DENVER: STOP NEWMONT GENOCIDE Aug. 30

Colorado AIM organizes protest of Newmont mining

Newmont mining is destroying Indigenous lands and lives around the globe. With new death threats for resisters, following the Denver protest of Newmont, Colorado AIM calls out to those ready to be arrested to stop Newmont's genocide of Indigenous Peoples.

The protest is also a call to halt the genocide of Iraqi children.

PROTEST: Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007
Marriot Hotel (17th and California St., downtown Denver)
5:00 PM
BRING YOUR COURAGE, YOUR VOICE, YOUR BULLHORNS, and YOUR MOST CREATIVE PROTEST STRATEGIES

From COLORADO AIM:
On Thursday, August 30, 2007, the University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) will honor Wayne Murdy, CEO of Newmont Mining Corporation for the company's "progressive" work around the world. That work happens on every continent, and involves the invasion of indigenous peoples' territories from the Western Shoshone in Nevada to the Quechua/Aymara in Peru and Bolivia to the Aboriginal peoples ofAustralia.

Two years ago, Colorado AIM joined with the Stop Newmont Coalition to force Newmont to be accountable to the communities that it is destroying through its mining. Brothers and sisters from Peru, Ghana and Western Shoshone joined us at the annual shareholder's meeting to expose Newmont's practices.

Newmont was so frightened by our mobilization that it changed locations for the meeting three times, and ended up in an armed location with sharpshooters on the roof of the building where the meeting was held. This year, Newmont was so frightened of a repeat performance in Denver that it held its annual meeting in Delaware.

Newmont has been put on notice that as long as it is invading and poisoning indigenous peoples' territories, and steal Native peoples' natural resources, that there will be no business as usual. It will be exposed for its actions at every opportunity. Such an opportunity is Thursday, August 30, in downtown Denver.

Colorado AIM has joined the call for a mass protest action at the University of Denver's annual Korbel Dinner, the largest fundraiser for the Graduate School of International Affairs. The keynote speaker will be Madeleine Albright, the former Secretary of State under Bill Clinton.

DEAD CHILDREN IN IRAQ
On the estimated death of 500,000 children in Iraq because of U.S. sanctions there, Albright had the following exchange on CBS' "60Minutes."Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it." --60 Minutes (5/12/96) This statement alone is worth picketing the dinner for, but, in addition to Albright (after whose father the dinner is named), DU will be giving an award to Wayne Murdy of Newmont.

Here are two letters -- one from activists in communities being destroyed by Newmont, and one from OXFAM International, the renowned international human rights group. Both give reasons to protest this event. This is the link to the OXFAM letter:http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/earthworks/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=6822&t=nodirtygold_sansleft.dwt

Indigenous leaders are in imminent threat. Father Marco Arana, whom we in Colorado AIM honored two years ago, is under death threats right now for opposing Newmont. Our Native sisters and brothers are asking for us to stand for them against Newmont here in Denver, Newmont's international headquarters.Can you give one or two hours of your time to walk with a sign, to raise your voice, and to let Newmont and DU know our outrage?

We march against Columbus and Columbus Day, but Newmont is the heir of Columbus, it is the living expression today of the Columbus legacy --invasion, greed and destruction. Join us in the streets, for all of our Native relations.

If you are arrestable at this action, and if you are willing to risk arrest at this protest, let the organizers know.
Thanks.

Top photo: Glenn Morris and Western Shoshone Carrie Dann protest Newmont in Denver/Photo Colorado AIM Photo 2: Newmont protest in Peru Photo 3: Iraq victims of war, Veterans for Peace Iraqi Memorial on Memorial Day 2007, in Santa Monica/Photo Brenda Norrell

Mexico urges media self-censorship to stay alive

URGENT BULLETIN: JOURNALISTS, MEXICO & BORDER:

Mexico's Attorney General endorses self-censorship by media in context of increasing danger; CENCOS urges government action
http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/85278/

Español: Procuraduría General justifica la autocensura frente a los peligros crecientes; CENCOS exige al gobierno mejores garantías

From: Centro Nacional de Comunicación Social (CENCOS)
July 31, 2007

Self-censorship a "good strategy" for media to protect themselves, says Attorney General
Mexico City, 31 July 2007 -

In the context of insufficient government protection for journalists, the Attorney General of Mexico, Eduardo Medina Mora, has said that he considers it a "good strategy" for journalists working on stories about organized crime not to sign their names to their reports, in order to protect themselves against possible retaliation.
The Attorney General is apparently forgetting that the Judiciary has a constitutional responsibility to guarantee citizens the rights to freedom of expression and to inform and be informed.
In effect, the Mexican state is promoting the techniques of self-censorship that media outlets have been obliged to implement in order to protect the lives of their journalists.
In Sonora state, the newspaper "Cambio" decided to shut down temporarily, in light of repeated grenade attacks against its facilities.
Other media outlets have resorted to self-censorship, altering their editorial line to the detriment of their reading public. These include the newspapers "El Norte" and "Milenio", which decided not to attribute authorship to reports on drug-trafficking, and to refrain from investigating violent incidents beyond the information provided by officials. The same approach has been taken by the newspapers "El Imparcial" in Hermosillo, and "El Mañana" in Nuevo Laredo, as well as by the television station Televisa Monterray.
Similarly, the weekly "Proceso" announced to its readers in its 4 March issue that: "Drug cartels continue to impose their law - the law of blood - throughout the country, despite optimistic official proclamations about the success of combined police-military operations. Given these circumstances, 'Proceso' will, from this issue forward, follow a policy to protect its reporters by not attributing authorship to reports on drug-trafficking. Our publishing house will assume responsibility for the content and truthfulness of these reports."
For its part, the National Commission for Human Rights (Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos) revealed in a report that, in the last six years, 33 journalists have been killed and six disappeared, apparently for reporting on drug-trafficking.
In response, all the Attorney General has to offer is its support for the Special Prosecutor for Crimes against Journalists (Fiscalía Especial para la Atención de Delitos Cometidos contra Periodistas), "since legal action is key to combating crime".
Within the framework of international standards and treaties, the government is obliged to act to protect these fundamental rights, all the more so considering Mexico has endorsed various international human rights instruments, such as the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR) in 1981, and it has accepted the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights since 1998.
These commitments oblige the government to exercise all its powers to defend the full and free exercise of all human rights. Among the rights enshrined in the ACHR is freedom of expression, covered by Article 13, which states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression. This right includes freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing, in print, in the form of art, or through any other medium of one's choice."
Article 133 of the Mexican Constitution, in turn, asserts the responsibility of the government to live up to all the commitments contained in treaties to which it is signatory.
CENCOS, as a civil society organization concerned for the right to freedom of expression, finds it very unfortunate that the Attorney General has made such a declaration. CENSOS urges the government instead to take concrete actions to protect journalists. It is not enough simply to recognize their work and to endorse their taking recourse to self-censorship.
MORE INFORMATION:
For further information, contact Francisco Barrón Trejo, Communications coordinator, or Brisa Maya Solís Ventura, Executive Director, CENCOS, Medellín 33, Colonia Roma, 06700 México, D.F., México, tel: +52 55 55 336 475 / 55 336 476, fax: +52 55 52 082 062, e-mail: cencos@cencos.org, Internet: http://www.cencos.org/

Billions for war in Iraq, while US bridge collapses

eBy Brenda Norrell
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

While billions continue flowing to the war in Iraq, including billions for profiteering corporations, the United States has failed to replace structurally-unsound bridges. The US has said funding was unavailable to repair or replace those US bridges.

The great tragedy in Minnesota and the recovery effort, following the collapse of one of the United States' Interstate bridges is live now on CNN. An estimated 30 to 50 cars are submerged in the Mississippi River.

Structurally deficient bridges listed by state:
http://www.bts.gov/publications/state_transportation_statistics/state_transportation_statistics_2006/html/table_01_07.html

Cost of the bogus war in Iraq that no one is winning: $448 billion and counting ...
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/Cost-of-War/Cost-of-War-3.html

World Indigenous Peoples Day San Francisco, Aug. 9