From: Noam Chomsky
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
From: Noam Chomsky < chomsky@mit.edu >
Date: Dec 3, 2007 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: Letters to Mr. Chomsky
To: "hindol bhattacharjee (by way of Noam Chomsky )" < hindolbhattacharjee@gmail.com >

Thanks for sending the picture. I have received detailed reports about the situation in Nandigram from left activists, differing sharply in their rendition and interpretation of the facts. The statement that you saw has been grossly misinterpreted by segments of the Indian left. As those who responded know, but didn't say, the statement was issued after members of the opposition took a phrase from a letter of mine expressing concern but saying that I did not know enough to support them, and manipulating it into a statement of support. The statement that I and others signed was in part a reaction to this misrepresentation. It took no stand on CPI(M) except for expressing hopes for reconciliation. In fact it was very much in the spirit of the very harsh critique of the Independent Citizen's Team. Their first recommendation was:
Non-partisan, just and effective action on the part of the State is the most basic and critical factor for restoring peace in Nandigram. The government must strengthen administrative structures and ensure impartial and immediate action on the part of the administration to instill confidence in the people and normalize the situation in Nandigram. Conditions must be created for people to renew their daily social and economic activities without fear and apprehension of reprisal
That is not an appeal to a fascist party, and I don't agree that Prabhat Patnaik, V.K. Ramachandran, Jayati Ghosh and others are fascists.
----- Original Message -----
From: hindol bhattacharjee (by way of Noam Chomsky )
To: Noam Chomsky
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 10:43 AM
Subject: Letters to Mr. Chomsky

Dear Sir,

In connection with the fact that i came to know you are thinking about the grim events of Nandigram, i have sent you these letters and photographs of nandigram. Now i came to know that you are going to change your stand point aabout the Left front government of West bengal. I am deeply worried. CPM here is fascist party.

I would like to know your opinion about civil society movement.

Hindol Bhattacharjee

9830751535
Content-Type: application/msword;
name="It is a political fight without any kind of monolithic structure of any kind of political philosophy.doc"
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpiipl2
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="It is a political fight without any kind of monolithic structure of any kind of political philosophy.doc"
Content-Type: application/msword;
name="It is not the way and if anybody blames the movement then it would be a fatal thing and not a reality.doc"
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpijjke
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="It is not the way and if anybody blames the movement then it would be a fatal thing and not a reality.doc"
Content-Type: image/jpeg; name=nandigram.jpg
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpijuvd
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename= nandigram.jpg
Content-Type: image/jpeg; name=nandigram2.jpg
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpikglv
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=nandigram2.jpg
Content-Type: application/msword; name=Fascism.doc
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpikpnm
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=Fascism.doc
Content-Type: image/jpeg; name=nandigram3.jpg
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpil6v4
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=nandigram3.jpg
Content-Type: application/zip; name= fwdglimpseofnandigram.zip
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpilkno
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=fwdglimpseofnandigram.zip
Content-Type: application/msword; name=problems.doc
X-Attachment-Id: f_bxpilrww
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename=problems.doc

Below. I will have to skip (A) all questions having to do with tactics that should be adopted by the Civil Society movement or the prospects for the movement. These topics can only be discussed on the basis of intimate knowledge of circumstances. I

Gaza must live!?
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Romi Elnagar wrote: To: Romi Elnagar
From: Romi Elnagar
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 12:02:11 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [IHRO] Appeal from Gaza
APPEAL FROM MINISTRY OF HEALTH - GAZA.
As Christmas approaches, the land of Christ's birth - where, for believers, he walked, preached, encouraged his followers to be 'fishers of men', for goodness and justice and where he died at the hands of the greedy and corrupt - is under siege. The residents of Gaza are being collectively punished for supporting a democratically elected government (a process so beloved by the freedom-and- democrocy- spreaders- by-slaughter in Washington and Whitehall, but clearly the wrong kind of democrocy.They did not elect a corrupt quisling puppet.)
The greedy and corrupt have been exiling and silently crucifying the Palestinian people for sixty years, in defiance of over forty UN resolutions. Aided, abbeted, armed with allegedly illegal weapons and weapons of mass destruction, by the bigest bully on the global block: the 'land of the free'.
Whilst people are jailed for holocaust denial, as the West witch hunts the very old under the banner of hunting Nazi war criminals, this silent sixty year holocaust, displacement, ghettoisation, home demolishing, infanticide, child killing, arrest without trial, disappearances, the dying of the sick at road blocks, the theft and erosion of ancient lands, olives and citrus groves, themdestruction of education, civil society continues unabated as the world watches on. Palestinians and Christians alike are spat at by those from illegal settlements - and spat out by an international community which stands by as all that is essential to life support for sick and civlian alike, is denied.
The ' only democratic country in the Middle East', flouting international law with impunity, stealing and squatting on the lands of others, is getting away with mass murder aided by its 'Christian' partners in crime on Capitol Hill and in Whitehall. Not even the fox is in charge of the henhouse - that would be a positive improvement.
As these 'Christians' , go the church at Christmas and sing 'Away in a manger ..' and 'Oh little town of Bethlehem ..' will they reflect that the 'little town' and Manger Square' is walled off, and as most of Palestine, ghettoised, families divided, tenderly tended agricutural lands, sustenance of generations of families, destroyed or unreachable? The olive leaves and olive branches, that potent, biblical symbol of peace and the receding of the great flood, lie broken,smashed, bulldozed, trampled.
A metaphor for successive Israeli government's morals. An eminent physician once told me that a handful of olives a day have every nutrient needed to sustain a life. Like Palestinian lives, they are trampled and meaningless to the occupiers, the modern day equivalent of the evil and corruption of the money lenders in the Temple, whose tables Christ overturned. Reflect what less than five years of American/Israeli occupation (oh yes it is) has done to Iraq. Consider what sixty years have done to Palestine.
Give your biggest present to the people of Gaza this Christmas, remember them in your prayers, but praying is not enough. Organise, protest, marshall the media, contact your representatives and make your only New Year resolution to never rest until this illegal occupation and overt and covert carnage in the Holy Land ceases.
The details of where all can start, tangibly and right now, are below:
Appeal - Appeal - Appeal
We have a very series shortage of diesel in the ministry of Health
the majority of the 11 hospitals of MOH do suffer from a shortage of fuel, the same is for the 52 primary health care clinics and vehicles.
I am not speaking now about the consequences but they are catastrophic and include the transportation defect which will not enable the employees of the Ministry to go to their hospitals.
Please. We urge you to help us by applying any sort of pressure that could let the Israelis change their mind about this fatal action that would threaten the lives of thousands of civilians in the already under siege Gaza.
Dr Medhat Abbas
General Director of
Crisis Management Unit
Ministry of Health, Gaza.
Contact: mabbas@gov.ps

Gaza must live!?
From: aik_info-bounces@listi.jpberlin.de on behalf of Newsletter of the Anti-imperialist Camp (aik_info@listi.jpberlin.de)
You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as unsafe
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2007 12:14:23 PM
Reply-to: camp@antiimperialista.org
To: aik_info@listi.jpberlin.de
1) Appeal to end a genocidal embargo2) Sign the appeal3) Solidarity delegation to Gaza * 1) Gaza must live!Italian Appeal to end a genocidal embargo We call upon the Prodi government to demand: End the embargo against Gaza and the policy according to which the one who supports Fata eats while who remains with Hamas dies; Promote in all international institutions immediate humanitarian supplies to the population and an end to the military siege; Annul the decision of the Berlusconi government to consider Hamas a terrorist organisation and recognise it as an integral part of the Palestinian people; Cancel the military co-operation treaty with Israel signed by the previous government. View appeal:www.antiimperialista.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5417&Itemid=55 * 2) SignTo view the signatories go to www.gazavive.com and click "adesioni".To sign send a message to info@gazavive.com *** 3) Italian delegation to visit GazaCampaign to break the embargo The initiative

Assam is on the boil :Why did Assam tea labourers fight for ST status?
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Mr. Bakshi is right in saying about liberty of speech!
But that doesn't apply to a statement! That too from a, so called, responsible organization like BH..... whatever it is!
Barbarism need to be strongly dealt with!!!
But that doesn't give an organization the right to cook up anything it fancies and make some ludicrous statements!!!
Mr. Laskar's reply was not an apology,
it was just a mockery of the mails flowing because of the statement!
Anyway, may the good God show him the right path ...someday...!
Regards,
Pranjal
--- In assamonline@yahoogroups.com, Tajul Bakshi wrote:
Shantikam Hazarika
You have no right to attack someone like this. Everyone is free to express views and opinion. Mr. Walliullah has already apologized for his mistakes in his statement even though it is deliberate. Even therefater, no meaning to throw mud on each other.
One should be given chance to learn from the mistakes.
Taj Bakshi
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3932
Dear Sri Bakshiji,
i feel Mr. Hazarika has every right to oppose the statement made by Mr. Waliullah. After all, the statement was simply biased.
this is assamonline and is meant for Assam's people, including other indians having concern for Assam. not for Anti-Assam peoples.
Dear Group Members,
Lets ignore the messages which we feel are Anti-Assam!
Regards.
-Kuladip Baro
Tajul Bakshi wrote:
Shantikam Hazarika
You have no right to attack someone like this. Everyone is free to express views and opinion. Mr. Walliullah has already apologized for his mistakes in his statement even though it is deliberate. Even therefater, no meaning to throw mud on each other.
One should be given chance to learn from the mistakes.
Taj Bakshi
Shantikam Hazarika wrote:
Walliullah:
You still owe the statement, except for a single sentence. Even in the sentence, it was obviously a deliberate mistake on your part. Afterall, what is your agenda? Are you amongst those who are feeling very uncomfortable that of late there has been a great deal of camaraderie between Barak Valley and Brahmaputra Valley which makes some people feel very uncomfortable because there is no fire to stoke? I question the whole content of the, the intent behind the and the whole purpose of the statement.
BTW Have you penned any statement about the violations in Malaysia?
I do not crave for respect from people like you. And I AM NOT DISSENTING. I am calling you a liar, a mischief monger and someone with a hidden agenda who has his knife out for action.
Shantikam Hazarika
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3929
----- Original Message -----
From: "Waliulllah Ahmed Laskar"
To:
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 6:06 PM
Subject: [asom] Corrigendum to the Statement of BHRPC regarding Clash in
Guwahti
Dear,
This is not my statement. It is the statement of an organisation
which is drafted by me. And the mistake was made by be in
construction of a sentence is regretted. You may not be agree with
the statement. But we respect your view to. After all everybody has
the right to dissent.
Thanks
Yours
Wali Laskar
----- Original Message ----
From: Shantikam Hazarika
To: assamonline@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, December 1, 2007 8:19:54 AM
Subject: [asom] Corrigendum to the Statement of BHRPC regarding Clash in
Guwahti
Waliullah:
It was NOT only single phrase that was offensive. The whole statement was offensive.
Inshallah, wisdom will one day dawn on you and you will realise the folly of your mischievious intents.
Shantikam Hazarika
----- Original Message -----
From: Waliulllah Ahmed Laskar
To: assamonline@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 7:41 PM
Subject: [asom] Corrigendum to the Statement of BHRPC regarding Clash in
Guwahti
Dear Group Members,
The Statement posted by me in this group regarding Violence in
Guwahati street on 24th November, 2007 on behalf of the Barak Human
Rights Protection Committee, in the capacity of Special
Representative of the organisation to the city, contained a sentence
to which our many friends in the group raised onjections. The
sentence was as follows:
"These speak a volume of the attitude of Assamese people towards the
tribals which also can explain the barbarity committed against the
Adibasis."
Here a mistake has been committed by me inadvertently in the
construction of the sentence. The sentence rather should be as
follows:
"These speak a volume of the attitude of some of the Assamese people
towards the tribals which also can explain the barbarity committed
against the Adibasis."
I sincerely regret this mistake and apologize to all the persons who
have gone through this statement.
Yours
With Sincere Regret
Waliullah Ahmed Laskar
Special Representative to Guwahati
Barak Human Rights Protection Committee,
15, Darandha, Panjabari Road, Guwahati-781037.
Re: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3894
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3879
--- "Waliulllah Ahmed Laskar" wrote:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/assamonline/message/3925

*TODAY'S EDITORIAL: The Violence Within
*3 Dec 2007, 0201 hrs IST
Assam is on the boil. A protest called by the All Adivasi Students'
Association of Assam in Guwahati last week turned violent with the police
and the local population thrashing the protestors. A woman was stripped
naked and assaulted. Bandhs called to protest the act led to further
violence. Assam has been on this path before and the scars of that violent
past have still to heal. The crumbling tea economy threatens to push workers
in plantations, many of them descendants of indentured labour brought by
British planters to the state from Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Bengal, into
penury. Their lot has not changed much since the days of colonial rule.
These people are also excluded from the mainstream of Assamese society.
Ethnic and tribal divisions run deep in Assam and the tension regularly
leads to massive social violence. Politicians, in Assam and those visiting
from states like Jharkhand, should not exaggerate the divisions. That may be
wishful thinking.
However, do we really want an inclusive society? If yes, why do dominant
sections of the society resort to excessive violence when marginalised
people voice their concerns? Assam is representative of the Indian nation.
The Guwahati incident could have happened anywhere in this country. Even
mild attempts to press genuine social and political demands often lead to a
violent encounter with the state and the society. The people at the
receiving end could be tribals, Dalits or other minorities.
The latent violence in us manifests itself through the coercive policies of
the state or as shows of strength on the streets.
The structural violence in the state manifests even in the development
agenda. India's experience of development since independence is a story of
controlled violence by the state against tribal people, peasants and others.
Resistance to such a pattern of development has also, in many instances,
taken a violent path. In states like Chhattisgarh, the state government,
instead of facilitating democratic politics, has taken the initiative to
form private militias. The Salwa Judum, promoted as a people's movement to
counter Maoists, has spawned a civil war.
Our search for a modern nationhood has fomented immense violence, within us
and outside us. It manifests itself in various forms as varied as
wife-beating and road rage. The victim could be a tribal seeking better
living conditions or a peasant fighting off land sharks. The response from
the social mainstream to such demands is most often a violent reprisal. Six
decades after independence, we have failed to imbibe an essential character
of democracy: the primacy of dialogue over other forms of engagement.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2590389,prtpage-1.cms
Courtesy: South Asia Terrorism Portal
As found on 04 Dec 2007 at
satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/terrorist_outfits/AANLA.HTM



*All Adivasi National Liberation Army *
*Formation and Objectives*

*The All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) was formed in the second
half of 2006. *

*The AANLA claims to be fighting to safeguard the tribal culture of the
plantation workers whose ancestors were brought from northern India by
British colonialists. The outfit demands Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the
Adivasi community and rehabilitation of the displaced members of its
community. Official sources, however, indicate that AANLA is not a
well-organised group and it does not have well-thought out aims and
objectives. *

*Area of Operation*

*The Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam are the primary area of
operation for the outfit. Few arrests of the AANLA cadres have also been
reported from the western Assam district of Kokrajhar and the Dimapur city
of Nagaland. *

*Leadership*

*Nirmal Tarki is reported to be the head of the AANLA. The outfit has an
estimated cadre strength of 100. The armed cadres of the outfit, however,
are not believed to be more than 20. Weapons available with the outfit
include AK series Rifles, carbines, pistols, SLRs etc.*

*Funding*

*The outfit primarily targets the tea gardens of the Golaghat and Karbi
Anglong districts for extortion. It abducts estate managers in the event of
non-payment of its demand. The outfit reportedly shares a portion of the
extorted amount with the ULFA and the NSCN-IM.*

*Linkages*

*Police sources have indicated that the United Liberation Front of Asom
(ULFA) played a significant role in its formation. The National Socialist
Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), too, shares strategic linkages
with the outfit. *

*The AANLA also has operational linkages with the Manipur-based Kuki
Revolutionary Army (KRA). The KRA has provided training and logistic support
to the AANLA. KRA's training camp at Singhasan in the Karbi Anglong district
has reportedly been used for training the AANLA militants. KRA reportedly
charges INR 5000 per month per head to train AANLA cadres. It also sells
arms and ammunition to the AANLA.*

*Incidents*

*2007*

*September 14: Two AANLA militants were killed by police in an encounter at
Males basti under Howraghat police station in the Karbi Anglong district
where they had come to extort money from a businessman. One 9mm pistol and
six rounds live ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.*

*August 22: An AANLA cadre, identified as Soha Baski, was arrested from the
Gossaigaon area of Kokrajhar district. One revolver, three Chinese grenades,
four detonators and two IED circuits were recovered from his possession. *

*August 9: An abducted tea executive was set free by suspected AANLA
militants. Anniruddha Tanti, the abducted tea executive, from Hirajuli Tea
Estate under Dhekiajuli Police Station in Sonitpur district was found near a
roadside eatery at Udalguri town in the neighbouring Udalguri district of
northern Assam.*

*August 7: One woman was shot dead by AANLA militants at Jafarajan Chariali
under Bokajan police station in the Karbi Anglong district.*

*July 23: One unidentified AANLA cadre was killed in an encounter with the
police near Neparpatty Ghat under Sarupathar police station in the Golaghat
district. One AK Rifle along with one magazine, eight rounds of live
ammunition was recovered from him.*

*July 9: Police arrested four suspected AANLA cadres, Ajit Toppo alias Boga,
Asao Bardhia, Linus Milj and Ganesh Rama, along with one Italian made 9-mm
pistol and 10 rounds of ammunition from Bimalapur under Borhat police
station in the Sivasagar district. *

*July 3: Six AANLA militants, including a woman, were arrested from
Silanijan in the Golaghat district. They were reportedly on their way from
Jaborijan, under Bokajan police station in neighbouring Karbi Anglong
district, to Golaghat town for the treatment of two cadres who were
suffering from malaria. *

*March 4: Two AANLA cadres were killed in an encounter with the police at
Nalanipathar under Sarupathar police station in the Golaghat district while
two others were arrested. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from the arrested
militants.*

*2006*

*October 5: Police at Dimapur in Nagaland neutralised two militant hideouts
and arrested one AANLA militant and four KRA cadres from different areas.*




*Adivasi Cobra Force (ACF) *
*Formation*

*Adivasi Cobra Force (ACF), also known as the Adivasi Cobra Militant Force
(ACMF) was formed in the second half of the 1990s *

*Objectives*

*The ACF was formed with the purported objective of protecting the Adivasi
(tribal) people of Lower Assam through an armed revolution. *

*Leadership and Area of Operation*

*Its commander Durga Minz leads the outfit. The other senior members are
Xabrias Khakha and Kandu Murmu. The outfit has an estimated strength of 100
terrorists. *

*Initially formed in the Kokrajhar district, it subsequently widened its
activities to the Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts. Since then, it has
indulged in sporadic acts of killing and extortion in the area primarily
targeting the tea gardens in the three districts. *

*Linkages and Activities*

*Even though the outfit is in its nascent stage, a recruitment drive is
currently on to expand its strength. According to media reports, in the
month of May and June 2001, the outfit managed to extort a huge ransom
amount from the people in the Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts to
continue its training programme in Bhutan. The ACF is reported to maintain
links with the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, a terrorist outfit based
in certain districts of Assam and North Bengal. KLO has also reportedly
assisted the ACF in setting up camps along the Bhutanese border. According
to intelligence sources, it has also been trying to establish links with a
particular militant group in Bihar to procure arms and ammunition.
Furthermore, the outfit maintains few camps in the Kokrajhar district of
Assam. In the year 2000, security forces destroyed a camp belonging to the
outfit along the border of Kokrajhar district. *

*On September 19, the ACF declared a unilateral cease-fire till January 2002
and urged the government to initiate a dialogue with it. Subsequently, on
October 4, 2001, an ACF delegation met the Chief Minister in Guwahati. Since
then, there has been no further dialogue with the outfit. Media reports,
however, suggest that the outfit has resumed its terrorist activities. *
*--
Jharkhand Forum
A Global Network of Jharkhand
E-mail: forum@jharkhand.org.in
**Web: http://forum.jharkhand.org.in*

[ =>> Jharkhand <<= ] I am a Jharkhandi and I am proud to be Jharkhandi. Inbox

Jharkhand Forum *Right from my childhood, i have been frequently been irritated by a few ques...
Dec 3 (3 days ago)

WILLIAM KISKU --- Jharkhand Forum wrote: > *Right from my childhoo...
Dec 3 (2 days ago)
WILLIAM KISKU to Jharkhand
show details Dec 4 (2 days ago)
Images are not displayed.
Display images below - Always display images from wk2002@btopenworld.com
Like the rest of the adivasis following the news of
the rampage ,carnage and animalistic behaviour of
those who stripped a helpless adivasi woman in Assam I
am equally shocked and have no printable expressions
to respond to express my empathy. I am also proud of
Mr Bhagiram who had the guts to stand up and protect
the dignity of the poor woman. ( May his tribe
increase.) As usual lots of facts wil be not just
supressed but twisted to suit the bloody local and
national politicians.
Not being there I can't take any side, except to blame
the authorities, the CM the police and whoever could
have prevented the black incident. Hope this is just
one off incident and a history and will not spread to
surrounding states in times to come. I hope adivasis
will take it as a challenge and rise to the occasion
to prove that we are above the so called higher caste
people in real life situation and one day ( in a
billion years) there will not exist STs/SCs and OBC.
Going through the literature the adivasis have been
immigrating not just to neigboring states but
internationally.Good or bad for propogation of pure
genes there is now abundance of inter-marriages due to
socialistic migrations. Hence my theory that in a
million years from now the human beings would have
evolved to a stage where there will be any pure races.
Meanwhile the adivasis need all the help and support
statewise and nationally. If the Government does not
promulgate laws and amends constitution with regards
to SC/ST recognition in other states other than where
one is born... indirectly the Government is against
people moving around the country and preventing
national integration.
Having said that is there actually a total unity
amongst different tribes amongst tribals ie between
santhals and mundas, between mundas and oraon etc????
Isn't there some mistaken belief that some tribes are
superior to others and that some 'titles' within the
tribe better than other 'titles'?
From my point of view we are INDIANs FIRST..... THEN
only BIHARIS OR BENGALIS...... HINDUS OR MUSLIMS.
If national integration has not been introduced in
the school curricullum yet it is high time some one
got this sorted.
Jai Bharat.
William Kisku
United Kingdom
--- Jharkhand Forum wrote:
> *Right from my childhood, i have been frequently
> been irritated by a few
> questions of a similar kind asked by others, that is
> -'From where do you
> belong in India?? What's your caste?? Being a
> Mishra, how come your parents
> are Bengali?? If your parents are Bengali,obviously
> you are one too?? You
> don't speak like a Bengali, neither can you be
> called a Bihari??'and the
> biggest one-"MISHRA,doesnt seem to be a bengali
> title?"*
> *
> Too many questions...and too limited patience for me
> to answer them.Let me
> tell you this that these have been asked by almost
> everybody-my
> teachers,friends,etc. I just give them a smile, and
> tell them that even I am
> not too sure myself to satisfy their doubts.(cant
> just bluntly tell them to
> mind their own business)
>
> Right from my childhood, I have never been a very
> social person, although I
> like being with my friends always. Never having
> mixed with the world too
> much, I never asked certain questions to my parents
> ,answers to which even
> Indian kids know. Foremost question-'Who am I?'
> Sounds like some stupid
> spiderman stuff but in our country, this question
> assumes a lot of
> significance. Answer to this question describes your
> identity.i.e. your
> caste,your ancestral background,and by what you will
> call yourself-a
> Bihari,Marathi,Bengali...Because,to be frank, nobody
> calls themselves as an
> Indian, unless and until they have watched a
> patriotic movie that
> day.Youare ,what you describe yourself as, and you
> are instantly
> assigned to a
> community in the mind of the opposite person.
>
> Coming back on track,i would say that my parents
> were of the kind who
> believed that their children need not attach much
> importance to their
> caste,ancestors and such stupid stuff. They just
> believed that I should be
> mindful of my own business and do it. All this was
> dissatisfying at the time
> when i was constantly badgered with such questions.
>
> My parents can be called as Bengali as anybody else
> as they were born and
> brought up there. But the absurdity of my situation
> threw me in a tight
> spot. For my relatives and close ones,I was a
> Bengali , but being born and
> brought up in Bokaro steel City,Jharkhand, i had the
> usual local Hindi
> accent,and didn't have that strange characteristic
> Bengali accent . Thus, my
> Bengali also suffered.Thus, till date i try
> valiantly to hide my Bengali
> parental roots from any outsider in case i am dubbed
> as the same. Being born
> and brought up in Jharkhand,I have the
> characteristic of the usual guy you
> will find there. That place is in my blood. I am
> fiercely in love with that
> place..its calmness,its poetic landscape...the fresh
> scent of earth after
> the rains there is the best aroma that i know and
> long to breathe always....
>
> In short,please dont call me a Bengali.....my
> parents are
> Bengali....Personally, i have a distinctive dislike
> towards
> maccher-jhol-bhaat and rasogullas. Don't ask me my
> caste:I don't consider
> myself as a Brahmin-i love chicken and I am an
> agnostic. The only attachment
> that i have with the bengali community is that
> language with which i
> interact with the most important persons in my
> life.I am a Jharkhandi, a
> Steel City guy, and am proud to be one.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Saurav Mishra
>
> nitk.saurav@gmail.com *
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
William Kisku

United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) - Terrorist Group of Assam
Formation
United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was formed on April 7, 1979 by Bhimakanta Buragohain, Rajiv Rajkonwar alias Arabinda Rajkhowa, Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia, Samiran Gogoi alias Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Paresh Baruah at the Rang Ghar in Sibsagar to establish a "sovereign socialist Assam" through an armed struggle.
Leadership
Arabinda Rajkhowa is the

Sharif and Bhutto issue ultimatum
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Sharif and Bhutto issue ultimatum
Global
By Agencies

Bhutto, left, and Sharif are both former PMs who went into exile and were one-time rivals [AFP]
Two former Pakistani prime ministers say they want a list of demands met by the government or they will boycott January's polls.
Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, who met for the first time on Monday since returning from exile, said they would jointly finalise the list within days.

A boycott could further harm the credibility of the polls.

Sharif was earlier in the day banned by the Electoral Commission from taking part in the polls.

"If these demands are not met then we will go ahead with a boycott of the elections," he told a joint press conference with Bhutto after a three-hour meeting between the one-time rivals in Islamabad.

Partnership of rivals

"The committee will meet from tomorrow and we hope to finalise the charter of demands in the next two to three days," he added.
"In the present circumstances, free, fair and transparent elections seem impossible."

Bhutto said the charter of demands was a "major confidence-building step" between the two opposition leaders after days of contemplating whether to boycott the polls.
Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device
"We had a consensus during today's meeting that the election announced by the government will not be free and fair," she said.

However, both were vague on what conditions they could agree on.

“We reserve the right to boycott the elections at a later stage," Bhutto said.

Sharif had previously called for an outright boycott of the elections saying they will be rigged while Bhutto has said that her party would take part "under protest".

The opposition leaders gave no indication of how much time they would give the authorities to comply with their ultimatum.

Bhutto, of the Pakistan People's party (PPP) and Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League, have criticised Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan for imposing a state of emergency on November 3.

Musharraf has pledged to end the emergency on December 16.

Sharif banned

Earlier on Monday, elections authorities rejected Sharif’s nomination papers for the January 8 elections.

Sharif said he was not discouraged when electoral officials banned his candidacy on the grounds that he was convicted of criminal charges in the wake of Musharraf’s coup in 1999.

"The rejection of my nomination papers has not shaken my determination. It is democracy versus dictatorship," he said.

Sharif's Lawless Deportation | Print | E-mail
Op_ed
By Liaquat Ali Khan
Translation

Sharif's Lawless Deportation
Liaquat Ali Khan
On August 10, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who had come from London to campaign for the restoration of democracy was rudely deported to Saudi Arabia within hours of his arrival at the Islamabad airport.
The deportation decision came from General Pervez Musharraf, who had ousted the Sharif government in the 1999 successful military coup. At the time of the coup, Sharif was unpopular for a variety of reasons, including Sharif's distaste for any checks on powers of the parliament and his exuberance for unregulated markets. Sharif was charged with crimes of corruption.
The exile agreement and Sharif's deportation raise serious plea bargaining and constitutional questions. These questions also put in doubt the US commitment to democracy in the Muslim world.
Plea Bargain Questions
In defending Sharif's deportation, the Musharraf government argues that Sharif has breached the terms of his contractual exile and "that, from now onwards, no friendly state or individual would ever believe any verbal or written agreement of Nawaz Sharif." A day before Sharif's arrival in Pakistan, the Saudi intelligence chief met with Musharraf for more than two hours. The intelligence chief later announced in an open press conference that Sharif was bound under the exile agreement not to return to Pakistan before 2010.
The contractual arguments made to defend Sharif's deportation are part secular and part Islamic. The secular argument emphasizes the logic of plea bargain-- a type of contract that the defendant makes with the government to avoid prosecution of criminal charges. Instead of spending years in prison upon conviction, the argument goes, Sharif bargained to be exiled to Jeddah, where the Sharif family operates extensive business and maintains a lavish mansion known as Sharif Palace. This secular argument draws support from Islamic norms under which Muslims are obligated to faithfully perform agreements.
Upon scrutiny, however, these contract-based arguments are far from persuasive. Unlike the United States, where plea bargaining is the primary method for the disposal of criminal cases, Pakistan does not subscribe to plea bargaining as a lawful method for determining guilt and meting out punishments. Sharif's plea bargaining was contrary to the laws of Pakistan and its enforcement is tantamount to punishing unproven guilt procured under pressure. Furthermore, Sharif's plea bargaining was conducted without legal safeguards and judicial supervision considered indispensable in plea bargain cases.
"Unlike the European Union, which has asked Musharraf to respect the Supreme Court Order, the Bush administration has dodged the issue. The Bush administration argues that the Sharif deportation is Pakistan's internal matter."
The Islamic argument for the enforcement of the exile agreement is even more problematic. The Quran does mandate the performance of contracts; and, exiling is a lawful punishment. Under Islamic law, however, agreements must be voluntary and transparent. Agreements obtained through coercion are invalid. A marriage contract, for example, is invalid if spousal consent is not freely given. Even a commercial bargain is set aside if made under confusing and less than transparent circumstances.
Sharif's exile agreement was neither voluntary nor transparent. General Musharraf coerced Sharif to leave the country so that his military rule would face no popular resistance. It is unclear whether the exile agreement was ever reduced to writing. There is no evidence that Sharif signed the exile agreement. The circumstances surrounding the agreement are muddled, not transparent. Under Islamic law, therefore, the exile agreement will be considered dubious and unenforceable.
Constitutional Questions
Notwithstanding the exile agreement, the Pakistan Supreme Court in a constitutional petition decided that Sharif has the constitutional right to return to Pakistan. In its short but concise order, the Supreme Court relied on Article 15 of the Constitution to declare that Sharif as a citizen of Pakistan has "an inalienable right to enter and remain in country" and that his constitutional right to return "shall not be restrained, hampered, or obstructed by the Federal or Provincial government agencies, in any manner." Rightfully assuming that the Court has overridden the exile agreement, Sharif returned to Pakistan.
The Musharraf government has complied with only one part of the Supreme Court Order. It let Sharif enter the country but refused to let him stay. The Supreme Court Order recognizes two distinct rights protected under Article 15 of the Constitution. The first right empowers the citizen to return to Pakistan. The second right confers on the citizen the option to remain in Pakistan. Under Article 15, the citizen's freedom of movement may be restricted by law in the public interest. However, the Article imposes no restrictions whatever on the right to remain in Pakistan. Hence Sharif enjoys an unquali
American Response
For most Pakistanis, the US response to Sharif's deportation is disappointing. Unlike the European Union, which has asked Musharraf to respect the Supreme Court Order, the Bush administration has dodged the issue. The Bush administration argues that the Sharif deportation is Pakistan's internal matter. This non-interventionist argument, in addition to sounding hypocritical, lends.
Professor Ali Khan, a contibuting editorof MWC News, is a professor of law at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. He may be contacted at ali.khan@washburn.edu
http://mwcnews.net/ali-khan

A Tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
From:
Vidya Bhushan Rawat | Add to Address Book | This is spam

To:

Subject: A Tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar

Date: Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:38:42 IST

Note: To help protect your privacy, images from this message have been blocked.View images | What is this?

Ambedkar as a Human Rights Defender
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat
Universal Declaration of Human Rights signed on December 10th, 1948 and a majority of nations including the so-called imperial power, newly independent states, every one, agreed to certain principals of human life which would be guiding principals for the 20 th century. But to say that human rights and struggle for human rights came into effect after Universal Declaration of Human Rights were signed, would be a negation of historical struggle for social reform and human rights right from Buddha to Thomas Paine to Jyoti Ba Phule, to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar. The struggle for human dignity and human rights are as old as the exploitation of human beings who some of ancient people termed as 'lesser fortunate'. That clearly reflected a mindset, which justified everything in the name of religion, and customs hence exploited communities were termed as 'unfortunate'.
Ambedkar was not only the son of a down trodden but a son of modernity and globlisation. I mean, had he not been educated at Columbia and then in the London School of Economics, he might have accepted the same 'term' of being 'lesser fortunate' or being 'unfortunate'. Yet, education in United States and England showed him what exactly freedom was as he could mix with students of other countries and races. The feeling of humanness that he developed after facing torturous days of humiliation in India. came only after his stay in Europe and America. He did not confined to Indian social system but broaden his philosophy and ideas. Therefore Ambedkar is child of internationalism where scholarship is respected and acknowledged. While there is no need for me to explain Ambedkar's understanding of human rights and international law.
Having faced the discrimination on the basis of his birth and understanding fully well that varna system of caste is not merely the issue untouchability but much beyond that Ambedkar clearly suggested that if Hindu Society has to improve it must be formed on the basis of equality, fraternity and liberty.
It is the greatness of the man and quintessentially humanist attitude that Ambedkar wanted not only challenge the Vedas and other holy texts but also change them according to modernity. It is here that he was thoroughly disgusted with Gandhi who mentioned that any one who does not believe in Shastras can not be a Hindu and that Shastras can not be changed. For Ambedkar human dignity and humanity was much bigger issue than any religion.
' We do not value Hinduism, we value human dignity.' [Gore 1993: 97]. We want equal rights in the society. We will achieve them as far as possible while remaining within the Hindu fold or if necessary by kicking away this worthless Hindu identity.'[Ibid . 91] (Debrahmanising history pg.357
Ambedkar was a proponent of modernity and human right. Unlike Gandhi, he was a man of reason and good senses who was not prepared to submit to a tradition that defy human dignity and self respect. When Gandhi ask the Scavenger community to continue with their profession since it was based on their caste and that they would be serving it according to tradition, Ambedkar decried Gandhi.
"
If Gandhiism preached the rule of poverty for all and not merely for the shudra, the worst that could be said about it is that it is a mistaken idea. But why preach it as good for one class only? Why appeal to the worst of human failings, namely pride and vanity in order to make him voluntarily accept what on a rational basis he would resent as a cruel discrimination against him. What is the use of telling the scavenger that even a Brahmin is prepared to do the scavenging when it is clear that according to the Hindu Shastras and Hindu notions, even if a Brahmin did scavenging, he would never be subject to the disabilities of one who is born a scavenger? For, in India, a man is not a scavenger because of his work. He is a scavenger because of his birth, irrespective of the question whether he does scavenging or not. If Gandhisim preached that scavenging is a noble
Profession, with the objective of inducing those who refuse to engage in it, one could understand it. But why appeal to scavengers pride and vanity in order to induce him and him only to keep on to scavenging by telling him that scavenging is a noble profession and that he need not be ashamed of it. To preach that poverty is good for Shudra and for none else, to preach that scavenging is good for the untouchables and for none else and to make them accept these onerous impositions as voluntary proposes of life, by appeal to their failings is an outrage and a cruel joke on the helpless classes which none but Mr Gandhi can perpetrate with equanimity and impunity.
(BAWS-9-292-3)
Then came the historical occasion for Ambedkar to enter into a debate on the issue of caste and Varna with Gandhi on his writings in ' Harijan'. Gandhi as usual considered himself an expert on every subject, from theology to spirituality. Unfortunately, his ridiculous religious beliefs that any one who did not believe in Varna or caste cannot be a true Hindu were stronger enough to compel Ambedkar think for alternative to Hinduism. None of the Gandhian questioned his fanciful ideas. In fact some of them went on to support Gandhi and chided others. Indian media is full of such jokers who have nothing to do with Gandhi and yet they are ready to exploit Gandhi and his upper caste Indian dream. Gandhi's retrogressive views on caste were well exposed in his debate on the issue with Ambedkar.
"If caste and Varna are convertible (interchangeable) terms and if Varna is an integral part of shastras which define Hinduism. I do not know how a person who rejects caste i.e. Varna, can call himself a Hindu". 59. (Annihilation of caste by Dr B.R. Ambedkar)
For Ambedkar such orthodox views by a leader who considered him not only awaking the political people of India but soul of India, came as a shock. His famous remark followed this: " Though I am born as a Hindu, I shall not die as a Hindu'. Ambedkar therefore considered emancipation of Dalits as more important to freedom of India, which he felt was a mere transfer of power to the upper caste Hindus which could be detrimental to the interest of Dalits in India.
Rights of Women
Ambedkar was a great votary of women's emancipation. He believed that the Varna system has not only subjugated Untouchables but also women.
It would however be a mistake to suppose that only the wrongs of men are a religion to him. For the Brahmin has given his support to the worst wrongs that women have suffered from in any part of the world. Widows were burnt alive as suttees. Widows were never allowed to remarry. The record of Brahmins as law givers for the Shudras, for the untouchables and for the women is blackest as compared with the record of the intellectual classes in other parts of the world. For, no intellectual class has prostituted its intelligence to invent a philosophy to keep his uneducated countrymen in a perpetual state of ignorance and poverty as the Brahmins have done in India.
(Baba Saheb Ambedkar's Writings and Speeches: Volume-9 page 215-216
There can be no doubt that there has been an utter down fall in position of women in India from what it was once was. One cannot say much about the part they played in ancient time in the state craft. But there is no doubt they did occupy a very high position in the intellectual and social life of the country.
He questioned Manu and Manu Smriti and felt it was solely responsible for the down and fall of Hindu woman.
' It is the nature of women to seduce man in this world. For that reason the wise are never unguarded in the company of females.
In fact Ambedkar resigned from Nehru's cabinet after the Hindu Code Bill could not be passed as visualized. His fight for the right of the women for divorce was opposed fiercely in the Parliament by not only the right wing Hindus like Shyama Prasad Mukharje but also like Dr Rajendra Prasad and K D Malviya. He was thoroughly dejected because of Nehru's failure to get the bill passed.
Campaign for Civil Rights
In November 1932 Ambedkar wrote to A.V.Thakkar, known as Thakkar Bappa, General Secretary of anti untouchability League. Ambedkar and Thakkar Bapa did not go together. Even when Thakkar Bapa asked for the opinion of Dr Ambedkar on various matters yet the following advise given by Dr Ambedkar was not even acknowledged. I am quoting this important letter of Ambedkar and Thakkar Bapa to give you a direct understanding of how Ambedkar was a true champion of human rights and he took the battle of Dalits and untouchability from the perspective of human rights.
' I think the first thing that the league should undertake is a campaign all over India to secure the depressed classes the enjoyment of their civic rights such as taking water from the village wells, entry in the village schools, admission to village chawdi, use of public conveyance etc. Such programmes if carried into the villages will bring about the necessary social revolution in the Hindu society, without which it will not be possible for the depressed classes to get equal social status.'
The salvation of the depressed classes will come only when the caste Hindu is made to think and is forced to feel that he must alter his ways. For that you must create a crisis by direct action against his customary code of conduct. The crisis will compel him to think and once he begins to think he will be more ready to change than he is otherwise likely to be. The great defect in the policy of the least resistance and silent infiltration of rational ideas lies in this that they do not compel thought, for they do not produce crisis. The direct action in respect of Chawdar Tank in Mahad, the Kalaram temple in Nasik and the Gurwayur temple in Malawar have done in a few days what million days of preaching by reformers would never have done.
Equality of Opportunity
Much of the misery and poverty of the depressed classes is due to the absence of equality of opportunity, which in its turn is due to untouchability.
Much can be done by the private firms, and companies managed by the Hindus by extending their patronage to the depressed classes and by employing them in their offices in various grades and occupations suited to the capacities of the applicants.
Social Intercourse
The best way of achieving it is to establish closer contact between the two. Only a common cycle of participation can help people to overcome the strangeness of feeling which one has, when brought into contact with the other. Nothing can do this more effectively in my opinion than the admission of the depressed classes to the houses of the caste Hindus as guests or servants. The live contact thus established will familiarize both to a common and associated life and will pave the way for that unity which we all are striving after. (78-83)
He was very forthright and was never prejudiced and hence when Savarkar wanted to discuss the issue of removal of untouchability he wrote to him (Letter to V D Savarkar on 18.2.1933)
' If the untouchables are to be a part and parcel of the Hindu society, then it is not enough to remove untouchability, for that purpose you must destroy the Chaturvarna.
In a letter to Laxmi Kabir on Gandhi's death Feburary 8th, 1948
' Great men are of great service to their country but they are also at certain times a great hinderance to the progress of their country.
Mr Gandhi had become a positive danger to this country. He had choked all free thought. He was holding together the congress, which is a combination of all the bad and self seeking elements in the society who agreed on no social or moral principals governing the life of the society except the one of praising and flattering of Mr. Gandhi. The death of Gandhi he said ', will release people from bondage to a superman, it will make them think for themselves and it will compel them to stand on their own merits.
( page 205)
Political, Economic Social Rights invisible
On the social plane we have in India a society based on the principal of graded inequality which means elevation for some and degradation for others. On the economic plane we have a society in which there are some who have immense wealth as against many who live in abject poverty. On the 26 th January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In Politics we will have equality ' one man one vote and one vote one value, and in social and economic life we will have inequality. We must remove this contradictions at the earliest possible moment or else who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this assembly has so laboriously built.
'If there is any cause of freedom in this Indian turmoil for independence, it is the cause of the untouchables. The cause of Hindus and the cause of Musalman is not the cause of freedom. Theirs is a struggle for power as distinguished from freedom. Consequently, it has always been a matter of surprise to me, that no party, no organisation devoted to the freedom has so far interested itself in the untouchables.'
( From Emancipation of Dalits by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar ).61.
Right to Self Determination : Ambedkar talked of self determination in the form of separate electorate. That is why when Ambedkar pressed for the separate electorate demand for Dalits, Gandhi opposed it tooth and nail. It was the same Gandhi who had nothing against Muslim demand for a separate electorate. When the Poona pact was awarded in 1932, Gandhi could not tolerate his defeat at the hands of an articulate Dalit leader. As soon as he came back to India, Gandhi decided to fast unto death against such an award that would have brought a lot of changes in the quality of Dalit leadership in India. For Dalits would not have depended on the upper caste Hindus to get elected. Ambedkar succumbed to the blackmailing tactics of Gandhi and commented ' Mahatmas have come, Mahatmas have gone but the lot of Dalits remain the same'. Ambedkar feared that death of Gandhi would spark backlash against Dalits in the villages where the upper caste tyranny was still prevalent. He entered into a deal with Gandhi and signed Poona Pact, which allowed reservation of seats for Dalits in Parliament and state assemblies. Gandhi saved his upper caste interest and made Dalit leadership dependent on upper castes votes. Ambedkar himself became a victim of this and could not win Lok Sabha election from the state of Maharastra as all the upper castes joined hand against him.
Right to choose your faith
Ambedkar redefined history and linked the Dalits with Buddha. His efforts to reform Varna religion failed and he embarked on rational path of Buddhism. In fact, he mentioned very clearly that ", Unfortunately, I was born a Hindu. It was beyond my power to prevent that, I solemnly assure you that I will not die a Hindu."
Justifying his viewpoint on Conversion, Dr Ambedkar said,' There are two aspect of conversion as well as religious, material as well as spiritual. Whatever, may be the aspect or line of thinking it is necessary to understand the beginning, the nature of untouchability and how it is practiced. Without, this understanding, you will not be able to realise the real meaning underlying my declaration of conversion. In order to have a clear understanding of Untouchability and its practices in real life, I want you to recall the stories of the atrocities perpetrated against you. But very few of you might have realised as to why this happened.. This is the root of their tyranny. To me it is very necessary, that we understand it. This is not a feud between two rival men. The problem of untouchability is a matter of class struggle. It is a struggle between caste Hindus and untouchables. It is not a matter of doing injustice against one man. This is matter of injustice being done by one class against other. This struggle starts as soon as you start claiming equal treatment with others

World against Imperialist War!
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Web: http://www.stopwar.org.uk
From: ProudLiberal7
OpEdNews
Original Content at
_http://www.opednews .com/articles/ opedne_bernard_ _071205_annapoli s__26__22the_ sur.htm_
(http://www.opednews .com/articles/ opedne_bernard_ _071205_annapoli s__26__22the_ sur.htm )

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
--
December 5, 2007
Annapolis & "The Surge": Spinning a Legacy
By Bernard Weiner

We were sitting at an outdoor cafe in Munich (on a rare sunny day in early
October) when our Israeli friend and her husband asked: "What breakthroughs to
peace do you think will emerge from the November Middle East 'summit' that
Bush and Rice are hyping?"

I'm usually looking for any signs of hope in that bloody, tense region, so I
surprised myself by blurting out in despair: "What will be accomplished?
Nothing! It's all for show. The decisions have already been made, and, since
Bush won't use his leverage in a forceful way, and therefore Israel feels free
to operate as it wishes, there will be no significant chance for change in the
situation there until we have a new U.S. president."

As much as I enjoy having been proven correct in my analysis, watching the
grand photo-op get-together in Annapolis last week made me feel ineffably sad,
wishing I had been wrong

But Bush's show-event is in line with how he governs: not aligned with
reality. His actions mostly involve denial and fantasy, both of which require
stage-settings and lots of spin. He did it with the deceptive use of the term
"compassionate conservative" in his initial campaign for president. He did it in
2003 on an aircraft carrier under a banner "Mission Accomplished," declaring
that the U.S. had "prevailed" in Iraq. He did it with the plastic turkey he
carried around for the cameras at a Thanksgiving dinner for the troops in
Iraq. He did it standing in front of a stage-set in New Orleans, when he promised
post-Katrina help that never came, or came too-little-too- late to do most
locals much good. Etc., etc.
All of these CheneyBush theatrics are in the service of an overweening
hunger for power, the many ways monies can be siphoned to corporate and political
supporters, the desire for conquest and control.

Campaigns: Antiwar
The Party for Socialism and Liberation stands for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The PSL is a member of the Steering Committee of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), inside which our activists have played an important role in organizing and building mass antiwar demonstrations across the country.
As a coalition, A.N.S.W.E.R. has been characterized by its uncompromising opposition to U.S. imperialism, using every opportunity to link the war in Iraq to the occupations of Palestine and Haiti, the threats on Iran and Syria, the continued colonial subjugation of the Philippines and Puerto Rico, and the attacks on workers in the United States.

Reports from antiwar events

Anti-war activist banned from Canada vows to continue the struggle
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Campaign supports U.S. citizen Alison Bodine

San Francisco protests Hillary Clinton and war profiteers
Monday, November 26, 2007
'No justice, no peace!'

Student anti-war protesters in Illinois defeat expulsion threats
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Worldwide support another referendum on Iraq war

Rally demands return of kidnapped Haitian activist
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Los Angeles

Activists decry U.S. support for Musharraf
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
San Francisco

Oct. 27 protests throughout the United States
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Over 100,000 people march to stop the war!

An Iraq war veteran reflects on the Sept. 15 march
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
'We will resist imperialist war'

100,000 march against Iraq war in Washington
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
200 arrested in dramatic mass die-in

Photos from the Sept. 15 March on Washington
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Various photographers contributed to this slideshow

Police suppress Sept. 15 anti-war press conference across from White House
Friday, September 7, 2007
All out for Sept. 15 March on Washington

4,000 march to stop the war in Kennebunkport, Maine
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
'All out for Sept. 15 March on Washington'

Hundreds rally for freedom of GABNet 3
Friday, August 24, 2007
People's movement wins their release

ANSWER Coalition: The pro-occupation camp is breaking apart
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Demand 'End the war now!'

Audio: Iraq and the anti-war movement
Thursday, July 12, 2007
A campaign to help stop the war

ANSWER Coalition: Sept. 15 - Turn up the heat in Washington, D.C.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Calendar of upcoming anti-war events

Illinois activists arrested for highway anti-war protest
Monday, July 9, 2007
Glen Ellyn

Seattle turns up the heat on Attorney General Gonzales
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Protesting torture and war

ACLU charges San José company with aiding and abetting torture
Monday, June 4, 2007
Activists bring extraordinary rendition to light

Bush confronted by anti-war protesters in New London, Conn.
Monday, May 28, 2007
As Congress votes to continue the war

Miami holds 'unwelcoming' party for Bush
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Community rejects war and racism

Students protest military recruiters in South Los Angeles
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
'Recruiters out now!'

Anti-war protests sweep the country
Thursday, March 22, 2007
From the Pentagon to California

5,000 march on Michigan Ave. to stop Iraq war
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Chicago

Tens of thousands march on the Pentagon
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Riot police block access of demonstrators

Anti-war protestors block Stryker Brigade deployment
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Port of Tacoma, Wash.

Anti-war activist banned from Canada vows to continue the struggle
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Campaign supports U.S. citizen Alison Bodine

'Operation Pincer': the CIA's role against Venezuela
Friday, November 30, 2007
Attacking the constitutional referendum

U.S. paves way for long-term Iraq occupation
Friday, November 30, 2007
Not progress for the Iraqi people

120 war veterans commit suicide each week
Friday, November 30, 2007
In brief

Palestinian activist sentenced to 11 years for refusing to betray his people
Friday, November 30, 2007
'Free Abdelhaleem Ashqar!'

U.S. paves way for long-term Iraq occupation
Friday, November 30, 2007
Not progress for the Iraqi people

The night I learned which side I was on
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The all-too-common story of a checkpoint in Iraq

'The people will succeed in the streets'
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Speech to the Oct. 27 Los Angeles protest

U.S. war machine the real enemy, not Iraqis
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
An Iraq veteran's perspective

Breaking with the politics of imperialism
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The way forward for the anti-war movement

Upcoming events
Past events
The war
The movement
Photos

Photos from past events
The March 18, 2006 demonstration in Los Angeles:

1) WORLDWIDE PEACE PROTESTS PLANNED FOR MARCH 2008
2) DECLARATION OF WORLD AGAINST WAR CONFERENCE
******
1) WORLDWIDE PEACE PROTESTS PLANNED FOR MARCH 2008
Over 1,200 delegates from the anti war movement across the
world came to London for the World Against War International
Peace Conference on 1 December. The conference ended with a
declaration announcing plans for worldwide protests in March
2008, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, calling
for all foreign troops to be removed from Iraq and Afghanistan
and opposition to any attack on Iran (see declaration below).
Delegates from 26 countries addressed the conference, reported
on developments in their regions and discussed strategy for
the movement. Countries represented were Canada, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Netherlands,
Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Somalia, South Korea,
Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United States and the United
Kingdom, which had around 1000 delegates from all corners of
the country.
Videos of all the speeches at the conference are now available
on the Stop the War website (http://www.stopwar.org.uk/).
There was a unanimous commitment by all participants to
organise worldwide demonstrations between 15-22 March 2008 and
this declaration was re-affirmed at an organising meeting for
international delegates on the day following the World Against
War conference.
All Stop the War Coalition local groups and affiliated
organisations are urged to start planning now for building the
largest possible turnout for the British WORLD AGAINST WAR
demonstration, which will take place on 15 March 2008.
******
2) DECLARATION OF WORLD AGAINST WAR CONFERENCE
Agreed unanimously by 1200 delegates from 26 countries
attending the World Against War Conference on Saturday 1
December 2007.
This conference of delegates from peace, anti-war,
anti-imperialist and liberation movements across the world
declares its opposition to the "endless war" prosecuted by the
US government against states, peoples and movements in all
parts of our planet.
We oppose the interference of the US and its allies in
sovereign states, and assert the right of all peoples to
self-determination. We support all people fighting for peace
and against imperialism.
In particular, we demand:
* An immediate end to the illegal military occupation of Iraq,
which has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced
millions of people, a withdrawal of all foreign troops and the
full transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and their
representatives.
* A halt to all preparations for an attack against Iran, and a
commitment to solve any issues through exclusively diplomatic
means.
* A withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, allowing
the Afghan people to determine their own future.
* Justice for the Palestinian people, and an end to Israeli
aggression throughout the Middle East.
* An end to plans for US missile defence, and that all states
actively pursue nuclear disarmament.
We affirm the solidarity of all those fighting for peace,
social justice and self-determination worldwide, and commit
ourselves to strengthening our unity and developing new forms
of co-operation.
We therefore designate the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq
as a worldwide day of action in support of the demands NO
ATTACK on IRAN and TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ/ and AFGHANISTAN and
call on all national anti-war movements to hold mass protests
and demonstrations on that day.
Anti-war activist banned from Canada vows to continue the struggle
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
By: Jane Cutter
Campaign supports U.S. citizen Alison Bodine
On Nov. 17, anti-war and social justice activist Alison Bodine was forced to leave Canada under the terms of an exclusion order and two-year ban from Canada issued by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Bodine is a U.S. citizen who attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from 2003 to 2007. She is the co-
Alison Bodine
Photo: Jane Cutter

chair, executive committee member and spokesperson of Mobilization Against War and Occupation in Vancouver.
Around 70 supporters and organizers with the Alison Bodine Defence Committee gathered in Vancouver on Nov. 17 and caravanned to the Peace Arch border crossing for an energetic solidarity send-off. The event was widely covered in the Canadian media.
After leaving Canada, Bodine visited the offices of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) in Seattle to thank U.S. anti-war activists for their support and to explain the significance of her case.
Bodine's ordeal began on Sept. 10, when she was targeted and harassed as a political activist while returning to Canada from the United States. Canada Border Services agents found anti-war and social justice materials in her car.
The political targeting continued when she attempted to exit Canada on Sept. 13 and was arrested by Canada Border Services Agency. Following a hearing on the false and unjust charge of "misrepresentation," the banning order decision was issued on Oct. 31.
Bodine and her supporters now plan to take her case to the Federal Court of Canada. Along with the legal campaign, a new petition and letter-writing campaign has started, directed at Diane Finley, Canada

Panic in Chennai after gas leak, industries closed
Palash Biswas
Contact: Palash C Biswas, C/O Mrs Arati Roy, Gosto Kanan, Sodepur, Kolkata- 700110, India. Phone: 91-033-25659551
Email: palashbiswaskl@gmail.com
Chennai: The State Pollution Control Board closed several chemical industries at Manali in North Chennai after a strong stench of gas engulfed the city, causing panic among people in several areas of the metropolis.
Media offices were flooded with calls from anxious residents, seeking to find out the cause of the smell, which hung in the air for several hours after the leak was reported from the Chennai Petro Chemicals Limited (CPCL) factory at Manali late Tuesday.
People complained of breathing problems and eye irritation as well as nausea as the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPC, as a precautionary measure, ordered closure of the chemical units in North Chennai. The gas stench spread to central Chennai on Wednesday.
N Sundaradevan, chairman of the TNPCB said in a statement that the gas was not poisonous and that there was no need for anyone to panic. The pungent smell was due to the presence of hydrocarbons and volatile compounds in the gas, he said.
He said it was normal practice for CPCL to release some quantities of petroleum gas during maintenance. The factory had been asked to take necessary steps to stop leakage of gas, he said.
The gas emanated while the machinery at the plant was being cleaned.
The TNPCB said some amount of gas had been absorbed by the rain last night and the remaining gas was likely to last for a few hours in the atmosphere.
Patients continue to die as Niloufer standoff gets political twist
Stalemate over junior doctors' stir in Andhra Pradesh continued for the fourth day on Wednesday as Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy rejected the doctors' demand for filing a case for non-bailable offence against a city MLA for allegedly attacking them at a state-run children's hospital. "The concerned police officials would decide the charges to be framed. How can we interfere in the day to day functioning of the police officers? How can they (doctors) tell us what sections to be invoked,'' Reddy told reporters.
Denying that his government was soft-pedalling on the MIM MLA, he said action would be taken in accordance with law. He made an appeal to the doctors saying the government cared for their security and that they should call off their stir in the interest of the patients. However, the medicos continued their stir joined by their seniors who staged a token protest, throwing medical services out of gear. The Niloufer junior doctors' stir demanding action against MIM legislator Afsar Khan has lately taken a political turn with politicians of different parties rushing to the hospital, even as the four-day agitation headed for a stalemate with both the sides remaining stubborn on their stands.
In the battle of nerves between the State Government and the junior doctors, patients continue to suffer. Reports of fresh deaths kept pouring from Niloufer Hospital. At least 14 children have died for not receiving adequate medical attention at the hospital.
While the Telugu Desam Party supported the cause of doctors and criticised the Government for what it termed as "total insensitivity" to people's sufferings, actress-turned politician Vijayashanti of Talli Telangana party staged an impromptu demonstration against the doctors and entered into heated arguments with hospital authorities questioning their rationale in continuing the strike.
Vijayashanti made a dramatic entry into the hospital and sat on dharna holding a sick child in her lap. Shouting at the top of her voice, the actress charged into the hospital and began arguing with the authorities alleging that injustice was being meted out to Telangana. She demanded payment of Rs. 2 lakh ex-gratia to parents of children who died during the strike period. TDP legislators Payyavula Keshav, E. Dayakar Rao and others demanded that a non-bailable warrant be issued against. Khan and security stepped up at hospitals.
The Niloufer agitation found support from resident doctors of the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences and the A.P. Government Doctors' Association (APGDA). Though the two bodies did not announce a strike, there was enough indication that they would not hesitate to call for a strike, if the Government failed to concede the demands of Niloufer junior doctors. The nursing staff of Government Hospitals too threatened to strike work and wore black badges.
The central issue to the agitation continued to be registration of an attempt-to-murder case against. Khan and his supporters. However, the police maintained that neither the complaint with them nor the three statements recorded by police had components that would attract the provisions of Section 307 of the IPC. "We are investigating the case. If the probe reveals any such component, we shall certainly alter the section of law," Central Zone DCP Md. Iqbal told reporters on hospital premises. It was a day of hectic activity on Niloufer campus, where mediamen were barred entry. Disputing the media reports on spate of deaths of children, district Collector R.V. Chandravadan maintained that "only" seven children died from Monday morning to Tuesday morning.
Earlier, the junior doctors in Gandhi and Osmania hospitals staged protest meetings in support of their colleagues in Niloufer. They marched to the office of the A.P. Vaidya Vidhana Parishad at Koti and burnt an effigy before staging a brief demonstration there.

Rs.10 mn worth pills seized from e-vendor
Authorities have seized 2.5 million pills of restricted drugs estimated to be worth nearly Rs.10 million, saying a businessman was planning to sell them illegally via the Internet. The seizures followed a raid by the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and police at an office at Kalbadevi in Mumbai.
The FDA said the 32-year-old businessman used to illegally sell addictive drugs meant solely for export. He used to buy them without proper documents or records, de-foil them and re-pack them to sell to international customers via the Internet at prices upwards of $1.85 per tablet.
Most of the drugs seized during the raid Nov 26 are used to treat diseases like obesity, psychosis, anxiety and depression, while some are aphrodisiacs. These fall in the category of fast-moving items on the Internet. Joint Commissioner of the state FDA Suhas Chaudhari told news agencies: 'The pills we have seized included formulations that comprised ingredients like Diazepam, Alprazolam, Sibutramine Hydrochloride Monohydrate, Sildenafil and Vardenafil.'
The analyses of computer hard disk records of these two websites has revealed a list of 3,500 customers who had placed orders for one or more of the drugs hawked by accused. The disks have been sent to Mumbai Police for further investigations, Chaudhari said. Chaudhari said the FDA had succeeded in identifying the main stockist of the drugs and had sent samples of the pills to a government laboratory for testing. Police and FDA investigations will also attempt to unravel how drugs meant specifically for export found their way into the domestic market.

Australian foreign minister signals closer ties
India will play an increasingly important role in Australia's international relations, according to the country's new foreign minister, Stephen Smith. This signals a continuation of the momentum set in the last few years of the ousted John Howard-led Conservative government.
Setting out a foreign policy agenda based on 'civility, respect and dignity' at its core, Smith, in his first official function as the country's sixth Australian Labour Party foreign minister since World War II, said: 'I believe it is essential to ensure that Australia looks to our important neighbours and partners to our west. India's remarkable development only encourages me to bring us closer together.'
While speaking at the annual Diplomatic Corps's Christmas party in Canberra Monday night, Smith singled out India. He said: 'I look forward to working with the Indian Government and the Indian people to add depth and vigour to our relationship.'
He said there are three pillars that underpin the Labour Government's approach to foreign policy: Australia's alliance with the US, membership of the United Nations, and a strong focus on Asia and the Pacific.
He reiterated strong bilateral relations with the US, which have been supported by both sides of politics - Labour, Liberal, Democrat, Republican - in the two countries. Smith is expected to head to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice early next year and will begin preliminary discussions with US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns during the latter's visit to Australia this week to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
One of the key differences in Labour's foreign policy agenda from the former Liberal government has been a plan for the phased withdrawal of Australia's 550 combat troops from Iraq. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said the combat troops will be pulled out by middle of 2008.
Smith said the government would strengthen the important relationships with New Zealand, the Pacific Island countries, countries of South-East Asia and close links with the economic powerhouses of North-East Asia.
'Our relationships with our traditional post World War II trading partners, Japan and Korea, and our relationship with the rapidly developing powerhouse, China, are crucial to our future economic and social prosperity and our national security,' said Smith, a former solicitor who has earlier worked as an adviser to former Labour prime minister Paul Keating.
One of the most influential foreign affairs commentators in Australia, Greg Sheridan recently wrote in The Australian: 'Howard, more than anyone else in his government, understood the significance of India. His decision to sell India uranium was a brilliant strategic move to make Australia a partner of strategic consequence to India.
'Similarly, it is inconceivable that we could have got much more intimately involved with China, Japan, Indonesia and now, albeit a little belatedly, India, during the past few years.'