Ahmadinejad asks for defense rights for Hossein Derakhshan

 http://ping.fm/NFn5t

Matthew Chiroux continues resisting Bush's illegal wars

Hi folks,

Just passing on the press release for my hearing with the Army this Tuesday. If you are or know any journalists or bloggers, independent or otherwise, please pass this release on and help spread the message that just because Obama's in the whitehouse doesn't mean G.I. Resistence to our illegal wars is going to stop!

Peace and Solidarity,

Matthis Chiroux

matthisresists.us

For Immediate Release

(ST. LOUIS, MO) The U.S. Army will hear the case of Sgt. Matthis Chiroux, an Individual Ready Reservist who last summer publicly refused activation and deployment orders to Iraq, on April 21 at 1 Reserve Way in Overland, St. Louis, MO, at 9 a.m.

Chiroux, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, refused to participate in what he described as "an illegal and immoral occupation" May 15th, 2008, in Washington D.C., after nine other veterans testified to Members of the U.S. Congress about atrocities they experienced during deployments to Iraq. Chiroux also vowed to remain public in the U.S. to defend himself from any charges brought against him by the military. (see matthisresists.us for a record of that speech and others by Chiroux)

"My resistance as a noncommissioned officer to this abhorrent occupation is just as legitimate now as it was last year," said Chiroux, adding, "Soldiers have a duty to adhere to the international laws of war described as supreme in Art. 6 Para. 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which we swear to abide by before the orders of any superior, including our former or current president."

Following Chiroux's refusal to deploy, the military did not contact him until after he and 10 other IVAW members marched on the final presidential debate Oct. 15, 2008, in Hempstead, N.Y. demanding to question then Senators Obama and McCain regarding their war policies and plans to care for returning veterans. After the veterans were brutalized and arrested by police, (one suffered a fractured skull and is currently suing the police for damages) the Army charged Chiroux with "misconduct" for refusing to deploy, announcing their intentions to discharge him from the reserves as a result.

"I go now to St. Louis to honor my promises and convictions," said Chiroux. "Obama or No-Bama, the military must cease prosecuting Soldiers of conscience, and we will demonstrate to them why."

Following the hearing, Chiroux and other IVAW members will testify about their military experiences which led them all to resist in different capacities the U.S.'s Overseas Contingency Operation (formerly the Global War on Terror).

For more information, see matthisresists.us and ivaw.org.

Poem for Peach Blair

OUR TEACHER BLAIR

Our teacher Blair
Had tousled old hair

Big brown eyes
An enormous size

And they smiled when he walked
And they smiled when he talked

And whenever he stammered
His love only hammered

Our teacher Blair
He was always fair

Black white or brown
He’d never let us down

He taught us words
That made us fly like birds

And the meaning of together
And to stay that way forever

He taught us right
And how we’d have to fight

To make the world again
And find peace again

One hell of a teach
Was our Mr Peach

He didn’t make nno fuss
Just struggled and died for us

ANON, London

This poem was read out at a packed fringe meeting at the NUT Annual Conference last Sunday to remember East London NUT member Blair Peach, who was murdered by a police officer in Southall on 23 April 1979 whilst on a demonstration against the National Front. It is part of an anthology of poems for young people called One for Blair which anti racist teacher and now lecturer Chris Searle put together in 1989 to commemorate Blair on the 10th anniversary of his murder.

The message from this meeting was of the urgency needed now to organise against the BNP, with the European elections set for June. It is possible that this Nazi organisation could gain 7 MEP places if the turnout is low. We will need to organise in our areas to ensure that people exercise their right to vote and use it against the Nazi BNP.

Salmon fishfingers are apparently 'pink in the middle'

Why am i always amazed when i see advertising mogules come up with yet another sexist way to sell a product by objectifying women's bodies? What a ridiculously tenuous link. 

As if we women don't have enough to worry about and now we're being compared to fish-frickin-fingers and yes I am aware of all the extra puns that Nuts magazine could come up with but right now I am fuming and can't think how else to put it. Check this post again and I should hopefully thought of a better way to express my anger. 

Don't watch it HERE

Anyone got any ideas on what we can do to compain?

Brutal cop's badge number is 5042U.

Great to see this taken up by  the mainstream media. This would not have been done without pressure from below.

Copied this from Indymedia:

Guardian link to indymedia

14.04.2009 19:16

The Guardian are linking to the photos on this indymedia posting! Normally the other way round!!

All power to the people and the power of citizen/democratic journalism. Has anyone come up with a better name for it than this?

Another cop abuses his power. Down with police brutality

We have been asked to spread this video and find out who he is. Up with 'citizen' journalism: up with democratic coverage of demonstrations



Clearer pics can be found at Indymedia HERE

Hossein Derakhshan and Virtual Iran-Free the Blogfather

My friend Hossein who was at SOAS with me has been imprisoned in Iran for now 163 days. He was arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel. Please help spread the news annd help get him released.

** Hossein Derakhshan has been nominated by Index On Censorship for "the Economist New Media Award 2009" for it's contribution to the Iranian blogosphere. May this nomination help to more to raise voices on his behalf.

- http://awards.indexoncensorship.org/

1. Please Sign the petition, available in 4 languages, asking for his immediate release. (FYI-GB is Royaume Uni in French. It took me ages to work it out!)

2. For bloggers and journalist. Please help spread the word.

3. If you have personal story to tell about Hossein Derakhshan, or if you want to contribute by writing something that we will post on freetheblogfather' site.
--------------------------------------
The Iranian blogging phenomenon was triggered after the contribution of Hossein Derakhshan on how-to to write blogs in Farsi and one of the most recurrent themes analysed by academics interested in Iran's youth culture.

Hossein Derakhshan now imprisoned since last November 2008 contributed in establishing bridges of communication between a country with a limited public sphere like Iran and the rest of the world. The phenomenon he contributed to represents the need for alternative platforms of expression and is a vehicle for social development and assertion of Iranian Identity both within and outside the boundaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the usage of new media technology sets Iran the challenge of global free-flow of information.Hossein’s arrest is the prove of the danger that new media set to the I.R.I. This leads one to question: is Iran ready to use those media to develop its own “Neither East nor West” particular political, social and economical non-western-like model in setting the country back into the race of worlds most influential country? Or is it going to use them to increase its isolation from the international panorama by threatening the safety of Iranian online journalists and bloggers hence contributing to it’s own demonization?

Hossein Derakhshan is an Iranian-Canadian blogger and journalist and a fellow student at SOAS, University of London, who spent the last eight years between Canada and the U.K before his return to Tehran in the past month of October 2008. Hossein, aka Hoder, is hailed as the "blogfather" of Iranian Blogging because in 2001 he published guidelines of how to blog in Farsi on the site blogger.com. contributing to the boom in blogging that has led to Iran being today amongst the ten biggest blogging nations of the world according to Technorati statistics on the State of the Blogosphere.

According to Derakhshan (Khosravi 2008:157), the popularity of blogs among young people in Iran symbolises the great changes that Iranian society has undergone during the past two decades. The Iranian blogosphere is a reflection of the increasing tolerance in Iran’s society, he says. (1) His blog Editor:Myself or Rooznegar blog by Sina Motallebi his fellow blogger and journalist, were held by the Online Journalism Review as powerful tools for free-speech that linked Iran with the West.

Read the middle section HERE

Let us hope that Hossein Derakhshan's passionate quest for a progressive and tolerant Iran does not fade with his arrest and – for now – uncertain future.

If you want to contribute to the Request of the immediate release of Hossein Derakhshan visit the website freetheblogfather.com and sign the petition.

By Maria Rijo Lopes da Cunha.

Egyptian circus clowns on strike!!

From arabawy

Talk of a strike wave: Egypt’s state-run National Circus clowns, performers and workers stage sit-in against privatization, demanding medical insurance, allowances and bonuses…

Now there's a story to brighten your day. I bet the bosses aren't laughing (all the way to the bank) now.

Protest the Thai way: that's the way to do it

Thai protesters force the government to declare a National holiday along with closing down the ASEAN summit.

Watch the video HERE

Not bad AlJazeera coverage including protestors overturning Police truck  HERE

We could learn a lesson or two from our Thai comrades.

New York school occupation-watch the police brutality.

At approximately 6am yesterday, Friday April 10th, students re-occupied the Graduate Faculty building at the New School in New York City. Students were able to occupy the entire building this time, holding it for nearly five hours. The building was surrounded by 100+ police from every division of the city, plus dozens more undercover and black suv ops, horse police and police helicopters.

Police used pepper spray and mace while forcibly arresting students, and several students were assaulted by NYPD. So far 19 students have been arrested, and are currently in jail in Manhattan's 6th Precinct at 100 Center Street in Chinatown. There is a solidarity rally being held at 10pm tonight in Union Square in Manhattan for anyone in the city to come and show your support! More details, video of police violence and lies, and well as photos.

See videos and reports HERE

Send messages of support HERE

The Army needs subvertising-we need real jobs not bombs.

Outside my son's college all the phone boxes are covered in these Army recruitment adverts. As the world plunges deeper into recession and unemployment levels skyrocket a 'career' in the army can appear to be an exciting prospect, offering working class kids the 'opportunity' to travel the world and do many things otherwise out of their reach.

I could not believe it when my son came home a couple of weeks ago and announced that if he doesn't pass his exams he's going to join the Navy along with his friend. They had had a visit from the Military recruiters at his college and were told that they wouldn't have to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan!

Given that even MY son can fall for this--he has been on Stop the War demo's and has Free Gaza posters on his wall--I am outraged by the military's blatant lies and propaganda.

As an army brat I did too get to travel the world but at what cost? Attending a military school meant that the education we received was quite different to what other schools teach. Our history lessons, for example, did not teach us about Imperialism and colonialism. We were pushed into attending military training. I was in the Air Training Corp and learnt all about the 'good' work that the military does around the world.

My Dad left in the end because he was disillusioned with the army and went onto to become a nurse. I have met up with other ex-military friends of my dad's and they are still suffering from depression and disillusionmeent. All of them say that they could not resist because at the end of the day they were just 'doing their job' and the only way to protest was by leaving which they could not do until they had served a minimum time or pay thousands to buy themselves out. I understand how many people join the military because they want to help people but what help exactly are they giving?

I fully support this campaign and urge us all to do similar actions.

See Clara's blog post about another fabulous action by Hackney Stop the War

See the article in the Hackney Gazette group

and a link to website offering advice to people thinking of joining the military: http://www.beforeyousignup.info/

Top military lies about recruitment: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/62945/

Video of Hezbollah MP Hussein El Haj Hassan

Stop the War Coalition Public Meeting London 3 March 2009

Bill Mahoney socks it to the BBC

Well said Bill-very comprehensive indeed

Occupation to stop council selling empty homes

Occupation to stop council selling empty homes http://ping.fm/yHWXZ

How come 18 yr olds talk more sense than politicians?

My son recommended this-he's pleased that UK artists are speaking out about the bullshit going on in the world...