Covid

MASKING SAVES LIVES

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Protest Against Israeli Crimes in Palestine. Saturday March 2, noon-2PM-4th & Pine, Seattle



Please join us this Saturday to call for an END to ISRAELI CRIMES against the Palestinian people.  
 
Come join us to demand Justice, Equal rights and an End to Ethnic Cleansing!
 
 
 Where: Westlake 4th&Pine
When: Saturday March 2, 12-2pm
 
  
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Amin Odeh
"Stand up for what is right,even if you are standing alone"

Update 2/27/13: Bradley to Take Stand Tomorrow to Justify WikiLeaks Releases

http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/update-22713-bradley-to-take-stand-tomorrow-to-justify-wikileaks-releases


Ft. Meade, MD–This Thursday, Feb. 28, from 9:30am in the courtroom at Ft. Meade, MD, Army Private First Class Bradley Manning is expected to publicly explain his reasons for releasing classified information through WikiLeaks.
This will be only the second time that Manning has testified in open court since his arrest in May 2010. Manning first testified in court at a per-trial hearing in December 2012. At that time, military Judge Col. Denise Lind ruled staff at the Quantico Marine Brig in Virginia subjected Manning to unlawful pretrial punishment in violation of Article 13 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).
Manning’s testimony this Thursday will speak to larger issues affecting his case as a whole, and expands upon a plea proffering responsibility for releasing information with noble motive, while contesting the most serious charges.  Spectators in the courtroom earlier this week got a brief preview of Manning’s statement, which included reference to a pivotal incident in Iraq that caused Manning to question the military’s methods there, in addition to a general statement that he’d hoped releasing information would ‘spark a domestic debate on the role of our military and foreign policy in general.’  His testimony will consist partially of reading from a written statement, in addition to taking questions from the Judge.
This momentous week in court follows the largest worldwide day of activism supporting the WikiLeaks soldier thus far.  On February 23, more than 70 cities demonstrated for Manning’s 1,000th day in prison, across the U.S. and on five continents altogether. Yesterday, Judge Lind rejected Manning’s bid to dismiss all charges due to the government’s violations of his right to a speedy trial under Rule for Court Martial (RCM) 707.
While transcripts from the proceedings are not made immediately public, the proceedings on Thursday are open for the public and journalists to attend.  Contact us for more information about attending the proceedings, or if you wish to schedule an interview with a Support Network spokesperson.
The Bradley Manning Support Network is responsible for funding 100% of PFC Manning’s legal fees and educates the public about his case. 

Russell Means, Lakota Leader, Remembered - Long Walk Song




via Brenda Norrell at Censored News
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/02/russell-means-remembered-long-walk-song.html

Sunday, February 24, 2013

With Little More Than a Note, Obama Deploys US Troops To Niger


http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/22-1


West African nation that will host fleet of US drones will also have armed US soldiers with "boots on the ground" 
- Jon Queally, staff writer 
With little more than a note to Congress, President Obama announced Friday morning that he has ordered the deployment of approximately 100 armed US soldiers to the west African country of Niger.President Obama has order US soldiers to the west African nation of Niger. (AP)According to the Associated Press, Obama's letter stated that the mission would be to conduct "intelligence sharing" with French troops stationed in the neighboring country of Mali who have joined that country's army in a fight with Toureg fighters in the north.
As AP notes: 
"The U.S. and Niger signed an agreement last month spelling out legal protections and obligations of Americans who might operate from the African nation. But U.S. officials declined at the time to discuss specific plans for a military presence in Niger."
The announcement of "boots on the ground" in Niger comes just weeks after reports surfaced that the US was in negotiations to establish an airbase in the country so that a portion of its drone fleet could operate in the region. 
Events in Mali that led to the current violence followed on the US/NATO intervention in Libya in 2011. The cumulative effect, however, has been a growing chorus of western officials who say that west Africa is now the new front on the "war on terror" and the increased military presence, from Libya, then Mali, and now Niger, suggests that the buildup in the region is just beginning. 
In the era of executive authority—almost entirely enabled by the annually renewed Authorization for Use of Military Force enacted after the events of 9/11—the question remains, at what point will Congress reassert its right to control declarations of war and at what point will the US public begin to question a "war on terror" that can deploy US soldiers in a foreign nation with the quick delivery of a simple presidential note?
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War Criminal Madeleine Albright Packs Seattle Town Hall for Book Signing

By the time I arrived about 20 minutes before the start time, Albright's groupies were already jammed in the Great Hall, with a line out the door clamoring to join them.  It is appalling that this event was sponsored by the Seattle Public Library, in addition to Elliot Bay Books.

Regarding my sign about her bloodthirsty statement on 60 Minutes (see below), I got a few comments indicating some folks were not aware of it.  They asked if they could find evidence on Google, which I assured them they could.

A few were aware and just stared at me.  A few came and thanked me for being there.

One woman expressed her dismay that the U.S. seems to be going down a path from things like Albright/Clinton's murderous Iraq sanctions to the idea that torture and droning are okay.  She is obviously correct.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

What Is Samer Issawi's Crime? Being Palestinian!

Voices for Palestine vigil to inform Seattle & its visitors about hunger-striker Samer Issawi and the struggle for Palestinian freedom.   Saturday, February 16, 2013.










Message from Samer el Issawi, Day 209 Hunger Strike -- In Gaza Blog

http://ingaza.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/message-from-samer-el-issawi-day-209-hunger-strike/


**Via Rona Merrill, Neta Golan

16.02.13 – “I turn with admiration to the masses of our heroic Palestinian people, to our Palestinian leadership, to all forces, parties and national institutions. I salute them for standing by our fight to defend our right to freedom and dignity.
I draw my strength from my people, from all the free people in the world, from friends and the families of the prisoners who continue day and night chanting for freedom and an end to the occupation.
My health has deteriorated dramatically and I’m hung between life and death. My weak body is collapsing but still able to be patient and continue the confrontation. My message is that I will continue until the end, until the last drop of water in my body, until martyrdom. Martyrdom is an honor for me in this battle. My martyrdom is my remaining bomb in the confrontation with the tyrants and the jailers, in the face of the racist policy of the occupation that humiliates our people and exercises against us all means of oppression and repression. 
I say to my people: I’m stronger than the occupation army and its racist laws. I, Samer al-Issawi, son of Jerusalem, send you my last will that, in case I fell as a martyr, you will carry my soul as a cry for all the prisoners, man and women, cry for freedom, emancipation and salvation from the nightmare of prisons and their harsh darkness.
My battle is not only for individual freedom. The battle waged by me and by my heroic colleagues, Tariq, Ayman and Ja’affar, is everyone’s battle, the battle of the Palestinian people against the occupation and its prisons. Our goal is to be free and sovereign in our liberated state and in our blessed Jerusalem.
The weak and strained beats of my heart derive their steadfastness from you, the great people. My eyes, which started to lose their sight, draws light from your solidarity and your support of me. My weak voice takes its strength from your voice that is louder than the warden’s voice and higher than the walls.
I’m one of your sons, among thousands of your sons who are prisoners, still languishing steadfasting in the prisons, waiting for an end to be brought to their plight, their pains and the suffering of their families.
The doctors told me I became exposed to stroke because of the disorder of my heartbeats, the shortage of sugar and the drop in blood pressure. My body is full of cold and I can’t sleep because of the continued pain. But despite the extreme fatigue and chronic headaches, as I move on my chair, I’m trying to summon all my resources to continue on the road till its end. There is no going back, only in my victory, because I’m the owner of Right and my detention is invalid and illegal.
Do not be afraid for my heart if it will stop, don’t be afraid for my hands if they will be paralyzed. I am still alive now and tomorrow and after death, because Jerusalem is moving in my blood, in my devotion and my faith.”

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Join other Seattle area Bradley Manning Supporters at Feb 23 event!


WHEN: 02/23/2013, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

WHERE: Pike Place Market, 85 Pike St, Seattle, Washington, 98101

LOCAL ORGANIZER INFO: Anthony Pardi akaethos@gmail.com

Join us as we gather to Stand in Solidarity and Support for Bradley Manning on his 1000th day incarcerated in Military custody without trial. Local Activists, Artists, Poets, Performers, Supporters and Friends will gather on the 23rd to RAISE AWARENESS and Peacefully Protest the unjust and inhumane imprisonment of this courageous young man. Bradley Stands for TRUTH and FACTS, for PEACE and PROGRESS, Let Us STAND with him. Please INFORM yourselves and bring along your opinions and expressions to share. We will be EDUCATING the Public of Bradley's imprisonment as well as the FACTS he is accused of disclosing. Please SHOW YOUR SUPPORT for PEACE, UNITY and JUSTICE by getting active in the fight for Bradleys FREEDOM!!!

We hope to see you there!

“If you had free reign over classified networks… and you saw incredible things, awful things… things that belonged in the public domain, and not on some server stored in a dark room in Washington DC… what would you do?”

“God knows what happens now.  Hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms… I want people to see the truth… because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.”

-Quotes from an online chat attributed to Bradley Manning

Thank you for your support!
Emma Cape
National Organizer for the Bradley Manning Support Network (www.bradleymanning.org)

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Palestine (via Angry Arab Newservice)


http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2013/02/palestine.html

Palestinian Hunger Striker Samer Issawi


For journalists covering the case of 33-year-old Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi, who is reportedly on the verge of dying from a hunger strike that began last summer following his detention without charge or trial by Israel, the IMEU offers the following quotes for publication.

To speak with these individuals or for more information, contact Chris at (202) 903-3271 orchris@imeu.net, or Michael at (828) 424-0081 or michael@imeu.net. For a Palestine-based IMEU representative, contact Vivien at +972-597-220-838 or vivien@imeu.net.
 
 

DR. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTHI, Leading figure in Palestinian civil society, longtime advocate for the non-violent Palestinian protest movement, and one of the founders of the independent political party, the Palestinian National Initiative:
 
“Samer Issawi is conducting the most peaceful form of nonviolent struggle for his freedom. He was illegally arrested by Israel and is kept under administrative detention, which allows Israeli authorities to imprison any Palestinian without charge or trial for an unlimited time. Samer is struggling like many of his colleagues against this racist practice. His life is at risk and it is the duty of those who believe in human rights to act immediately to save his life and free him from the system of racism and Apartheid.”
 
YOUSEF MUNAYYER, Executive Director of the Jerusalem Fund and the Palestine Center in Washington, DC, and regular contributor to the Daily Beast’s Open Zion blog:
 
"For months, Samer Issawi has refused food on a hunger strike and the world has ignored him. Despite his resilience, which is an inspiration to Palestinians everywhere, he is now reportedly close to death. He is demanding freedom and dignity, and is willing to pay the ultimate price to achieve them. At this moment, international players and global civil society have an opportunity to either stand in support of Samer and other Palestinians engaging in nonviolent resistance to Israel’s brutal and illegal occupation regime, or remain muted. There can be no in between. Palestinians are watching with heavy hearts and history is recording."
 
NOURA ERAKAT, Freedman Teaching Fellow at Temple Law School, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and the Legal Advocacy Coordinator for the Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Refugee and Residency Rights:
 
“Samer Issawl, a Palestinian political prisoner who has refused food, and even water at times, to protest his detention without charge or trial is imminently near death. He joins a mounting number of Palestinian political prisoners who have chosen the hunger strike as their primary protest tactic, in line with President Barack Obama's call to follow the example of Blacks who used ‘peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals of America's founding’ to achieve full equal rights in the US. Israel, however, has not responded positively to these compelling, nonviolent gestures.

“Israel holds Samer in administrative detention, or indefinite detention, on unknown charges. Administrative detention is applied almost exclusively to Palestinians, as Israeli military law does not apply to Jewish Israelis, and has been described by the UN Committee to End Racial Discrimination as tantamount to 'apartheid and segregation.' Since 1967, Israel has detained no less than 20% of the Palestinian population of the occupied territories, 200 of whom have died in captivity.

“The real crime of Samer and other Palestinian political prisoners is that they’ve had the audacity to protest the forced removal of Palestinians from their homes and lands by Israel, and their degrading treatment by an Israeli regime that treats them like criminals until proven innocent.”
 
-------------------
Christopher Hazou
Communications Manager, IMEU
(202) 903-3271
www.imeu.net

Follow us on Twitter: http://imeu.createsend1.com/t/r-l-uklidyl-nitukjku-n/
Follow us on Facebook: http://imeu.createsend1.com/t/r-l-uklidyl-nitukjku-p/
The IMEU is an independent, non-profit, that works to provide resources and accurate information about Palestine and the Palestinians to journalists.
 

Vigil for a FREE PALESTINE, Saturday Feb 16, Noon-2PM, Seattle, Westlake Park

Please join us this Saturday to call for an end to THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF PALESTINE.
 
Come join us to demand Justice, Equal rights and an End to Ethnic Cleansing!
 
 What: Vigil for a FREE PALESTINE
Where: Westlake 4th&Pine
When: Feb 16, 12-2pm
 
See you there......
 
 
####
 
Amin Odeh
"Stand up for what is right,even if you are standing alone"

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Don't Dance on Palestinian Children's Graves; Please Boycott Brand Israel -- Dance Attendees Educated in Seattle

The Northwest Regional BDS Coalition asked prospective audience members at Seattle performance by Israel-sponsored Hubbard Street Dance to boycott Brand Israel.



We educated the crowd with our signs and by passing out 150 or so leaflets explaining Israel's funding of cultural events to whitewash its image.

For more info on the Palestinian call for a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, please go to PACBI.org.




Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Protests for Hunger Strikers, Prisoners at Israeli prison

http://bikyanews.com/85110/protests-for-hunger-strikers-prisoners-at-israeli-prison/


RAMALLAH: Over 150 people, mostly Palestinian citizens of Israel and East Jerusalemites, protested outside of Ramleh Prison on Monday, witnesses told BikyaNews.com.
Demonstrators traveled from Jaffa, Haifa, Ramleh, and Lod. An additional two buses came from East Jerusalem, a demonstrator said. The nonviolent demonstration lasted roughly one hour, and no clashes with police were reported.
Protesters called for solidarity with Palestinian hunger strikers and the release of all political prisoners. Among those present was the mother of Samer Al-Issawi, a prisoner who has been on hunger strike for nearly 200 days and whose health is rapidly declining.
Over the last few years, the plight of Palestinian hunger strikers has served as a unifying cause in an otherwise fractured political landscape.
According to the latest figures from Addameer Prisoner Support Network, there are presently 4,743 Palestinians in Israeli prisons. From that total, 193 are children, and another 23 under the age of 16. 177 are administrative detainees, held on “secret evidence” without charge or trial. 12 are members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
From Monday’s demo at Ramleh Prison
As of January 30, at least four prisoners were on hunger strike. Jafar Azzedine and Tarek Qa’adan have reached the 70day mark. Samer Al-Issawi is nearing the 200th day. Akram Rikhawi, another prisoner who launched a 102-day hunger strike last year, joined on January 24 after Israeli Prison Services reneged on their agreement to release him.
“Hunger strikers all over the world gained the kind of attention that merited governmental pressure,” Aziz, a student from Haifa University, told BikyaNews.com “Yet when a Palestinian man being held in an Israeli prison without charges breaks a hunger strike record, the world fails to react.”