A National Call for Nonviolent Resistance

To the Continuing War in Iraq

“The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.” — Dr. Martin Luther King

The war in Iraq continues to escalate, with more and more killed every day. The human toll has been enormous, claiming over 1,300 American lives and more than 100,000 Iraqi lives, while wounding, maiming and psychologically scarring hundreds of thousands more. This is not a war of liberation, or against terrorism. This is a war of empire building and corporate profiteering that threatens to destabilize Iraq for many years to come, while sowing new seeds of hate against the U.S. and fueling the cycle of violence and revenge.

Chavez Takes Command of Venezuelan Territorial Army

Patrick O'Donoghue

Speaking to followers on February 4 at a march to
commemorate the February 4, 1992 failed coup attempt, Chavez
Frias claims that Venezuela history was divided into two on
that day in a before-after scenario.

"We are revolutionaries and not
coupsters ... and the revolution is
not complete," Chavez said.

Turning to the situation inside the FAN, the President
maintains that the military revolution seeks first of all to
strengthen the corps, secondly, the civil-military unity and
thirdly, the people's participation in national defense
through the territorial army.

The reason why he is taken over command of the reservists,
Chavez Frias says, is to take the weight off FAN components
since they have too much to do already, especially regarding
beefing up the country's integral defense.

"Hung Jury in Lynne Stewart Trial?"

Gail Appleson

NEW YORK, Feb 4 (Reuters) — The case of a U.S. defense lawyer charged with aiding terrorism is a troubling matter for a jury that may be split into supporters of U.S. President George W. Bush and those who think his anti-terrorism policies threaten civil rights.

So say some legal experts who believe the lengthy deliberations in the trial of Lynne Stewart indicate deep divisions among the 12 members of the Manhattan federal jury.

The panel, meeting just blocks from where the World Trade Center once stood, has deliberated for more than nine working days since Jan. 12.

Black American Actor, Entertainer Ossie Davis, 1917-2005

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Ossie Davis, the actor distinguished for roles dealing with racial injustice on stage, screen and in real life, has died, an aide said Friday. He was 87.

Davis, the husband and partner of actress Ruby Dee, was found dead Friday in his hotel room in Miami Beach, Fla., according to officials there. He was making a film called “Retirement,” said Arminda Thomas, who works in his office in suburban New Rochelle and confirmed the death.

School May Fire Professor for 9/11 Comment

Catherine Tsai, Associated Press

AURORA, Colo. — University of Colorado administrators Thursday took the
first steps toward a possible dismissal of a professor who likened World
Trade Center victims to a notorious Nazi.

Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano ordered a 30-day review of Ward
Churchill's speeches and writings to determine if the professor
overstepped his boundaries of academic freedom and whether that should
be grounds for dismissal.

Also Thursday, the Board of Regents issued an apology for Churchill's
remarks at a meeting and voted to support the university's review of
Churchill.

"Fantasies and Ultimatums: Turkey and the EU"
Ali Tonak

On December 17, 2004 Turkey's long-awaited dream took a critical turning point. After 41 years of tease, the European Union winked and offered a date for initiating membership negotiations. This relationship, and the Turkish ambition to join the European Union, dates back to September 1963 when the European Common Market, the pre-cursor to the European Union, and Turkey signed the Ankara Agreement. Since then, Turkey has witnessed three military coups (two proper ones in 1971 and 1980 and a "post-modern coup" in 1997), four devaluations of its extremely unstable currency and a 15 year civil war costing the Turkish Government more then $120 billion and claiming the lives of more then 30,000 people (mostly Kurds).

The news of the increased possibility that Turkey might join the EU made news around the world and raised predictable and mildly boring questions such as: is this the antithesis of "the clash of civilizations" or does this mean that Turkey will now recognize Cyprus? But what are the real issues involved in Turkey's entry into the EU that are being carefully tucked away?

Stephen Ellams, 1950-2005

Canadian Anarcho-Communist Editor, Writer, Thinker

It is with great sadness that we learned of the recent death of an
anarchist activist, writer & thinker, Stephen (Steve) Ellams. He died
suddenly from a heart attack in Toronto, age 54 on January 15, 2005.

Born in Liverpool, England, Steve's family moved to Toronto when he was a
teenager. His love of reading lead him to discover the world of anarchist
thought. Steve considered himself an anarcho-communist, and was one of the
founders & editors of the Toronto based journal for the Anarchist
Communist Federation (ACF), The North American Anarchist
(from the late
1970's to early 1980's). He wrote brilliant editorials under the pen name
Lazarus Jones, and agitated tirelessly for a unified North American
anarchist movement.

Anonymous Comrade writes:

For Andres Raya… And For All of Us

Social War

On January 9, 2005, outside a Ceres, CA liquor store, Andres Raya ambushed the police. Raya had earlier fired into the air, hid his assault rifle, and rushed into the store requesting police assistance. Raya shot and killed arriving Ceres police Sgt. Howard Stevenson, and seriously wounded officer Sam Ryno. Raya then fled. He died later following a cop stakeout and another confrontation, where he was shot eighteen times.

Raya was nineteen years old. He had spent seven months of 2004 as a Marine with the 1st Intelligence Battalion, assigned to Iraq. While there, Raya earned three medals and a ribbon for his service. Raya was on family leave in California, set to depart again for duty.

One account of Raya’s attack on the cops gives the gunman’s words to local residents as he ran from police: “Don’t worry, you’re a civilian. You won’t get hurt.”

Castro Calls Bush "Deranged"

Associated Press

HAVANA (AP)--Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Tuesday that
President George W. Bush appears "deranged," and that
Cubans would much rather live in the Caribbean island's
"heaven" than try and survive in Bush's corrupt, capitalist
"hell."

Castro also expressed little enthusiasm for renewed
diplomatic ties between Cuba and the European Union,
indicating displeasure that a decision to lift sanctions on
Cuba was temporary.

In comments aired live on state-run television, Castro told
thousands of teachers attending an international pedagogy
conference in Havana that he closely watched Bush's
inauguration speech Jan. 20 and saw "the face of a
deranged person."

"The Power to Resist"

Harith Al-Dhari, Al Ahram

[Harith Al-Dhari, head of the Muslim Scholars Association, spoke to Mohamed Al-Anwar of the Egyptian Al Ahram in Baghdad about the US attempts to court Iraq's Sunnis.]

Harith Al-Dhari comes across as a strong and imposing figure. Al-Dhari and his movement is one of the staunchest opponents of the fact that elections should be held while the country is labouring under the US-led occupation. The status of the Muslim Scholars Association rose to prominence in recent months when the movement championed a campaign to boycott the 30 January elections. Al-Ahram Weekly visited Al-Dhari at the association's headquarters in Um Al-Qura Mosque in western Baghdad.

There have been rumours that your recent meeting with the US ambassador to Iraq resulted in a secret agenda. Is this true? Who helped arrange this meeting and what was discussed and has another meeting been arranged?

Our meeting with members of the US diplomatic mission in Baghdad was the first such meeting to have taken place since the occupation. They had asked for the meeting and it was arranged through the intermediacy of the French Embassy. We agreed to meet because our door is always open to all diplomatic agencies that want to hear what we have to say, just as we want to hear what they have to say. The American delegation was headed by US Charge d'Affaires John Negroponte and consisted of several civil and military officials. Negroponte said that he had been instructed by his government to ask for this meeting. He then addressed two issues: security and the elections. On the first he said and I quote him "the Iraqi people have been deprived of security for 20 years and so they will remain until security is restored to the country. We believe that holding elections on time will help stabilise security and we hope that you participate in them because you are respected by your people and can influence others to take part in the elections as well."