revolutionstartshere you down And tearthewallsaround When youriseaboveyourfear The revolutionstartsnow —STEVE WISHNIA Jerusalem aren’t forced toanswerthe question. forced aren’t ple? Iguessitisif,likeNicoleandParis, you consequences. Theshowasks,islifesim- along angstofpeoplewhomustlivewith the antics andthestrainedplay- their carefree supposed tolieinthedichotomybetween it.Theshow’shumoris chy buttore-affirm thehierar- elbows,nottore-arrange rubbing working class,tofilmtherichandpoor the rural through Nicole andParistojourney elitesent because theydon’t.Theruling them, worshipthemandimprison whom answertous.We lovethem,hate which liveinthehumanworld,neitherof between themadandholy, neitherof course scholarshavetracedtheconnection Paris soundslikesadisticinsaneglee.Of so obviousthatthegigglingofNicoleand their jobbuttheweightofherexhaustionis cannot behidden.Shetriestoquietlydo slow wearinessthatisfrighteningbecauseit Shemoveswitha is oldandshytired. Except whentheLatinamaidcomesin,she a maidtodotheworkforthem.Itisfunny. did. A seem togoanywhere. made meclaustrophobic;itdidn’t mixtapes inmybackpack.Thebook squished betweentextbooksand which spentmostofitsdays the wrinkledyellowpaperback, It tookmonthstomakeitthrough realities thatmaycausediscomfort. to truthsobscuredbypopmedia, of manypeopletoopenthemselves demonstrates thehungeronpart political documentariesthisyear too muchquestioning. images ofwar, whichmightprovoke while networksshyawayfromreal choreographed “realityTV”shows, dies. We consumeasteadydietof for mass-producedromanticcome- and morethought-provokingfilms the UnitedStates.We spurndarker media tomakeusuncomfortablein it getsundertheskin. bureaucrats. Thestoryisunsettling; tory explanationsfromevasive waits indarkhallwaysforunsatisfac- edge ofthecharges againsthim, under housearrestwithnoknowl- Kafka’s tale.Theprotagonist,kept triggered bytheverybrillianceof LYN TTHE AT PLAYING H G at Guantanamo Beneath theHoods 45 B NRBUDT EEDFREEDOM DEFEND TO BOUND ONOR But theoverwhelmingsuccessof We generallydon’t likeartand Later Irealizedmydiscomfortwas UANTANAMO LEECKER —NICHOLAS POWERS read FranzKafka’s school student,Itriedto s anoverlyambitioushigh S TREET C ULTURE , 212-307-4100. : P ROJECT . The Trial. Victoria Britain and Gillian Slovo’s the play. Jamal tells of being few websites around that’s sure to Marriage Act. Even with a “Guantanamo: Honor Bound to placed in a freezing isolation cell Anybody buck the party line, no matter what Democratic Congress in the early Defend Freedom” uses theater to of bare metal. Ruhel gradually party you’re sweet on. Just when the years, the peace crowd got no cuts in take this trend to a new level. loses his eyesight. Moazzam grad- But Bush? established left-wing press lock- the military; unions got no help on “Guantanamo,” first performed ually loses his sanity. At one point Careful what you wish stepped into Anybody But Bush the right to organize; advocates of at London’s Tricycle Theatre and we watch an American soldier orthodoxy, CounterPunch’s editors, DC statehood got nothing… the sin- currently playing at the Culture handcuff Moazzam mid-prayer, for, you just might get it Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. gle-payer crowd got worse than Project, is based on interviews with chain his wrists to his ankles, and Clair, went on a tear, exposing the nothing. Between Clinton’s inaugu- released detainees and the families lead him, hunched over, to an off- DIME’S WORTH OF actual record of the Democratic ral and the day he left office, 700,000 of those still being held at the stage interrogation room. An actor DIFFERENCE: BEYOND THE Party’s evil lessers. Collecting two more persons were incarcerated, United States’ notorious prison playing Donald Rumsfeld makes a LESSER OF TWO EVILS dozen of the best essays from their mostly minorities; today one in eight camp in Cuba. It tells the stories of brief cameo, instructing the audi- website, Dime’s Worth of Difference is black men is barred from voting four British detainees, two of ence that “These are among the EDS. ALEXANDER COCKBURN essential reading for anyone who because of prison, probation or whom still languish in 8-by-8 cells most dangerous, best-trained & JEFFREY ST. CLAIR wants to know what they’re voting parole.” with no charges levied against killers on the face of the earth.” AK PRESS/COUNTERPUNCH for, not just against. The results are In short, anybody who is poor or them. It is Kafka’s The Trial rewrit- At intermission, the detainees damning. hopes America might be something ten for the Bush era, and this time do not leave the stage. And when f you don’t stand for something, Generally sympathetic to Ralph better than a latter-day MAYIMBERome had it is no fiction. the play ends, there is no curtain you’ll fall for anything.” That’s Nader, Dime’s Worth of Difference nails better get used to the fact that nei- The stories of the four men, call. The actors remain in their Iwhat Malcolm X said 40 years the coffin on liberal illusions about ther party plans to dish out much British citizens or legal residents cages, on their cots. The audience ago when confronted with elections what the Democrats really offer by besides more of the same. How else swept up in Pakistan, Afghanistan waits in some discomfort, slowly that didn’t offer substantial solutions digging into their record on the to explain that despite 80 percent and the Gambia, and labeled understands, and files out. We to the problems his people were fac- issues that matter the most. opposition to the Iraqi war from “enemy combatants,” give a face to realize: they are not going any- ing. After decades of lesser-evilism as Looking back over the reign of the Democratic primary voters, yet the approximately 600 other where. We are free to leave. They the official progressive approach to last lesser evil, contributor JoAnn another DLC hawk got the nod? For detainees from over 40 countries are not. The play is reality; it is elections, talking principles is taboo. Wypijewski tallies the results of the anyone who doubts the depth of the who are currently held in happening right now; and it could To the unleashed hordes of pissed-off Clinton era through the eyes of a for- Democrats’ complicity in the “Bush Guantanamo. There, the U.S. happen, conceivably, to any of us. liberals, it’s downright dangerous, mer Rainbow Coalition volunteer. agenda,” you have to pick this one claims the Geneva Conventions do The power of the Culture and, if you have the nerve to run for “[T]he black stripe of the Rainbow up. Sticking your head in the sand not apply. Most detainees have been Project “Guantanamo” production president on what you actually got the Crime Bill, women got ‘wel- won’t stop the tide from crashing up denied access to legal counsel for lies in its unsettling straightfor- believe, “egomaniacal.” fare reform,’ labor got NAFTA, gays the beach. two and a half years; interrogations, wardness. Lacking in dramatic CounterPunch.org is one of the and lesbians got the Defense of —JED BRANDT according to released detainees, tension, often going for long include stripping prisoners naked stretches with minimal movement and beating them. “Recreation” on the stage as characters relate periods, as Seymour Hersh recently overlapping narratives, the play reported in The Guardian, have been never feels slow. While some known to include being hooded, actors in the relatively young pro- put in straitjackets and left in duction still seem to be feeling out intense sunlight. their characters, others, most Before the drama begins in notably Andrew Stewart-Jones as earnest, the audience walks directly al-Harith and Ramsey Faragallah into the prisoners’ predicament. as al-Rawi’s brother Wahab, give Actors playing the detainees are strong, energetic performances already on stage, some dressed in that maintain the viewer’s undi- blinding orange jumpsuits. They are vided attention. in mesh cages or on narrow cots, In March, two months before the doing pushups, reading the Quran, play first opened in Britain, Jamal or blankly staring ahead. al-Harith and Ruhel Ahmed were We are introduced to several released without charges and flown detainees. Bisher al-Rawi, a British back to Britain. Moazzam Begg and resident whose father fled Iraq Bisher al-Rawi remain incarcerated years ago after being detained by and may face U.S. military tri- Saddam Hussein’s regime, is bunals, which began in August and arrested in the Gambia, where he have been criticized by human intended to set up a peanut-oil rights groups as farces. processing plant. Jamal al-Harith, Towards the end of the play, the a Black convert to Islam and native character of British civil rights of Manchester, is en route to lawyer Gareth Peirce tells us, “I Pakistan to learn more about his think perhaps we’re very callous – we chosen religion. Jamal is kid- see, we hear about atrocities – but we napped in Iran by the Taliban and don’t have the capacity to register it,

accused of being a British spy, then to react as human beings.” THE INDYPENDENT released and almost instantly “Guantanamo” takes one step recaptured by the U.S. military. toward bringing these atrocities to Moazzam Begg flees the bombing public attention in such a way that of Afghanistan, where he has been we cannot help but react as human installing water pumps as a beings. It may need to move on

humanitarian project for Pakistan, beyond 45 Bleecker to avoid SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2004 only to be kidnapped by U.S. and merely preaching to the choir. But Pakistani forces and taken away in the play’s quiet narrative, and its the trunk of a car. Ruhel Ahmed is ability to get under the skin, have also picked up in Pakistan on the potential to shake diverse audi- unknown charges. ences out of their callousness. These characters, as well as Guantanamo is playing at the actors playing their family mem- Culture Project. 45 Bleecker Street, bers and lawyers working on their 212-307-4100. behalf, speak directly to the audi- ence throughout the duration of —NEELA GHOSHA 15