| Flyby News Home - Flyby News Archives - Casinni NoFlyby - Flyby Links |
Collapsing doubts on warming * Rep. Pete Stark * Castro at Monterrey * Peltier Break
25 March 2002
The first item is a follow-up article to the news in last issue about the near sudden collapse of a major ice shelf in Antartica. Yet, amazingly, the debate on global warming continues. One of the networks interviewed an "expert" stating that global warming is not yet proven as causing this unprecedented incident.. He said they were still developing the mathematical modeling. Yet, among the other amazing accomplishments of Bart Jordan (see previous issue), I learned that Bart completed and presented such a model when in the U.S. military service in the 1950's! Bart told me that he attempted to retrieve this report, but it disappeared from all the records, even his abstracts were missing. The stats and inevitable study of the work and life of Bart Jordan goes beyond a beautiful mind. They will reveal the suppression of information by those taking over our freedoms and endangering our planet to suck as much temporary treasures as possible from the life force -- for a fossil-fueled military consciousness -- reaching toward or surpassing a point of no return for the carbon saturation on Earth, which may end up resembling the 95+% CO2 saturation in the atmospheres of both Venus and Mars.
The second item is a statement of another courageous member of Congress, Pete Stark (D-Cal). He made his comments during the House debate on concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2003. His speech was brief and to the point: "..and I am sure they [the people] are going to recognize it when they see wasteful money spent on things like Star Wars, which will not work, and programs which do nothing except to pay for large defense contractors, who are related to former Republican Presidents, and I think they are going to see that this is an obscene, corrupt, and undemocratic attempt to harm those people who are most fragile in this country only to benefit the 1 or 2 percent of the very wealthiest."
Item three is another potent communication by Fidel Castro, which is aligned with the spirit of the democratic speech by Pete Stark. Castro presented this speech at the International Conference on Financing for Development on March 21, 2002. Fidel Castro said, "The prestige of the international financial institutions rates less than zero," and went on to suggest possible solutions in lessening the gap between the wealthy and those suffering in poverty.
Item four is from the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. It is imperative for the sake of justice, and for an end to racist and environmental exploitation, to resolve this case. Please lobby the Senate's Judicial Committee and House Reform Committee for FBI-abuse investigations. There now seems to be a good chance for the release of new information, which have been withheld by the FBI for more than 25-years.
For a quick note on the case of Lori Berenson. It was announced on network news that George W. Bush decided not to even bring up the subject of a pardon for this American woman placed and held in prison by a corrupt regime, during his meeting with the Peruvian president. Again, it was all so convenient to use a terrorist bombing, (which occurred in Lima within a week of the Bush visit), as a way of shifting focus to the interests of a ruthlessly controlled military-industrial global complex. President-select Bush and Peruvian President-select, Alejandro Toledo, have much in common, but compassion for an innocent tortured young woman is not one of them. Flyby News will keep you posted on any new significant developments.
In the next issue of Flyby News, we will include more details on the call from the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space for an intensive call-in campaign in support of the Kucinich -- "Space Preservation Act of 2002." The Congressional Call-In Days are from April 1-5. This campaign in support of H.R. 3616 has been endorsed by more than two hundred and fifty organizations. For more on this, visit http://www.space4peace.org . This would be a good time to write letters to the editors of local newspapers to get more support for the Call-In Campaign and for this legislation that can turnaround the whole military industrial complex. We must demand that they find a way to survive without the expansion of the arms race, and instead, unite with most all nations for peace in space, and help end terrorism in all forms, while re-engaging the sanity in governments to care, instead of destroying, our beloved planet.
1) Collapsing the doubts on warming
2) Congressman Pete Stark: "It does smack of fascism"
3) Castro's Speech: Intl. Conference on Financing for Development
4) Peltier Update - Progress Toward Obtaining New Evidence
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
1) Collapsing the doubts on warming
By Derrick Z. Jackson, 3/22/2002
IF RHODE ISLAND really did cleave off and disintegrate beneath the sea, that might make the evening news. Brown University, Newport, the Pawtucket Red Sox, and cheap flights on Southwest would suddenly be artifacts in Atlantis. The next great collapse would take out Harvard University, Cape Cod, Fenway Park, and turn the Big Dig's billions into the world's biggest pothole. Maybe you folks elsewhere in the country could do without some of our snooty institutions, but it would be easy to lay an equivalent template somewhere over your state and wipe out several places precious to you, like Broadway, Chinatown, and Yankee Stadium or Coke, UPS, and Delta in Atlanta or Boeing, Microsoft, and Starbucks in Seattle.
We have no idea how lucky we are that global warming has not yet come to that, washing away our coffee shops, stadiums, and property values. Whether we act before our luck runs out is another story.
Down in Antarctica, a giant ice shelf that was at least 12,000 years old and 70 stories thick fractured into ice cubes in the space of five weeks. That is shocking by geological standards. While no one could say for sure if the particular collapse of the shelf known as Larsen B was directly due to global warming, there is little doubt that this is the kind of thing that would happen on a warmer planet.
''What we're seeing is pretty profound,'' said Ted Scambos, glaciologist for the National Snow and Ice Data Center. ''The polar regions have a way in which they amplify change. We're a water planet, and when you have an area that is at the freezing point, you can get some pretty strong feedback when snow or ice forms or melts. It is another message from the world's cold regions that profound things are happening.''
Scambos was quick to say over the telephone that not all of Antarctica is melting as fast as the wicked witch of the west. Some parts of the frozen continent show signs of thickening. Global warming theories include conflicting patterns of heat and cold across the planet. The inescapable overall fact is that the temperature at the earth's poles has risen 4.5 degrees in the last half-century, five times faster than the temperature of the rest of the planet.
Eighty percent of the world's ice is located in Antarctica. If it all melted, the world's sea level would rise more than 200 feet, destroying the coastal homes of the rich and famous and endangering hundreds of millions of the world's poor who have nowhere to move their shacks.
Many nations understand the facts. British Environment Minister Michael Meacher reacted to the collapse of Larsen B by calling it a ''wake-up call to the whole world.'' Meacher said, ''It's an indication of global warming which is extremely stark.''
The nation that produces the most greenhouse gases, the United States, is still sleeping behind the wheel of sport utility vehicles and frets more about anthrax from Osama than asthma from air-polluting companies. A stark example of how the United States stands stupidly apart from the rest of the world came last month when Eric Schaeffer resigned as director of the Environmental Protection Agency's office of regulatory enforcement. Schaeffer, a 12-year veteran who started at the EPA when President Bush's father was president, was in charge of monitoring power companies for pollution that he said kills 10,000 people a year, more than double the death toll in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Schaeffer said he could no longer do his job when the White House and industry lobbyists were ''working furiously to weaken the laws we are trying to enforce.'' Schaeffer said his agency's momentum in settling pollution cases ''has effectively stopped.'' In recent days, by the White House's own admission and inside documents leaked to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group critical of the Bush administration, the EPA is doing its best to let companies delay or avoid modernizing pollution controls and self-regulate their pollution levels.
Schaeffer said, ''We need to choose between children with asthma and influence peddlers who don't seem to care.''
The choice is also between a planet and a president who does not care. With Bush so invested in oil drilling, coal burning, and gaz guzzling, it will take a chunk of ice much bigger than the size of Rhode Island to fall off Antarctica. Bush's native Texas comes readily to mind, but then again, it did not matter to him that Houston had the worst air quality in the nation. Maybe when that city is drowned by the rising sea and the waters rush to the doorstep of Bush's ranch in Crawford, our president might look up to the sky and say, ''Houston, we have a problem.''
Derrick Z. Jackson's e-mail address is jackson@globe.com.
This story ran on page A19 of the Boston Globe on 3/22/2002.
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/081/oped/Collapsing_the_doubts_on_warming+.shtml
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
2) Congressman Pete Stark: "It does smack of fascism"
Comments during debate on Concurrent Resolution on the Budget, Fiscal Year 2003
(House of Representatives - March 20, 2002)
Mr. Chairman, there are some of us who remember this world in the 1930s, when Hitler suspended the Bundestag to promulgate conservative ideology and not let people speak. It is a shame that the Republicans in the House, Mr. Chairman, have taken up that same ideology and are denying a chance for debate and open discussion of a budget. It does smack of fascism; and it is too bad, because the American people will recognize that and understand that in a free economy, and in a free country that created programs like Social Security and Medicare and special education and aid for dependent children and aid for people who are unable to care for themselves, for the disabled, that to deny them care is obscene.
I think it will be quite clear that, for whatever reason, whether it is deficits or anything else, that the overwhelming desire of the Republican Party is to destroy programs in the Federal Government, except those few intended for the very wealthy. Most of the colleagues who are screaming about the war never wore a uniform other than the Boy Scout uniform. And I would like to suggest, as I said before, none of them have worked in free enterprise, which they tout so loudly. And yet, because that is where the campaign contributions come from, in the hundreds of millions of dollars, that is where their allegiance is. They are forsaking the seniors who need health care and who need an economic safety net. They are forsaking our children by denying them the chance to come along and get an education.
I am sure the American public is going to recognize this, and I am sure they are going to recognize it when they see wasteful money spent on things like Star Wars, which will not work, and programs which do nothing except to pay for large defense contractors, who are related to former Republican Presidents, and I think they are going to see that this is an obscene, corrupt, and undemocratic attempt to harm those people who are most fragile in this country only to benefit the 1 or 2 percent of the very wealthiest. And I hope my colleagues will vote down this budget.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
3) Castro's Speech at the International Conference on Financing for Development
From:
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cuba to the United Nations
315 Lexington Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10016
Speech by Fidel Castro at the International Conference on Financing for Development
Monterrey, MARCH 21, 2002
Excellencies:
Not everyone here will share my thoughts. Still, I will respectfully say what I think. The existing world economic order constitutes a system of plundering and exploitation like no other in history. Thus, the peoples believe less and less in statements and promises. The prestige of the international financial institutions rates less than zero. The world economy is today a huge casino. Recent analyses indicate that for every dollar that goes into trade, over one hundred end up in speculative operations completely disconnected from the real economy.
As a result of this economic order, over 75 percent of the world population lives in underdevelopment, and extreme poverty has already reached 1.2 billion people in the Third World. So, far from narrowing the gap is widening. The revenue of the richest nations that in 1960 was 37 times larger than that of the poorest is now 74 times larger. The situation has reached such extremes that the assets of the three wealthiest persons in the world amount to the GDP of the 48 poorest countries combined. The number of people actually starving was 826 million in the year 2001. There are at the moment 854 million illiterate adults while 325 million children do not attend school. There are 2 billion people who have no access to low cost medications and 2.4 billion lack the basic sanitation conditions. No less than 11 million children under the age of 5 perish every year from preventable causes while half a million go blind for lack of vitamin A.
The life span of the population in the developed world is 30 years higher than that of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. A true genocide! The poor countries should not be blamed for this tragedy. They neither conquered nor plundered entire continents for centuries; they did not establish colonialism, or re-established slavery; and, modern imperialism is not of their making. Actually, they have been its victims. Therefore, the main responsibility for financing their development lies with those states that, for obvious historical reasons, enjoy today the benefits of those atrocities.
The rich world should condone their foreign debt and grant them fresh soft credits to finance their development. The traditional offers of assistance, always scant and often ridiculous, are either inadequate or unfulfilled. For a true and sustainable economic and social development to take place much more is required than is usually admitted. Measures as those suggested by the late James Tobin to curtail the irrepressible flow of currency speculation --albeit it was not his idea to foster development-- would perhaps be the only ones capable of generating enough funds, which in the hands of the UN agencies and not of awful institutions like the IMF, could supply direct development assistance with a democratic participation of all countries and without the need to sacrifice the independence and sovereignty of the peoples.
The Consensus draft, which the masters of the world are imposing on this conference, intends that we accept humiliating, conditioned and interfering alms. Everything created since Bretton Woods until today should be reconsidered. A farsighted vision was then missing, thus, the privileges and interests of the most powerful prevailed. In the face of the deep present crisis, a still worse future is offered where the economic, social and ecologic tragedy of an increasingly ungovernable world would never be resolved and where the number of the poor and the starving would grow higher, as if a large part of humanity were doomed. It is high time for statesmen and politicians to calmly reflect on this. The belief that a social and economic order that has proven to be unsustainable can be forcibly imposed is really senseless.
As I have said before, the ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry but they cannot kill ignorance, illnesses, poverty or hunger. It should definitely be said: "Farewell to arms!"
Something must be done to save Humanity!
A better world is possible!
Thank you.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
4) Leonard Peltier Update - Progress Made Toward Obtaining New Evidence
From the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Include in this message:
* Updates on the Motion to Reduce Leonard's Sentence
* Progress Made Toward Obtaining New Evidence
* Civil Rights Case
* Government Reform Committee
Dear Friends,
We are writing today with both good and bad news on the case of Leonard Peltier. But before we begin we want to thank all of you who have been sponsoring LPDC speakers and organizing Peltier events in your communities. Raising awareness continues to be essential and supporters have organized several successful events. Let's keep the LPDC speakers bureau busy and word of Leonard's case flowing! We also want to let you know that there will be three important events on June 26 marking 27 years since the shoot-out occurred. They include gatherings in Oglala, South Dakota, San Francisco, California and Boston, Massachusetts. We encourage you to plan on attending one of these events or organizing something in your community.
More details will be released soon.
BAD NEWS, BUT NOT SURPRISING
We regret to announce that the motion to reduce Leonard's sentence was denied by the U.S. District Court of North Dakota. We expected this case to be a challenge because of the many procedural obstacles it involved combined with the political nature of the Peltier case, especially in this district. However, we had hoped for more fairness given that Judge Benson, who tried Leonard, is no longer hearing cases. Judge Magnison denied the motion without a hearing based upon issues of timeliness. A motion to reduce sentence is supposed to be filed within a year following a conviction. However, we argued that filing at this late date was justified because of significant developments that occurred since trial, citing cases in which exceptions had been made due to extraordinary circumstances. The court said that the significant developments in question (government admission that it can't prove who shot agents/ballistics) had already been litigated. Judge Magnison refused to consider these issues despite the clearly different character of the case, which sought a review of sentence and not a new trial like before. Attorney Eric Seitz is appealing the decision to the Eighth Circuit.
NOW WHAT?
We MUST obtain new evidence and demand a new trial for Leonard Peltier. We are confident that key evidence exists in the thousands of documents that are withheld by the FBI and fortunately, we are moving closer to obtaining them.
GOOD NEWS!
Thanks to the persistent letters of supporters in Massachusetts, Representative Barney Frank wrote to the FBI insisting that the withheld documents be released given Clinton's Executive Order requiring the disclosure of documents after the passage of 25 years. The FBI Office of Public and Congressional Affairs responded by saying, "After receipt of your letter, the FBI consulted with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to request that the investigative records pertaining to Mr. Peltier that are 25 years or older be considered of significant historical interest subject to declassification review. NARA agreed and the process of declassification review has begun. Upon completion, the material will be accessioned to NARA and a declassified copy will be provided to your office. We anticipate completion of this project by the end of the year."
Attorney Mike Kuzma, who is handling Leonard's FOIA requests, wrote to NARA to learn when the declassification would be completed. Mike also asked that he be provided copies of the documents. NARA responded, "We have been informed that the records are still in the physical and legal custody of the FBI. The FBI has completed its declassification review and is currently processing the records for transfer to NARA and their subsequent public release. The transfer is expected to occur in May of this year. Following the transfer, NARA may require additional time to prepare for the public release of the records." This is a very positive development for us and strengthens our chances for obtaining new information. Furthermore, the documents are now protected against destruction because of their historical classification. The battle is not over, as we expect the documents to be partly censored for reasons of "national security" like before. But, we plan to demand the full release and exposure of the documents in court. It should also be noted that Mike Kuzma continues to pursue the documents through the Freedom of Information Act process. Requests have been submitted to FBI headquarters and numerous field offices across the country. With the exception of Portland, Oregon, all offices have reported that they possess records. We anticipate filing one or several suits to demand the release of these documents in the near future. Mike Kuzma is also working with law students involved in the Innocence Project of Osgoode Hall and the LPDC of Canada to obtain documents generated around the extradition.
MORE GOOD NEWS!
The civil rights complaint against the FBI has been drafted and the finishing touches are being added now. This case argues that the FBI violated Leonard's Constitutional Rights by lying to the Department of Justice, former President Clinton, the Parole Commission, and the public with the sole intention of denying Leonard fair clemency and parole reviews, thus costing him his long deserved freedom. We plan to do a major press blitz on the day the case is filed and we will need your participation. This is our chance to undo much of the disinformation disseminated by the FBI through the press in recent years. Please be prepared to forward the press release to your local media. We will let you know when we determine the exact date it will be filed. Please stay tuned.
NOTE: This case represents another opportunity to access the withheld FBI documents through discovery.
KEEP PUSHING CONGRESS FOR INVESTIGATIONS!
Meanwhile, a window of opportunity continues to exist with the House Committee on Government Reform. As you know this committee is planning to investigate cases of FBI misconduct leading to wrongful convictions. We must press the Reform Committee to shine its spot light on Leonard's case. Please continue to write Representative Burton on a regular basis, and cc your letters to your representative. A recent phone call to Rep Burton's office indicates that he is collecting and taking notice of our letters. Please send us copies of any response letters you receive from officials so that we can track their positions.
LET US KNOW
Let us know if you are organizing anything for Leonard whether it be for June 26 or any other date so that we can help by publicizing it. Do not hesitate to contact us to share your ideas and suggestions about building pressure and awareness for the freedom of Leonard Peltier!
Thank you.
In Solidarity,
LPDC
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
PO Box 583
Lawrence, KS 66044
Tel. 785-842-5774
Email. lpdc@freepeltier.org
http://www.freepeltier.org
Editor's note: If anyone is interested in receiving a video tape of the May 2000 Congressional Briefing on the Case of Leonard Peltier, you can write to the coordinator of the Leonard Peltier Support Group of New Eagleland: Chris Groden - Email address: groden@hotmail.com
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Flyby News is a free electronic news service regarding peace in space, human rights, indigenous, and environmental issues.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------www.flybynews.com-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************