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 From the open publishing newswire: As the peace movement grows larger than the radical left and into the mainstream, we need to be especially tolerant. If those who are reaching out to the mainstream leave the left behind, they will lose the lifeblood of our movement. Some may think they're reaching a broader audience, but if in doing so, they leave behind our strong voices .. if our message is diluted, we will not win the peace we deserve. WE MUST STOP THE US FROM WAR IN IRAQ! At the Eugene Not in Our Name rally Saturday (10/5)...after most of the crowd had left the Federal Building plaza, there was a group who marched towards the Federal Building on 7th, and then proceeded to block traffic by standing in the street. Some people from the rally were quite agitated. "What are they doing?" someone said. "They're making us look bad!" Another person began to criticize, "They're ruining the whole rally. Now everyone's going to think WE did this!" I tried to soothe, "This is their way of expressing opposition. It's not wrong. It's just different than how you express your opposition." "But they're being so violent! They're blocking the street! The police are going to start pepper spraying!" I told her, "Blocking traffic is not violent. They have a right to express their opposition to war just like you do."
 From the open publishing newswire: The City Club of Portland will conduct a meeting on Friday October 11 at the Multnomah Athletic Club (adjacent to PGE Park in Portland) at 12 noon. Tentatively, the club's board has reccommended that the Club not support Measure 23 due to concerns about it's costs and litigation potential. I know of several individual members of the club (of which I am a member) who are for the measure. The meeting on the 11th will be an opportunity to discuss the measure as well as a vote by club members on whether or not to go along with the board.
 From the open publishing newswire: A NOT IN OUR NAME rally for Peace and Justice drew 600 people together in Corvallis this afternoon. It was the fourth such event in a cornerstone week for Oregon peace activitism. The Corvallis event followed overwhelming turnouts in Portland, Eugene and Salem yesterday and earlier in the week. Those of us in Corvallis felt we were riding the wave of a turning tide with that larger state-wide and national NION movement, as diverse segments of the community turned out to enthusiastically sign the NOT IN OUR NAME Pledge of resistance, fill out postcards to their congressional delegation, and take phone numbers to phone their Senators Monday morning. Keynote speakers Ann and Bruce Huntwork of the Mennonite Central Committee recently returned from Iran and the border of Afghanistan where they provided aid to Afghan refugees. They gave a first-hand account of what "the war on terrorism" has done to the people of Afghanistan and what the Bush Administrations plans will do to the people of Iraq. Solidarity speakers from the community spoke of the need to build trust and understanding between peoples of different ethnicity, belief systems and interests. A reading from Roger Weaver and fire-'em-up music from Samusson & Tomassi, Laurie Childers and Balafon Marimba Ensemble topped off a perfect sun-drenched afternoon as the Benton County courthouse grounds filled with a committed crowd of good folks working for peace and justice. Bush, Cheney and all probably should listen-up. The people seem to be starting to speak. [ Corvallis, OR sees 1000 rally against war (AP) ]
From the open publishing newswire: I feel strongly that we must take responsibility and stand up for what we know is wrong. I feel that we must be a voice for all those who cannot speak out, for those who are unable to. I speak for those who have died needlessly in Wars, those who are presently at War, and for those who are on their way to War. I speak for the homeless, the hungry, for those innocent victims who die at the hands of corrupt government everyday.
This is why I feel so strongly about taking the streets when protesting. A few days before the "Not in Our Name" rally I put a call out for a march in the streets and also spoke to comrades about it ahead of time. After the speeches in the plaza were completed, there was an announcement made on the loudspeaker that there was going to be an "impromptu march". We were told that we must stay on the sidewalks and not block traffic. I yelled out "Take the streets!"
 From the open publishing newswire: I thought that I'd take the time to let the emotions of yesterday mellow out a little and the trolls time to rant for a while with their bashing requests before I posted this. I also wanted time to let the impressions I got from all the speakers I listened to and the people I spoke with yesterday sink in and meld. The dragon I speak of that is waking is the majority of the population that is now starting to remember what this nation is really about. The people that are remembering that we have a constitution and Bill of Rights, that were written and agreed upon by the elected representatives of the people; Representatives that honored the wishes and desires of those that chose them. The Constitution and the addendum to it, the Bill of Rights, were drafted as assurance to the people that the abuses of power under either an unjust Monarchy, or any other form of non-representative government would not have the chance to creep into existence. It seems that those who were already not awake, (referring to the ones who didn't fall asleep, "left-wing liberals and conspiracy freaks"), are finally opening their eyes, refusing to be content to meekly think, "Well, we did elect them, they must know better than us, let's tell them we agree to let them do what is best for us". The not-elected pResident of the U.S., Bush, and his supporters have found how far they can go with their lies before the people finally wake up and say "NO MORE" The OCT. 5th Debate: same old argument More stories and photos: [ pictures | Van driving through Oct 5 protest | special Oct. 5th, PDX, "Not in Our Name" photo essay | Oregonian Letters Running Against War | Not In Our Name - Santa Fe, NM | 35+ photos posted from Portland rally! ]
 From the open publishing newswire: The bottom-line is that there are other ways to solve the "Iraq problem," and containment has worked for over ten years. Furthermore, the Bush administration planned to invade Iraq four years ago (see Sunday Herald, a respected U.K newspaper). The U.S. mainstream media hasn't rushed to inform you of that little detail, and U.S. commentators that address this fact usually joke about conspiracy theories to lessen the chance of taking heat from angry letters to the editor and irate media bosses.War with Iraq is primarily about oil. The terrorism arguments have some truth, however. Propaganda never works, after all, if there isn't some measure of truth behind the message. But the fact is, "our" action could inspire thousands of new terrorists. Nevertheless, even the Washington Post speaks openly about oil being the key issue -- on it's front page, no less. Although you have to read between the lines (WP, Sept. 15, 2002). Within a couple of years, the world is likely going to reach the midpoint of all petroleum product extraction. Many oil industry executives know this, and that's why BP has changed it's slogan to "Beyond Petroleum," leaving "British Petroleum" in the dust bin of marketing history. Highly respected industry scientists like Dr. Colin Campbell talk about the issue (e.g., RealVideo Presentation [in English after the five minute German intro]; here are the slides he used in that presentation). Even the U.S. Geological Survey documents note that the midpoint is not far off. The Middle East and the Caspian regions house the world's largest untapped resources, and the U.S. seeks to control them. Don't take my word for it. Just read Zbigniew Brzezinski's book, The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and It's Geostrategic Imperatives. Better still, just enter that title into an internet search engine and read articles about it, like this revealing one by Mike Ferner, a former Navy serviceman. No sense in giving royalty revenue to Brzezinski. As a member of the foreign policy elite on par with Henry Kissinger, he doesn't need your money.
 From the open publishing newswire: Black Cross Health Collective will teach first aid for demonstrations, protests and police riots this Saturday, October 12th in Portland, Oregon. The training will take place at Southeast Uplift, 10 AM - 5 PM at 3534 S.E.Main Street in Portland (between Belmont and Hawthorne, easily accessible by bus lines). Learn basic first aid, including assessments, decontamination from chemical weapons and more. Please bring lunch, comfortable clothes and shoes you can run in. The training is a hands-on, participatory event with a lot of role-playing and some talk. We cover the skills that we have found most useful to people who are attending demonstrations, including protests that are attacked by police. All are welcome to attend. The training will allow you to participate as medic for an affinity group or will be a springboard to learning further skills. [ Black Cross Health Collective ]
 From the open publishing newswire: The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) condemns George Bush's proposed preemptive strike and escalation of the ongoing war against Iraq as violating the Constitution of the United States and the United Nations Charter. The Guild will seek to provide legal support for individuals and groups practicing non-violent civil disobedience regarding the "necessity" defense, which is conduct that an actor believes to be necessary to avoid harm to himself or to another. Such behavior may be justifiable, provided that the harm sought to be avoided by such conduct is greater than the harm which the law defining the offense seeks to prevent. "The Guild commits its legal resources to support those who engage in acts of civil disobedience against such unauthorized military action," says Guild President Bruce Nestor. The Guild is preparing a legal brief and supporting materials related to the necessity defense and military action against Iraq, and will distribute those materials nationally.
A comrade and I ran out ahead of the march and picked a corner to count from. We were there for over forty minutes while people passed by in a seemingly endless stream. This is where we came up with the number 11,500. Word on the street is that AP was saying 4,400 and Jim Redden from the Portland Tribune was saying 5,000 or 6,000 (after activists talked him up from 4,500). Did either of these lazy corporate reporters stake out an intersection and patiently watch the whole time? I doubt it. All in all, it was a beautiful day in Portland. Seeing so many people hit the streets to say NO to WAR was inspiring. I had tears in my eyes for a big chunk of time, I was so pleasantly overwhelmed by the number of faces. Hopefully, this turn-out in Portland today can help inspire NOT IN OUR NAME actions coming up in other cities in the next couple days! PHOTOS:
12,000 march for peace in Portland!
Today's March and Rally was wonderful More: [ thousands protest today | A call out for Images | What did the "peace" circus actually accomplish? | take notes instead of picts at protest? -- call for quotes!! ] related: [ Call Senator Byrd NOW to filibuster, prevent the vote on war!! Poll ends Monday! | RUMOR (completely UNCONFIRMED) of anti-filibuster rule ] [ upcoming Not in Our Name events in Cascadia, Oct. 6 & 7 ]
 From the open publishing newswire: Oregon may set the trend for the nation, as a proposal for labeling food products that have genetically modified organism components. The "Living On Earth" radio show did a five minute segment on the issue and the MP3 is attached. This short radio segment frames the discussion. It's a good introduction for those that have yet to start reviewing the November election proposal, ballot measure number 27. It also gives GMO activists a good idea for how the national public radio community frames the discussion.
 From the open publishing newswire: Let's Get Free- a new, 24 page zine of writings for, by and about anarchist & Earth liberation prisoner Jeff 'Free' Luers is available for a donation of $5. Proceeds of the sale of this zine will (after paying copy costs) go to Jeff Luers directly. This 24 page, 8 x11 inch, well produced new zine contains the following and many more writings: Words from Free, Who is Jeff Luers?Earth First! Journal Interview with Free, Free's Sentencing Statement, 'Rob and Free at OSP mutual interview, Free's statement on the Romania arson, 'Never Cry Wolf' by Killing King Abacus zine, Letters to the Eugene Weekly in defense of Free and Divided and Conquered? Plus original artwork, poetry, Oregon state mailing regulations for sending Free mail, ways to support Free and more!
 From the open publishing newswire: Today the Montana Department of Livestock(MDOL) captured and sent three bull buffalo to slaughter. The wild buffalo were less than a half mile outside of Yellowstone National Park. There will not be cattle in the area until next summer. The Department of Livestock is using the guise of brucellosis transmission to kill these American symbols. It is unsure if the bulls were even tested, which would be the case if disease was truly the issue. DOL staff could not answer that question either. None of the State veterinarians will talk to the public and the information officer (non- veterinarian) was on vacation. In a state that is facing fiscal crises daily, last year's Department of Livestock budget to "manage" buffalo was over 1.3 million ollars. <
 From the open publishing newswire: The friday rally tonight was great. There was lots of good energy, enthusiasm, and effective work. The marching band led the way, and hundreds of flyers announcing the Oct 5th March and Rally were handed out to people - to people on the sidewalk and to people in their cars as they passed by or were stopped at red lights. At times over the months, the Friday rally's have been somewhat insular, with not very much interaction with the people around, but recently and especially tonight it was not like that at all. People walked in the streets, held signs, made eye contact, and offered flyers to everyone within reach. The response was excellent. I was one of a number of people who handed out dozens of flyers, and many people were supportive, expressed anti-war sentiments, and were curious to learn more. There were a couple grumpy bears, but they were quite the exception. Tell everyone to come out to the 'Not In Our Name' March and Rally tomorrow. The more people who come out the better. Radical and moderate alike need to be there. Other Marches and Rallies will be taking place around the country the following day, and if they hear that a big turnout happened in Portland, it will encourage them to come out in their cities as well. [ pdx indy Oct Not in Our Name info | Not in Our Name national organizing site ]
From the open publishing newswire: An agreement has been reached between Rep. George Miller (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Rep. Scott McInnis (R-CO) that can best be described as a chainsaw massacre. The agreement will be voted on tomorrow in the Resources Committee and only an outpouring of calls can stop this harmful compromise from moving to the House floor for a vote next week. A summary of the bill is provided below. The deal would provide new goods for services stewardship contracting pilots, and substantially gut NEPA by allowing the agency to skip preparing alternatives for fuel reduction projects. Appeals and judicial review would also be substantially curtailed.
Please contact the following Resource Committee members and urge them to oppose the McInnis/Miller compromise and to support a "community protection alternative" to be offered by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA). Oregon conservatives post anti-environmental billboard "THANK YOU ENVIORNMENTALISTS FOR MAKING THE 2002 FIRE SEASON ALL IT COULD BE" It also has a large picture of a forest fire for a background,insinuating that envioros hold responsibility for the 2002 fire season. The wise-use movement has been doing everything to enable the timber industry to further their ability to log any and all forests they want to.This includes blaming envioros for the fires in our national forests.Enviornmental groups have blocked virtually no fuels reduction projects,choosing to center their efforts on blocking logging plans involving mature and old-growth forests.Fire is a natural part of forest ecosystems,and failure by the Forest Service to perform actual fuels reduction projects is is the real cause of fuels build-up. [ pdx indy forest activism page ]
 From the open publishing newswire: The October 22 Wear Black! protest is coming up quick. We know that people want to feel safe. We would like to help facilitate building alliance groups and affinity groups. This will give people a chance to meet each other before the protest, and figure out plans and stategies to protect their families and other families in the case of police violence. We are seeking to make sure that all people still have the right of dissent in this country including families, the elderly, and the disabled. If you are intrested in helping to either protect and help to safety, or would like to join an affinity group please came to this meeting. Oct 22 Protest needs T-Shirts [ National October 22 Coalition | Last year's October 22 event ]
From the open publishing newswire: I was one of several dozen community & labor supporters walking the picket line with the locked-out Longshore Workers of the ILWU (International Longshore & Warehouse Union) Local 8 at Port of Portland Terminal 6 earlier this afternoon when some of the union brothers started getting cell phone calls rumoring that the Bush Administration is readying to move against the workers. I don't have specifics (still waiting to hear anything about it on the news), but scuttlebutt has it that by the end of the weekend, Bush & Co. will announce their plan to force the union back to work on the federal government's and employer's terms.
Many ILWU activists are trying to get the word out for public supporters to come to the picket line at the Port of Vancouver, WA tomorrow morning, Saturday, October 5, at 10 am. related stories: [ ILWU will untie ship with military cargo... Port of Oakland | Australian Unions Join West Coast Picket Lines | PMA brings armed goons to negotiate | ILWU Workers Barred from Ports ]
From the open publishing newswire: Author Thom Hartman discussed the "history of Corporate personhood" last night at Liberty Hall and disclosed a very disturbing fact. In the mid to late 1800's there was a national campaign to get the legal establishment to accept that corporations were persons. This cumulated in the Santa Clara decision of 1886, which has been used as the precedent for all rulings about corporate personhood since then.
The problem? The Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company [118 U.S. 394 (1886)] was incorrectly used as a precedence based on the "header" that described the decision vs. the actual supreme court decision itself. The supreme court decision never found that corporations were "persons" protected by the 14th ammendment and yet that decision was hailed by the corporate lawyers as the precedence that gave corporations personhood.
From the open publishing newswire: American born terrorists that the Joint Terrorism Task Force claims were planning on joining al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to fight against the United States were chaged with several terrorist crimes. Authorities claim that the suspects converted to Islam and planned to join after the 911 terrorist attacks against the United States.
The arrests, John Ashcroft said, represent "a texbook example" of cooperation among federal, state and local authorities in the war against terrorism and called it a "defining day" in the fight against terrorism. These actions come after months of pResident Bush has pushed for a fullscale attack on Iraq to overthrow the government that Bush has claimed has backed al-Qaeda financially and with weapons. FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters that "those who support terrorism or acts of terrorism will be brought to justice." Is this move another attempt to boost patriotism (aka nationalism) to support an unjust war against Iraq? newswire items on same topic: [ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ] Other PJTTF stories: Mohamed Abdirahman Kariye. Sheik Kariye, 40, was arrested on September 8 at the Portland International Airport by members of the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force on charges of social security fraud. [ Story ] [ Muslim Cleric Arrested by PJTTF | "CFA official statement on police state, regarding four recent indictments" | Oct. 4, 2001 - Mayor Katz forced to back-pedal: Joint Terrorism Task Force not renewed after all | Oct. 17, 2001 - Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force renewed ]
 From the open publishing newswire: A few days ago I posted to the wire a call for a march on Saturday. Unfortunately, word was not circulated early or freely enough, so as far as I know, there will not be an offical march commencing at the armory, as earlier announced. However, I intend to help organize one from the federal building where a vigil is being held. I strongly feel that people congregating on a cramped corner does not permit the same visual exposure to the community as does a march through the streets. Marching and chanting in the streets is an important part of protesting. Even more important is taking the street - all lanes so that others must STOP what they are doing and hear our message! [ pdx indy special coverage: Not in Our Name events in Cascadia, Oct. 5-7 ]
From the open publishing newswire: Early next week, Congress will likely vote on a resolution to authorize the use of military force against Iraq. The resolution still allows the President to go it alone, without any allies. It permits him to wage war against Iraq indefinitely, and it doesn't require him to work within the dictates of the UN Security Council. If Congress passes this resolution, the President will be able to launch a war against Iraq on a moment's notice. No more authority or Congressional approval is needed.
In lobbying calls over the last week, we've heard again and again that Congresspeople are taking this vote very seriously. The sheer volume of calls and letters, some aides have told us, has caused Congresspeople to think twice about rubber-stamping Bush's proposal. Many Senators and Representatives are still on the fence about how to vote; Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) called this the most difficult issue she's ever wrestled with. It is absolutely critical that we keep the pressure on in these last few days. Please call your Senators right now.
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Photos & stories from Oct. 5 in Eugene: [ 
AUDIO: 
From the open publishing newswire: There were so many people of all sorts there today. Old, young, different backgrounds, politics, beliefs etc. Portland made a statement to the nation, and to Congress, and to Herr Bush... Now I am looking forward to seeing the Marches and Rallies in many other cities around the country: NY, SF, LA, and so on. Many people tomorrow will be taking the pledge of resistance. It is a beautiful pledge. It is so meaningful to pledge oneself to resistance, and to live that fully. To stand as a living dedication to truth, to justice and to peace. To think about every action one takes, and ask oneself if that action was one of resistance, or assistance to the corporate war machine.