Mmmmm, sounds rather extrange...

9/20 Laguna Beach, CA: Cops Arrest--Then Release--The Day Labor Attackers, But Still Pursuing Charges Against Anti-Minutemen Protester!



Minutemen Watch, Projects of National Immigrant Solidarity Network

http://www.MinutemenWatch.net

http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.net





We Suggest you to contact Susan Schroeder Orange County District Attorney's Office, ask the:



1) Why they release these two attackers when the Laguna Day Labor Center had been repeatedly attacked and harassed by Minutemen/KKK Groups? Why they actively file charges against the peaceful anti-Minutemen protester Kurt Isobe? (see above)



2) If they will file any charges against the attackers?



County District Attorney's Office, Tel: (714) 834-3600







D.A. Delays Decision On Filing In Laborer Attack

September 20, 2006

CBS News



http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_263190407.html



(CBS) LAGUNA BEACH , Calif. Prosecutors have delayed a decision on whether to file charges against two young men arrested for allegedly assaulting several day laborers at a Laguna Beach hiring center, an official said Wednesday.



"We sent it (the case) back for further investigation," said Susan Schroeder of the Orange County District Attorney's Office.



Artem Soloviev, 23, and Dennis Kaptilniy, 18, were arrested Sunday and booked at the Orange County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and a hate crime, police said.



The delay in filing charges meant the pair were released from jail.



Prosecutors normally have 48 hours, or two court days, to file charges if arrestees do not post bail and remain behind bars, Schroeder said.



If no charges are filed within that time, arrestees are released and an arrest warrant is issued if and when charges are filed, Schroeder said.



Additional investigation can take weeks, but at the maximum, prosecutors have as long as a crime's statute of limitations, which is about three years for many felonies, Schroeder said.



Soloviev and Kaptilniy allegedly assaulted several day laborers at a hiring center and then plowed their car through the parking lot of the Day Labor Hiring Site at 1690 Laguna Canyon Road , hitting two workers while shouting

racial insults, police said.



Several people called Laguna Beach police around 9:12 a.m. to report the men driving the black Toyota , police said.



Witnesses said the men pulled into the hiring center parking lot and tried to hire a worker. When the worker rejected the terms of the job, he and a friend were allegedly assaulted by Soloviev and Kaptilniy, police said.



The suspects then fled the scene, only to return moments later speeding through the area. Witnesses were forced to jump out of the vehicle's path as the suspects continued to circle the parking lot, striking two workers as well

as metal lunch tables and a chain-link fence.



The initial assault victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.



Day laborers and their supporters gathered at the center Tuesday to denounce the alleged attack.











9/15: Orange County D.A. Seeks to Prosecute Garden Grove Demonstrator Found Innocent (LA IMC)

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/09/178739.php


Kurt Isobe, one of the Garden Grove 5, who was found innocent of charges of throwing cans, is still stuck in the court system for allegedly resisting arrest and interfering with police officers. He is due back in court on Sept 18th.

Others arrested and charged at the Garden Grove demonstration against the Minutemen were found not guilty, or took plea bargains for lesser charges, but Isobe decided to fight the false charges, in the name of justice. The system, however, has pursued charges against him, despite the jury's clear finding that Isobe did not commit the most serious and concrete acts charged against him.

To help defray legal expenses a benefit concert on Sept. 16th from 2 to 5 pm will be held at Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso St., featuring Warren and Lisa Furutani, George Abe, Kiyoshi Graves, Miwa Lyric, the Afro-Cuban All Stars from J-Flats, and Kyoko. Donations can be made to the Kurt Isobe Support Committee.





Recent News on Laguna Beach Day Labor Center



7/17: Laguna Beach: Minutemen drop their mask (LA IMC)

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/168944.php



LAGUNA BEACH, 15 July 2006--The minutemen were mean. Just sheer, ugly, dog-biting mean. One of them had discovered the Laguna Beach Day Labor Center was on state land but, just days later, on July 11, the City of Laguna Beach leased the land from the state to keep the center open. The minutemen came to Laguna Beach to protest their defeat, at a day labor center that has been a hotspot over the past year between immigrant supporters and deportation mongers. But the City had already made up its mind. And the minutemen had lost before they even began.....





7/1: Laguna Day Labor Center Ordered Closed (LA IMC)
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/07/166846.php





===========================================================

National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

National Call-In Day to STOP Congress from Passing Anti-Immigrant Bills!

Action Alert! National Call-In Day to STOP Congress from Passing Anti-Immigrant Bills!

September 20 National Call-In Day!

National Immigrant Solidarity Network
http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org


On Wednesday September 20, the U.S. House will be discuss and voting several racist anti-immigrant legislation (see above). After last week the passage of last week's (9/14) Secure Fence Act of 2006 H.R. 6061. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll446.xml the anti-immigrant forces in Washington D.C. want to push their enforcement-only immigrant agendas before November election. And we need to mobilize to stop it!

On Wednesday September 20, we urge you to CALL, FAX AND MAIL your elected officials, SAY NO TO THE RACIST ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS:

H.R. 4844 - Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006 ("Voter ID bill")
H.R. 6089 - Illegal Immigrant Deterrence Act
H.R. 6090 - Immigration Enforcement Act
H.R. 6091 - Border Security Enhancement Act


Talking Point (by: New American Opportunity Campaign)
"Congress should stop the piecemeal, enforcement-only approach to immigration reform. I support a comprehensive bill that reunites families, legalizes the undocumented population, and provides future immigrants with a safe and legal way to live and work in the U.S."

or we'll not vote for you at the November election!


To find your House members, please visit the following site:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/


Here's the suggest key persons to call:

1) We need call Democrats who had vote for the anti-immigrant, ask them DO THE RIGHT WAY BY VOTE NO TO THE BILLS!

Andrews (D-NJ) - Baird (D-WA) - Barrow (D-GA) - Bean (D-IL)
Berkley (D-NV) - Berry (D-AR) - Bishop (GA) (D-GA) - Bishop (NY) (D-NY)
Boren (D-OK) - Boswell (D-IA) - Boucher (D-VA) - Boyd (D-FL)
Brown (OH) (D-OH) - Brown, Corrine (D-FL) - Capuano (D-MA)
Cardoza (D-CA) - Chandler (D-KY) - Cooper (D-TN) - Costa (D-CA)
Costello (D-IL) - Cramer (D-AL) - Davis (AL) (D-AL) - Davis (TN) (D-TN)
DeFazio (D-OR) - Delahunt (D-MA) - Edwards (D-TX) - Etheridge (D-NC)
Ford (D-TN) - Frank (MA) (D-MA) - Gordon (D-TN) - Herseth (D-SD)
Holden (D-PA) - Hooley (D-OR) - Israel (D-NY) - Kanjorski (D-PA)
Kildee (D-MI) - Kind (D-WI) - Lipinski (D-IL) - Lynch (D-MA)
Maloney (D-NY) - Marshall (D-GA) - Matheson (D-UT) - McCarthy (D-NY)
McIntyre (D-NC) - Melancon (D-LA) - Miller (NC) (D-NC) - Mollohan (D-WV)
Moore (KS) (D-KS) - Moran (VA) (D-VA) - Pascrell (D-NJ)
Peterson (MN) (D-MN) - Pomeroy (D-ND) - Rahall (D-WV)
Ross (D-AR) - Ruppersberger (D-MD) - Ryan (OH) (D-OH)
Skelton (D-MO) - Smith (WA) (D-WA) - Spratt (D-SC)
Stupak (D-MI) - Tanner (D-TN) - Taylor (MS) (D-MS)
Weiner (D-NY) - Wexler (D-FL)


2) And here's the lists of Pro-Immigrant Republicans who had been identify by the anti-immigrant organization, we need to call them to thanks for their pro-immigrant support and urge them VOTE NO THE BILLS!

John McCain (R-AZ) 202-224-2235
Lindsay Graham (R-SC) 202-224-5972
Mike DeWine (R-OH) 202-224-2315
Arlen Specter (R-PA) 202-224-4254
John Warner (R-VA) 202-224-2023
Richard Lugar (R-IN) 202-224-4814
Robert Bennett (R-UT) 202-224-5444
Sam Brownback (R-KS) 202-224-6521
Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI) 202-224-2921
Norm Coleman (R-MN) 202-224-5641
Judd Gregg (R-NH) 202-224-3324
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) 202-224-4224
Mitch McConnell (R-KY) 202-224-2541
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) 202-224-6665
Susan Collins (R-ME) 202-224-2523
Larry Craig (R-ID) 202-224-2752
Pete Domenici (R-NM) 202-224-6621
Mel Martinez (R-FL) 202-224-3041
Gordon Smith (R-OR) 202-224-3753
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) 202-224-5344
Ted Stevens (R-AK) 202-224-3004
George Voinovich (R-OH) 202-224-3353


Other Useful Links

National Council of La Raza
http://www.nclr.org

National Immigration Forum
http://www.immigrationforum.org

New American Opportunity Campaign
http://www.cirnow.org

National Network of Immigrant & Refugee Rights

What San Francisco Gets That Milwaukee Doesn't

What San Francisco Gets That Milwaukee Doesn't

New America Media, Commentary, Marta Donayre, Sep 14, 2006

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=2b135118bb9df3e81c2205a425f61b29



EDITOR'S NOTE: At the bottom of the immigration debate is the issue of labor and labor rights, writes Marta Donayre, a co-founder of Love Sees No Borders and a member of the leadership council of the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition.



In San Francisco last Sept. 4, unions and immigrants joined forces to march for another immigrant rights rally. In Milwaukee, however, union leaders refused to join forces with immigrant workers. In San Francisco immigrants are seen as workers; in Milwaukee, apparently they're not.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Harry Kreuser, business manager of the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Local 75, said that mixing the issues would dilute the march. By contrast, the San Francisco Chronicle quotes Brian Cruz, a member of Local 790 of the Service Employees International Union, as saying that both issues are the same.

It only shows that at the bottom of the immigration debate is the issue of labor, it's availability and price.

Working immigrants are educated and uneducated people who find that they have few options in their homeland. Some are women who face discrimination and reduced opportunities and wages because of their gender. Others are racial and ethnic minorities who face discrimination back home and the only way for them to make a living is by leaving. Others are lesbian, gay or transgender individuals who are denied employment based solely on who they are.

Regardless of the particulars, their motive is the same: finding work. Likewise, the fear that immigrants, especially the undocumented, take jobs from Americans is felt the most by the working classes.

But you wouldn't know what's at the bottom of the controversy from the mainstream media coverage. The media like to sensational issues, and crossing the border is exactly what the editor ordered. Think about it. You have desperation, the heroism of surviving the desert, relying on your smarts and outwitting the system and, of course, you have the "outlaw" element. These are the ingredients of most Hollywood blockbusters.

So the media put most of its attention on the border and those who cross it. As a result, the larger issues hardly receive any real discussion and analysis. For example, H.R. 4437 would create a new category of crime applicable only to immigrants, regardless of how they entered the country, or whether they are here legally or not.

Another largely ignored issue is worker rights for all.

The logic is pretty simple. If an employee can be underpaid and abused, this employee will be preferred to one who has to be paid a decent wage and respected. This country had a civil war because half of the country wanted to reserve its privilege to keep its unpaid labor. Today's employers follow a similar logic.

Cheap labor is what undocumented workers mean to employers -- cheap wages, no need to spend for protective equipment or safe conditions, many hours without breaks and intimidated workers who won't complain. It is a sweet deal for employers.

But the solution to this problem is not to look at the immigrant as the one causing the problem. The solution is to look at the root of the problem -- lack of protections for everyone -- and to implement protections for all workers, regardless of immigration status.

Imagine two carpenters. One charges $15 per hour because he can. The other charges $8 per hour because he can't get any better rates because of his status. The first one is entitled to two breaks and a lunch hour. The second is entitled to deportation if he complains. Which one do you think employers will hire?

Now, imagine that the second worker has the same protections as the first. Both workers would compete equally. Both would be hired based on fair assessments, not because one is easier to exploit than the other.

This is what immigrant rights advocates are trying to achieve by promoting worker rights.

Workers, especially those in the food industry, are exposed to many dangers.

The United Farm Workers union has complained against dairies for making workers walk in cow manure up to their waists. Many are afflicted with skin disorders that they bring home. It has also complained about employers who deny shade and water to farm workers, some of whom have died of heat stroke. And let's not forget the ones who were sprayed with pesticides as they worked in the fields.

Meat processing plants aren't far behind. It's brutal work for both American and immigrant workers. It's easy to see that the workers who make food for the American dinner table aren't nourished by the industries in which they work. Creepy, huh?

This is why immigrant rights advocates include workers' rights in their agenda. It levels the playing field for all workers. This is why immigrant rights are worker rights, and vice versa.

All work should be honored and all workers should have labor protections regardless of citizenship or immigration status. This is why in San Francisco immigrants and union members marched together as workers.

Why are so many Democrats betraying liberalism?

House's Secure Fence Act of 2006 (HR 6061)
Updates And Who'd Vote It

September 16, 2006

National Immigrant Solidarity Network
http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org


700 miles of border fence includes:
- 361 miles from Calexico, California to Douglas, Arizona
- 176 miles from Laredo to Brownsville, Texas
- 51 miles from Del Rio to Eagle Pass, Texas
- 88 miles from El Paso, Texas to Columbus, New Mexico
- 22 miles in Tecate, California near San Diego

The Full text of H.R. 6061 bill passed by House:
http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.6061:


Who vote for the bill:
The final vote was 283-138, 6 Republicans who voted no on this and the 64 Democrats who voted yes.

Voted Aye
Aderholt (R-AL)
Akin (R-MO)
Alexander (R-LA)
Andrews (D-NJ)
Bachus (R-AL)
Baird (D-WA)
Baker (R-LA)
Barrett (SC) (R-SC)
Barrow (D-GA)
Bartlett (MD) (R-MD)
Barton (TX) (R-TX)
Bass (R-NH)
Bean (D-IL)
Beauprez (R-CO)
Berkley (D-NV)
Berry (D-AR)
Biggert (R-IL)
Bilbray (R-CA)
Bilirakis (R-FL)
Bishop (GA) (D-GA)
Bishop (NY) (D-NY)
Bishop (UT) (R-UT)
Blackburn (R-TN)
Blunt (R-MO)
Boehlert (R-NY)
Boehner (R-OH)
Bonilla (R-TX)
Bonner (R-AL)
Bono (R-CA)
Boozman (R-AR)
Boren (D-OK)
Boswell (D-IA)
Boucher (D-VA)
Boustany (R-LA)
Boyd (D-FL)
Bradley (NH) (R-NH)
Brady (TX) (R-TX)
Brown (OH) (D-OH)
Brown (SC) (R-SC)
Brown, Corrine (D-FL)
Brown-Waite, Ginny (R-FL)
Burgess (R-TX)
Burton (IN) (R-IN)
Buyer (R-IN)
Calvert (R-CA)
Camp (MI) (R-MI)
Campbell (CA) (R-CA)
Cannon (R-UT)
Cantor (R-VA)
Capito (R-WV)
Capuano (D-MA)
Cardoza (D-CA)
Carter (R-TX)
Castle (R-DE)
Chabot (R-OH)
Chandler (D-KY)
Chocola (R-IN)
Coble (R-NC)
Cole (OK) (R-OK)
Cooper (D-TN)
Costa (D-CA)
Costello (D-IL)
Cramer (D-AL)
Crenshaw (R-FL)
Cubin (R-WY)
Davis (AL) (D-AL)
Davis (KY) (R-KY)
Davis (TN) (D-TN)
Davis, Jo Ann (R-VA)
Davis, Tom (R-VA)
DeFazio (D-OR)
Deal (GA) (R-GA)
Delahunt (D-MA)
Dent (R-PA)
Doolittle (R-CA)
Drake (R-VA)
Dreier (R-CA)
Duncan (R-TN)
Edwards (D-TX)
Ehlers (R-MI)
Emerson (R-MO)
English (PA) (R-PA)
Etheridge (D-NC)
Everett (R-AL)
Feeney (R-FL)
Ferguson (R-NJ)
Fitzpatrick (PA) (R-PA)
Flake (R-AZ)
Foley (R-FL)
Ford (D-TN)
Fortenberry (R-NE)
Fossella (R-NY)
Foxx (R-NC)
Frank (MA) (D-MA)
Franks (AZ) (R-AZ)
Frelinghuysen (R-NJ)
Gallegly (R-CA)
Garrett (NJ) (R-NJ)
Gerlach (R-PA)
Gibbons (R-NV)
Gilchrest (R-MD)
Gillmor (R-OH)
Gingrey (R-GA)
Gohmert (R-TX)
Goode (R-VA)
Goodlatte (R-VA)
Gordon (D-TN)
Granger (R-TX)
Graves (R-MO)
Green (WI) (R-WI)
Gutknecht (R-MN)
Hall (R-TX)
Harris (R-FL)
Hart (R-PA)
Hastings (WA) (R-WA)
Hayes (R-NC)
Hayworth (R-AZ)
Hefley (R-CO)
Hensarling (R-TX)
Herger (R-CA)
Herseth (D-SD)
Hobson (R-OH)
Hoekstra (R-MI)
Holden (D-PA)
Hooley (D-OR)
Hostettler (R-IN)
Hulshof (R-MO)
Hunter (R-CA)
Hyde (R-IL)
Inglis (SC) (R-SC)
Israel (D-NY)
Issa (R-CA)
Istook (R-OK)
Jenkins (R-TN)
Jindal (R-LA)
Johnson (CT) (R-CT)
Johnson (IL) (R-IL)
Jones (NC) (R-NC)
Kanjorski (D-PA)
Kelly (R-NY)
Kennedy (MN) (R-MN)
Kildee (D-MI)
Kind (D-WI)
King (IA) (R-IA)
King (NY) (R-NY)
Kingston (R-GA)
Kirk (R-IL)
Kline (R-MN)
Knollenberg (R-MI)
Kuhl (NY) (R-NY)
LaHood (R-IL)
LaTourette (R-OH)
Latham (R-IA)
Leach (R-IA)
Lewis (CA) (R-CA)
Lewis (KY) (R-KY)
Linder (R-GA)
Lipinski (D-IL)
LoBiondo (R-NJ)
Lucas (R-OK)
Lungren, Daniel E. (R-CA)
Lynch (D-MA)
Mack (R-FL)
Maloney (D-NY)
Manzullo (R-IL)
Marchant (R-TX)
Marshall (D-GA)
Matheson (D-UT)
McCarthy (D-NY)
McCaul (TX) (R-TX)
McCotter (R-MI)
McCrery (R-LA)
McHenry (R-NC)
McHugh (R-NY)
McIntyre (D-NC)
McKeon (R-CA)
McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
Melancon (D-LA)
Mica (R-FL)
Miller (FL) (R-FL)
Miller (MI) (R-MI)
Miller (NC) (D-NC)
Miller, Gary (R-CA)
Mollohan (D-WV)
Moore (KS) (D-KS)
Moran (KS) (R-KS)
Moran (VA) (D-VA)
Murphy (R-PA)
Musgrave (R-CO)
Myrick (R-NC)
Neugebauer (R-TX)
Northup (R-KY)
Norwood (R-GA)
Nunes (R-CA)
Nussle (R-IA)
Osborne (R-NE)
Otter (R-ID)
Oxley (R-OH)
Pascrell (D-NJ)
Paul (R-TX)
Pearce (R-NM)
Pence (R-IN)
Peterson (MN) (D-MN)
Peterson (PA) (R-PA)
Petri (R-WI)
Pickering (R-MS)
Pitts (R-PA)
Platts (R-PA)
Poe (R-TX)
Pombo (R-CA)
Pomeroy (D-ND)
Porter (R-NV)
Price (GA) (R-GA)
Pryce (OH) (R-OH)
Putnam (R-FL)
Radanovich (R-CA)
Rahall (D-WV)
Ramstad (R-MN)
Regula (R-OH)
Rehberg (R-MT)
Reichert (R-WA)
Renzi (R-AZ)
Reynolds (R-NY)
Rogers (AL) (R-AL)
Rogers (KY) (R-KY)
Rogers (MI) (R-MI)
Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Ross (D-AR)
Royce (R-CA)
Ruppersberger (D-MD)
Ryan (OH) (D-OH)
Ryan (WI) (R-WI)
Ryun (KS) (R-KS)
Saxton (R-NJ)
Schmidt (R-OH)
Schwarz (MI) (R-MI)
Sensenbrenner (R-WI)
Sessions (R-TX)
Shadegg (R-AZ)
Shaw (R-FL)
Shays (R-CT)
Sherwood (R-PA)
Shimkus (R-IL)
Shuster (R-PA)
Simmons (R-CT)
Simpson (R-ID)
Skelton (D-MO)
Smith (NJ) (R-NJ)
Smith (TX) (R-TX)
Smith (WA) (D-WA)
Sodrel (R-IN)
Souder (R-IN)
Spratt (D-SC)
Stearns (R-FL)
Stupak (D-MI)
Sullivan (R-OK)
Sweeney (R-NY)
Tancredo (R-CO)
Tanner (D-TN)
Taylor (MS) (D-MS)
Taylor (NC) (R-NC)
Terry (R-NE)
Thomas (R-CA)
Thornberry (R-TX)
Tiahrt (R-KS)
Tiberi (R-OH)
Turner (R-OH)
Upton (R-MI)
Walden (OR) (R-OR)
Walsh (R-NY)
Wamp (R-TN)
Weiner (D-NY)
Weldon (FL) (R-FL)
Weldon (PA) (R-PA)
Weller (R-IL)
Westmoreland (R-GA)
Wexler (D-FL)
Whitfield (R-KY)
Wicker (R-MS)
Wilson (NM) (R-NM)
Wilson (SC) (R-SC)
Wolf (R-VA)
Young (FL) (R-FL)

Voted Noe (Republicans in bold)
Abercrombie (D-HI)
Ackerman (D-NY)
Allen (D-ME)
Baca (D-CA)
Baldwin (D-WI)
Becerra (D-CA)
Berman (D-CA)
Blumenauer (D-OR)
Brady (PA) (D-PA)
Butterfield (D-NC)
Capps (D-CA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carnahan (D-MO)
Carson (D-IN)
Clay (D-MO)
Clyburn (D-SC)
Conaway (R-TX)
Conyers (D-MI)
Crowley (D-NY)
Cuellar (D-TX)
Cummings (D-MD)
Davis (CA) (D-CA)
Davis (IL) (D-IL)
DeGette (D-CO)
DeLauro (D-CT)
Diaz-Balart, L. (R-FL)
Diaz-Balart, M. (R-FL)
Dicks (D-WA)
Dingell (D-MI)
Doggett (D-TX)
Doyle (D-PA)
Emanuel (D-IL)
Engel (D-NY)
Eshoo (D-CA)
Farr (D-CA)
Fattah (D-PA)
Filner (D-CA)
Gonzalez (D-TX)
Green, Al (D-TX)
Green, Gene (D-TX)
Grijalva (D-AZ)
Gutierrez (D-IL)
Harman (D-CA)
Hastings (FL) (D-FL)
Higgins (D-NY)
Hinchey (D-NY)
Hinojosa (D-TX)
Holt (D-NJ)
Honda (D-CA)
Hoyer (D-MD)
Inslee (D-WA)
Jackson (IL) (D-IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX) (D-TX)
Jefferson (D-LA)
Johnson, E. B. (D-TX)
Jones (OH) (D-OH)
Kennedy (RI) (D-RI)
Kilpatrick (MI) (D-MI)
Kolbe (R-AZ)
Kucinich (D-OH)
Langevin (D-RI)
Lantos (D-CA)
Larsen (WA) (D-WA)
Larson (CT) (D-CT)
Lee (D-CA)
Levin (D-MI)
Lewis (GA) (D-GA)
Lofgren, Zoe (D-CA)
Lowey (D-NY)
Markey (D-MA)
Matsui (D-CA)
McCollum (MN) (D-MN)
McDermott (D-WA)
McGovern (D-MA)
McKinney (D-GA)
McNulty (D-NY)
Meehan (D-MA)
Meek (FL) (D-FL)
Meeks (NY) (D-NY)
Michaud (D-ME)
Millender-McDonald (D-CA)
Miller, George (D-CA)
Moore (WI) (D-WI)
Murtha (D-PA)
Nadler (D-NY)
Napolitano (D-CA)
Neal (MA) (D-MA)
Oberstar (D-MN)
Obey (D-WI)
Olver (D-MA)
Ortiz (D-TX)
Owens (D-NY)
Pallone (D-NJ)
Pastor (D-AZ)
Payne (D-NJ)
Pelosi (D-CA)
Price (NC) (D-NC)
Rangel (D-NY)
Reyes (D-TX)
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Rothman (D-NJ)
Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Rush (D-IL)
Sabo (D-MN)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanchez, Linda T. (D-CA)
Sanchez, Loretta (D-CA)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schakowsky (D-IL)
Schiff (D-CA)
Schwartz (PA) (D-PA)
Scott (GA) (D-GA)
Scott (VA) (D-VA)
Serrano (D-NY)
Sherman (D-CA)
Slaughter (D-NY)
Snyder (D-AR)
Solis (D-CA)
Stark (D-CA)
Tauscher (D-CA)
Thompson (CA) (D-CA)
Thompson (MS) (D-MS)
Tierney (D-MA)
Towns (D-NY)
Udall (CO) (D-CO)
Udall (NM) (D-NM)
Van Hollen (D-MD)
Velazquez (D-NY)
Visclosky (D-IN)
Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Waters (D-CA)
Watson (D-CA)
Watt (D-NC)
Waxman (D-CA)
Woolsey (D-CA)
Wu (D-OR)
Wynn (D-MD)
Young (AK) (R-AK)

Didn't Vote:

Case (D-HI) Cleaver (D-MO) Culberson (R-TX) Davis (FL) (D-FL) Evans (D-IL) Forbes (R-VA) Johnson, Sam (R-TX) Keller (R-FL) Ney (R-OH) Strickland (D-OH)

Voted Present:

Kaptur (D-OH)



=====================================================
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

Republicans are out of control!

Congress Aims to Require Voter ID
From: Marcela.Salazar@mail.house.gov

Friends,

This week (9/20 Wed and 9/21 Thurs), the House of Representatives is poised to consider the "Voter ID bill" H.R. 4844, the Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006.

The VOTER ID bill aims to decrease the number of citizens able to vote by requiring all citizens to show proof of citizenship in order to vote. Millions of Americans, who do not have the identification and proof of citizenship that the bill requires -- the elderly, the disabled, Native Americans and other minorities- will be profoundly impacted by this legislation. H.R. 4844 will do far more to suppress turnout and intimidate voters than to prevent voter fraud, as the proponents of the Voter ID bill claim. Millions of Americans will be denied their right to vote because the House Republicans are rushing this bill to floor to address a problem that does not really exist.


MORE ANTI-IMMIGRATION BILLS:
This week, we also expect the Republican Leadership to bring up a series of border security bills. It is odd that, that as the election nears, Republicans would pick border security as a theme, with their "Border Security Now" agenda - thereby highlighting an issue on which they don't have a single accomplishment. If the House Republicans were serious, they would have moved forward with a House-Senate conference on realistic and bipartisan border security/immigration reform legislation - instead of stalling any progress with sham "hearings" or ineffective legislation.


Below is a list of the upcoming border security bills. We will keep you posted on any developments.



FLOOR SCHEDULE
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2006

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 and the balance of the week

On Wednesday & Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 am for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9:00 am.

H.R. 6054 - Military Commissions Act (Rep. Hunter - Armed Services) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. 4844 - Voter ID Bill (Rep. Hyde - House Administration) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. 6089 - Illegal Immigrant Deterrence Act (Rep. Sensenbrenner - Judiciary) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. 6090 -Immigration Enforcement Act (Rep. Sensenbrenner - Judiciary) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. 6091 - Border Security Enhancement Act (Rep. Sensenbrenner - Judiciary)

=====================================================

National Immigrant Solidarity Network
No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights!
webpage: http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org
mail: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org
New York: (212)330-8172
Los Angeles: (213)403-0131
Washington D.C.: (202)595-8990

What would Jesus do?

Immigration Raid Makes a Ghost Town

By RUSS BYNUM, AP

STILLMORE, Ga. (Sept. 15) - Trailer parks lie abandoned. The poultry
plant is scrambling to replace more than half its workforce. Business
has dried up at stores where Mexican laborers once lined up to buy
food, beer and cigarettes just weeks ago.



This Georgia community of about 1,000 people has become little more
than a ghost town since Sept. 1, when federal agents began rounding up
illegal immigrants.

The sweep has had the unintended effect of underscoring just how vital
the illegal immigrants were to the local economy.

More than 120 illegal immigrants have been loaded onto buses bound for
immigration courts in Atlanta, 189 miles away. Hundreds more fled
Emanuel County. Residents say many scattered into the woods, camping
out for days. They worry some are still hiding without food.

At least one child, born a U.S. citizen, was left behind by his Mexican
parents: 2-year-old Victor Perez-Lopez. The toddler's mother, Rosa
Lopez, left her son with Julie Rodas when the raids began and fled the
state. The boy's father was deported to Mexico.

"When his momma brought this baby here and left him, tears rolled down
her face and mine too," Rodas said. "She said, `Julie, will you please
take care of my son because I have no money, no way of paying rent?"'

For five years, Rodas has made a living watching the children of
workers at the Crider Inc. poultry plant, where the vast majority of
employees were Mexican immigrants. She learned Spanish, and considered
many immigrants among her closest friends. She threw parties for their
children's birthdays and baptisms.


The only child in Rodas' care now, besides her own son, is Victor. Her
customers have disappeared.

Federal agents also swarmed into a trailer park operated by David
Robinson. Illegal immigrants were handcuffed and taken away. Almost
none have returned. Robinson bought an American flag and posted it by
the pond out front - upside down, in protest.

"These people might not have American rights, but they've damn sure got
human rights," Robinson said. "There ain't no reason to treat them like
animals."

The raids came during a fall election season in which immigration is a
top issue.

Last month, the federal government reported that Georgia had the
fastest-growing illegal immigrant population in the country. The number
more than doubled from an estimated 220,000 in 2000 to 470,000 last
year. This year, state lawmakers passed some of the nation's toughest
measures targeting illegal immigrants, and Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue
last week vowed a statewide crackdown on document fraud.


Other than the Crider plant, there isn't much in Stillmore. Four small
stores, a coin laundry and a Baptist church share downtown with City
Hall, the fire department and a post office. "We're poor but proud,"
Mayor Marilyn Slater said, as if that is the town motto.

The 2000 Census put Stillmore's population at 730, but Slater said
uncounted immigrants probably made it more than 1,000. Not anymore,
with so many homes abandoned and the streets practically empty.

"This reminds me of what I read about Nazi Germany, the Gestapo coming
in and yanking people up," Slater said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Marc Raimondi would not
discuss details of the raids. "We can't lose sight of the fact that
these people were here illegally," Raimondi said.

At Sucursal Salina No. 2, a store stocked with Mexican fruit sodas and
snacks, cashier Alberto Gonzalez said Wednesday that the owner may
shutter the place. By midday, Gonzalez has had only six customers.
Normally, he would see 100.

The B&S convenience store, owned by Keith and Regan Slater, the mayor's
son and grandson, has lost about 80 percent of its business.

"These people come over here to make a better way of life, not to blow
us up," complained Keith Slater, who keeps a portrait of Ronald Reagan
on the wall. "I'm a die-hard Republican, but I think we missed the boat
with this one."

Since the mid-1990s, Stillmore has grown dependent on the paychecks of
Mexican workers who originally came for seasonal farm labor, picking
the area's famous Vidalia onions. Many then took year-round jobs at the
Crider plant, with a workforce of about 900.


Crider President David Purtle said the agents began inspecting the
company's employment records in May. They found 700 suspected illegal
immigrants, and supervisors handed out letters over the summer ordering
them to prove they came to the U.S. legally or be fired. Only about 100
kept their jobs.

The arrests started at the plant Sept. 1. Over the Labor Day weekend,
agents with guns and bulletproof vests converged on workers' homes
after getting the addresses from Crider's files.

Antonio Lopez, who came here two years ago from Chiapas, Mexico, and
worked at the Crider plant, said agents kicked in his front door.
Lopez, 32, and his 15-year-old son were handcuffed and taken by bus to
Atlanta with 30 others. Because of the boy, Lopez said, both were
allowed to return. In his back pocket, he carries an order to return to
Atlanta for a court hearing Feb. 2.

But now, "there's no people here and I don't have any work," he said.

The poultry plant has limped along with half its normal workforce.
Crider increased its starting wages by $1 an hour to help recruit new
workers.

Stacie Bell, 23, started work canning chicken at Crider a week ago. She
said the pay, $7.75 an hour, led her to leave her $5.60-an-hour job as
a Wal-Mart cashier in nearby Statesboro. Still, Bell said she felt bad
about the raids.

"If they knew eventually that they were going to have to do that, they
should have never let them come over here," she said.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

Who is Dennis Hastert? (Spit) (R-ILL) (The Fat one)

The Rude Pundit has been battling the religious right in one form or another for virtually his entire life:
When he was 10, his next-door neighbor was a little red-headed girl named Sarah who kept trying to get the Rude Pundit to go to church with her and get saved. Once, while jumping rope, Sarah said, "Don't you wanna feel holy?" To which the Rude Pundit replied, "The only thing 'holy' means to me is 'full of holes.'" Then Sarah took her jump rope and, oh, sweet purging pain, started to whip the Rude Pundit with it.

When he was in high school, one of the Rude Pundit's best friends was Paul, a football player, heavy metal lover, and dopester, rebelling against his fundamentalist parents. A year or so after high school, Paul was married with a kid, and he decided to give up the dope and get born again. "Isn't it great? I used to get high on pot, but Jesus fills that spot in my life," he said. To which the Rude Pundit replied, "What's the difference?" Paul was non-plussed. He talked about how he had thrown out all his Led Zep and Metallica and other music because it had led him down a demonic path. "Throw them out? Fuck, why didn't you give 'em to me?" asked the Rude Pundit. "Because they wrecked me and I didn't want them to wreck you," Paul said.

This list of stories could go on and on. From the groups who tried to block his entrance to seeing The Last Temptation of Christ to the Operation Rescue nuts who screamed in his face to other friends who tried to get the Rude Pundit to see the light, the Rude Pundit's been there, man. He's been prayed for, spit on, and told he's going to hell (as one ex-lover wept - she couldn't be with the Rude Pundit because he's gonna end up in hell 'cause he won't let Jesus save him). He's looked into their spinning eyes and seen the blind hate they mistake for love.

Oh, sure, as every good pundit needs to say who dares criticize Christians, there's been lots of positive experiences, like the gospel choir in Tennessee he was invited to see, like the Methodist wedding he attended in a forest chapel. But this is bullshit. It's the religious equivalent of "I Have Gay Friends" or "I Have Black Friends." Still, we're not talkin' about all religion here: we're talkin' evangelicals who have appropriated the word "Christian" to mean them and only them.

The Rude Pundit has seen them all their manifestations, all over the nation, from Eureka, California to Wichita, Kansas to Birmingham, Alabama to Boston, Massachusetts, and there's one thing he can tell you about the godly fundamentalists who have nothing but Jesus in their "hearts": they don't stop. Ever. And they won't until they're disbanded or win.

They are deluded motherfuckers, man, who would smile reading this because all they would think is that they know best because Jesus tells them so and then they'd feel sad that the Rude Pundit refuses to let Christ into his heart. But then they'd feel happy because Jesus is in their hearts. It's so fuckin' sweet.

They are plague rats, they are vile, they are poison. And when this ship of a nation finally goes down into the drink, they will be the first to abandon it while the rest of us stay and try to salvage the wreck.

Tomorrow: Tim Russert and his polarized "panel" on "moral values" on Meet the Press this past Sunday, and the need to sodomize Jerry Falwell. Repeatedly. (For early reading, check out the two parts on the Meet the Press confrontation over at BlondeSense.)

And feel free to send in your own story of your battles with the righteous. We'll throw them up here on Friday. E-mail your tale to rudepundit@yahoo.com.

A Couple of Things Noted Briefly:
On Voter Fraud in Ohio and Elsewhere (U.S. Version) -- As we watch the legal wrangling over Ohio's suspicious voting irregularities, as well as debates about statistics and e-voting, and on and on, the Rude Pundit has one question: can anyone give an example cited in "mainstream" press sources of an electronic voting machine overtallying in John Kerry's favor? Or a statistical anomaly in Kerry's favor? Or something that would show the problem is the system itself and not just a bias in Bush's favor? And, statisticians, what's the likelihood that every "error" would result in more votes for Bush?

On Voter Fraud (International Version) -- The comparisons between the Bush administration's insistence on the need for clean, open elections in Ukraine and their dismissal of any allegations of irregularities in the U.S. are bizarro and interesting. Perhaps more relevant is the comparison of the Bush administration's positive reaction to the Kiev demonstrations and the support for what will inevitably be tainted elections in Iraq. So let's get this straight: many in the Iraqi political spectrum want to postpone elections to assure a fair vote, but, fuck fairness and legitimacy, let's just vote and let Allah sort it out. Damn, some abiding principles we live by in the U.S.A., huh?

Dennis Hastert is the son of Satan!

/11: New Republican Anti-Immigrant Bill Coming Soon! TAKE ACTION!

As you can see, the House Republicans have decided to further politicize their anti-immigrant rhetoric before the November election.

Please Fax, mail, call Dennis Hastert's office about raise your concern about the so-call "new" Border Security Package, his contact information as follows:


Washington D.C. Office
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-2976
Fax: 202-225-0697


Batavia District Office
27 North River Street
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 630-406-1114
Fax: 630-406-1808



Speaker’s Press Office
United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
September 7, 2006

Speaker Announces New Border Security Package to be Unveiled Next Week

(Washington, DC) “ Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert (R-IL) today made the following announcement regarding the House Republican commitment to pass a new legislative package that would help to secure America’s border:

Border security is a top priority of House Republicans. Our border is a sieve. We are at war, and we must act like it. Our chairmen who held hearings on border security and the Senate's amnesty bill did a great job this summer talking to the experts and American citizens about how to solve this problem. After meeting with the Chairmen today, we agreed that we cannot support the Senate Reid-Kennedy amnesty bill. This Democrat immigration bill wouldn't secure the border; it would erase it.

The House Republicans believe that Congress has a unique opportunity to strengthen our borders. I have asked Policy Committee Chairman Adam Putnam to hold a forum next week where our Chairmen will present what they learned from their hearings and concrete steps to secure the border. We will take many of these recommendations and move quickly to pass border security legislation in the next few weeks. Congress cannot wait until next year to move on this issue. The American people expect us to tackle this problem and solve it.

9/11

Migrants rights advocates pays tribute to undocumented migrant workers killed in 9-11 ; says no human being is illegal

From: agarcia@nnirr.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [Sigue en espanol/please forward to your media]]
September 11, 2006

Migrants rights advocates pays tribute to undocumented migrant workers killed in 9-11 ; says no human being is illegal

(New York City) Migrant workers and migrant rights organizations from the United States, Asia, Africa and Europe will converge at the Ground Zero this evening and join the New York-based immigrant rights advocates to recognize the heroism of hundreds of undocumented migrant workers killed in the September 2001 terror attacks. The early evening vigil also aims to challenge repressive migration policies across the globe and call for the ‘decriminalization’ of undocumented workers who are called illegal workers in many countries.

“Migrants are among the victims of that heinous and barbaric attack five years ago. Some of them did not have the proper documents as well. Would you call those people, who had served coffee, mopped the floors and cleaned the windows of the World Trade Center, illegal? They sacrificed their lives for this country during the 9-11 attacks,” says Catherine Tactaquin, Executive Director of the US-based National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and member of Migrants Rights International. “Tens of thousands of migrant workers in the US face daily sacrifices including loss of life, as they toil to provide safe and healthy lives for their families,” she adds.

“An undocumented worker is not illegal. No human being is illegal. Undocumented migrant workers have the same rights as any other worker. Both contribute to the companies they worked for, the countries they reside in and the countries they will go home to,” says William Gois, the Regional Coordinator of Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA).

According to Mr. Gois, categorizing migrant workers who have no proper documents as illegals allows governments to conduct activities that will violate the rights of the migrants. In Asia, MFA has repeatedly condemned the Malaysian and South Korean governments for the violent crackdowns and arbitrary expulsions against undocumented workers.

“Stop the crackdowns and vicious raids. These are not the actions of mature and democratic societies. What we need here is the genuine recognition of the tremendous contribution of migrant workers to the development of host and home countries. These are the facts. Without these workers, there will be no food on your table, no clean clothes in your closet and no roof over your heads,” Mr. Gois says.

The various migrant rights groups are in New York City to attend and observe the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development on September 14 and 15. Ms. Tactaquin says that their group will also be organizing community dialogues on migration and talking with the different permanent mission representatives of the UN Member States to give their inputs on migration and highlight the perspectives of migrants and migrant civil society organizations.#

For interviews and more information, please contact:
Joey Dimaandal, Media Officer for the MRI Civil Society Parallel Events during the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development in New York City
Tel: +639175267171, +639278775810
Email: j-mod@rocketmail.com
Address: West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd Street between Broadway and Central Park West, New York City.

Arnoldo Garcia (For Spanish language media organizations)
Tel +1 510 928 0685
Email: agarcia@nnirr.org

* MFA is a regional network of 260 migrant workers associations, trade unions and NGOs in Asia. The contact information of MFA:
Regional Coordinator: William Gois
Address: 59-B Malumanay Street, Teachers’ Village West, Quezon City, Philippines
Email address: mfa@pacific.net.hk Web: www.mfasia.org

** Migrant Rights International has members in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America

+++++

Para difusión inmediata
11 de Septiembre, 2006

Defensores de derechos migrantes rinden homenaje a las y los trabajadores migrantes indocumentados que murieron el 11 de septiembre; declaran que ningún ser humano es ilegal

Ciudad de Nueva York) Organizaciones de trabajadores migrantes y defensoras de derechos migrantes de los EEUU, Asia, África y Europa se convergirán en Zona Cero esta noche y se unirán a defensores de los derechos de los y las inmigrantes basados en Nueva York para reconocer el heroísmo de los cientos de trabajadores migrantes indocumentados que murieron en los ataques terroristas del 11 de Septiembre. La vigilia del anochecer también desafiará las políticas represivas que se han desatada a través del mundo y llamarán por la “despenalización” de las y los trabajadores indocumentados que son llamados trabajadores ilegales en muchos países.

“Los y las migrantes están entre las víctimas de ese ataque vil y barbárico de hace cinco años. También algunos de ellos no tenían sus documentos en orden. ¿Llamaría a esa gente, que servían café, trapeaban los pisos y limpiaban las ventanas del Centro de Comercio Mundial, ilegales? Sacrificaron sus vidas por este país durante los ataques del 11 de septiembre,” declara Catherine Tactaquin, directora ejecutiva de la Red Nacional Pro Derechos Inmigrantes y Refugiados (NNIRR, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rightsd), que está basada en los EEUU, y miembra de la Internacional de Derechos Migrantes (MRI, Migrant Rights International). “Decenas de miles de trabajadores migrantes en los EEUU enfrentan sacrificios diarios incluyendo la pérdida de su vida, cuando trabajan para proveer vidas sanas y saludables para sus familias,” añade.

“Un trabajador indocumentado no es ilegal. Ningún ser humano es ilegal. Las y los trabajadores migrantes indocumentados tienen los mismos derechos que cualquier otro trabajador. Ambos contribuyen a las compañías por los que trabajan, a los países donde residen y a sus países de origen,” dice William Gois, el coordinador regional del Foro Migrante en Asia (MFA, Migrant Forum in Asia).

Según el Sr. Gois, categorizar de ilegal a las y los trabajadores migrantes que no tienen documentación vigente permite a los gobiernos de conducir actividades que violarán los derechos de las y los migrantes. En Asia, el MFA repetidamente ha condenado a los gobiernos de Malasia y Corea del Sur por las represalias violentas y las expulsiones arbitrarias contra trabjadores indocumentados.

“Alto a las represalias y las redadas viles. Estas no son las acciones de sociedades maduras y democráticas. Lo que necesitamos aquí es el reconocimiento genuino de la contribución tremenda de las y los trabajadores migrantes al desarrollo de los países anfitriones y de origen. Estos son los hechos. Sin estos trabajadores, no habrá comida en sus mesas, no habrá ropa limpia en su armarios y no habrá techos sobre sus cabezas,” declara el Sr. Gois.

Los diversos grupos de derechos migrantes están en la Ciudad de Nueva York para asistir y observar el Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre Migración y Desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas el 14 y 15 de Septiembre. La Sra. Tactaquin dice que su organización también estará organizando diálogos comunitarios sobre migración y hablando con diferentes representantes de la misión permanente de los Estados Naciones de la ONU para proveer las perspectivas sobre la migración y realzar las perspectivas de los y las migrantes y las organizaciones migrantes de la sociedad civil.

Para entrevistas y más información, por favor de contactar:
Joey Dimaandal, portavoz de MRI para los eventos paralelos de la sociedad civil durante el Diálogo de Alto Nivel sobre Migración y Desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas en la Ciudad de Nueva York
Tel +639175267171, +639278775810
Correo electrónico: j-mod@rocketmail.com
Dirección: West Side MICA, 5 West 63rd Street, entre la Broadway y Central Aprk West, Ciudad de Nueva York

Arnoldo García (para los medios de comunicación en español)
Tel +1 (510) 928-0685
Correo electrónico: agracia@nnirr.org

* MFA es una red regional de 260 asociaciones, sindicatos y ONGs de trabjadores migrantes en Asia. La información de contacto de MFA:
Coordinador regional: William Gois
Dirección: 59-B Malumanay Street, Teachers’ Village West, Quezón City, Las Filipinas
Correo electrónico: mfa@pacific.net.hk Web: www.mfasia.org

** La Internacional de Derechos Migrantes (MRI) tiene miembros en Asia, Europa, América del Norte y América Latina.

Peace on earth!

Peace No War Network
http://www.PeaceNoWar.net
Looking Back Sept 11, 2001
http://peacenowar.net/newpeace/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=28&Itemid=39


September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows 9/11/06 Statement
http://www.peacefultomorrows.org


On September 11th, 2001, members of our families became civilian casualties of terrorism. And while we grieved their loss, we were seized by the urgent desire to spare other families, in any part of the world, the suffering that we were experiencing.

In expressing these desires, we heard from others who saw us as kindred spirits. They were from places like Israel and Palestine, Japan, Northern Ireland and South Africa. Each had suffered a similar loss—from the terrorism of war and atomic weapons, to the terrorism of state-sponsored violence.

Hearing from them, we learned that we were not alone. We also learned that the deaths of our family members, although unique in circumstance, were far from unique in human history. The means were different, but the results were still the same: innocent people dying, families torn apart, traditions and histories cut short. We came to see our losses as happening in a bigger context, one that cut across national boundaries and the confines of time.

From those who reached out to us after 9/11, we developed a sense of responsibility to all those who suffered as the result of 9/11: immigrants and other people perceived to be terrorists, targeted by hate crimes and hateful legislation; those who suffered in terrorist attacks from Bali to Beslan; those killed in the train bombings in Madrid and London; and those in Afghanistan and Iraq who continue to suffer under occupation and the terror of war.

Today, five years after September 11th, 2001, we see clearly that civilian casualties overwhelmingly have been the common denominator in all that has taken place. We see that the path we have taken has created a world that is less safe, less humane, and less likely to survive. Where we saw children in mortal danger from unexploded cluster bombs in Afghanistan, we now see children in mortal danger from cluster bombs in Lebanon. Where we saw the brutality and inhumanity of Saddam Hussein, we now see the same brutality and inhumanity occurring under U.S. occupation, in Fallujah, in Haditha, in Abu Ghraib.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it… Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." We have seen those words become a sad reality.

In the days immediately following September 11th, 2001, the world came together with a sense of mutual humanity and mutual purpose. Five years later, we are in a death spiral of increasing violence, increasing terrorism, and increasing civilian casualties. In the days immediately following September 11th, Iranians risked negative consequences by holding spontaneous candlelight vigils for those who had died in America. Five years later, Iran is in the crosshairs of America’s next war. In the days immediately following September 11th, the United States could have asked the world to do anything for us. The U.S. government has instead generated anger, fear, death, and profound grief. On the fifth anniversary of September 11th, 2001, we believe it is time for America to end the cycle of violence. It is time for the United States to become a positive force in world affairs.

The hope we felt from those who reached out to us—those who had, like us, been touched by terrorism, violence and war, continues to resonate. These people, who have been so deeply affected by loss, have a wisdom from which we continue to benefit. It is their wisdom, their strength, and their stories that have kept us going. And it is their wisdom, their strength, and their stories that we hope to share with people across the United States.

This year, we have brought to the U.S. 30 people from around the world who have been personally affected by terrorism, violence and war and have chosen to break the cycle of violence. All of us have chosen acts of peace rather than acts of violent revenge. Together, we will create an international network that will share ideas, initiatives and actions. This network will become one of many new efforts to do what the United States could have, and should have, done five years ago: join in common purpose with the rest of the world to end the scourge of civilian casualties—the lost children, broken families and futures that have always been the unacknowledged byproducts of violence and war.

As we did five years ago, and as we do today, we stand in solidarity with those ordinary people whose lives have been permanently transformed by violence. We pledge to continue that journey of transformation from pain to promise, from fear to fellowship. Martin Luther King, Jr. identified the choice as being chaos or community. Five years after September 11th, we have seen enough of chaos. It is time for each of us to create community with our counterparts from around the globe, and to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.

September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
www.peacefultomorrows.org