Berkeley High Human Rights Teach-In (World Can't Wait)

Berkeley High and SF Bay Area chapters of
World Can’t Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime
http://www.worldcantwait.org
(415) 864-5153
Press contact: Sergio: (925) 922-7580

Teach-In at Little Theater at Berkeley High School
Take a Stand in Solidarity with International Human Rights Day
Panelists: Carlos Mauricio, Larry Everest, and others to be announced.

DATE: Monday, December 11
TIME: 8am - noon
PLACE: Little Theater, 1980 Alston Way, Berkeley, CA

Teachers and students, together with the SF Bay Area chapter of World Can’t Wait are organizing a large teach-in focusing on the Iraq War and the issue of torture – with special emphasis on the recently passed torture bill – the Military Commissions Act. The event is organized as part of continuing activities in support of International Human Rights Day (December 10th.)

Three successive periods (1-3) of Berkeley High classes and other interested people will attend the event. The speakers are:

CARLOS MAURICIO
High school teacher from El Salvador who was taken out of class by death squads and tortured. Carlos is the founder of the Stop Impunity Project, an internationally known torture survivors group and is a well know activist against the School of the Americas. “The situation is this: The USA government, the administration, knows that fear works very well. Torture works very well as a means of repression. The USA government right now has played many cards to bring fears in the United States. One of them is the threat of terrorism, which can be real or not. The point is, torture is not for gathering information. Torture is to bring fear to the people. “

LARRY EVEREST
Journalist and author of Oil, Power, and Empire: Iraq and the U.S. Global Agenda. “There is no war on terror.’ The invasion and occupation of Iraq are not part of a ‘war on terror’.....What does exist is a horrific and criminal U.S. war of terror against the people of the world for greater empire.”

Take a Stand on International Human Rights Day
Silence + Torture = Complicity

The Military Commissions Act (recently signed by Bush) takes a horrendous new legal and political leap towards fascism – legalizing torture, indefinite detention without trial, and throwing international law, world public opinion, and 900 years of legal principle out the window. This is just part of a package coming from the Bush regime that includes an atrocious, nightmarish occupation of Iraq, the threat of war against Iran, an assault on critical thinking and serious motion toward a theocracy. It includes the criminal response to Hurricane Katrina, a systematic attack on women’s reproductive rights, and the demonization of gay people. It includes the scape-goating of immigrants and severely repressive new legislation aimed at them. There’s more, and it gets worse with every passing week. Resistance is urgently needed! Join us and others around the country to take a stand on December 10th, International Human Rights Day, as part of building a movement that can drive the Bush regime from power.