By Brenda Norrell
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
President Bush said today, "This government does not torture people."
Now, to me, the ring, rhythm and tone of that statement sounds a lot like, "I did not have sex with that woman."
The Bush administration said the case of the torture of a German citizen, Khaled El-Masri, should not be heard by the Supreme Court because it would expose state secrets.
Pssst, President Bush, everyone in the world knows that the U.S. tortures people. Everyone in the world knows that the U.S. tortures people in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
This is not a secret.
In fact, in Tucson, Arizona, two priests are willing to go to prison to expose more of the details of torture. Fr. Steve Kelly and Fr. Louie Vitale knelt in prayer outside Fort Huachuca in Arizona, while delivering a statement in opposition to U.S. torture to one of the masterminds of torture in Abu-Ghraib. They were arrested. It wasn't Fort Huachuca's first experience with torture. The U.S. torture training manual was developed here. It resulted in the torture, rape, murder and disappearance of masses in Central America and South America until it became public in 1996.
During pre-trial motions in the priests' case, attorney Bill Quigley presented a foot-high stack of documents proving that the U.S. tortured people in Iraq and Guantanamo. In the stack were documents of the International Red Cross. At one point, the prosecuting attorney, Army Judge Advocate General Capt. Evan Seamone, did state that at least one of the reports was supposed to be confidential.
The trial begins October 17, 2007 in federal court in Tucson.
In Iraq, prisoners were not just tortured, they were tortured to death in at least six cases.
Meanwhile, El-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, said he was kidnapped by CIA agents in Macedonia in 2003 and then taken to Afghanistan where he was held for months and tortured by his captors. His case against the CIA was dismissed by the Supreme Court today. El-Masri was released in 2004 after he says U.S. officials realized he was not involved with terrorism.
Here's hoping that El-Masri writes a bestseller with all those state secrets. If there's no justice in the U.S. legal system, perhaps he can at least make a great deal of money to compensate him for the torture.
Whoops, did I say torture.
Just today, President Bush said, "This government does not torture people. We stick to U.S. law and our international obligations."
"Priests gagged on torture"
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/09/priests-gagged-on-torture.html
Torture on trial
http://www.tortureontrial.org/
October 9, 2007
Whoopi Goldberg & The View insult Columbus Day protest in Denver
Whoopi Goldberg insulted the American Indians' protest in Denver on Columbus Day. Chiming in, the rest of the women on The View television talk show, revealed their ignorance on the issues and the condescending attitudes of the wealthy in America today, as they made light of the protest and supported the Italian parade.
Link to show segment:
http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/index
Comment online:
Our Founding Fathers??? Really? One Nation Under God and Jena 6 Too???
Did you know that of these United States Minnesota, South Dakota and Nevada do NOT recognize “Columbus Day”? In 1992, the United Nations and the National Council of Churches called on not only Christians but all people to refrain from celebrating Columbus.
Please help me remind the world that October 12th is really the “International Day of Solidarity With Indigenous People” because 150 years after Columbus came to the Americas in what was explained to us as children in textbooks and classrooms as a day that represented newness of freedom, hope and opportunity for the Europeans really brought about the end of the lives of some 85% of the millions of Native Americans from disease, oppression, degradation and genocide.
http://hitsusa.com/blog/156/whoopi-pelosi/
Denver Columbus Day protest:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/10/83-protesters-arrested-at-columbus-day.html
Let the Censored Blog hear from you:
brendanorrell@gmail.com
Link to show segment:
http://abc.go.com/daytime/theview/index
Comment online:
Our Founding Fathers??? Really? One Nation Under God and Jena 6 Too???
Did you know that of these United States Minnesota, South Dakota and Nevada do NOT recognize “Columbus Day”? In 1992, the United Nations and the National Council of Churches called on not only Christians but all people to refrain from celebrating Columbus.
Please help me remind the world that October 12th is really the “International Day of Solidarity With Indigenous People” because 150 years after Columbus came to the Americas in what was explained to us as children in textbooks and classrooms as a day that represented newness of freedom, hope and opportunity for the Europeans really brought about the end of the lives of some 85% of the millions of Native Americans from disease, oppression, degradation and genocide.
http://hitsusa.com/blog/156/whoopi-pelosi/
Denver Columbus Day protest:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/10/83-protesters-arrested-at-columbus-day.html
Let the Censored Blog hear from you:
brendanorrell@gmail.com
AlaskaWild: Bush administration pushing for oil drilling in melting Arctic
AlaskaWild
October 4, 2007
http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/images/awllogo-web.jpg
Alaska Wilderness League: Senate Asking Administration to Protect the Polar Bear Seas[http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/images/polarbears_usfws.JPG] Polar Bear and Cubs; Photo: USFWS Species Act. Calls on the administration to postpone scheduled lease sales in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas until potential impacts to polar bear habitat can be determined. This request is significant because of the administration’s aggressive push to open arctic waters to oil and gas development. There are five lease sales planned in the next five years for the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas that together will open more than 73 million acres of arctic waters to industry. America’s two polar bear populations depend on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas – together known as the Polar Bear Seas – as their primary offshore habitat. As the Polar Bear Seas continue to lose ice, polar bears are forced to travel greater distances to find food and to den. Cases of drowning polar bears and cannibalism have further illustrated the unprecedented challenges facing these arctic inhabitants. A recent U.S. Geological Survey report indicates that both of America’s polar bear populations could disappear by 2050. We must act now to change that outcome. As our nation moves toward implementing forward-looking solutions to reducing global climate change, it is important that the administration does not allow vital polar bear habitat to become overrun with industrial development. If unchecked, loss of habitat from expanded oil and gas development in and near the arctic waters could contribute to the polar bear’s decline. Sen. Kerry will close the letter on Monday, October 15, so please take action now! Contact your senators and urge them to sign the letter and join Sen. Kerry in asking the government to protect America’s Polar Bear Seas.
[http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/images/standing_in_the_tongass.jpg] S
tanding in the Tongass National Forest; photo courtesy of Alaska Rainforest Campaign/ Established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Tongass celebrated its 100th birthday in September. Well over 100 trees were planted around the country in honor of the Tongass, which, at nearly 17 million acres, is by far our country’s largest national forest. Many tree planting events were organized by Alaska Wilderness League field staff. Read more about these events and see pictures from across the country on our website. Over the years, the Tongass has suffered from excessive clearcut logging practices. More than half of the most important old growth trees in the Tongass have been lost to clearcutting, fracturing critical wildlife habitat and scarring the land. With the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act, Congress now has the opportunity to protect what remains of these old growth stands.
tanding in the Tongass National Forest; photo courtesy of Alaska Rainforest Campaign/ Established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Tongass celebrated its 100th birthday in September. Well over 100 trees were planted around the country in honor of the Tongass, which, at nearly 17 million acres, is by far our country’s largest national forest. Many tree planting events were organized by Alaska Wilderness League field staff. Read more about these events and see pictures from across the country on our website. Over the years, the Tongass has suffered from excessive clearcut logging practices. More than half of the most important old growth trees in the Tongass have been lost to clearcutting, fracturing critical wildlife habitat and scarring the land. With the Alaska Rainforest Conservation Act, Congress now has the opportunity to protect what remains of these old growth stands.[http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/images/team_west_with_rep_mcdermott.JPG] A Wilderness Week lobby team visits ... Please help the efforts to protect wild Alaska by joining Alaska Wilderness League or making a donation. Thanks for keeping Alaska wild. [http://www.alaskawild.org/wp-content/images/md_signature.JPG]
Censored Blog: 'Cry from the top of the world, Arctic sea ice is melting'
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/10/black-carbon-from-us-smoke-stacks-and.html
Photos for teaching children about protecting endangered species: PHOTOS: Endangered Animals
Censored Blog: 'Cry from the top of the world, Arctic sea ice is melting'
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2007/10/black-carbon-from-us-smoke-stacks-and.html
Photos for teaching children about protecting endangered species: PHOTOS: Endangered Animals
Berkeley protests to escalate, museum attacks repatriation
Triumphant Rally Spurs Tribes and Allies to Escalate Protest AgainstUC Berkeley’s Attack on Repatriation of Ancestral Remains
Chancellor Ignores Sovereign Tribes Once Again; Native Americans to Proceed with Lawsuit and Demand Respect from Regents, UC System President
By Native American NAGPRA Coalition
BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 8, 2007 – After a dramatic demonstration that attracted hundreds of Native Americans, tribal leaders and social justice allies from around the country, the Native American NAGPRA Coalition (NANC) today announced it would escalate its protest against the University of California at Berkeley and the entire UC system. The three-hour rally and Chancellor Birgeneau’s continued refusal to meet with the Coalition have energized Native American opposition to the elimination of the tribally approved UCB NAGPRA unit, the biased UC repatriation committee process, the failure of the University to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the complete disrespect on the University’s part toward Federally recognized tribes.
“Friday’s rally was a remarkable show of unity and support for just Native American claims on our ancestors’ remains and sacred objects,” said Mark LeBeau, a citizen of the Pit River Nation and NANC spokesman. “We intend to build on the momentum and take our protest to the courts, Congress, the state legislature, the Regents and the new acting UC system president, Rori Hume. Berkeley’s Chancellor Birgeneau has snubbed tribal nations multiple times, and now refers us to his assistants. We will not negotiate with underlings. We will not tolerate disrespect, and we expect California public officials to repudiate it as well.”
Friday’s demonstration was prompted by Chancellor Birgeneau’s original refusal to meet with NANC concerning the elimination of the Hearst Museum’s autonomous NAGPRA unit. This unit was a highly trained, cohesive team that fairly and impartially administered federal NAGPRA and a soon-to-be-implemented state law (AB 978) affecting the second largest collection of Native American ancestral remains and sacred objects in the Nation. NANC strenuously rejected the University’s decision-making process, which deliberately and completely excluded Native Americans, and denounced the anti-NAGPRA bias in the resulting organizational structure. Over the last several months, however, NANC has also recognized that the problems are far broader and more systemic, and include the lack of fair Native American representation on repatriation committees, the failure of UC to meet NAGPRA-mandated tribal consultation requirements, and the system’s unwillingness to acknowledge that Native American ancestral remains belong to Native Americans. The Coalition will adopt a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to deal with all of these problems.
The demonstration started at noon on Friday in UC Berkeley’s famous Sproul Plaza, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement. It began with prayers and traditional healing ceremonies; included passionate speeches and poems from tribal leaders and other Native Americans; and was interspersed with ceremonial drumming and singing. After an hour, a throng of hundreds marched peacefully to California Hall to again request a meeting with the Chancellor. The Chancellor was “unavailable.” Assistant Chancellor Beata FitzPatrick emerged briefly from the building to say, without apparent irony, “Our Chancellor has very great respect for native peoples.” She accepted the Coalition’s petition, and the group then moved on to the faculty glade, a former site of a Native American village. After a brief ceremony, the march continued and ended with a demonstration in front of the Phoebe Hearst Museum, where the remains of over 13,000 Native Americans are stored in basement drawers and boxes.
NANC members urged other tribes to join the Coalition and all Americans to insist that public officials redress the longstanding injustice that allows Museums and scientists to keep huge collections of Native American remains and conduct research that violates tribal religious beliefs.
Tribes and individuals can add their voices by contacting congressional and state representatives; by writing or calling Provost Rori Hume at the University of California Office of the President, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94607, 510-987-9020; or by writing or calling the Governor and other University Regents at the addresses listed at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/contact.html.
For additional information on the UCB NAGPRA issue, visit http://nagpra-ucb-faq.blogspot.com/ and http://nagpra-ucb.blogspot.com/
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Mark LeBeau, 916-801-4422, Mark.LeBeau@CRIHB.NET; Corbin Collins, 510-652-1567, corbincollins@comcast.net.
COALITION CONTACTS: Reno Franklin 707-591-0580 Ext 105; Lalo Franco, 559-925-2831; Radley Davis 530-917-6064; James Hayward, 530-410-2875; Morning Star Gali 510-827-6719; Ted Howard, 208-759-3100; Bennae Calac, 760-617-2872; Silvia Burley, California, 209-931-4567; Douglas Mullen, 530-284-6135.
Chancellor Ignores Sovereign Tribes Once Again; Native Americans to Proceed with Lawsuit and Demand Respect from Regents, UC System President
By Native American NAGPRA Coalition
BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 8, 2007 – After a dramatic demonstration that attracted hundreds of Native Americans, tribal leaders and social justice allies from around the country, the Native American NAGPRA Coalition (NANC) today announced it would escalate its protest against the University of California at Berkeley and the entire UC system. The three-hour rally and Chancellor Birgeneau’s continued refusal to meet with the Coalition have energized Native American opposition to the elimination of the tribally approved UCB NAGPRA unit, the biased UC repatriation committee process, the failure of the University to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the complete disrespect on the University’s part toward Federally recognized tribes.
“Friday’s rally was a remarkable show of unity and support for just Native American claims on our ancestors’ remains and sacred objects,” said Mark LeBeau, a citizen of the Pit River Nation and NANC spokesman. “We intend to build on the momentum and take our protest to the courts, Congress, the state legislature, the Regents and the new acting UC system president, Rori Hume. Berkeley’s Chancellor Birgeneau has snubbed tribal nations multiple times, and now refers us to his assistants. We will not negotiate with underlings. We will not tolerate disrespect, and we expect California public officials to repudiate it as well.”
Friday’s demonstration was prompted by Chancellor Birgeneau’s original refusal to meet with NANC concerning the elimination of the Hearst Museum’s autonomous NAGPRA unit. This unit was a highly trained, cohesive team that fairly and impartially administered federal NAGPRA and a soon-to-be-implemented state law (AB 978) affecting the second largest collection of Native American ancestral remains and sacred objects in the Nation. NANC strenuously rejected the University’s decision-making process, which deliberately and completely excluded Native Americans, and denounced the anti-NAGPRA bias in the resulting organizational structure. Over the last several months, however, NANC has also recognized that the problems are far broader and more systemic, and include the lack of fair Native American representation on repatriation committees, the failure of UC to meet NAGPRA-mandated tribal consultation requirements, and the system’s unwillingness to acknowledge that Native American ancestral remains belong to Native Americans. The Coalition will adopt a comprehensive and aggressive strategy to deal with all of these problems.
The demonstration started at noon on Friday in UC Berkeley’s famous Sproul Plaza, the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement. It began with prayers and traditional healing ceremonies; included passionate speeches and poems from tribal leaders and other Native Americans; and was interspersed with ceremonial drumming and singing. After an hour, a throng of hundreds marched peacefully to California Hall to again request a meeting with the Chancellor. The Chancellor was “unavailable.” Assistant Chancellor Beata FitzPatrick emerged briefly from the building to say, without apparent irony, “Our Chancellor has very great respect for native peoples.” She accepted the Coalition’s petition, and the group then moved on to the faculty glade, a former site of a Native American village. After a brief ceremony, the march continued and ended with a demonstration in front of the Phoebe Hearst Museum, where the remains of over 13,000 Native Americans are stored in basement drawers and boxes.
NANC members urged other tribes to join the Coalition and all Americans to insist that public officials redress the longstanding injustice that allows Museums and scientists to keep huge collections of Native American remains and conduct research that violates tribal religious beliefs.
Tribes and individuals can add their voices by contacting congressional and state representatives; by writing or calling Provost Rori Hume at the University of California Office of the President, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94607, 510-987-9020; or by writing or calling the Governor and other University Regents at the addresses listed at http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/contact.html.
For additional information on the UCB NAGPRA issue, visit http://nagpra-ucb-faq.blogspot.com/ and http://nagpra-ucb.blogspot.com/
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Mark LeBeau, 916-801-4422, Mark.LeBeau@CRIHB.NET; Corbin Collins, 510-652-1567, corbincollins@comcast.net.
COALITION CONTACTS: Reno Franklin 707-591-0580 Ext 105; Lalo Franco, 559-925-2831; Radley Davis 530-917-6064; James Hayward, 530-410-2875; Morning Star Gali 510-827-6719; Ted Howard, 208-759-3100; Bennae Calac, 760-617-2872; Silvia Burley, California, 209-931-4567; Douglas Mullen, 530-284-6135.
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