by Muhammad Ayub

Four local Muslims presented a program Monday evening, August 22 to reach out and connect with local residents. Amnesty International (Olympia Chapter) and Olympians for Peace in the Middle East (OPME) hosted the program at the Olympia Center. The program began with a 10 minute film, Planet of the Arabs , which showed the vilification and demonizing of Muslims and Arabs in the movies and TV serials, usually as villains, terrorists, or stupid fall-guys. It waved the very stereotypes in front of everybody that the seminar was hoping to negate. It was an appropriate introduction, . . .

by Todd Chretien

On August 12, 2006, some 25,000 people in San Francisco, Washington, DC, Los Angeles and other cities took part in protests against the Israeli/American war in the Middle East. Probably around fifty per cent of the marchers were Arab or Muslim. These protests showed the Arab world, and specifically our brothers and sisters in Lebanon and Gaza, that there is opposition to the US government's policies. That's a good start. But you have to ask the question: Why after a month of war did so few people come out to protest? Where were the "anti-war" Democratic leaders? Where were the . . .

A group of Thurston County residents is joining thousands of citizens from across the country in calling for an impeachment investigation of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. These men have defied our nation's Constitution and violated their oaths of office to such an extent that we can no longer remain silent.

by Marco Rosaire Rossi

There is an old anarchist saying: "if voting ever changed anything they would make it illegal." Well, they have, or rather it has been. Ever since the end of the Civil War, when slavery took on a more judicial rather than economic form, there have been barriers to prevent prisoners from participating in the political process. Many states have tough regulations preventing ex-prisoners from exercising their right to vote, and only two states -- Maine and Vermont -- allow people to vote while incarcerated. With a constantly increasing prison population, this mass . . .

by Mat Slobodkin

Of the "Olympia 22" I was probably least involved in the protests in terms of organization and planning. I had heard of the port resistance movement as many of my close friends were among the organizers and were continually being arrested the week before the 30th of May, the day on which I was arrested. I am a bit ashamed to say that I was unwilling to join earlier due to my reluctance to become involved in anything that might interfere with my final weeks of studies. On May 30th I heard about a rally at the port and decided to go.

by Janet Blanding

The FDA broadened access to Plan B for many women with its decision to allow over-the-counter acquisition by women 18 years and over. If Plan B were now available in gas stations and 7/11s, access would no longer be an issue and continuing to boycott would be more a matter of ideology than practicality. However, Plan B will not be as broadly available as Advil or Alka-Seltzer; although a prescription is no longer required, it will be available only in pharmacies, and it will still be kept behind the counter. Women will have to present ID proving they are 18 or over before they . . .

by Jeff Cohen

John Mark Karr is one sick puppy -- a school teacher who fantasized that he'd engaged in consensual sex so passionately with six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey that he accidentally killed her. And television news in our country is one ravenous beast  --  abandoning any notion of journalism, proportion or decency to again prey upon JonBenet's corpse for ratings and profit.