Legal Activists of Color: Take Action - Protect Workers from Pesticide Poisonings, contact EPA by August 8th

Original article is at http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/1731877.php Print comments.

Irish jury acquits anti-war protesters
by repost Wednesday, Aug. 02, 2006 at 7:41 AM

The jury is the conscience of the community chosen randomly from Irish society. The conscience of the community has spoken. The government has no popular mandate in providing the civilian Shannon airport to service the US war machine in it's illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq."

The verdict was given at aproximately 11.50 a.m. this morning at this significant trial in The Four Courts. Since their action on the 3rd February 2003 the five defendants have waited three years for todays verdict, under onerous bail conditions, with two other trials collapsing (Trial 1,Trial 2). In a statement released immediately after the verdict the Pitstop Ploughshares said:

"The jury is the conscience of the community chosen randomly from Irish society. The conscience of the community has spoken. The government has no popular mandate in providing the civilian Shannon airport to service the US war machine in it's illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

"In 1996 in Liverpool the Jury acquittal of the four 'ploughshares' women contributed to the end of arms exports to the Suharto dictatorship in Indonesia and the independence of East Timor.

"The decision of this jury should be a message to London, Washington DC and the Dail that Ireland wants no part in waging war on the people of Iraq. Refuelling of US warplanes at Shannon Airport should cease immediately. " - Ciaron, Damien, Karen, Deirdre and Nuin.

Indymedia has seen sterling work reporting this trial which has been ignored by the rest of the Irish media with daily court reports: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, last days and reflections from many participants as well as a photo essay of the verdict day along with a revolt video contribution.

Here Kathy Kelly reflects , on Closing Speeches in Pit Stop Ploughshares Trial, this post also includes the closing statements from the prosecution and defence. The trial has also seen public meetings featuring *Former U.S. Marine Sgt. Jimmy Massey & Kathy Kelly, while within spitting distance of the war-mongers lair (UK Houses Parliament), Brian Haw bore witness to the Ploughshares and there have been solidarity marches too. Indymedia.ie has a pre-Trial discussion with Ciaron about the Ploughshares' action, the upcoming trial and the meaning of resistance in the Era of the 'War on Terror':

But, it has to be remembered, that this victory can only be an encouragement which should revitalise the anti-war movement here. As reported by the Shannon Planespotters - CIA Rendition and covert aircraft are still using Shannon airport

You can visit the Peace On Trial website for more information on the CW5 by clicking here.

There will be much emotion and relief for the Pitstop Ploughshares and their supporters at this verdict. I presume the information I have just been given is correct.

(snip)

* * * * *

More pics and some great commentary at:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/77460

add your comments

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forwarded by the NLG Environmental Justice Committee - NYC/National www.nlg.org/ejc

see Beyond Pesticides fro more info on pesticides http://www.beyondpesticides.org/ and Pesticide Action Network of North America http://www.panna.org/

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http://www.ufw.org/

Take Action

Protect workers from pesticide poisonings

http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/EPA806

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http://www.lawg.org/ - Latin American Working Group

[edited]

ACTION: Please Call the White House Comment Line Monday (202-456-1111) with the following message:

Our government shouldn't interfere in events in Cuba. Instead, we should let U.S. citizens travel, trade, and interact with the Cuban people. I urge the administration to make a public statement that the United States will not interfere in Cuba's internal political process. I urge the administration to allow U.S. citizens to exercise their right to travel to Cuba and trade with Cuba.

ACTION: Please Write a Letter to the Editor of your Local Newspaper

also see - www.wicuba.org

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truthout

Anti-War Protests Erupt
Across the Muslim World

40,000 US Troops
Have Deserted Since 2000

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/080506X.shtml

Since 2000, about 40,000 troops from all branches of the military have deserted.

Those who help war resisters say desertion is more prevalent than the military
has admitted. "They lied in Vietnam with the amount of opposition to the war and

they're lying now," said Eric Seitz, an attorney who represents Army Lt. Ehren
Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to the war in Iraq.

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http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/06/RESISTERS.TMP

Unwilling troops obtain legal aid, solace in Canada

Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, August 6, 2006

Page A - 1

...Once across the border, they are met by a network of Vietnam War-era draft dodgers, Quakers and anti-war activists, who are waiting with lawyers, free housing, job offers and organic groceries...

...Unlike the 50,000 Vietnam War draft dodgers who came before them, today's war resisters aren't necessarily left-wing, college-educated and backed by a big peace movement.

They tend to be small-town America guys who volunteered for service, hoping the military would get them out of dead-end jobs and pay for the colleges and doctor visits their families could never afford.

Lawyers in Toronto and Vancouver have compared numbers and say they collectively have met with 200 Americans who have abandoned their units.

In a legal first, 25 of them have applied to become political refugees, a protected status that Canada has never granted to an American. Refugee status is typically reserved for those living in nondemocratic countries who can prove they would be persecuted for their politics, race, religion or membership in a specific social group. Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board has denied every deserter's claim thus far, sending the issue to the courts.

Toronto attorney and Vietnam War draft dodger Jeffry House, who is representing most of the deserters, argues that the international community considers the Iraq conflict an illegal war of aggression...

...While their cases are pending, the deserters have the government's permission to stay in Canada. They receive medical care and work permits, and earn money as waiters, construction workers or bicycle messengers. They hang out together at night and speak at peace rallies on weekends.

"At first I didn't tell people who I really was," said Kjar, 20, who has a tattoo of the Marine Corps' eagle, globe and anchor on one forearm and the Buddha on the other.

"But I realized it's not like the United States up here," Kjar said. "Canadians are much more supportive..."

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courtesy Boston Mobilization - Middle East Crash Course! (via e-mail)

web: http://www.bostonmobilization.org

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common dreams

Saturday, August 5
Stephen Zunes:
Jihad Against Hezbollah

The Bush administration and an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Congress have gone on record defending Israel's assault on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure as a means of attacking Hezbollah "terrorists." Unlike the major Palestinian Islamist groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah forces haven't killed any Israeli civilians for more than a decade. Indeed, a 2002 Congressional Research Service report noted, in its analysis of Hezbollah, that "no major terrorist attacks have been attributed to it since 1994..."

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counterpunch

August 5 / 6, 2006

Virginia Tilley
Boycott Now!: the Case for Boycotting Israel

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NYPD and Mall Officials Clamp Down On Rev Billy's Sunday 2pm Show and Action

On Friday unnamed South Street Seaport officials and the NYPD "Protest Team" warned surprised Spiegeltent producers that their Sunday 2pm performers, Reverend Billy and The Church Of Stop Shopping, were effectively banned from making any political speech in the open-air parts of the Seaport. A number of Reverend Billy's emails stated the Church of Stop Shopping would perform an "activist event" at the nearby Victoria's Secret after the show, at 3:30 PM.

Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping have been working with Forest Ethics and other environmentalists over the past year, trying to stop the clear-cutting of virgin boreal forests that supply the paper for Victoria's Secret catalogs. One million of these catalogs are mailed each day and nearly all go straight to landfill. Vicki's sexy pages are made from the forested foothills of the Canadian Rockies, an area larger than the Brazilian rainforest. This temperate boreal eco-system scrubs carbon dioxide out of the air and is known as the "lungs" of North America. Clearcutting and overlogging are fundamental causes of global warming.

Church spokesperson Savitri D said today, "We have no interest in jeopardizing the 90 artists performing in the Spiegeltent over the next 2 months, or bringing a police presence to the beautiful public beer garden at the Spiegeltent. Of course we hope The South Street Seaport will reconsider its relationship with environmentally irresponsible companies like Victoria's Secret and its parent company, Limited Brands. We are very glad to re-stage our drag queen Vicki's Angels with their cardboard chainsaws. Our activist event WILL take place, but not in a way that hurts the Speigeltent festival."
The 35 voice Stop Shopping Gospel Choir will join the Reverend at the Spiegeltent on Pier 17, behind the Fulton Fish Market. The show opens this Sunday at 2 PM, and continues each Sunday for two months, ending on October 1st.