2003.11.30: Tomorrow: Fill the Courtroom for Lynne Stewart

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2003 1:57 PM
To: 1199 Members; ALAA MEMBERS
Subject: Tomorrow: Fill the Courtroom for Lynne Stewart

Lynne Stewart will be arraigned on a superceding indictment on Friday, November 21 at 5 p.m. The government has attempted to charge Lynne under a different section of the same law as before, under a new theory for representing her client, Sheik Rahman.

Arraignment on superceding indictment
Friday, November 21 at 5 p.m. (must come early)

United States District Court
Southern District of New York
Judge Koeltl’s courtroom
500 Pearl Street
New York, NY

Closest Subways:
4,5 or 6 to Brooklyn Bridge
or the A, C or E to Chambers
1 or 2 to Franklin
N or R to City Hall

For more info go to: http://www.lynnestewart.org or call 212-625-9696

2003.11.25: The War at Home: Miami Police Assault & Arrest Legal Observers

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2003 2:15 PM
To: 1199 Members; ALAA MEMBERS
Subject: The War at Home: Miami Police Assault & Arrest Legal Observers

8 Arrested, 4 Beaten at Miami Trade Talks Civil-Rights Group Says Eight Legal Observers Arrested at Trade Talks in Miami, Four Beaten

The Associated Press

MIAMI Nov. 22 — Eight legal observers sent to monitor Miami police during trade protests were arrested, and four were beaten by officers, their organization said Saturday as dozens of protesters were issued bond.

Heidi Boghosian, executive director of the National Lawyers Guild, said her group of legal observers had been targeted by police, a claim disputed by Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss.

“Legal observers would not be arrested if they were simply observers,” Moss said. “If they crossed the line and were actually to do something like pick up a rock or bottle and throw it, they would move from observer to criminal.”

Nearly 200 people were arrested during a week of demonstrations as trade ministers drafted a blueprint for free trade in the Western Hemisphere.

The lawyers guild identifies itself as a progressive bar association that pushes for civil liberties and the rights of workers and minorities.

Boghosian said about 60 neutral observers from the group, mostly law students and lawyers, wore neon green hats in an effort to distinguish themselves from protesters.

More than 50 jailed protesters appeared Saturday on misdemeanor charges including disobeying police orders to disperse and resisting arrest. Most were issued bonds from $100 to $1,000.

In another courtroom, Judge Alex Ferrer refused to reduce bond for five people arrested on felony charges, and ordered the bond court to rehear the cases of four others. The nine faced charges including possession of burglary tools and battery of a police officer.

In a letter sent Thursday to Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, the lawyers guild said police used indiscriminate, excessive force against hundreds of nonviolent protesters.

Police officials have maintained that their efforts kept protests from becoming more violent, and that protesters were given appropriate warning time to disperse before arrests were made.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20031122_1367.html

2003.11.21: Re: Democracy in action at ALAA (was: Right and Authority)

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 2:40 PM
To: Susan Morris; ALAA MEMBERS
Subject: Re: Democracy in action at ALAA (was: Right and Authority)

On February 21, 2002, the Delegate Council overwhelmingly adopted the position that: “‘As a labor union whose members fight each day for the statutory and constitutional rights of indigent New Yorkers, The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325, is deeply opposed to the Bush administration’s broad assault on precious civil liberties and democratic rights. . . . ALAA, therefore, supports and endorses all efforts to defend these freedoms against attacks such as those discussed above.” In Defense of Civil Liberties, at <http://www.nlada.org/News/News_From_The_Field/Items/2002041556242899&gt;.

As a result, in March and September 2002, the Union co-sponsored demonstrations calling for the release of immigrants detained after 9/11,<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LaborAgainstWar/message/713&gt;, <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LaborAgainstWar/message/115&gt;, and supported many similar activities throughout the year.

This position is entirely consistent with ALAA’s long history of opposing racism, police abuse, the Rockefeller Drug Laws, incarceration of political prisoners and numerous other attacks on our rights and those of our clients. History of The Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325 (Rev. Aug. 1999), at <http://alaa.org/frames/history.html&gt;.

As stated in ALAA Bylaws, Art. III: “It will be the purpose of this union to. . . . [a]dvocate for the advancement of the interests of our clients and of poor and working people in general through political and legislative outreach.”

>>> Susan Morris 11/21/2003 2:00:44 PM >>>
There was a Union-wide vote to support the Bill of Rights Defense Campaign.

Each cluster/group in each Borough/Division had an opportunity to vote. The delegates of those groups then voted, at a DC meeting, according to their respective membership. We are a MEMBERSHIP driven democracy. It was the MEMBERSHIP that instructed the delegates how to vote. In supporting the Bill of Rights Defense Campaign, we, the membership of ALAA, became members of the coalition.

As for the question, “Are we an organization that represents poor people or are we an organization that enforces civil rights and liberties,” I fail to see the difference.

Sigmund Israel, who has been with the Legal Aid Society for 30 some years now, once put it best, when he said, “We are an association of attorneys, in the form of a union. We are not just concerned with purely economic matters, but public matters as well. We must be involved in taking a stand as it affects our (U.S.A.) constituion.”

(FYI: Mr. Israel made that statement in the meeting where Cluster 3 of Brooklyn CDD voted to support the Bill of Rights Campaign. I wrote it down and have it tacked up to my bulletin board, where I glance at it daily.)

Susan O. Morris
Brooklyn CDD
ALAA Sgt-at-Arms

>>> James Rogers 11/21/2003 12:56:59 PM >>>
The Executive Board voted unanimously to be a member. We are a civil rights/civil liberties organization. We deal with limiting police power. That is who we are. We are very careful about what groups we join, but this one was a no brainer. I am proud the executive board took this action and I am one of the point people. THE POLICE HAVE TOO MUCH POWER. THE GOV’T IS DECLARING CITIZENS EMEMY COMBANTANTS. CONSERVATIVE COURTS OF APPEALS HAVE TAKEN GREAT ISSUE WITH THAT. This is what this union is about in addtion to our bread and butter labor issues. Our poor and immigrant clients are the ones bearing the brunt of Patriot I and II. Remember the Indian restauratn wokers raid. Or did you read about the Cambodian refugee who was sent deported.

2003.11.17: NYPD Attacks Peaceful Gathering at Brooklyn Community Space

From: Susan Morris
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2003 10:47 AM
To: 1199 Members; ALAA MEMBERS
Subject: NYPD ATTACKS PEACEFUL GATHERING AT BROOKLYN COMMUNITY SPACE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Critical Resistance Northeast Office, 718.398.2825, crnyc@criticalresistance.org

November 16, 2003

NYPD ATTACKS PEACEFUL GATHERING AT BROOKLYN COMMUNITY SPACE
8 People Arrested at Benefit for Anarchist People of Color

Brooklyn, NY – People attending a private fundraising event in Brooklyn were shocked early this morning by an unprovoked and violent assault at the hands of the NYPD. Up to 100 people attending a fundraiser for activists of color were indiscriminately sprayed with chemical agents, beaten with nightsticks, and harassed by a throng of police officers.  Witnesses say there was no cause for the assaults and the subsequent arrests following the melee.

Over 25 police vehicles arrived at 968 Atlantic Avenue, the location of the fundraising event, at around 2 AM, to investigate an officer’s report of someone standing outside the party allegedly holding an “open container”. Within minutes, the police unleashed their wave of violence onto the crowd, provoking onlookers and beating down attendees who were not resisting their orders. Over 20 people were experiencing effects of the pepper spray that was erratically sprayed into the air by the officers.

All tenants of the private, residential building were present at the event, did not request police assistance, and no one in the building placed a complaint with the precinct or the emergency response system.  Witnesses report that no warrant was presented upon police entrance.  Organizers responded peacefully to police threats and physical provocation, yielding to their disrespectful demands.

“I was stunned at the severity of the attack, and I am genuinely concerned for the safety and well-being of those who were unfairly detained and arrested”, said a witness at the scene of the incident.

Legal council at the scene confirmed that at least 8 arrests were made. Preliminary allegations include violation of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and inciting a riot, all of which are classified as misdemeanors. The 77th Precinct, which is where the arrestees were initially held, haw been unwilling to provide even the smallest information about the status of those arrested.  EMS visited the precinct to attend to those who sustained serious injuries, which include bruised ribs, a spinal injury, and severe blows to the head.

Critical Resistance is a national grassroots group that focuses on prisons and police brutality, and challenges the belief that policing, surveillance, imprisonment, and similar forms of control make our communities safer.

2003.11.10: Today, 4:30-6 p.m.: Protest Colin Powell’s Speech at CCNY

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 10:36 AM
To: 1199 Members; ALAA MEMBERS
Subject: Today, 4:30-6 p.m.: Protest Colin Powell’s Speech at CCNY
Importance: High

Protest Colin Powell’s Speech at CCNY!
MONEY FOR JOBS AND EDUCATION,
NOT FOR WAR AND OCCUPATION!!

Monday, Nov. 10, 4:30-6pm
Convent Ave. btwn 138 & 140 Sts.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, a graduate of City College, has chosen CCNY as the location for a major foreign policy address on Monday Nov. 10.

This is a disgusting and cynical maneuver.

Powell is appearing at a working class and largely Black and Latino school at a moment when anger about the war and occupation are growing.

CUNY schools have faced massive budget cuts and students have been forced to absorb huge tuition hikes.

Meanwhile, the Bush administration has just won approval for
$87 billion for the brutal occupation — and corporate looting — of Iraq.

The message of this protest is “Money for Schools not for War and Occupation!”

Powell is a war criminal, and is part and parcel of an administration that is attacking women’s right to choose, immigrants rights, and basic civil liberties.

Social justice and antiwar groups from across the city have endorsed or co-sponsored this protest.

For information or to get involved email protestpowell@hotmail.com, or call 646-382-4181.

2003.11.05: Re: Antiwar Update

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 3:01 PM
To: [S]
Subject: Re: Antiwar Update
Importance: High

[S],

I’m glad to hear that you did not intend to undermine the democratic process.

As to the issues, I support neither religious fundamentalism of any brand (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, etc.), nor am I a pacifiist.  But I believe that wars in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine are primarily about colonialism, occupation and imperialism.

More generally, I think that genuine socialism would mean not oppression, but rather democratic collective decision-making and individual democratic rights.

Michael

>>> [S] 11/5/2003 9:45:25 AM >>>
Why did it take such a reply( to you only) to get a response. I have replied to many of your posting with detailed opinion. You replied to not a one. Management has taken issue with political discourse in the past  (Though not to issues which favor their political views). I do believe we should be allowed to voice our opinions. I take issue with opinion without the courage to test such opinions in open discourse. Western civilization is based, among other things, upon open scientific experiment. If theory is shown to fail the test of empirical testing it is discarded. If an opinion/belief is unwilling to be tested and is supported only by a desire to impose such system upon a populace “…unable to see that it would be better for them” then we have dictatorship. Efficient perhaps, but unacceptable.

Western civilization is under attack by religious absolutism. It is my experience that most individuals who reject religion cannot accept that those who base their existence upon it. I have engaged many such persons and always hear some version of the following. They can’t really believe such things in todays world. I I/we could only sit down and talk we could reach some sort of understanding, at least agree to disagree.

Unfortunitly such agreement is impossible. Wahabbi Islam, the source of the death sentence on infidals (including muslems who disagree with their view of islam and islamic law (the s’hira ‘sic’) is intractable. When the only choise is kill or be killed I am forced to choose to kill. The commandment is ‘Thou shant not murder, not thou shall not kill”

Ghandi recognized the need to kill at such times and wrote as such.

I reject your collecaivist utopia and will oppose it whereever and under whatever guise it manifests itself. I would love to have your energy, commitment and activism on my side of the ‘infidal’ fence. I do believe history and logic falls on the side of the individual ovwer the collective and I do not fear a worthy advocate of the collective. I believe the true advocate of the collective is motivated by a desire for the greatest good for the greatest number of the people. I believe, however, that freedom for the individual is the best and only way to achieve same for the homo sapien. I do not believe in the existence of a universal “Socialist Man” A few individuals may choose altruistic behavior for a time but such behavior is impossible for a population. That is why solialistic/communist societies have always degenerated into tyrany and/or intellectual decay and substance abuse.
[S]

>>> Michael Letwin 11/3/2003 3:05:06 PM >>>
[S],

All Union members have a right to express their views on the ALAA list; that’s what it’s there for, and many people do so on any number of topics — politics included.

That doesn’t mean you have to agree with what’s posted (Lord knows, I often haven’t).  You can ignore, block or delete messages that you don’t want to read, respond substantively to the author, or post your own messages to the entire list.  You can vote against those whose views offend you, or even call them names.  All of that is part of the democratic process.

But I trust, upon reflection, you will agree that it would betray the most basic Union principles to answer messages with which you differ by reporting their authors to Management.

Michael

>>> [S] 11/3/2003 8:54:26 AM >>>
You are a coward. You put this collectavist propaganda over the system and refuse to engage with anyone who disagrees and refuse to fellow travel. Do what you will but respond and defend yourself or don’t send this properganda to me. This is the last time I respond only to you. Next time it goes systemwide cc to management which I thought had prohibited such politicing over the e-mail

>>> Michael Letwin 10/31/2003 3:09:55 PM >>>
CONTENTS

War and Occupation
**15,000 Iraqi Fatalities
**Brutal Reality of the Iraq Occupation
**US Bulldozes Farmers’ Crops
**U.S. Razor-Wires Iraqi Village
**Thousands of Detainees Sit, Wait in Iraq **Permits Ordered for Palestinians **Death of a Palestinian Town **Elite Unit Savaged Civilians in Vietnam

Antiwar Movement
**Bring Our Children Home Now
**‘You Lied, They Died,’ US Parents Tell Bush **In D.C., a Diverse Mix Rouses War Protest **National Labor Against the War Conference **NYCLAW Buttons **Next NYCLAW Meeting: Monday, November 3, 2003

================================================

WAR AND OCCUPATION

15,000 Iraqi Fatalities
Project on Defense Alternatives, October 20, 2003 On the Iraqi side: a review and analysis of the available evidence shows that approximately 11,000 – 15,000 Iraqis, combatants and noncombatants, were killed in the course of major combat actions. (Iraqi casualties incurred after 20 April are not included in this estimate).
[Full text:  http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/0310rm8exsum.pdf  ]

Brutal Reality of the Iraq Occupation
Independent, September 25, 2003
If anyone wants to know why Iraqis set bombs for American soldiers, they had only to sit in the two-storey villa in this little farming village and look at the frozen face of Ahmed al-Ham and his angry friends yesterday.  Ahmed’s 50-year-old father, Sabah, was buried just a week ago–35 days after he died in American hands at the Abu Ghraib prison–and the 17-year-old youth with his small beard and piercing brown eyes blames George Bush for his death. “Pigs,” he mutters. Ahmed was a prisoner, too, and his father died in his arms.
[Full text:  http://www.counterpunch.org/fisk09252003.html ]

US Bulldozes Farmers’ Crops
Independent, October 12, 2003
Americans accused of brutal ‘punishment’ tactics against villagers, while British are condemned as too soft US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops. . . . When a reporter from the newspaper Iraq Today attempted to take a photograph of the bulldozers at work a soldier grabbed his camera and tried to smash it. The same paper quotes Lt Col Springman, a US commander in the region, as saying: “We asked the farmers several times to stop the attacks, or to tell us who was responsible, but the farmers didn’t tell us.”
[Full text: http://occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=1323 ]

U.S. Razor-Wires Iraqi Village
NY Times, October 31, 2003
American soldiers, working before dawn, surrounded the village with razor wire and set up checkpoints at the exits. They ordered all adults to register for identity cards in the village, about 95 miles north of the capital.
[Full text:  http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/international/middleeast/31CND-IRAQ.html ]

Thousands of Detainees Sit, Wait in Iraq AP, October 8, 2003 The U.S. military is detaining more than 5,000 Iraqi men and women accused of common crimes or of being security threats – people whose legal rights are in dispute and whose living conditions are hidden from public view.
[Full text:  http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031008_1553.html ]

Permits Ordered for Palestinians
Guardian, October 27, 2003
The Israeli military has ordered thousands of Palestinians living near the steel and concrete “security fence” through the West Bank to obtain special permits to live in their own homes. . . . The order said that only Israelis and Jews could enter the designated areas without a pass.
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1071616,00.html ]

Death of a Palestinian Town
Guardian, October 27, 2003
With ruthless efficiency, the Israeli army has been crushing and rocketing the Palestinian refugee town of Rafah in a manner which rivals the destruction of Jenin last year. But it is all in the name of stopping terrorism so the international community has remained silent.
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1071634,00.html ]

Elite Unit Savaged Civilians in Vietnam
Toledo Blade, October 22, 2003
These Tiger Force soldiers fan out while patrolling the Song Ve Valley in a 1967 photo taken by a former platoon member. The unit committed an untold number of atrocities in the valley as part of a seven-month campaign of terror.
[Full text:  http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SRTIGERFORCE ]

ANTIWAR MOVEMENT

Bring Our Children Home Now
Alternet, September 22, 2003
Nancy Lessin, the co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, a rapidly growing antiwar group organized by family members of soldiers posted in Iraq, gave the following speech at a congressional hearing organized by Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Sept. 9.
[Full text:  http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16812 ]

‘You Lied, They Died,’ US Parents Tell Bush Guardian, September 27, 2003
The father of a soldier killed in Iraq accused President George Bush yesterday of being responsible for his son’s death.   Fernando Suarez, whose 20-year-old son, Jesus, was one of the first fatalities, said: “My son died because Bush lied.”
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1050949,00.html ]

In D.C., a Diverse Mix Rouses War Protest Washington Post, October 26, 2003 Tens of thousands of antiwar demonstrators marched in Washington yesterday to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, turning out in smaller numbers than for prewar protests but making plain their opposition during a noisy yet peaceful procession.
[Full text:   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17636-2003Oct25.html ]

National Labor Against the War Conference Znet, October 28, 2003 “Bring the troops home NOW” is not only the slogan of a growing portion of the US peace movement, but it now part of the ratified program of US Labor Against the War (USLAW). Meeting in Chicago this past weekend (October 24-25), 154 delegates representing approximately 500,000 trade union members from all over the country held the first National Assembly of USLAW, and established the organization.
[Full text:  http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=19&ItemID=4416 ]

NYCLAW Buttons
To get either of the following two new NYC Labor Against the War buttons ($1/ea), please respond by return e-mail.

#1 (round, red and white on black):
End the Occupation of Iraq
Bring the Troops Home Now

#2 (square, black, red and yellow on white):
US OUT OF IRAQ
AFGHANISTAN
PHILIPPINES
PALESTINE
COLOMBIA
NO TO EMPIRE

Appearanace viewable at:  http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=77770&group=webcast   [scroll down to view]

Next NYCLAW Meeting: Monday, November 3, 2003 The next meeting of New York City Labor Against the War will be held on Monday, November 3, 2003, 6:30 p.m., at DC 1707 AFSCME, 75 Varick St., 14 Floor (1/2/A/C/E to Canal St.).  The agenda will include reports on national demos to End the Occupation & Bring the Troops Home Now (October 25), and on the USLAW Chicago conference (October 24-25).

2003.11.03: Fwd: Re: Antiwar Update

From: Michael Letwin
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 4:09 PM
To: [ALAA Executive Board]
Subject: Fwd: Re: Antiwar Update
Importance: High

I thought that the EB should be advised of the [S’] threat.  It might be advisable for the Union to send out a general reminder about  free speech rights on the ALAA list and that members who seek to violate them are acting contrary to the contract and the UAW Constitution.

>>> [R] 11/3/2003 4:03:13 PM >>>
[S’s] email is completely outrageous.  (And I hope if and when he decides to respond to the entire list-serve he learns how to spell.)

Was your intent in forwarding this just to give us a heads up that [S] is threatening to forward ALAA emails to management, or did you intend for the EB to take some kind of action?

>>> Michael Letwin 11/3/2003 3:54:55 PM >>>

>>> Michael Letwin 11/3/2003 3:05:06 PM >>>
[S],

All Union members have a right to express their views on the ALAA list; that’s what it’s there for, and many people do so on any number of topics — politics included.

That doesn’t mean you have to agree with what’s posted (Lord knows, I often haven’t).  You can ignore, block or delete messages that you don’t want to read, respond substantively to the author, or post your own messages to the entire list.  You can vote against those whose views offend you, or even call them names.  All of that is part of the democratic process.

But I trust, upon reflection, you will agree that it would betray the most basic Union principles to answer messages with which you differ by reporting their authors to Management.

Michael

>>> [S] 11/3/2003 8:54:26 AM >>>
You are a coward. You put this collectavist propaganda over the system and refuse to engage with anyone who disagrees and refuse to fellow travel. Do what you will but respond and defend yourself or don’t send this properganda to me. This is the last time I respond only to you. Next time it goes systemwide cc to management which I thought had prohibited such politicing over the e-mail

>>> Michael Letwin 10/31/2003 3:09:55 PM >>>
CONTENTS

War and Occupation
**15,000 Iraqi Fatalities
**Brutal Reality of the Iraq Occupation
**US Bulldozes Farmers’ Crops
**U.S. Razor-Wires Iraqi Village
**Thousands of Detainees Sit, Wait in Iraq **Permits Ordered for Palestinians **Death of a Palestinian Town **Elite Unit Savaged Civilians in Vietnam

Antiwar Movement
**Bring Our Children Home Now
**‘You Lied, They Died,’ US Parents Tell Bush **In D.C., a Diverse Mix Rouses War Protest **National Labor Against the War Conference **NYCLAW Buttons **Next NYCLAW Meeting: Monday, November 3, 2003

================================================

WAR AND OCCUPATION

15,000 Iraqi Fatalities
Project on Defense Alternatives, October 20, 2003 On the Iraqi side: a review and analysis of the available evidence shows that approximately 11,000 – 15,000 Iraqis, combatants and noncombatants, were killed in the course of major combat actions. (Iraqi casualties incurred after 20 April are not included in this estimate).
[Full text:  http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/0310rm8exsum.pdf  ]

Brutal Reality of the Iraq Occupation
Independent, September 25, 2003
If anyone wants to know why Iraqis set bombs for American soldiers, they had only to sit in the two-storey villa in this little farming village and look at the frozen face of Ahmed al-Ham and his angry friends yesterday.  Ahmed’s 50-year-old father, Sabah, was buried just a week ago–35 days after he died in American hands at the Abu Ghraib prison–and the 17-year-old youth with his small beard and piercing brown eyes blames George Bush for his death. “Pigs,” he mutters. Ahmed was a prisoner, too, and his father died in his arms.
[Full text:  http://www.counterpunch.org/fisk09252003.html ]

US Bulldozes Farmers’ Crops
Independent, October 12, 2003
Americans accused of brutal ‘punishment’ tactics against villagers, while British are condemned as too soft US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops. . . . When a reporter from the newspaper Iraq Today attempted to take a photograph of the bulldozers at work a soldier grabbed his camera and tried to smash it. The same paper quotes Lt Col Springman, a US commander in the region, as saying: “We asked the farmers several times to stop the attacks, or to tell us who was responsible, but the farmers didn’t tell us.”
[Full text: http://occupationwatch.org/article.php?id=1323 ]

U.S. Razor-Wires Iraqi Village
NY Times, October 31, 2003
American soldiers, working before dawn, surrounded the village with razor wire and set up checkpoints at the exits. They ordered all adults to register for identity cards in the village, about 95 miles north of the capital.
[Full text:  http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/international/middleeast/31CND-IRAQ.html ]

Thousands of Detainees Sit, Wait in Iraq AP, October 8, 2003 The U.S. military is detaining more than 5,000 Iraqi men and women accused of common crimes or of being security threats – people whose legal rights are in dispute and whose living conditions are hidden from public view.
[Full text:  http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031008_1553.html ]

Permits Ordered for Palestinians
Guardian, October 27, 2003
The Israeli military has ordered thousands of Palestinians living near the steel and concrete “security fence” through the West Bank to obtain special permits to live in their own homes. . . . The order said that only Israelis and Jews could enter the designated areas without a pass.
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1071616,00.html ]

Death of a Palestinian Town
Guardian, October 27, 2003
With ruthless efficiency, the Israeli army has been crushing and rocketing the Palestinian refugee town of Rafah in a manner which rivals the destruction of Jenin last year. But it is all in the name of stopping terrorism so the international community has remained silent.
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1071634,00.html ]

Elite Unit Savaged Civilians in Vietnam
Toledo Blade, October 22, 2003
These Tiger Force soldiers fan out while patrolling the Song Ve Valley in a 1967 photo taken by a former platoon member. The unit committed an untold number of atrocities in the valley as part of a seven-month campaign of terror.
[Full text:  http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=SRTIGERFORCE ]

ANTIWAR MOVEMENT

Bring Our Children Home Now
Alternet, September 22, 2003
Nancy Lessin, the co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, a rapidly growing antiwar group organized by family members of soldiers posted in Iraq, gave the following speech at a congressional hearing organized by Congresswoman Maxine Waters on Sept. 9.
[Full text:  http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=16812 ]

‘You Lied, They Died,’ US Parents Tell Bush Guardian, September 27, 2003
The father of a soldier killed in Iraq accused President George Bush yesterday of being responsible for his son’s death.   Fernando Suarez, whose 20-year-old son, Jesus, was one of the first fatalities, said: “My son died because Bush lied.”
[Full text:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1050949,00.html ]

In D.C., a Diverse Mix Rouses War Protest Washington Post, October 26, 2003 Tens of thousands of antiwar demonstrators marched in Washington yesterday to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, turning out in smaller numbers than for prewar protests but making plain their opposition during a noisy yet peaceful procession.
[Full text:   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17636-2003Oct25.html ]

National Labor Against the War Conference Znet, October 28, 2003 “Bring the troops home NOW” is not only the slogan of a growing portion of the US peace movement, but it now part of the ratified program of US Labor Against the War (USLAW). Meeting in Chicago this past weekend (October 24-25), 154 delegates representing approximately 500,000 trade union members from all over the country held the first National Assembly of USLAW, and established the organization.
[Full text:  http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=19&ItemID=4416 ]

NYCLAW Buttons
To get either of the following two new NYC Labor Against the War buttons ($1/ea), please respond by return e-mail.

#1 (round, red and white on black):
End the Occupation of Iraq
Bring the Troops Home Now

#2 (square, black, red and yellow on white):
US OUT OF IRAQ
AFGHANISTAN
PHILIPPINES
PALESTINE
COLOMBIA
NO TO EMPIRE

Appearanace viewable at:  http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=77770&group=webcast   [scroll down to view]

Next NYCLAW Meeting: Monday, November 3, 2003 The next meeting of New York City Labor Against the War will be held on Monday, November 3, 2003, 6:30 p.m., at DC 1707 AFSCME, 75 Varick St., 14 Floor (1/2/A/C/E to Canal St.).  The agenda will include reports on national demos to End the Occupation & Bring the Troops Home Now (October 25), and on the USLAW Chicago conference (October 24-25).