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Fri May 12 2006
NSA Tracking Millions of US Phone Calls with Telcos Help
5/26: AT&T accidentally leaks sensitive information involving the NSA lawsuit in 25-page legal brief.
5/22: Sealed documents are leaked and published online. Wednesday, 5/24 will be a "Day of Outrage Against the NSA, AT&T, Verizon" in San Francisco, 12 noon at AT&T Park and 4 to 6 p.m. at 666 Folsom (between 2nd and 3rd).
5/17 Update: Judge Walker rules EFF can use evidence in lawsuit against AT&T; documents will be kept under seal.
On May 11th, 2006, it was reported that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly collecting the phone records of tens of millions of Americans since September 11, 2001. The data has been provided by telecommunications giants AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. The companies are the nation's three biggest telecommunications companies; they provide local and wireless phone service to more than 200 million customers. A fourth company, Qwest, reportedly refused to provide the data willingly provided by the others without subpoenas. According to the report, this particular program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations, but last year, Bush admitted that he had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop — without warrants — on international calls and e-mails of people suspected of having links to terrorists when one party to the communication is in the USA. The full extent of that warrantless wiretapping has yet to be publicly determined. In this new revelation, the NSA claims the phone record data is being used in its fight against terrorism, although the millions of Americans whose telephone behavior is being tracked are not suspected of any crime. Telephone company customers' names, street addresses and other personal information are not being handed over as part of the NSA's program, the sources for the report said. But the phone numbers the NSA collects can easily be cross-checked with other databases to obtain that information. Addressing the report shortly after its release, Bush strangely defended the program by saying, "Our intelligence activities strictly target al-Qaida and their known affiliates" and that American citizen's privacy is being "fiercely protected." He also said some members of Congress previously had been informed of the existence of the massive database program. While some Cogresspeople defended the program, others demanded answers from the Bush administration Thursday about the spy agency secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a "database of every call ever made" within US borders. Congressional Republicans and Democrats demanded answers from the Bush administration about a government spy agency secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a database of every call made within the country. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said he would call the phone companies to appear before the panel "to find out exactly what is going on."
5/22: Sealed documents are leaked and published online. Wednesday, 5/24 will be a "Day of Outrage Against the NSA, AT&T, Verizon" in San Francisco, 12 noon at AT&T Park and 4 to 6 p.m. at 666 Folsom (between 2nd and 3rd).
5/17 Update: Judge Walker rules EFF can use evidence in lawsuit against AT&T; documents will be kept under seal.
On May 11th, 2006, it was reported that the National Security Agency (NSA) has been secretly collecting the phone records of tens of millions of Americans since September 11, 2001. The data has been provided by telecommunications giants AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth. The companies are the nation's three biggest telecommunications companies; they provide local and wireless phone service to more than 200 million customers. A fourth company, Qwest, reportedly refused to provide the data willingly provided by the others without subpoenas. According to the report, this particular program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations, but last year, Bush admitted that he had authorized the NSA to eavesdrop — without warrants — on international calls and e-mails of people suspected of having links to terrorists when one party to the communication is in the USA. The full extent of that warrantless wiretapping has yet to be publicly determined. In this new revelation, the NSA claims the phone record data is being used in its fight against terrorism, although the millions of Americans whose telephone behavior is being tracked are not suspected of any crime. Telephone company customers' names, street addresses and other personal information are not being handed over as part of the NSA's program, the sources for the report said. But the phone numbers the NSA collects can easily be cross-checked with other databases to obtain that information. Addressing the report shortly after its release, Bush strangely defended the program by saying, "Our intelligence activities strictly target al-Qaida and their known affiliates" and that American citizen's privacy is being "fiercely protected." He also said some members of Congress previously had been informed of the existence of the massive database program. While some Cogresspeople defended the program, others demanded answers from the Bush administration Thursday about the spy agency secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a "database of every call ever made" within US borders. Congressional Republicans and Democrats demanded answers from the Bush administration about a government spy agency secretly collecting records of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a database of every call made within the country. Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said he would call the phone companies to appear before the panel "to find out exactly what is going on."
Wed May 10 2006
Lessons from COINTELPRO
Claude Marks & Kelah Bott, in Fault Lines #16, write:
Recent crackdowns on the animal rights and environmental justice movements have left many activists feeling that their communities are under siege. From the prosecution of the SHAC 7 to the arrests of thirteen individuals for arsons committed over a ten-year span, a war is being waged against these movements by the U.S. government. While all of this may seem terrifying in its unfamiliarity to younger activists, the tactics being employed by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force are anything but new. Whisperings of ‘COINTELPRO’ have appeared in various articles about the backlash against eco-activism, but what does this generation really know about the Counter-Intelligence Program aimed at groups such as the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the American Indian Movement (AIM)? Today’s activists are heirs to a history of social and political battles from wars that are not yet over. Without seeing today’s struggles for animal rights and environmental justice in a broader historical and social context, we run the risk not only of repeating painful lessons of the past, but of isolating ourselves and weakening our movements.
Recent crackdowns on the animal rights and environmental justice movements have left many activists feeling that their communities are under siege. From the prosecution of the SHAC 7 to the arrests of thirteen individuals for arsons committed over a ten-year span, a war is being waged against these movements by the U.S. government. While all of this may seem terrifying in its unfamiliarity to younger activists, the tactics being employed by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force are anything but new. Whisperings of ‘COINTELPRO’ have appeared in various articles about the backlash against eco-activism, but what does this generation really know about the Counter-Intelligence Program aimed at groups such as the Black Panther Party (BPP) and the American Indian Movement (AIM)? Today’s activists are heirs to a history of social and political battles from wars that are not yet over. Without seeing today’s struggles for animal rights and environmental justice in a broader historical and social context, we run the risk not only of repeating painful lessons of the past, but of isolating ourselves and weakening our movements.
Read More in the April-May 2006 issue of Fault Lines
Recent Indybay Coverage of Grand Juries, Arrests, and Other Anti-Activist Actions: SF Grand Jury Targets G8 Protest | SHAC7 Convicted | Government's "Case" Against Rod Coronado | 11 Indicted in Latest Round of FBI Environmental Witch Hunt | Three Arrested in Auburn, Accused of Planning ELF Actions | Animal Activists Subpoenaed to Appear in San Francisco | Grand Jury in San Diego
Fri Apr 21 2006
1,187 Undocumented Workers Detained, 275 Deported
In what is being called the largest-ever raid on undocumented workers, 1,187 people were taken from their workplaces and arrested on April 20th by the Department of Homeland Security and local police. While the story is still unfolding, it appears that 275 workers have already been deported to Mexico, while the rest are being processed. The raids occurred in 26 states, including California, where workers in both Riverside and Fresno were rounded up. All the workers are said to be employed by IFCO Systems North America - an international corporation that builds wood pallets for shipping. 7 company managers are also facing immigration-related charges.
In Chicago, workers’ families and their supporters held a protest last night at one of the many detention centers where the workers are currently locked up (read more from Chicago IMC). They called for a moritorium on all deportations until Congress makes a final decision on immigration reform.
Activists insist that this latest assault on immigrants is an attempt to intimidate and repress the growing movement that has seen millions in the streets of communities across the country. Meanwhile, families remain concerned about the status of their loved ones, many of which have lived and worked in the United States for decades, own homes, and have little children.
Democracy Now Coverage || WSWS: 1,200 Undocumented Workers Detained Across U.S.
Previous coverage: Local Man Returns from ICE Detention and Tells of Horrors He Witnessed || Expecting Couple is Split Up by US Immigration Officers || Pakistani Man Charged With Making False Claim on Loan Application || Haitian Priest Dies in US Custody || Farouk Abdel-Muhti, recently freed Palestinian activist, dies of heart attack || Bay Area Defends Local Family Facing Deportation || Demonstrations Continue Outside INS Offices || San Francisco INS Protest || Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in California || First National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Immigrants
In Chicago, workers’ families and their supporters held a protest last night at one of the many detention centers where the workers are currently locked up (read more from Chicago IMC). They called for a moritorium on all deportations until Congress makes a final decision on immigration reform.
Activists insist that this latest assault on immigrants is an attempt to intimidate and repress the growing movement that has seen millions in the streets of communities across the country. Meanwhile, families remain concerned about the status of their loved ones, many of which have lived and worked in the United States for decades, own homes, and have little children.
Democracy Now Coverage || WSWS: 1,200 Undocumented Workers Detained Across U.S.
Previous coverage: Local Man Returns from ICE Detention and Tells of Horrors He Witnessed || Expecting Couple is Split Up by US Immigration Officers || Pakistani Man Charged With Making False Claim on Loan Application || Haitian Priest Dies in US Custody || Farouk Abdel-Muhti, recently freed Palestinian activist, dies of heart attack || Bay Area Defends Local Family Facing Deportation || Demonstrations Continue Outside INS Offices || San Francisco INS Protest || Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in California || First National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Immigrants
Tue Apr 11 2006
April 10th Day Without an Immigrant
On April 9th and 10th 2006, immigrants and their allies gathered in cities across the US to oppose the harsh and unworkable House Resolution 4437, and call for the full enfranchisement of all immigrant workers. These protest built on several weeks of mass protest on this issue in what amounts to the largest display of decentralized, coordinated protest in US history. On Thursday, proposed compromise legislation stalled in the Senate. Protesters say they seek real immigration reform that is comprehensive, respects civil rights, reunites families, protects workers, and offers a path to citizenship for the current undocumented and future immigrants to the US.
Highlights: 500,000 in Dallas! | San Diego's Largest March since Vietnam War | Bay Area Roundup | Video from Philadelphia | Video from San Francisco | Democracy Now Report
More Indymedia Reports: Austin | Boston | Colorado | Connecticut | Dallas: 1, 2 | Flagstaff, AZ | Fresno | Houston | Los Angeles | Madison, WI | Miami | Minneapolis/St. Paul | New York City | North Carolina | Oakland | Ohio | Oklahoma City | Pittsburgh | Philadelphia | Portland, OR: 1, 2 | Rochester, NY | Salem, OR: 1, 2 | San Diego | San Francisco: 1, 2 | San Jose, CA | San Rafael, CA | Seattle | St. Louis | Stanford, CA Tennessee | Tuscon, AZ | Urbana Champaign | Washington, DC
Related: Madison IMC: Local paper edits AP story to represent rally turnout as in the hundreds instead of the thousands initially reported. | LA IMC: Threatened by Principal, Student Walkout Organizer Commits Suicide
See US Indymedia's April 10th Page for an archive of related Indymedia coverage and background links.
On Friday, March 10, 2006 Chicago’s downtown was paralyzed by an immigrant rights march estimated at more than 100,000 people. The march, organized by a citywide coalition of community, labor and immigrant rights groups, was called to protest the punitive enforcement provisions of the anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner Bill.
Protesters carried hand-lettered signs saying "No Human Being is Illegal", "We are America," "My Mexican immigrant son died in Iraq," "Don't deport my parents,""I'm a dishwasher - not a criminal," and "Si, se puede!" - "Yes We Can!" The crowd stretched two and half miles, from Union Park on the West Side to their rally destination in Federal Plaza.
The march was one of the largest street protests Chicago has ever seen — exceeding the historic May 1, 1886 march down Michigan Ave. by 80,000 largely immigrant workers demanding an eight-hour workday. Read more | Democracy Now! coverage
Indymedia reports: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] Photos: [ 1 ]
Other resources: Pueblo Sin Fronteras | Centro Romero | Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
On Tuesday Feb 14th immigrants across Philadelphia and regionally staged a walkout to protest bill HR 4437 as part of A Day Without An Immigrant. The bill threatens to criminalize those assisting undocumented immigrants as "alien smugglers" and to turn undocumented status from a civil violation to a federal aggravated felony.o
For more information on pending immigration legislation, see The National Immigration Law Forum | American Immgration Lawyers Association | American Immigration Law Foundation | National Immigration Project |Immigrant Legal Resource Center
For information on border activism in general, see deletetheborder.org| No Border Network | O.R.G.A.N.I.C. Collective | No More Deaths | Immigrant Solidarity Network
Protesters carried hand-lettered signs saying "No Human Being is Illegal", "We are America," "My Mexican immigrant son died in Iraq," "Don't deport my parents,""I'm a dishwasher - not a criminal," and "Si, se puede!" - "Yes We Can!" The crowd stretched two and half miles, from Union Park on the West Side to their rally destination in Federal Plaza.
The march was one of the largest street protests Chicago has ever seen — exceeding the historic May 1, 1886 march down Michigan Ave. by 80,000 largely immigrant workers demanding an eight-hour workday. Read more | Democracy Now! coverage
Indymedia reports: [ 1 | 2 | 3 ] Photos: [ 1 ]
Other resources: Pueblo Sin Fronteras | Centro Romero | Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
On Tuesday Feb 14th immigrants across Philadelphia and regionally staged a walkout to protest bill HR 4437 as part of A Day Without An Immigrant. The bill threatens to criminalize those assisting undocumented immigrants as "alien smugglers" and to turn undocumented status from a civil violation to a federal aggravated felony.o
For more information on pending immigration legislation, see The National Immigration Law Forum | American Immgration Lawyers Association | American Immigration Law Foundation | National Immigration Project |Immigrant Legal Resource Center
For information on border activism in general, see deletetheborder.org| No Border Network | O.R.G.A.N.I.C. Collective | No More Deaths | Immigrant Solidarity Network
On March 3rd, Wal-Mart announced that it will stock emergency contraception (EC) in all of its pharmacies, starting on March 20th. This is seen as a concession to pressure from national women's rights organizations and their supporters. The company has stated that it will maintain its "conscientious objection" policy, which, it reports, is consistent with the tenets of the American Pharmaceutical Association. This policy, except where prohibited by law, "allows any Wal-Mart or SAM'S CLUB pharmacy associate who does not feel comfortable dispensing a prescription to refer customers to another pharmacist or pharmacy."
NARAL Pro-Choice America is encouraging people to write to Wal-Mart to encourage the company to change its pharmacy refusal policy.
Read more on Indybay's Women's News Page
NARAL Pro-Choice America is encouraging people to write to Wal-Mart to encourage the company to change its pharmacy refusal policy.
Read more on Indybay's Women's News Page
Tue Feb 28 2006
Supreme Court Ends Protection Against Abortion Clinic Violence
On February 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that could add to the increasing difficulty women face in obtaining reproductive health services. NOW says that if the Court's 8-0 decision in Scheidler, et al., v. National Organization for Women (NOW), et al. and Operation Rescue v. NOW, et al. ushers in a return to clinic violence in the United States, the organization is ready to fight in every jurisdiction.
For two decades, NOW has pursued every legal strategy, including three Supreme Court cases, to stave off the violent attacks that gripped this country from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. This case was brought under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, and had been one of the organization's most successful long-term strategies. A federal jury had found unanimously that these defendants had engaged in a nationwide criminal enterprise to close women's health clinics through extortion, violence and threats of violence, and specified over a hundred acts in furtherance of their efforts. The filing of the Scheidler case and the resulting injunction, which protected clinics nationwide, contributed to the dramatic reduction in clinic violence that we have witnessed in recent years. Without strong protections against clinic assaults, the legal right to abortion could become meaningless.
Read more on Indybay's Women's News Page
For two decades, NOW has pursued every legal strategy, including three Supreme Court cases, to stave off the violent attacks that gripped this country from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. This case was brought under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, and had been one of the organization's most successful long-term strategies. A federal jury had found unanimously that these defendants had engaged in a nationwide criminal enterprise to close women's health clinics through extortion, violence and threats of violence, and specified over a hundred acts in furtherance of their efforts. The filing of the Scheidler case and the resulting injunction, which protected clinics nationwide, contributed to the dramatic reduction in clinic violence that we have witnessed in recent years. Without strong protections against clinic assaults, the legal right to abortion could become meaningless.
Read more on Indybay's Women's News Page
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