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abolition-usa-digest    Thursday, November 29 2001    Volume 01 : Number 492




----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 16:48:34 -0500
From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Action Alert-Star Wars

Hi Friends,
Are we getting our Congressmememembers to sign on as co-sponsors?  Call your
member of Congress at 202-224-3121.  Can we get a Senator to introduce a
companion bill?  Alice Slater

At 01:25 PM 11/28/2001 -0800, Carol Rosin wrote:
>KUCINICH SPACE-BASED WEAPONS BAN BILL ENDORSERS
>Updated 11-28-01
>
>(HR 2977), the Space Preservation Act of 2001   (Congressman Dennis
>Kucinich)
>"To preserve the cooperative, peaceful uses of space for the benefit of all
>humankind by permanently prohibiting the basing of weapons in space by the
>United States, and to require the President to take action to adopt and
>implement a world treaty banning space-based weapons."
>
>   *To add your organization to this list of endorsers please send an=
 e-mail
>to [e-mail].  Endorsement indicates a commitment to promote
>the space-based weapons ban effort in your community.  Official launch of
>the campaign begins in January.  http://www.space4peace.org.
>   *To view H.R. 2977 and the World Treaty Banning Space-based Weapons, and
>to FAX your congressional representatives and world leaders, go to
>http://www.peaceinspace.com.
>
>   > =B7 Action for Nuclear Disarmament (Cape Cod, MA)
>   > =B7 Action NOW!
>   > =B7 American Friends Service Committee Colorado
>   > =B7 American Friends Service Committee Western Massachusetts
>   > =B7 Anarchist Action of Rochester (NY)
>   > =B7 Antiwar.com
>   > =B7 AquaCoalition.org
>   > =B7 Association of World Citizens (San Francisco, CA)
>   > =B7 Australian Peace Committee (Adelaide, South Australia)
>   > =B7 Australian Peace Committee (Queensland)
>   > =B7 Baltimore Emergency Response Network (MD)
>   > =B7 Baltimore Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Committee (MD)
>   > =B7 Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases (United Kingdom)
>   > =B7 Cape Cod Fellowship of Reconciliation (MA)
>   > =B7 Central Coast Peace & Environmental Council (San Luis Obispo, CA)
>   > =B7 Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors
>   > =B7 Centre de Resources Dur La Non-Violence (Montreal, Canada)
>   > =B7 Checkmate - Winning Strategies for Environmental Justice (Vermont)
>   > =B7 Citizen Soldier (New York, N.Y.)
>   > =B7 Citizens Energy Council (Hewitt, N.J.)
>   > =B7 Citizens for Peace in Space (Colorado Springs, CO)
>   > =B7 City of New Haven Peace Commission (CT)
>   > =B7 Cleveland Peace Action (Ohio)
>   > =B7 Clinton County Peace Education Group (OH)
>   > =B7 Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (India)
>   > =B7 Colorado Coalition for the Prevention of Nuclear War
>   > =B7 Delray Citizens for Social Responsibility (FL)
>   > =B7 Don Quixote Society
>   > =B7 Don't Waste Connecticut
>   > =B7 Don't Waste Oregon (Portland)
>   > =B7 Every Church a Peace Church (ECAPC) (Duluth, MN)
>   > =B7 Fellowship of Reconciliation (Louisville, KY)
>   > =B7 Fellowship of Reconciliation (Nyack, N.Y.)
>   > =B7 Fellowship of Reconciliation (Seattle, WA)
>   > =B7 Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice
>   > =B7 Flyby News
>   > =B7 Food Not Bombs (Atlanta, GA)
>   > =B7 For Mother Earth (Bucharest, Romania)
>   > =B7 Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace (New York)
>   > =B7 Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
>   > =B7 Global Response  (Boulder, CO)
>   > =B7 GRACE Public Fund (New York, N.Y.)
>   > =B7 Grandmothers for Peace (San Luis Obispo, CA)
>   > =B7 Grandmothers for Peace (Superior, WI)
>   > =B7 Grandmothers for Peace International
>   > =B7 Great Neck SANE/Peace Action (N.Y.)
>   > =B7 Greater New Haven Peace Council (CT)
>   > =B7 Green Earth Organization (Ghana)
>   > =B7 Green Justice Association (Bulgaria)
>   > =B7 Green Party of Connecticut
>   > =B7 Green Party of Skagit County (WA)
>   > =B7 Greens of Volusia County (FL)
>   > =B7 Greenville Peace Committee (North Carolina)
>   > =B7 Groove Embassy Records
>   > =B7 Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action (Poulsbo, WA)
>   > =B7 Hanford Watch (Portland, OR)
>   > =B7 Headingly CND (England)
>   > =B7 Home for Peace & Justice (Saginaw, MI)
>   > =B7 Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament, & Environmental=
 Protection
>(Nagpur, India)
>   > =B7 Indianapolis Peace & Justice Center (IN)
>   > =B7 Institute for Cooperation in Space (Ventura, CA)
>   > =B7 Interfaith Stewards of Creation (Gallup, NM)
>   > =B7 International Institute of Concern for Public Health (Canada)
>   > =B7 International Society for Ecology & Culture
>   > =B7 Jonah House (Baltimore, MD)
>   > =B7 Journey for Justice
>   > =B7 Just Peace Committee of Peace Church (UCC) (Duluth, MN)
>   > =B7 Kalamazoo Area Coalition for Peace & Justice (MI)
>   > =B7 Kirkstall CND (England)
>   > =B7 Kodiak Rocket Launch Information Group (Kodiak, AK)
>   > =B7 Kurtz Institute of Peacemaking
>   > =B7 Larry Bogart Memorial Library (Hewitt, N.J.)
>   > =B7 Livermore Conversion Project (Oakland, CA)
>   > =B7 Long Island Coalition for Peaceful Alternatives (N.Y.)
>   > =B7 Los Alamos Study Group (New Mexico)
>   > =B7 Making the Walls Transparent
>   > =B7 Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns
>   > =B7 McKinley County Green Party (Gallup, NM)
>   > =B7 Midwest Coalition for Responsible Investment (St Louis, MO)
>   > =B7 Military Toxics Project
>   > =B7 Mojave Greens (CA)
>   > =B7 Moms for Justice (Philadelphia, PA)
>   > =B7 Nevada Desert Experience
>   > =B7 New Zealand Nuclear-Free Peacemaking Association
>   > =B7 No Nukes North (Fairbanks, Alaska)
>   > =B7 North American Water Office (Lake Elmo, MN)
>   > =B7 North Dakota Peace Coalition
>   > =B7 Northwest Disarmament Coalition (Seattle, WA)
>   > =B7 Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (Santa Barbara, CA)
>   > =B7 Nuclear Watch of New Mexico
>   > =B7 Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (TN)
>   > =B7 Office of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation (Mankato Province
>School Sisters of Notre Dame)
>   > =B7 Office of Justice-Peace-Integrity of Creation (Catholic Diocese of
>Knoxville, TN)
>   > =B7 OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology (Fayetteville, AR)
>   > =B7 Oregon Conservancy Foundation
>   > =B7 Oxford Citizens for Peace & Justice (Oxford, OH)
>   > =B7 Pacific Green Party (Oregon State University)
>   > =B7 Paralyzed Veterans of America
>   > =B7 Pax Christi (St. Louis University)
>   > =B7 Peace & Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United=
 Church
>of Christ
>   > =B7 Peace & Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas (Wichita)
>   > =B7 Peace Action (San Mateo, CA)
>   > =B7 Peace Action Maine
>   > =B7 Peace Action New Mexico
>   > =B7 Peace Action Wisconsin
>   > =B7 Peace Farm (Panhandle, TX)
>   > =B7 Peace Foundation Aotearoa/New Zealand
>   > =B7 Peninsula Peace & Justice Center (Palo Alto, CA)
>   > =B7 Portland Greens (OR)
>   > =B7 Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety & Security=
 (OH)
>
>   > =B7 Prairie Island Coalition (Minneapolis, MN)
>   > =B7 Progressive Secretary
>   > =B7 Promoting Enduring Peace (Woodmont, CT)
>   > =B7 Proposition One Committee (Washington DC)
>   > =B7 Reality News Network (West Palm Beach, FL)
>   > =B7 Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center (Boulder, CO)
>   > =B7 Sacred Earth & Space Plowshares
>   > =B7 San Francisco Bay Area Progressive Challenge (CA)
>   > =B7 Scientists for Indigenous People
>   > =B7 Sisters of Loretto Disarmament/Economic Conversion Committee
>   > =B7 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (St. Louis Province)
>   > =B7 South Dakota Peace and Justice Center
>   > =B7 SS. Francis & Therese Catholic Worker (Worcester, MA)
>   > =B7 St. Louis Economic Conversion Project (MO)
>   > =B7 Students Taking Action for a New Democracy (University of Akron=
 (OH)
>   > =B7 Swedish Peace Committee
>   > =B7 The Peace Center (Longhorne, PA)
>   > =B7 The Who's Counting Project (CA)
>   > =B7 Theosophical Order of Service Peace Department (Tucson, AZ)
>   > =B7 Third Millennium Foundation (Auburn, WA)
>   > =B7 Tri-Valley CAREs (Livermore, CA)
>   > =B7 20/20 Vision of Washington State
>   > =B7 U.S. Peace Council
>   > =B7 Unitarian Society Social Responsibility Committee (Hartford, CT)
>   > =B7 Veterans for Peace (Gainesville, FL)
>   > =B7 Veterans for Peace, Inc.
>   > =B7 WAND of Northern Indiana
>   > =B7 West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (Birmingham, U.K.)
>   > =B7 Wide World Peace Puppetry (Albuquerque, NM)
>   > =B7 Women for Peace (Berkeley, CA)
>   > =B7 World Peace Now (Tampa, FL)
>   > =B7 Yorkshire CND (England)
>
>** List in formation (11-28-01) by Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear
>Power in Space, PO Box 90083, Gainesville, FL. 32607, [phone],
>http://www.space4peace.org.
>**Email to sign-on at [e-mail].
>**View H.R. 2977 and World Treaty Banning Space-based Weapons, and FAX your
>Congress representatives and world leaders at:   www.peaceinspace.com,
>Institute for Cooperation in Space, PO Box 25040, Ventura, CA. 93001,
>805-641-1999.
>
>=20

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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 23:12:06 +0000
From: Sally Light <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) NDE's "Monday Night Series" continues on Dec. 10 in Berkeley, CA

Friends,

On December 10, NDE continues its "Monday Night Series" in Berkeley
with Dr. Kathryn Smick.  We had a great turn-out on Nov. 26 for
Andreas Toupadakis - please join us for this next presentation per our
flyer below.

Peace,

Sally

Sally Light
Executive Director
Nevada Desert Experience

RADIATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Presentation by Dr. Kathryn Smick, Physicians for Social Responsibility

Sponsored by Nevada Desert Experience, as part of its ôMonday Night
Series,ö covering all aspects of nuclear weapons, the nuclear cycle, and
of missile defense/ ôStar Wars.ö

Date & Time: Monday, December 10, 2001  -  6 - 9 pm

Place: Wesley Student Center, 2398 Bancroft Way (at Dana), Berkeley,
directly across from the UC Campus.

Open to students as well as the general public.  This event is free,
although donations are welcome.  Light refreshments will be available.

A well-known Bay Area physician and peace activist, Dr. Smick gave an
excellent presentation on this topic at our May 2001 3-dayteach-in at
San Francisco State University.

Following Dr. SmickÆs presentation, there will be ample time for Q & A
and discussion in a relaxed & cordial setting. This is your opportunity
to have all your questions answered about thehealth risks of radiation.

For more information, please call Nevada Desert Experience at (510)
527-2057.



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 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 13:26:31 -0500
From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: FDA Ignoring Evidence that New Chemicals in Irradiated FoodCould Be Harmful

>X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.5.2
>Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 10:19:20 -0500
>From: "Mark Worth" <[e-mail]>
>Subject: FDA Ignoring Evidence that New Chemicals in Irradiated Food
>        Could Be Harmful
>To: [e-mail]
>X-Loop-Detect: 1
>
>For Immediate Release:
>Nov. 29, 2001
>
>Contact:
>Patty Lovera [phone]
>Peter Jenkins [phone] ext. 13
>
>FDA Ignoring Evidence that New Chemicals Created in Irradiated Food Could Be
Harmful
>
>Groups Urge FDA to Halt Irradiated Food Approvals Until New Chemicals Are
Tested for Safety
>
>WASHINGTON, D.C. - - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ignored
growing evidence that a new class of chemicals formed when food is irradiated
could be harmful, according to a report released today by Public Citizen and
the Center for Food Safety. The groups are urging the FDA to refrain from
legalizing irradiation for any additional types of food until the new
chemicals
are tested for safety.
>
>The chemicals, called cyclobutanones, do not occur naturally anywhere on
Earth. They recently were found to cause genetic damage in rats, and genetic
and cellular damage in human and rat cells.
>
>The groups' report, Hidden Harm, details how the FDA has ignored this unique
class of chemicals, which are created in many irradiated foods that the agency
has legalized for sale in this country - - including beef, pork, chicken,
lamb,
eggs, mangoes and papayas. It is expected that cyclobutanones also would be
formed in many other foods the FDA is currently considering to legalize for
irradiation.
>
>The organizations today also released a sworn affidavit of toxicologist
William Au, who was retained by the groups to independently review the risks
posed by cyclobutanones and other chemicals formed by irradiation that could
cause genetic damage.
>
>Along with a letter outlining numerous health concerns caused by food
irradiation, the groups filed Hidden Harm and Au's affidavit with the FDA to
oppose pending petitions to legalize irradiation for processed foods, which
comprise 37 percent of the typical American's diet; molluscan shellfish, such
as clams and oysters; crustacean shellfish, such as lobsters and shrimp; and
meat products. A fifth petition seeks to double the maximum dose of radiation
to which poultry can legally be exposed.
>
>"The risk that the FDA is taking with the health of the American people
cannot
be overstated," said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical
Mass
Energy and Environment Program. "If government officials knowingly allow
people
to eat food that contains these chemicals, they are courting a major public
health disaster."
>
>Though federal regulations require the FDA to determine whether food
additives
proposed for human consumption are likely to cause cancer, birth defects or
other health problems, the agency has not done so for cyclobutanones, nor have
agency officials explained why they have failed to do so. Under federal law,
irradiation is considered a food additive.
>
>Americans likely are unwittingly eating irradiated foods containing
cyclobutanones. Though most irradiated food sold in stores must be labeled,
there is no such requirement for restaurants, schools, hospitals, nursing
homes
and other institutional settings. And there is no labeling requirement for
foods with irradiated ingredients, except those containing irradiated meat.
Moreover, due to a lack of reporting requirements for food companies, it is
unknown how much irradiated food is sold in the U.S., or where.
>
>"Children are likely to be especially vulnerable to the risks of these
untested chemicals in their food," said Peter T. Jenkins, policy analyst at
the
Center for Food Safety. "It is beyond me why the FDA would take a chance by
exposing American children in this way. The science is against it."
>
>Au, an environmental toxicology professor at the University of Texas Medical
Branch in Galveston, is internationally recognized for his work on the
toxicological mechanisms that induce human disease. For more than 20 years he
has taught, published peer-reviewed research and served on expert committees.
He has received numerous awards, and has published or co-published more than
100 articles.
>
>"An emphasis should be placed on the products that are unique to the
irradiation process and that are potentially mutagenic, e.g. 2-DCB
[2-dodecylcyclobutanone]," Dr. Au wrote in the affidavit. "Without conclusive
evidence regarding the safety of these products, the safety of irradiated food
cannot be assured." Au urged the FDA to "seriously and explicitly" consider
"repeated observations" of genetic damage and reproductive toxicity in feeding
experiments.
>
>Though cyclobutanones were first identified in irradiated food in 1971, it
was
not until 1998 that German government scientists discovered that one type of
cyclobutanone, 2-DCB, caused genetic damage in rats, and genetic and cellular
damage in human and rat cells. Subsequently, the scientists found that two
other types of cyclobutanones - - 2-TCB and 2-TDCB - - caused genetic and
cellular damage in human cells. Rat feeding studies of these two chemicals are
expected to be completed soon.
>
>Despite these findings, the FDA not only has failed to publicly acknowledge
the potential risks posed by cyclobutanones, but the agency proceeded to
legalize irradiation for three classes of food even after the first two German
studies were made public. Last year, the FDA legalized the irradiation of
eggs,
juice and sprouting seeds despite the fact that several high-ranking agency
officials four months earlier had attended an international conference in
Beijing at which the 2-DCB toxicity findings were presented and discussed.
>
>Ironically, cyclobutanones are so easily detectable and have been known to
remain in food for such lengthy periods - more than a decade - that they are
commonly used as "markers" to determine whether food has been exposed to
ionizing radiation.
>
>The groups are calling on the FDA to take several steps: refrain from
legalizing irradiation for any additional foods until comprehensive,
published,
peer-reviewed research is conducted on cyclobutanones; conduct a comprehensive
analysis of the cyclobutanone levels in foods covered by irradiation petitions
already approved by or pending before the FDA; and convene public hearings to
thoroughly explore the potential health effects of cyclobutanones.
>
>Hidden Harm can be viewed at
>www.citizen.org/documents/HiddenHarm_-_PDF.pdf;
>Au's affidavit is at
www.citizen.org/cmep/foodsafety/food_irrad/articles.cfm?ID=6516
>
>###
>
>For more information about Public Citizen, visit www.citizen.org.
>For more information about the Center for Food Safety, visit
www.centerforfoodsafety.org.
>

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 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 14:27:32 -0500
From: ASlater <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd:

>From: "Maryna Harrison" <[e-mail]>
>To: <[e-mail]>
>Subject:
>Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 13:39:45 -0500
>Organization: Global Resource Action Center for the Environment
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2627
>Importance: Normal
>X-Loop-Detect: 1
>
>Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to reauthorize the
>Price-Anderson Act- by voice vote with only FIFTEEN members of congress
>present!!!  There was no roll call vote.
>
>Price-Anderson subsidizes nuclear power by limiting liability for
>nuclear power plants in the event of a nuclear accident.  It asks
>tax-payers to assume liability by creating a cap on the amount nuclear
>reactor owners pay in the event of a catastrophic accident or terrorist
>attack. Under Price Anderson, corporations are only responsible for
>about two percent of the estimated cost of a serious accident, making
>them largely immune from the responsibilities of operating these
>extremely dangerous facilities in America's communities.
>
>*******************************************************************
>
>We can still STOP PRICE-ANDERSON IN THE SENATE!
>
>Price-Anderson reauthorization is likely to be attached to the Senate
>Democrats' energy bill, which could be released THIS FRIDAY. There are,
>however, likely to be changes from the House-passed version. Senate
>Republicans have attached Price-Anderson to an energy bill of their own,
>and they continue to press for an early vote on it--they may try to
>attach it as an amendment to the Farm bill which is coming up anyday.
>Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has said clearly he doesn't want a
>vote on the energy bill until early next year, but it's not 100% clear
>he can stop the Republican amendment approach.
>
>***********************************************************
>
>HERE'S HOW!!!
>Call 202-224-3121 and ask for your Senator's office.
>Tell them you urge them to OPPOSE Price-Anderson reauthorization and to
>OPPOSE any form of Price-Anderson reauthorization in the Democrats'
>energy bill.
>
>Paste the letter below into a document, add your info, and fax it to
>your Senators.  You can find their fax numbers at
>http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
>
>************************************************************************
>**
>
>Dear Senator              ,
>
>I urge you to oppose the Price-Anderson Reauthorization Act in any form,
>including as part of the Democrats' energy bill. Price-Anderson
>subsidizes nuclear power by limiting liability for nuclear power plants
>in the event of a nuclear accident.  I oppose this legislation because
>it asks tax-payers to assume liability by creating a cap on the amount
>nuclear reactor owners pay in the event of a catastrophic accident or
>terrorist attack. Under Price Anderson, corporations are only
>responsible for about two percent of the estimated cost of a serious
>accident, making them largely immune from the responsibilities of
>operating these terribly dangerous facilities in America's communities.
>
>The Price Anderson Act indemnifies Department of Energy nuclear
>contractors even in cases of gross negligence and willful misconduct,
>which discourages contractor accountability and a safety culture. No
>other government agency provides this level of taxpayer indemnification
>to non-government personnel.
>
>In light of the tragic events of September 11, security limitations at
>nuclear power plants are all the more serious.  There should be a
>thorough and independent assessment of the security needs at U.S.
>nuclear power facilities before reauthorization of Price Anderson is
>even considered.
>
>When Price Anderson was originally enacted in 1954, President Eisenhower
>intended it to encourage an unwilling industry to build nuclear power
>plants in order to get materials for our nuclear weapons arsenals.  Each
>nuclear reactor is a bomb factory.  Nearly fifty years later, the
>nuclear industry is still coming, hat in hand, for corporate welfare at
>taxpayer expense, and at the expense of developing solar and wind
>energy, which they argue are non-competitive (without considering the
>government subsidies they receive).
>
>Continuing to hide behind Price Anderson's taxpayer bailout is dangerous
>for America's well-being.  Please oppose Price-Anderson in any form.
>
>Sincerely,
>Your Name
>Your address
>********************************************************************
>
>Please act now!  Make your voice heard!
>
>Thank you,
>
>Maryna Harrison
>GRACE Public Fund
>[e-mail]
>[phone], x17
>
>Maryna Harrison
>Global Resource Action
>Center for the Environment
>[e-mail]
>[phone], x17
>
>

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 To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "[e-mail]"
 with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2001 14:18:50 -0600
From: "Boyle, Francis" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (abolition-usa) FW: Bush's Police State Power Grab

This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.

- ------_=_NextPart_001_01C17913.0F2C1010
Content-Type: text/plain;
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- -----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2001 1:45 PM
To: Killeacle (E-mail)
Subject: Bush's Police State Power Grab


In Name of Security, Thousands Denied
                                       Constitutional Rights

                  The federal government wants Americans to believe that the
Constitution only applies when
                  it says so.

                  Exclusive to American Free Press

                  By Christopher Bollyn

                  The actions taken by President George W. Bush and Attorney
General John Ashcroft in
                  secretly detaining untold numbers of individuals and
calling for secret military tribunals to
                  handle captured Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners have been
condemned as "a constitutional
                  coup d'etat" which may lead to a "police state," according
to experts on constitutional and
                  international law.

                  While most if not all the detainees "look Arab" now,
experts warn, tomorrow's detainees
                  could be blond, blue-eyed-or you.

                  "What we've seen, since Sept. 11, if you add up every
thing that Ashcroft, Bush and their
                  coterie of federalist society lawyers have done here, is a
coup d'etat against the United
                  States Constitution," said Francis A. Boyle, professor of
international law at the University
                  of Illinois. "When you add in the Ashcroft police state
bill that was passed by Congress . . .
                  that's really what we're seeing now.

                  "Since Sept. 11, we have seen one blow against the
Constitution after another," Boyle said.
                  "Recently, we've had Ashcroft saying that he had,
unilaterally, instituted monitoring of
                  attorney-client communications without even informing
anyone-he just went ahead and did
                  it, despite the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable
searches and seizures without
                  warrant and the Sixth Amendment right to representation by
counsel."

                  The criminal investigation into the attacks, the largest
in U.S. history, has netted about 1,200
                  detainees. But the Justice Department has failed to build
a case against a single prime U.S.
                  suspect in the terrorist attacks.

                  BAD EVIDENCE

                  Nine weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, federal
authorities said on Nov. 15 that they
                  had found no evidence indicating that any of the roughly
1,200 people detained in the United
                  States played a role in the suicide hijacking plot.

                  However, numerous legal protections, based on
constitutional and international treaties,
                  appear to have been ignored or violated in the case of the
1,200 detainees.

                  "We are becoming a banana republic here in the United
States, with 'disappeared' people,
                  which was the phenomenon that we all saw down in Latin
American dictatorships in the
                  1970s and 1980s, with the support, by the way, of the
United States Government," Boyle
                  said.

                  "We don't know where they are or the conditions under
which they are being held. We
                  have no idea wheth er they have access to attorneys. We do
know one of them died, under
                  highly suspicious circumstances, while in custody. There
have been reports that he was
                  tortured to death," he said.

                  The Constitution protects aliens in the United States,
according to Boyle. "Clearly aliens
                  here are entitled to the protections of the due process
clause of the Fifth Amendment , as
                  well as to the Article III (Section 2, Clause 3) basic
constitutional rights in criminal cases,
                  including indictment, trial before a federal district
judge or jury, [rights relating to] venue and
                  things of that nature," Boyle said.

                  "I'm surprised there hasn't been more of an outcry," said
Robert B. Reich, secretary of
                  labor under President Bill Clinton, about the long-term
detentions and the administration's
                  plans to monitor conversations be tween lawyers and
terrorism suspects in federal custody.
                  "The president is, by emergency decree, getting rid of
rights that we assumed that anyone
                  within our borders legally would have. We can find
ourselves in a police state step-by-step
                  without realizing that we have made these compromises
along the way."

                  The foreign detainees are also protected by international
law under treaties, including the
                  International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and
the Vienna Convention on Consular
                  Relations (VCCR).

                  The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
to which the United States
                  government is a party, affords basic due process
protections to everyone here in the United
                  States, irrespective of their citizenship, according to
Boyle.

                  The VCCR of 1963 calls for notification "without delay" of
consular officials when one of
                  their nationals has been arrested or "detained in any
other manner."

                  Although Egypt, Pakistan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia are
party to the VCCR along with the
                  United States, the Justice Department told AFP that it is
using an abbreviated list of nations,
                  the Mandatory Notification Countries, which includes only
one Middle Eastern nation,
                  Kuwait.

                  Spokesmen from the Justice and State Departments could not
confirm to AFP that the
                  United States was abiding by the terms of the VCCR and
notifying the consulates of the
                  detainees. However, Kareem Shora, legal adviser at the
American Arab
                  Anti-Discrimination Committee, said that it had received
at least 10 complaints that this was
                  not the case.

                  The Justice Department is planning to "round up" and
question some 5,000 men, mostly
                  from Middle Eastern countries, who entered the U.S.
legally within the past two years.
                  "When will the FBI, the CIA and the National Secur ity
Agency start to turn these powers,
                  that they have under the Ashcroft police state bill,
against American citi zens?" Boyle asks.
                  "Clearly, that will be the next step."

                  BAD PRECEDENT

                  Concerning the executive order calling for military
tribunals to try alleged al Qaeda
                  members, or even former al Qaeda members, in Afghanistan,
Boyle says there is an "even
                  more serious problem."

                  "The third and fourth Geneva Conventions, of 1949, clearly
apply to our conflict now with
                  Afghanistan," Boyle says. "These alleged al Qaeda members
would be protected either by
                  the third Geneva Convention, if they are fighters
incorporated into the army there in
                  Afghanistan, or by the fourth Geneva Convention, if they
are deemed to be civilians. Both
                  conventions have very extensive procedural protections on
trials that must be adhered to."

                  Although a trial can be held, there are extensive rules
and protections and basic
                  requirements of due process of law, set forth in these
treaties that must be applied. Failures
                  to apply these treaties would constitute war crimes,
according to Boyle.

                  The executive order calling for secret military tribunals
is extremely dangerous because it
                  invites reprisals by the Taliban, Boyle says. "What it is
basically saying to the Taliban
                  government and to al Qaeda is, 'We are not going to give
you the protections of either the
                  third or fourth Geneva Conventions' guarantees on trials.'
What that means is that they
                  could engage in reprisals against captured members of the
United States Armed Forces.

                  "It opens up our own armed forces to be denied
prisoner-of-war treatment," he said. "So,
                  what we're doing here is exposing them to a similar type
of treatment, which would be a
                  summary trial, in secret, subject to the death penalty."



Francis A. Boyle
Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820 USA
217-333-7954(voice)
217-244-1478(fax)
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>



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<BODY>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=3Dleft class=3DOutlookMessageHeader dir=3Dltr><FONT =
face=3DTahoma=20
size=3D2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Boyle, Francis=20
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, November 29, 2001 1:45 PM<BR><B>To:</B> =
Killeacle=20
(E-mail)<BR><B>Subject:</B> Bush's Police State Power =
Grab<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2><FONT face=3DArial><SPAN =
class=3D090523419-29112001>I</SPAN>n Name=20
of Security, Thousands=20
Denied<BR>          &n=
bsp;           &n=
bsp;           &n=
bsp;   =20
Constitutional Rights</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The federal government wants Americans to believe that the Constitution =
only=20
applies=20
when<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
it says=20
so.<BR>           =
;       =20
<BR>           &n=
bsp;     =20
Exclusive to American Free Press</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
By Christopher=20
Bollyn<BR>          &n=
bsp;        =20
<BR>           &n=
bsp;     =20
The actions taken by President George W. Bush and Attorney General John =
Ashcroft=20
in<BR>           =
      =20
secretly detaining untold numbers of individuals and calling for secret =
military=20
tribunals=20
to<BR>           =
      =20
handle captured Taliban and Al Qaeda prisoners have been condemned as =
“a=20
constitutional<BR>         =
        =20
coup d’etat” which may lead to a “police =
state,” according to experts on=20
constitutional=20
and<BR>           =
;      =20
international law.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
While most if not all the detainees “look Arab” now, =
experts warn, tomorrow’s=20
detainees<BR>          =
;       =20
could be blond, blue-eyed—or you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“What we’ve seen, since Sept. 11, if you add up every thing =
that Ashcroft, Bush=20
and=20
their<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
coterie of federalist society lawyers have done here, is a coup =
d’etat against=20
the=20
United<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
States Constitution,” said Francis A. Boyle, professor of =
international law at=20
the=20
University<BR>         &nbs=
p;       =20
of Illinois. “When you add in the Ashcroft police state bill that =
was passed by=20
Congress . .=20
.<BR>           =
      =20
that’s really what we’re seeing now.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“Since Sept. 11, we have seen one blow against the Constitution =
after another,”=20
Boyle=20
said.<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“Recently, we’ve had Ashcroft saying that he had, =
unilaterally, instituted=20
monitoring=20
of<BR>           =
      =20
attorney-client communications without even informing anyone—he =
just went ahead=20
and=20
did<BR>           =
;      =20
it, despite the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and =
seizures=20
without<BR>          &=
nbsp;      =20
warrant and the Sixth Amendment right to representation by=20
counsel.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The criminal investigation into the attacks, the largest in U.S. =
history, has=20
netted about=20
1,200<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
detainees. But the Justice Department has failed to build a case =
against a=20
single prime=20
U.S.<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
suspect in the terrorist attacks.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
BAD EVIDENCE</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
Nine weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, federal authorities =
said on=20
Nov. 15 that=20
they<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
had found no evidence indicating that any of the roughly 1,200 people =
detained=20
in the=20
United<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
States played a role in the suicide hijacking plot. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
However, numerous legal protections, based on constitutional and =
international=20
treaties,<BR>          =
;       =20
appear to have been ignored or violated in the case of the 1,200=20
detainees.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“We are becoming a banana republic here in the United States, =
with ‘disappeared’=20
people,<BR>          &=
nbsp;      =20
which was the phenomenon that we all saw down in Latin American =
dictatorships in=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
1970s and 1980s, with the support, by the way, of the United States =
Government,”=20
Boyle<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
said.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“We don’t know where they are or the conditions under which =
they are being held.=20
We<BR>           =
      =20
have no idea wheth er they have access to attorneys. We do know one of =
them=20
died,=20
under<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
highly suspicious circumstances, while in custody. There have been =
reports that=20
he=20
was<BR>           =
;      =20
tortured to death,” he said.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The Constitution protects aliens in the United States, according to =
Boyle.=20
“Clearly=20
aliens<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
here are entitled to the protections of the due process clause of the =
Fifth=20
Amendment ,=20
as<BR>           =
      =20
well as to the Article III (Section 2, Clause 3) basic constitutional =
rights in=20
criminal=20
cases,<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
including indictment, trial before a federal district judge or jury, =
[rights=20
relating to] venue=20
and<BR>           =
;      =20
things of that nature,” Boyle said.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“I’m surprised there hasn’t been more of an =
outcry,” said Robert B. Reich,=20
secretary=20
of<BR>           =
      =20
labor under President Bill Clinton, about the long-term detentions and =
the=20
administration’s<BR>       &nbs=
p;         =20
plans to monitor conversations be tween lawyers and terrorism suspects =
in=20
federal=20
custody.<BR>          =
       =20
“The president is, by emergency decree, getting rid of rights =
that we assumed=20
that=20
anyone<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
within our borders legally would have. We can find ourselves in a =
police state=20
step-by-step<BR>         &n=
bsp;       =20
without realizing that we have made these compromises along the=20
way.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The foreign detainees are also protected by international law under =
treaties,=20
including=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Vienna =
Convention=20
on=20
Consular<BR>          =
       =20
Relations (VCCR). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the =
United=20
States<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
government is a party, affords basic due process protections to =
everyone here in=20
the=20
United<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
States, irrespective of their citizenship, according to =
Boyle.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The VCCR of 1963 calls for notification “without delay” of =
consular officials=20
when one=20
of<BR>           =
      =20
their nationals has been arrested or “detained in any other =
manner.”=20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
Although Egypt, Pakistan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia are party to the VCCR =
along=20
with=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
United States, the Justice Department told AFP that it is using an =
abbreviated=20
list of=20
nations,<BR>          =
       =20
the Mandatory Notification Countries, which includes only one Middle =
Eastern=20
nation,<BR>          &=
nbsp;      =20
Kuwait.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
Spokesmen from the Justice and State Departments could not confirm to =
AFP that=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
United States was abiding by the terms of the VCCR and notifying the =
consulates=20
of=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
detainees. However, Kareem Shora, legal adviser at the American=20
Arab<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
Anti-Discrimination Committee, said that it had received at least 10 =
complaints=20
that this=20
was<BR>           =
;      =20
not the case.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The Justice Department is planning to “round up” and =
question some 5,000 men,=20
mostly<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
from Middle Eastern countries, who entered the U.S. legally within the =
past two=20
years.<BR>          &n=
bsp;      =20
“When will the FBI, the CIA and the National Secur ity Agency =
start to turn=20
these=20
powers,<BR>          &=
nbsp;      =20
that they have under the Ashcroft police state bill, against American =
citi=20
zens?” Boyle=20
asks.<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“Clearly, that will be the next step.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
BAD PRECEDENT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
Concerning the executive order calling for military tribunals to try =
alleged al=20
Qaeda<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
members, or even former al Qaeda members, in Afghanistan, Boyle says =
there is an=20
“even<BR>         &nb=
sp;       =20
more serious problem.” </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“The third and fourth Geneva Conventions, of 1949, clearly apply =
to our conflict=20
now=20
with<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
Afghanistan,” Boyle says. “These alleged al Qaeda members =
would be protected=20
either=20
by<BR>           =
      =20
the third Geneva Convention, if they are fighters incorporated into the =
army=20
there=20
in<BR>           =
      =20
Afghanistan, or by the fourth Geneva Convention, if they are deemed to =
be=20
civilians.=20
Both<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
conventions have very extensive procedural protections on trials that =
must be=20
adhered to.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
Although a trial can be held, there are extensive rules and protections =
and=20
basic<BR>          &nb=
sp;      =20
requirements of due process of law, set forth in these treaties that =
must be=20
applied.=20
Failures<BR>          =
       =20
to apply these treaties would constitute war crimes, according to=20
Boyle.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
The executive order calling for secret military tribunals is extremely =
dangerous=20
because=20
it<BR>           =
      =20
invites reprisals by the Taliban, Boyle says. “What it is =
basically saying to=20
the=20
Taliban<BR>          &=
nbsp;      =20
government and to al Qaeda is, ‘We are not going to give you the =
protections of=20
either=20
the<BR>           =
;      =20
third or fourth Geneva Conventions’ guarantees on trials.’ =
What that means is=20
that=20
they<BR>          &nbs=
p;      =20
could engage in reprisals against captured members of the United States =
Armed=20
Forces.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>          &nb=
sp;      =20
“It opens up our own armed forces to be denied prisoner-of-war =
treatment,” he=20
said.=20
“So,<BR>         &nbs=
p;       =20
what we’re doing here is exposing them to a similar type of =
treatment, which=20
would be=20
a<BR>           &=
nbsp;     =20
summary trial, in secret, subject to the death=20
penalty.” <BR>        =
;          =20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Francis A. Boyle</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Law Building</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Champaign, IL 61820 USA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>217-333-7954(voice)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>217-244-1478(fax)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"mailto:[e-mail]">[e-mail]</A></FONT></DIV>=

<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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