Important Information about the Rally 9-24 in DC.

[ray of light]

Please spread the word and keep this kicked. Lots of helpful hints!

1. Several of us are working in various capacities to help out Katrina victims. Let's get those boxes off to Houston, Covington, Gulfport, Biloxi--wherever they can do the most good. Keep the donations going to Veritas'Colleagues. http://www.cgmahq.org/colleagues

2. Barbara Lee's Resolution of Inquiry (Iraq War lies) has 61 members of Congress already signed on. This incldes at least one Republican. A vote in committee will come between Sept. 6 and Sept. 15. Whether or not your Member serves on the International Relations Committee, they can sign on to co-sponsor the Resolution. They come back to work on Tuesday. You can call them. http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902


3. It is not too late to write Letters to the Editor or even Op-Eds for your local newspaper. Keep these short and to the point; back up any claims with serious reliable information. Suggested topics: global warming and the Kyoto Agreement, depletion of coastal wetlands and the effects on hurricane and other storm damage, the role of governance in our lives, why President Bush should listen to Cindy Sheehan, etc.

4. If you know people in the Capitol Region (DC, VA, MD) PLEASE let them know about our first fundraiser: FEAR UP: Stories from Guantanamo and Baghdad, Monday September 12, 8:00 pm at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V St. NW--more information further down on this page.

5. But perhaps most important of all: COME TO WASHINGTON September 24-26. Here is a list of what is happening then:

11 am Sat.: Gather on the Ellipse, March
After the March: Peace and Justice Festival (DCP will have a table) on the Mall

Operation Ceasefire Concert http://www.opceasefire.org/ (OK, so I have no idea who these groups are, but my kids do, and they are deeply ashamed of me): International recording stars Thievery Corporation are bringing together several notable musical acts such as Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Le Tigre, Bouncing Souls, country music recording artist Steve Earle, socially conscious hip hop groups like The Coup, the rock 'n soul group The Bellrays, along with progressive activists/performers Head-Roc, Jello Biafra, Wayne Kramer of the MC5 and many others for a free concert on the Washington Monument grounds.

Sunday Sept. 25: http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=90 Grassroots Training sessions at the Peace and Justice Festival tents on the Mall, Interfaith Service (Tent Revival) on the Mall at 6:00 pm

Monday September 26: Grassroots Lobby Day: UFPJ is organizing people from all around the country to meet with legislators and their staffs to urge them to stand up against the war. Their goal is to have 600 people meet with 100 Congressional Representatives. You need to register for this effort, but it is one of THE most empowering experiences you will ever have.

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3074 Information

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/modinput4.php?modin=102 Register

AND

Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience at the White House. This action will provide a dramatic opportunity to more directly express your opposition to the war. Building on many traditions of nonviolent action and civil resistance, the protest at the White House will bring together people from different communities and constituencies. For some people this will be the first time they have risked arrest, for others this will be something they have done before. But for all who participate, the action at the White House will be a vehicle to communicate our deeply held convictions that this war must end.

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=3087 Information

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/modinput4.php?modin=112 Register

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/userdata_display.php?modin=10 TRANSPORTATION BOARD

http://www.unitedforpeace.org/housing HOUSING BOARD,

WHY should you plan to come to Washington?

You know what? Forget the specifics of the ideologies of the various groups, forget that you have to work that day, forget that it might cost some money and you just donated to the relief efforts. Forget the reasons why you shouldn't come, or shouldn't come at this time, or that it might be crowded and uncomfortable.

Come to Washington because it's OUR government, and WE THE PEOPLE need to tell them our will. Come to Washington to GIVE NOTICE, BEAR WITNESS, AND TO SPEAK TRUTH.


GET CONNECTED HERE http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?list=type&type=27

SPREAD THE WORD!

Please print fliers and distribute to concerned citizens! http://unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=2872

COME TO WASHINGTON SEPTEMBER 24-26!

***********
Come to Washington September 12:

FEAR UP:
A reader’s theatre presentation of stories from Iraq and Guantanamo

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12

8:00 P.M.
at Busboys and Poets
14th and V St. NW
202-669-3927 for more info

a benefit performance for the Democracy Cell Project
www.democracycellproject.net

SUGGESTED DONATION: $20.00

(please come before 7:00 for dinner at the restaurant)

Readers: *Elise Alper, Fe Bongolan, Danielle Drakes, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, *Marietta Hedges, Victoria Main, *Bruce Nelson, Andy Shallal, *Gary Sloan , David Stutzer (Music)
Directed by Joe Brady
Compiled by Karen Bradley and Marietta Hedges

*Appearance courtesy of Actors Equity

A panel discussion with representatives from human rights organizations will follow at 9 pm

[KerryOn]

1. Kicking - See you there! n/t

[ray of light]

13. here is a better link for donating to Coast Guard Relief for families

This money helps them until insurance can. Please donate!

http://www.cgmahq.org/

[Mass]

2. kicked - recommended

[MH1]

3. Great info! Kicked and recommended.

:kick:

[MH1]

8. ..

[MelissaB]

4. kick!

[ray of light]

14. kick

[blm]

5. Recommended

.

[tom_paine]

6. Kicked!

:kick:

[WilliamPitt]

7. also

http://www.pdamerica.org/articles/events/sept2005/index.php#rally

[Hissyspit]

21. Thanks, Mr. Pitt and ray of light. I'm having a hard time keeping up w/

stuff. See you all in Washington if the gasoline holds out.

[babylonsister]

9. The link on #1 isn't working. nt

[ray of light]

12. new link

http://www.cgmahq.org/

[babylonsister]

15. Thanks! nt

[Nictuku]

10. Why the Protests MUST be Non-Violent

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/army/fm/19-15/CH1.htm

CHAPTER 1
Civil Disturbances
Civil disturbances arise from acts of civil disobedience. They occur most often when participants in mass acts of civil disobedience become antagonistic toward authority, and authorities must struggle to wrest the initiative from an unruly crowd. In the extreme, civil disturbances include criminal acts of terrorism. Civil disturbances, in any form, are prejudicial to public law and order.

FEDERAL INTERVENTION AND AID
Under the US Constitution and the US Code, the President is empowered to direct federal intervention in civil disturbances to:

Respond to state requests for aid in restoring order.
Enforce the laws of the United States.
Protect the civil rights of citizens.
Protect federal property and functions.

Under the Constitution, each state is responsible for protecting life and property within its boundaries. State and local governments use their civil forces to maintain law and order and to quell civil disturbances. However, if a civil disturbance exceeds the resources of a state, federal troops may be called upon to help restore and maintain law and order.

The Constitution and federal statutes authorize the President to direct the use of federal armed troops within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and US possessions and territories and their political subdivisions. The President is also empowered to federalize the National Guard of any state to suppress rebellion and enforce laws.

Federal aid is given to a state when the state has used all of its resources, including its National Guard, to quell a disorder and finds the resources not sufficient. Usually, active-duty federal forces are used to augment the requesting state's National Guard. But the President may choose to federalize another state's National Guard and use them, alone or with other forces, to restore order.

The President also can employ federal troops to ensure the execution of US law when a state opposes or obstructs US law or impedes the course of justice under those laws. And the President can employ armed federal troops to suppress insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful assemblies, and conspiracy if such acts deprive the people of their constitutional rights and privileges and a state's civil authorities cannot or will not provide adequate protection.

The President is also authorized to use armed federal troops to protect federal property and functions when the need for protection exists and the local civil authorities cannot or will not give adequate protection. The right of the United States to protect all federal property and functions regardless of their locations is an accepted principle of our government.

As a temporary measure, federal military equipment and facilities may be loaned to state and local governmental bodies law and enforcement agencies for use during civil disturbances. These resources may also be loaned to a state's National Guard and to non DOD federal agencies. The requesting agencies are expected to provide enough resources of their own to minimize the need for US military resources. And the loan of the resources must not conflict with US military needs.

CAUSES
Civil disturbances may arise from a number of causes. Most often they arise from political grievances, urban economic conflicts and community unrest, terrorist acts, or foreign influences. The event may be triggered by a single cause. Or it may arise from a combination of causes.

Demonstrations of political grievances range from simple protests of specific issues to full-scale civil disobedience. Many forms of political protest, while disruptive, are not unlawful. These protests may be spontaneous, but they generally are planned events. They may even be coordinated with local authorities. Most protectors are law-abiding citizens. They intend their protests to be nonviolent. Violence occurs mainly when control forces must try to contain a protest or arrest protectors involved in civil disobedience. The presence of agitators increases the chance of violence. Agitators want to provoke the control force into overreacting. This embarrasses authorities. It can also gain media and public sympathy for the protectors.

Urban conflicts and community unrest arise from highly emotional social and economic issues. Economically deprived inner-city residents may perceive themselves treated unjustly or ignored by the people in power. Tension can build in a community over a variety of issues. Community services and housing and labor issues are often disputed. Tension creates the potential for violence. When tension is high, it takes only a minor incident or a rumor of an injustice to ignite a civil disturbance. This is particularly true if the community's relations with local police are part of the problem.

Significant cultural differences in a community can create an atmosphere of distrust. Unrest among ethnic groups competing for jobs can erupt into civil disturbance. Sometimes a large group of refugees resettles in one community, creating unrest in the community. If jobs are in short supply and refugees are taking what jobs there are, feelings of animosity can arise. As emotions run high, violence becomes likely.

Civil disturbances may be organized by disaffected groups. These groups like to embarrass the government. Or they may demonstrate as a cover for terrorism. Their goal is to cause an overreaction by authorities. They think this will generate sympathy for their cause among the general population. Foreign nations may promote civil disturbances through surrogate organizations. The surrogates involve themselves in activities that promote a particular nation's interests. Their actions may be quite overt. Sometimes they even conduct fund-raising and membership drives. The surrogate's sponsors provide support in many ways. The sponsors give money, organizational help, and moral support. They may also help by training members of the surrogate group in civil disobedience, vandalism, and agitation and manipulation of crowds and media. Agents of foreign nations may influence civil disturbances. Agents infiltrate disaffected groups to increase their potential for violence. If they are successful and government forces overreact, the targeted government may be seen as repressive.

LOCATIONS
Civil disturbances usually occur at places symbolic of a grievance, near the cause of a grievance, or close at hand to an aggrieved crowd. Examples of such places are nuclear weapons facilities or power plants, in urban areas, at refugee camps, or at government facilities. Nuclear weapons facilities and power plants are subject to demonstrations by anti-nuclear activists. These activists demonstrate at places they know or think are used to develop, build, transport, or store nuclear weapons or their parts. The facilities can belong to federal agencies or to businesses with DOD contracts. Active involvement with nuclear weapons is not necessary. Past involvement or the activists' belief of past involvement can make the facilities targets for demonstrations. Nuclear power plants are also targets of environmentalists and other activist groups. The plants are seen as dangers to society and the environment. Demonstrations at plants or plant construction sites may be held to try to interfere with plant operations.

US government facilities like recruiting offices, federally-leased buildings, ROTC buildings, and federal courthouses also can be the targets of demonstrations. A government facility may be targeted simply because a protesting group attaches a symbolic value to, or perceives a connection with, a protested policy. This is especially true of anti-war and anti-nuclear protest groups. They may choose a facility because they see it as the source of their grievance. Or they may target a facility because the people working there are seen as having the power to address the group's grievance.

Urban areas can be the scene of inner-city conflicts, labor disputes, and political struggles. Disturbances in urban areas are usually fueled by aggrieved members of the community. However, an urban area having symbolic value to a particular group may be the stage used by outside demonstrators to draw attention to their cause.

Refugee and resettlement camps can become the focus of a civil disturbance. Large numbers of refugees entering the US in mass are often placed temporarily in refugee camps until they can be resettled. Resettlement can be a slow and difficult process. The boredom, frustration, and other stresses refugees experience in these camps can create tensions that may erupt into violence. And agitators may infiltrate refugee camps to exploit these tensions in ways that will embarrass the US.

Demonstrations at US government facilities are not limited to those in the US. US facilities in foreign nations can be locations of civil disturbances. DOD installations, US embassies, and US consulates in foreign nations are favorite targets of demonstrators. DOD installations in foreign nations are often scenes of protests against US foreign policies. The actual installation and its mission may or may not be the true target. Often the installation is just used as a highly visible symbol of US government. American embassies and consulates also are subject to disturbances. They too are highly visible, concrete representations of the US government.

MISSION OF MILITARY FORCES IN A CIVIL DISTURBANCE
The mission of the military forces in a civil disturbance is to help local authorities restore law and order. The preservation of law and order in the civilian community is the responsibility of state and local governments and law enforcement authorities. The preservation of law and order on the federal property of a military installation is the responsibility of the installation commander and military law enforcement authorities. The military performs civil disturbance operations in support of these local authorities. Most often the military is used to disperse unauthorized assemblages and to patrol disturbed areas to prevent unlawful acts. Military forces may be used to maintain the mechanics of essential distribution, transportation, and communications systems. Military forces are also used to make a show of force, set up roadblocks, cordon off areas, disperse crowds, release riot control agents, and serve as security forces or reserves, And the military may be tasked to initiate needed relief measures.

The commitment of military forces to civil disturbance control operations does not automatically give these forces police power. The police power of military forces is bound by legal constraints as well as humanitarian consideration. Only the degree of force reasonably needed in a circumstance is permitted. All military leaders and planners must be familiar with the laws, regulations, and policies that govern military involvement in civil disturbances. They must know the laws and policies that have a direct impact on military civil disturbance control plans and actions. Those laws and policies dictate how the military can and should act when controlling a civil disturbance.

Military control force commanders must know what options are available to them. Commanders must be able to be highly flexible and selective in their responses. A commander must select the option that is the best response to a given civil disturbance in that specific physical and psychological environment. He must be able to both reduce the intensity of the confrontation and restore order.

In all contacts with the civilian population and the participants of the disturbance, military forces must display fair and impartial treatment. And they must adhere to the principle of minimum force. Whenever possible, civil police apprehend, process, and detain civil-law violators. Military forces perform these functions only when necessity dictates and only to the minimum extent required. These functions are returned to civil authorities as soon as possible. When military forces have achieved enough order to allow the local authorities to resume control, the military's mission is accomplished and their active role in controlling the disturbance ends.

As the disturbance subsides, the commander takes steps to restore control to the civil authorities. The control force gradually reduces the number and scope of its operations and begins removing its equipment from the area. But the control force takes care not to give the impression that all controls have been removed. Withdrawal is not immediate. That would create the impression of abandonment and could lead to a resurgence of the disturbance. The control force gradually withdraws in a phased return of control to civil authorities.

********

Please, pasee it on.

[ray of light]

11. neoCONS will try to start fights, ignore them.

[Nictuku]

17. Agents Provocateur

A Google of "Agents Provocateur Non-Violent Protests"

Gives a lot of info, but what is relevant to the Sept 24th Protests is this story:
***
They used agents-provocateur to infiltrate the protests, looking just like the Vets and the anti-war protestors, except that the provocateurs would do vicious, savage things to create chaos and havoc, to start riots and confrontations with police, thereby disrupting a peaceful demonstration/march, and garnering all the media attention on only that aspect of the protest. And it was all a LIE staged by the Dirty Tricksters of the Nixonian White House.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/22/9463/83054
***

Get the word out, we have to take action to prevent this. When I say Action, I mean 'Education'. Spot it, and have a standard way to deal with it.

What is that standard way? Film it? Say on film: I am documenting an Agent Provacateur? How else can we deal with this other than to educate everyone on how to deal with it, and I don't know what the best way to deal with this activity would be.

[Nictuku]

20. ACLU reveals FBI labeled peace, affirmative action group 'terrorist'

Why we must pass on the word of Non-Violence:

ACLU reveals FBI labeled peace, affirmative action group 'terrorist'

The American Civil Liberties Union today released an FBI document that designates a Michigan-based peace group and an affirmative action advocacy group as potentially "involved in terrorist activities,"
<snip>
The file was obtained through an ongoing nationwide ACLU effort seeking information on the FBI's use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces to engage in political surveillance.

"This document confirms our fears that federal and state counterterrorism officers have turned their attention to groups and individuals engaged in peaceful protest activities," said Ben Wizner, an ACLU staff attorney and counsel in a lawsuit seeking the release of additional FBI records. "When the FBI and local law enforcement identify affirmative action advocates as potential terrorists, every American has cause for concern."

<snip>
Among the groups mentioned are Direct Action, an anti-war group, and BAMN (By Any Means Necessary), a national organization dedicated to defending affirmative action, integration, and other gains of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The FBI acknowledges in the report that the Michigan State Police has information that BAMN has been peaceful in the past.

"Labeling political advocacy as 'terrorist activity' is a threat to legitimate dissent which has never been considered a crime in this country," said Kary Moss, Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan. "Spying on people who simply disagree with our government's policies is a tremendous waste of police resources."
<snip>

more at http://rawstory.com/news/2005/ACLU_reveals_FBI_labeled_peace_affirmative_action_group_terrori_0829.html

[ray of light]

23. we need to remind people of all this information!

[me b zola]

16. I'll be there!!!!!!!

:kick:

[whometense]

18. kick!

[Donailin]

19. I live in Rockville, I just printed out a flyer

for operation ceasefire and I will make copies at staples and hand them out at this friday night's opening season High school football game, and my kids will distrubute to everyone at school. It's a twenty minute metro ride downtown. . we're bringing the youth.

[ray of light]

22. great idea

and if you have college football, go to a lot of tail gate parties and distribute!

[ginnyinWI]

24. k