Los Angeles demonstration

Not In Our Name called the march at the Westwood Federal Building late yesterday. A surprising number of people showed up on very short notice. We marched west on Wilshire to an Army Recruiting Center at Federal, then back. This was the permitted part of the march.

When we got back, quite a few people kept marching past Veteran, and continued on Wilshire. This part was not in the permit. Cops appeared out of nowhere and faced down the marchers, who then sat down in the middle of the street. Note to those who don’t know L.A., this area normally gets a huge volume of car traffic, so the resulting traffic jams were monumental.

After about an hour or so, they started arresting those who wouldn’t leave the street. In the photo you can see a few of the protesters sitting down in the street surrounded by police and media. About 30-40 got arrested, including one woman in a wheelchair.

Afterwards several of us in ANSWER went to the police station to find out when those arrested would be booked and/or released. One important thing I learned, and anyone considering civil disobedience please take note, if you struggle or go limp while being taken away, you can be charged with resisting arrest. Yes, going limp is considered resisting arrest. Be forewarned.

Tomorrow the same thing happens again, only on a much larger scale as the Westwood Federal Building was chosen as the designated place to gather when the bombing begins…  

I have more photos on la.indymedia.com.

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Turkey deals a blow to US

From DailyKos

“It’s a sucker punch to the US, as another Iraqi neighbor has refused access to military bases for US forces invading Iraq. Turkey has announced that while it will grant overflight rights, the US will not be able to stage forces or launch military aircraft from its territory — not even refueling craft.

So while carrier-based aircraft can launch raids from the eastern Mediteranean, they won’t be able to maintain combat air patrols over Northern Iraq.

Why is this significant? Because the Pentagon indicated it would leapfrog the 101st Airborne Division into Kurdish-held northern Iraq to try and capture and hold the area’s oil fields before Saddam could set them ablaze. The lightly armored 101st could get chewed up without a heavy dose of air support, but it will now be exceedingly difficult (though not impossible) to provide such support without Turkish bases or Turkey-based refueling”

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Lunacy prevails

“NYC officials fear terrorist takeover of TV outlets” so NYC will be spending five million dollars a week defending TV stations.

Sounds scary huh? However “The step was not prompted by a specific threat or intelligence, police said.”  So NYC will be cheerfully scaring the Hell out of everyone based a nonexistent threat. Truly, some sharp planning and a shrewd use of valuable resources.

But it gets worse. In DC, where security should be the tightest, one angry farmer on his tractor has brought DC to its knees.

On Monday, Dwight Watson drove his tractor, which he said is filled with explosives, into a pool near the Washington Monument. He says God told him to do it. And he’s not leaving.

Roads are closed for blocks around. Traffic is snarled. And all this blather about Homeland Security, and they couldn’t stop one farmer on a tractor.

This whole security mania is becoming comic, in a darkly bleak way.

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ANSWER

The regular Tuesday night ANSWER LA meeting yesterday was packed solid last night. Standing room only. Jim Lafferty of the National Lawyers Guild spoke. He said, expect things to get more draconian before they get better, but they will get better, much better. Think smart, smarter than before.

At the Saturday demo in L.A., cops chased two kids through the crowd. The kids stopped by a woman. She said “What’s wrong”? They arrested her. Her husband put his arm on her, trying to move her away. He got arrested under an 1840 law for lynching (I am not making this up), $35,000 bail. That’s what Lafferty meant about things getting draconian.

We may get hundreds of people sitting in street intersections, blocking traffic in protest. Maybe some will get arrested, maybe none, maybe all of them. Don’t do civil disobedience unless you have enough money to bail yourself out, have talked to those who have done it before, and have let someone know you’re doing it.

But don’t let all this scare you. The size and breadth of the peace movement is already unlike anything the planet has ever seen. It’s already bigger than anything in the Vietnam days. It covers the globe.

Remember what the New York Times said after the Feb. 15 protests - there are now two superpowers on the planet, the Bush Administration and the peace movement.

So, like Lafferty said, think smart, act smart. Smarter than ever.

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Los Angeles area actions.

The day the bombing starts
5 pm - gather at Westwood Federal Building
Wilshire at Veteran
If bombing begins at night gather at 5 pm the next day

Today, Wed. Mar 19. Noon
Westwood Federal Building
Wilshire & Veteran
March to Dianne Feinstein’s office
Sepulveda & Santa Monica

Sat Mar 22
Hollywood march & rally. Noon
Assemble at Hollywood & Vine
March to CNN

Sat Mar 22
Long Beach march & rally. 11 am
Assemble Lincoln Park
On Pacific at Broadway, end of blue line
March to Bixby Park
Ocean & Cherry

Sun Mar 23, 3-6 PM
Academy Awards Nights for Peace
Rally in Hollywood on Orange Drive
South of Sunset, North of DeLongpre

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Iraq war could create serious water problems

“Lawmakers attending the 3rd World Water Forum voiced concern Tuesday that a war in Iraq could create major water problems” due to the large number of refugees.

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Bush lied again

Bush said Saddam had 48 hours to leave or else. Now he says it doesn’t matter if Saddam leaves, he’ll invade anyway.

“The United States says American forces will enter Iraq to search for weapons of mass destruction even if President Saddam Hussein complies with an ultimatum to leave”

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Blair dealt a blow by anti-war backbenchers

“British Prime Minister Tony Blair won backing from parliament for war against Iraq late Tuesday, but suffered a blow to his authority as members from his own party staged an unprecedented rebellion against his hardline stance.”

Blair did win the vote tonight, however his grasp on power is shaky, and there will be massive unrest in the UK when the bombing starts.

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