Communiqué from my sister: Day Two: I'm about Ready to become an Anarchist!

"War is a beast that devours civilzation and turns all good works to contempt. Kings and governments makewar. The people pay the cost."
- Helen Keller

"We can't be so afraid of Bush that we vote for bush's policies on a friendly face. We can't be afraid of Bush, we need to build a movement that is so strong that Bush is afraid of us.
Larry Holmes - workers party

"Technology is a river behind the dam of Special Interests."
- Buckminister Fuller

"A Guerrila is a fish that swims in the sea of the People."
- Mao T'se Tung

"Get in where you fit in."
- Davey D

Z: My sister Edain is in Boston. I am in Portland. She is attending the Boston Social Forum, the Veterans for Peace meetup, and then she will be part of the people of the US who will boycott the Democratic Party Convention because they are still Prowar and still not representing the lives of Americans.

My sister is sending me daily updates. She is attending only a few of the many events being held in Boston this weekend and next week.

For you who don't know what is going on in Boston, the Democratic Convenion is about to be held. There are hundreds of thousands of people in Boston organizing to boycott it. When it is over thousands will walk from Boston to New York City to boycott the Repbublican convention. I'll give an update on organizing that walk at a later date.

Most of those in Boston for the social forum do not think either part represents the people of the US. In the last few days more liberal candidates such as Kuchinich have endorsed Kerry as the candidate for the Democratic Party....BUT...have not endorsed his platform of war, more war, and still more war on the world.

I called my sister and asked her some questions about how many people were there and about the infamous crowd control pen built to keep the people of America away from thier elected representatives.

EDAIN: There are thousands of people here. I cannot begin to count how many people are here. Every event I attended was filled to capacity. You could barely get in the rooms. People are very helpful and very excited to be here. The crowds are very diverse in their politcal orientation. What is shameful is that there are no Kerry people here. No one one person I have seen or met is supporting Kerry. There is no information from Kerry's campaign either. He just does not care about what we think. There are contingents of Black Bloc - Anarchists, and Internation Answer, Code Pink, Women in Black and many people who represent social justice and anti-war contingents...but nothing from the Kerry Campaign. I am about ready to join the Anarchist groups. It is clear that the two dominate political parties do not represent the people. The Pen: I have not gone down to where the pen is. Everyone I have talked to are just staying away from them. Why would you want to go there. Where we are going is to mass protests and rallies set up for the people by the people. This is what one person wrote about the internment pen: "How do I describe the sense of dread that crawled under my skin as I observed that there were only two entrance/exits to this long narrow cage enclosed with two chain link fences, covered with a mesh net, topped with two rolls of razor wire" hell no we won't go ...Tommorrow, Sunday we march!

Z: What is that march?

EDAIN: It is being called the National March on the Democratic Convention. It is being organized by Internation Answer. We will meet at the Boston Commons at Noon. It will be good to get all the people here in one place. I'm ready to go. The DNC is not showing itself to be for the people.

The website for information on this event is www.answerboston.org

Z: Is there a big police presense?

EDAIN: I really did not see alot of police here. The Veterans for Peace dinner was held at the Boston Public library and had heavy security.

I had to be escorted in the door by an officer. I asked him why there was so much security at a public Library. He said there might be terrorists. He said you never know what a terroist might look like, "she could be a little ol lady with a backpack bomb. You never know".

For the most part you see a few cops on bikes and they are not dressed to harm others. There has been no gassing or violence toward participants. The real violence is the lack of participation by the Kerry camp. They just don't care about justice and social issues.

This is the written report for Friday and Saturday from my sister Edain.

Satuday, July 24th

EDAIN:

What a day! WOW! I heard the most powerful speakers today. I was only able to attend a few of the hundreds of choices available so if others are in Boston maybe they can comment about the events they went to.

By the way, I first want to say that the people of Boston are so nice. From the time we got off the plane Bostonians went out of their way to help us figure out the transportation and where everything was at, a couple even walked us from the train stop to the dorm building at Emmanuel College where we are staying and helped us carry our bags. In fact even the flight attendants on the flight from San Francisco to Boston were very supportive of our going to Boston and of the work we are doing with the San Francisco Peacemakers.

Many of the Speakers I have been hearing will be available streaming on the web soon. I will try to find out where. Probably the Boston Social Forum website. www.bostonsocialforum.org/news.php

Veterans Address the Nation

The event I wanted to go to Friday night was part of the Annual Veterans for Peace Convention, which is taking place this year in Boston just before the Democratic Convention. The speakers were Boston City Councilors Felix Arroyo and Chuck Turner, Daniel Ellsberg and Howard Zinn. I got here too late to attend but today I spoke to several people who were there and they said it was wonderful and the speakers were very powerful. I think in a few days people will be able to go to the Veterans for Peace web page, www.veteransforpeace.org and watch it on line or get buy the video. Ask about the event "Veterans Address the Nation".

This morning (Saturday) I went to an event called "Release of the National People's Platform with Danny Glover and the Institute for Policy Studies". I don't have time to tell you everything that was said so I am going to give you the speakers names and web pages they recommended for more info. Here is a link to their website: www.ips-dc.org

One Speaker was Pastor Damon Lynch III, Cincinnati New Prospect Baptist Church Cincinnati Black United Front.

HIP HOP: THE POETIC UNDERGROUND VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

Also heard an amazing guy - Hip Hop historian Davey D, of Hard Knock Radio - www.daveyd.com.

I loved what he had to say about the hip-hop artists and how they have spoken out against administration policy since September 12, 2001 and how their protest music is not played (but the gangsta rap, by the same artists are played repeatedly). What Davey D suggests is to listen to the words of hip-hop and if you go to his webpage www.daveyd.com, he will teach you how and why.

While I have volunteered with the San Francisco Peacemakers I have met several hip-hop artists who have volunteered their time and talent to perform and I have found that young men and women are often talented masters of the written word. They are telling it like it is, living in neighborhoods where the parents are afraid to let their children play outside, where stray bullets can, and have, gone through walls and killed babies and other innocent bystanders. Where the drugs, guns and prison industrial complex have effected every friend and family. They tell you how that has effected their lives and what they see in their futures, and they do it with a poetic vocabulary and sutle, and not so sutle, expressions and nuances that would impress Shakespeare. Davey D is supporting hip-hop artists who are not able to get their music sold, because the message does not follow the commercial line, by giving out info on his web page.

Here are some of the Music, sites & artists to support -
- "What would you do?"
- "Down With Us",
- Watch www.daveyd.com for soon to be released "Bye Bye Bush"

www.guerrillafunk.com More on the underground hip hop movement

Dedric Mohamad, Racial Wealth Divide Project and United for a Fair Economy,www.faireconomy.org/econ/RWG

See also www.ips-dc.org and part of their website - Cities for Peace - www.ips-dc.org/citiesforpeace A national coalition of local officials and concerned citizens working to express the will of their communities through civic resolutions regarding the proposed war in Iraq.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON - Kuchinich Speaks about his endorsement of Kerry

Anyway, then I went to "We All Want Peace, but How Do We Find It? A Platform for Peace."

It was incredible! Speakers were Brian Aull & Nancy Wrenn, co-chairs of the Coalition for a Strong United Nations; Joseph Wronka, Springfield College; and Ohio Congressman and Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich. Some important facts:The U.S. is the only country in the world that has not ratified the rights of children. According to Article 6 of the US Constitution, once any law is ratified by the United Nations - it is U.S. law. Has anyone told our government?

KUCINICH

- Of course, many people in the audience wanted to hear from Kucinich, now that he has officially endorsed John Kerry. They wanted to know how he could agree with someone who has a platform so different from his own. He made it very clear in several ways that he is not endorsing Kerry's platform and still has the same concerns that he has always had. He is endorsing that John Kerry is the Democratic candidate and will do all he can to influence the government of the United States towards the Kucinich campaign goals. Many who supported Kucinich all the way to Boston see that he has given up. We cannot support him anymore. See www.kucinich.us.

Suggested books & webpages from speakers and audience:

Book "Fate of the Earth"
Book "The New Pearl Harbor"
www.troubleinparadise.org - movie

SATURDAY EVENING

So, then I went to the Annual Veterans for Peace Dinner with guest speakers Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, (www.democracynow.org) and Bobby Muller,Co-Founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which earned a Nobel prize in 1997. Read Mr. Muller's remarkable biography at www.vvaf.org.

I am not a veteran but I have friends who are members of Veterans for Peace (and made several wonderful new friends tonight), and I felt that both of these wonderful, powerful, speakers understood their audience and spoke frankly, passionately and lovingly.

Suggested reading: "Exception to the Rulers: ExposingOily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them" by Amy and David Goodman

"Emperial Hubris" by Anonymous

"Political Islam" by Graham Fuller

Movie "The Fog of War" by Erroll Morris starring Robert McNamara

www.thisisrumorcontrol.org
www.allianceforsecurity.org (coming soon)

Also, there was a video shown that has just been completed called "Arlington Cemetary West". It will probably be available soon at www.veteransforpeace.org. Extremely powerful and moving

Good Night, That's it for Friday and Saturday. It is 3:00 AM here.
Tomorrow (today-Sunday) we march!!

WEBSITES BOOKS AND MOVIES SITED IN THIS UPDATE

www.bostonsocialforum.org/news.php

website broadcasting the events and updates of what is happening in Boston right now. Check it out. May soon have streaming audio of speakers. Speakers include Angela Davis (US), Achin Vanaik (India), Paulo Du Marke (Brazil), Maude Barlow (Canada), Anna Burger (US), Chuck Turner (Boston), Guiglelmo Epifani (Italy), Diane Dujon (Boston), Dennis Brutus (South Africa), Gyung-Lan Jan (Korea), Sangita Nayak (US), Ruba Eid (Palestine), Walden Bello (Philippines),Michael Lerner (US), & others.

www.veteransforpeace.org - website of Veterans for Peace organization read about their anti-war platform

www.daveyd.com - Hip Hop Empowerment -amazing guy from LA who is trying to get the word out that Hip Hop is not only gangsta music. In fact the well crafter poetry of the youth of America is about tearing down the bad and building the good. But,you have to know where to look because the major corporate outlets for Hip Hop are not allowing that pro-revolutionary word to be heard. Check out this guy it's amazing!

www.guerrillafunk.com - Guerrilla Funk Recordings was born out of necessity. It’s a musical organization founded specifically to counter the corporate stranglehold of censorship currently plaguing the entertainment industry.

www.faireconomy.org/econ/RWG - Dedric Mohamad, Racial Wealth Divide Project and United for a Fair Economy.

www.ips-dc.org - Institute for Policy Studies: The Institute for Policy Studies is the nation’s oldest multi-issue progressive think tank. Since 1963, the Institute has worked with social movements to forge viable and sustainable policies to promote democracy, justice, human rights, and diversity. IPS played key roles in the Civil Rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s, the women’s and environmental movements in the 1970s, the anti-apartheid and anti-intervention movements in the 1980s, and the fair trade and environmental justice movements today.

www.kucinich.us. Website for Kucinich campaign - read why he endorsed Kerry!

www.democracynow.org - Amy Goodman's website - including streaming audio of the War and Peace Report hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez

www.troubleinparadise.org - A website for the movie -Trouble in Paradise is a real-life drama unfolding in the chaotic landscape of Florida politics over the course of a two-year period spanning from Election 2000 to Election 2002. Set amidst a backdrop of present-day events, the story follows the lives of five Floridians. Motivated by a sense of civic responsibility, they volunteer on campaigns, run for office, sue the state, and revisit the disturbing facts and unanswered questions of the historic election that changed their lives.

www.un.org Website for the United Nations

www.thisisrumorcontrol.org - News and analysis on the appalling mess we are in

www.allianceforsecurity.org (coming soon)

www.answerboston.org Organizers for the Sunday,July 25 March on the Democratic Convention. They want the war on the world to end!

www.billionairesforbush.com (this is very cool)

Suggested reading:

"Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them" by Amy and David Goodman

"Emperial Hubris" by Anonymous

"Political Islam" by Graham Fuller

Book "Fate of the Earth"

Book "The New Pearl Harbor"

"Exception to the Rulers: ExposingOily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them" by Amy and David Goodman

"Emperial Hubris" by Anonymous

"Political Islam" by Graham Fuller

Movies

Movie "The Fog of War" by Erroll Morris starring Robert McNamara

Movie - www.troubleinparadise.org - movie

Also, there was a video shown that has just been completed called "Arlington Cemetary West". It will probably be available soon at www.veteransforpeace.org - Extremely powerful and moving