Feature Archives

On November 14, a routine CIA information and recruitment session was suddenly disrupted on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara when a small group of student protesters walked in and lead a man with bound hands to the front of the room, where he was laid on a table and (voluntarily*) tortured with a CIA-approved technique used to simulate drowning, known as water-boarding. The CIA speakers were struggling to speak over the "torture victim's" coughs and cries for help, while potential CIA recruits looked on with bewilderment at the grotesquely real portrayal of torture.

The Direct Action Task Force Against Torture! will be holding its second annual vigil against torture outside the Presidio of Monterey. This year’s event will focus on education and awareness in calling for a total cessation of the use of torture by any country, and closure of the School of the Americas in Ft. Benning, Georgia. The Quit Torture Teach-In & Vigil is ongoing from Friday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 18 outside the gates to the Presidio.

On November 8th, Michael Mukasey was confirmed as attorney general by the full US Senate in a 53 to 40 vote. The Democrats who voted in support of Mukasey were Feinstein, Schumer, Bayh, Carper, Landrieu and Nelson. All four Democratic senators who are running for president did not vote. Before Feinstein came out for Mukasey, he appeared to be unable to get enough votes to get out of committee due to his refusal to declare water-boarding a form of torture. Several protests against Mukasey have taken place in San Francisco.

On November 4th, hundreds of Santa Cruz County residents joined the 14th annual Watsonville Peace and Unity March which began with a peace ceremony at the Watsonville Plaza. Several community leaders, family members of victims of violence and youth addressed the effects of violence in Watsonville and other communities.

On Saturday, October 27th, regional and local "Fall Out Against the War" demonstrations against the war in Iraq were held all over the United States. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in San Francisco at 11:00am at Civic Center Park for an opening rally. At 12:30pm, there was a march to Dolores Park, where there was a closing rally and peace and justice convergence.

On October 17th, CodePINK protested at the Marine Officer Recruiting Station at 64 Shattuck Square, just south of University Ave. in Berkeley from 7:30am to 4:30pm. CodePINK, Grandmothers Against War, and allies were there to "banner, flyer, picket in front of the station, hand out counter-recruitment info to those in danger of being recruited, and go inside to ask the Marines to LEAVE our town!" The Officer Recruiting Station is located just blocks from Berkeley High School, UC Berkeley, and Berkeley City College.

The Iraq Moratorium called on everyone to take some public action to stop the war on Iraq - on Friday, September 21st and every third Friday of the month from now on. In San Francisco there wereactions Friday at 1187 Franklin at 10am and at Market & Montgomery at 5pm. In San Mateo, 150 people gathered for an evening rally. In Berkeley, there was a rally at Acton and University. In Palo Alto there was a rally at Lytton Plaza. In Oakland, was a march on the docks starting from the West Oakland BART station. There were also be rallies at many other location around the Bay Area.