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August 2007
by Aaron Hartwell
Three naval vessels that had agreed to attend Olympia's yearly Capitol Lakefair on July 20 and 21 have since declined to attend due to the inability of Lakefair planners to meet their security requirements. The ships that had originally accepted Lakefair's invitation to attend included the USS Ingraham which is armed with one Mk 75 76mm/62 caliber rapid firing gun, along with mk 32 asw torpedo tubes (two triple mounts), and one Phalanx ciws (an automated anti-missile system comprised of a 20mm M61 Vulcan Gatling-type rotary cannon linked to a radar system). The other two ships . . .
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by Jane Troutbeck
First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment? Who cares? The people who've stolen our country are quietly turning the public into a mass of voiceless peons, who are too busy slaving at low-paying jobs and watching television to notice their rights being stripped away.
A squeaky wheel
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by Seth Manzel
Getting out of the Army is not easy. It requires diligence and a fair amount of knowledge about the regulations regarding early separation. It is also not without consequences for the soldier. Early separation can lead to loss of VA benefits, dishonorable or less than honorable discharge, as well as an obligation to pay back bonus money. However, considering the current situation, it may be worth it. The following is an overview of some of the methods one might employ to gain his or her freedom from military service which include: conscientious objection, the Family Care Plan . . .
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by Janet Blanding
War resisters Agustín Aguayo, Seth Manzel, and Aguayo's wife Helga spoke recently to a group of local peace activists gathered at Traditions Café on July 17. In defiance of the unspoken army policy of remaining silent after returning from war, they are speaking out about the injustices they have witnessed. Again and again the same themes emerged: a pattern of wartime abuses of civilians, tolerated and covered up by the military; deception and false promises used by recruiters to entice young people to enlist, followed by coercion and manipulation of enlisted men . . .
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by Wally Cuddeford
It's no secret the high esteem our society holds for veterans of the armed forces. One need only look at one's nearest calendar to see the exorbitant number of holidays devoted to soldiers, veterans, and the military, especially when compared to the number of holidays set aside for causes of social justice and popular liberation.
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City prosecutors learn the difference between a pedestrian on a sidewalk and a vehicle in traffic
by Mark Jensen
On July 18, a Tacoma judge dismissed thirteen cases stemming from last March's antiwar protests on the grounds that the statute under which defendants were charged was inapplicable. Tacoma Municipal Court Judge Pro Tem Karl D. Haugh's ruling dropped to ten the number of still unresolved cases stemming from March 2007 Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) protests during which police made a total of thirty-seven arrests.
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During the March 2007 protests at the Port of Tacoma, most of the police wore full riot gear, including helmets that covered their faces, making it difficult to ascertain what was going on in their heads.
Fortunately, Works in Progress obtained many of the Tacoma Police reports of the demonstrations, and it's weirder than we could have imagined.
Some police made their views toward the Iraq war known, such as one officer who reported that the "protesters were objecting to the war effort" and keeping "munitions [from] being shipped over seas to assist the troops in the field." [emphasis added]
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The Port of Tacoma dismissals come in a string of other recent dismissals in court cases against local antiwar activists. Of particular note is the involvement of the activist legal team of Larry Hildes and Karen Weill, who were instrumental in securing dismissals in all of these cases and who have provided their services either pro bono or at minimal costs.
Olympia 22
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by Gar Lipow
On July 10 and July 17, the Olympia City Council addressed an issue in which the city and the Olympian stopped an 85-year-old woman from handing out brochures in the Olympia Center public areas.
The result: The City Council said that there is definitely a right to hand out literature in lobbies and foyers of public buildings so long as it is done in a non-disruptive manner. This also includes the right to carry signs not on sticks -- again subject to common sense, like not blocking traffic or visibility. The exclusion of people with literature and flimsy cardboard signs from the . . .
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by Stonewall Youth
On June 6, the Stonewall Youth Speakers Bureau went to Washington Middle School to facilitate a day-long series of conversations about bullying and intolerance in relation to growing up identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or queer. We spoke to six different groups with 120 students in each one, as well as staff.
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by Marco Rosaire Rossi
Every generation is faced with a responsibility, an event that tests the humanity of all people for that time. For our generation that challenge is ending the conflict in Iraq and working to bring peace and prosperity to the Middle East. No other single event intertwines all the crises of our age: environmental, economic, cultural. And no other region of the world focuses our attention more, whose future is more likely to determine if the world will rise to peace or plunge into a third world war.
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by Molly Gibbs
Local Peace activists express concern for Palestinians under Israeli Occupation
June was a horrific month for people enduring the Israeli Occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. The right-wing Likud Party and the Israeli government has taken advantage of the split between Hamas and Fatah, as civil war erupts with Fatah in control of the West Bank, and Hamas in Gaza. Many fear the vengeful attacks on Gaza's citizens may destroy their society, and any possibility of peaceful coexistence for and among Palestinians.
Olympians for Peace in the Middle East -- June, 1967 Teach-in
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July 9, 2007, Seattle -- Today the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard Corrie et al. v. Caterpillar, a case charging Caterpillar, Inc. with aiding and abetting war crimes and other serious human rights violations on the grounds that the company provided bulldozers to Israel knowing they would be used unlawfully to demolish homes and endanger civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (opt). The case was brought by the parents of Rachel Corrie and four Palestinian families whose family members were killed or injured when Caterpillar bulldozers demolished their homes. Corrie, a . . .
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The Free School Needs You!
Calling All Facilitators! If you have a passion, skill, area of knowledge or any idea for a class, submit them now to the Olympia Free School--online at olympiafreeschool.org The deadline for submissions is August 15th. Classes begin October 1st (don't worry you have plenty of time to plan).
To submit a class go to olympiafreeschool.org and click on "Facilitating" You can also call us at (360) 352-4165. If you have any questions, email us at info@olympiafreeschool.org or call us at (360) 352-4165.
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Olympia-Rafah Mural Project
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