A majority of Americans think the US should go to war against Iraq only with
the United Nations. Internal trade union polls show their members share these
sentiments - disarm Saddam Hussein, but only with the UN. It comes as no
surprise that as a US peace movement reflecting majority American opinion
grows, organizations already opposing the war, reporters, journalists, and
most importantly, union members are asking: "Where are the unions?" In fact,
unions have begun to question their government's war policy earlier, more
broadly and more seriously than ever before at such an early stage of a war
threat. On Oct. 24, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney took an unprecedented step
by sending a letter to members of Congress two days before the congressional
vote authorizing President Bush to go to war. Although Sweeney did not urge
members to vote against the legislation, he raised a series of points. ...
With similar concerns, local unions, central labor bodies and even AFL-CIO
state federations have begun to speak out. Teamsters Local 705 in Chicago,
the second largest in the union, passed a resolution on Oct. 18 which
stressed that, "We value the lives of our sons and daughters ... more than
Bush's control of Middle East oil profits"; that the "billions of dollars
being spent to stage and execute this invasion means billions taken away from
our schools, hospitals, housing and social security"; and that "Bush's drive
for war serves as a cover and a distraction for the sinking economy,
corporate corruption, layoffs," and the use of Taft-Hartley against striking
longshoremen. ... An anti-war coalition of mainstream membership
organizations is reaching out to unions, asking them to join it both
nationally and locally. The Keep America Safe/Win without War statement of
purpose closely tracks the same concerns spelled out by almost every union
resolution. ... Where are the unions? They are coming.
Bob Muehlenkamp was executive vice-president and organizing director of
1199/SEIU, the National Hospital Workers Union, and assistant to Teamsters
General President Ron Carey, and the Teamsters organizing director. He was
one of the coordinators of the million-person June 11, 1982 peace rally in
New York City.
Hoffa Joins War Hawks
Charles Walker
Teamsters President James P. Hoffa is sure to draw the wrath of anti-war
Teamsters, such as Chicago Teamsters Local 705, which recently declared its
opposition to "Bush's control of Middle East oil profits." That's because
Hoffa is a founding member of the so-called Committee for the Liberation of
Iraq, according to the New York Times (Nov. 18). A report from the
Globalvision News Network describes the committee as a "small group of
influential right-wingers with close ties to the offices of Pentagon chief
Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney. The new committee says it
"will engage in educational and advocacy efforts to mobilize US and
international support for policies aimed at ending the aggression of Saddam
Hussein and freeing the Iraqi people from tyranny." At the same time, though,
the group has its eyes on another geopolitical prize-oil-that shouldn't
surprise the Chicago Teamsters. The committee says that it "is committed to
work beyond the liberation of Iraq to the reconstruction of its economy ... "
The committee's ties to labor (through Hoffa) to date are far outweighed by
its ties to corporate America. For example, Bruce P. Jackson, who heads the
group, is a onetime vice president of the arms-manufacturer, Lockheed Martin,
and a former investment banker for Lehman Brothers. And George Shultz (a
former Republican Secretary of State, 1982-89), who presently sits on the
board of directors of Wall Street's Charles Schwab and Co. and the board of
the Bechtel Group (a giant world-wide construction firm), is, like Hoffa, a
founding member. Others associated with the committee include, Republican
Senator John McCain, Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman, one-time Democratic
Senator Bob Kerrey, and retired General Wayne Downing, who, until recently,
was a member of the National Security Council, and, earlier, an Iraqi
National Congress lobbyist. The Washington Post (Nov. 4) says the new
committee has the "Administration's blessings." The committee's officers have
met with "Bush political advisor Karl Rove. Committee members and a White
House spokesman said [National Security Advisor Condoleezza] Rice, [Deputy
National Security Advisor] Hadley and Cheney will soon meet with the group."
More than that, the Post article suggests that the committee is part of the
administration's effort to counteract the public's "decline in support for US
military action to topple [Iraqi president] Hussein." The Post notes "the
administration wants to keep pressure on Hussein while building support for a
possible war." Teamsters probably don't know what Hoffa is getting into, but
Hoffa should know. The committee is part of a network of foundations, think
tanks and front groups made up of reactionary forces, including elements of
the Christian right. Many of the groups have interlocking leaderships. They
championed the bombing of Serbia, the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe
and were cheerleaders for the Persian Gulf War. There's no doubt the
committee is largely directed by political operatives who know their way
around Washington, and have extensive experience when it comes to spinning
their politics. Part of their master plan includes "making contact with
journalists ... and meeting with editorial boards" across the country. The
Post says, "they fear public support for removing Mr. Hussein and rebuilding
Iraq's political and economic institutions could slip without steady
pressure." And they're right, as evidenced by Chicago Teamsters, who already
say, "Teamsters Local 705 stands firmly against Bush's drive for war."
thesetimes%2Eorg%2Fissue%2F27%2F03%2Ffeature2%2Eshtml>
David Moberg, In These Times, December 6, 2002
When members of a 21,000-member Teamsters local in Chicago proposed taking a
stand against war in Iraq in mid-October, Local 705 Secretary-Treasurer Jerry
Zero thought it sounded like a good resolution we could have some debate
over. But the results surprised even Zero, as Teamsters took the floor, many
identifying themselves as veterans of wars from Vietnam to Desert Storm. We
had 400 members [at the meeting] and all of the debate was one-sided against
the war, Zero says. There was only one vote against the resolution. I was
amazed. I expected an even split. Zero himself argued that there's no need
for war. We're looking at the oil there, he says. Maybe Bush is using it as
an excuse to cover up other shortcomings of the administration. We're looking
at an Iraq that has no ties I can see with bin Laden or other terrorist
groups and letting other countries like Saudi Arabia, that do have ties,
slide on by. All unions should take a stand, Zero says, since the prospect of
war affects your members, their families, their kids. They talk about this
costing $200 billion, and who knows how long we'll have to stay there and how
many more billions. Where will they get that money? They just gave it away
with tax cuts to wealthy people. ...
Duluth - The Duluth Central Labor Body, AFL-CIO, Machinists Lodge 459 in St.
Paul and AFSCME Local 3800 in Minneapolis have passed resolutions opposing
war in Iraq, joining scores of other labor organizations from around the
country who have spoken out. In its resolution, the Duluth Central Labor Body
"goes on record as strenuously opposing the Bush administration's march
toward war with Iraq without the direction of the United Nations" and
resolved to urge "its members and affiliates to get involved with
organizations working toward stopping the trigger happy Texan's march toward
war with Iraq." The resolution passed unanimously at the central body's
November meeting. ...
solution.php>
Duluth Central Labor Body, November 14, 2002
Labor Against the War in Iraq and for Peace and Justice Now!
Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (Monterey and Santa Cruz counties),
December 4, 2002
We, trade unionists and working people of the Monterey Bay region, oppose a
US war against Iraq. We call instead for a policy of peace, justice and
equality at home and abroad. As those who produce the goods and services, we
are especially concerned with the negative effects that militarism is already
having on US working families, and the increasing costs in both lives and
wealth that will be inevitable with an even greater expansion of the war. As
trade unionists and working people, we reject our government's aggressive
military policy and the attempt to use an atmosphere of war and fear to
suppress our rights as working people. Rather, we want our tax dollars to go
for health care, jobs and education - the needs of working families.
1. Preemptive war is a danger to world peace, increases the threat of
terrorism, and offers nothing but unending military conflict.
2. Anti-terrorism campaigns, such as the Patriot Act, and war preparations
are being used to restrict civil liberties and increase spying.
3. The Homeland Security Bill, use of the Taft-Hartley Act and similar
actions are an attack on the rights of workers to organize, bargain and
strike.
4. Over $200 billion in war costs will deepen the neglect of health care,
jobs, education and other needs of working families.
5. War destroys the environment and, in the name of national security,
provides a rationale for corporate looting and polluting.
6. Working class youth, especially poor and people of color, are forced to
risk death in war just to earn a living in the armed forces.
7. Tax cuts for the rich put the growing burden of military costs on the
backs of working families.
We call on all the Monterey Bay CLC delegates, working people and trade
unionists to join us in opposing this war and fighting instead for peace,
justice and equality.
This statement composed and supported by local unionists from the Monterey
Bay who have been meeting to work for peace. Some of the unions represented
in this group are Laborers, Ironworkers, AAUP, Sign and Display, Plumbers,
UPTE, IATSE, NALC, AFT and SEIU. Passed unanimously.
Also passed unanimously:
- Motion to spend $500 with other anti-war groups for an ad in the Santa Cruz
Sentinel.
- Motion to activate the mobilization committee to notify people about the
activity on MLK Day.
Canadians who have devoted their lives to social justice and peace must
understand that some things did fundamentally change on 9/11. But not
everything. Many of our causes remain as crucial as always, and we must not
neglect them as we address new and unprecedented challenges. Our
determination to oppose unjust aggressive wars by the strong against the weak
must remain unshaken. President Bush's obsession with Iraq's Saddam Hussein -
and the oil fields he controls - is one such example. Saddam Hussein is a
murderer and a dictator that many Iraqis would dearly like to see replaced
with a democratic government. However, as miserable as Iraqis are living in
Saddam's Iraq, most faced even more terror from the US bombs dropped on them
during the Gulf War. Even today, the legacy of that war lives on in an
elevated rate of cancer from depleted uranium from bombs dropped during the
attacks 12 years ago. Above all, Iraqis blame the US for the punishing UN
sanctions that have cost the lives of more than one million Iraqis,
especially from lack of medical supplies. ...
A Massachusetts Dialogue:
Nationwide peace actions are being planned for December 10. As of now nothing
is being posted for Massachusetts. Should something develop, which I'm sure
it will, would anyone be interested in organizing health care workers and
professionals to participate as a group? Recently, along with other health
care workers and professionals I have begun to be involved in preparing for a
mass casualty event. As we do this I am very much aware that in Iraq (as well
as in many other countries) there are health care workers and professionals
doing the same. Do we not have a common goal which is more powerful than the
goals of government and industry leaders which divide us? I think the
protection and care of human life is a stronger bond than the differences are
divisive. To a large extent these mass casualty drills are more propaganda
than preparedness. They give the general public both a sense of the
inevitability of a war and at the same time a sense of our health care
system's ability to provide some significant degree of protection. While I am
conflicted about being used as a propaganda tool, I have no conflict with
preparing to care for the victims of a mass casualty event. However I believe
that since we cannot avoid being used in this way, we have an obligation to
the public to publicize a clear antiwar and pro-peace message from us. Please
consider joining with me in taking a public stand against the madness which
is overtaking us and in support of peace and human rights.
Robert Fine, RN, November 23, 2002
Regarding ways to express our opposition to the threatening war, as
healthcare providers, here's what I've found out so far. Every Tuesday
evening @ 5:30 there's a silent vigil in Copley Square, Boston. On the
National Day of Protest, Tuesday, December 10th, if nothing else happens
locally, there'll still be this vigil sponsored by United for Peace. With our
own signs and banners, we can make an impact. Also, MNA activists may want to
attend this planning meeting for labor folks at Local 285 in Roxbury that I
just found out about. I have another meeting that evening, but will try to
make it over later. Let me know what you think.
Sandy Eaton, RN, December 2, 2002
Labor for Justice and Peace Organized in Boston
Cynthia Peters, December 4, 2002
Last night, Boston area union members, union staff and labor activists met
and formed Labor for Justice and Peace. (We did not include Boston in the
title because we think this will be a more regional group.) 20 people came, 3
committees were formed, lots of plans were made, and the next meeting was
scheduled. There was significant enthusiasm about the value and potential of
organizing on this topic within unions. Bumper stickers that say "Union Yes.
War No" have already been ordered today, and a banner with a labor theme is
being prepared for Tuesday's vigil (December 10th). I disseminated
information about all upcoming Boston and national events, and people are
interested in trying to mobilize labor for these events. There are plans for
a late January labor speak-out/debate/open-mic type event for union members,
and lots of other ideas. So ... it's off and running.
Next meeting is December 18th (7 PM) at Local 285 (21 Fellows Street, off of
Northampton, near the Boston Medical Center) - if you know of anyone you want
to send word to.
Editorial Comment: Several hundred protesters assembled in Boston's Copley
Square on December 10th: from veteran peace activists (including anti-war
veterans) to student groups. Robert & I continued our dialogue on what a
healthy response may be to this unhealthy situation. We thought that health
care activists may want to draft a simple statement of conscience, along the
lines outlined by Robert above, for circulation or publication. Let us know
your thoughts on this.
Illinois Correspondence:
I'm contacting you to talk about something imminent, with which I hope you
can help. It involves building a diverse and visible labor contingent for the
December 15th candlelight peace vigil and procession this Sunday, December
15th, that will wind its way down Michigan Ave. from St. James Cathedral to
the Chicago River, starting at 3:30 p.m. It is being spearheaded by United
for Peace, an interfaith group of religious leaders that includes
representatives of the major Christian, Jewish and Islamic denominations in
the Chicago area. It represents a very broad political coalition of religious
anti-war sentiment (all the way to Cardinal Francis George, who will be
marching with many other religious leaders). Although the vigil was organized
by the religious community initially, it has garnered the attention of many
others involved in anti-Iraq war activities and it's expected to be the
biggest event of its kind thus far in Chicago. It's now recognized as a test
of the strength and breadth of the anti-war sentiment in the city and
everyone is scrambling to make sure that the turnout is large enough to send
the right message to the city administration, to the public, etc. In the view
of many who were involved in the planning of the December 7th labor hearing
(including mine), two things are imperative. One, the march indeed needs to
be big, as it would boost many other efforts currently underway (i.e., local
union efforts, the city council resolution drive, etc.). A small turnout
would be pretty disastrous. Two, labor (racially diverse) needs to be
visible, with union banners where possible. Please encourage your union
organizations and friends to become involved. The details are as follows:
On Dec 15: An Interfaith Prayer Vigil will take place in downtown Chicago at
St. James Cathedral (located at 65. E. Huron St.) at 3:30 pm.
The vigil will be followed by a candlelight procession along Michigan Avenue
to the Chicago River. United for Peace, an interfaith group of religious
leaders, invites faith groups and other organizations throughout the Chicago
area to join together for this vigil and candlelight procession. Please bring
candles and flashlights. Thank you for your solidarity.
In unity, Elena Marcheschi, IATSE Local 829, December 9, 2002
New York Correspondence:
When I woke up this morning I thought I'd be meeting with a group of students
from Yale - they had set up a discussion with me some weeks ago. I was
feeling badly that I wouldn't be able to join the scheduled United for Peace
action at the United Nations. However, as I checked my Monday morning email
before heading to the WRL office, I found the student visit had been canceled
and my day was free. When I got to Dag Hammarskold Plaza there were more than
three hundred people. Almost all of them from the religious community. There
were a scattering of folks from ANSWER at the edge of the demonstration, but
this event, the first real action by the newly formed United for Peace
Coalition, was determined to set its own tone. After the necessary blessings
(which, given the ecumenical nature of the event, had to be given by four or
five different faiths, and took an inordinate time in the freezing cold) our
line of volunteers for arrest set off for the US Mission. At 46th Street
those who would be observers stayed on the north side of the street, while
the police said "everyone who plans to be arrested cross over". There were
far more people prepared for arrest than had been expected. "Ben" from Ben &
Jerry's was there, Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Daniel Ellsberg (with his son),
Richard Deats and Virginia Baron from the Fellowship of Reconciliation and
several people from the Catholic Worker and the War Resisters League,
including Melissa Jameson, WRL's office director. Some knelt on the steps of
the US Mission and prayed, the rest of us stood near them. The arrests began
quickly enough, but the process took a bit of time because the police had not
been prepared for the nearly two hundred people. One of those loaded into our
van was an elderly blind man who panicked at being pushed into the van (the
police were actually very good with him - but if you are blind and have no
idea where you are going, up or down, in or out, it must be terrifying). By
the time we got to the station house and were led into the holding cell, there
were 62 men - and our cuffs were finally cut off. (I hate the plastic cuffs
- I get a panic attack when my hands are cuffed behind my back and so
followed my usual practice of chewing up a Valium tablet just before arrest).
I have no count on the women, and I also don't know if some men were taken
elsewhere. It was an inspiration to see key religious leaders in one room -
under arrest. Rev. David Dyson was there, who had done excellent work with
labor. (He was responsible once, years ago when Gimbels was still in
business, for getting me arrested in a support action for the J.P. Stevens
boycott). A young Muslim cleric was there - he worked as a medical doctor and
served as an Iman (if that is the right spelling) as a volunteer. There were
at least two rabbis, possibly more. Rabbi Arthur Waskow I've known for many
years and it was comforting to have him there. Rev. Herbert Daughtry was
there and a welcome sight, a leader in the African American community with
whom I'd worked in the past. There was an abundance of Quakers, priests, and
pastors. As a religious atheist I felt God wouldn't mind my being there - it
was a good group of men, most of us past sixty. But there was a healthy
scattering of younger men and students. When we went around and introduced
ourselves, I identified myself as both from the Socialist Party and the War
Resisters League - and was almost immediately glad I had used the socialist
title, since one of those arrested introduced himself as Sam Webb, Chair of
the Communist Party. I would have hated to have the religious community think
the only political radical who was willing to join them was from the CP! (I
went over to Webb, whom I'd not met before, and said I thought a jail cell
was the right place for us to discuss our disagreements). Dan Ellsberg seems
to have taken up a new hobby - magic - as he performed several nice sleights
with a couple of silk handkerchiefs and his scarf. By 3 pm most of us were
out and on our way back to offices or home. This was, of course, only part of
a wave of actions across the US (including Austin, Texas!) to show that
United for Peace was not afraid to add arrests and jail to the range of
actions it would take. This is particularly important as so many fear the
implications for a police state from the push for a "national security state"
- the only way to avoid such a condition is to lose our fear and act. While
we sat or stood in our holding pen, we talked about the need to link the
issue of Iraq with that of oil, and to realize that opposing the Bush
Administration on Iraq was only part of a deeper program of opposing a
militarized State - something for which, I am sorry to say, the Democratic
Party is about equally responsible with the Republicans. All told a good day.
When I got back to the War Resisters League to feed Rustie, the office cat,
he seemed to approve of the way the day had been spent. Watch for further
actions by UPF, particularly around the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
Peace, David McReynolds, December 11, 2002
(David was the Socialist Party candidate for US president in 2000. - Ed.)
Trade Unions and the Condition of Workers under Israeli Occupation
Monday, December 16
Harvard University Law School
Hauser Hall, Room 102
7-9 pm
Directions: Hauser is behind Pound Hall (on Mass Ave, opposite the Cambridge
Common) and next to the Law Library.
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) delegates will speak
about Labor and Workers' Issues in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank as part of
a US national tour. PGFTU is the largest and most representative labor body
of Palestinian workers. Mohammed Saleh is a member of the PGFTU Executive
Committee and the National Secretary of the Legal Affairs Department. He is
responsible for PGFTU international relations and is a member of the
Palestine National Council. Brother Saleh lives in Ramallah, occupied West
Bank. Hekmat Elsarraj is a member of the Women's Affairs Department of the
PGFTU in the occupied Gaza Strip. The Women's Affairs Department organizes
working women within the various unions affiliated with the PGFTU, develops
leadership among women workers and encourages their participation in the
building of a democratic society in Palestine. Sister Elsarraj lives in Gaza
City, occupied Gaza Strip.
Sponsors: Labor and Work Life Program, Harvard Law School
Boston Labor Committee for Trade Union Rights in Palestine
Message from MoveOn.org:
Inspections in Iraq have started. Most of us breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, it's become clear that the ultra-hawks in the Bush
administration - Cheney, Wolfowitz, Perle - will not take yes for an answer.
While the rest of the world thinks Iraq has backed down, these men are
beginning a massive public relations blitz for war. With the possibility of a
peaceful resolution to this crisis at hand, we cannot allow a few men to push
the world to war. Send a message to President Bush to let the inspections
work at: <http://www.moveon.org/winwithoutwar>. We'll compile your messages
and present them to the Administration, including Secretary of State Powell,
and to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The good news is that the ultra-hawks
face some serious opposition. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other
members of the Bush Administration are willing to give diplomacy a chance,
and the State Department's interpretation of the UN resolution is a lot more
reasonable than the White House's interpretation. But unless wiser heads
prevail, this is what we should expect: (1) starting December 8th, members of
the Bush administration will claim that Iraq is in material breach of the UN
resolution, citing supposed omissions in the coming multi-hundred page
report, based on undisclosed intelligence; (2) soon thereafter some "hot"
incident, like anti-aircraft fire on US patrols in the no-fly zone, will be
used to solidify public support for war, and finally (3) the bombing campaign
will begin. This could all begin before Christmas - another wonderful gift to
the world from the Bush administration. President Bush has agreed that war
should be the very last resort. Let's hold him and his administration to
those words. Please sign on today. We must support policy makers who will
oppose these few extremists in the Bush White House who have been looking for
an excuse for war from the very beginning.
Sincerely, Eli Pariser, International Campaigns Director, MoveOn.org,
December 4, 2002
NO War on the World
NO Detentions & Round-ups
NO Police State Restrictions
Not in Our Name (NION) is not organizationally affiliated with Not In My Name
(NIMN) - a Jewish peace group formed to work for a just and lasting peace
between Israelis and Palestinians.
The first people in the state to be vaccinated against a potential smallpox
attack could receive their shots within the next two weeks, a state public
health official said yesterday. The state's smallpox plan hinges on a
decision by President Bush to approve a nationwide inoculation campaign. A
ruling from the White House has been expected for weeks, and disease
specialists speculate that a decision could come as early as today. In
Massachusetts, about 10,000 medical workers drawn from hospitals, emergency
response teams, and public health agencies would be immunized, said Dr.
Alfred DeMaria, the state's director of communicable disease control. ...
Those workers - many of them nurses - would take vaccine and needles in
January and February to the state's 76 full-service hospitals and to
strategically located emergency response squads. ... At each hospital, 100
workers would be immunized to provide round-the-clock care for patients who
might be infected with the potentially lethal virus. Despite earlier fears,
public health authorities now believe that it will not be necessary to
furlough hospital staff members who receive the shots, made from a live virus
called vaccinia, which is related to smallpox. Smallpox vaccinations result
in a blister that leaks small amounts of virus, but authorities have
concluded that by packing the vaccination site in gauze and wrapping it, any
risk of infecting others will be eliminated. ...
Just before the July 4 holiday this past summer, as National Guardsmen with
sniffer dogs monitored the nation's bridges and airports, Jerome Hauer, an
assistant secretary at the Health and Human Services Department, dispatched a
technician to Atlanta to set up a satellite phone for the new director of the
Centers for Disease Control. If smallpox broke out, if phones failed, if the
federal government had to oversee mass vaccination of an urban center, Hauer
would have a way to communicate with the CDC director, who since last fall
has worked with him on health crises, particularly bioterror. ... But at the
same time, an attempt at crisis management of a more immediate kind was
unfolding 2,500 miles to the west. ... Faced with a dramatic spike in the
cost of their malpractice insurance, fifty-seven of the fifty-eight
orthopedic surgeons at University Medical Center in Las Vegas resigned,
forcing the state's only trauma center that could treat it all - from car
crash, burn and gunshot victims to potential bioterror casualties - to close
for ten days. ... Nevada's Office of Emergency Management called to inquire
about a backup plan, which, as Dr. Fildes later recounted, was to dissolve
the county's trauma system, send patients to less prepared hospitals and take
the critically injured to Los Angeles or Salt Lake City, both about eighty
minutes by helicopter. ...
As the state prepares to vaccinate 10,000 health care and emergency workers
against smallpox next month, hospitals and workers say key issues remain
unresolved and could hurt the program if they are not worked out. Hospital,
government and union officials interviewed this week were careful to avoid
looking like they are standing in the way of a homeland security initiative.
''We're trying our level best not to be overly critical,'' said Julie
Pinkham, executive director of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. Pinkham
and others said, however, that several questions need to be answered,
including who will pay for treatment and lost work time if workers suffer
side effects from the vaccine and how to screen out workers who shouldn't get
shots because they have skin diseases or HIV. ...
side_effects_of_smallpox_shotsP.shtml>
Stephen Smith, Boston Globe, December 13, 2002
As President Bush prepared to unveil a smallpox vaccination campaign today
that would offer shots to the public on a voluntary basis, doctors who have
recently worked with the vaccine cautioned that administering it would be
complex and, in some patients, would trigger an array of side effects rarely
if ever encountered with other inoculations. ... Once routinely administered
to Americans, the smallpox vaccine has not been given in the United States
since 1972, except in rare cases such as medical studies. In a National
Institutes of Health study of patients who had not previously been vaccinated
against smallpox, Treanor and other scientists administered vaccine to 680
adults. Their findings, published earlier this year in The New England
Journal of Medicine, showed that 1 in 5 patients had a reaction to the
vaccination. ...
It's hard to tell who Nicole Bernier is more outraged at: the drug companies
she blames for causing her son's autism or the politicians who shielded them
from lawsuits like hers under the guise of homeland defense. ``These
companies are going to get away with it,'' Bernier said. ``They've damaged
thousands of children, and the government is aiding them in escaping their
responsibility.'' The New Bedford mother is one of hundreds of local parents
of autistic children suing pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co. and other
drug makers over their former use of Thimerosal in childhood vaccines. Some
medical researchers believe the preservative is linked to rising rates of
autism. A Lilly spokesman, however, dismissed the alleged connection as mere
speculation. ... Until last month, juries around the country would have
decided the matter. But two paragraphs quietly tacked on to the end of the
475-page Homeland Security Act passed by Congress in November changed all
that. Those two paragraphs, tucked into the bill aimed at fighting terrorism,
shield vaccine makers from lawsuits seeking billions in damages for the
families of autistic children. The law instead steers thousands of plaintiffs
like Bernier to the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which pays
out uncapped awards from a fund replenished annually by the federal
government and a 75-cent tax on vaccines. ...
Democracy/Dissent/Diversity:
Oppose War in Iraq
Forsberg Write-In Succeeds: "Sen. Kerry Heard Our Message"
<http://www.rforsberg.com>
Committee to Write-in Randall Forsberg, November 12, 2002
When Sen. John Kerry announced plans to speed up his filing for a
presidential bid, he stressed that Democrats must "frame a coherent,
compelling message," and as a concrete example he criticized Bush's "go it
alone foreign policy that undermines US efforts around the world" (Boston
Globe, Nov 11, 2002, p.A3). "Underscoring public opposition to preemptive,
unilateral US military attacks on other countries was a priority for our
write-in campaign," said Randall Forsberg. "We are delighted that Sen. Kerry
heard our message and will be making it a centerpiece of his presidential
campaign." The Forsberg Campaign for US Senate, a write-in effort to protest
Sen. Kerry's vote giving Bush the authority to launch a war in Iraq, received
an estimated 25,000 votes on Nov. 6. Hundreds of volunteers, angry with
Kerry's vote for war, materialized to work for Forsberg after learning about
the write-in protest by email or word of mouth. They showed up at the polls
with signs and flyers on how and why voters could use their vote to oppose
war in Iraq. Preliminary results for 285 of the 352 Massachusetts cities and
towns total over 22,200 Forsberg votes, a phenomenal number for a two-week
campaign with no start-up funding. Combined with high numbers for the
Libertarian Cloud, other write-ins, and blank votes, Forsberg write-ins
pulled Kerry's total down to 72% of the roughly 2,200,000 votes cast,
representing about 57% of registered voters. ...
As the 2002 election fades into history, it is worth noting, one more time,
that good people stepped forward to make themselves and their issues known,
even if their chance for victory was slim. Their efforts are all the more
praiseworthy for the general lack of tough challenges mounted against
incumbents in this election. This habit must be broken, especially by
Republicans, who have a better shot at making a lively race than do
Libertarians, Greens or Independents. Dan Grabauskas, who won wide support
statewide for his reforms at that most-hated of agencies, the Registry of
Motor Vehicles, was the Republican Party's leading light after Mitt Romney.
Grabauskas won a respectable 41 percent of the vote against victorious
Democrat Tim Cahill. Romney says he wants good managers, and Grabauskas fits
that description. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for governor,
received wide praise for her performance in debate and on the stump. A
medical doctor and longtime activist, Stein has much to offer and brings a
different voice to important public policy discussions. The Greens and
Libertarians were not successful in crashing the state Legislature, but they
are to be congratulated for challenging the status quo. The Libertarian Party
made itself felt in a big way by putting the disastrous Question 1 on the
ballot. It became a lightning rod for public anger over taxes. The Green
Party brought a different and valid perspective to the treasurer's race, in
which James O'Keefe won 8 percent of the vote - a feat for an unknown with no
money and no name recognition. Some outsiders were better than others; all
gave their time, energy and talent in the interest of improving our
commonwealth. We thank them.
TOKEN=63273656>
Bangor Daily News, November 15, 2002
Pohenegamook, Quebec - There was a sense of relief Thursday in this Canadian
border community as the news of the release of one of their own from a Maine
jail spread through town. Michel Jalbert, 32, was not expected home until
late Thursday night, as he didn't leave the Piscataquis County Jail in
Dover-Foxcroft until nearly 3:30 p.m. His friends and family have been
waiting for this day since Oct. 11. The Canadian logger was arrested at about
3 p.m. on that Friday by a US Border Patrol agent and has not seen his
hometown since. He has been held in Maine jails from Fort Kent to
Dover-Foxcroft. Jalbert has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of entering
the United States without inspection, possession of a firearm by an illegal
alien and being a felon in possession of a firearm. ...
P.shtml>
Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe, November 23, 2002
When FBI agents and immigration authorities swooped into Amer Jubran's
apartment on Nov. 4, the Jordanian citizen was convinced he was being
targeted for his high-profile role as an antiwar and pro-Palestinian
activist. And when he was released Thursday after a US Immigration judge
ruled that the permanent US resident did not pose a flight risk, Jubran was
more convinced than ever that he had fallen victim to a witch hunt. "I have
been punished because of my activism on the Palestinian issue,'' Jubran, 33,
said yesterday in a telephone interview from his home in Cumberland, R.I.
''Unless I'm misinterpreting the First Amendment of the Constitution, which
grants freedom of expression, dissent is legal.'' ... According to the INS,
Jubran lied about the date of his marriage on his green card application, and
therefore is subject to deportation. ...
Muslim leader defends probed firm's founder: Calls Ptech chief 'good American'
<http://ledger.southofboston.com/archives>
Elizabeth W. Crowley, The Patriot Ledger, December 9, 2002
Quincy - A local Muslim leader says a Marina Bay company and its founder have
been unfairly tainted by a federal investigation into whether the software
firm took money from a man suspected of funneling cash to al-Qaida
terrorists. ''Everything is possible, potential, suspected,'' said Imam Talal
Eid of the Islamic Center of New England, a mosque in Quincy Point. ''No one
has been charged with anything. No one has been arrested. Nothing has been
proven, but with the word 'possible' the government can ruin someone's life
and destroy a business.'' Customs agents searched the Marina Bay offices of
Ptech Inc., a software developer that has done business with government
agencies including the FBI, the Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation
Administration. The Thursday night search of the company's computer files is
part of the Treasury Department's effort to untangle a complicated web of US
financial ties to terrorist organizations overseas. Investigators are
focusing on a suspected terrorist financier from Saudi Arabia, Yasin al-Qadi,
who Ptech officials confirmed may have been one of the company's original
investors but no longer has any connection to the firm. ...
ion_on_IraqP.shtml>
Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe, November 12, 2002
Boston - America should find a way short of war to defuse the threat posed by
Iraq, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said yesterday, and he urged the
US leadership to drop the UN embargo against Saddam Hussein and incorporate
Iraq into the global economy if inspections find no weapons of mass
destruction. Gorbachev warned that the United States risks alienating crucial
allies if it tries to establish unrivaled military power and refuses to
consult closely with other nations in critical areas like the Middle East and
the war against terrorism. ...
Amherst - Students and faculty from area colleges and schools joined with
local residents on the Town Common Wednesday for an hour-long antiwar rally
protesting a possible United States campaign against Iraq. More than 300
people turned out for the rally sponsored by the Five College Antiwar
Coalition as part of a national day of protest organized by Not in Our Name
<http://www.notinourname.net>, a national antiwar group. "We are here today
to expose a massive lie," said Kai Newkirk, a Hampshire College student. The
war is not about getting rid of Saddam Hussein or freeing the people of Iraq,
Newkirk said. "This war is about oil and power." ...
Iraq_peaceP.shtml>
Jim Geraghty, States News Service, December 4, 2002
Washington - Braving whipping winds and temperatures in the teens, seven
Buddhists from Leverett, Mass., have been beating drums and chanting this
week in a demonstration across from the White House to promote peace between
the United States and Iraq. Sister Clare Carter, a monk in the Nipponzan
Myohoji Buddhist order, said the monks have been fasting without water since
their arrival Sunday. ... "One person came up to us and said that Saddam is
dangerous,'' Carter said. ''We said that we have to focus on the children of
Iraq, not Saddam Hussein.'' ...
Easthampton - The City Council voted 8-1 Tuesday against sending a resolution
on behalf of the city to US President George W. Bush and other federal
lawmakers opposing US military action against Iraq. The two-page resolution,
drafted and recited in full by Councilor Michael D. Tiskus at Tuesday's
meeting, sparked an unusual debate over national issues at the local level.
... He argued that escalated military action against Iraq would put
Easthampton's residents physically in harm's way, as well as create "a fiscal
disaster" causing huge deficits in federal, state and local governments. ...
3.xml>
David Bergengren, Springfield Union-News, December 4, 2002
Easthampton - City councilors last night overwhelmingly rejected a request
they endorse a resolution condemning the Bush Administration's plans for a
possible war with Iraq. The council voted down councilor Michael D. Tiskus's
proposed resolution 8-1, with only Tiskus voting in favor. Four residents
rose to speak in favor of the proposed resolution. Three spoke against it.
"This administration is pursuing a war on terrorism. If this was truly
accurate, they would be pursuing al-Qaida (and not Iraq)," said Sue A.
Zegarra of Greenwood Court. Those who died in the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11, 2001, should not be used as pawns by an administration seeking its own
foreign policy objectives, Zegarra said. Robert H. Meeropol of Plain Street
said Iraq poses no immediate threat to the US. "Unfortunately, the
administration is basing (its actions against Iraq) on fear," he said. ...
woefully_lackingP.shtml>
John Donnelly, Boston Globe, December 13, 2002
Washington - An extensive survey of Afghanistan's health system has found
that only 10 percent of the country's hospitals have equipment to perform
caesarean sections, less than a quarter of all health facilities can
transport patients in case of an emergency, and one province has just one
female health worker. ... Working from a World Health Organization database
of 829 facilities, last updated in April, 167 surveyers traveled all over the
country and found that 131 facilities on the list no longer operate, but that
209 facilities not mentioned have opened. The results show a health system
riddled with holes in care, expertise, and infrastructure. About two-thirds
of the facilities have toilets, but a majority of these are pit latrines,
which pose health hazards. Only one-fourth have electricity, but among those,
about half depend on generators. ...
A Boston-area peace activist was one of 10 demonstrators detained by Israeli
soldiers yesterday as they tried to stop bulldozers from leveling olive
groves on the site of a West Bank security fence. ``It's an apartheid wall
and it's taking more Palestinian territory ... our intention was to stop the
work from continuing,'' said Susan Barney, 38, a member of the International
Solidarity Movement, which sends foreign activists to support Palestinian
protests against Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank. The Israeli
government has said it is building the fence to thwart Palestinian terrorist
attacks. Barney, speaking by cell phone from an Israeli police station
yesterday, said about 29 Americans, Canadians and Europeans joined about 200
Palestinians from the village of Jayyous near Qalqilya to try to block the
bulldozers Thursday and again yesterday. Some formed a human chain in the
path of the bulldozers, while others chained themselves to olive trees. ...
_leaderP.shtml>
Lee Keath, Associated Press, November 21, 2002
Ramallah, West Bank - Senior Palestinian officials yesterday welcomed a call
by Israel's new opposition leader to restart peace talks, but held back
outright endorsement - apparently fearing it would hurt the former general's
chances in January elections. Many Palestinians are eager for the removal of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who - during 20 months in office - has ravaged
the Palestinian security forces, waged an intense crackdown against militant
groups, and sent troops to reoccupy and impose curfews on most Palestinian
cities in the West Bank. Palestinian Parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia said
Amram Mitzna's easy victory in the Labor Party primary Tuesday ''renews the
hope of reviving the peace process ... ending the violence and reaching a
final solution based on two states living side by side in peace and
security.'' Saeb Erekat, Palestinian Cabinet minister and chief negotiator,
said he hoped ''the Israeli people elect a leadership that will take them on
a path of peace, not a leadership that will lead them to more settlements and
reoccupation.'' ...
1.xml>
David Bergengren, Springfield Union-News, December 3, 2002
Northampton - When she was 16, Israeli Neta Golan was hit with the revelation
that her country, filled with people seeking refuge from oppression, might be
an oppressor itself. It was 1987, the year of the first Palestinian Intifada.
In her Israeli school, "The world was very simple," Golan, now 31, told a
crowd of nearly 100 at Smith College last night. "There were good guys and
bad guys, and we were the good guys." "Most Israelis, through our fear,
missed getting to see who the Palestinians were, missed getting to know the
depth and the beauty of their culture," Golan said. As the Israeli military
sought to quell Palestinian unrest on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, sometimes
with gunfire, "All of a sudden, we were on the wrong side of the
victim-victimization equation," she said. Golan and George N. Rishmawi, a
29-year-old Palestinian, are co-founders of the International Solidarity
Movement, a Palestinian-based group that since the summer of last year has
mounted a nonviolent campaign to find a just settlement to the confrontation
between Israel and the Palestinians. "I would like to see a Palestinian
state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, where we can live side by side in
peace (with the Israelis)," Rishmawi said in an interview before last night's
presentation. ...
dP.shtml>
Charles M. Sennott, Boston Globe, December 7, 2002
Bureij Camp, Gaza Strip - Thousands of mourners crowded the streets here
yesterday in a funeral procession for 10 Palestinians, including two United
Nations employees, who were killed in a street battle that erupted when
Israeli special forces entered the refugee camp to arrest a militant leader.
The Israeli swoop into the camp seemed to reflect the dangers inherent in a
new Israeli strategy of staging targeted operations to snatch militants from
the middle of heavily populated areas instead of mounting major armored
incursions. ... Sorting out who among the dead was a civilian and who was a
fighter was difficult yesterday. Palestinian leaders and UN officials
confirmed that two of the victims were staff members of the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA.
Interviews with residents in the camp and in hospitals, and accounts in
Arab-language media, suggested that the eight others were armed combatants.
At least 11 Palestinians were injured, including a schoolgirl. ...
html>
Oren Yiftachel, Boston Globe, December 7, 2002
A major shift appears to be taking place in the American debate about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict - the fading away of Palestine. US domestic
agendas, right-wing campaigns, American Jewish organizations, and a post
Sept. 11 anti-Arab sentiments have made the major question of Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories all but disappear from the discussion
on our region. This, however, works to the grave detriment of both Israelis
and Palestinians. These observations follow a recent three-week lecturing
tour of major American campuses I conducted with Palestinian professor Rema
Hammami of Bier Zeit University. The tour was organized by the Faculty for
Israeli-Palestinian Peace. ...
doveP.shtml>
Mark Lavie, Associated Press, December 11, 2002
Jerusalem - Choosing its candidates for the Knesset, the moderate Labor party
pushed out its most prominent dove, Yossi Beilin, and topped its list of
parliamentary candidates with several former generals, primary results showed
yesterday. Beilin, a political maverick, was one of the architects of interim
peace accords with the Palestinians in the mid-1990s and was the first to
advocate Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon, years before a May 2000
pullout. Other prominent Labor liberals won spots on the party list that
appeared to assure their election. Beilin's ouster was attributed to his
bitter feud with the previous Labor leader, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who kept
the party in a coalition with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hard-line Likud
Party for 20 months. Under its new leader, Amram Mitzna, Labor is advocating
an Israeli withdrawal from much of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip,
either as part of a peace deal or as a unilateral step if negotiations fail.
However, Israel's electorate has been moving right after more than two years
of fighting with the Palestinians, and polls show Labor finishing a distant
second to Likud in the Jan. 28 general election. Labor faces the prospect of
losing about six of its 26 seats in the 120-member parliament, and the fight
was fierce for top spots on the party list. ...
iance_for_Israeli_electionP.shtml>
Mark Lavie, Associated Press, December 12, 2002
Jerusalem - Two peace activists abandoned the Labor party for a new alliance
yesterday, sharpening the debate over how to make peace with Palestinians.
Yossi Beilin, an architect of the interim Israel-Palestinian peace accords in
the mid-1990s, and Yael Dayan, daughter of late war hero and labor defense
minister Moshe Dayan, joined forces with Meretz, a smaller, more dovish bloc
with a liberal social platform. The two were angered they were not among
Labor's top candidates for Parliament. Both Israel and Palestinians are
planning elections in January, but Palestinians said theirs will probably
have to be postponed because Israeli military operations make it impossible
to organize them. The Israeli military controls most of the West Bank
population centers. ...
ot_in_doorP.shtml>
Susan Milligan, Boston Globe, November 21, 2002
Washington - A little-noticed provision in a new federal education law
requires high schools to provide names, addresses, and phone numbers of
students to military recruiters. Schools that refuse to comply face losing
federal education funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Under the rule, part of the No Child Left Behind Act signed earlier this
year, Pentagon recruiters are entitled to students' contact information
unless parents opt out of sharing the data, a requirement that has alarmed
civil libertarians and school administrators. "We don't wish to appear
antimilitary. The military is a great first step out of high school for a lot
of kids, and it is a fine career for some people,'' said Bruce Hunter, a
lobbyist for the American Association of School Administrators. Nevertheless,
the association opposed the provision because it took discretion away from
local school boards. ''We weren't happy because we're a big local control
outfit.'' The law also requires high schools to allow military recruiters the
same campus access as administrators give to colleges and job recruiters.
Some schools, including those in San Francisco and Portland, Ore., had
refused military recruiters access to their campuses on the grounds that the
Pentagon discriminated against gays and lesbians. ...
Boston - A little-noticed provision in a new federal education law is
requiring high schools to hand over to military recruiters some key
information about its juniors and seniors: name, address and phone number.
The Pentagon says the information will help it recruit young people to defend
their country. But the new law disturbs parents and administrators in some
liberal communities that aren't exactly gung-ho about the armed forces. Some
say the law violates students' privacy and creates a moral dilemma over the
military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays. "I find it appalling that
the school is sending out letters to do the job of the military," said Amy
Lang, the parent of a student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where
Coke was once banned in a protest against the soda giant's investments in
apartheid South Africa. "It's clearly an invasion of my daughter's privacy."
The No Child Left Behind law, signed last January, pumps billions into
education but also gives military recruiters access to the names, addresses
and phone numbers of students in 22,000 schools. The law also says that
schools must give the military the same access to their campuses that
businesses and college recruiters enjoy. School systems that fail to comply
could lose federal money. The measure also applies to private schools
receiving federal funding. But Quaker schools and others that have a
religious objection to military service can get out of the requirement.
Students and parents who oppose the law can keep their information from being
turned over to the military, but they must sign and return an "opt-out" form.
...
In another sign of the US military's increasing encroachment into civilian
life, all high schools are now obligated to provide the Pentagon with the
names, addresses and phone numbers of their juniors and seniors. Any school
that refuses to comply with these provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act
and this year's National Defense Authorization Act stands to loose all
federal funding. The US military is a growing force in public education. ...
In high schools, the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) is
spreading across the country. Currently about 500,000 students in more than
3,000 high schools participate in the program, with JROTC units authorized in
another 500 schools. What's more, school districts around the nation are
augmenting their education systems with publicly funded military academies.
About 2,000 eighth-graders applied for the 140 spots in the Chicago Military
Academy, a JROTC school that serves the African-American community in
Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. The Pentagon designs
the JROTC curriculum and allows no input from the host school districts.
JROTC classes are taught by former military officers, none of whom are
required to have education degrees or other credentials. ... About 45 percent
of students in JROTC enlist in the armed forces. Who can blame them? Military
service is one of the few privileges that their government offers them. An
Army JROTC textbook explains: Citizens owe allegiance to their government,
which in turn grants them rights and privileges of citizenship. This
perversely authoritarian view of the relationship between the individual and
the state is made to order for a militarized society. We prefer the
Declaration of Independence's vision of governments as human-made
institutions that derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Sung to the tune: "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands"
If we cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.
If the markets hurt your Mama, bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are Saudi
And the bank takes back your Audi
And the TV shows are bawdy,
Bomb Iraq.
If the corporate scandals growin', bomb Iraq
And your ties to them are showin', bomb Iraq.
If the smoking gun ain't smokin'
We don't care, and we're not jokin'.
That Saddam will soon be croakin',
Bomb Iraq.
Even if we have no allies, bomb Iraq.
From the sand dunes to the valleys, bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections;
Let's look tough for the elections,
Close your mind and take directions,
Bomb Iraq.
While the globe is slowly warming, bomb Iraq.
Yay! the clouds of war are storming, bomb Iraq.
If the ozone hole is growing,
Some things we prefer not knowing.
(Though our ignorance is showing),
Bomb Iraq.
So here's one for dear old daddy, bomb Iraq,
From his favorite little laddy, bomb Iraq.
Saying no would look like treason.
It's the Hussein hunting season.
Even if we have no reason,
Bomb Iraq.
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