Judge Jay Bybee will be
at 9th Circuit Court in Pasadena, Wed. April 13th. That evening John Yoo will
be in Beverly Hills.
This Just In:
On 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 13, "The Torture Judge", Jay Bybee, will
appear at the 9th Circuit Court in Pasadena, where he will be reminded by concerned citizens that the reason Bradley Manning's torture is
"legal" today is because of his authorization of the "Torture
Memos", as stated by Coleen Rowley, FBI Whistleblower (http://www.blip.tv/file/4987462
). Currently Spain is preparing an investigation of the U.S. Torture
Progam and "The Bush 6", which includes Bybee and John Yoo (see
below). Please join Code Pink LA - PDA Calif. and World Can't Wait in standing vigil and also in
speaking to the judges, includng Bybee, to request that Bybee step down.
9th Circuit Court of Appeals
125 S. Grand Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105
Logistics: Plenty of Free Parking! Wear Pink or Orange, Bring Signs or Use
Ours. If you're going into the court, please call or email me for instructions
- as we have received personal assurance from Judge Kozinski not to be harassed
for protesting as long as we don't interrupt the session.
CONTACT:
Sharon Tipton, PDA, OCPeace.org,
sharonktipton@gmail.com
949.257.8501
Don't miss important events: Hear from Anti-War and Anti-torture activitists. Next Day,
Protest John Yoo, War Criminal.
1. Tuesday, April 12th Ray McGovern, Susan Rosenberg, and Michael Needham will speak about the
effects of torture and why the American government has targeted Wikileaks, Julian Assange, and Bradley Manning. 7-9 p.m at 2210 Lincoln Blvd (Venice Center for Peace with
Justice and Arts in Venice) These speakers will also be in Santa Barbara, Camarillo, and San Diego. There is a nominal
charge, more information on tickets, speakers and logistics here.
Ray McGovern is a former CIA analyst (30 years, worked under 7 presidents) who has
been visibly outspoken against the wars, torture, war crimes and attacks on
whistleblowers.Susan Rosenberg was political activist and sentenced to 58 years
in prison, and Michael Needham is father of a veteran who was held in solitary
confinement, deprived of food and later died of medical complications.
2. Tuesday, April 12th, 6:15 p.m. at Cal State Univ
Los Angeles, USU Bldg, Theatre
1st Floor, 5151 University Drive, Los Angeles 90032. 8 Veterans and Military Families Speak
Out.: A Decade of War,
Effects on Soldiers and Loved Ones. Sponsored by Students for Social Justice @
CSULA, Co-sponsored by Earth L.A. Contact: AnitraWetzel@gmail.com
Speakers: Pat Alviso & Jeff Merrick, (son serving
in Afghanistan) Dede Miller, Gold Star Familiy
Member (nephew killed in Iraq), and war veterans Alejandra and Jeremiah Rishton, Michale
Prysner, Joshua McIllvan, and Cameron White. Also, a portion of film CrossWise, originally titled Arlington West,
will be shown.
3. Wed. April 13th 6:45 p.m. Protest John Yoo, (War Criminal) in Beverly
Hills.
John Yoo will be at Caffe Roma in Beverly Hills on Wednesday evening for an event entitled:
"The Terrorism Debate: John Yoo, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney
General in the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of
Justice & Professor of Law at Berkeley (GNLA)"
When: April 13
at 7:00 p.m.
Where:on the Sidewak in front of Caffe Roma - 350
N. Canon Drive,
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Under the Bush administration, Yoo violated
international law by creating a legal framework that materially contributed to
the torture of suspected terrorists at US-run facilities at Guantánamo and other
overseas locations. He also drafted legal memos saying President Bush
could waive the Geneva Conventions regarding the invasion
of Afghanistan by labeling it a failed state and that prisoners seized
during that operation would not be covered by the Geneva Convention protections. In a debate, Yoo said
that if the President deemed it necessary, "crushing the testicles of the
person’s child" being interrogated would be legal.
Spain is preparing a
war crimes case against the "Bush 6" , which includes John Yoo. Can we allow this suspected war criminal to
gloat over his "success" with admirers in Beverly Hills when thousands of
innocent civilians, including children, have suffered unspeakable horrors
because of his infamous 'torture memos'?
Join with CODEPINK for a nonviolent sidewalk protest of this member of the "Bush 6"! reminding all
and especially Yoo, that we will not stand for torture and war crimes to be
committed in our names.
INFO ON THIS PROGRAM: http://www.gen-next.org/programs/upcoming-programs/the-terrorism-debate-john-yoo-former-deputy-assistant-attorney-g2
Location:
Caffe
Roma
350 N. Canon Drive in
Beverly Hills, 90210
Los Angeles, CA
90291
Contact:
Kristen
kristen@codepink.org
Download posters/flyers on John Yoo at warcriminalswatch here
Protest War Criminals Rumsfeld and Cheney
Monday, December 6 · 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Nixon Library
18001 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Yorba Linda, CA
Orange County Peace Coalition
Donald Rumsfeld is wanted for suspected war crimes by the
International Criminal Court in the Hague - yet is being honored by the Nixon
Library! And to add to this outrage, Cheney is attending. How can men wanted
for mass murder be allowed any honor in our own back yard?
http://warcriminalswatch.org/index.php/news/40-recent-news/384-1-19-10-icc-complaint-filed-against-bush-cheney-rumsfeld-tenet-rice-a-gonzales
Please join OC Peace Coalition and Code Pink LA in standing against this
disrespect for the law and humanity! Please join us in a peaceful, non-violent
protest! Bring your signs and noise makers, and let's show them what democracy
looks like!
For info, please contact Info@OcPeace.org, or call 949. 262. 0407.
Event details:
http://events.nixonfoundation.org/2010/11/03/the-victory-of-freedom-award-honoring-donald-rumsfeld/
JOIN FELLOW ACTIVISTS IN ORANGE COUNTY:
Protest Confessed War Criminal George W. Bush
Monday, November 29 · 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA
1 Saddleback Pkwy (@ Portola)
Join the protest against George W. Bush who is being hosted by
Pastor Rich Warren and Saddleback Church.
In his new book, Decision Points, Bush details how he authorized the
waterboarding of certain terror suspects, even though the practice is
considered to be a form of torture and is illegal by International and Federal
law. Amnesty International recently said Bush must be prosecuted in the wake of
his admission.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-u...pdates/us-must-begin-criminal-investigation-torture-following-bush-admission-2010-11-10
Why is a church hosting an immoral criminal? Join the peaceful nonviolent
protest!
Organized by OC Peace Coalition. Endorsed by NLG-LA, Code Pink- OC & LA,
Blaise Bonpane/Office of the Americas, World Can’t Wait - LA
Meet on Portola. Parking is available across the street by LA Fitness. Best way
to arrive from LA, take 241 Toll Road, get off at Portola.
For more info or to endorse, please contact Sharon (949) 257 8501, sharonktipton@gmail.com
More on event: http://saddlebackcivilforum.com/leadership/
Download CodePink's "Bush Bookmark" - insert some
truth in the pages of "Decision Points"
Wear Orange. Download Bush War Criminal Posters here
From Los Angeles Chapter, The World Can't Wait
Save our kids from the Military Industrial Complex
NO!!! You Can't Have Our Kids...
Join us weekly M-W-F 2:30pm-4:30pm
SHUT DOWN THE DOWNEY MILITARY CAREER CENTER
MAP
OF DOWNEY RECRUITING CENTER directly across the street from Downey High School
The Michael Slate Show
May 14 2010
Topics: Rendition, Obama, Marriage Equality
Steven Watt and Jennifer Turner of the ACLU, on the request by a Spanish
prosecutor for authorization to arrest 13 CIA agents for "extraordinary
rendition." Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and a signer of "Crimes
Are Crimes, No Matter Who Does Them," a statement initiated by The World
Can't Wait. Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign supporting same sex marriage on
their "Testimony: Equality on Trial," project.
Click here to listen to the interviews
We Are Not Your Soldiers hits the ground running in San Leandro and Los Angeles...
San Leandro:
Robin Long, another Iraq veteran against the war who recently spent a year in
prison for refusing to fight in Iraq joined in, saying a few things about his
experience - going to Canada, getting deported, getting court martialed. It
made a big impression the students and the teachers. When they were
brainstorming about things that the students could do, some people raised
questions about whether there would be repercussions- would they get in
trouble? Other people pointed out that Robin Long had been in prison for a year
and this put the potential repercussions the students might face into
perspective.
read more...
Los Angeles:
As they watched the video, Matthis continued to talk to the students, asking
questions like, "does this guy look like a terrorist?" The students
saw a cameraman walking down the street, so they answered, "no." Then
the video shows this man getting shot from a helicopter. The students said
things like, "Oh my god, why did they do that!?" When the video
showed an injured man struggling to crawl away, the soldiers say things like,
"c'mon, pick just pick up a weapon," so that they could have
clearance to kill him. Matthis asked if it sounded like the soldiers
wanted to shoot the guy on the ground. Are these soldiers protecting freedom?
Is this soldier a hero? The answer from the students was a resounding NO!
read more...
Friday, the tour will be in Santa Barbara. You
can tune into KPFK online and listen live at 10am Pacific to Matthis Chiroux,
one of the We Are Not Your Soldiers
speakers (and an Iraq War resister), interviewed on the Michael Slate show.
Click here to listen to the interview
April 19th - President Obomba in Los Angeles
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Take Action to
Protest these Crimes!
World Can't Wait activists are:
> projecting the Collateral Murder video on
military recruiting centers, and at crowded outdoor gatherings
> showing the footage in classes,
including on the We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour
> making the "Collateral
Murder" avatar their Facebook profile pic in
protest
|
On Monday, April 19th, 3:30 - 6 PM President Obomba will be in Los Angeles to stump
for Senator Barbara Boxer. Get together with friends and join the protest and picket beginning at
3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the California Science Center. Gather corner of
Figuera and W. 39th Street, in Los Angeles (near USC campus). Map Bus & Metro
Read below some of the measures being taken by Obama Adminstration which under Bush would
widely be considered by liberals and progressives as outrages and were
roundly, and correctly, protested. But these acts which may have been construed
(wishfully or not) as anomalies under the Bush regime, have now been consecrated into "standard operating procedure" by
Obama, who claims, as did Bush, executive privilege and state secrecy in defending the crime of aggressive war.
Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration has refused to prosecute any members
of the Bush regime who are responsible for war crimes, including some who admitted to waterboarding and other
forms of torture, thereby making their actions acceptable for him or any future president, Democrat or Republican.
* * *
In the past few weeks, it has become common knowledge that Barack Obama has openly
ordered the assassination of an American citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, because he is suspected of
participating in plots by Al Qaeda. Al-Awlaki denies these charges. No matter. Without trial or other judicial proceeding,
the administration has simply put him on the to-be-killed list.
During this same period, a video leaked by whistleblowers in the military showing U.S. troops firing on an unarmed party of Iraqis in 2007,
including two journalists, and then firing on those who attempted to rescue them - including two children - became public. As ugly as this video of the
killing of 12 Iraqis was, the chatter recorded from the helicopter cockpit was even more chilling and monstrous. Yet the Pentagon
said that there would be no charges against these soldiers; and the media focused on absolving them of blame - "they were under stress," the
story went, "and after all our brave men and women must be supported." Meanwhile, those who leaked and publicized the video came
under government surveillance and are targeted as "national security" threats.
Also during this period, the Pentagon acknowledged, after denials, a massacre near the city of Gardez, Afghanistan, on February 12, 2010, in which 5 people were killed, including two
pregnant women, leaving 16 children motherless. The U.S. military first said the two men killed were insurgents, and the women, victims of
a family "honor killing." The Afghan government has accepted the eyewitness reports that U.S. Special Forces killed the men, (a police officer and lawyer) and the women, and then dug their own bullets
out of the women's bodies to destroy evidence. Top U.S. military officials have now admitted that U.S. soldiers killed the family in their house.
Just weeks earlier, a story broken in Harper's by Scott Horton carried news that three supposed suicides of detainees in Guantánamo in 2006 were not actual suicides, but homicides carried out by
American personnel. This passed almost without comment.
In some respects, this is worse than Bush. First, because Obama has claimed the right to assassinate American citizens
whom he suspects of "terrorism," merely on the grounds of his own suspicion or that of the CIA, something Bush never claimed
publicly. Second, Obama says that the government can detain you indefinitely, even if you have been exonerated in a trial, and he has
publicly floated the idea of "preventive detention." Third, the Obama administration, in expanding the use of unmanned drone attacks, argues that the U.S. has the authority
under international law to use such lethal force and extrajudicial killing in sovereign countries with which it is not at war.
We must end the complicity of silence and say loud and clear:
The things that were crimes under Bush are crimes under Obama.
Outrages under Bush are outrages under Obama.
All this MUST STOP.
And all this MUST BE RESISTED by anyone who claims a shred of conscience or
integrity.
* * *
Click here to add your name to the statement Crimes are Crimes No Matter Who Does Them. Be sure to
donate towards this effort, so World Can't Wait can publish it and publicly declare
our opposition to the crimes still being carried out in our names. We are interested in where you think statement should go to
find an audience of people who will be challenged to speak out by reading it; write us or Debra Sweet, National Director, World Can't Wait.
Los Angeles Chapter, The World Can't Wait
LA Anti-War Protest on 7th Anniversary of Invasion of Iraq
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Report from the LA chapter
We had small but visually powerful contingent. Yahoo news reported couple of
hundred, but to me it seemed like 3500 - 5000. WNYS contingent; two banner
holders; two orange jumpsuits, 1 Stop torture banner and 2 folks agitating and
passing out double sided orange flyers (Why we March with organizing meeting
info and WANYS flyer). Flyers taken up easily.
 
Click here to Read other reports from around the country
Click here to
read more
Join us this Saturday, in the streets
World Can't Wait is one of many organizations uniting for the March 20
March on Washington, with coinciding marches in L.A. and San Francisco. The main
united demand is US OUT OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN NOW! World Can't Wait is also
raising: STOP THE WARS & TORTURE FOR EMPIRE! In Los Angeles, we're marching
in a We Are Not Your Soldiers!
Contingent
Find the national March 20 information here.
On March 20, World Can't Wait will be in the March in D.C., and the previous
day WCW will be out in the streets in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting
another of Torture Professor John Yoo's public
speeches and demanding Yoo be fired, disbarred, and
prosecuted.
Why are we marching? And WHY SHOULD YOU COME MARCH WITH US TOO?
This is the SEVENTH anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Seven years of
what we know the U.S. has done to the people of the Middle East. In our names. Seven years of the wars of
occupation, the torture . . . in our names. And everything you hated under Bush
and Cheney, is all just as intolerable and immoral now, with President Obama in
command of it all.
Click here to
read more
Bush Deserves Prison, Not a “Pro-Life”
Award
07 February 2010
We received this from War Criminals Watch
Honoring George Bush with a “Pro Life Award” is something like honoring an
iceberg for sinking the Titanic--although the cost in human life totals hundreds
of thousands, not hundreds. This is to say nothing of the millions of lives
disrupted, families broken, and horrendous injuries, both physical and
mental.
WAR IS NOT PRO LIFE! BUSH DESERVES PRISON, NOT A PRO LIFE AWARD for
Illegal Wars causing the death of over a million people, including thousands
of US deaths, sanctioning Torture, violating our Constitution, and smashing any
hopes for world peace into the foreseeable future.
Bush received this award from the Catholic group Legatus at its annual
Summit, Feb. 4-6, in Dana Point, Calif. In one of his of his last acts as
president, Bush declared Jan. 18, 2009, as “National Sanctity of Human Life
Day.” Incongruously for one who declared not one but two illegal and immoral
wars, he stated that “the most basic duty of government is to protect the life
of the innocent.”
Click here to
read more
Thursday, February 4th
We invite So California people of conscience to join in these planned actions of resistance. Pick the
one closest to you. Meet other activists that are taking a stand. Be Visible,
wear ORANGE,bring your own placards and declare your outrage at the crimes being done in your
name. Or download organizing materials/posters at worldcantwait.net
- Take a Stand Against Torture by protesting and demanding
impeachment of Judge Jay Bybee, war criminal. Now a federal judge, Jay Bybee was Assistant Attorney General
under George W. Bush and signed the Aug. 2002 Torture
Memo written by his subordinate John Yoo. Author Michael Haas, author of George W. Bush, War Criminal? will stand with activists.
9:00 a.m. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 125 S. Grand Ave. Pasadena, CA 91105 For info,
e-mail Bush2Hague@yahoo.com or text/call Sharon at 949.257.8501
- Protest George W. Bush, War Criminal and Anti-Woman's Reproductive Rights George W. Bush will be
honored by Legatus, a Catholic
membership group of Corporate CEOs, at their 3 day Executive Summit at the
St. Regis Resort in Dana Point. Legatus will not disclose date and time of
presentation, but activists will make their statement against George W.
Bush, War Criminal
12 Noon, Press Conference
5 - 8 p.m. Protest
St. Regis Resort, 1 Monarch Beach, Dana Point, CA 92629 (PCH, North on Niguel
Road. Park at Dana Point Library on Niguel Rd. (walk north approximately 1500
feet). For info e-mail Bush2Hague@yahoo.com or call/text Sharon at 949.257.8501
- A Tribute to Howard Zinn, Howard Zinn died of a heart attack on Wed. Jan 27th
in Santa Monica. He was scheduled to speak at the Santa Monica Museum of Art on Thursday about his new documentary,
The People Speak. The scheduled event will now
become a tribute to Howard Zinn and his remarkable work as a social activist. Howard Zinn was an Advisory Board
Member of World Can't Wait and a bold example of a courageous resister.
Let's continue his spirit of resistance. (information received by e-mail
from mail@arlingtonwestfilm.com )
8 p.m. Santa Monica Museum of Art Bergemont Station GI, 2525 Michigan Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90404
News from the Los Angeles Chapter
On Tuesday, December 1st, President Obama will travel to the U.S. Military Academy to announce plans
to expand the war against and occupation of Afghanistan through a 34,000 troop surge. World Can't Wait
calls on people to unite against any troop escalation, to demand all troops
home now, and to organize events protesting this escalation. The only
resolution of this conflict that is in the interests of the people of
Afghanistan and the world, including the people of the U.S., is for the U.S. to
get out of Afghanistan, and to end the occupation of Iraq
The only resolution in the interests of the people of Afghanistan
and the world, including the people of the U.S., is to get out of
Afghanistan and end the occupation of Iraq.
In Los Angeles, on Wednesday December 2nd two
opportunities to take message of US Out of Afghanistan and Iraq.
In Westwood: 5:00 p.m. join with other activists (including Answer LA and Code
Pink) and take a bold and visible stand at the Westwood Federal Building, 11000
Wilshire Blvd @Veteran Blvd.
In MacArthur Park 6:00 p.m. corner of Wilshire and
Alvarado Blvd (MacArthur Park) escort World Peace March team for
one mile along Wilshire Blvd to Immanuel Presbyterian
Church at Berendo Street. (Metro Red Line exit at MacArthur Park)
7:00 p.m. World March Peace Concert -
Immanuel Presbyterian Church at Wilshire & Berendo Streets. (Metro Red Line exit at Vermont )
Wear Orange, download flyer here - Take this out and build this movement. It is up to
us!
Protest Condoleeza Rice - Pasadena Civic
Auditorium- Nov 18th; 8pm
Condoleeza Rice is featured as a Distinguished Speaker, this Wednesday at the Pasadena Civic
Auditorium, 300 East Green Street. As part of her bio, the Distinguished
speaker Series calls her "A woman of uncanny intelligence, versatility
and presence, she crafted and articulated the U.S. position on the world
stage." That U.S. position is one of empire and World
Can't Wait calls her a War Criminal. Give her a war criminal welcome, take your signs, wear orange jumpsuits and
demand that she and others in the Bush Regime be brought to account for War Crimes and Crimes against
Humanity.
Los Angeles Premiere
"Disturbing the Universe" A documentary on William Kunstler; Q&A
with filmmakers Sarah & Emily Kunstler to
follow
Friday, Nov. 20th, NuArt Theater 7:30 p.m.
11272 Santa Monica Blvd, LA 90025
$20 Benefit for Revolution Books/Libros Revolucion
Reserve tickets at 213.488.1303 or librosrevo@yahoo.com
William Kunstler was one of the most famous and controversial lawyers of the 20th
Century. IN the 1960s and 70s, Kunsteler fought for civil rights wit Martin Luther
King Jr. and represented the famed "Chicago 8' activists who
protested the Vietnam War. When the intmates took over Attica prison, or when the American Indian Movement
stood up to the federal government at Wounded Knee,
they asked Kunstler to be their lawyer. To his daughters, filmakers Emily
Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, it seemed that he
was at the center of everything important that had ever happened. But when they
were growing up, Kunstler represented some of the most reviled members of
society, including rapists, assassins and accussed terrorists. This poewrful
film not only recounts the historic causes that Kunstler fought for, it also
confronts a man that even his own daughters did not always understand, a man
who believed that, however unpopular, justice should serve all.
From Official Web Site
PROTEST IN THE STREETS THE DAY AN ANNOUNCEMENT IS MADE
TO SEND MORE TROOPS INTO AFGHANISTAN
President Obama will soon announce the plan to expand the occupation of Afghanistan. The
immediate response - that same evening, across this country - must be STREET PROTESTS & DIE-INS that boldly oppose this
outrage. More protest and resistance must follow, yet that first night is
crucial, since that is when the media -- and the rest of the world -- will be
looking for a response from the people.
According to some media analysts, Obama may make his announcement sometime
between Nov. 7 and Nov. 11, although it could happen earlier, or perhaps
later. World Can't Wait is calling on all organizations and people of
conscience to get ready for this. Read Elaine Brower's passionate call
for our strength in unity and our determination in our demand at: worldcantwait.org
Whether Obama chooses a huge troop increase, or the covert operations &
unmanned drone option to try to "win" in Afghanistan, we should be in
the streets opposing ANY escalation. The only acceptable announcement to come
from the administration would be that they're withdrawing combat troops,
support troops, CIA drones, covert operations, and all private contractors NOW.
The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan eight years ago
was an illegitimate war of aggression predicated on lies and waged as a war of
terror by the Bush Regime. This invasion was and is a war
crime. Just because the war now belongs to Obama doesn't make it any
less a war crime. The war upon Afghanistan, like the war upon Iraq, is a war/occupation for U.S. Empire and nothing
else.
People who argue that the Taliban will take control
if the U.S. leaves and Afghan women will be in a far worse position should know
that, since the invasion, the situation has deteriorated and gets uglier
everyday for women there. The women and the people of Afghanistan have the
right to self-determination. They should not be forced into choosing to live
with a suffocating U.S. occupation or an Islamic fundamentalist theocracy. This
is what U.S. military presence and involvement does - it forces the people
there to make this horrible choice.
People of conscience in this country must take a bold and visible stand and
say, "Stop the Escalation, Out of Afghanistan Now!" "The World Can't Wait/Stop the Crimes of Your
Government!" Join us in resisting these U.S. wars/occupations and ongoing
torture for Empire. An escalation of the war in Afghanistan, no matter how many U.S. troops are sent or frequency with
which drones are used to bomb the people, is not the change that many in this
country sought when they voted for Obama. This escalation perpetuates and intensifies
the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan that has been a horrifying, living nightmare
for the Afghan people.
STOP THE ESCALATION - OUT OF AFGHANISTAN NOW!
STOP THE CRIMES OF YOUR GOVERNMENT - THE WORLD CAN'T WAIT!
Click here to download the leaflet to distribute on this day.
Beneath The Surface with Michael Slate KPFK 90.7FM
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Larry Everest on eight years of unjust war and occupation in
Afghanistan - a war that has fueled the Taliban, and killed thousands upon
thousands of Afghans. President Obama and his generals are mired in debate over
the hell of leaving and the hell of staying. Meanwhile, some in the progressive
movements in the US talk about a "reasonable rate of withdrawal."
We'll be talking about all this with Larry Everest, a reporter for Revolution
newspaper and author of Oil, Power and Empire, Iraq and the US Global Agenda.
Click Here to listen.
What kind of surge do you want?
Bombs and troops?
Or righteous resistance?
On Saturday night, WCW National Coordinator Debra Sweet was out on the Ellipse with the Eyes Wide Open exhibit, originally put together by the American Friends Service Committee to commemorate, with
empty boots, the US military lives lost in Iraq,
and Iraqi civilians killed there as well. For the first time, the display
was just the 870 military killed since 2001 in Afghanistan. To the side was a spiral of shoes of all kinds and
sizes, down to infant socks, commemorating the Afghani civilians, number
unknown, who have died in the occupation. Thousands of people came by,
and hundreds walked among the boots, including active duty military and
soldiers and Marine who had been in Afghanistan. They indicated a lot of questioning in the military right now.
Today, the first Monday in October, the Supreme Court's new session begins,
and World Can't Wait will be there protesting torture. Then, the protest
moves to McPherson Square, and a march to the White House. President Obama is holding an
outdoor press conference around 11:00 am, I hear, so perhaps we'll get there in
time to bring our loud anti-war message and make the news. World Can't
Wait will be displaying the Museum of U.S. Torture.
Many of you have seen parts of Rethink Afghanistan,
the new film by Robert Greenwald. Listen to the
voices of people trying to survive in Afghanistan after 8 years of bombing,
occupation, and relentless war, and tell me to "give Obama's surge a
chance!"
One father points to his 3 year old daughter standing in the mud with no shoes on and says:
"For God's sake, ...I want to sell this child, but nobody wants her. What can I do? I have nothing. I am
poor. I don't have any blankets, I don't have any shawls, I don't have any
clothes. There is no food that I can put in her mouth."
Watch this, and share it with others. YOU
can be part of the 48-hour surge of resistance, helping to provide World Can't
Wait with funds to run our National Office for the rest of the year, joining in
from anywhere. One of the protesters expecting to be arrested tomorrow in
non-violent civil resistance against the 8 years
of occupation of Afghanistan, messaged me that she wants to donate, but is not
sure she'll be out of jail by Tuesday. She, and you, can go right now to
give the virtual fund raiser an early bump!
THANKS FROM:
L.A. Chapter The World Can't Wait
P.S. Within the next weeks, President Obama will announce up to 20,000 more troops will deploy to
Afghanistan in addition to replacing up to 14,000 support troops with
"trigger-pullers." This will only mean increasing the death and
destruction brought to the Afghan people. And U.S. involvement in Iraq is not
only not over, but is becoming a permanent occupation.
Mark the anniversary of the Afghanistan War by pledging resistance to military
recruiters in your schools and communities. Resources at www.wearenotyoursoldiers.org
Bring Orange Resistance to Local Area Protests Demanding US
Out of Afghanistan:
Wednesday, Oct 7th 6:00
p.m. Westwood Federal Bldg, 11000 Wilshire Blvd @ Veteran Blvd. called by
ANSWER LA
Friday, October 9th 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Wilshire Blvd @ Vermont Ave. called by Interfaith Communities United
for Justice and Peace.
Beneath The Surface with Michael Slate KPFK 90.7FM
August 18th 2009
Guests: Dr. Leroy Carhart, Debra Sweet
Topic: Defending abortion rights
Dr. Leroy Carhart is one of the only remaining providers of late
abortions in the U.S. Operation Rescue is going to Dr. Carhart's clinic the
weekend of August 28 and 29. Debra Sweet of World Can't Wait talks of protests
to defend this brave doctor.
Click Here to listen.
******************************
Warped Tour Booth
Sun., Aug. 23rd - Carson
(Home Depot Center)
The final stop of the national, annual
Warped Tour is coming to L.A. This is a special opportunity to reach
thousands of youth with our "We Are Not Your Soldiers" campaign and
to get the word out about the anti-war protests in October.
Whether we can build a movement of youth who are mobilized
in uncompromising resistance to the military on the basis of the horrors that
it is perpetrating against the people of the world has everything to do with
re-forging an anti-war movement that is truly capable of stopping the crimes of
their government. A key part of this will be having a bold presence at Warped
Tour this summer.
Warped Tour is a punk rock summer concert that attracts
thousands of alternative youth and takes place around the country.
World Can't Wait has been to Warped Tour before and had a
overwhelmingly positive response from youth who otherwise would not have been
reached with the World Can't Wait message.
We must win a significant amount of youth away from
joining the military and becoming part of a larger culture of resistance to
drive military recruiters away from their cities and schools.
Contact us right away at worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com if
you want to participate with We Are Not Your Soldiers at the Warped Tour and/or
want to donate to this critical outreach to a key element of the movement to
stop the illegitimate wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Donations urgently needed for t-shirts,
bandanas, buttons, and tons of flyers!
Tortured past
Protesters hound federal judge who crafted torture memos for Bush
Pasadena Weekly
By André
Coleman , Megan
Sebestyen 07/09/2009
US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jay Bybee had just finished hearing
oral arguments in the case of Sprint v. Palos Verdes on Monday when Susan Harmon
stood up and asked a question.
“We’re here to ask you when you’re going to resign,” said Harmon, a Bay Area
member of the group Progressive Democrats of America, as she stared defiantly at
the judge. Bybee did not respond while guards dressed in blue blazers removed
Harmon and two other women from the courthouse.
“We will follow you,” Harmon vowed before being escorted out of the stately
West Pasadena courtroom and rejoining a dozen protesters standing in front of
the building.
Joining Harmon Monday were members of her organization and the anti-war
groups Code Pink and the World Can’t Wait, all of which have been calling for
Bybee’s resignation or impeachment since April, when President Obama
declassified documents showing Bybee was an architect of former President George
W. Bush’s torture policies.
Click here to
read more
Standing Against the Murder
of Abortion Provider Dr. George Tiller!
Speak-Out in Los Angeles
On Saturday, June 6th, 80 people gathered at a busy corner on the outdoor
Santa Monica Promenade to “Speak Your Rage” to honor Dr. George Tiller and to
resolve to keep abortion doctors safe. It was initiated by World Can’t Wait-LA,
Libros Revolucion bookstore and the Revolution Club-LA, and quickly gathered
endorsements from several NOW chapters, a student group, representatives from
Planned Parenthood Pasadena and the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance
Project, and UCLA Law Professor Frances Olsen, an international feminist legal
scholar.
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Rev. Ignacio Castueras, National Chaplain of Planned
Parenthood |
For almost two hours, in front of an attentive crowd, a variety of people
stepped forward to speak, from students to long-time veterans in the struggle
for a woman’s right to choose. There were 20 speakers, including Planned
Parenthood’s National Chaplain Rev. Ignacio Castuera (who travelled two hours
each way to participate) and 3 NOW chapter presidents, one of whom is also a
West Hollywood councilmember. An attorney read the powerful statement that
lawyer Gloria Allred sent from Wichita (see below).
Carol Downer who co-founded the Feminist
Women’s Health Centers is organizing women to publicly tell their stories, as
part of creating an atmosphere in society where women feel no shame for having
abortions. People brought to life how Dr. Tiller bravely and compassionately
saved the lives of women, and even young girls, who came to his clinic when
there was no else who would or could help. A number of defiant young women (as
well as men) spoke, including a high school student who came with her mom; a
student from the Feminist Alliance of Santa Monica College; a young religious
Black woman who decided at the end to speak and directed her story about having
two abortions at the anti-abortionists standing around; 2 volunteers from Libros
Revolucion who spoke to the dangerous “common ground” that Obama is calling for;
and 3 members of the Revolution Club-LA shared the mike and told about the
controversy in a class of pregnant teen-aged moms who had never seen anything
like the photo display “A Fetus is Not a Child” from Revolution
newspaper. Several anti-war groups were represented including Veterans for Peace
and the Topanga Peace Alliance.
Click here to
read more
World Can't Wait protest outside Obama fundraiser in Beverly Hills
30 people gathered at the very busy intersection in Beverly
Hills with a 20' orange banner that read "Release the Torture
Photos! Prosecute the War Criminals! worldcantwait.org".
Orange-jumpsuited "detainees" and people with white masks and orange
ponchos saying "No Torture" and "Prosecute War Criminals"
stood next to the new large WCW posters across from the Beverly Hilton
where Obama spoke at a fundraiser. Unlike the coverage of our press
conference last Thursday at West Hollywood City Hall (next to Beverly Hills),
all the local TV news, both English and Spanish-language, covered the
protest, as well as several radio stations, AP, UPI, and Getty Photos.
Click here to
read more
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Beneath the Surface with Michael Slate KPFK 90.7FM
May 26th 2009
Guest: Mark Ruffalo, actor and director, spoke at a press
conference in West Hollywood last week on torture. He talked about why people
need to demand that torture end, and that those responsible must be prosecuted.
Click Here to listen.
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LA Marathon - May 25, 2009
******************************
City of West Hollywood and World Can't Wait Hold Joint Press Conference:
"No Torture" Banner at West Hollywood City Hall
May 21—The large orange banner hung down from near the ceiling in the lobby
of West Hollywood, California, City Hall read: "No Torture." The City of West
Hollywood, a community between Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, had taken a stand.
And in that lobby, an important press conference was held: "A Call to President
Barack Obama urging him to release torture-related photos and prosecute war
criminals, ex-top officials of the Bush Administration." The press conference
was called by the City of West Hollywood and The World Can't Wait.
City Council Member and long-time defender of human rights, John J. Duran
said, "President Obama must do what is right for our country's future and shed
light on the last eight years of the Bush administration's half-truths, abuse of
power and human rights both abroad and here at home. We will never be able to
put this behind us if the truth is not fully revealed and if we don't atone for
the way our country behaved." He was joined by: Debra Sweet, national director
of The World Can't Wait, the MC for the event; Mark Rapkin, a Los Angeles
attorney who represented a prisoner unjustly locked up at Guantánamo and has
continued to speak out against the continuing torture and imprisonment at that
prison; actor John Heard; director and writer Paul Haggis, whose films include
Crash and In the Valley of Elah; and actor and director Mark
Ruffalo.
Click here to
read more
Also:
Here's a front-page article re West Hollywood
press conference that came out May 28th edition of the weekly
Beverly Press: http://www.parklabreanewsbeverlypress.com/pdf/5.28%20issue.pdf
NO TORTURE:
Paul Haggis - Guantanamo - America's Shame
More videos from the West Hollywood press conference
Michael Rapkin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBoNZenOQX8&feature=channel
Mark Ruffalo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyX3mP0dcRA&feature=related
Mark Ruffalo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGIDXRh6dHo
April 23,2009
When the LA chapter of World Can't Wait joined others at Chapman
University last Tuesday (April 21st) to protest Torture Lawyer John Yoo, hundreds of
thousands saw photos of protesters in orange jumpsuits the following day, in
the LA Times and the OC Register (see video here). Reports of our
Teach-In Against Torture on Saturday even ran in the Chinese press!
Chapman Teach-In Against Torture
Teach-In Against Torture at Chapman University
School of Law, April 18, 2009. Torture professor John Yoo is currently teaching
at Chapman
Larry Everest
Larry Everest is autor of "Oil, Power and
Empire" and writes for Revolution Newspaper.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Katherine Darmer
Catherine Darmer teaches at Chapman University School of Law
Part 1
Part 2
Michael Slate
Michael Slate is host of the Tuesday evening edition of
Beneath the Surface on KPFK 90.7, and writes for Revolution Newspaper.
Watch here
"We Won't Live in a Torture State!"
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The Church at Ocean Park,
Santa Monica
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Social Public Arts Resource Center (SPARC)
a non-profit art gallery and community
space - located in Venice, CA
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At a private home in Santa Monica
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Donate!
Donate via PayPal at worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com
Or send a check to:
World Can’t Wait
305 W. Broadway,
#185
NYC, NY
10013
Now is the time to donate – You are one of millions
of people who hate this regime and what it is doing.
Your financial support can make a huge difference
in the chances of driving this regime out.
We urgently need money to pay for more ads
to break into the media and reach the homes and
hearts of millions across the country who are looking
for a way to act, to support our volunteers working
full-time in our National Office and in DC, to supply
millions of pieces of materials and much more. We
need you to dig deep, but more than that to reach
out to many others (friends, family, colleagues)
who also dream of a very different world, and ask
them also to give as if the future depends
on it...because it does.
Donations over $100 are tax-deductible, and
those checks must be made out to the Alliance
for Global Justice and earmarked for WCW.
E-mail: worldcantwait_la@yahoo.com
Local
website: www.worldcantwait-la.com
National website: www.worldcantwait.org
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