Caltech grad student held in Hummer torchings

FBI agents arrested a 23-year-old Caltech graduate student Tuesday and charged him in connection with a brazen string of environmentally motivated attacks last summer that caused more than $3.5 million in damage to four auto dealerships in the San Gabriel Valley.

Maybe now the FBI will return Josh Connole’s property they seized when they erroneously thought he was involved.

The suspect apparently used Cal-Tech computers to send emails to a LA Times reporter claiming he did it, and Josh didn’t, earning him The PoliZeros Big Duh Award for cluelessness.

Six Caltech computers in two libraries had been used to send e-mail to The Times, investigators learned. Cottrell’s personal library access card was used to enter the libraries within eight minutes of when the messages were sent to the newspaper, records showed.

Records also showed that on 11 occasions, someone using Cottrell’s student account was logged on to a Caltech computer about the same time it was used to access the e-mail account that appeared on the messages to The Times.

He probably thought he was being clever by using library computers. He wasn’t. Folks, email is easy to track.

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Los Angeles events

March 20 antiwar march and rally
The March 20 demo could be sizable. Several buses are already coming from outlying areas, many more than usual. There will be an opening rally at the assembly site as well as the main rally. Both will have bands, as well as speakers. Rock City News is hosting a vegetarian dinner with four bands afterwards, from 5-8 pm, at Qtopia, which is near the assembly site. $2 donation.

Check the ANSWER LA website for full logistics and details.

Petra Kelly’s legacy
Wed., March 17, 7 pm
Peace Center
8124 W. 3rd, LA
Potluck dinner follow, donations welcome

Hosted by Los Angeles Greens for Women’s History Month

Petra Kelly was cofounder of the German Green Party, which was the mothership for Greens. Her contributions were enormous and lasting.

She forged a new vision uniting ecological concerns with radical disarmament, social justice, and human rights.

The presentation emphasizes Kelly’s life and education in the U.S., her many campaigns and their legacy, and her relevance to the Green movement today.

Guest Speaker: Claire Greensfelder, longtime peace, environment and justice activist, who collaborated with Petra Kelly through their common affiliation with WEDO - The Women’s Environment and Development Organization - an international policy organization founded by former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug in 1991.

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U.S. delegation meets with President Aristide

Aristide reveals details of coup

In his press conference and in the direct meetings with the delegation, “President Aristide was very forceful about the fact that he was kidnapped, and that his government is being replaced by a U.S.-sponsored government of occupation,” said Sara Flounders of the International Action Center. President Aristide also said that “only his return to Haiti can bring peace, and he stated that the people who carried out this campaign against his government are internationally recognized criminals.

President Aristide said that he had been lied to by the U.S. ambassador, who assured him that he was being taken to a press conference to talk with international and Haitian media.

“He was instead forced onto a plane and taken out of the country in a U.S. coup d’etat,”

“President Aristide also pointed out the irony that Haiti, which only has 1.5 doctors for every 11,000 people, now has seen the closing of its primary medical school and that school is now being used to house U.S. Marines and other foreign soldiers.

There’s much more, including Aristide’s private security force being blocked by the US from defending him.

A recent Miami Herald article on the subject reported that another 25 reinforcement security guards from the Steele Foundation, who were supposed to arrive Saturday, February 28, received a call Friday night telling them that the U.S. would block their deployment.

More

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Quote of the Day

From eWeek magaine, in an article about viruses, quoting security expert Paul Schmehl.

Educating users on the dangers of opening attachments from unknown sources clearly has not worked, he added. People still open the files and are surprised when something bad happens,

Schmehl said. “We have people in this country who can’t name the president. What makes you think they’d be aware of viruses”, he said.

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