Oaxaca

Somewhere right now in Oaxaca, men with ski masks and assault rifles are dragging a woman out to a pick up truck and raping beating her before throwing her into the back of a truck . . .Her only crime was her refusal to be silent about her brother's murder . . this time tommorow guards will be torturing her in a cell in the women's federal prison in Nayarit on the other side of the country. The prisons of Nayarit are Mexico's Guantanamo, black holes from which no messages escape . . .

Riot police in full body armor stand alongside tanks blocking the roadways that go into the Zocalo, the city's historic center . . .

But a few blocks away a street kid in a torn t-shirt with a can of spray paint scrawls messages of liberation on walls freshly painted over earlier today and slips into the night before the patrols return.

The Zapotec legends say that when the people have faced great threats in the past the stones have hidden them . . . and when the time was right they slipped back from underneath the stones wearing the bodies of animals . . .

Friday, still in Oaxaca, I wrote this poem:

The daughters
of the 13th moon
lie battered
in the women's prison
in Nayarit.

As their blood
seeps into the floor,
the stones come alive,
spreading over scarred backs,
molding to them . .

turtle women
walk south
through gates
and checkpoints
unseen

until they come
into the Zocalo
and their shells fall away

becoming cauldrons
boiling water
for the mountains
giving birth
to the sun.

Fifth Avenue Imports and Cheap Labor Exports, the Challenge of the Millennium

November 14th, 2006
Sister Cities Staff

Last week, the U.S. State Department's Development aid branch, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), approved a 461 million dollar grant to the Government of El Salvador. According to Salvadoran President Tony Saca, this aid will be used in large part to revitalize the economies of the northern part of El Salvador, and more than half of the funds will be destined to build transportation infrastructure, primarily in a superhighway to cut through the northern third of the country, a corridor connecting El Salvador with Guatemala in the west and Honduras in the East.

At first glance, anyone would agree that road improvement in that area of the country is a necessity. But who will benefit from the latest US aid and policy implementation? The MCA funds are part of a larger economic plan for Central America, the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) Plan Pueblo Panama, a regional free trade industrialization plan which calls for mega highways, new hydroelectric dams, telecommunication privatization, amongst other things. El Salvador and Chalatenango happen to lie right at the heart of this transportation corridor for free market trade, yet for the people of the communities of the CCR, the MCA grant is hardly a jackpot.

Last week's MCA news comes as Mayors in the North-eastern region of Chalatenango received word that the Millennium Challenge Fund does not include direly needed repairs to the road connecting Chalatenango City with Arcatao. For the organized communities of the CCR, this means a continued transportation crisis, one that has worsened daily over the last some years. The Chalatenango-Arcatao road has become nearly impassable, with whole sections eroded away, and cavernous potholes. The damage has reached such an extent that this month the people all the municipalities along the road organized community work days to repair the road, despite the fact that the road's maintenance is under the jurisdiction of the central government.

The Chalatenango-Arcatao road is just one of hundreds in the country, but its fate illustrates well US and Salvadoran government priorities, and perhaps what lies behind the MCA. The department of Chalatenango offers a wealth of natural resources, such as mineral and hydrologic wealth, which will be more easily accessed by an east-west highway that could facilitate the movement of products through the Central American corridor. Yet what sorts of opportunities will bigger, wider, highways offer the greater population of Chalatenango? What sort of economic and social policies lie behind the MCA funds? As one way to think about this question, it is worth looking at where similar social and economic policies driven by the same actors (US Government, IDB, ARENA Governments etc.) have taken El Salvador over the last ten years.

In the repopulated community of Guajoyo, in San Vicente (sister city of Austin, Texas) the community board reports that 78 members of the community have immigrated to the US over the last 15 years since the signing of the Peace Accords. Considering that the community is made up of 146 families, that means for one out of every two families there is a community member in the US, who is maybe sending remittances back to mitigate crop damage, natural disaster, and general unemployment which face the community.

That example is representative of the country as a whole. During the last ten years, under successive right wing ARENA governments and free trade policies, as many people have migrated from El Salvador as left the country during the 50 years prior to 1998, which includes the period of the civil war. What that means, is that more people are leaving the country looking for employment and to feed their families now, than fled the country because of the twelve-year war during the eighties and nineties. Currently, a third of the Salvadoran population lives outside the country, with the vast majority residing in the United States, and most of those living in the state of California and Washington DC (two thirds of the more than 2.5 million Salvadorans in the US).

This population sends an average of 157 dollars per month back to nearly a quarter of the more than 6 million people still residing within the country. According to Salvadoran Government figures, remittances are the single largest contributor to the GDP of the country, at 17 percent and rising yearly. While $157 is nearly twice the monthly rural minimum wage, and about equal to the urban minimum wage in El Salvador, it doesn't stop immigration to the north, and an estimated 500 people per day continue leaving El Salvador for the United States. Those who arrive send nearly three billion dollars in remittances back per year (roughly equal to the annual budget of the Salvadoran Government), while paying an average of fourteen thousand dollars per year per family in US taxes. Studies show that of those three billion dollars in remittances, the large majority (83%) are spent in consumption--food, appliances, clothing, etc.

What this means, is that essentially, El Salvador is exporting cheap unskilled labor to the tune of 500 people per day to the United States to keep its families from starving. With this money, the Salvadoran economy stays afloat and pays for half its imports, and more each year, since the agricultural production sector has fallen on hard times, and maquilas continue to leave for Asia. It goes without saying that if the majority of the remittance money is spent in keeping Salvadorans from going hungry, then little is left over to invest in boosting national production or economic opportunities.

So as the Millennium Challenge funds enter the country, who will they benefit? They won't benefit the 500 economic exiles per day that are exported to the North; the immigrants won't be here to use the new roads. They won't benefit the rural population, who have seen their ranks drop from 60 percent of the Salvadoran population in 1990, to 40 percent of the population today, and find themselves travelling to the urban centers such as San Salvador or to the US in search of work, while cheap corn and beans enter the country from the US. They won't build new roads to geographically isolated communities such as the stretch between Chalatenango and Arcatao. But they will benefit the business import sector that the remittances keep afloat (controlled by the 7 richest families in the country, and foreign investors), which requires north-south corridors to move products between Canada to the Panama Canal.

Free market policies such as those included in the MCA aid will only increase immigration. In turn, immigration will continue to benefit the ARENA Government, who reaps the rewards of immigration as a social release, as the unemployed and marginalized leave the country, easing social pressure on the government and poverty, and sending back remittances to feed others who otherwise would go hungry. For the communities of CRIPDES, immigration is seen as one of the principal obstacles to community organization and empowerment, as people leave or become comfortable on remittances and are no longer interested in shared solutions to their difficulties.

In light of this reality, it is important as CRIPDES´ partners, that Sister Cities continue to define strategies to strengthen contacts with immigrants from their communities in the US, and define strategies together to organize across boarders and resist the forces of economic domination which drive youth out of their homes, and tear families apart.

Dear Bono: A Message from Rev. Billy

The latest from the amazing Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping

http://dearbono.org


REVEREND BILLY TO BONO: “Stop Shopping, Start Giving!”

Dear Mr. Bono,

Let’s give directly to the children of Africa, and to the hungry in our own neighborhoods. You urge us, from a tsunami of ads - to BUY RED. To continue consuming, to shop. But we can never shop enough for the African children, when the cost to the world from ordinary shopping is so destructive. Bono — We need to stop our shopping and start our giving. Change-a-lujah! You are right that the paradox of American giving needs to be solved. This Christian nation doesn’t give. We have tended recently to bomb people in need, rather than help them. But shopping to give is like bombing to save. You got it backwards, Mr. Bono. Don’t glamorize shopping. Amen? Let’s learn to give again.

The thing that we do in creating a good neighborhood, now that is at the heart of giving. The little shop owners, the eccentric on the corner, the funny and heart-rending rituals of trust in a healthy town — this instinct of making a community locally is under general attack by chain stores and super malls, and your participating RED companies are leaders in that aggression. GAP, Nike, Apple — These companies have created the global warming economy - putting us all in cars, driving away from our human-scale stores, looking for discounts that kill us.

You act as if shopping is a neutral act, and that it can be directed this way and that, like a C-5A Cargo plane full of candy. No, consumption is a whole cycle of actions that couldn’t impact us more. It is America’s unhappy drug addiction. Consuming? It’s the psychic prison of shopping that makes giving so impossible. Shopping is the death of our spirit, and of our larger spirit, the earth where we live. Bono? Does it make sense to end life to save lives? You will save some African children and that is a wonderful thing. But we could save more by giving directly.

Let’s NOT buy red, but give to Africa, give directly, and give to our own communities by re-starting our more intimate economies at home.

El Salvador Update

El Salvador Update
3rd of October, 2006

USESSC Staff

San Salvador—Last week in Carasque, Chalatenango, a truckload of soldiers arrived without noticed, and before consulting with local authorities climbed the hill behind the village. When members of the community board of Carasque realized what was going on, they fired up the PA system to call the community together. Given that the inhabitants of this region were persecuted for twelve years during the Salvadoran Civil War by the same army, the presence of soldiers is seen as a threat by many. The community decided to follow the soldiers up the hill, and confront them to find out what they were doing, and if they had permission from the property owners to be on the land. Open being questioned, the soldiers allegedly replied claiming they were surveying the land for environmental damage, deforestation, and erosion. However, community leaders maintain that the soldiers were accompanied by foreigners linked to the mining companies operating in the region; an ominous sign for the population of North-eastern Chalatenango which has overwhelmingly voiced its opposition to mining.

Since the July 5th shootings in the National University in San Salvador, military presence in the organized communities of the Association for the Development of El Salvador—CRIPDES has increased, under an array of different justifications. Military presence has been most pronounced in the departments of Chalatenango and San Vicente. Riding the wave of reactions around the country to the rising violence and especially the shootings at the National University, this month the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly passed an anti-terrorism law, pushed by the Administration of President Tony Saca and his right wing ARENA party.

Debate last month over the law unleashed a fierce barrage of name calling in the Legislative Assembly, calling back the ghosts of the Civil War. While not entirely unusual, the extremes of the debate illustrate the polarized democratic spaces within the country, and the fear-mongering tactics of the Saca Administration. Case in point was the discourse by Walter Guzmán of the right wing ARENA during Assembly discussion of the anti-terrorism bill. He accused the left wing parties and social organizations opposed to the Government of being terrorists, presumably for questioning the law. Guzman’s outburst is alarming, given that some of the principle concerns about the law have to do with its lack of a definition of what is considered terrorism, and consequently, who may be defined as terrorists. Thus, the definition is left up to the Executive Branch (controlled by the same ARENA part, which after the July 5th shootings blamed its principle political opposition the FMLN for being linked to the attacks). ARENA had insisted that the law was not designed to criminalize social protest nor achieve political designs, rather to guarantee public security, yet Guzman’s comments contradict that stance.

The Salvadoran anti-terrorism law defines terrorist organizations as “those groupings…that try to use violent or inhuman methods with the expressed goal of causing terror, insecurity, or alarm.” This definition is vague at best, leaving much up to the interpreter. Likewise, under the anti-terrorism bill, the occupation of public or private buildings, areas of public use, or cities which in any way affects the normal activities, and is done “partially or totally with the use of arms, explosives, or similar articles” is considered an act of terrorism. The Salvadoran social movement and FMLN have questioned who will interpret these definitions of terrorism and what is considered a weapon, and if this clause is not an attempt by the Salvadoran Right to retract the Constitutional right to assembly and protest. Finally, the antiterrorism law also authorizes the Salvadoran Armed Forces and Police to intercept at their discretion any sort of transportation they suspect might be connected to terrorism. Essentially, Army or Police checkpoints now have the authority to do as they will, and then say they suspected terrorism.

The retraction of basic rights, the use of fear tactics and threats on the floor of the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly are not so different than the debate last week on the floor of the USA Senate over the new detainee bill. The Boston Globe on Friday quoted Senator Christopher S. Bond, a Missouri Republican, of claiming that Democrats, in questioning the new detainee antiterrorism bill, ``encourage the enemy," and ``demoralize our troops."

``They're not unpatriotic; they just don't understand the terrorist enemies we face," Bond said. Mr. Bond might just be right, because with new sweeping powers granted by the so called Antiterrorism bill, his Republican colleagues of the Bush Administration, much like the Saca Administration, are in large part authorized to define who the terrorists and enemy combatants are. Now nobody but the President can be sure who will be labelled a terrorist, or what might constitute terrorism. However, legislators from both parties rushed to sign the detainee bill last week.
In our fear of terror, we fear the enemy could be anyone, and that is how it may well be defined, since the recent legislation doesn’t. Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his first inaugural address in 1932 uttered that now famous lines “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” He made this remark in the midst of the Great Depression, calling for optimism and strength in hard times. What can be said of our fear of terror, of terrorism?

In a fitting ending to the story in Carasque, the inhabitants of the community told the soldiers they didn’t want them coming to the area, and did not disperse until the soldiers had trucked out of town. They have since proceeded to raise the alarm in the entire province, so other communities are ready should the soldiers or miners arrive. What might have been a retreat into fear was converted into an act of courage and popular power, a story to be told throughout the region. Despite the machine guns, uniforms and authoritarianism—in the face of fear—the community of Carasque did not stand paralyzed, rather as they have for so many years, they continued to organize for their rights. Roosevelt would say they advanced rather than retreating, for they overcame their fear—the first step in fighting terror.

PA, NJ Join Baldacci Effort to End Sweatshops

News Release
For immediate release
September 16, 2006
Contact: Bjorn Claeson, 207-262-7277(o); 207-949-2375©

Governor Rendell Joins National Anti-Sweatshop Initiative
Three Governors Take Lead in Coalition to End Tax Subsidies of Sweatshops
Rendell’s Action Responsive to, Lauded by Diverse Coalition

September 16 – Today Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that he is joining a path-breaking governors’ initiative to end sweatshop exploitation in apparel and other industries. Proposed by Governor John E. Baldacci of Maine, the Governors’ Coalition for Sweatfree Procurement and Workers’ Rights will use state government procurement as a catalyst to level the playing field for ethical businesses and advance justice for sweatshop workers. Deputy Secretary for Workforce Development Sandi Vito made the announcement at an anti-sweatshop educational event in Harrisburg, hosted by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

“We must not encourage companies that use sweatshops by doing business with them,” Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell said. “If companies know they will lose money by continuing to employ this industrial-age practice, they will stop. Businesses can still make money by treating their employees fairly.”

“There's power in numbers,” added Governor John E. Baldacci. “If we team up with other states we'll have even more influence in the global marketplace. Workers around the world deserve any influence or leverage we can bring to the table.”

Governor Rendell’s announcement follows last week’s news that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine also will participate in the Coalition. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maine all have made previous commitments to sweatshop-free procurement through legislation that includes a code of conduct requiring state contractors and subcontractors of apparel and other products to adhere to basic international fair labor standards. Other public entities with similar legislation include the states of California, Illinois, and New York, and over 60 cities, counties, and school districts.

By acting together, states and other public entities can increase resources for investigating sweatshop conditions and coordinate enforcement of sweatfree procurement policies. According to SweatFree Communities, a worker rights organization that coordinates a nationwide campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium, five U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, have also expressed interest in collaborating with other public entities to enforce sweatfree procurement legislation.

Governor Rendell’s announcement drew praise from a wide range of worker rights advocates and businesses, including garment workers’ unions, public sector unions, civil rights organizations, student groups, and apparel contractors that had requested Governor Rendell to join the Coalition.

“The sewing machine operators, pressers, and cutters who work in the Pennsylvania garment industry applaud Governor Rendell’s continued support of sweat-free procurement.” said Gail Meyer Vice President of Pennsylvania Joint Board UNITE HERE. “We are looking forward to working closely with the Governor in this new Coalition.”

“This is about exporting Pennsylvania's high standards for workers' rights throughout the global economy and creating a fair playing field that starts with respect for the human rights of workers everywhere,” said Celeste Taylor, Pittsburgh Anti- Sweatshop Community Alliance’s representative to the SweatFree Communities Board and a member of the Black Political Empowerment Project’s Planning Council. “This is an extension of the historic role of Pennsylvania's Abolitionist and Labor Union movements. The Governor takes a profound step forward by doing what is necessary to strictly enforce the 2004 Anti-Sweatshop Executive Order and offering to collaborate with other governmental jurisdictions to do so.”

More information about the campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium is available at: http://www.sweatfree.org/sweatfreeconsortium

Communities of CCR Say ‘No’ to Mining before Salvadoran Legislative Assembly

6 of September, 2006
By Sebastian Dario

Chalatenango--On Saturday, the Legislative Assembly held their weekly floor session in Chalatenango City rather than in San Salvador. The organized communities of the CCR-CRIPDES were present, lining the streets of Chalatenango with anti-mining banners. The protest was part of ongoing activities by the National Table Against Mining, of which CRIPDES and its regional branches form part.

Early Saturday morning, young people from the communities of the CCR mounted their bicycles to tour the Department, raising awareness in every town they passed of the dangers of allowing Canadian mining companies Aura Resources Inc. (formerly Au Martinique Silver, Inc.) and Intrepid Minerals and their subsidiaries to develop mining projects in the region.

In addition to constant mobilizations by the rural communities affected by mining projects, specifically those in the CCR region of Chalatenango, the National Table Against Mining is working with lawyers to develop a Mining Law reform, in which metallic mineral mining would be banned in El Salvador. The draft of the mining law will be presented to the Legislative Assembly in a march planned for around Columbus Day.

The communities of the CCR have continued to carry out activities in protest of the Canadian mining company's presence in Chalatenango, despite the declaration by Minister of the Environment Hugo Barrera that there would be no mining exploitation licenses issued to any company because the Ministry did not have the resources to monitor the environmental impacts of mining. This has not dissuaded the mining companies from carrying out their exploration work.

Faced with the mining company's continued presence in Chalatenango, Felipe Tobar, a long time community leader and current board president of the community of San Jose Las Flores, said that community members, in coordination with the CCR, have expanded their educational work to reach the entire Department of Chalatenango, including work with unorganized communities where the CCR does not currently have a presence.

In a recent meeting of the National Table Against Mining, Felipe Tobar reported that to date nobody in Chalatenango has sold their land to the mining company, thanks to the department-wide educational campaign community leaders have been carrying out since last year. The right of property owners to decide whether or not the mining company may operate in the region is seen as one of the few legal resources the communities have to keep mining companies off their lands under Salvadoran Mining Law. Exercising this right, the property owners in the communities of San Jose Las Flores, Arcatao, Los Amates, Guarjila, Ignacio Ellacuria, Carasque and others have combed their properties, searching out mining company markers and recovering them in the face of continued mining company exploration. "Because of this," said Tobar, "it is more important than ever to strengthen out community organizing and protect our lands and communities."

El Salvador: Repression in the Name of Security, Sound Familiar?

Repression in the Name of Security, Sound Familiar?

September 3, 2006

US El Salvador Sister Cities Staff

Extortions of bus drivers and professionals[i], the reappearance of death squads linked to the National Civilian Police force[ii], more than 11 homicides per day[iii], State imposed curfews[iv], and military occupations of rural communities[v]; this is the content of some of the headlines in major newspapers around El Salvador this week.

On Tuesday communities in the Lower Lempa region of San Vicente denounced the armed raid without search warrant of their historical museum by the Salvadoran Armed Forces and National Civilian Police, under order of the Attorney Generals Office. Likewise, Beatrice de Carrillo, Salvadoran Attorney General for Human Rights has denounced the existence of death squads in the style of seventies and eighties, which she links directly and indirectly to the National Civilian Police. As clear evidence of death squads, she points to the execution style assassinations and bodies recovered showing disfigurations and signs of torture.

The use of the armed forces under the guise of security, whether it be fighting gang violence or protecting borders, is part of an escalating reality in El Salvador, fuelled by the fear increasing levels of violence generates, and political motives. It is this fear that has launched the Legislative Assembly into a discussion about state of emergency curfews, and has people debating the benefits of death squads to eliminate gangs; fear generated security measures at the cost of human rights.

Over the last couple weeks, the Legislative Assembly has been discussing imposing a State of Emergency curfew on some neighbourhoods in the Greater San Salvador, in an effort to curb violence[vi]. Nevertheless, many poorer and marginalized communities have been living under gang and organized crime imposed curfews for some time now, simply because leaving ones home at night is so dangerous.[vii]

Now, some CRIPDES communities are experiencing the militarization of their towns, not by gang members, but by the Salvadoran Armed Forces. Since the aftermath of the July 5th shootings at the National University in San Salvador, when the Minister of the Interior Rene Figueroa claimed that the FMLN supported armed groups,[viii] there has been an increased military presence in the Lower Lempa region in San Vicente, and in other parts of the country. Military presence generally is most notable in FMLN strongholds or repopulations of ex-combatants.

On August 24, sixty members of the Salvadoran Army and twenty four police officers occupied the community of La Sabana all day, raiding the local historical museum without a warrant, threatening to arrest community leaders, and intimidating the population. They claimed the museum was a weapons cache, when in fact it holds artefacts that were decommissioned by the UN through the Peace Accords, have been in the community without incident during the fourteen years since they were destroyed, and all carry their UN documentation, certifying their status.

Days before the raid, the Army had been through many of the communities in the Lower Lempa Region, vaccinating farm animals. In retrospect, community members point out that the vaccination program was also a clear reconnaissance mission, in which the army identified potential targets for later raids. In a community wide Assembly in Las Anonas, San Vicente on the 31st of August, community and CRIPDES leaders warned that everyone should be alert for military movement in the area, and ready to leave their houses to confront police and military presence. In La Sabana the National Civilian Police would have arrested community members in charge of the museum had it not been for the rapid response and mobilization of the entire region, who blocked authorities from taking their leaders away.

Militarization is a national phenomenon. In the Arcatao, the Department of Chalatenango, there has been a military post for some time. Military officials in Chalatenango say that the three soldiers they posted in the community were placed there to guard the boarder. However, when the community called an assembly and invited military officials to address disorderly behavior by the soldiers, the Colonel in charge of the post did not show. A few days after the assembly, on August 15th, the Colonel arrived in Arcatao with about twenty troops armed with machine guns, which stationed themselves around the town square. He met with community leaders, and later removed the three soldiers from their post, only to immediately increase the troop deployment in Arcatao to ten soldiers. Like the Lower Lempa, Chalatenango is a historic FMLN stronghold, and at the center of the national mining debate.

In the face of the violence and fear campaign, the organized communities of CRIPDES demanded in an August 29th press release an “end of the campaign of intimidation, terror, and unfounded accusations on behalf of the Government of Antonio Saca, against community leaders and the communities of the Lower Lempa and other regions of the country.” Likewise, in a unanimous call at Thursday’s community assembly in Las Anonas, the community agreed to unite in the face of repression, to protect their communities and neighbors from the threat of repression and militarization.






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

[i] Carlos Montes, Mauricio Bolaños, David Marroquín, Milton Grimaldi. “Extorsiones Causan Paros y Homicidios.” La Prensa Grafica. 1 de septiembre, 2006. http://www.laprensagrafica.com/nacion/580753.asp

[ii] Leonel Herrera. “PDDH insiste en investigar a grupos de exterminio.” Diario Colatino. 30 de agosto, 2006. http://www.diariocolatino.com/nacionales/detalles.asp?NewsID=13629

[iii] “Asesinan a periodista de diario salvadoreño.” El Comicio. 28 de agosto, 2006. http://www.elcomercioperu.com.pe/EdicionOnline/Html/2006-08-28/onEcMundo0567314.html

[iv] Beatriz Castillo, Iván Escobar. “Toque de queda y limpieza social acechan colonias.” Diario Colatino. 29 de agosto, 2006. http://www.diariocolatino.com/nacionales/detalles.asp?NewsID=13606

[v] Beatriz Castillo. “Comunidades del Bajo Lempa denuncian acoso policial y militar.” Diario Colatino. 31 de agosto, 2006.

[vi] C. Monti, k. Urquilla. “Esperan opinión de FGR para el toque de queda.” Diario de Hoy. 22 de agosto, 2006. http://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/2006/08/22/nacional/nac2.asp

[vii] Daniel Valencia. “Toque de queda en el paraíso de Soyapango.” El Faro. 28 de agosto, 2006. http://www.elfaro.net/Secciones/noticias/20060109/noticias7_20060109.asp

[viii] CISPES. 7 of July, 2006. http://www.cispes.org/english/Communiques_-_Action_Alerts/espanol_7julio.html

Support Salvadoran Garment Workers

Support Hermosa Maquila Workers

FROM CRISPAZ, 8/29/06

Hermosa Maquila Workers Put Former Boss in the Hotseat

Women workers from the now-closed “Hermosa Manufacturing” maquila factory announced that Hermosa owner, Joaquin Salvador Montalvo, will be the subject of a court hearing set for September 1 in the city of Apopa . The women are suing their former boss for failure to pass on their social security and pension deductions to the government agencies responsible for those accounts. Montalvo now operates a maquiladora known as MB Knitting Mills in Guazapa, 20 miles from San Salvador.

The women’s pay stubs show deductions for Social Security and pension payments, but Montalvo failed to pass those deductions to the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (ISSS) and pension fund. Hermosa workers report that many employees got a rude awakening when they visited public hospitals and were told that they could not be served because they had not paid into the system. Workers say that Social Security authorities and Montalvo worked out a partial payment deal, whereby some women received care at government facilities, while others were arbitrarily shut out. Many pregnant women were denied pre-natal care as a result of the negligent payments.

Now Montalvo is in the hot seat. It’s not the first time: workers previously occupied his factory for months when Montalvo closed Hermosa and attempted to move equipment to the MB Mills site 20 miles away. Former Hermosa workers have opened lawsuits against their former boss for back wages, pension money, and social security payments. The September 1 hearing will define if there is enough evidence to move to trial in the pension case. The other cases are pending.

ACTION: SEND A LETTER

Hermosa workers are asking that interested persons and unions send the following letter to El Salvadoran President Tony Saca, to bring their former boss to justice for his negligent actions.

ELIAS ANTONIO SACA
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF EL SALVADOR
casapres@casapres.gob.sv
fax: +503 2243 7857 / 9930

copy to:

Beatrice Alamani de Carrillo
Human Rights Ombudswoman
fax: + 503 2222 0655

Felix Garried Safie
Attorney General of the Republic
fgsafie@fgr.gob.sv
fax: + 503 2249 - 8613

Mr. Elias Antonio Saca
President of the Republic of El Salvador

Dear Mr. Saca:

Through this letter, we manifest our extreme concern for stalled justice in the case of the workers of the Hermosa Manufacturing factory.

It has come to our attention that both the labor and penal processes have so far lasted more than a year. Lengthy judicial processes in which peoples' subsistence is at stake should be prioritized and resolved immediately. We are also aware that the Attorney General's Office has not informed workers of the hearing dates to present key witnesses in cases brought by workers. This has left many of these cases impugn. Likewise, we are aware that in the penal process against Mr. Montalvo Machado there has been an assessment of the factory machinery based on Mr. Montalvo's own evaluation. We demand that plaintiffs also be able to present a qualified assessment of the value of that machinery, thus holding with the principle of procedural equality.

In light of the above, we demand of you the appropriate attention in this case and the prompt resolution of the persistent problems that workers experience. We denounce the stalling of justice and the overt bias demonstrated by government institutions in favor of maquila owners in cases brought by workers.

We condemn these practices that threaten our nation's democratic development and challenge the integrity of the State, which should promote first and foremost the development of the individual worker within a just legal framework.

Name:

Organization:

Resistance and Repression in Oaxaca

College of the Atlantic Professor Gray Cox has an excellent op-ed piece in today's Bangor Daily News about the nonviolent uprising in Oaxaca in southern Mexico, and the violent military, police, and paramilitary response to it.

Oaxaca is Mexico's second poorest state, a region where the falling corn prices brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have devastated the local economy.

The Narco News Bulletin provides excellent background information, analysis, and continuous updates about the struggle in Oaxaca.

More Repression in El Salvador

Wave of Repression continues in El Salvador with Death Squad-style Murders of FMLN Leaders
* Salvadoran Movement calls for international pressure for a timely and thorough investigation*

Alex Flores Montoya and Mercedes Peñate de Montoya, two well-known FMLN leaders, were found dead last Wednesday in the municipality of Coatepeque, department of Santa Ana. The husband and wife were traveling in their vehicle when they were intercepted by another vehicle. They were then forced to lay face down on the ground, each shot with a single bullet to the head, and abandoned in a nearby alley. Alex Flores Montoya was a teacher in two of the local public schools, and as an FMLN activist he served as the local FMLN board’s adjunct coordinator and ran for municipal council with the FMLN in the March 2006 elections. Mercedes Peñate de Montoya was also a recognized FMLN activist and former candidate to the FMLN municipal council in the March 2000 elections.

The FMLN denounced the death squad-style killings and is demanding a prompt and thorough investigation by the National Civilian Police (PNC) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR). Luis Corvera, FMLN coordinator for the department of Santa Ana, said last Friday that the crime “cannot be left in impunity.” Corvera expressed the concerns of many Salvadorans saying that the murders are most likely political because the way in which the Montoyas were killed is typical of the Salvadoran death squads of the 1980’s.

Political violence in El Salvador has been escalating since the violence of July 5th, when police attacked a student protest against the rising cost of bus fare and two police officers were killed. That night the PNC illegally raided the union federation CSTS and tortured and illegaly detened union leader Daniel Ernesto Morales on July 5th, then on July 17th SETA (the water worker’s union) received a death threat signed by a supposed death squad group. In recent weeks, two “social-cleansing” death squads have reemerged in the western part of the country, and last Thursday the Salvadoran Army, spurred on by the ARENA rhetoric that has been calling the FMLN and its supporters “terrorists,” illegally occupied a rural organized community in San Vicente claiming they were looking for weapons. Meanwhile, nothing has been done in the investigation of the recent brutal murder of FMLN leader “Mariposa” Marina Manzanares’ parents in Suchitoto on July 1st, and the government has done nothing to address the evidence of death squad-like groups operating from within the PNC. (For details about the protest and violence, go to here or here for previous alerts, or check out our recent El Salvador updates here.

In the context of this escalating repression, the FMLN and Salvadoran social movement are calling for international solidarity to pressure the Attorney General’s office for a prompt and thorough investigation into the murders. Join us in demanding an end to the violence and respect for the right to organize in El Salvador – the social movement and international solidarity demand justice, not impunity, for the perpetrators of political repression!

TAKE ACTION!

1. Write to the Salvadoran Attorney General and demand that the office carry out a prompt and thorough investigation into both the most recent Montoya couple assassination and the July 1st Manzanares couple brutal murder. (see below for sample fax)

Sr. Félix Garrid Safie P., Fiscal General de La República de El Salvador -Fax: 011(503)2249 - 8607 or e-mail to fgsafie@fgr.gob.sv. Send a copy of your message and any reply to Krista Hanson at the CISPES National Office: krista@cispes.org


2. Call your Congressional Representative to inform them of the continued political repression in El Salvador and ask that she or he follow up on the recent Dear Colleague letter that called on the U.S. State Department to investigate the Salvadoran police’s respect for human rights – the Capitol Hill switchboard is 202-224-3121. The letter, including the list of signers, is on-line here. [Note: Rep. Michaud signed on to the letter and should definitely be asked to call President Saca and Secretary Rice.]


Sample Fax:


Para: Sr. Félix Garrid Safie
Fiscal General de la República de El Salvador
Presente
011-503-2249 - 8607


29 de Agosto de 2006

Estimado Sr. Félix Garrid Safie,

Le escribo para expresarle mi grave preocupación sobre los asesinatos de Alex Flores Montoya y Mercedes Peñate de Montoya el pasado Miércoles, 23 de Agosto por horas de la tarde. Los esposos, quienes eran reconocidos líderes del FMLN, fueron asesinados con un disparo a la cabeza y abandonados en el caserío San Isidro, jurisdicción de Coatepeque. Ellos dejan en la orfandad a sus 3 hijos, de 17, 21 y 25 años de edad. El asesinato ocurre a unas cuantas semanas después del brutal asesinato de los esposos Manzanares, el 1ero de Julio en Suchitoto, quienes también militaban en el FMLN.

Ambos asesinatos fueron ejecutados en un estilo propio a los Escuadrones de la Muerte, grupos armados clandestinos que funcionaron con impunidad durante la guerra en El Salvador. El hecho que cada vez es más y más frecuente este estilo de asesinato, junto con el reaparecimiento de grupos de limpieza social como la Sombra Negra y el Comando Central Maximiliano Hernández Martínez, y denuncias de grupos de exterminio dentro de la Policía Nacional Civil, apunta a un peligroso retroceso en el respeto a los derechos humanos en El Salvador. Todo ello es aún más alarmante cuando la represión política va en aumento y las ejecuciones parecieran ser deliberadamente en contra de activistas políticos de izquierda.

Por lo tanto, le pido que la Fiscalía General de la República efectúe una pronta y profunda investigación de estos casos y que por ningún motivo queden en la impunidad. Además, la Fiscalía General de la República deberá investigar los móviles políticos detrás de estos asesinatos y no descartarlos de antemano como suele hacer. Estaré al tanto del desarrollo de la investigación, así como el posterior enjuiciamiento de los culpables, y mantendré mis congresistas informados sobre la represión política en El Salvador.

Atentamente,

_______________


English version of sample fax (send Spanish version)


To: Mr. Félix Garrid Safie
Attorney General of the Republic of El Salvador
011-503-2249 - 8607

August 29, 2006


Dear Mr. Félix Garrid Safie,

I write you to express my grave concern with regards to the murders of Alex Flores Montoya and Mercedes Peñate de Montoya this past Wednesday, August 23rd. The couple, both of whom were recognized FMLN leaders, were killed with a single shot to the head and abandoned in the neighborhood of San Isidro, in the municipality of Coatepeque. They leave behind their 3 children, who are 17, 21 and 25 years old. These killings come just weeks after the brutal assassination on July 1st of the Manzanares, both of whom were also militants in the FMLN.

Both murders were carried out in the style of the death squads, armed clandestine groups that operated with impunity during the war in El Salvador. The fact that this type of murder is more and more frequent, as well as the resurgence of social cleansing groups like the Sombra Negra and the Maximiliano Hernandez Martinez Central Commando and the denouncements of extermination groups within the ranks of the National Civilian Police, all point to a dangerous setback in the respect for human rights in El Salvador. All of this is even more alarming when political repression in on the rise and these executions appear to be deliberately targeting political activists on the left.

Because of this, I ask the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic carry out a prompt and thorough investigation into these cases and that they are not left in impunity for any reason. Furthermore, the Attorney General’s Office should investigate the political motives behind these killings and not discard them a priori as is usual the case. I will be following the development of the investigations, as well as the subsequent judicial case against those responsible, and maintain my congressmen and women informed about political repression in El Salvador.

Sincerely,


_______________

Dates Set For Big Box Forums

How has the growth of stores like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Target helped or hurt your family, your job, your community?


The Eastern Maine Fair Economy Commission
invites you to take part in

A Community Forum On
BIG BOX DEVELOPMENT
and your local economy

Alamo Theater, Bucksport, September 25, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Ellsworth City Hall, September 28, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Wellman Commons, Bangor Theological Seminary, October 5, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.


Join us to share your stories, experiences, and ideas about issues like:

-- The impact of "big box" stores on jobs and wages

-- The affect of "big box" stores on other local businesses

-- The balance between the tax revenues "big box" stores bring to a community
and the demand they place on municipal services

-- The importance of low prices for people with low incomes

-- Where the products on store shelves come from

-- The environmental impacts of "big box" development

-- Ways to give the public a bigger voice in making decisions about what kind of economy we want for our communities, our region, our state,
our country, and our world.


The Eastern Maine Fair Economy Commission is a group of leaders from the labor, academic, public service, and business communities drawn together by PICA to examine the impact of "big box" development on our region and recommend policies to create a fair and sustainable economy for Eastern Maine.

For more information contact
Sean Donahue -- 207-947-4203, sean@pica.ws or
Daphne Loring -- daphneloring@hotmail.com

Repression in El Salvador - make a call for a transparent investigation

(Forwarded from U.S. - El Salvador Sisiter Cities)

Many of you have followed news of the violent and repressive events that happened last week in El Salvador, events that are being called the worst violation of human rights in El Salvador since the signing of the Peace Accords. We ask you to take action:

Read the update below for the facts of what happened on July 5 and the following days.

Call the American congresspeople who represent you. Ask them to contact Salvadoran President Tony Saca's government and call for an independent and transparent investigation into the events of July 5. Your congresspeople's contact information is immediately accessible to you on the Contacting the Congress website <http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html>. If you are Canadian, your MP's contact info is immediately accessible to you by postal code at <http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Language=E&source=sm>.

Without a fair, transparent investigation, it is possible that the whole truth about the shooting last Wednesday will never be known. What is clear is that the aftermath of the violence gives the government justification for a dramatic escalation of violence against the social movement. ... Such an investigation, however, is even more unlikely given U.S. intervention into the case. U.S. Ambassador Douglas Barclay gave a rare interview to the press on Saturday in which he repeated Saca's line of calling this a "terrorist act" and implying that the FMLN was behind the shootings. He then suggested that the U.S. could "help" in the investigation through FBI assistance. (from the CISPES update below--read on for more.)


Thanks very much for making those phone calls.

In solidarity,
Emily Carpenter
for the US-ES Sister Cities network and Human Rights Work Commission

--------

Dangerous Repercussions of July 5 Violence in El Salvador
Jailed students released, but harsh threats by Saca Administration, U.S. Embassy continue

CISPES Update
July 13, 2006

It's been just over a week since a student protest in San Salvador resulted in violent police repression and two police deaths. The violence, which erupted during a student protest against bus fare hikes, also led to the police occupation of El Salvador's National University (UES) for days, the emergency evacuation of more than 700 people, the capture of between 20 to 30 students, and a university administrator being gravely injured. Over the weekend the students were released from jail due to lack of evidence, the police finally left the university, and on Tuesday a captured union leader was also released. However, the ramifications of last week's repression remain frightening. The Human Right's Office has called the violence instigated by the National Civilian Police (PNC) the "worst violation of human rights since the Peace Accords." And although there was indeed a renegade within the protest that fired at police, social movement organizations, human rights groups, and student groups have all called the government's response an unjustified use of force that represents a serious setback to the 1992 Peace Accords.

Background – The events of July 5

On Wednesday, July 5th an impressive array of police – including riot police (UMO), an elite, specialized group of police (known as the GRP), and snipers on the rooftop of a nearby children's hospital – were stationed at the main entrance of the National University (UES) even before a student march arrived. The high school and university students were demanding reduced bus fare for students, elderly, and the differently-abled, a demand the students have been mobilizing around for at least two years. When the UMO violently apprehended two 15-year-old students (at least one of whom was later taken to the hospital because of the severe beatings) the other students responded by throwing rocks at the police. Police then began firing rubber bullets and tear gas, and advancing ominously towards the students. A participant in the protest pulled out an M-16 and fired at police. Two riot police died and nine more were injured. All students ran into the UES for cover.

Soon, police began firing real bullets from both the ground and from at least two artillery helicopters flying over the UES. A UES administrator was shot at from the air while inside a university office and remained hospitalized for a week because the bullet came so close to his heart. That afternoon, the government continued to militarize the surrounding streets of the UES, cordoning off entry and exit from the university and randomly rounding up students trying to evacuate the campus. At 10:00 that evening, the police violated the legally guaranteed autonomy of the National University by breaking the locks and occupying the campus. They remained inside for the next 4 days.

Government Response: Smear, Disinformation, and more Repression

Within a matter of minutes of the violence, ARENA public officials were blaming the FMLN party, long before any clarification of the incident or an initial investigation of the events was possible. "I formally accuse the FMLN of being behind these actions," said Saca on radio and TV stations shortly afterwards. "It is time Salvadorans realize that if the FMLN had won, there would be armed groups circulating the streets." All of the mainstream media joined Saca in accusing the protestors and the FMLN of attacking the PNC, the media and the paramedics. At a press conference held at noon that day, the government used false information to justify the use of force by police. Officials claimed that students had AK-47s and snipers within the UES, and they claimed that the FMLN had planned to the action to distract attention from an internal crisis.

Despite an understanding that the police would be accompanied at all times while on campus, the PNC broke into the university at 10:00 pm that Wednesday – where ARENA claimed there were weapons arsenals– and were not joined by university officials or Human Rights observers until 8:00 am the following morning. Simultaneously, about 30 police raided the offices of the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers (CSTS) in another alleged "search for weapons." Union leader Daniel Ermesto Morales was beaten and detained for illegal gun possession, although the only gun they found was registered to a private security officer on the premises. The police raid and pillage of the CSTS offices came in response to a press conference held there by social movement organizations on July 5th in which they denounced the government's repressive actions that morning. Initially, police refused to provide information about the whereabouts of Morales and the captured students. Morales was ultimately held for five days until a judge released him on Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested one man that they claim was giving cover to the shooter that fired the M-16, and have begun a massive manhunt for Mario Belloso Castillo, the supposed murderer of the two riot police. Because both men have been members of the FMLN, ARENA has launched a full-blown smear campaign claiming that the FMLN was behind the attacks and that it is a terrorist organization. The FMLN responded to the attacks on the party by condemning the use of violence in protests and pointing out that it cannot control the individual actions of the 100,000 party members.

However, while Belloso has indeed been identified in photos, only a thorough investigation can prove that he actually killed the two riot police. Last Thursday, the Human Right's Ombudswoman Beatrice de Carrillo declared that "the deaths appeared to be very exact sniper executions that hit one police officer in the head and the other in the heart, to kill. This indicates that there has been a specific will to provoke this outcome." She added that media footage of the shooter isn't proof that this person was the author of these executions, and that the government's only source of information – an anonymous informant – is insufficient.

Disputed Accounts, and More Fallout From the Violence

Authorities of the National University have challenged claims by the PNC that there were weapons found on the campus. PNC officials have also asserted that police helicopters did not shoot, despite witnesses, pictures and video footage to the contrary. They also deny claims that there were snipers at the nearby children's hospital despite equal proof, as well as claims that multiple air force planes flew over the university, in addition the helicopters. On Tuesday, University officials released photos showing police firing from helicopters.

In defiance of the judiciary, President Saca and Minister of the Interior Figueroa have stated they will appeal the release of the students, claiming that there is more than enough evidence to incriminate them, while the union leader from CSTS will be prosecuted for illegal firearms possession.

Most ominously, ARENA has repeated labeled all those involved in recent protests "terrorists" and used the justification of the violence to push the so-called "anti-terrorist" law, a draconian measure that would criminalize building occupations, street blockades, and other common popular protest tactics. The law is so outlandish that even allied right-wing parties refused to support it last Thursday, and the Assembly voted instead to create an ad hoc commission to further investigate the events of July 5. Still, the law may be presented again by ARENA in the coming weeks.

What's next for El Salvador?

Without a fair, transparent investigation, it is possible that the whole truth about the shooting last Wednesday will never be known. What is clear is that the aftermath of the violence gives the government justification for a dramatic escalation of violence against the social movement. Already the government is threatening to investigate student groups and others because they are presumably armed. Student and youth groups have denounced intimidation after their offices were ransacked by police. Auxiliary bishop Gregoria Rosa Chavez demanded to know the truth this past Monday, echoing the demand of many Salvadorans: a thorough, independent investigation.

Such an investigation, however, is even more unlikely given U.S. intervention into the case. U.S. Ambassador Douglas Barclay gave a rare interview to the press on Saturday in which he repeated Saca's line of calling this a "terrorist act" and implying that the FMLN was behind the shootings. He then suggested that the U.S. could "help" in the investigation through FBI assistance. This incident makes clear that the U.S. should not continue its training and support of Salvadoran police, or legitimize their actions through the presence of a "police professionalizing" academy – the ILEA – which coincidently graduated its first class at the end of June. As social movement leader, Santiago Flores said, "The government is sharpening its repressive tools as the only answer to continue with this exclusionary economic model and maintain power." Even though the mainstream media has concealed the original causes of the protest – the economic crisis that exists in El Salvador – it will certainly be the cause for more mobilizations.

Anti-Union Raids in El Salvador

forwarded from friends in the Salvadoran labor movement:

SALVADORAN GOVERNMENT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF VIOLENCE TO REPRESS THE UNION MOVEMENTPOLICE RAID CSTS OFFICES AND PRESS SECRETARY IS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.

After yesterday’s violent acts outside the National University that took the lives of two anti-riot police and at least one student during a protest of increased bus fares, the Salvadoran government is utilizing this situation to once again express its anti-union position. The offices of the Union Confederation of Salvadoran Workers, CSTS, were assaulted by the police who entered the offices without a court order early Thursday morning and tortured CSTS Press Secretary a Daniel Ernesto Morales for three hours. They continually asked him, “Where are the weapons?” Daniel was kept for three hours kneeled against the wall while the agents ransacked the office and stole equipment, cameras and $2000 in cash, while hitting Daniel on the head and in the face. Afterwards, they arrested Daniel Ernesto based on the fact that there was a weapon in the office. The legally-registered gun was the property of a member of the private security guards’ union who had left it in the office for safe keeping. Union members visited the leader at noon on Thursday and said that he had suffered blows to his face. Daniel Ernesto Morales, CSTS union leader, arrested during the early morning hours of Thursday, July 6.

Daniel is a young union leader who was fired last year from Diana Enterprises, a business owned by the Salvadoran Minister of Environment, Hugo Barrera. Daniel and his union organization have a legal case pending against this business. Coinciding with the break in, yesterday (July 5) at 4 p.m. and in light of the violent acts that happened during the student march, members of different social and popular organizations held a press conference at the CSTS offices to denounce the level of repression against the union and popular movement. The CSTS and the Center for Labor Studies and Support (CEAL) have requested a hearing before the Inter-American Human Rights Commission in Guatemala City on July 19 to report to the Commission about the Salvadoran government’s systematic anti-union behavior. This request was prepared from the offices that were broken into today and this office was listed as a point of contact for any correspondence related to the process. Yesterday, in a special session of the Legislative Assembly’s Labor Commission, Salvadoran authorities were informed of the hearing. It seems very suspicious that of all of the social and union organizations that are within proximity of the National University, it was the CSTS that was broken into by the police. The police have argued that they broke into the offices to look for weapons near the National University. However, the CSTS offices are more than a kilometer from the university. CSTS leaders said that they filed a complaint with the Salvadoran Attorney General’s office for this break-in in which the police robbed and ransacked the offices and arrested a union member. They are proceeding to notify the Inter-American Human Rights Commission about this as a precautionary measure for members of the CSTS.

Suggested Action! Write to President Elias Antonio Saca to put an end to the persecution of the union movement and to demand the immediate release of Daniel Ernesto Morales, CSTS Press Secretary. Model Letter: ELIAS ANTONIO SACAPresident of El Salvadorcasapres@casapres.gob.sv Fax: +503 2243 7857/ 9930 With copy to:Beatrice Alamani de CarrilloFax: + 503 2222 0655
--

Violent Repression in El Salvador

CISPES ACTION ALERT
July 5, 2006
Salvadoran Riot Police Attack Student Protestors, Threatening to Violate Constitution and Invade National University* Denounce Repression against Students and University Workers!*

Riot police have responded to what began as a peaceful student protest this morning with extreme violence and repression, and the most repressive of all of El Salvador’s police forces are currently (at 3:30 pm) surrounding the National University, including with attack helicopters and snipers.

The violence began this morning when riot police tried to impede a march of high school students protesting the dramatic increase in bus fare. At some point in the march near the National University, when police tried to detain protestors, fighting broke out. Police shot rubber bullets and tear gas at the students, and shots were fired in response. The police then dramatically escalated the repression, shooting into the university both from the ground and from the helicopters overhead. There are numerous reports of deaths and injuries. According to government accounts at least two police are dead and various people are injured, including one of the university administrators. There are also reports that the police killed up to three students, and that there are 10-20 students and university workers seriously injured inside, as well as more injured police outside. This violence comes just 3 days after the torture and murders of the parents of a long time FMLN activist and community organizer. (for more information see http://www.cispes.org/english/Updates_and_Analysis/index.html).

At this moment the police are surrounding the National University and have closed down all entrances and exits. President Saca and Minister of the Interior Rene Figueroa are preparing to flagrantly violate the constitution of El Salvador by sending police in to occupy the campus, continue the violent repression, and continue with the mass round-ups. Take action to denounce this illegitimate use of force against a mostly unarmed student and university population.

TAKE ACTION!

1. Call President Saca and Minister of the Interior René Figueroa to denounce the attacks by the Salvadoran riot police and demand the police not invade the autonomous space of the National University campus. President Saca: 011-503-2248-9000. Rene Figueroa: 011-503-2233-7000, ask the operator for the extension “seguridad ciudadana.” You can call even if you speak very little Spanish. Simply say “Estoy preocupada/preocupado por los derechos humanos de los estudiantes. La policia no debe de invadir la universidad nacional. Cese la represión de inocentes y de los movimientos de oposición.”

2. Keep checking for more information and further requests for solidarity from Salvadoran students. Read CISPES Update, July 5 2006: Repression continues as parents of FMLN leader are brutally murdered in Suchitoto http://www.cispes.org/english/Updates_and_Analysis/index.html, and check www.cispes.org for more information tomorrow.

Collins and Snowe Both Reject Oman Trade Deal

Senator Susan Collins joined Senator Olympia Snowe in standing up for workers' rights today by becoming one of only four Republicans to vote against the Oman "Free" Trade Agreement. Unfortunately, thanks in part to the votes ten Democratic Senators cast in favor of the treaty, it passed the Senate by a wide margin. Three possible Democratic presidential candidates -- Senators Clinton, Obama, and Kerry -- voted for the treaty, and should be pressed to explain their votes if they seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Senator Schumer deserves special recognition for voting against the treaty on the floor of the Senate after having voted for it in committee -- a willingness to admit mistakes is all too rare in politics today.

Oman Trade Agreement: Thank Snowe, ask Collins to follow her lead

Hi folks,

Senator Snowe voted against the Oman trade agreement today in the Senate Finance committee vote. Her office confirmed that she will vote NO on the Oman agreement when it comes before the full Senate, probably tomorrow. The Finance committee unfortunately voted to approve the agreement 14 - 6.

Regarding Sen. Snowe's opposition, this is a clear case where our work as a coalition undoubtedly made the difference in getting Sen. Snowe to vote NO. When I spoke with her trade staffer earlier this week, it sounded pretty sure that she would vote for the Oman agreement. But then all of you - all of MFTC's coalition members and individual supporters - made calls and moved her position. When one of our volunteers spoke with the Senator's trade staffer at the end of the day yesterday, the staffer said that she was 50/50 on how she'd vote; the labor issues in the agreement had become her top issue to consider; and THAT THEY'D BEEN HEARING FROM LOTS OF PEOPLE opposed to Oman. Great work, everyone! Thanks for making all the calls to Sen. Snowe. They made a huge difference.I also wanted to note a special thanks to United Steelworkers (USW) union locals in Maine and MFTC volunteer, Elsie Flemings. Representatives from several USW locals met with Sen. Snowe & Sen. Collins on the Oman agreement in DC last week. Elsie is doing an internship in DC this summer. Yesterday, she met with Snowe's staff on Oman and then personally lobbied Sen. Snowe on Oman this morning, minutes before the Senate Finance hearing started.

*** Now, PLEASE KEEP UP THE PRESSURE & CONTINUE CALLING Senator Collins. She is "undecided" on how to vote and ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO HEAR FROM ALL OF US. Call Sen. Collins office at: 202-224-2523. *** Also, please take a moment to THANK Sen. Snowe for her opposition to the agreement. These thank you calls are extremely important. You can call Snowe's office at: 202-224-5344. When you thank Snowe, you can also encourage her to vote against the Peru trade agreement, which is looming in the wings. The Oman agreement will probably be voted on in the Senate late today or tomorrow. Then the big question is what the House will do with Oman. Our hope is that we can raise enough pressure nationally that they won't want to bring Oman up for a vote in the House in an election year. We'll keep you posted. Thanks for all that you do!

In solidarity,Matt Schlobohm, coordinator, Maine Fair Trade Campaign

A bit of hope on a grey Friday in a dark time . .

From Rabbbi Arthur Waskow's latest e-mail bulletin:

Dear friends,

In dark times it is good to remember that even a brutal fascist dictatorship, even one supported by the government of the world's one superpower, can be shattered by the slow and steady assertion of public commitment, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people can be restored and renewed.

In Washington this month, the President of Chile -- herself a victim of torture -- honored and celebrated that truth.

In 1976, when I was a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies, the Chilean secret police murdered two of my colleagues on the streets of Washington, blowing up their car by a radio device that exploded a previously placed bomb, as the car passed the Chilean embassy.

The Chilean junta had on September 11, 1973, with the support of the US government, overthrown the democratically elected government led by Salvador Allende. Their attack on the car was aimed at -- and killed -- Orlando Letelier, the Ambasador to the US of the Allende government, and also killed a young American woman who was on the IPS staff, Ronni Karopen Moffitt.

In my congregations, I have ever since added their names to the list of martyrs recited by Jews on every Yom Kippur.

Please note this news item below.

"The arc of the universe bends slowly, but it bends toward justice."

Shalom, Arthur
Rabbi Arthur Waskow
The Shalom Center

____________________________________________________________________

June 8, 2006

Chilean President Pays Respects to Washington, DC victims of Pinochet
Dictatorship

Bachelet Thanks Institute for Policy Studies Leaders at Site of Letelier and
Moffitt Car Bombing

Michelle Bachelet, the newly elected president of Chile, placed a wreath this morning at the Sheridan Circle memorial in Washington, DC, that marks the site of the assassination of former Institute for Policy Studies colleagues Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt.

Orlando, the former ambassador to the United States under Chilean President Salvador Allende and an outspoken critic of the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and Ronni, a 25-year-old fundraiser, were driving to work at the Institute on September 21, 1976 when they were killed by a car bomb set by secret police agents of the Pinochet regime.

In her remarks this morning, President Bachelet emphasized that she could not come to Washington without stopping to pay her respects and to remember this act of horror. She also spoke briefly with IPS Co-Founder Marcus Raskin and IPS Director John Cavanagh, expressing her gratitude for the Institute's commitment to keeping the memory of Letelier and Moffitt alive and pursuing the struggle for justice. IPS has held an annual human rights awards program in the names of Letelier and Moffitt for the past 30 years, and has worked with others to hold Pinochet accountable for his crimes. Bachelet's personal history ties her to this tragic event. Nearly 30 years ago, President Bachelet's mother worked as a volunteer at the Institute for Policy Studies with Orlando Letelier's widow, Isabel.

Isabel led a Third World Women's Project at IPS and was also active in the Chile Human Rights Committee. Michelle Bachelet sometimes stopped by the IPS offices to visit when she was a medical student. During Bachelet's campaign for the presidency, Isabel Letelier served as an active volunteer.

In addition to being a friend of the Letelier family, President Bachelet and her family also suffered greatly under the Pinochet dictatorship. Her father, an Air Force General who supported democracy, was tortured to death by the Pinochet regime and President Bachelet and her mother were themselves detained and tortured in the years following the 1973 military coup.

At Sheridan Circle (Massachusetts Ave. NW and 23rd St.), Bachelet emphasized the importance of remembering what happened to Ronni, Orlando, and other victims of the dictatorship as a way to strengthen democracy and to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. Her appearance at Sheridan Circle was part of a one-day visit to Washington, which will include a meeting with President George W. Bush.

What's Atlantica Really About? Words From the Horse's Mouth

Brian Lee Crowley, President of the right wing Atlantic Institute for Market Studies has been quite vocal lately about his organization's vision for the economic future of New England and the Maritimes. AIMS, which has strong ties to the energy and finance industries as well as to right wing groups in the U.S. like the Heritage Foundation was one of the driving forces behind the recent "Reaching Atlantica: Business Without Boundaries" conference in St. John, New Brunswick which promoted the idea of building a new trade corridor from Halifax to Buffalo by building an east-west highway, deepening Halifax's harbor, and weakening labor and environmental laws on both sides of the border.

The Bangor Daily News and others seem to have bought the idea that these projects would mean more jobs and investment for Maine and new markets for Maine-made goods. But in a recent op-ed in the Moncton Times Transcript, Crowley wrote:

"All along the Canada-US border, the regions that host major trade conduits between our two countries are waking up to the need to manage these corridors, and that means building new local relationships and institutions.

"The other corridors, such as Montreal-New York, or southern Ontario-Michigan, exist primarily to exchange goods and services produced in our two countries. But Atlantica is different because the trade generated within the region is relatively small. The exchanges between Vermont and New Brunswick or Maine and Newfoundland are hardly worth mentioning.

"But we are about to become a major doorway for the trade between Asia and the North American heartland. It is not so much the products of Atlantica that are straining to cross the border, but the industrial might of China, India and the Asian Tigers. West coast ports are choked with these new goods. The giant ships carrying this burgeoning cargo have reached the point where they can no longer pass through the Panama Canal to reach east coast ports and must instead borrow the Suez Canal. That puts Atlantica in a strategic position as a deepwater wharf jutting into the North Atlantic, not merely the closest North American port of call from Europe, Turkey and Asia via the Suez, but also the closest major port of call from Africa and the major ports of Brazil and Argentina."

So much for the idea of expanding markets for Maine farmers and manufacturers. Crowley's words support my belief that the Atlantica vision is about making it cheaper for companies like Wal-Mart to import goods made at sweatshops in China by workers paid pennies an hour to be sold at exhorbitant prices by former factory workers in Detroit and Chicago who are now working minimum wage retail jobs to try to make ends meet. Very little of the money goes to the Chinese factory workers, the U.S. retail workers, or even the local store managers -- most of it gets funnelled away to executives and shareholders in distant places. Trade implies some sort of equal exchange that benefits both parties. This isn't trade, its exploitation.

It gets worse. In Crowley's vision people from New England and the Maritimes won't even be able to get jobs driving the trucks that move the goods from Halifax to Buffalo. Crowley recently told the Halifax Chronicle Herald that there aren't enough truckers in the region right now to move all the goods that would be coming in from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Rather than training unemployed people from this region to fill those jobs, Crowley suggests bringing in temporary workers from Mexico. He is quoted as saying:

"The answer isn’t going into high schools and (talking) about the great opportunities in the trucking industry. Mexico is one of the three NAFTA partners. The answer is to set up a guest worker program."

Of course, given AIMS' position that our region's "union density" and relatively high minimum wages are examples of "poor public policy" that "holds Atlantica back," we can assume that these "guest" workers wouldn't be paid the same wages as U.S. and Canadian truckers.

So essentially the only jobs the east-west highway will create in Maine will be service jobs at gas stations, fast food restaurants and convenience stores.

Meanwhile, the region's farms and fishing fleet and its few remaining factories will lose business as cheaper goods poor into our markets from countries where workers don't earn a living wage and even minimal labor, safety, and environmental standards go largely unenforced.

The east-west highway will be yet another route for development to pass New England and the Maritimes by.

Stop the Oman and Peru Trade Agreements

PLEASE Forward & PLEASE CALL SENATORS SNOWE & COLLINS!!

The Bush Administration & big business is once again pushing for more NAFTA style trade agreements. This time they are trying to pass the Oman trade agreement & the Peru trade agreement. These will result in outsourced jobs & more sweatshops; an attack on environmental standards and democracy; and further privatization.

Luckily we can defeat these bad deals. If we raise enough pressure Congress will not bring these agreements up for a vote in an election year. WE NEED YOU TO CALL SENATORS SNOWE & COLLINS TODAY TO URGE THEM TO VOTE NO on the Oman and the Peru free trade agreements.

TAKE ACTION: Please call Senator Snowe & Senator Collins today or anytime this week. Their numbers and a simple message is below.
*Call Senator Snowe: Toll free: 800-432-1599 DC: 202-224-5344
*Call Senator Collins: DC: 202-224-2523 Bangor: 945-0417

BASIC MESSAGE: Please oppose the Oman & Peru trade agreements and work to support a new model of trade policy.

Please take this simple action. As we saw in the CAFTA fight, it makes a real difference when we all work together. If we can stop the Oman & Peru trade agreements we give ourselves a lot of momentum heading into 2007 when Congress will debate the future of our trade policy. Congressman Michaud and Allen both oppose these trade deals.

For more information about the Oman & Peru trade agreements:
http://www.citizenstrade.org/oman.php or http://www.citizenstrade.org/peru.php

*WMD Found in North Dakota: Disarmament Begins

-- For Immediate ReleaseTuesday June 20, 2006

*WMD Found in North Dakota: Disarmament Begins*A Roman Catholic Priest and two Veterans went to a Minuteman III silothis morning and began to disarm the nuclear weapon using hammers.Reverend Carl Kabat, OMI, Gregory Boertje-Obed, and Michael Wallientered the E-9 missile silo on the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation inNorth Dakota about 75 miles southwest of Minot. Using a sledgehammer andhousehold hammers, they disabled the lock on the personnel entry hatchthat provides access to the warhead and they hammered on the silo lidthat covers the 300 kiloton nuclear warhead that is targeted and readyto launch.

The activists painted DISARM on the face of the 110-tonhardened silo cover and the peace activists poured their blood on themissile lid.They were detained and arrested by McLean County Sheriffs and are beingheld in the McLean County jail in Washburn, North Dakota. The three havebeen charged with county Criminal Trespass and Criminal Mischief.

Speaking from jail, Greg Boertje-Obed, from Duluth, Minnesota, explained, Carl Kabat, OMI from St. Louis, Missouri added, "We now prepare for the nuclear bombing of Iran with the reasoning that only weapons of mass destruction can stop weapons of mass destruction. We bombed and strafed in Iraq based on lies that the Iraqis possessed nuclear weapons. Wehave the weapons here.The Minuteman III missile is targeted and on alert for launch. Themissile is armed with a warhead that carries 27 times the heat, blastand radiation of the bomb dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945.The activists say that they are following the nonviolent Jesus, thatthey are taught by their faith to love their enemies, and that the moneyused for these weapons of mass destruction is a theft from the poor andshould be used for food, housing, medical care and rebuilding theinfrastructure of our country."

ATTACHED: Statement, Fact Sheet and Biographies. For press updates, moreinformation and images, go to www.jonahhouse.org

STATEMENT

Nuclear Weapon Here Plowshares

Please pardon the fracture of the good order. When we were children wethought as children and spoke as children. But now we are adults andthere comes a time when we must speak out and say that the good order isnot so good, and never really was. We know that throughout history therehave been innumerable war crimes. Two of the most terrible war crimesoccurred on August 6th and 9th, 1945. On August 6th, 1945, the UnitedStates dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, killingmore than 100,000 people (including U.S. prisoners of war). Three dayslater the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki, Japan,killing more than 50,000 people. Use of these weapons of mass destructionon civilian populations were abominable crimes against humanity. The U.S. has never repented of these atrocities. On the contrary, theU.S. has deepened and expanded its commitment to nuclear weapons. TheU.S. built a large nuclear-industrial complex which has caused the deathsof many workers and has resulted in killing many more people by nucleartesting. Our country built thousands of nuclear weapons and has dispersedweapons-grade uranium to 43 nations. Each Minuteman III missile carries abomb that is 27 times more powerful than those dropped on the Japanesepeople. The building of these weapons signifies that our hearts haveassented to mass murder. Currently the U.S. is seeking to research a newclass of smaller nuclear weapons demonstrating its desire to find newuses for weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. is rushing down the path that leads to more death anddestruction, ultimately bringing this nation and other nations to ruin.Therefore we issue a call for national repentance. We make an urgentappeal to the people of the U.S. to change course to place our securityin God and not in weapons of mass destruction.We have chosen to start the process of transformation and disarmament byhammering on and pouring our blood on components of the Minuteman IIInuclear missile system. We believe that the concrete that goes into makingmissile silos would be better used for building homes. We know that totaldisarmament of our first-strike system of nuclear weapons will requirenational repentance with a change in the hearts and minds of the people ofthe U.S. The pouring of our blood is meant to make visible the bloodshedresulting from the production, testing, and use of nuclear weapons. Webelieve the message in the Bible that after Cain killed his brother Abelthat Abels blood cried out from the ground. We hear our sisters andbrothers blood crying out from the ground. We believe that God hearsthese cries and grieves deeply over every person whose blood is shed.We call ourselves the Weapon of Mass Destruction Here Plowshares tohighlight that our nation has thousands of horrific weapons of massdestruction. U.S. leaders speak about the dangers of other nationsacquiring nuclear weapons, but they fail to act in accordance with theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which commits the U.S. to take steps todisarm its weapons of mass destruction. We act in order to bring attentionto peoples responsibility for disarming weapons of state terrorism. Wecan begin the process of exposing U.S. weapons of mass destruction, namingthem as abominations that cause desolation, and transforming them toobjects that promote life.We dress as clowns to show that humor and laughter are key elements in thestruggle to transform the structures of destruction and death. Saint Paulsaid that we are fools for Gods sake, and we say that we are fools forGod and humanity. Clowns as court jesters were sometimes the only onesable to survive after speaking truth to authorities in power. Is there hope for the world? Yes if people begin to live the truth now.We believe that Jesus reveals who God is, and that God is a God of loveand nonviolence, teaching us to love all people, even our enemies.Furthermore, the prophets Isaiah and Micah prophesy that there will comea time when people will learn the ways of God and They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. By our plowshares/pruning hooks action we have tried to make visibleGods will for disarmament and peacemaking. By living this truth we hopeto shorten this murderous age closing the gap between the future hopefor universal peace and our present reality of endless violence andwar-making. We begin to bring hope into the present moment.Carl Kabat, OMI Greg Boertje Michael Walli

June 20, 2006

WMD Here Plowshares

Greg Boertje-Obed51; from Duluth, Minnesota; member of Loaves and FishesCatholic Worker and Veterans for Peace; former U.S. Army officer;participant in previous plowshares actions which disarmed Trident IInuclear missile tubes in Rhode Island, combat helicopters andnuclear-capable war planes in Pennsylvania, and a Tomahawk nuclear-capablemissile launcher and missile tubes in Virginia; married to MicheleNaar-Obed; father of Rachel Obed,--11 years old.I believe Jesus led us to do this witness based on his teachings ofintervening for the sake of the poor. These weapons are killing us andthe poor today. I believe this plowshares action is a natural extensionof our Catholic Worker mission which is hospitality, providing for theneeds of the poor, and defending the poor.

Carl Kabat, OMI72; from St. Louis, Missouri; 47 years a Roman Catholicpriest; worked as a missionary in the Philippines and Brazil; participatedin the first plowshares/pruning hooks action in 1980 and the first SiloPruning Hooks action in 1984 and other plowshares actions; served about 16years in jails and prisons.We are fools and clowns for God and humanitys sake. Over 2,500 Americansoldiers have died because of nuclear weapons in the past several years inIraq. … I remember Eisenhower who said that every weapon that is made is atheft from the poor…. The only condemnation of Vatican II was that nuclearweapons are a crime against humanity and are to be condemnedunreservedly. Carl Kabat, OMI

Michael R. Walli57; Vietnam veteran; Roman Catholic; currently residingin Duluth, MinnesotaIve been influenced by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, andthe teachings of the late Pope John Paul II to oppose the culture ofdeath, and this plowshares action seems to me to be a suitable way ofacting on these teachings. Michael Walli

MINUTEMAN III Fact SheetA Minuteman III is a first strike Intercontinental Ballistic Missile(ICBM) nuclear weapon. The current U.S. ICBM force consists of 500Minuteman III's located in three missile fields: F.E. Warren Air ForceBase with 150 missiles covering the corner of Colorado, Nebraska andWyoming; Malmstrom AFB in Montana with 200 ICBMs; and Minot AFB in NorthDakota with 150 missiles. These warheads can be launched from a MinutemanIII missile silo within minutes and reach any destination within 35minutes. A nuclear bomb launched from a Minuteman silo producesuncontrollable radiation, massive heat and a blast capable of vaporizingand leveling everything within a 50-mile radius. Outside the 50 squaremiles -- extending into hundreds of miles -- the blast, wide-spread heat,firestorms and neutron and gamma rays are intended to kill, severely woundand poison every living thing and causing long-term damage to theenvironment. A Minuteman warhead has the potential to destroy the geneticcode of the human race. Current warheads carry 27 times more power thanthe U.S. nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima August 6, 1945.The Minuteman III is currently undergoing upgrades to extend its 2020service limit. Minuteman III is the sole ICBM deployed by the UnitedStates. Each Mark 12 or Mark 12-A warhead in a Minuteman III silo cantravel more than 6,000 miles at 15,000 miles per hour.At one point the U.S. had 1,000 land-based ICBMs at a cost to taxpayers of$7 million each. Minuteman IIIs are in transition from having 3independently targeted warheads to carrying one.The Minuteman missiles are dispersed in hardened silos and connected to anunderground launch control center through a system of hardened cables.Launch crews, consisting of two officers, perform around-the-clock alertin the launch control center. A variety of communication systems providethe National Command Authorities with virtually instantaneous directcontact with each launch crew. Should command capability be lost betweenthe launch control center and remote missile launch facilities, anairborne launch control center dubbed looking glass automaticallyassumes command and control of the missiles.The Minuteman III system is undergoing upgrades to: replace an agingguidance system; increase payloads; remanufacture the solid-fuel rocketmotors; replace standby power system; repair launch facilities; improvecommunication; enhance accuracy; and improve survivability in a nuclearwar.In January 2002 Nuclear Posture Review, issued by the Bush administration,threatens the use of nuclear weapons to deter any attack by chemical orbiological as well as nuclear weapons by any non-nuclear state or entitywithin or sponsored by the axis of evil. We now prepare for nuclearbombing of Iran with the reasoning that only weapons of mass destructioncan stop weapons of mass destruction.By any standard of proof, the threat or use of the Minuteman IIIconstitutes crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanityor genocide.Don't forget to visit our website www.jonahhouse.org

Violence Against Striking Teachers in Mexico

Police have launched a massive assault on striking teachers in the department of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Geoffry Harman reports in the Narco News Bulletin:

"In a scene that is starting to look all too familiar in Mexico, the police attempted to disrupt the Oaxaca teachers strike in downtown Oaxaca City this morning. At roughly 3 a.m. a police helicopter flew low over the tent city where the teachers have been camped for the past 23 days and shot canisters of tear gas. Meanwhile, 3,000 state police armed with riot shields and clubs entered the chaos and tore apart the roughshod shelters where the teachers had been staying. During the course of the six-hour police intervention three people were reported to have been killed (this is unconfirmed), two women and one child."

The assault comes right before Mexico's election, and just a month after a similar police assault on demonstrators in Atenco just outside Mexico City which involved the arrest of 200 people, the rape or sexual assault of 30 women in police custody, and the death of two protesters -- a 14 year old and a 20 year old. Two U.S. political consultants were involved in planning the attack on Atenco.

Journalist John Ross who has covered political movements in Mexico for decades sees the attacks as a sign of the resurgence of tactics used in the "dirty war" against Mexican dissidents in the 1970's and 1980's.

Save South Central Farm

Yesterday riot police launched an assault on the nation's largest urban farm which provided food for hundreds of poor families in South Central Los Angeles.

Please call Los Angeles City Hall to ask that Mayor Villaragosa step up and exhibit political leadership and interfere with the destruction of the farm. PH: 213-978-0600.

Speak Out Against Police/FBI Repression of Environmentalists

When and Where : June 14, 2006, 11am, Augusta State House - Outside between State House and Cross BuildingWhat: National Lawyers Guild Statement on recent police DNA requests of environmental activists in the state, and the bill just passed creating a new class of felony if an act of criminal mischief has political intent or consequence. Present at the conference will be activists approached by police, as well as close to thirty organizations statewide who support the NLG statement.Contacts: Phil Worden 276-3318 Lynne Williams 542-0133, both Guild lawyers, Maine chapter

NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD DENOUNCES RECENT CLIMATE OF REPRESSION

Groups Claim Police and Legislators Are Seeking to Silence Public Outrage Over Environmental DestructionAugusta, Maine. In conjunction with the release of a letter to the attorney general and the governor by the Maine National Lawyers Guild, citizens representing over a dozen groups working on social and environmental justice issues around the state will gather on the steps of the State House at 11am on Wednesday, June 14, to condemn the “chilling effect on dissent” the recent wave of legislative and police actions the groups believe are threatening the basic free speech rights of Maine people.

The letter written by the Maine Chapter of the National Lawyer Guild, and already signed by 16 groups, calls the Attorney General and the Governor to task on a recent pattern of legislative and police oppression directed toward those opposing the environmental policies of the Baldacci Administration and major out-of-state corporations. This pattern includes:

1) The late-night, end of the session enactment of LD1789 “An Act to Amend the Crime of Aggravated Criminal Mischief,” which creates a new felony-level category of crime targeting politically motivated acts. While the final wording of the bill, created in a late-night legislative compromise, softened earlier language that would have created the crime of “Environmental Terrorism.” The intent and effect of the bill, says the NLG, remain the same.” LD 1789, signed into law by Governor Baldacci on May 30th, 2006, assigns penalties of up to five years in prison as well as a maximum $5,000 fine.

2) The motivation and constitutionality of an ongoing state police investigation into alleged vandalism incurred by Seattle-based Plum Creek Corporation last Halloween. State Police investigators have attempted to interview at least a dozen critics of Plum Creek’s plan around the state. In each case, the critics were visited at their home or place or work and asked about their political affiliations, views on the project, and asked for a DNA sample. Plum Creek is seeking state approval for a massive development in the Moosehead Lake Region.

3) Unprecedented police and judicial response to acts of civil disobedience. This includes the State’s unprecedented decision to seek jail time in the case of Hillary Lister of Athens and a recent police invasion of Sears Island where activists allegedly were setting up a camp to call for the Island’s permanent preservation. Lister was arrested in the House of Representatives in early April for an act of non-violent civil disobedience protesting LD141, a bill that enables significant burning of out-of-state construction and demolition debris in Maine.

Concern about these recent events and other challenges to free speech has drawn cooperation and support from a broad range of groups ranging from the Clean Maine Coalition to the Maine Coalition for Peace and Justice, who are united in their concerns about political witch hunts akin to the “Red Scare” of the McCarthy era, where citizens were targeted based on their political affiliations.
According to Sean Donahue of the Bangor area group PICA (Peace through Interamerican Community Action), who was assembled along side others at the state house today, said, “Repressive policies tested out in Latin America are coming home. Since 2001, governments in countries like Colombia and El Salvador have been using the fear of terrorism to justify treating dissidents as criminals, arresting and harassing labor, human rights, and environmental activists. Now I am seeing the FBI and the State Police treat my friends in Maine as terrorists and criminals because they love the land enough to speak out against the corporations that are destroying it."

According to Phil Worden, an attorney representing some of the targeted activists, “The fact that the Maine state police have not sought a search warrant in their attempts to get DNA samples strongly suggests that they do not have probable cause, and are merely on a ‘fishing expedition’. It’s important for Maine residents to understand that they do not need to speak nor cooperate with the police unless they have a warrant. If police have a legitimate suspicion, then they should get a warrant. Otherwise, this is harassment based on political affiliation – something we cannot tolerate in this state.

”###