Amnesty International SF's topics - tribe.net

Can we Help Gillian Gibbons?

MidnightOrchid — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:08:48 GMT

I don’t know if sending letters will do anything but I feel like some kind of support / pressure should be directed at the British Embassy to encourage them to get Gillian Gibbons out of the country and safely back to her own country. The latest news report from CBS news said

“Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." - (CBS/AP)

Gillian Gibbons was the teacher found guilty of insulting Islamic religion and sentenced to 15 days in jail.

I sent a letter if only to show that this is indeed an international story with people around the world who care what happens to Gillian Gibbons. Is there anything else people can do?

Embassy Address:
British Embassy
Off Sharia Al-Baladiya
Khartoum
PO BOX 801
Embassy Contacts:
Tel: (+249) (183) 777105, 780825, 780856, 770769, 770767
Fax: (+249) (183) 776457
(+249) (183) 775562 – Consular/Visa

Email: Political Inquiries: political.khartoum@fco.gov.uk

SOURCE
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/30/world/main3557779.shtml

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

SAVE SUZANNE AND MANY OTHER INNOCENTS !!!

mermaidsutra — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:03:59 GMT

PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILIES, COWORKERS, ANYONE WHO YOU CAN THINK OF !!!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD IN ORDER TO SAVE SUZANNE ( AND MANY OTHER INNOCENTS ) AND TO STOP THE WAR RIGHT NOW !!!

this was shared by the mother of Suzanne
http://tribes.tribe.net/freesuzanne/thread/2d5f4113-f531-40a1-b160-fc7831802fb1

.............................................................................

A friend of mine wrote this today:
Suzanne's Summary Court Martial tomorrow 12-13-06

This is what is happened:

There was a girl who was in the Army.

She was stationed in Iraq as a Security Policeman.

She was raped repeatedly by her superior officer in the US Army.

He told her either she could sleep with him or he would put
her on the most dangerous duty of all and may end up dead.

She valued her life and chose the lesser of two evils.

When she returned to her base in the states she tried to
tell people what happened and they made fun of her and
called her a liar.

They said: You brought this on yourself. You have no
proof.

She tried to use her chain of command but the chain
was broken and no one would listen to her.

At her new base in Fort Lewis, Washington, word had
gotten around that this girl could be taken advantage of.

When she asked her new boss where she should report,
he said: In my bed. Naked.

When she reported this to her chain of command,
she was ignored again.

Then they told her: Pack your bags. You're going back to
Iraq.

She packed her bags but did not show up for her deployment.

She was about to walk out the door but she couldn't do it.

She was afraid so she said: Mom I can't go back there.
I don't want to be raped again.

She waited for a few days at home and the Army came to arrest her.

She was Absent Without Leave (AWOL). She chose to go
AWOL because she was afraid of being raped again by her boss.

They detained her at Fort Lewis.

Her baggage went ahead to Iraq.

A big suitcase that included her baby blanket arrived in Bagdhad.
When some soldiers found out it was hers they rifled through the
contents and threw her baby blanket in a trash heap.

They said Suzanne was guilty of missing a movement and going
AWOL.

Suzanne said: But this is what happened to me and I don't want to
go back.

Then they asked some of the guys: Did you rape her?

And the guys said: No.

There was no trial.

Only a questioning where it was her word against theirs.

Rep. DeFazio (D-Oregon) said he would open a Congressional
Investigation. But this never happened.

Suzanne started to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) which happens after you've survived a battle or a sexual
assault or a natural disaster.

PTSD makes you really depressed. Most of the times you want
to kill yourself.

When you aren't depressed, you are numb with alchohol or drugs.

I know this because I was sexually assaulted when I was
in the military too.

That happened a long time ago.

When I was first attacked I didn't speak up.

And then the man went and raped another girl.

It took me years of therapy to deal with the emotional
pain of not speaking up and of being attacked.

Unfortunately, no one talks about sexual assault in the military
because very few victims actually speak up.

This is what is happening:

Suzanne is speaking up.

She is saying: I was raped by this man, can someone please help?

The Army says it didn't happen because they asked the guys and the
guys said: We didn't do it.

The Army is offering her a Summary Court Martial today.

This means that Suzanne can be sent back to Iraq. It also means
she will be in confinement for 30 days.

Today they are packing her belongings and will not tell her where she is going.

The Army is making an example of Suzanne.

The Army is saying if you go AWOL, you will be punished.

The Army is saying: the needs of the military always come first, including
the sexual needs of some of our commanders.

They are also saying, if you rape someone in America's Army,
we will protect you.

If you join the Army, you will have permission to rape
women and then return to society.

Suzanne needs our help.

Suzanne needs an Honorable Discharge and intense therapy just to survive.

Ask yourself: Could go on doing your job if all this had happened to you?

Ask yourself: If this happened to my daughter or son would I find the way the
government is handling this, acceptable?

Please Call your News Stations, Newspapers, Congresspeople and Senators today.
Just one call could make a huge difference for Suzanne.

Their info is here:

www.congress.org

Info about Suzanne is at:

www.suzanneswift.org

Thank you.

April Fitzsimmons
USAF Veteran (1985-1989)
true2selph@aol.com

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

No Torture

Margot — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 02:54:44 GMT

You're invited to join a new tribe dedicated to completely ending the United States of America's unconstitutional and immoral practice of and collusion in torture.

http://tribes.tribe.net/stopalltorture

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

Please help

mentalfreedomne1 — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 02:02:59 GMT

please go to this website to send a fax to the related US
congress and senate members to Request a Congressional Hearing on the
Sujiatun case. it's a very easy to Fill out form, With just a click, the fax will be sent.
thank you,
joshua

here is the link:
http://publicpetition.unvcc.com/UN/index.php

there is more information about Sujiatun on the website:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/211,111,,1.html

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

New Witness Confirms Existence of Chinese Concentration Camp, Says Organs Removed from Live Prisoners

mentalfreedomne1 — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 03:01:09 GMT

Please help to end this horrible persectuion. knowledge is our greatest weapon, please share this information. together in peace we can make a difference. Falun Dafa is a peaceful meditation practice that teaches putting others before yourself, kindness, always telling the truth and being tolerant of others. We are literally being killed for being good people. The national media has been of little help because of trade issues with China. It is up to us to let the world know. Please help us.

By Ji Da
The Epoch Times Mar 17, 2006
www.theepochtimes.com

The witness, a former employee at the Liaoning Thrombosis Treatment Center of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, and says the bodies of Falun Gong practitioners are cremated immediately after the organs are removed. (The Epoch Times)
[High-resolution image ] A former employee of Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine told The Epoch Times during a recent interview that the Sujiatun Concentration Camp in China was actually a part of a hospital. The concentration camp has engaged in taking organs from Falun Gong practitioners when they were still alive and selling the organs. Since 2001, the concentration camp has secretly detained approximately 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners, none of whom have been able to leave the camp alive. The hospital removed many kidneys, livers, and corneas from the practitioners. After the organ removal, the practitioners were thrown into an incinerator, which was converted from a boiler. Their ashes were dumped together with burned charcoal.

Organs from Three Quarters of the 6,000 People Were Removed
Those whose organs were removed were in various states of health. Because many of the victims were illegally detained, there was neither an arrest warrant nor identification as to who these people actually were. Often after their organs were removed, nobody claimed the bodies. Sometimes their bodies were picked up by crooks who pretended to be their family members.

About three-quarters of the 6,000 people died after their hearts, kidneys, corneas, or skin was removed; their bodies were then burned. This witness, whose family member participated in the removal of Falun Gong practitioners' organs, said that approximately 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners remain in the hospital. She was afraid that the authorities would kill all of them to destroy evidence.

The Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine is located at 49 Xuesong Road, Sujiatun, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China. It was the first hospital in China to specialize in the heart, the brain, and surrounding blood vessels. The hospital is composed of several organizations, including the Liaoning Traditional Chinese Medicine College Teaching Hospital and the Shenyang Thrombosis Treatment Center.

Concentration Camp Details
The hospital site is 21,087 square meters, with 17,564 square meters of building area. It employs 460 people in 24 departments and 20 specialized offices. Information from the Chinese government shows that the hospital was established in December 1988, and was formerly named the Shenyang Research Institute of Thrombosis and Liaoning Province Thrombosis Treatment Center of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. In June 1998, it was renamed China Traditional Medicine Thrombosis Treatment Center.

The Chinese Business Morning View said in a story on July 4, 2004, that a farm worker died of abnormal causes in Sujiatun, Shenyang and was later cremated. The death certificate was provided by the Chinese Medicine Thrombosis Treatment Center in Sujiatun. The news caused a stir in China.

A copy of the death certificate. (The Epoch Times Archives Photo)Below is the transcript of an Epoch Times reporter's interview with the former staff member of the Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine in Sujiantun, Shenyang City. Questions were posed by the reporter and answered by the staff member being interviewed.

Epoch Times: Did the hospital's medical staff inside the concentration camp know about this?

Answer: This hospital has a small number of officials and some doctors involved secretively in the operation of organ harvesting. Some other staff in the hospital knew about this, but this is absolutely a taboo [to talk about]. They all are afraid of being killed or courting trouble, so they all avoid the issue. Only those highly trusted doctors could be chosen to be the surgeons for organ harvesting operations.

ET: Were Falun Gong practitioners alive when their organs were harvested? Did their families know about this?

Answer: Falun Gong practitioners who were imprisoned there came mostly from Dabei Prison, Masanjia Labor Camp, and other prisons in Shenyang, or they were Falun Gong practitioners arrested in parks or residential homes. Because they refused to denounce Falun Gong, they were arrested without formal warrants, and their families did not know their situation. Many did not even have their names [recorded]. In addition, since the Chinese authority exercises a policy of "not being responsible" for killing Falun Gong practitioners, the death of Falun Gong practitioners is not a very big issue for prisons. The Chinese Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong, [but] these medical personnel were told Falun Gong practitioners were facing death because they killed people, or they were sentenced to death because of crimes, or they had become insane from practicing Falun Gong.

Those Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were harvested came from several types.

Organs harvested from live bodies are worth far more than organs taken from dead bodies. Many Falun Gong practitioners were still alive when their organs were taken. After their organs were cut out, some of these people were thrown directly into the crematorium to be burnt, thus leaving no evidence. For some others, after their organs were stolen, the doctor sewed up the wound and asked the family or family representative to give a signature for cremation. Family members did not know at all that the dead had their organs taken out.

Furthermore, there were some healthy Falun Gong practitioners in prisons in other areas who were injected—without their knowledge—with psychoactive drugs that made their minds confused. They then were transferred to Sujiantun concentration camp to suffer further torture, till in the end their organs were harvested and their bodies were cremated in secret.

Among the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were harvested, some were weak and some were healthy. Since most of them were illegally arrested, there were no arrest warrants or identification cards. After their organs were taken out while they were still alive, no one came to claim their bodies; or [sometimes] people using fake identities claimed their bodies.

None of these people have come out [of the concentration camp] alive; three-quarters of these 6,000 people have died, having their hearts, kidneys, retinas, and skins harvested and their bodies disposed of. I think now about 2,000 Falun Gong practitioners are still in this hospital, and I am afraid now that the authority will destroy all evidence and kill them.

Question: How did you know these things? Were you yourself a doctor involved in organ harvesting?

Answer: I worked at the Liaoning Provincial Thrombosis Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Shenyang. This is exactly where this concentration camp is located. One of my family members was involved in the operation to harvest Falun Gong practitioners' organs. This has brought great pain to our family.

Question: Please tell us what you knew about.

Answer: From 2001, our hospital started to detain Falun Gong practitioners. At the beginning, these people were detained in the single-storey houses in the back yard of the hospital. Later, the hospital authorities demolished the single-storey houses, and it was unknown where in the hospital the Falun Gong practitioners were transferred. Many staff of the hospital discussed in private that these Falun Gong practitioners had been secretly transferred to the underground chambers of the hospital. According to some people working inside the hospital, the hospital has a huge system of secret underground chambers.

At the time when we went to work there, the person in charge of logistics and purchasing in the hospital said that the quantity of disposable sterile gloves used for operations and daily supplies that the hospital authorities asked to be purchased had increased dramatically. The logistics people estimated based on the scale of purchases at that time that there were at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners detained in this hospital.

These Falun Gong practitioners were not detained in the 4-story building under the in-patient department and administration at the front of the hospital, in order to keep the hospital staff from seeing them at all. We only occasionally saw Falun Gong practitioners being sent on a mobile intensive care bed to the first floor for physical examinations. These people were very weak. For the majority of the Falun Gong practitioners, nobody knew where they were being secretly kept. While they still did not know where these people were kept, some staff inquired to the hospital authorities about why so much food and so many sterile gloves and daily supplies were purchased. The hospital authorities said, "You only need to do your job well. There is no need for you to ask any other questions."

Starting in 2001, a family member of mine participated in organ-harvesting operations. My family member tried to keep me from knowing about this at the beginning. The hospital authorities selected doctors they trust in different aspects to perform the secretive operations. After a period of time, I found that my family member was in a lot pain, often had nightmares, and appeared panic-stricken. After repeated inquiries, this family member told me the truth. The leader of the hospital had asked my family member to participate in the organ harvesting operations on Falun Gong practitioners as early as 2001. It was 2003 when my family member confessed. A few years after, my family member felt so much pain from participating in this incident that it was impossible to continue with the evildoing. My family member decided to go abroad to get away from this matter.

My family member also told me: "you don't understand my suffering; those Falun Gong practitioners were alive. It might be easier for me if they were dead, but they were alive."

Question: Were there any other doctors from the hospital taking part in the operations of cutting out Falun Gong practitioners' organs?

Answer: I know there were some. All these things have been carried out secretly. Many doctors at our hospital involved were practicum doctors transferred from other hospitals. Because the government does not want to be responsible for Falun Gong practitioners' bodies and lives, their lives are treated as garbage by the regime, and their bodies were used in experiments by new doctors doing their practitcums.

Many doctors came and left the hospital because they suffered a lot after having been involved in these kinds of things. They either requested to be transferred to other places, or changed their names. Some might have been killed to eliminate the evidence, their identity files were taken out from the hospital's filing system, or their names were changed. Nobody knows where the doctors have gone.

The hospital staff all know that the rear part of the hospital is forbidden. It is always watched. The staff avoids talking about the place.

Question: It is said the hospital is equipped with an incinerator. The person whose organs were removed will be burned when he or she is still alive. Is that true?

Answer: The employees in our hospital call this place "the incinerator." Actually, it is a boiler room. Some poor farmers from nearby places were hired to work in the boiler room. They were penniless when they first came here. But they could scrape up some watches, finger rings, necklaces, and so on. The amount is not small. It is said by the employees in the hospital these jewelry and watches were collected from the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs had been removed when they were about to be thrown in the boiler to be burned. It is also said by the employees in the hospital, some were still alive when being thrown into the boiler.

Question: Do they get injection of anesthetic when in surgery?

Answer: Yes. There is a cap to the anesthetic quantity used in mainland China's hospitals. Generally, the supply of anesthetic was determined according to the accommodation of the hospital. To the public, the number of patients in our care appears to be very small, and publicly reported number of surgical procedures performed is quite low. But the equipment and articles used in surgery are abundant. Because the amount of anesthetic is limited, these secret surgeries could not use the normal anesthetic doses. In order to save anesthetic, they economized on the anesthetic used in surgeries on these Falun Gong practitioners. The amount of anesthetic used was very small. However, many whose organs were removed were still alive. You can imagine the pain suffered by the Falun Gong practitioners whose organs were removed.

Question: Are there any survivors among the 6,000 people detained since 2001?

Answer: Nobody has come out alive. The number of them gets smaller and smaller. The Falun Gong practitioners detained at Sujiatun are fewer now than before. But I believe that the sin of removing the organs of the Falun Gong practitioners is still continuing.

Question: Where are these organs usually sold to? Do the higher authorities in the government know about this?

Answer: They are mainly sold to Thailand, but I believe they are also sold to other regions of the world. Nowadays, there are many patients in China who need human skin, corneas, and kidneys for organ transplant surgeries. Many patients have to wait in line to purchase organs. Currently, a kidney can be sold up to the price of 30,000 to 100,000 U.S. dollars. The profit from selling organs is simply too great. The people who benefit from this are not only the top leaders of hospital and the officials of the Chinese Communist Party's Heath Department. This is a crime present across the entire nation. People ranging from government officials to doctors to organ sellers are all involved in this and are profiting greatly.

Question: Why did they target Falun Gong practitioners as the source of organs?

Answer: Because relatives of many Falun Gong practitioners don't even know that their family members were arrested. So if the Falun Gong practitioners are killed, there will be no one to come and claim their dead bodies.

Question: Why did you want to expose this? This may bring great danger to you.

Answer: I know that there are many Falun Gong practitioners who are currently detained at the hospital. I would like to expose this to the international community, so those who are not yet killed can be saved. Also, I would like to expose this as an atonement for my family.

I am not a Falun Gong practitioner. But as a former staff member of the hospital, I have the responsibility to expose the truth, and let the world to save those Falun Gong practitioners who are still alive. Organs of some Falun Gong practitioners are still living on patients' bodies. I would like to call on all society to pay attention to this issue and stop this shocking crime.

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

Benard Baran

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 17:00:14 GMT

http://tribes.tribe.net/BernardBaran

"It was because he was a homosexual that he was arrested, it was because he was a homosexual that he was judged, it was as a homosexual that he was sentenced, and it was because he was a homosexual that no one can invoke on his behalf the voice of justice and truth..."

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anyone a human rigts lawyer?

Menaka — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 20:33:38 GMT

i am a fundraiser for amnesty , foster parents plan and greenpeace, among other charities we represent i feel humanitarian aid and global sustainability are on the top of my list as responsabilities as a parent of three girls and a co habitiant of this earth. i have been deeply searching what i should do to make a living that co incides with my values, Thus far in life i have completed my first year of a degree in human geography, i recently fell in love with permaculture and organic farming, obviously sustainability and economics play a factor in life and that is why i love fundraising for charites as a full time job. I have a need to make a bigger difference and have recently decided to consider becoming a human rights lawyer, i am interested in connecting with others who have gone down the path i am considering entering, i want to defend eco "terrorists" and families around the world suffering human rights violations. our next seven generations deserve more solutions to these problems we all face. anyone got any advice or words of wisdom?

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Is their an amnesty office in SF? Any like orgs?

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:56:25 GMT

Or what detainee/human rights orgs at the UN Plaza does anyone know?

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Political Corruption in Canada

Byron — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:59:01 GMT

My family has been destroyed, we're left without even basic human rights. When the Government & Legal
system are the Organized CRIME in CANADA, they honor CHILD RAPEST.
The Federal Government is allowing the Credability & Reputation of the
Police & The Legal System, to be distroyed to protect ONE Corrupt Lawyer,
Politician, Judge, Child Rapest & now member of THE ORDER OF CANADA .This
man has broken every law he swore to protect. Because this X-Justice
Minister and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, raped and impregnated my
12 year old sister, and covered it up his entire career, no one will help
us. To this day, no lawyer will represent me and the legal system will do
nothing to help. The last lawyer I asked to represent me, told me, if any
lawyer tried to represent you, it would mean the end of their career. Visit
my web site at http://maxpages.com/sexualabuse ask all your friends to e-mail our Prime Minister, Mr. Paul Martin, and ask him for Justice. pm@pm.gc.ca
Byron Prior Tele# 709-834-9822
66 Readers Hill Crescent
Conception Bay South
NL., Canada
A1W-5B4

posted in Amnesty International SF - 1 reply

Please sign the arms control petition

missadventure — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 14:23:20 GMT

Control Arms campaign

http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces

Amnesty, IANSA and Oxfam have just launched a global
campaign aiming to stop gun running and control the arms
trade - and they need your support now. Simply go to:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/en/index.php/register?s=1021931

I've already signed up and you can see my Face in the
Million Faces petition at:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/index.php/photo/id/1021931

Armed violence wrecks lives by fuelling conflict, poverty,
and human rights abuses. The campaign is calling for an
international Arms Trade Treaty which will make it harder
for arms to get into the wrong hands.

Your support will help us to show that people - like you -
around the world are outraged by arms trade abuses, and
demand tougher arms controls. Act now at:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/en/index.php/register?s=1021931
===========================================================

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Lord of War coming out soon

missadventure — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 16:40:10 GMT

http://www.amnestyusa.org/lordofwar/

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Censorship in war? Why not prevent the public from seeing the disastrous results of Bush policies here as well?

Dreamer9177 — Sun, 11 Sep 2005 13:20:42 GMT

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/10/AR2005091000923.html

Feds Drop Media Ban on Katrina Recovery

By DAVID BAUDER
The Associated Press
Saturday, September 10, 2005; 9:08 PM

NEW YORK -- Challenged in court by CNN, the Bush administration agreed on Saturday not to prevent the news media from following the effort to recover the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims.

The government won't, however, permit photographers to join them in boats or helicopters during the mission to recover bodies from flooded homes.

CNN filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency in U.S. District Court in Houston late Friday, concerned about two statements made by government officials that day. The officials said they didn't believe it was right for the news media to show pictures of Katrina victims.

Terry Ebbert, New Orleans' homeland security director, said the recovery effort would be done with dignity, "meaning that there would be no press allowed." Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore later said there would be zero access to the recovery operation.

In a hearing Saturday before U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison, Army Lt. Col. Christian DeGraff promised that recovery teams would not bar the media from watching. Satisfied, CNN agreed to put its case on hold.

"We believe very strongly in the free flow of information and felt it was necessary to have access to tell the full story," said Jim Walton, CNN Newsgroup president.

He said CNN has proven in this story and others that it doesn't put gratuitous images on the air.

Army Lt. Col. Richard Steele said that DeGraff's statement didn't represent a change in policy. Reporters can watch recovery efforts they come upon, but they won't be embedded with search teams.

"We're not going to bar, impede or prevent" the media from telling the story, he said. "We're just not going to give the media a ride."

Images of Katrina's victims have frequently been part of the story, and The Associated Press offered such pictures to its members on Saturday. None of them showed victims' faces. The AP picture of a dead body in a wheelchair, wrapped in blankets and resting near a wall, is one of most-remembered images of the tragedy.

"Photographs of flood victims' bodies is part of the overall coverage of Hurricane Katrina," said Cliff Schiappa, the AP's regional photo editor for the Midwest. "When choosing an appropriate image, we do not want to be gratuitous, but rather put the image in context of the flood and suffering. The government is very concerned about the recovery efforts being done in a dignified manner, as it should be done. As members of the media, it's our job to show the world that such an effort is being made and carried out."

Some Bush administration opponents are suspicious that there would be efforts to limit pictures of bodies so the public wouldn't be reminded of the government's response to the storm. They likened it to restrictions against taking pictures of bodies returning from the war in Iraq.

But Walton said he didn't think the "zero access" plans in New Orleans had anything to do with politics.

posted in Amnesty International SF - 0 replies

Katrina spin begins

Dreamer9177 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 20:25:48 GMT

After Failures, Government Officials Play Blame Game
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By SCOTT SHANE
Published: September 5, 2005
This article was reported by Scott Shane, Eric Lipton and Christopher Drew and written by Mr. Shane.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 - As the Bush administration tried to show a more forceful effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, government officials on Sunday escalated their criticism and sniping over who was to blame for the problems plaguing the initial response.

Storm and Crisis
Photographs from a devastated region.
• Photographs From Last Week

Retracing the Storm
Faced with a massive disaster, everything fell apart in New Orleans. (Related Article)
• Damage in New Orleans
• Satellite Images

Interview With New Orleans Mayor
Mayor C. Ray Nagin's radio interview.
• Transcript

THE SCENE Rescuers' frustrations mounted in New Orleans as people who remained in their homes refused to leave.
• Roadblocks for Medical Aid

THE FALLOUT Officials escalated their criticism over who was to blame for the problems plaguing the initial response.
• The Political Response

ECONOMIC DIVIDE The tales of two families displaced by the disaster expose a chasm between haves and have-nots.

THE POLICE After suicides and desertions, New Orleans is offering officers paid vacations.

NEWSPAPER'S ODYSSEY The Times-Picayune was forced to look for a new home while managing to publish.

HOW TO HELP A partial list of relief organizations and other information on the Web.

YOUR STORY Share your experiences via e-mail or in this forum.
While rescuers were still trying to reach people stranded by the floods, perhaps the only consensus among local, state and federal officials was that the system had failed.

Some federal officials said uncertainty over who was in charge had contributed to delays in providing aid and imposing order, and officials in Louisiana complained that Washington disaster officials had blocked some aid efforts.

Local and state resources were so weakened, said Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, that in the future federal authorities need to take "more of an upfront role earlier on, when we have these truly ultracatastrophes."

But furious state and local officials insisted that the real problem was that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which Mr. Chertoff's department oversees, failed to deliver urgently needed help and, through incomprehensible red tape, even thwarted others' efforts to help.

"We wanted soldiers, helicopters, food and water," said Denise Bottcher, press secretary for Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco of Louisiana. "They wanted to negotiate an organizational chart."

Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans expressed similar frustrations. "We're still fighting over authority," he told reporters on Saturday. "A bunch of people are the boss. The state and federal government are doing a two-step dance."

In one of several such appeals, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Democrat of New York, called on President Bush on Sunday to appoint an independent national commission to examine the relief effort. She also said that she intends to introduce legislation to remove FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restore its previous status as an independent agency with cabinet-level status.

Mr. Chertoff tried to deflect the criticism of his department and FEMA by saying there would be time later to decide what went wrong.

"Whatever the criticisms and the after-action report may be about what was right and what was wrong looking back, what would be a horrible tragedy would be to distract ourselves from avoiding further problems because we're spending time talking about problems that have already occurred," he told Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" on NBC.

But local officials, who still feel overwhelmed by the continuing tragedy, demanded accountability and as well as action.

"Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired?" asked Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, south of New Orleans.

Far from deferring to state or local officials, FEMA asserted its authority and made things worse, Mr. Broussard complained on "Meet the Press."

When Wal-Mart sent three trailer trucks loaded with water, FEMA officials turned them away, he said. Agency workers prevented the Coast Guard from delivering 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and on Saturday they cut the parish's emergency communications line, leading the sheriff to restore it and post armed guards to protect it from FEMA, Mr. Broussard said.

One sign of the continuing battle over who was in charge was Governor Blanco's refusal to sign an agreement proposed by the White House to share control of National Guard forces with the federal authorities.

Under the White House plan, Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré would oversee both the National Guard and the active duty federal troops, reporting jointly to the president and Ms. Blanco.

"She would lose control when she had been in control from the very beginning," said Ms. Bottcher, the governor's press secretary.

Ms. Bottcher was one of several officials yesterday who said she believed FEMA had interfered with the delivery of aid, including offers from the mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, and the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson.

Adam Sharp, a spokesman for Senator Mary L. Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, said the problem was not who was in command. FEMA repeatedly held up assistance that could have been critical, he said.

"FEMA has just been very slow to make these decisions," Mr. Sharp said.

In a clear slap at Mr. Chertoff and the FEMA director, Michael D. Brown, Governor Blanco announced Saturday that she had hired James Lee Witt, the director of FEMA during the Clinton administration, to advise her on the recovery.

Nearly every emergency worker told agonizing stories of communications failures, some of them most likely fatal to victims. Police officers called Senator Landrieu's Washington office because they could not reach commanders on the ground in New Orleans, Mr. Sharp said.

Dr. Ross Judice, chief medical officer for a large ambulance company, recounted how on Tuesday, unable to find out when helicopters would land to pick up critically ill patients at the Superdome, he walked outside and discovered that two helicopters, donated by an oil services company, had been waiting in the parking lot.

Louisiana and New Orleans have received a total of about $750 million in federal emergency and terrorism preparedness grants in the last four years, Homeland Security Department officials said.

Mr. Chertoff said he recognized that the local government's capacity to respond to the disaster was severely compromised by the hurricane and flood.

"What happened here was that essentially, the demolishment of that state and local infrastructure, and I think that really caused the cascading series of breakdowns," he said.

But Mayor Nagin said the root of the breakdown was the failure of the federal government to deliver relief supplies and personnel quickly.

"They kept promising and saying things would happen," he said. "I was getting excited and telling people that. They kept making promises and promises."

Scott Shane and Eric Lipton reported from Washington, and Christopher Drew from New Orleans. Jeremy Alford contributed reporting from Baton Rouge, La., and Gardiner Harris from Lafayette, La.

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American Terrorist

Dreamer9177 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 15:04:59 GMT

GW Bush:

9/11 - 2000+ Americans dead even after repeated warnings that Al Qaeda was going to strike the USA.

Iraq - Approximately 2000 American service men and women dead even though Bush was warned that invading Iraq was a mistake.

Katrina - Countless thousands more Americans dead after several days of warning that could have been used to stage supplies and organize evacuation efforts. This while Bush raises funds in other parts of the country and waits 4 DAYS to respond!

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Moral bankruptcy

Dreamer9177 — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 13:52:44 GMT

The US government has recently passed USC 2257, which is aimed at eliminating adult content on the web by forcing providers of photographs that are "objectionable" to provide identification of the individuals involved and written proff that they were 18 years of age when the photos were taken.

That is chilling enough, but this law is also being applied to any new photos that are available regarding the prisoner abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib, Bagram, Gitmo, etc.

When will we wake up and realize that our freedoms are no longer under assault, but that they are on life support due to the tactics of this FASCIST administration that has been running the USA since 2000?

Is this what we are figting for? Is this what we are trying to protect ourselves from seeing because it might upset someone?

http://www.thememoryhole.org/war/iraqis_tortured/iraqis_tortured_wp-h.jpg

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About the war......you DID REMEMBER that there is a WAR, right?

Dreamer9177 — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 00:43:00 GMT

Some websites that claim to chronicle the casualty count in Iraq.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm

http://www.militarycity.com/valor/honor.html

http://www.iraqbodycount.net/

http://www.optruth.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=issues&htmlId=1210

I find it rather interesting that most of the sites I Googled that were considered "pro-war" didn't include casualty counts. I guess that they were too busy worrying about Tom Cruise and Matt Laurer to take the time to get the information.

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Another Reichstag fire

Dreamer9177 — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 12:38:37 GMT

History will condemn us if we do not begin to take America back from these morons now. Obviously debate and representative government are getting in the way of the GOP. I will not be surprised to hear soon about another "Reichstag fire" that will basically render Congress null and void. That thought may be frightening, but take heart. We are standing up and the more we protest, the more obvious the tyrrany becomes.

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WP article defending the situation at Gitmo

Dreamer9177 — Fri, 03 Jun 2005 21:19:30 GMT

Ironic that the newspaper that helped uncover Watergate is trying to help cover-up Blood-for-Oil-gate

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060201750.html

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Neo-Con thinking

Dreamer9177 — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 20:03:50 GMT

At work a few weeks ago I found myself listening to a conversation about crime and punishment between 2 co-workers. One was a Progressive and the other was a Neo-Con. The discussion centered on the use of the death penalty and whether or not it was appropriate or called for in certain cases. The Neo-Con certainly felt that almost everyone who committed a crime should be considered as a death penalty candidate since keeping them in jail would "cost me in taxes".
At this point, there was nothing said that truly surprised me. That was until the Neo-Con mentioned that public executions should be re-instituted in America. She said that the executions would be a deterrent to crime and that people should be commended to watch in order to see the consequences of crime. That again didn't phase me since I heard this woman talk before.
The point at which I had to walk away was when she said that she would gladly take her 4-year old daughter to witness an execution! This was and is, unbelievable to me. To think that someone would willingly take a child to see an execution, in the hopes that it would teach her a "lesson" is mind-blowing. What can a 4-year old girl possibly learn from this? That anything she does can cause her to be killed? That death is OK as long as it happens to someone else?
I thought about the conversation and eventually things began to make sense to me. The woman wanted to so thoroughly control and frighten her child that she would never question authority. That is the hallmark of the Neo-Con movement. Never question anything that a Neo-Con leadership proposes or you too will find yourself being executed in front of the world.
Witness the attacks that seem to appear out of nowhere when someone disagrees with the Bush administration. Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke, Al Gore, George Soros, Amnesty International, Newsweek, etc. Disagreement = death in the minds of the Neo-Cons and that helps to explain the reasoning behind their processes. Whether the death is literal as in the case of the soldiers dying for a lie in Iraq, or figurative as in the character assassinations, the message is always the same. Neo-Cons are terrified of being cut off from their herd and being left to think for themselves. Critical thought is a tool of "the forces of Evil", or of those who "hate America and Freedom".
I pity that woman now more than ever. She is taking her daughter down the primrose path towards the intellectual slaughterhouse convinced that she is doing the right thing. Since she cannot think for herself, she can no nothing better than what the leaders appointed over her have told her. And most chilling of all this little girl is being taught that disagreement or critical though is the sure way to the gallows.
These are the people that are trying to control America now. We have to defend our rights against their assaults and demand that our children be allowed to develop as individuals rather than cannon fodder if this great social experiment known as America is going to survive.

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Amnesty under attack

Dreamer9177 — Wed, 01 Jun 2005 23:21:57 GMT

Well, FoxNews didn't take long to start attacking Amnesty International. The organization that has done more to promote human rights worldwide than the Bushies can dream of is being attacked because of the reports about prisoner abuse.

No real surprise in this. Bush lables Amnesty as "people who hate America". Doesn't that sound like the exact phrase he used when describing the terrorists that we are supposed to be fighting?

Watch out London! The Downing Street Memo will come back to haunt you. Amnesty could be the next group under attack by the Fascists. I only hope that Amnesty continues to do the right things and show the evil in the world, be it American or someone else. I wish that we as a nation had the courage to face up to the truth in those reports rather than spewing more hatred at a world that is already growing tired of us.

Can we impeach W now?

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New Torture Report - AIUSA

Caitlin — Thu, 26 May 2005 00:32:54 GMT

Check out this link - this report has incredibly important information about Guantanamo Bay and is definitely worth following! Who knows what might come of this - depending how seriously other governments around the world are able to take this. Maybe nothing. Maybe something huge.

At any rate, it is one of many recent red flags about the nature and potential of our current international climate.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/

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Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom

CC — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 02:11:09 GMT

Amnesty International Hosts
West Coast Premiere of Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom
Wednesday, April 6th, 8:00 p.m., Brava Theater Center, San Francisco

Guantánamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom is a play based on the spoken and written testimony of Guantánamo detainees, lawyers and public officials. Their interviews were conducted at the end of March and the beginning of April 2004. Numerous attempts were made to get the viewpoint of members of the government, but to no avail.

This performance of the play benefits Amnesty International USA. The cost of the tickets are tax deductible. RSVP IMMEDIATELY for this special presenation!!

The Brava Theatre Center
2789 24th St.
San Francisco
8 p.m.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005

For Tickets: Phone: 415-291-9233 ext. 209
Email: sfintern@aiusa.org with "Attn: John" as the subject

General Tickets: $20
VIP tickets: $40
(includes Prime Seating, Acknowledged in the Playbill, and twice the support for Amnesty International USA)

Please include your name and number and type of tickets in the phone or email message and the tickets will be on hold at the door until 10 minutes before the show.

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Hotel Rwanda

eric — Wed, 23 Feb 2005 20:01:59 GMT

Saw Hotel Rwanda on Monday and it was absolutely stunning.

On a broader note it was unfortunate for me to realilze that my history/biblical lessons seem to be coming from Hollywood. I guess this could be a good thing, at least its getting out there.

posted in Amnesty International SF - 1 reply

Tibetan refugees threatened by Nepal Unrest

janina — Wed, 16 Feb 2005 15:40:44 GMT

As you have probably seen in the news, the Kingdom of Nepal has been thrown into major political turmoil. What you may not know is that, as a result, a crisis looms for thousands of Tibetan refugees.

Iwant to ask you to consider giving a donation today to make sure we have the resources to continue to protect these refugees.

On February 1, the Nepalese King seized total control of the government and placed most government ministers under house arrest. He declared an indefinite state of emergency and the suspension of all civil liberties.

The week preceding the King's coup, the Nepalese government had issued notice to the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office in Kathmandu ordering both offices to close immediately allegedly because they were not legally registered.

The notice was unexpected as the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been operating in Nepal since 1960, when it first rallied international support and coordinated emergency care for thousands of Tibetan refugees who fled in the immediate aftermath of China's invasion and occupation.

In recent years, we have documented an increase of Chinese government influence in Nepal and our monitors suggest that China's pressure provoked the Nepalese government to close the offices. Indeed, the Chinese Foreign Ministry commended the closures as a legitimate expression of Nepal's sovereignty.

While the closure of the Representative's office is likely a political gesture to China, the closure of the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office raises immediate humanitarian concerns because it serves as the implementing partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees --providing rescue, shelter and other assistance to Tibetan refugees in Nepal.

This is the season when most Tibetans make their dangerous crossing over the Himalayas to the Transit Center in Kathmandu run by the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office. Approximately 1,000 Tibetan refugees are there now. Their future is now in question.

Our human rights monitors are keeping close watch on events unfolding in Nepal. Our staffs in Washington and Europe are working quietly and deliberately through government channels to avert further action against the Tibetans and to create conditions for a swift resolution.

However, in the coming weeks, quiet diplomacy may reach its limits. At that time, we hope we can count on you to help increase pressure on the Nepalese King so that the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office can continue its vital protection work.

In 2004, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan exile government asked ICT to do whatever is possible to assist Tibetan refugees. This is a crucial time for our work and our members like you.

Please donate today to help ensure that ICT resources remain sufficient for information gathering and analysis, governmental work, and many other ways we support the Tibetan refugees.

China is making serious efforts to convince Nepal that its age-old cultural and religious ties with the Tibetans are counter to Nepal's national interests as a friend of China. We must always be ready to match their efforts and defend the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people.

Sincerely,

John Ackerly,
President

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

International Campaign for Tibet
1825 Jefferson Place NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States of America
Phone: 202.785.1515
Fax: 202.785.4343
info@savetibet.org

ICT Europe
P.O. Box 3337
1001 AC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Phone: 31 (0)20 3308265
Fax: 31 (0)20 3308266
icteurope@savetibet.org

ICT Deutschland e.V.
Marienstr. 30
10117 Berlin
Germany
Phone: 49 (0)30 27879086
Fax: 49 (0)30 27879087
info@savetibet.de

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Welcome

Caitlin — Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:28:13 GMT

Welcome ye who enter here...I am planning on using this tribe to disseminate information about local Amnesty events and related human rights activism in the area...feel free to use it to keep up on those things...and to post shtuff of your own and keep the rest of us current!

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