Border Guards Beat Up Science Fiction Writer

Over the weekend of December 5 - 7, Dr. Peter Watts, a Canadian science fiction writer, was helping a friend move to Nebraska. On the 8th, driving back home, Watts was stopped in Port Huron, Michigan by U.S. border police. When Watts got out of his rental car to ask what the problem was, the border guards responded by beating him up, dosing him with pepper spray, and locking him up. Local police charged him with assaulting a federal officer, held him overnight, impounded his possessions, and after he posted bail, dropped him off in a Canadian winter storm in his shirtsleeves.

Why do the border police act like this? Partly because the War On Some Drugs has transformed them into an American Gestapo. Partly because they know that they can act with impunity, that they are never going to held accountable for their abuse of power. The Cop Who Breaks The Rules is a beloved American archetype, from Dirty Harry Callahan to Jack Bauer. We like living in a police state, secure in the knowledge that the cops only beat up bad guys, and that we ourselves will never wind up on the wrong end of a nightstick, a taser, or some pepper spray.

This One Should Close: The "School" Of the Americas

The School of the Americas (SOA) has been training people to commit unmentionable crimes since 1946. It has a new name, Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation with new acronyms, and the curriculum now includes 8 (eight!) hours of human rights instruction. The wikipedia entry is worth visiting.

Among the links that article offers are to the official website and to its defenders...

Four people were arrested there this weekend. Thank You to all who were present there this weekend and for past vigils. I found an article from 2003 by Richard Dujardin about two Rhode Islanders who participated then...

I hope and pray that President Obama and his staff pay serious attention to this Institute. The best thing we could do is to have it closed, and to try to learn from its horrors.

Thank You, Jewish Canadian Women! or Grace Paley Presente!

David McReynolds just sent this news:

Arrests underway in Toronto Israeli Consulate Sit-in Toronto:
Wednesday January 8, 2009 Time: 11:20 am Police have moved in to
arrest a group of Jewish Canadian women who are currently occupying the
Israeli consulate at 180 Bloor Street West in Toronto. The women took
their action in protest against the on-going Israeli assault on the
people of Gaza.

The group is carrying out this occupation in solidarity with the 1.5million people of Gaza and to ensure that Jewish voices against the
massacre in Gaza are being heard. They are demanding that Israel end
its military assault and lift the 18-month siege on the Gaza Strip to
allow humanitarian aid into the territory. Israel has been carrying
out a full-scale military assault on the Gaza Strip since December 27,
2008. At least 660 people have been killed and 3000 injured in the air
strikes and in the ground invasion that began on January 3, 2009.
Israel has ignored international calls for a ceasefire and is refusing
to allow food, adequate medical supplies and other necessities of life
into the Gaza Strip. Protesters are outraged at Israel's latest
assault on the Palestinian people and by the Canadian government's
refusal to condemn these massacres. They are deeply concerned that
Canadians are hearing the views of pro-Israel groups who are being
represented as the only voice of Jewish Canadians. The protesters have
occupied the consulate to send a clear statement that many
Jewish-Canadians do not support Israel's violence and apartheid
policies. They are joining with people of conscience all across the
world who are demanding an end to Israeli aggression and justice for
the Palestinian people.

The group includes: Judy Rebick, professor; Judith Deutsch,
psychoanalyst and president of Science for Peace; B.H. Yael, filmmaker;
Smadar Carmon, an Canadian Israeli peace activist and others.
Spokespersons for the group will be outside the Israeli consulate: Dr.
Miriam Garfinkle: 416-731-6605 mgarfinkle@sympatico.ca Cathy Gulkin:
416-697-0768 cgulkin@rogers.com Release is online at
http://www.sources.com/Releases/NR135.htm

Update of Nomi's September 3rd Post: Amy Goodman Arrest

______________________________________________________________

RNC Police Arrest Amy Goodman at protest on 9/1



drcorrector says,

Democracy Now's Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar were arrested by the Minneapolis Police Department. Charged with conspiracy to riot.

Footage from Rick Rowley and Brandon Jourdan.

______________________________________________________________

Given that the other arrest video is no longer available on YouTube, I have embedded this one here in its stead.

I don't know how long this clip will remain up and running; it seems as though our government is getting less tolerant about free speech, but we keep working at it.

The following is Ms. Goodman's 9/1 press conference after she was released from police custody:

______________________________________________________________

Amy Goodman talks about arrest on Free Speech TV (FSTV)



calipendence says,

Amy Goodman discusses her arrest by St. Paul police just hours earlier on Crash the Party segment from Free Speech TV.

______________________________________________________________