Puyallup Student receives Scholarship for Work against Discrimination

Damian Ball, a senior at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, has been selected to receive a Youth Activist Scholarship Award in recognition of his work for civil liberties. The $4,000 college scholarship is one of 14 awarded by the American Civil Liberties Union to high school students around the nation. Ball received the award because of his demonstrated commitment to working for equal treatment of all students as an activist with the Gay-Straight Alliance at Emerald Ridge High School. The Alliance courageously carried out a protest action to raise awareness about the harassment of gay students. In the fall of 2001, Alliance members began planning to participate in the National Day of Silence, an annual event designed to spread awareness of the need to combat intolerance. They did not realize the degree of controversy it would generate. Several dozen parents pressured the district to stop the observance. The school board and principal stood behind the right of students to hold the event, and the Day of Silence took place without major incident. Around 50 students kept their vow to remain silent, close to 200 wore rainbow ribbons in support. "I cringe at the thought of what might happen to our country if people don't stand up for what is right, even if they are standing alone. It is every person's job to defend the civil liberties of others," said Ball. --ACLU of Washington

Ballet Dancers Visit Cuban Colleagues

Several Pacific Northwest Ballet group members recently brought 100 pairs of toe shoes to the National Ballet of Cuba, and spent a week in workshops and meetings with women leaders and activists. The group also met with legendary Cuban-born ballet dancer Alicia Alonso, who is blind. The dancers visited as part of the University of Washington's Center for Women and Democracy. --KS

STUDENTS RALLY AGAINST TUITION INCREASES

Several hundred students from Washington colleges and Universities rallied recently at the state capitol in Olympia against the proposed tuition increases. The organizing coalition, Students Initiating Democracy in Education, chose the third day of the legislative session to send an early message of opposition to the third consecutive year of tuition increases. Governor Locke's proposal would increase tuition in community colleges by at least 18 percent over the next two years to fund his proposed $109 million cut in state funding for higher education. Tuition increased for state schools between 16 and 18 percent last year, and in 2001 increased between 6.7 and 12 percent. "We want our legislators to understand that another increase will literally price many students out of schools; and we are prepared to fight for our rights and those of our younger siblings to attend college," said Adam Burger of the Evergreen State College Political Information Center.. Other speakers questioned the priorities of the proposal. "It seems to me that out of a $24 billion budget, rather than adversely affecting thousands of students and families across the state, there could be a way to find the $109 million to prevent the further de-funding higher education, especially since our unemployment rate is so high now," said Shale Maulana, a student at Seattle Central Community College. --Logan Price

Mother Nature Enlisted in War on Drugs

Last month Rep. John Mica (R-Florida) addressed the Committee on Government Reform encouraging the use of biological mycoherbicides in Colombia. He proposes that using biological agents in Colombia will help the war on drugs. The idea was first introduced under the Clinton administration in 1999 but was stopped when Clinton became concerned about the "proliferation of biological weapons." Legislators now want to revive the program. The study of using mycoherbicides to kill drug crops started in the 1970s and was revived in Bozeman, MT. Montana State University (MSU) scientist David Sands first developed a marijuana killing fungus in the late 1990s. His study became controversy in 1999, after the public learned of the government's funding of the program and then-MSU President Mike Malone pulled out citing safety concerns. Don't count Sands in this time, he "says his drug war is in the past..." (Missoula Independent, Jan. 15-23, 2003) --KS

Feds Check Out your library books

Checking out books at the library? Under The USA Patriot Act, the government now may be checking out what you've been checking out at your local library. The Act "allows the Feds to seize the records of library users with a court order obtained from a secret court." The warrants put out in these cases are called bench warrants. They differ from regular search warrants because they do not require any evidence of wrongdoing and cannot be appealed before they are served. It is also illegal for the librarian to tell anyone (but they can tell their attorney) about the search. Despite this, according to a University of Illinois survey of more than 1,000 libraries, 85 were approached in January and February 2002 by law enforcers who said they were seeking "September 11-related information" about patron reading habits. (Freedom Socialist, Jan.-March 2003) --KS

Mass Layoffs No Longer Reported

As a Christmas present to the US public, the Bush administration (on Christmas Eve) announced that it will no longer report on mass layoffs and plant closures. "The US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly analysis details every layoff of more than 50 workers and the type of industry. The final 2002 report in November noted 2,150 mass layoffs and about 240,000 mostly manufacturing workers who lost their jobs." (Northwest Labor Press, January 17, 2003) --KS

Curating Censorship

The National Coalition Against Censorship Newsletter reported in its Winter 02'-03' newsletter that curators around the world have been fired for their exhibit choices. The Newsletter reports that Simon Taylor, curator at the Guild Hall Museum of East Hampton, Long Island was fired halfway through a successful exhibition. The exhibition? "Personal and Political: The Women's Art Movement, 1969-1975." The director of the Guild denies that the content of the exhibition led to Taylor's dismissal.

Most recently a Canadian curator was dismissed at the Canadian Museum of Civilization for curating the exhibition entitled "The Lands Within Me: Expressions by Canadian Artists of Arab Origin." The museum pulled the exhibit after it became controversial after September 11, 2001. Only after protests by grassroots groups and intervention by the Prime Minister was the exhibit allowed to continue. (The National Coalition against the Censorship Newsletter, Winter 02'-03') --KS

Ramsey Clark: 'Impeach Bush'

Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General during the Johnson Administration, has drafted articles of impeachment setting forth high crimes and misdemeanors by President Bush and other officers of his administration. The articles include the following:

• Impeach for planning the deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers at the behest of transational oil companies.
• Impeach for focusing attack on defenseless civilian populations in violation of international law.
• Impeach for making war crimes the regular mode of operation of American foreign policy.
• Impeach for planning to set a fire in the Middle East that will take decades to extinguish, and at unconscionable and unbearable cost.
• Impeach for confirming in the eyes of the world and in the eyes of its own population that the US is indeed a rogue state.
• Impeach for the successful-so-far destruction of our Bill of Rights and Constitution.
• Impeach for dismantling what is left of regulatory power over the industries and services that so vitally affect the quality of our lives and our ability to remain free from government and from religion.
• Impeach for attacks on the social programs.
• Impeach for arrogance, impeach for stupidity. Impeach for evil.

Humanitarian Aid for Chiapas

Since 1995, IFCO/Pastors for Peace has delivered ten caravans of humanitarian aid to poor indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico, who have been displaced by Mexican military and paramilitary groups. However, upon this caravan's arrival at the Mexico border in December, it was informed that new customs regulations would not allow the aid to cross the border. When it became clear that the hold up was more than bureaucratic, the grassroots network that supports IFCO/Pastors for Peace work throughout the US, Canada and Mexico were alerted. Thousands of individuals, churches, and community organizations responded and began working immediately for release of the aid. In cities throughout the US, meetings of citizens with their local Mexican consulates, as well as peaceful demonstrations occurred. Hundreds of letters of support flooded President Fox's fax machine in Mexico City. High level Mexican officials, as well as Chiapas religious leaders also provided invaluable support. Accordingly, plans were made to provide delivery in late January. IFCO/Pastors for Peace 402 W 145th Street, New York, NY 10031 phone 212-926-5757; fax: 212-926-5842; web: www.ifconews.org. --RH

Green Party Activities

Although the primary purpose of the Green Party is to elect Green candidates, the party also supports many progressive causes stemming from it's "ten key values", and is active at the local, state and national levels. Here are some contacts for those who would like to take part.

• Green Party of the United States(GPUS) www.greenpartyus.org (With links to the state green parties.)
• Green Party of Washington State (GPWA) PO Box 17707 Seattle WA 98107-1304 phone 206-781-3484 www.wagreens.org
• Green Party of Seattle (GPoS)has several email list-serves, as well as a quarterly newsletter. The email listserves include a "gpos_ofinterest", for posting announcements about any matters that might be of interest to greens.
• Green Party of Seattle PO Box 95515 Seattle WA 98145 phone 206-524-3377 info@seattlegreens.org www.seattlegreens.org (Membership dues required for services.)
• The Green Party is associated with the Independent Media Center (Indymedia) nyc.indymedia.org, which posts information and links to lots of activities.
• Note that there is also a G/GPUSA PO Box 1406202 South State St. Chicago Illinois 60690, gpusa@igc.org, www.greenparty.org.

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