Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resource
in this e-mail:
(1) Army escalates charges in attempt to silence Lt. Watada
(2) U.S. soldier goes AWOL -- alleges sexual harassment
Enemy lines: She deserted the Army just before her 2nd tour in Iraq,
not because of the war, she says, but because her superiors preyed on
her
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/15/MNGJFL6BUE1.DTL
(3) Jailed for Life, Migrant Says Justice Was Too Blind
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0914-07.htm
(4) A Sweatshop Behind Bars
http://www.alternet.org/story/41481/
(5) Help kick Suez out of Bolivia!
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/la-paz-el-alto-2013-suez-must-leave-residents-demand-water-rights
(6) more links to articles, actions, etc.:
http://peaceandjustice2005.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/peaceandjustice2005
(7) Jail Time For Journalists: The Government Crackdown on Reporters
http://www.democracynow.org/
Senate Rebuffs White House Over Terror Trials
President Bush's revised plan to interrogate and prosecute terrorism suspects has received a major setback on Capital Hill. On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed an alternative plan affirming Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits inhumane treatment. Four Republicans, including Arizona's John McCain and committee chair John Warner, joined Democrats in approving the measure. The White House says it will fight the legislation because it would mean the end of the CIA's program of interrogating detainees. The Senate measure received a boost Thursday from former Secretary of State Colin Powell. In a letter to Senator McCain, Powell said ignoring the Geneva Conventions would endanger US troops and imperil the war on terror. Powell said: "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/15/1342236
(8) courtesy CCR -
Urgent: Stop U.S. Authorization of Indefinite Detention
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5182
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS IMMEDIATELY. Tell them that the American people will not tolerate indefinite detention in our name – at Guantánamo or anywhere else in the world. Tell them that executive detention must be subject to judicial review. No military commission bill should limit the most fundamental of all rights – habeas corpus.
(9) Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resource
=====================================
Army escalates charges in attempt to silence Lt. Watada
Lt. Watada, with Iraq War veterans, speaking to national Veterans for
Peace convention, Aug. 12, 2006. Photo: Jeff Paterson
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada
NEWS RELEASE. Sept. 15, 2006
(Ft. Lewis, WA) - In a surprise move today, the U.S. Army chose to
add an additional specification under the charge of Conduct
Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman for comments Lt. Ehren Watada
made Aug. 12 during a speech to the Veterans For Peace national
convention in Seattle. Lt. Watada stated "to stop an illegal and
unjust war, soldiers can choose to stop fighting it." The additional,
gratuitous charge raises the stakes in the widely publicized and
controversial case of the first military officer to publicly refuse
to fight in the illegal Iraq war and occupation.
It is unknown if the military intends to hold another Article 32 pre-
trial hearing to review the new charge, or simply railroad it
directly to court martial. A final decision on the forwarding to
court-martial on all seven charges now pending against Lt. Watada
remains forthcoming from Fort Lewis Commanding General Lt. Gen. James
Dubik.
If convicted of all charges, Lt. Watada could now face over eight
years in prison, more than six of them for publicly voicing his
opposition to what he considers an illegal and immoral war.
In June Lt. Watada stated, in language reminiscent of the House
Minority Judiciary Committee report "Constitution in Crisis" that
"the war in Iraq is not only morally wrong but a horrible breach of
American law," and that he felt his "moral and legal obligation is
to
the Constitution and not those who would issue unlawful orders." Many
groups and legal experts have weighed in on Lt. Watada's right to
publicly explain the rational for his actions. The American Civil
Liberties Union filed an amicus brief defending Lt. Watada's right to
respectfully and publicly explain his refusal to deploy.
In a written recommendation for court-martial issued last month,
Investigating Officer Lt. Col. Mark Keith had explained that it was
not Lt. Watada's "physical conduct (manner of expression, demeanor,
oral communication skills)" that he felt warranted the charges of
conduct unbecoming, but rather Lt. Watada's "message."
Paradoxically,
the Army has consistently chosen to act in ways that publicize that
message.
"Lt. Watada is a principled and sincere young officer who has deeply
held and serious legal and moral objections to participating in the
current war in Iraq. He attempted to articulate those concerns to his
command before the matter became public," Eric Seitz, Watada's
civilian defense attorney, wrote in a rebuttal submitted to the
military court late last month. "[T]he Army's unwillingness thus
far
to seek any reasonable solution or outcome of this situation
certainly has placed Lt. Watada into a position where he has little
or no choice but to vigorously defend himself against charges that we
submit are extravagant and unjustified," Seitz wrote.
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada is moving forward with plans for a
national mobilization near Ft. Lewis in support of bringing the
troops home, a "people's tribunal" on the legality of the Iraq War,
and many other events leading up to a possible court-martial.
A Travesty of justice
Paul Rockwell, CommonDreams.org. September 12, 2006
Someone should file a suit against the U.S. Army for plagiarizing
George Orwell's novel, 1984.
Orwellian irony hangs over the pending court-martial of Lt. Ehren
Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.
The Army is seeking to imprison the Hawaiian soldier of conscience,
not for lying, but for telling the truth; not for violating the law,
but for upholding it. Watada refuses to carry out illegal orders, to
participate in crimes against peace. Read more...
Urgent Action - Tell Fort Lewis: "No court martial!"
Updated Sept. 15, 2006 - The future of Lt. Watada's court-martial is
now in Fort Lewis General's hands. Your phone calls and letters today
could make a difference. More info...
Commanding General
Fort Lewis and I Corps
Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik
Bldg 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis WA 98433
Help Lt. Ehren Watada take a stand against illegal war!
...
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada
www.ThankYouLt.org
=========================================================
http://www.emajonline.com/
MUMIA ABU-JAMAL is an African-American writer and revolutionary
journalist who has spent the last 24 years on Pennsylvania's death
row. His demand for justice and a new trial is supported by heads of
state from France to South Africa, by Nobel Laureates, the European
Parliament, city governments from Detroit to San Francisco to Paris,
France, scholars, religious leaders, artists, scientists, the
Congressional Black Caucus and other members of U.S. Congress, and by
countless thousands who cherish democratic and human rights the world
over.
Since the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September
11, 2001, Jamal's journalistic skills, historical analysis and
eloquent pen have only confirmed his reputation as "voice of the
voiceless." With judicious historical insight and pointed probing of
the issues, he continues to question and enlighten his readers through
scores of columns, illuminating such issues as U.S. empire, terrorism,
poverty, the U.S. support of Pakistan during the war in Afghanistan,
the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq, and so much more. (See the
"Mumia Index" on this site.) His columns and essays continue to
find place in scholarly books as well as in the street newspapers of
the homeless.
Working people have expressed their support for Jamal through their
leading regional, national and international trade union bodies. The
International Longshore and Warehouse Union closed down West coast
ports for the day of April 24, 1999, to support Mumia's bid for a new
trial.
Jamal's books and over 500 published columns have been adopted as
resource material for the teaching and inspiration of a growing number
of students, youth, and educators who have come to see their futures as
intimately tied to the outcome of this case. The 1982 trial that
convicted Jamal of killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner
has been challenged by leading legal analysts and scholars, from Stuart
Taylor writing in the prestigious American Lawyer magazine, to Per
Walsoe of the Supreme Court of Denmark, to Amnesty International which
issued a special report in February 2000, claiming that "justice
would best be served by the granting of a new trial..." to Jamal.
While Jamal has worked while confined as an advocate for so many
others, he has maintained his own innocence from the beginning, and
does so in ever clearer and more emphatic tones to the present day. His
attorneys have presented compelling evidence that key witnesses were
intimidated or coerced to provide false testimony, that a purported
"confession" by Mumia was likely fabricated by police, and that
vital evidence pointing to his innocence was withheld from the defense.
A key eyewitness has now recanted critical court testimony she gave
under police intimidation and which was used against Jamal.
The confused and flagrantly-biased character of the prosecutors' case
against Mumia has only mushroomed over the years: yet another affidavit
has been offered that casts doubt on the original witnesses' claims
that Mumia had confessed to the murder; another man now has even
stepped forward to claim that he is the one who killed the officer
Mumia was convicted of killing; and a court stenographer swears in
another affidavit that she heard Mumia's original judge, Albert Sabo,
say during a court recess, "Yeah, and I'm gonna help 'em fry the
nigger." (Up to the time of his death just a few years ago, Judge
Sabo maintained he had been racially unbiased throughout Mumia's
trial.)
Jamal was forced to appeal his conviction before this same judge who
had sentenced him to death in 1982. Judge Sabo was notorious for
presiding over capital cases resulting in 33 people being sentenced to
death (all but two, people of color), more than twice the number of any
sitting judge in the United States.
So confused and biased is the case against Mumia that a U.S. District
Judge finally had to acknowledge just one of the problems of Mumia's
conviction, and in 1999 he thus vacated the death sentence against
Mumia. The prosecution, however, with the help of police unions like
the Fraternal Order of Police, are still working tirelessly and
vigorously to see that he is executed. Mumia remains on death row while
the prosecution appeals the suspension of a death sentence. Meanwhile,
Mumia's attorneys press on to gain an overturning of the judgment of
guilt against Mumia toward the end of achieving his freedom. His life
still hangs in the balance, with death just a few callous and cruel
decisions away.
WE EDUCATORS ARE UNITED IN SAYING NO TO JAMAL'S EXECUTION. We invite
you to study this web site, explore the case and the issues - for
Mumia's sake and that of so many others on U.S. death row.
¦ Jamal has long been a POLITICAL TARGET as a prominent journalist
critic of police brutality and racism in Philadelphia since the days of
Mayor Frank Rizzo.
¦ Jamal is made more vulnerable by sweeping JUDGMENTS AGAINST
DISSENTERS as "terrorists," and he has become less protected today,
as many progressive activists in post-9/11 USA turn more of their
attention and energy toward the war in Iraq, tensions in the Middle
East and general surveillance issues in the U.S.
¦ Jamal's life is increasingly put at risk because even in
post-9/11 USA he remains a vigorous critic of POLICE REPRESSION AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE. Whether writing about the outrage
of torture at the Guantánamo Base detention center, or in the jails
and lockups of Brooklyn, New York, and Austin, Texas, Mumia's as
"voice for the voiceless" puts him at ever greater risk.
¦ Jamal has challenged the present political priorities of SPENDING
MORE FOR WAR AND PRISONS THAN FOR EDUCATION. The youth who increasingly
rally to Mumia's cause in the name of justice and fair play know that
we build jailhouse cell blocks more rapidly than schoolhouse
classrooms.
AS EDUCATORS, IN PENNSYLVANIA, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD,
WE STRONGLY OPPOSE THE EXECUTION OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL. While there are
those who believe Mumia is innocent and should be FREED NOW, and others
who have no opinion about his innocence, we are all united in viewing
Mumia's 1982 trial as a travesty of justice, and affirm that he MUST
have a NEW TRIAL!
(1) Army escalates charges in attempt to silence Lt. Watada
(2) U.S. soldier goes AWOL -- alleges sexual harassment
Enemy lines: She deserted the Army just before her 2nd tour in Iraq,
not because of the war, she says, but because her superiors preyed on
her
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/15/MNGJFL6BUE1.DTL
(3) Jailed for Life, Migrant Says Justice Was Too Blind
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0914-07.htm
(4) A Sweatshop Behind Bars
http://www.alternet.org/story/41481/
(5) Help kick Suez out of Bolivia!
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/la-paz-el-alto-2013-suez-must-leave-residents-demand-water-rights
(6) more links to articles, actions, etc.:
http://peaceandjustice2005.blogspot.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/peaceandjustice2005
(7) Jail Time For Journalists: The Government Crackdown on Reporters
http://www.democracynow.org/
Senate Rebuffs White House Over Terror Trials
President Bush's revised plan to interrogate and prosecute terrorism suspects has received a major setback on Capital Hill. On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee passed an alternative plan affirming Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits inhumane treatment. Four Republicans, including Arizona's John McCain and committee chair John Warner, joined Democrats in approving the measure. The White House says it will fight the legislation because it would mean the end of the CIA's program of interrogating detainees. The Senate measure received a boost Thursday from former Secretary of State Colin Powell. In a letter to Senator McCain, Powell said ignoring the Geneva Conventions would endanger US troops and imperil the war on terror. Powell said: "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism."
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/15/1342236
(8) courtesy CCR -
Urgent: Stop U.S. Authorization of Indefinite Detention
http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/ccr/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5182
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS IMMEDIATELY. Tell them that the American people will not tolerate indefinite detention in our name – at Guantánamo or anywhere else in the world. Tell them that executive detention must be subject to judicial review. No military commission bill should limit the most fundamental of all rights – habeas corpus.
(9) Mumia Abu-Jamal on-line resource
=====================================
Army escalates charges in attempt to silence Lt. Watada
Lt. Watada, with Iraq War veterans, speaking to national Veterans for
Peace convention, Aug. 12, 2006. Photo: Jeff Paterson
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada
NEWS RELEASE. Sept. 15, 2006
(Ft. Lewis, WA) - In a surprise move today, the U.S. Army chose to
add an additional specification under the charge of Conduct
Unbecoming an Officer and a Gentleman for comments Lt. Ehren Watada
made Aug. 12 during a speech to the Veterans For Peace national
convention in Seattle. Lt. Watada stated "to stop an illegal and
unjust war, soldiers can choose to stop fighting it." The additional,
gratuitous charge raises the stakes in the widely publicized and
controversial case of the first military officer to publicly refuse
to fight in the illegal Iraq war and occupation.
It is unknown if the military intends to hold another Article 32 pre-
trial hearing to review the new charge, or simply railroad it
directly to court martial. A final decision on the forwarding to
court-martial on all seven charges now pending against Lt. Watada
remains forthcoming from Fort Lewis Commanding General Lt. Gen. James
Dubik.
If convicted of all charges, Lt. Watada could now face over eight
years in prison, more than six of them for publicly voicing his
opposition to what he considers an illegal and immoral war.
In June Lt. Watada stated, in language reminiscent of the House
Minority Judiciary Committee report "Constitution in Crisis" that
"the war in Iraq is not only morally wrong but a horrible breach of
American law," and that he felt his "moral and legal obligation is
to
the Constitution and not those who would issue unlawful orders." Many
groups and legal experts have weighed in on Lt. Watada's right to
publicly explain the rational for his actions. The American Civil
Liberties Union filed an amicus brief defending Lt. Watada's right to
respectfully and publicly explain his refusal to deploy.
In a written recommendation for court-martial issued last month,
Investigating Officer Lt. Col. Mark Keith had explained that it was
not Lt. Watada's "physical conduct (manner of expression, demeanor,
oral communication skills)" that he felt warranted the charges of
conduct unbecoming, but rather Lt. Watada's "message."
Paradoxically,
the Army has consistently chosen to act in ways that publicize that
message.
"Lt. Watada is a principled and sincere young officer who has deeply
held and serious legal and moral objections to participating in the
current war in Iraq. He attempted to articulate those concerns to his
command before the matter became public," Eric Seitz, Watada's
civilian defense attorney, wrote in a rebuttal submitted to the
military court late last month. "[T]he Army's unwillingness thus
far
to seek any reasonable solution or outcome of this situation
certainly has placed Lt. Watada into a position where he has little
or no choice but to vigorously defend himself against charges that we
submit are extravagant and unjustified," Seitz wrote.
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada is moving forward with plans for a
national mobilization near Ft. Lewis in support of bringing the
troops home, a "people's tribunal" on the legality of the Iraq War,
and many other events leading up to a possible court-martial.
A Travesty of justice
Paul Rockwell, CommonDreams.org. September 12, 2006
Someone should file a suit against the U.S. Army for plagiarizing
George Orwell's novel, 1984.
Orwellian irony hangs over the pending court-martial of Lt. Ehren
Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq.
The Army is seeking to imprison the Hawaiian soldier of conscience,
not for lying, but for telling the truth; not for violating the law,
but for upholding it. Watada refuses to carry out illegal orders, to
participate in crimes against peace. Read more...
Urgent Action - Tell Fort Lewis: "No court martial!"
Updated Sept. 15, 2006 - The future of Lt. Watada's court-martial is
now in Fort Lewis General's hands. Your phone calls and letters today
could make a difference. More info...
Commanding General
Fort Lewis and I Corps
Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik
Bldg 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis WA 98433
Help Lt. Ehren Watada take a stand against illegal war!
...
Friends and Family of Lt. Watada
www.ThankYouLt.org
=========================================================
http://www.emajonline.com/
MUMIA ABU-JAMAL is an African-American writer and revolutionary
journalist who has spent the last 24 years on Pennsylvania's death
row. His demand for justice and a new trial is supported by heads of
state from France to South Africa, by Nobel Laureates, the European
Parliament, city governments from Detroit to San Francisco to Paris,
France, scholars, religious leaders, artists, scientists, the
Congressional Black Caucus and other members of U.S. Congress, and by
countless thousands who cherish democratic and human rights the world
over.
Since the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September
11, 2001, Jamal's journalistic skills, historical analysis and
eloquent pen have only confirmed his reputation as "voice of the
voiceless." With judicious historical insight and pointed probing of
the issues, he continues to question and enlighten his readers through
scores of columns, illuminating such issues as U.S. empire, terrorism,
poverty, the U.S. support of Pakistan during the war in Afghanistan,
the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq, and so much more. (See the
"Mumia Index" on this site.) His columns and essays continue to
find place in scholarly books as well as in the street newspapers of
the homeless.
Working people have expressed their support for Jamal through their
leading regional, national and international trade union bodies. The
International Longshore and Warehouse Union closed down West coast
ports for the day of April 24, 1999, to support Mumia's bid for a new
trial.
Jamal's books and over 500 published columns have been adopted as
resource material for the teaching and inspiration of a growing number
of students, youth, and educators who have come to see their futures as
intimately tied to the outcome of this case. The 1982 trial that
convicted Jamal of killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner
has been challenged by leading legal analysts and scholars, from Stuart
Taylor writing in the prestigious American Lawyer magazine, to Per
Walsoe of the Supreme Court of Denmark, to Amnesty International which
issued a special report in February 2000, claiming that "justice
would best be served by the granting of a new trial..." to Jamal.
While Jamal has worked while confined as an advocate for so many
others, he has maintained his own innocence from the beginning, and
does so in ever clearer and more emphatic tones to the present day. His
attorneys have presented compelling evidence that key witnesses were
intimidated or coerced to provide false testimony, that a purported
"confession" by Mumia was likely fabricated by police, and that
vital evidence pointing to his innocence was withheld from the defense.
A key eyewitness has now recanted critical court testimony she gave
under police intimidation and which was used against Jamal.
The confused and flagrantly-biased character of the prosecutors' case
against Mumia has only mushroomed over the years: yet another affidavit
has been offered that casts doubt on the original witnesses' claims
that Mumia had confessed to the murder; another man now has even
stepped forward to claim that he is the one who killed the officer
Mumia was convicted of killing; and a court stenographer swears in
another affidavit that she heard Mumia's original judge, Albert Sabo,
say during a court recess, "Yeah, and I'm gonna help 'em fry the
nigger." (Up to the time of his death just a few years ago, Judge
Sabo maintained he had been racially unbiased throughout Mumia's
trial.)
Jamal was forced to appeal his conviction before this same judge who
had sentenced him to death in 1982. Judge Sabo was notorious for
presiding over capital cases resulting in 33 people being sentenced to
death (all but two, people of color), more than twice the number of any
sitting judge in the United States.
So confused and biased is the case against Mumia that a U.S. District
Judge finally had to acknowledge just one of the problems of Mumia's
conviction, and in 1999 he thus vacated the death sentence against
Mumia. The prosecution, however, with the help of police unions like
the Fraternal Order of Police, are still working tirelessly and
vigorously to see that he is executed. Mumia remains on death row while
the prosecution appeals the suspension of a death sentence. Meanwhile,
Mumia's attorneys press on to gain an overturning of the judgment of
guilt against Mumia toward the end of achieving his freedom. His life
still hangs in the balance, with death just a few callous and cruel
decisions away.
WE EDUCATORS ARE UNITED IN SAYING NO TO JAMAL'S EXECUTION. We invite
you to study this web site, explore the case and the issues - for
Mumia's sake and that of so many others on U.S. death row.
¦ Jamal has long been a POLITICAL TARGET as a prominent journalist
critic of police brutality and racism in Philadelphia since the days of
Mayor Frank Rizzo.
¦ Jamal is made more vulnerable by sweeping JUDGMENTS AGAINST
DISSENTERS as "terrorists," and he has become less protected today,
as many progressive activists in post-9/11 USA turn more of their
attention and energy toward the war in Iraq, tensions in the Middle
East and general surveillance issues in the U.S.
¦ Jamal's life is increasingly put at risk because even in
post-9/11 USA he remains a vigorous critic of POLICE REPRESSION AND LAW
ENFORCEMENT USE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE. Whether writing about the outrage
of torture at the Guantánamo Base detention center, or in the jails
and lockups of Brooklyn, New York, and Austin, Texas, Mumia's as
"voice for the voiceless" puts him at ever greater risk.
¦ Jamal has challenged the present political priorities of SPENDING
MORE FOR WAR AND PRISONS THAN FOR EDUCATION. The youth who increasingly
rally to Mumia's cause in the name of justice and fair play know that
we build jailhouse cell blocks more rapidly than schoolhouse
classrooms.
AS EDUCATORS, IN PENNSYLVANIA, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD,
WE STRONGLY OPPOSE THE EXECUTION OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL. While there are
those who believe Mumia is innocent and should be FREED NOW, and others
who have no opinion about his innocence, we are all united in viewing
Mumia's 1982 trial as a travesty of justice, and affirm that he MUST
have a NEW TRIAL!
posted by peaceandjustice2005 at 12:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home