We are setting up an Bradley Manning dfense
Information station at the SM and
Mar Vista Farmers Markets
TO HELP VOLUNTEER please email us at
pdwamerica@gmail.com
LINKS:
www.bradleymanning.org
www.CouragetoResist.org
www.wikileaks.ch - only working site is Swiss (CH)
www.KPFK.org
Snail Mail to Bradley Manning
c/o Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Avenue #41
Oakland, CA 94610
(Only a few "designated" people may send mail to Bradley)
ADVISORY Activists (Bradley Manning Defense):
Medea Benjamin, Code Pink: Women for Peace
Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, National Whistleblower Center
Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower
Kathleen Gilberd, Co-Chair of the Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild
Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and activist
Michael Moore, documentary filmmaker, author and activist
Jose Vasquez, Iraq Veterans against the War
Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (retired)
Kevin Zeese, co-founder and Executive Director,
Voters for Peace
Documentary FILM called "WIKI REBELS" made by Public TV
in Sweden (!) - recommended and available at www.KPFK.org
Bradley Manning Defense
SM-VENICE ACTION MEETING
SATURDAY JANUARY 8th
Location TBA
www.pdwamerica@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Wikileaks Exposes American Empire
War. Wikileaks. Protest: New Evidence Demands End to Wars
By Medea Benjamin, Leslie Cagan, Tim Carpenter, Gael Murphy,
Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, Debra Sweet
While only a tiny fraction of the U.S. diplomatic cables scheduled for publication by Wikileaks have thus far been made available, some conclusions can already be drawn. These cables and the Iraq and Afghan War Diaries provide an opportunity for Americans to see our government for what it is. Our government is seen here as controlling a global military and espionage empire that impacts every region of the globe and deceives its own population. Secrecy, spying, and hostility have infected our entire government, turning the diplomatic corps into an arm of the CIA and the military, just as the civilian efforts in Afghanistan are described by Richard Holbrooke, who heads them up, as "support for the military."
Secret war planning, secret wars, and lies about wars have become routine. The United States is secretly and illegally engaged in a war in Yemen and has persuaded that nation's government to lie about it. The United States has supported a coup in Honduras and lied about it. We have long known that the war on terrorism was increasing, rather than diminishing, terrorism. These leaks show Saudi Arabia to be the greatest sponsor of terrorism, and show that nation's dictator, King Abdullah, to be very close to our own government in its treatment of prisoners. He has urged the United States to implant microchips in prisoners released from Guantanamo. And he has urged the United States to illegally and aggressively attack Iran. Congress should immediately block what would be the largest weapons sale in U.S. history, selling this country $60 billion in weapons.
Congress should drop any idea of "updating" the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force to permit presidents to unconstitutionally launch more wars.
We see what sort of wars our allies urge on our presidents.
We learn that while dictators urge war, other branches of the same governments, the people, and the evidence weigh against it. We learn from a cable from last February that Russia has refuted U.S. claims that Iran has missiles that could target Europe. We learn from September 2009 that the United States and Britain planned to pressure Yukiya Amano, the then incoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to produce reports suggesting Iranian nuclear developments, whether or not merited by the facts, and that National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones proposed the propaganda strategy of baselessly tying Iran's nuclear program to North Korea's.
Much of the pressure for war appears to come from within the United States, whose representatives treat the entire world as a hostile enemy to be spied on, lied to, and exploited. The secrecy that permits this behavior must be broken if the United States' approach to the world is to change. Those who have helped to fulfill President Obama's campaign promise of transparency must be protected from his vengeance, while those who have abused positions of diplomatic trust to advance agendas of espionage and war planning must be held accountable.
While other countries may offer residency and protection to Wikileaks' Julian Assange, it is the United States that has most benefitted from his work. We encourage U.S. cities to offer him sanctuary. Our Department of Justice has granted immunity for aggressive War, kidnapping, torture, assassination, and warrantless spying, while pursuing the criminal prosecution of Bradley Manning for allegedly leaking materials to Wikileaks. Were our government to indict Assange or support the extradition or rendition of Assange from anywhere in the world to Sweden, while maintaining that his work and not the Pentagon's has endangered us, our nation's moral standing would reach a new low. Our government should cease any actions it is taking to prosecute Julian Assange for absurd criminal charges, to pressure Sweden to do so, or to sabotage Wikileaks' servers.
Coverups of leaks have a history in Washington of backfiring in the form of larger leaks and scandals. Our State Department should focus on diplomacy and mutually beneficial partnerships with the world community.The undersigned express our gratitude to those doing the job a representative government and an independent media are each supposed to do. We demand an end to all overt and covert wars, a ban on the use of State Department employees and contractors in spying or warfare, and a full investigation of the facts revealed in the Wikileaks cables.
We support the Protest of our current wars planned for December 16th, 10 a.m., at the White House.
Signed
Medea Benjamin, Leslie Cagan, Tim Carpenter, Gael Murphy, Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, Debra Sweet, Ann Wright, Kevin Zeese
By Medea Benjamin, Leslie Cagan, Tim Carpenter, Gael Murphy,
Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, Debra Sweet
While only a tiny fraction of the U.S. diplomatic cables scheduled for publication by Wikileaks have thus far been made available, some conclusions can already be drawn. These cables and the Iraq and Afghan War Diaries provide an opportunity for Americans to see our government for what it is. Our government is seen here as controlling a global military and espionage empire that impacts every region of the globe and deceives its own population. Secrecy, spying, and hostility have infected our entire government, turning the diplomatic corps into an arm of the CIA and the military, just as the civilian efforts in Afghanistan are described by Richard Holbrooke, who heads them up, as "support for the military."
Secret war planning, secret wars, and lies about wars have become routine. The United States is secretly and illegally engaged in a war in Yemen and has persuaded that nation's government to lie about it. The United States has supported a coup in Honduras and lied about it. We have long known that the war on terrorism was increasing, rather than diminishing, terrorism. These leaks show Saudi Arabia to be the greatest sponsor of terrorism, and show that nation's dictator, King Abdullah, to be very close to our own government in its treatment of prisoners. He has urged the United States to implant microchips in prisoners released from Guantanamo. And he has urged the United States to illegally and aggressively attack Iran. Congress should immediately block what would be the largest weapons sale in U.S. history, selling this country $60 billion in weapons.
Congress should drop any idea of "updating" the 2001 Authorization to Use Military Force to permit presidents to unconstitutionally launch more wars.
We see what sort of wars our allies urge on our presidents.
We learn that while dictators urge war, other branches of the same governments, the people, and the evidence weigh against it. We learn from a cable from last February that Russia has refuted U.S. claims that Iran has missiles that could target Europe. We learn from September 2009 that the United States and Britain planned to pressure Yukiya Amano, the then incoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to produce reports suggesting Iranian nuclear developments, whether or not merited by the facts, and that National Security Adviser Gen. Jim Jones proposed the propaganda strategy of baselessly tying Iran's nuclear program to North Korea's.
Much of the pressure for war appears to come from within the United States, whose representatives treat the entire world as a hostile enemy to be spied on, lied to, and exploited. The secrecy that permits this behavior must be broken if the United States' approach to the world is to change. Those who have helped to fulfill President Obama's campaign promise of transparency must be protected from his vengeance, while those who have abused positions of diplomatic trust to advance agendas of espionage and war planning must be held accountable.
While other countries may offer residency and protection to Wikileaks' Julian Assange, it is the United States that has most benefitted from his work. We encourage U.S. cities to offer him sanctuary. Our Department of Justice has granted immunity for aggressive War, kidnapping, torture, assassination, and warrantless spying, while pursuing the criminal prosecution of Bradley Manning for allegedly leaking materials to Wikileaks. Were our government to indict Assange or support the extradition or rendition of Assange from anywhere in the world to Sweden, while maintaining that his work and not the Pentagon's has endangered us, our nation's moral standing would reach a new low. Our government should cease any actions it is taking to prosecute Julian Assange for absurd criminal charges, to pressure Sweden to do so, or to sabotage Wikileaks' servers.
Coverups of leaks have a history in Washington of backfiring in the form of larger leaks and scandals. Our State Department should focus on diplomacy and mutually beneficial partnerships with the world community.The undersigned express our gratitude to those doing the job a representative government and an independent media are each supposed to do. We demand an end to all overt and covert wars, a ban on the use of State Department employees and contractors in spying or warfare, and a full investigation of the facts revealed in the Wikileaks cables.
We support the Protest of our current wars planned for December 16th, 10 a.m., at the White House.
Signed
Medea Benjamin, Leslie Cagan, Tim Carpenter, Gael Murphy, Cindy Sheehan, David Swanson, Debra Sweet, Ann Wright, Kevin Zeese
NO Pemanent Bases in Afghanistan
Oakland, CA Congress Membe Barbara Lee Responds to GOP Senator Lindsey Graham's Endorsement of Permanent U.S. Bases in Afghanistand
“I am appalled by Senator Graham’s comments supporting the indefinite presence of U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan. “Both the House and Senate
have passed, and President Obama has signed intolaw, on multiple occasions, legislation including provisions I authored prohibiting the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. “Rather than advocating for a permanent extension of the costly and counterproductive military occupation of Afghanistan, it is time to finally end America’s longest war and bring our men and women in uniform home.
“I will continue my work in Congress to ensure the United States lives up toPresident Obama’s pledge that ‘we do not want to keep our troops inAfghanistan. We seek no military bases there.’”
Congress Member Barbara Lee
Nicole Y. Williams
Communications Director
The Honorable Barbara Lee (CA-9)
2444 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 226-0323 (Direct)
(202) 579-1925 (Cell)
(202) 225-9817 (Fax)
**www.lee.house.gov *
“I am appalled by Senator Graham’s comments supporting the indefinite presence of U.S. armed forces in Afghanistan. “Both the House and Senate
have passed, and President Obama has signed intolaw, on multiple occasions, legislation including provisions I authored prohibiting the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. “Rather than advocating for a permanent extension of the costly and counterproductive military occupation of Afghanistan, it is time to finally end America’s longest war and bring our men and women in uniform home.
“I will continue my work in Congress to ensure the United States lives up toPresident Obama’s pledge that ‘we do not want to keep our troops inAfghanistan. We seek no military bases there.’”
Congress Member Barbara Lee
Nicole Y. Williams
Communications Director
The Honorable Barbara Lee (CA-9)
2444 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 226-0323 (Direct)
(202) 579-1925 (Cell)
(202) 225-9817 (Fax)
**www.lee.house.gov *
Saturday, November 27, 2010
PORTUGAL GENERAL STRIKE
General Strike in Portugal Over Austerity Measures
by Axel Bugge
Reuters - 24 November 2010
Portugal's biggest Unions went on their first joint general strike since 1988 today, hoping to weaken the Socialist government's resolve on implementing austerity measures meant
to tackle a debt crisis.
The country's two biggest Unions stopped trains and buses, grounded planes and halted services from healthcare to banking in protest against wage cuts and rising unemployment in western Europe's poorest country. Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose government is struggling to quash speculation that Portugal will be the next in Europe to need a bailout after Ireland and Greece, has pledged to stay the course on wage cuts and tax hikes to cut the budget deficit.
As the strike kicked off, Portugal's largest exporter, Volkswagen's (VOWG.DE) Autoeuropa plant, halted production altogether. The plant produces up to 500 cars on an average day."The production line is completely shut, so we expect that no cars will be produced today," said Autoeuropa Union coordinator Calros Chora, adding that only a small part of the plant dealing with repairs would be open."There is a picket line outside, but they are letting people in and out," he said. Lisbon has been plastered with banners for weeks urging workers to join the strike.
The CGTP Union said all ports were now shut, and check-in counters at Lisbon's main airport was empty. National airline TAP has cancelled most flights. However no mass protests were expected on Wednesday.Roads in and around the capital Lisbon were choked with heavy traffic as many people chose to commute by car. Cafes and shops were open and vans delivered goods as usual. The Unions hope to tap into the growing dissatisfaction with the minority Socialist government's austerity measures, which also include across the board spending cuts in public services.
"It's the Workers who are paying for the crisis, not the Bankers nor the Shareholders of big companies," said Leandro Martins, a 65-year old Pensioner."This is a strike against rightist policies, to demand new policies serving the Portuguese people."Portugal has suffered from years of low growth - unlike other weak Euro economies such as Ireland and Spain that went from boom to bust - and waning competitiveness which economists say undermines its ability to ride out the debt crisis."Maybe the strike will not provoke radical changes in the austerity course the government has chosen, but it does represent an additional element of uncertainty in the already unstable setting in the country," said Elisio Estanque, a sociology researcher at the University of Coimbra.
The country's risk premium - or spreads on its bonds over safer German Bunds - hit a euro lifetime high on Nov. 11 and was close to that level on Wednesday, at 460 basis points. Even though the economy is growing this year, economists fear it will slide back into recession in 2011, as higher taxes and civil servant wage cuts of five percent bite into consumption. Unemployment, already at its highest since the 1980s at 10.9 percent, could rise further.
by Axel Bugge
Reuters - 24 November 2010
Portugal's biggest Unions went on their first joint general strike since 1988 today, hoping to weaken the Socialist government's resolve on implementing austerity measures meant
to tackle a debt crisis.
The country's two biggest Unions stopped trains and buses, grounded planes and halted services from healthcare to banking in protest against wage cuts and rising unemployment in western Europe's poorest country. Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose government is struggling to quash speculation that Portugal will be the next in Europe to need a bailout after Ireland and Greece, has pledged to stay the course on wage cuts and tax hikes to cut the budget deficit.
As the strike kicked off, Portugal's largest exporter, Volkswagen's (VOWG.DE) Autoeuropa plant, halted production altogether. The plant produces up to 500 cars on an average day."The production line is completely shut, so we expect that no cars will be produced today," said Autoeuropa Union coordinator Calros Chora, adding that only a small part of the plant dealing with repairs would be open."There is a picket line outside, but they are letting people in and out," he said. Lisbon has been plastered with banners for weeks urging workers to join the strike.
The CGTP Union said all ports were now shut, and check-in counters at Lisbon's main airport was empty. National airline TAP has cancelled most flights. However no mass protests were expected on Wednesday.Roads in and around the capital Lisbon were choked with heavy traffic as many people chose to commute by car. Cafes and shops were open and vans delivered goods as usual. The Unions hope to tap into the growing dissatisfaction with the minority Socialist government's austerity measures, which also include across the board spending cuts in public services.
"It's the Workers who are paying for the crisis, not the Bankers nor the Shareholders of big companies," said Leandro Martins, a 65-year old Pensioner."This is a strike against rightist policies, to demand new policies serving the Portuguese people."Portugal has suffered from years of low growth - unlike other weak Euro economies such as Ireland and Spain that went from boom to bust - and waning competitiveness which economists say undermines its ability to ride out the debt crisis."Maybe the strike will not provoke radical changes in the austerity course the government has chosen, but it does represent an additional element of uncertainty in the already unstable setting in the country," said Elisio Estanque, a sociology researcher at the University of Coimbra.
The country's risk premium - or spreads on its bonds over safer German Bunds - hit a euro lifetime high on Nov. 11 and was close to that level on Wednesday, at 460 basis points. Even though the economy is growing this year, economists fear it will slide back into recession in 2011, as higher taxes and civil servant wage cuts of five percent bite into consumption. Unemployment, already at its highest since the 1980s at 10.9 percent, could rise further.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
JOB CREATION MACHINE
SOCIAL SECURITY 55 -- LOWER the AGE -- CREATE MILLIONS of JOBS
One of the most powerful forms of stimulus we could apply to our economy right now would be to lower the current Social Security retirement age from the current 65-67, to age 55.
And increase the benefits back to where they were in inflation-adjusted 1960s dollars by raising them between 10 to 20 percent (so people could actually live on Social Security).
The right-wing reaction to this, of course, will be to say that with fewer people working and more people drawing benefits, it would bankrupt Social Security and destroy the economy. But history shows the exact reverse.
Instead, it would eliminate the problem of Unemployment in the United States. All those Boomers retiring would make room in the labor market for all the recent high-school and college graduates (YOUTH) now finding it so hard to find a job.
Thom Hartmann goes on to discuss about how lowering the retirement age would open up thousands of jobs nationwide, and how wages for working class Americans have been devastated since the days of Ronald Reagan and our old pal Alan Greenspan started gutting Unions and trying to lower our standard of living.
In September of 2007, in an interview on C-SPAN for Book TV, Greenspan said: “We pay the highest skilled labor wages in the world. If we would open up our borders to skilled labor far more than we do, we would attract a very substantial quantity of skilled labor which would suppress the wage levels of the skilled, because the skilled are essentially being subsidized by the government, meaning our competition is being kept outside the country.”
It’s shocking that ideologues like Greenspan, Reagan, and Clinton believe this, but they do. And the only way to reverse the past 29 years of Reaganomics and Clintonomics is to tighten up the labor market again.
While a great start would be to pull out of our insane trade treaties and begin again protecting American manufacturers, that will take a decade for the impact to be truly felt even if we were to go back to our 1980 TARIFF levels today.
Thom finishes by stating that his plan would ultimately "take us to nearly ZERO
UNEMPLOYMENT and dramatically stimulate the economy."
Written by Thom Hartmann www.
ThomHartmann.com
One of the most powerful forms of stimulus we could apply to our economy right now would be to lower the current Social Security retirement age from the current 65-67, to age 55.
And increase the benefits back to where they were in inflation-adjusted 1960s dollars by raising them between 10 to 20 percent (so people could actually live on Social Security).
The right-wing reaction to this, of course, will be to say that with fewer people working and more people drawing benefits, it would bankrupt Social Security and destroy the economy. But history shows the exact reverse.
Instead, it would eliminate the problem of Unemployment in the United States. All those Boomers retiring would make room in the labor market for all the recent high-school and college graduates (YOUTH) now finding it so hard to find a job.
Thom Hartmann goes on to discuss about how lowering the retirement age would open up thousands of jobs nationwide, and how wages for working class Americans have been devastated since the days of Ronald Reagan and our old pal Alan Greenspan started gutting Unions and trying to lower our standard of living.
In September of 2007, in an interview on C-SPAN for Book TV, Greenspan said: “We pay the highest skilled labor wages in the world. If we would open up our borders to skilled labor far more than we do, we would attract a very substantial quantity of skilled labor which would suppress the wage levels of the skilled, because the skilled are essentially being subsidized by the government, meaning our competition is being kept outside the country.”
It’s shocking that ideologues like Greenspan, Reagan, and Clinton believe this, but they do. And the only way to reverse the past 29 years of Reaganomics and Clintonomics is to tighten up the labor market again.
While a great start would be to pull out of our insane trade treaties and begin again protecting American manufacturers, that will take a decade for the impact to be truly felt even if we were to go back to our 1980 TARIFF levels today.
Thom finishes by stating that his plan would ultimately "take us to nearly ZERO
UNEMPLOYMENT and dramatically stimulate the economy."
Written by Thom Hartmann www.
ThomHartmann.com
Saturday, October 23, 2010
The General Strike in France
From a Striking French Oil Worker:
We've spent the last three days going from road block to road block,
together with teachers, railroad workers, truckers, nurses, etc.
As a result, all the petrol stations in a radius of 70 kms (50 miles)
are closed, completely out of gas.
Today, we got the main Teachers' Union to call on all striking teachers to come and
help block all the remaining fuel depots. The police can't intervene, because the
truckers have established road blocks on the major roads leading to the oil depot.
All 12 French oil refineries are on strike until next Friday. Many depots are
blocked. Half the train stations (including major ones) are closed. Truckers have
blocked the roads leading to the main production areas, and factories cannot
function because they lack raw material and pieces (they don't have any stocks of
materials stored because they believe storage costs money).
What is incredible is that despite the fact that there is no more oil
available, and therefore that people are blocked at home, a resounding
71% of the population approves of the strike (according to today's polls).
The movement is set to last at least another week. I spent the whole of
Sunday night with transport (railway and truckers) workers playing cards
and drinking beer. It was quite cold (2°C) around 4 AM, but the railroad
workers brought several truck-loads of "palettes" (empty wooden
containers) and we lit a mighty bonfire.
Workers are determined to fight until the bitter end. Workers who chose
not to go on strike are being encouraged to donate part of their salary
to the workers of the most "strategic" sectors, especially the Donges refinery.
Personally, this is my 6th day of Strike. The consensus now being that "revolving"
strikes (15% of the workforce on strike on a given day) would enable us to hold out
longer.
The support from "ordinary people" is astounding. When we block a
freeway, drivers often honk to support us, give us money, hand us daily
newspapers, even though we are effectively blocking them.
Anyway, the mood is indescribable. Workers from every sector are united
and determined, and for the first time, many workers can chat with
people employed in other industries knowing that they share a common
goal.
We've spent the last three days going from road block to road block,
together with teachers, railroad workers, truckers, nurses, etc.
As a result, all the petrol stations in a radius of 70 kms (50 miles)
are closed, completely out of gas.
Today, we got the main Teachers' Union to call on all striking teachers to come and
help block all the remaining fuel depots. The police can't intervene, because the
truckers have established road blocks on the major roads leading to the oil depot.
All 12 French oil refineries are on strike until next Friday. Many depots are
blocked. Half the train stations (including major ones) are closed. Truckers have
blocked the roads leading to the main production areas, and factories cannot
function because they lack raw material and pieces (they don't have any stocks of
materials stored because they believe storage costs money).
What is incredible is that despite the fact that there is no more oil
available, and therefore that people are blocked at home, a resounding
71% of the population approves of the strike (according to today's polls).
The movement is set to last at least another week. I spent the whole of
Sunday night with transport (railway and truckers) workers playing cards
and drinking beer. It was quite cold (2°C) around 4 AM, but the railroad
workers brought several truck-loads of "palettes" (empty wooden
containers) and we lit a mighty bonfire.
Workers are determined to fight until the bitter end. Workers who chose
not to go on strike are being encouraged to donate part of their salary
to the workers of the most "strategic" sectors, especially the Donges refinery.
Personally, this is my 6th day of Strike. The consensus now being that "revolving"
strikes (15% of the workforce on strike on a given day) would enable us to hold out
longer.
The support from "ordinary people" is astounding. When we block a
freeway, drivers often honk to support us, give us money, hand us daily
newspapers, even though we are effectively blocking them.
Anyway, the mood is indescribable. Workers from every sector are united
and determined, and for the first time, many workers can chat with
people employed in other industries knowing that they share a common
goal.
Victories for Progressives
PROGRESSIVES' PROGRESS
by William Floyd
On October 2nd, the One Nation Rally in Washington DC unified organized
Labor and hundreds of PROGRESSIVE, Peace and Justice groups from
around the country. There is no stronger force in the America than
by William Floyd
On October 2nd, the One Nation Rally in Washington DC unified organized
Labor and hundreds of PROGRESSIVE, Peace and Justice groups from
around the country. There is no stronger force in the America than
organized Labor, and our Progressive grass roots community movement.
Evidence: 200,000+/- Union and Progressive Protestors achieved:
Many Permanent War Machine and Wall Street Puppets Resign:
Rahm Emanuel (Obama's Gatekeeper excluding all Progressives)
Permanent War Gen. James Jones (Obama's National Security Advisor #1)
Permanent War leader Defense hawk Robert Gates will resign April 2011
Larry Summers, author of the Wall St. Crash via derivatives and swaps
Peter Orzag, key Budget advisor to Obama administration
Treasury Sec'y Geithner's 2 fresh appointees refused to work for him
David Axelrod, Obama Team's chief 2008 Election Advisor
There were no such widespread resignations from either the Bush-Cheney
crime regime, nor the Nixon-Kissinger international criminal syndicate.
Local Progress:
The Santa Monica Peace Club and national PDWA sent 75 Letters to Progressive Caucus
members at their home state offices. These letters concerned the waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer funds by the H. Clinton State Department trying to overthrow another democratic election in Venezuela.
Result:
Secretary of State Clinton did an about face and supported Equador's President Rafael Correa after the Police/Air Force coup d'etat.
Contrast this with Clinton's support for the S.O.A. murderers in the Honduran coup.
Also, Bob (Watergate) Woodward said that the White House wants to "Switch" H. Clinton with VP Joe Biden for the 2012 Election. Obama thinks he needs Clinton's supporters to win the Presidential race in 2012. And Joe Biden admits he always wanted to be an international player.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKERS for AMERICA (PDWA)
www . pdwamerica . blogspot . com
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
EQUADOR COUP D'ETAT
EQUADOR COUP D'ETAT
by Lisa Sullivan, Presente
A School of the Americas (SOA)graduate has been charged for last Thursday's unsuccessful Coup d'Etat attempt in Ecuador. His name, Colonel Manuel E. Rivadeneira Tello.
He is a graduate of the SOA's combat arms training course. He is one of three police officials being investigated for negligence, rebellion and attempted assassination of Equador's President,
Rafael CORREA.
Rivadeneira was the Commander of the barracks where President Correa was attacked by protesting police. The injured Correa was taken to a police hospital were he held hostage by police who threatened to kill him if he tried to escape.
After 12 hours, 500 elite Army forces stormed the hospital and organized a fiery rescue.
By the end of the day 4 people lay dead, and over 200 wounded.
This is the second Coup attempt led by SOA graduates in a little over a year. The June 2009 Coup in Honduras was led by SOA graduates General Vasquez Velasquez and General Prince Suazo. That Coup was successful in overthrowing President Manuel Zelaya.
At the time, President Correa expressed concern that this opened the possibility of future Coups on the continent. He acknowledged that he might be a possible target....
The defense of Ecuador's democracy was achieved by its citizens, who poured into the streets in defense of their popular President. These Citizen voices were joined by an international chorus of support for Correa, including the OAS, UNASUR and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ecuadorians, however, were not convinced that the U.S. was an innocent bystander. A poll indicated that over 50% of Ecuadorians felt that the U.S. had some involvement in the Coup.
This was based, perhaps, on experience in their country, where evidence has pointed to past U.S. involvement in Coups and Presidential deaths.
Both Presidents of Honduras and Ecuador had recently challenged the use of their Military bases by the U.S. Pentagon. President Correa ended a lease by the U.S. to use it's Manta base in 2009, and President Zelaya had indicated his support for turning the Palmerola, Honduras base U.S. base into a civilian airport, shortly before he was overthrown.
Likewise, both countries were members of ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas) when the Coups were attempted. A third ALBA country, Venezuela, was the target of the third Latin American Coup of the past decade, in April 2002, also led by SOA graduates.
SOA Presente!
http://www.soaw.org/presente/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=328&Itemid=74
by Lisa Sullivan, Presente
A School of the Americas (SOA)graduate has been charged for last Thursday's unsuccessful Coup d'Etat attempt in Ecuador. His name, Colonel Manuel E. Rivadeneira Tello.
He is a graduate of the SOA's combat arms training course. He is one of three police officials being investigated for negligence, rebellion and attempted assassination of Equador's President,
Rafael CORREA.
Rivadeneira was the Commander of the barracks where President Correa was attacked by protesting police. The injured Correa was taken to a police hospital were he held hostage by police who threatened to kill him if he tried to escape.
After 12 hours, 500 elite Army forces stormed the hospital and organized a fiery rescue.
By the end of the day 4 people lay dead, and over 200 wounded.
This is the second Coup attempt led by SOA graduates in a little over a year. The June 2009 Coup in Honduras was led by SOA graduates General Vasquez Velasquez and General Prince Suazo. That Coup was successful in overthrowing President Manuel Zelaya.
At the time, President Correa expressed concern that this opened the possibility of future Coups on the continent. He acknowledged that he might be a possible target....
The defense of Ecuador's democracy was achieved by its citizens, who poured into the streets in defense of their popular President. These Citizen voices were joined by an international chorus of support for Correa, including the OAS, UNASUR and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ecuadorians, however, were not convinced that the U.S. was an innocent bystander. A poll indicated that over 50% of Ecuadorians felt that the U.S. had some involvement in the Coup.
This was based, perhaps, on experience in their country, where evidence has pointed to past U.S. involvement in Coups and Presidential deaths.
Both Presidents of Honduras and Ecuador had recently challenged the use of their Military bases by the U.S. Pentagon. President Correa ended a lease by the U.S. to use it's Manta base in 2009, and President Zelaya had indicated his support for turning the Palmerola, Honduras base U.S. base into a civilian airport, shortly before he was overthrown.
Likewise, both countries were members of ALBA (the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas) when the Coups were attempted. A third ALBA country, Venezuela, was the target of the third Latin American Coup of the past decade, in April 2002, also led by SOA graduates.
SOA Presente!
http://www.soaw.org/presente/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=328&Itemid=74
Saturday, October 2, 2010
More Euro Unions Fight Corp Cuts
A EUROPEAN UNION OF PROTESTS KICKS OFF AGAINST AUSTERITY MEASURES
Mass protests and strikes have broken out across the whole of Europe this week as the reality of already imposed and still pending austerity cuts becomes clear. Across the EU, rallies were held in thirteen capital cities, and in Spain a general strike saw millions take action. On Wednesday (29th) around 100,000 representatives of the European trade union movement, including German miners and Polish shipbuilders, brought Brussels to a standstill to protest against the forthcoming savage spending cuts.
The message “We will not pay for their crisis” is now resounding across Europe. Despite trade union claims that the event passed off entirely peacefully, the anti-capitalist bloc on the demonstration clashed with police. Their numbers swelled by visiting No Borders activists (see SchNEWS 740), local anti-capitalists joined the main demo. However they were isolated and surrounded by plain-clothes police. Over a hundred were arrested ‘preventatively’ and many others injured. There was a heavy police presence outside the No Borders campsite all day. As the day of action - called by trade union umbrella organisation ETUC - took place outside, the EU Commission announced a package of proposals to crack down on hard-pressed member states, threatening them with huge fines if they failed to run their economies “efficiently.”
There can be no doubt that the Commissions idea of ‘efficiency’ will closely mirror the IMF prescriptions for failing economies - privatise everything in sight, cut benefits and drive down public sector wages. Banks of course, will still profit healthily having receiving life support from the public sector. Meanwhile in Greece, where the financial crisis hit first and hardest in a country that was already in open revolt (see SchNEWS 711, 720, 733), new laws were introduced criminalising trade union activity.
The government has completely removed the protective mechanisms within previous anti-terror legislation which previously prevented it from applying to trade unions or political activity ‘in defence of freedom’. Simultaneously the law now punishes more severely (with 10 years imprisonment) anyone who gives “substantial” information to terrorist organizations to facilitate their work, or gives them material or “immaterial” support even if the “terrorist acts” were not finally carried out. With these changes, the prosecuting authorities are basically given a free hand. Even minor offences (such as property damage or disruption of transport, etc) carried out by an organized team of demonstrators can now be arbitrarily characterised as terrorist activity. Coupled with this is new legislation allowing state’s witnesses to be anonymous. Can the rest of Europe expect similar draconian legislation as unrest spreads?
PolandTrade unionists threw petards and blew whistles as they marched through Warsaw demanding an end to ‘abuse by economic elites’. SpainUnions claimed ten million workers stayed at home for the nationwide strike. There were 11 reported injuries and 65 arrests during clashes with police.
GreeceRail workers and doctors walked out yesterday in protest at deep cuts into workers’ allowances, which are designed to reduce the national deficit. SloveniaAbout half of public-sector workers remained on strike for the third day against a planned wage freeze. IrelandOne man blocked the entrance to the Dail, the Irish parliament, with a cement truck in a protest against the country’s enormous bank bailouts. Written across the back of the lorry was: “All politicians should be sacked.” - finally a concrete answer we can all agree with.* For more from Brussels see http://bxl.indymedia.org
Mass protests and strikes have broken out across the whole of Europe this week as the reality of already imposed and still pending austerity cuts becomes clear. Across the EU, rallies were held in thirteen capital cities, and in Spain a general strike saw millions take action. On Wednesday (29th) around 100,000 representatives of the European trade union movement, including German miners and Polish shipbuilders, brought Brussels to a standstill to protest against the forthcoming savage spending cuts.
The message “We will not pay for their crisis” is now resounding across Europe. Despite trade union claims that the event passed off entirely peacefully, the anti-capitalist bloc on the demonstration clashed with police. Their numbers swelled by visiting No Borders activists (see SchNEWS 740), local anti-capitalists joined the main demo. However they were isolated and surrounded by plain-clothes police. Over a hundred were arrested ‘preventatively’ and many others injured. There was a heavy police presence outside the No Borders campsite all day. As the day of action - called by trade union umbrella organisation ETUC - took place outside, the EU Commission announced a package of proposals to crack down on hard-pressed member states, threatening them with huge fines if they failed to run their economies “efficiently.”
There can be no doubt that the Commissions idea of ‘efficiency’ will closely mirror the IMF prescriptions for failing economies - privatise everything in sight, cut benefits and drive down public sector wages. Banks of course, will still profit healthily having receiving life support from the public sector. Meanwhile in Greece, where the financial crisis hit first and hardest in a country that was already in open revolt (see SchNEWS 711, 720, 733), new laws were introduced criminalising trade union activity.
The government has completely removed the protective mechanisms within previous anti-terror legislation which previously prevented it from applying to trade unions or political activity ‘in defence of freedom’. Simultaneously the law now punishes more severely (with 10 years imprisonment) anyone who gives “substantial” information to terrorist organizations to facilitate their work, or gives them material or “immaterial” support even if the “terrorist acts” were not finally carried out. With these changes, the prosecuting authorities are basically given a free hand. Even minor offences (such as property damage or disruption of transport, etc) carried out by an organized team of demonstrators can now be arbitrarily characterised as terrorist activity. Coupled with this is new legislation allowing state’s witnesses to be anonymous. Can the rest of Europe expect similar draconian legislation as unrest spreads?
PolandTrade unionists threw petards and blew whistles as they marched through Warsaw demanding an end to ‘abuse by economic elites’. SpainUnions claimed ten million workers stayed at home for the nationwide strike. There were 11 reported injuries and 65 arrests during clashes with police.
GreeceRail workers and doctors walked out yesterday in protest at deep cuts into workers’ allowances, which are designed to reduce the national deficit. SloveniaAbout half of public-sector workers remained on strike for the third day against a planned wage freeze. IrelandOne man blocked the entrance to the Dail, the Irish parliament, with a cement truck in a protest against the country’s enormous bank bailouts. Written across the back of the lorry was: “All politicians should be sacked.” - finally a concrete answer we can all agree with.* For more from Brussels see http://bxl.indymedia.org
Thursday, September 30, 2010
EURO Unions Protest Militantly
WHEN WILL AMERICAN LABOR LEARN FROM EURO UNIONS ?
Tens of thousands of workers from around Europe have marched across Brussels in a protest against spending cuts by EU governments. Food price rises are growing concern.
Does currency intervention work? Spain has held a General Strike, with protesters
in Barcelona clashing with police and torching a police car....
Other protests against austerity measures have been held in Greece, Italy, the Irish Republic and Latvia. Trade unions say EU workers may become the biggest victims of a financial crisis set off by bankers and traders. Many governments across the 27-member bloc have imposed punishing cuts in wages, pensions and employment to deal with spiralling debts.
On Wednesday night, Portugal's minority government announced proposals to cut civil servants' pay and state spending while raising taxes in an attempt to lower the country's debt levels. In Greece and the Irish Republic, unemployment figures are at their highest level in 10 years, while Spain's unemployment has doubled in just three years.
In Britain the government is planning to slash spending by up to 25% in some areas, while France has seen angry protests against a planned increase in the minimum retirement age from 60 TO 62 years. Firecrackers: Police sealed off the EU headquarters and barricaded banks and shops ahead of the protest in Brussels. It was described by unions as a day of action under the slogan "No to austerity, priority to jobs and growth". Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many carrying large red and green balloons and banners, headed towards EU institution buildings in the Belgian capital (Brussels). "We didn't cause this crisis. The bill has to be paid by banks, not by workers” European Trade Union Confederation Day of action.
They made heard their voices, whistles, horns and anything else they could find, says the BBC's Nick Childs in the city, amid the sound and smoke of firecrackers.Speaking at the march, Jean Claude Mailly, head of the French union Force Ouvriere, said there was still time to rethink the austerity measures." It is never too late because the austerity measures are in the process of being set up now," he told the BBC." So we are in a period where social movements of a different nature will have a big value in the weeks and months to come. There is a strong social tension." Labour unions in Spain began the country's first general strike in eight years by marching through the capital, Madrid, in an effort to shut down the city. Also in the capital, there were mass protests outside bus and metro stations, and few buses were running. Many high-speed trains were cancelled and only about a quarter of commuter trains were running. Groups of strikers went into shops and banks trying to force them to close. The airline Iberia said it expected to operate only 35% of scheduled flights.
'Banks to blame' In the Irish Republic, a man drove a cement mixer covered with anti-bank slogans into the gates of the parliament in Dublin, in an apparent protest at the country's expensive bank bail-out. Strikers held a protest in central Madrid, prompting some shops to close. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said the protesters were marching to voice their anger over budget-slashing plans and cuts which "could lead Europe into a recession". The union warns that the financial crisis - which it describes as the worst in Europe since the 1930s - has already made 23 million people across the EU jobless. It fears that the austerity measures being implemented by various EU governments could "result in even more unemployment". "We didn't cause this crisis. The bill has to be paid by banks, not by workers," ETUC said. Instead, the organisation urges governments to guarantee workers stable jobs, strong social protection and better pensions. Workers in many EU countries are frustrated that they are paying for the mistakes of the banks and the financial sector, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Brussels reports.
Tens of thousands of workers from around Europe have marched across Brussels in a protest against spending cuts by EU governments. Food price rises are growing concern.
Does currency intervention work? Spain has held a General Strike, with protesters
in Barcelona clashing with police and torching a police car....
Other protests against austerity measures have been held in Greece, Italy, the Irish Republic and Latvia. Trade unions say EU workers may become the biggest victims of a financial crisis set off by bankers and traders. Many governments across the 27-member bloc have imposed punishing cuts in wages, pensions and employment to deal with spiralling debts.
On Wednesday night, Portugal's minority government announced proposals to cut civil servants' pay and state spending while raising taxes in an attempt to lower the country's debt levels. In Greece and the Irish Republic, unemployment figures are at their highest level in 10 years, while Spain's unemployment has doubled in just three years.
In Britain the government is planning to slash spending by up to 25% in some areas, while France has seen angry protests against a planned increase in the minimum retirement age from 60 TO 62 years. Firecrackers: Police sealed off the EU headquarters and barricaded banks and shops ahead of the protest in Brussels. It was described by unions as a day of action under the slogan "No to austerity, priority to jobs and growth". Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many carrying large red and green balloons and banners, headed towards EU institution buildings in the Belgian capital (Brussels). "We didn't cause this crisis. The bill has to be paid by banks, not by workers” European Trade Union Confederation Day of action.
They made heard their voices, whistles, horns and anything else they could find, says the BBC's Nick Childs in the city, amid the sound and smoke of firecrackers.Speaking at the march, Jean Claude Mailly, head of the French union Force Ouvriere, said there was still time to rethink the austerity measures." It is never too late because the austerity measures are in the process of being set up now," he told the BBC." So we are in a period where social movements of a different nature will have a big value in the weeks and months to come. There is a strong social tension." Labour unions in Spain began the country's first general strike in eight years by marching through the capital, Madrid, in an effort to shut down the city. Also in the capital, there were mass protests outside bus and metro stations, and few buses were running. Many high-speed trains were cancelled and only about a quarter of commuter trains were running. Groups of strikers went into shops and banks trying to force them to close. The airline Iberia said it expected to operate only 35% of scheduled flights.
'Banks to blame' In the Irish Republic, a man drove a cement mixer covered with anti-bank slogans into the gates of the parliament in Dublin, in an apparent protest at the country's expensive bank bail-out. Strikers held a protest in central Madrid, prompting some shops to close. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) said the protesters were marching to voice their anger over budget-slashing plans and cuts which "could lead Europe into a recession". The union warns that the financial crisis - which it describes as the worst in Europe since the 1930s - has already made 23 million people across the EU jobless. It fears that the austerity measures being implemented by various EU governments could "result in even more unemployment". "We didn't cause this crisis. The bill has to be paid by banks, not by workers," ETUC said. Instead, the organisation urges governments to guarantee workers stable jobs, strong social protection and better pensions. Workers in many EU countries are frustrated that they are paying for the mistakes of the banks and the financial sector, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Brussels reports.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Energy Crisis on Horizon ?
ENERGY CRISIS COMING ?
by William Floyd, Pres.
1) What would happen if Oil prices shot up due to a conflict-caused shortage?
a) Endlessly long lines at gas stations (remember the 1970's)?
b) Road rage, running-out-of-gas waiting in line, i.e. chaos?
c) Angry, unemployed Voters staying home, or taking revenge at the polls?
2) Our Navy is quietly encircling a major Oil Partner of the United States.
a) The US Navy 4th Fleet (SouthComm) is spending like drunken sailors
on spanking new bases in Costa Rica, and on the Dutch islands of
Aruba and Curacao, a mere 50 miles off the Venezuela coastline.
(Pentagon budget appears religiously exempt from the worst recession in 75 years)
b) The US Navy is building 2 expensive new bases at ports in Colombia
(part of the Pentagon's new 9 bases in Venezuela's next door neighbor).
3) 46 US Naval war ships, including aircraft carriers, and cruisers with beach
landing craft conduct exercises just 50 miles from Lake Maracaibo. The
Lake is the heart of Venezuelan Oil production. (World’s 4th largest exporter)
a) Onboard these 46 ships are between 80-90,000 fresh Marines.
4) All of this very expensive show of awesome FORCE and Naval FIREPOWER,
a) According to official Pentagon sources, is simply their "War on Drugs"
b) Or, maybe it’s the next stage in the Pentagon's Perpetual War for Oil?
(Iraq, Afghanistan ,Venezuela, then schedule “bomb-bomb Iran” next Spring?)
5) Venezuela is a vital energy partner to the United States, providing 15 + percent
of our daily gasoline consumption. She operates 7 refineries and 14,000
gas stations throughout our country. In the winter of 2005, she supplied
44.5 million gallons of heating oil to poor US communities in 10 states.
6) "Plan Balboa" was/is a Pentagon military exercise, simulating the need for US Troops
to save American citizens at risk from a revolutionary guerrilla Army in an oil
rich South American country. viz. Eva Golinger: Washington’s War on Venezuela
Three historical events may be relevant
a) USS Maine blows up accidently 1898. “Yellow-journal” Hearst fans hysteria, Sp-Am War.
a) Phony 1964 attack at Tonkin Gulf, justifies Vietnam War (58,000 US, 2 mil. Viet. dead)
b) 2-year Bush FauxNews campaign to lie about Iraq WMD to Congress + American people
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKERS for AMERICA
www.pdwamerica.blogspot.com
by William Floyd, Pres.
1) What would happen if Oil prices shot up due to a conflict-caused shortage?
a) Endlessly long lines at gas stations (remember the 1970's)?
b) Road rage, running-out-of-gas waiting in line, i.e. chaos?
c) Angry, unemployed Voters staying home, or taking revenge at the polls?
2) Our Navy is quietly encircling a major Oil Partner of the United States.
a) The US Navy 4th Fleet (SouthComm) is spending like drunken sailors
on spanking new bases in Costa Rica, and on the Dutch islands of
Aruba and Curacao, a mere 50 miles off the Venezuela coastline.
(Pentagon budget appears religiously exempt from the worst recession in 75 years)
b) The US Navy is building 2 expensive new bases at ports in Colombia
(part of the Pentagon's new 9 bases in Venezuela's next door neighbor).
3) 46 US Naval war ships, including aircraft carriers, and cruisers with beach
landing craft conduct exercises just 50 miles from Lake Maracaibo. The
Lake is the heart of Venezuelan Oil production. (World’s 4th largest exporter)
a) Onboard these 46 ships are between 80-90,000 fresh Marines.
4) All of this very expensive show of awesome FORCE and Naval FIREPOWER,
a) According to official Pentagon sources, is simply their "War on Drugs"
b) Or, maybe it’s the next stage in the Pentagon's Perpetual War for Oil?
(Iraq, Afghanistan ,Venezuela, then schedule “bomb-bomb Iran” next Spring?)
5) Venezuela is a vital energy partner to the United States, providing 15 + percent
of our daily gasoline consumption. She operates 7 refineries and 14,000
gas stations throughout our country. In the winter of 2005, she supplied
44.5 million gallons of heating oil to poor US communities in 10 states.
6) "Plan Balboa" was/is a Pentagon military exercise, simulating the need for US Troops
to save American citizens at risk from a revolutionary guerrilla Army in an oil
rich South American country. viz. Eva Golinger: Washington’s War on Venezuela
Three historical events may be relevant
a) USS Maine blows up accidently 1898. “Yellow-journal” Hearst fans hysteria, Sp-Am War.
a) Phony 1964 attack at Tonkin Gulf, justifies Vietnam War (58,000 US, 2 mil. Viet. dead)
b) 2-year Bush FauxNews campaign to lie about Iraq WMD to Congress + American people
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKERS for AMERICA
www.pdwamerica.blogspot.com
Saturday, September 25, 2010
WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE
in Sub-Agencies of the U.S. State Department
Similar to the Minerals, Mine agency, the US AID, NED, OTI, IRI, and other sub-agencies of the old Bush-Cheney State Department are still breaking U.S. Laws. They are wasting rare recession dollars on efforts to undermine a democratically elected government of a key energy Partner.
According to F.O.I.A. documents, many tens of millions of U.S. Taxpayer funds are funneled through these subagencies. The funds are used to propagate Faux News type TV ads, and organize demonstrations, and huge rallies against the democratic government. The U.S. tax money was used as well to participate in the coup d'etat against the President, and sponsor a Recall election, These are illegal activities under U.S. Law.
Today, these exact same State Department subagencies are pouring tens of millions of recession-tight Taxpayer dollars into illegally interfering in the September 26 th 2010 Election.
This energy partner of ours is Venezuela. She provides 1.7 million barrels of Oil to the United States every day. She owns 8 refineries and operates 14,000 gas stations across America (Citgo, Inc.). One freezing Winter, she provided 44.5 million gallons of heating oil to poor communities in Boston, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Some of the F.O.I.A. evidence is contained in a thin but extensively researched book entitled "Washington's War on Venezuela" by American lawyer, Eva Golinger. Another book of hers, "Cracking the Chavez Code" contains more F.O.I.A. documentation. Also, another research book by Gregory Wilpert, entitled "Changing Venezuela" pages 170-174.
We advocate sending expert Investigators to Caracas, Venezuela A.S.A.P. to meet attorney Eva Golinger and see the deep extent of evidence she has collected over the past few years.
William Floyd, Pres., Former elected Delegate to Cal Democratic Party 2007-9
Notes
1. Please see the attached 1 page "Talking for Change"
2. TV ads feature racial attacks like "Monkey" "Ape Man"
or slurs on Chavez' partial Indian heritage. Other ads on the
80% Faux News TV stations are the same as used against
President Barach Obama, i.e. Marx, Stalin, Osama BL, El Diablo.
in Sub-Agencies of the U.S. State Department
Similar to the Minerals, Mine agency, the US AID, NED, OTI, IRI, and other sub-agencies of the old Bush-Cheney State Department are still breaking U.S. Laws. They are wasting rare recession dollars on efforts to undermine a democratically elected government of a key energy Partner.
According to F.O.I.A. documents, many tens of millions of U.S. Taxpayer funds are funneled through these subagencies. The funds are used to propagate Faux News type TV ads, and organize demonstrations, and huge rallies against the democratic government. The U.S. tax money was used as well to participate in the coup d'etat against the President, and sponsor a Recall election, These are illegal activities under U.S. Law.
Today, these exact same State Department subagencies are pouring tens of millions of recession-tight Taxpayer dollars into illegally interfering in the September 26 th 2010 Election.
This energy partner of ours is Venezuela. She provides 1.7 million barrels of Oil to the United States every day. She owns 8 refineries and operates 14,000 gas stations across America (Citgo, Inc.). One freezing Winter, she provided 44.5 million gallons of heating oil to poor communities in Boston, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Some of the F.O.I.A. evidence is contained in a thin but extensively researched book entitled "Washington's War on Venezuela" by American lawyer, Eva Golinger. Another book of hers, "Cracking the Chavez Code" contains more F.O.I.A. documentation. Also, another research book by Gregory Wilpert, entitled "Changing Venezuela" pages 170-174.
We advocate sending expert Investigators to Caracas, Venezuela A.S.A.P. to meet attorney Eva Golinger and see the deep extent of evidence she has collected over the past few years.
William Floyd, Pres., Former elected Delegate to Cal Democratic Party 2007-9
Notes
1. Please see the attached 1 page "Talking for Change"
2. TV ads feature racial attacks like "Monkey" "Ape Man"
or slurs on Chavez' partial Indian heritage. Other ads on the
80% Faux News TV stations are the same as used against
President Barach Obama, i.e. Marx, Stalin, Osama BL, El Diablo.
FBI Spies on You and I and Our Email
Justice Department Report Finds FBI
Spied on American Protestors
Earlier this week, we learned that yet another Department of Justice
(DOJ) Inspector General (IG) report has found malfeasance in the FBI.
This time, the IG found the bureau spying on American citizens engaged in
protests and other activities protected by the First Amendment. These \
investigations have led to several activists being inappropriately placed
on terrorist watchlists.
The IG's investigation was prompted by an ACLU Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request, which uncovered evidence in 2006 that the FBI was chilling
political association by improperly investigating peaceful advocacy groups like
Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The report concludes that the FBI was not spying on groups because of
their political views. Rather, it was investigating them because they
suspected the groups might commit crimes, which was okay under the FBI rules
that existed at the time. By that logic, everyone can be subject to FBI investigation
and possibly be included on a terrorist watchlist.
The report found FBI investigations were often opened based on
"factually weak" or even "speculative" justifications, and were often
kept open even after it was clear there was no criminal activity. We
can attribute this low bar to Attorney General guidelines for opening
investigations, which were gradually weakened during the Bush
administration.
In 2002, the guidelines under then-Attorney General John Ashcroft
required only the "possibility" of a federal crime. This guideline led
activities like the FBI infiltrating a peace group that was doing
nothing more nefarious than handing out anti-war leaflets in downtown
Pittsburgh.
Just last week, a domestic spying program in Pennsylvania that
targeted gas drilling opponents was shut down after it was revealed to
be improperly investigating them as a terrorist threat. That was just
another instance of more than 33 cases of domestic spying by U.S. law
enforcement agencies.
>> Learn more about spying on First Amendment activities.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=Lrs7vtZNDh_JvkxUtn_MsA..
Your Email Isn't Protected
As you read this copy of ACLU Online, you probably think it's private.You know that your papers and effects at home are constitutionally-protected by the Fourth Amendment. You might evenrealize that items on your computer have similar protection. So, itwould be logical to assume that an email you're reading at home onyour computer is covered by the same protections. Sadly, it's not. Because your email has been shared with a thirdparty -- your internet service provider and the other companiesthat transmitted it -- its constitutional protection is uncertainat best.
That's why Congress enacted the Electronic CommunicationsPrivacy Act (ECPA) -- to safeguard electronic communications. Theonly problem is that ECPA was passed in 1986. Yes, it's true. The lawthat protects email -- and all of the other information you viewonline-was passed before there was a World Wide Web or much ofan internet at all. At the time ECPA was passed, Congress couldn't decide if an email was more like a letter or a phone call. In 1986, most users would download their emails to their home computers after opening. Buttoday, most emails are not downloaded and are instead held bythird-party companies -- leaving their content with very little protection after 180 days. And law enforcement even argues that theylose most of their protections once opened. These are the rules for the technology that existed in 1986. Imagine how hard it is to translate the law to social networking sites,location-based services or any of the myriad technologies we usetoday.
This week, both the House and Senate conducted separate hearings onECPA reform. We hope they will give the law a significant overhaul including full warrant protection for all private communications and location information (such as what is derived from cell phones). >> Take action: Tell Congress it's time to modernize our privacy law.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=6ISp_XPwf_kiTHFCdtjJgw.. >> Learn more about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=AZzrwf8nxXVs9orpNE_i0w..
Spied on American Protestors
Earlier this week, we learned that yet another Department of Justice
(DOJ) Inspector General (IG) report has found malfeasance in the FBI.
This time, the IG found the bureau spying on American citizens engaged in
protests and other activities protected by the First Amendment. These \
investigations have led to several activists being inappropriately placed
on terrorist watchlists.
The IG's investigation was prompted by an ACLU Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request, which uncovered evidence in 2006 that the FBI was chilling
political association by improperly investigating peaceful advocacy groups like
Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
The report concludes that the FBI was not spying on groups because of
their political views. Rather, it was investigating them because they
suspected the groups might commit crimes, which was okay under the FBI rules
that existed at the time. By that logic, everyone can be subject to FBI investigation
and possibly be included on a terrorist watchlist.
The report found FBI investigations were often opened based on
"factually weak" or even "speculative" justifications, and were often
kept open even after it was clear there was no criminal activity. We
can attribute this low bar to Attorney General guidelines for opening
investigations, which were gradually weakened during the Bush
administration.
In 2002, the guidelines under then-Attorney General John Ashcroft
required only the "possibility" of a federal crime. This guideline led
activities like the FBI infiltrating a peace group that was doing
nothing more nefarious than handing out anti-war leaflets in downtown
Pittsburgh.
Just last week, a domestic spying program in Pennsylvania that
targeted gas drilling opponents was shut down after it was revealed to
be improperly investigating them as a terrorist threat. That was just
another instance of more than 33 cases of domestic spying by U.S. law
enforcement agencies.
>> Learn more about spying on First Amendment activities.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=Lrs7vtZNDh_JvkxUtn_MsA..
Your Email Isn't Protected
As you read this copy of ACLU Online, you probably think it's private.You know that your papers and effects at home are constitutionally-protected by the Fourth Amendment. You might evenrealize that items on your computer have similar protection. So, itwould be logical to assume that an email you're reading at home onyour computer is covered by the same protections. Sadly, it's not. Because your email has been shared with a thirdparty -- your internet service provider and the other companiesthat transmitted it -- its constitutional protection is uncertainat best.
That's why Congress enacted the Electronic CommunicationsPrivacy Act (ECPA) -- to safeguard electronic communications. Theonly problem is that ECPA was passed in 1986. Yes, it's true. The lawthat protects email -- and all of the other information you viewonline-was passed before there was a World Wide Web or much ofan internet at all. At the time ECPA was passed, Congress couldn't decide if an email was more like a letter or a phone call. In 1986, most users would download their emails to their home computers after opening. Buttoday, most emails are not downloaded and are instead held bythird-party companies -- leaving their content with very little protection after 180 days. And law enforcement even argues that theylose most of their protections once opened. These are the rules for the technology that existed in 1986. Imagine how hard it is to translate the law to social networking sites,location-based services or any of the myriad technologies we usetoday.
This week, both the House and Senate conducted separate hearings onECPA reform. We hope they will give the law a significant overhaul including full warrant protection for all private communications and location information (such as what is derived from cell phones). >> Take action: Tell Congress it's time to modernize our privacy law.
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=6ISp_XPwf_kiTHFCdtjJgw.. >> Learn more about the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=AZzrwf8nxXVs9orpNE_i0w..
Monday, September 13, 2010
Talking for Change
TALKING for CHANGE 9-11-10
╪ Venezuela supplies 1.7 million Barrels (15%) of U.S.A. Oil daily.
Venezuela is the 4th (fourth) largest producer of Oil in the World.
╪ Venezuelans love America and ♥ Americans. Starbucks, McDonalds,
Michael Jackson, and TV shows like “Who wants to be a millionaire?”
Venezuelans also love Baseball, not Soccer (futbol). They follow the
MBA teams obsessively. Every street has a stick ball game.
Alex Gonzalez, Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod), & Carlos Zambrano
are star Venezuelans playing in Major League Baseball.
╪ Venezuela provided heating oil during the cold winter of 2005.
Poor neighborhoods in Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware,
Connecticut, Philadelphia, Boston, and NYC received 44.5 million
Gallons of heating oil at 40-50% discounts. Also, the Bolivarians
provided 312,000 gallons of free oil to Homeless Shelters in the states.
╪ Caracas TV is 80% Fright Wing spin: Marx/Stalin/Castro/Osama BL
The 2 largest Newspapers “swift boat” Bolivarians daily.
╪ Faux News - Pentagon Spin: “Venezuela is now a Castro dictatorship”
1998 Bolivarians won a certified clean election - 56% for Change.
1999-2000 Bolivarian Constitution approved 59.8%. Win 2/3 Gen Assembly.
2002 State Dept/Pentagon sponsor Coup, but millions of People save Chavez.
2002-2003 Oil Corp Lockout; massive unemployment leads to deep recession.
2003-4 Recall Referendum: Carter Center certified Chavez won 58%-42%.
2006 Bolivarian “21st Century Socialists” win a landslide 63% to 36%.
╪ Bolivarian Missions for the poor, Free food, healthcare, clothing, education
Millions receive “title” to their homes in Barrios. 7.5 Million Acres of idle land purchased and transferred to 200,000 families (1 million people).
╪ Participatory Democracy – Community Councils of 200 families decide
Planning, water, food, housing. 3,700 in 2005 and 16,000 Councils in 2007.
╪ Civil Rights of Women, Afro-Venezuelans, and Indigenous peoples (15%) are protected by the 1999 Constitution, and in Bolivarian policy & practice.
╪ Venezuela supplies 1.7 million Barrels (15%) of U.S.A. Oil daily.
Venezuela is the 4th (fourth) largest producer of Oil in the World.
╪ Venezuelans love America and ♥ Americans. Starbucks, McDonalds,
Michael Jackson, and TV shows like “Who wants to be a millionaire?”
Venezuelans also love Baseball, not Soccer (futbol). They follow the
MBA teams obsessively. Every street has a stick ball game.
Alex Gonzalez, Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod), & Carlos Zambrano
are star Venezuelans playing in Major League Baseball.
╪ Venezuela provided heating oil during the cold winter of 2005.
Poor neighborhoods in Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware,
Connecticut, Philadelphia, Boston, and NYC received 44.5 million
Gallons of heating oil at 40-50% discounts. Also, the Bolivarians
provided 312,000 gallons of free oil to Homeless Shelters in the states.
╪ Caracas TV is 80% Fright Wing spin: Marx/Stalin/Castro/Osama BL
The 2 largest Newspapers “swift boat” Bolivarians daily.
╪ Faux News - Pentagon Spin: “Venezuela is now a Castro dictatorship”
1998 Bolivarians won a certified clean election - 56% for Change.
1999-2000 Bolivarian Constitution approved 59.8%. Win 2/3 Gen Assembly.
2002 State Dept/Pentagon sponsor Coup, but millions of People save Chavez.
2002-2003 Oil Corp Lockout; massive unemployment leads to deep recession.
2003-4 Recall Referendum: Carter Center certified Chavez won 58%-42%.
2006 Bolivarian “21st Century Socialists” win a landslide 63% to 36%.
╪ Bolivarian Missions for the poor, Free food, healthcare, clothing, education
Millions receive “title” to their homes in Barrios. 7.5 Million Acres of idle land purchased and transferred to 200,000 families (1 million people).
╪ Participatory Democracy – Community Councils of 200 families decide
Planning, water, food, housing. 3,700 in 2005 and 16,000 Councils in 2007.
╪ Civil Rights of Women, Afro-Venezuelans, and Indigenous peoples (15%) are protected by the 1999 Constitution, and in Bolivarian policy & practice.
Please call all Progressive Democrats in Congress this week.
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKERS for AMERICA www.pdwamerica.blogspot.com
Friday, September 10, 2010
ONE NATION MARCH on Washington
March on Washington D.C.
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our re-commitment to change.
The One Nation March will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all marching together to help Put America Back to Work and to Pull America Back Together. And to help reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.
It's time to stand up and march for the change we voted for. Use the march resources below to plan and promote your trip.
March Resources
RSVP for the March
March Details - Everything you need to know about the march.
Spread the Word - Tell your friends about the march.
March on Washington D.C.
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our re-commitment to change.
The One Nation March will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all marching together to help Put America Back to Work and to Pull America Back Together. And to help reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.
It's time to stand up and march for the change we voted for. Use the march resources below to plan and promote your trip.
March Resources
RSVP for the March
March Details - Everything you need to know about the march.
Spread the Word - Tell your friends about the march.
Downloads - Downloads
William Floyd
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our re-commitment to change.
The One Nation March will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all marching together to help Put America Back to Work and to Pull America Back Together. And to help reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.
It's time to stand up and march for the change we voted for. Use the march resources below to plan and promote your trip.
March Resources
RSVP for the March
March Details - Everything you need to know about the march.
Spread the Word - Tell your friends about the march.
March on Washington D.C.
On Saturday, October 2, 2010, hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our re-commitment to change.
The One Nation March will feature human and civil rights leaders, labor leaders, environmental and peace activists, faith leaders, celebrities and sports figures – all marching together to help Put America Back to Work and to Pull America Back Together. And to help reorder our national priorities so that investments in people come first.
It's time to stand up and march for the change we voted for. Use the march resources below to plan and promote your trip.
March Resources
RSVP for the March
March Details - Everything you need to know about the march.
Spread the Word - Tell your friends about the march.
Downloads - Downloads
William Floyd
Letter to Progressive Caucus Members
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC WORKERS for AMERICA
Dear Progressive Caucus Member,
Progressive Democrats across the country invite YOU and a select
Group of Caucus Members to visit Caracas, Venezuela this weekend.
There you can see the evidence, so painstakingly collected by
American lawyer Eva Golinger (“Washington’s War on Venezuela”)
90,000 U.S. assault MARINES are awaiting orders to invade VENEZUELA.
These heavily armed Marines are aboard 46 advanced U.S. Navy attack vessels.
They sail ominously 50 miles off the Venezuelan Coast (LA-Catalina). The 4th Fleet is armed with thousands of fighter aircraft, Seahawk copters and the latest landing craft. The U.S. Navy (bitter over exclusion from the Iraq-Afghan occupations) prowls between a new Navy base in Costa Rica, new U.S. Navy bases in Colombia, and new bases on the Dutch islands Curacao and Aruba.
In the capital city of Caracas, hundreds of U.S. State Dept. and CIA spies and saboteurs are doling out hundreds of millions of U.S. Taxpayer funds to steal the Venezuelan ELECTION, September 26th, 2010.
State Department has been militarized to work more 'smoothly' with the war machine. State/CIA spies and saboteurs work from an alphabet soup of semi-secret agencies: USAID, NED, OTI, DAI, IRI, NDI, CIPE, ACILS.
Forebears of these CIA/State spooks assisted the coup d'etat against Salvador Allende in Chile (1973). These same spooks helped the murderous Contras, and battled to overturn the Nicaraguan democracy, the Haitian democracy, and the Honduran democracy. Taxpayers paid for this unconstitutional criminality.
POTENTIAL SOLUTION:
Congress Members junket to Caracas before September 26 Election. They could interview the local State Dept spooks about the waste of recession-starved taxpayer funds. Are these scarce dollars being lavished on Coup plotters and professional mercenaries contrary to U.S. LAW?
William Floyd 9/11/10
Dear Progressive Caucus Member,
Progressive Democrats across the country invite YOU and a select
Group of Caucus Members to visit Caracas, Venezuela this weekend.
There you can see the evidence, so painstakingly collected by
American lawyer Eva Golinger (“Washington’s War on Venezuela”)
90,000 U.S. assault MARINES are awaiting orders to invade VENEZUELA.
These heavily armed Marines are aboard 46 advanced U.S. Navy attack vessels.
They sail ominously 50 miles off the Venezuelan Coast (LA-Catalina). The 4th Fleet is armed with thousands of fighter aircraft, Seahawk copters and the latest landing craft. The U.S. Navy (bitter over exclusion from the Iraq-Afghan occupations) prowls between a new Navy base in Costa Rica, new U.S. Navy bases in Colombia, and new bases on the Dutch islands Curacao and Aruba.
In the capital city of Caracas, hundreds of U.S. State Dept. and CIA spies and saboteurs are doling out hundreds of millions of U.S. Taxpayer funds to steal the Venezuelan ELECTION, September 26th, 2010.
State Department has been militarized to work more 'smoothly' with the war machine. State/CIA spies and saboteurs work from an alphabet soup of semi-secret agencies: USAID, NED, OTI, DAI, IRI, NDI, CIPE, ACILS.
Forebears of these CIA/State spooks assisted the coup d'etat against Salvador Allende in Chile (1973). These same spooks helped the murderous Contras, and battled to overturn the Nicaraguan democracy, the Haitian democracy, and the Honduran democracy. Taxpayers paid for this unconstitutional criminality.
POTENTIAL SOLUTION:
Congress Members junket to Caracas before September 26 Election. They could interview the local State Dept spooks about the waste of recession-starved taxpayer funds. Are these scarce dollars being lavished on Coup plotters and professional mercenaries contrary to U.S. LAW?
William Floyd 9/11/10
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
General Strike in France
Strikes in France, London foreshadow more protests.
Embankment in London, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. Millions of Londoners are struggling to get to work by road, rail boat and bicycle as a strike by London Underground workers shuts down much of the city's subway system.
French strikers disrupted trains and planes, hospitals and mail delivery Tuesday amid massive street protests over plans to raise the retirement age. Across the English Channel, London subway workers unhappy with staff cuts walked off the job.
The protests look like the prelude to a season of strikes in Europe, from Spain to the Czech Republic, as heavily indebted governments cut costs and chip away at some cherished but costly benefits that underpin the European good life -- a scaling-back process that has gained urgency with Greece's euro110 billion ($140 billion) bailout.In France, where people poured into the streets in 220 cities, setting off flares and beating drums, a banner in the southern port city of Marseille called for Europe-wide solidarity: "Let's Refuse Austerity Plans!"
The Interior Ministry said more than 1.1 million people demonstrated throughout France, while the CFDT union put the number at 2.5 million.Some commuters were annoyed by the disruptions -- even in strike-inured France."I'm just getting tired of this because this is not the first time," said Henda Fersi, a passenger at the Part-Dieu train station in Lyon in southeast France. "I understand the strikers' point of view but, still, they put us in a difficult situation and we're penalized."French protesters are angry about the government's plan to do away with the near-sacred promise of retirement at 60, forcing people to work until 62 because they are living longer. The goal is to bring the money-draining pension system back into the black by 2018.As debate on the subject opened in parliament, Labor Minister Eric Woerth said the plan was one "of courage and reason" and that it is the "duty of the state" to save the pension system. He later told TF1 television that the president would announce minor changes to the reform Wednesday, though its fundamentals would remain the same.Prime Minister Francois Fillon reminded the French that it could be worse: In nearly all European countries, the current debate is over raising the retirement age to 67 or 68, he said. Germany has decided to bump the retirement age from 65 to 67, for example, and the U.S. Social Security system is gradually raising the retirement age to 67.
That sense of perspective was missing from many of the French protests, where some slogans bordered on the hysterical. One sign in Paris showed a raised middle finger with the message: "Greetings from people who will die on the job."Amid the Paris mayhem, European Union finance ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to create new financial institutions in hopes of preventing a repeat of the government debt crisis that nearly left Greece bankrupt and brought the European banking system to its knees. Market jitters remain -- though the most apocalyptic scenarios discussed a few months ago, such as the collapse of the euro currency, have been put on the back burner.In London, Underground workers unhappy about job cuts closed much of the city's subway system -- the first in a series of 24-hour strikes planned for the fall. The thousands of London maintenance workers, drivers and station staff who walked out say the cuts will hurt service and safety.With the underground train service shut, buses had to take on extra loads, while vehicular traffic was heavy and city sidewalks were teeming with walkers and bikers."The bus system has been a mess today, but I got here," said Anita Prazmowska of South London.
In France, some post offices shut down, schools were hamstrung and public hospitals were hit with a nearly 18 percent staff cut for the day. The strike also blocked the Atlantic coast port at Saint-Nazaire, including vessels that feed into the nearby Total refinery.Civil aviation authorities asked airlines to cancel a quarter of their flights at Paris' airports. Only two out of every five of France's famed high-speed trains operated during the strike, which ran Monday evening through Tuesday night.Some Paris commuters had to resort to the city's rental bicycle system, Velib, and not all were happy about it. One commuter, Antonia Gilles, tried it for the first time: "It was a success but it was dangerous."Similar protests are set for elsewhere in Europe in coming weeks.A general strike was planned in Spain for Sept. 29 over labor market reforms, and in the Czech Republic, a massive protest against proposed austerity measures, including 10 percent salary cuts for state employees, was set for Sept. 21.In Greece, all public transport workers in the Athens area are to stop work Wednesday for five hours to protest planned reforms to the indebted railway company. Rail and suburban rail workers are to repeat the work stoppage Thursday.The French strikes come at a time when conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings hover in the mid-30 percent range.On top of that, an unfolding tax and party financing scandal centered on the fortune of the L'Oreal cosmetics heiress has left many wondering if the government cares more about the interests of the rich and powerful than ordinary workers."If we need money ... we know where to find it," said Guy Gamet, a 55-year-old representative of the Workers Force union as he marched in Lyon, in the southeast. "When it was necessary to bail out the banks not so long ago, we knew where to find the money."Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Gillian Smith in London, Jean-Marie Godard in Paris and Pan Pylas in Brussels contributed to this report.
Embankment in London, Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2010. Millions of Londoners are struggling to get to work by road, rail boat and bicycle as a strike by London Underground workers shuts down much of the city's subway system.
French strikers disrupted trains and planes, hospitals and mail delivery Tuesday amid massive street protests over plans to raise the retirement age. Across the English Channel, London subway workers unhappy with staff cuts walked off the job.
The protests look like the prelude to a season of strikes in Europe, from Spain to the Czech Republic, as heavily indebted governments cut costs and chip away at some cherished but costly benefits that underpin the European good life -- a scaling-back process that has gained urgency with Greece's euro110 billion ($140 billion) bailout.In France, where people poured into the streets in 220 cities, setting off flares and beating drums, a banner in the southern port city of Marseille called for Europe-wide solidarity: "Let's Refuse Austerity Plans!"
The Interior Ministry said more than 1.1 million people demonstrated throughout France, while the CFDT union put the number at 2.5 million.Some commuters were annoyed by the disruptions -- even in strike-inured France."I'm just getting tired of this because this is not the first time," said Henda Fersi, a passenger at the Part-Dieu train station in Lyon in southeast France. "I understand the strikers' point of view but, still, they put us in a difficult situation and we're penalized."French protesters are angry about the government's plan to do away with the near-sacred promise of retirement at 60, forcing people to work until 62 because they are living longer. The goal is to bring the money-draining pension system back into the black by 2018.As debate on the subject opened in parliament, Labor Minister Eric Woerth said the plan was one "of courage and reason" and that it is the "duty of the state" to save the pension system. He later told TF1 television that the president would announce minor changes to the reform Wednesday, though its fundamentals would remain the same.Prime Minister Francois Fillon reminded the French that it could be worse: In nearly all European countries, the current debate is over raising the retirement age to 67 or 68, he said. Germany has decided to bump the retirement age from 65 to 67, for example, and the U.S. Social Security system is gradually raising the retirement age to 67.
That sense of perspective was missing from many of the French protests, where some slogans bordered on the hysterical. One sign in Paris showed a raised middle finger with the message: "Greetings from people who will die on the job."Amid the Paris mayhem, European Union finance ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to create new financial institutions in hopes of preventing a repeat of the government debt crisis that nearly left Greece bankrupt and brought the European banking system to its knees. Market jitters remain -- though the most apocalyptic scenarios discussed a few months ago, such as the collapse of the euro currency, have been put on the back burner.In London, Underground workers unhappy about job cuts closed much of the city's subway system -- the first in a series of 24-hour strikes planned for the fall. The thousands of London maintenance workers, drivers and station staff who walked out say the cuts will hurt service and safety.With the underground train service shut, buses had to take on extra loads, while vehicular traffic was heavy and city sidewalks were teeming with walkers and bikers."The bus system has been a mess today, but I got here," said Anita Prazmowska of South London.
In France, some post offices shut down, schools were hamstrung and public hospitals were hit with a nearly 18 percent staff cut for the day. The strike also blocked the Atlantic coast port at Saint-Nazaire, including vessels that feed into the nearby Total refinery.Civil aviation authorities asked airlines to cancel a quarter of their flights at Paris' airports. Only two out of every five of France's famed high-speed trains operated during the strike, which ran Monday evening through Tuesday night.Some Paris commuters had to resort to the city's rental bicycle system, Velib, and not all were happy about it. One commuter, Antonia Gilles, tried it for the first time: "It was a success but it was dangerous."Similar protests are set for elsewhere in Europe in coming weeks.A general strike was planned in Spain for Sept. 29 over labor market reforms, and in the Czech Republic, a massive protest against proposed austerity measures, including 10 percent salary cuts for state employees, was set for Sept. 21.In Greece, all public transport workers in the Athens area are to stop work Wednesday for five hours to protest planned reforms to the indebted railway company. Rail and suburban rail workers are to repeat the work stoppage Thursday.The French strikes come at a time when conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings hover in the mid-30 percent range.On top of that, an unfolding tax and party financing scandal centered on the fortune of the L'Oreal cosmetics heiress has left many wondering if the government cares more about the interests of the rich and powerful than ordinary workers."If we need money ... we know where to find it," said Guy Gamet, a 55-year-old representative of the Workers Force union as he marched in Lyon, in the southeast. "When it was necessary to bail out the banks not so long ago, we knew where to find the money."Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Gillian Smith in London, Jean-Marie Godard in Paris and Pan Pylas in Brussels contributed to this report.
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