Feature Archives

A new group called Mandate for Peace has emerged in the wake of the 2006 elections. They say that the mid-term elections were a referendum on the war, and that the results showed that the voters said that they want peace. The organization says that the next step is to make sure that the new Representatives implement the will of the people and get the troops out of Iraq. Code Pink, Grandmothers for Peace, United for Peace, and others gathered outside of Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco office on November 9th to demand that she speak up for the antiwar majority and take immediate action to bring the troops home. Video and Photos: 1 | 2 Mandate for Peace has encouraged others to take similar actions.

Update November 13th: The House has passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act with little discussion or dissent.

11/12: The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (H.R. 4239) which could stop people from protesting or speaking out about cruelty to animals. While it claims to target violent protests, activists warn it could be used to ban even peaceful protests, letter-writing, or leafleting that make those who profit from the use of animals feel “intimidated” or “harassed,” or if actions result in "loss of profits."

The Democractic Party has taken control of the House of Representatives and San Francisco's Nancy Pelosi will be the first woman Speaker of The House. Control of the Senate is nearly split down the center; Democrats control at 49 seats, Republicans also control 49, 1 seat is held by Socialist Bernie Sanders and one seat was won by Joe Lieberman (who lost the Democratic Primary to antiwar candidate Ned Lamont but then ran again as an independent).

Among well known Republicans who lost their seats Tuesday were the anti-gay politician Rick Santorum, and anti-environmental politician Richard Pombo.

Sgt. Ricky Clousing, who served as a U.S. Army Interrogator in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, pled guilty to a charge of "absent without leave" on Thursday October 12th at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. Clousing is a 24-year-old Army sergeant and interrogator from Seattle who is also an Iraq combat veteran. Clousing was sentenced to three months' confinement, forfeiture of two-thirds of pay while confined, and a bad conduct discharge. Clousing had left Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2005 after returning from Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division, and had been AWOL until he turned himself in on August 11th, 2006. At the press conference on August 11th, he outlined his opposition to a "war of aggression" that has "no legal basis to be fought."

On November 7th, voters around the US will go to the polls. While most of the national focus is on the chance that Democrats will take at least one branch of Congress, Republicans, and conservative issues appear to be making some gains, especially in California.

It appears that some California Democratic Party leaders have been rallying support for Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Proposition 85, which would require parental notification before a teen can have an abortion, appears to be passing. In Bay Area races, the business community and major newspapers are working to get progressive supervisor Chris Daly out of office, and in Berkeley progressive City Council member Kriss Worthington is on the receiving end of the most expensive campaign in the city’s history.

People in several cities around the US heeded ANSWER's Call to Action to organize anti-war activities for Saturday, October 28th. ANSWER said, "The people will force the issue of the Iraq war onto the U.S. political stage by taking to streets in demonstrations in cities and towns throughout the United States." In the Bay Area, there were protests in San Francisco (Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Video ), and in Berkeley.

On October 16th, New York attorney Lynne Stewart was sentenced to 28-months and is now free on bail, pending appeal. Stewart was convicted of releasing a statement by her client, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, to the media. Her co-defendant Ahmed Abdel Sattar was sentenced to 24 years, while translator Mohamed Yousry received 20 months in prison and was also released on bail.