Feature Archives

7/14: On Democracy Now this morning, Democratic candidate for president Dennis Kucinich, whose platform has been about ending the occupation, defended the fact that his delegates to this past weekend's democractic platform convention caved in on the issue of ending the occupation. Notably absent on the Democratic Party's website is any reference to the results of the Platform Convention, but info can be found on the Convention's Website if one looks hard enough.
Progressive and anti-war activists are backing Massachusetts Senator John Kerry as part of an "anyone but Bush" movement during this election year. Kerry's support of liberal social policies is lacking. According to Kerry's statements, he is not actually an anti-war candidate, yet he has the support of much of the anti-war movement.

John Kerry fought in the conflict in Vietnam and was awarded a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. On his return to the US, he participated in protests against the war on Vietnam and was a spokesperson for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, which included public rejection of his medals. He seems to have changed his perspective on military conflicts as time has gone on. As political commentator Thomas Harrison has written, "On Iraq, as on many other critical matters, the gap between Kerry and Bush is...narrow... Kerry voted in favor of the Iraq invasion... in other words, he was prepared to endorse a massively destructive assault on Iraq... Since then, Kerry has had his criticisms, but he firmly supports the U.S. occupation of Iraq. For a while he was able to differentiate himself from the White House by calling for a greater United Nations role, but it didn't take long for even Bush to recognize the cosmetic value of bringing in the international organization: nothing like a coat of multilateral makeup to soften the brute visage of U.S. imperial domination." Although Kerry wants to lift the ban on gays in the military, this might be a way of making it possible for more people to enlist in the military during a time when the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are under fire and needing respite. As the fall election grows closer, increasing numbers of voters are calling Kerry "wishy-washy."

Kerry is married to Teresa Heinz Kerry, who is one of the wealthiest people in the world. Her late ex-husband, Henry John Heinz III, was a member of the family that founded the Heinz Company. If Kerry is elected President, he will be comparatively the third richest US President in history (following George Washington and JFK). Teresa Heinz Kerry is active in stumping for her husband. He announced on Tuesday, July 6th that Senator John Edwards will be his running mate.

Indybay Story about John Kerry and LGBTI Communities | Voter Punch, a Voting Record Search | On the Matter of Voting in a Swing State | NY Times Candidate Profile | Mainstream Moms Oppose Bush | Chomsky on "Voting 2004" | Members of US House of Representatives Call for UN Election Observers

On June 29th, Former President Bill Clinton visited San Francisco and Berkeley to sign copies of his new nearly 1,000-page Life tome.
According to several recent albeit shorter books, Clinton's policies of "humanitarian" intervention and Wilsonian "idealism" were direct precursors to Bush II's radical nationalism and neo-feudalism. Domestically, Clinton cut social programs during a time of relative economic prosperity and implemented "free" trade policies with sweeping effects at home and abroad. Meanwhile, the Clinton administration's embargo on Iraq is estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of women, men and children, the bombing of Sudan killed tens of thousands, a NATO rain of bombs on the former Yugoslavia sparked a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" atrocities on the ground, and a fleet of US attack helicopters and other armaments supplied the Israel Defense Forces' military occupation of Palestine. Clinton was also responsible for a massive rearmament of Colombia, where the government conducted a chemical warfare campaign against poor peasants, and Turkey, where state terror was instituted on a massive scale against the Kurds; both regimes were lauded by Washington for "combating terror." US chemical, bio and nuclear WMDs were replenished and maintained at launch-on-warning status, arms reduction treaties blocked, and a grand strategy for the militarization of space called for "preeminent" and "persuasive" space-based weapon systems to serve US military and commercial interests and achieve "full spectrum dominance" by the year 2020.
Photos: 1 | 2   Discussion

The Democratic National Convention held its meeting in Boston, Massachusetts from July 26th-29th, 2004 to announce that John Kerry is the Democratic Party's official nominee for the presidency (this after a nearly unanimous symbolic vote). In his speech on Thursday July 29th, Kerry stated "...and we will double the size of our Special Forces, to conduct terrorist operations..."-- this statement does not appear in the written remarks that can be found on his campaign website. Some delegates felt that they had been coerced into voting to nominate Kerry.

The DNC became much less popular with residents of the Boston area during the months leading to the convention, as authorities announced in late May that their security plan for the DNC would require shutting down nearly 40 miles of Boston roads and highways. A protest organizing meeting was shut down in May. The MBTA announced well in advance that all passengers' bags and packages would be searched during the week of the DNC. The ACLU and National Lawyers Guild are going to sue over the "free speech zone"-- the zone was a disappointment to protesters who hoped to get messages across to the delegates.

Day-by-Day Breakdown: The Boston Social Forum took place from July 23rd through 25th (video). On Sunday, there was an rally sponsored by ANSWER. Monday's events included a rally and march sponsored by the Green-Rainbow Party, the Anarchist Black Cross, and Homes Not Jails and actions at the "Free Speech Zone," the legal zone that the police had located in an area that was not visible to people who were attending the convention. Report from Monday's Bl(A)ck Tea Society march for civil liberties and against police brutality. The Bl(A)ck Tea Society held an outdoor Really, Really Democratic Bazaar and concert on Tuesday, July 27th. A replica of the Israeli-Palestinian Security Wall was ordered dismantled by the police. There was a Billionaires for Bush March in the evening. On Wednesday there was a "What Have We Become: From Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib" rally of about 500 people. Later on there was an anti bioterror/bio-weapons protest. Thursday, July 29th was a day of action that was called for by the Bl(A)ck Tea Society- a critical mass bike ride and a banner drop were amongst the actions that were reported on Boston Indymedia. A call had been put out for Radical Queer Resistance at the DNC; to that end, a Radical Queers "Kiss-In" confronted DNC delegates and the crowd at Fanueil Hall on Thursday. Thursday, July 29th was San Francisco's West Coast Convention Party DNC 2004 Web Radio was also broadcast on 104.9 FM in the East Bay


SF activist Edain reports from Boston: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | SF activist Fredrika reports: 1 Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Video: Barack Obama Additional stories: FBI harasses anarchists | Racial profiling at the DNC | Armor-clad state police | Images from police build-up | One activist's bag search report | Affinity group protest report

Boston Indymedia | Welcome to Boston Guide | Why Protest the DNC? | Bl(a)ck Tea Society | Flyers | Boston Anarchist Black Cross Legal Defense Fund | Boston Area Liberation Medic Squad | March from the DNC to the RNC | Shadow Protest | Elect No One '04 | The 1968 DNC Protests Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign

Friday, August 27th: Critical Mass Radio Broadcast- Listen Online!
Aug. 27–Sep. 2: A-Noise NoRNC radio live from NYC
The Republican National Convention will be welcomed to New York City by the NYC Host Committee from August 29th through September 4th.. Several organizations have called for protests at the convention, and began organizing months before the convention. Not in Our Name has called for More than a million in the streets when the Bush team meets!" in spite of the fact that NYC refused to give NION and United for Peace and Justice a permit for a rally in Central Park. Read more in Indybay's story about the Central Park protest. The Independent Media Center has rented the gigantic artspace for the duration of the protests. Several national and international Indymedia projects are coordinating coverage of the protests: Critical Mass Radio, IMC Radio Network, A.Noise Radio, NYC Video Working Group and Unconventional TV, RNC Mobile Network, RNC txt message updates, and of course The Indypendent, NYC Indymedia's newspaper. There are free media trainings at the grassroots media space through August 31st.
8/21:This week it was announced that the NYPD would send officers to specific locations around the country to track potential "anarchist" RNC protesters around to try to gather intelligence about plans to disrupt the RNC. The National Lawyers Guild responded by republishing its Know Your Rights pamphlet online. The police also unveiled some of the weapons that they will use against protesters, including the Long Range Acoustic Device. On August 23rd, the New York Post said that several Weathermen had been released from prison and would be in New York for the protests. New York's Mayor Bloomberg has announced that protesters and Republicans will receive discounts in stores, restaurants, and hotel in the city, if they identify themselves as Peaceful Political Activists. 8/21 Update from an Indymedia reporter | 8/22 Anti-Militarism Art Reception Video and Photos | 8/24 Report: Public Art Against the RNC | 8/25 Organizing Report from Starhawk | Starhawk's Update 6 Report from 8/26 AIDS/Third World Debt protest by ACT UP

Calls to action: At the Crossroads, by Starhawk | ANSWER has called for protests against "the twin parties of the war machine" -- both the RNC and the Democratic National Committee meeting in Boston, which took place in Boston the last week in July. | Gays Against Bush Call to Action | Call for Radical Cheerleaders to participate in several demonstrations | Call for Nonviolent Direct Action from School of the Americas Watch to expose the double standard of the "War on Terror" during the RNC week. | Call for a Green Bloc | Call to Reclaim the Park, whether or not there is a permit to hold a rally in Central Park. | Million Yippie March in Central Park

Events: On August 21st, there was a Really, Really Free Market. The Life After Capitalism conference was held over the weekend. August 26th: War Crimes Tribunal on Iraq: the people judge Bush Also on August 26th Refuse & Resist honors Unconventional Heroes August 27th: Immigrant-Worker Solidarity Day Of Action/ SpeakOut! in New York City August 28th: New York March for Women's Lives August 29th: The World Says No the Bush Agenda- a permitted rally. Call for Local Actions on August 29th A call has also been put out to Reclaim the Park, in the original location in which protesters wanted to have the rally. One of the many contingents at the march will be the Radical Tejas Feeder March. There will also be a Zapatista Contingent on the 29th and 30th. Later that day, a Mouse Bloc plans to join other blocs in creating Chaos on Broadway, confronting the Republican "fat cats" when they attend shows on Broadway that evening. August 30th: Still We Rise Poor People's March from Union Square to Madison Square Garden, gathering at 12 noon. The Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign and the KWRU are sponsoring The March for Our Lives starting at the United Nations, at 4pm. Others are calling for a day of civil disobedience and direct action on August 31st to begin with a "Shout Heard Round the World" The Johnny Cash Bloc gathers at 4pm that day. Local NYC activists are urging residents and protesters to shut the entire city down on September 1st, from Broadway shows to retail restaurants. Also in NYC this summer: The Ongoing Trial of Activist Attorney Lynne Stewart asks for supporters to be present in the courtroom.

Resources for Protesters: List of Delegates | RNCdelegates.com | The People's Guide to the RNC | RNC Protesters Map 8/26 Update | NYC Orientation Info from the Basement Cluster | Radical Reference Service

No RNC Clearinghouse | CounterConvention.org | RNC Watch | NYC People's Law Collective NYC Summer Liberation Schools | Save our Civil Liberties Campaign NYC Indymedia March from the DNC to the RNC

6/11/2004:On Friday at noon, there was a commemoration ceremony for the victims of Ronald Reagan's policies. Over one hundred people gathered at the 16th St BART and marched up Mision St to 24th St holding crosses and a coffin and reading the names of Reagan's victims. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois in 1911 and died quietly in his California home on June 5th, 2004, after living for several years with Alzheimer's disease. Yet it seems that Reagan's Alzheimer's was contagious. While mainstream media fall over themselves in a rush to construct a public memory of the man as a hero, the truth about the life and times of the actor/governor/president is quite different.
Reagan's support for right-wing murderers, most famously in the Iran-Contra scandal; provision of weapons and military training for murderous dictatorships in Latin America (Argentina, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Grenada),Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa; role in perpetuating apartheid in South Africa; unprecedented promotion of nuclear proliferation; his denial of funding for AIDS research; affront to women's rights; undercutting of environmental protections, perpetuation of racial segregation and discrimination; and gutting of social services are only a few of the events that mark the Reagan years as among the most corrupt and devastating in history. This is the Reagan that must not be forgotten.
Video | Timeline | Quotes | Mental Health | Noam Chomsky on Reagan's Legacy

6/5/2004: Several hundred protesters marched up Embarcadero starting at Justin Herman Plaza a little after 2PM. After five or six blocks the police forced everyone onto the sidewalk and arrested a few people after they stepped into the street. The protest went all the way up to Pier 39, but the police blocked the entrances and told protesters they would be arrested if they entered. The tourists at Pier 39 were not allowed to leave by the police until the protest had left the area. The march then looped on back streets to the Embarcadero and went up the sidewalk to Justin Herman Plaza. After the protesters rejoined the larger anti-war protest the police rushed in and tried to arrest someone. Protesters yelled at the police and the police line formed near the ANSWER stage. After perhaps ten minutes the police charged the crowd throwing three young men on the ground (the police stomped on one young man's head leaving a bloody mark above his right eye) After that the crowd slowly dispersed.
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5   Breaking Coverage From Saturday

From June 8-10, 2004 the leaders of the world's largest and richest industrialized nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), who are known collectively as the Group of 8 or G8, will meet at Sea Island, Georgia in the US. At the meeting, Bush and company will discuss the war on Iraq, terrorism, the global economy, and the policy in the Middle East. They will enjoy such luxuries as golf courses, fine food and exotic hotels. Protest organizers have been planning their events for months, but have had to change many of their arrangements because of the repression that is coming from the government.

Repression: Organizers in Georgia have faced an unprecedented level of repression. Some events that were scheduled for Savannah have been moved to other cities because of intimidation tactics used by the police. Not only is the summit scheduled to be held on a privately-owned island, but protest permits have been denied in several cities, and the Governor of Georgia has declared a state of emergency from May 24th through June 20th in 5 counties. This means that the Governor is allowed greatly expanded powers, such as the right to "seize any property, public or private, close down events whether public or private regardless of permit status, detain citizens without charging them with crimes, impose curfews, override local ordinances and law enforcement, and to use military personnel for civilian law enforcement." Read more from the Save Our Civil Liberties Campaign

Federal Government and G8 Event Security: On May 10-11, 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge met in Washington, DC with the Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs from the G8 countries, and with the European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs to discuss such topics as prevention of terrorism and serious criminal acts; border and transportation security; and combating cybercrime and enhancing cyber-investigations. Just two weeks later, on May 26th, Ashcroft announced that there was an increased threat of a terrorist attack sometime between that date and the election, with an extra chance of an attack on the G8 summit, or on either the Democrat or Republican National Conventions. However, "I don't see these new threats being reported changing anything we have in place," said Barry Bennett, spokesman for the federal Summit Planning Organization. "The security is already a 10, it doesn't go to 11. We're maxed." Plans were already set to have 20,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers help guard President Bush and the leaders of U.S. allies, and keep protesters and their messages away from the G8.

West Coast G8: People in the Bay Area are organizing several events during the days of the G8 summit. On June 8th at 5PM in UN Plaza West Coast G8 and Reclaim the Streets will throw a Mutant Street Party to "To UNwelcome the Biotech Conference to San Francisco (June 3-9), toast the death of the G8, and dance for Mutant Freedom Now!" Read more about the planned protests on the Globalization page. Other G8 Websites: G8 Resistance | Criticism of Counter-Summits | Fix Shit Up call from the Southeast Anarchist Network | How You Can Help the Georgia protesters