This is a new section on the Behold! website where I (Scribbler) will post political news, analysis and events. While these are only Scribbler’s thoughts, the rest of the band isn’t that different in views that Scribbler.

In this weeks installment I want to just give a layout of a number of issues. The war trudges on, with the US receiving it’s 2,500th death in Iraq. (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/652C7A46-8604-4F3C-8999-9E2A3883B038.htm) Reports of US troops murdering civilians in a massacre in Haditha should come as a surprise to people who know the history of such massacres. From Wounded Knee to My Lai, and now Abu Ghraib and Haditha. (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jun2006/bush-j02.shtml)

Lets not forget the war in Afghanistan and US troops stationed in every corner of the world from Korea to Europe. There’s also the US military aid supplied to every pro-business regime or dictatorship in the world, from Colombia to the Philippines. Sooner or later the US will lose in Iraq like it lost in Vietnam. I will cheer when that day happens, because it means I won’t have to worry about my friends in the army being sent to die so Cheney’s stock in Halliburton will go up, and the Iraqi people will have their sovereignty returned to them and hopefully their freedom from US tyranny. (http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060602092203749)

With the lowest opinion rating of the Bush administration, republicans tried creating new scares for their base of voters. Now that everyone realizes that Iraq had no WMD’s (but the US did), that Saddam had no ties to Bin Laden (but Bush did), etc, the republicans are trying to make us afraid of our neighbors, immigrants. Racists like the minutemen (http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=13) and their allies in congress are attacking immigrants, saying that they should all be deported, or forced to learn English. They try to depict immigrants as leeching off of America, but it should be remembered that Texas, California and New Mexico were all stolen from Mexico, by European immigrants to this country. In other words, who is the illegal alien pilgrim? Free trade deals have decimated Mexico’s economy and many subsistence farmers are forced off their lands as US subsidized agribusinesses flood the market.

Can we blame them for seeking employment in honest labor in the US? No human being is illegal, rather the corporations that profit off of exploiting immigrants and politicians who benefit from racist movements should be illegal. (http://www.immigrantsolidarity.org/) Hundreds of thousands who feel this way have been organizing and have held enormous demonstrations for immigrants rights, with several happening across the country on International Workers day, May day, May 1st. The day holds a special significance for Behold! as several of our songs have to deal with the original may day and the Haymarket Martyrs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_Riot)

I also want to comment on the fate of the SHAC 7. Behold! played a benefit show for their legal defense fund and feel it’s necessary to stand up against the the “Green Scare” which is attempting to paint environmentalists and animal rights activists as terrorists. We say the true terrorists are the company’s who pollute the earth, cause global warming and torture innocent animals for profit. (http://www.greenscare.org/) The SHAC 7’s only crime was to run a website site about the campaign to Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty.

Huntington Life Sciences is an animal testing company that would not only torture an kill animals, but would fake statistics to tell drug company’s their product worked, when they didn’t. The SHAC 7 were 7 people who ran a website that wanted HLS shut down and posted news about various groups actions against HLS. For this, they were branded terrorists by the government, and convicted on several charges. They are still awaiting sentencing and all face up to several years in prison. (http://shac7.com/) Free speech? Only if your rich enough to own Fox News it seems.

I’ll see you in the streets.

Dear SHAC 7 Supporters, Yesterday, the SHAC 7 appeared in court in Trenton, New Jersey, for their motions for a new trial to be heard and to discuss a sentencing date.
Dear SHAC 7 Supporters, Yesterday, the SHAC 7 appeared in court in Trenton, New Jersey, for their motions for a new trial to be heard and to discuss a sentencing date.Their motions were denied, and a new sentencing date has been set. Sentencing will be September 12, at the federal courthouse in Trenton, New Jersey. PLEASE mark your calendars and try to make arrangements to attend. Each of the defendants are looking at several years (some up to 11 years!) in prison. In the meantime, please remember you can always write the defendants–Jake Conroy, Darius Fulmer, Lauren Gazzola, Josh Harper, Kevin Kjonaas, and Andy Stepanian–while they are on house arrest. Information on how to send them a note is here: http://shac7.com/prisoner.htm And don’t forget the fundraising efforts are continuing to pay the mounting legal fees for appeal. There are some upcoming benefits listed at the bottom of this email in Brooklyn, NY; San Francisco, CA, and Denver, CA. And the long anticipated “SHAC Packs” are now available through Herbivore Clothing! The packs include a great SHAC 7/Legalize Animal Rights Shirt (printed on American Apparel/sweatshop free shirts!), 2 buttons, a sticker, and 10 postcards. Help get the word out, get some great animal rights stuff, AND support the SHAC 7. Buy it here: http://www.herbivoreclothing.com/shac.page.html Your continued support for the SHAC 7 and your actions on behalf of the animals means a lot to the Jake, Lauren, Andy, Josh, Darius, and Kevin as they await sentencing. Keep it up! For the Animals, The SHAC 7 Support Committee

At 2:45 on Friday, June 16th a delegation of the IWW Starbucks workers union entered Starbucks at 57th and Lexington.
Submitted by intexile on Sun, 06/18/2006 - 4:30am. At 2:45 on Friday, June 16th a delegation of the IWW Starbucks workers union entered Starbucks at 57th and Lexington. Workers on the shop floor put on their IWW union pins and let the company know that they too were members ofthe Starbucks Workers union. Workers stopped working as they presented their demands to their store manager Patrice Britton. The Store manager refused to take the list of demands and ordered everyone back to work. Workers spoke out and let the manager and customers know their concerns. Meanwhile several wobblies were passing out leaflets outside letting customers know what was happening inside. There was chaos on the floor where the manager was telling workers to get back to work meanwhile customers were asking wha twas happening and why they weren’t being served. There was shouting and arguing. Finally District manager Veronica Park arrived and quickly singled out the leaders. Isis Saenz and Charles Fostrum were told to count their registers and clock out. They refused and then taken into the back room. Management yelled at the two to clock out and they continually refused. Isis constantly accused management of anti-union discrimination to which manager Patrice Britton exploded in anger. District manager Veronica Park seven had to calm Patrice down several times when he began to get worked up and out of hand. After 10 minutes workers were finally allowed to go back to work. This is the 5th Starbucks store in NYC to establish a public organizing committee and make collective demands from the company. some of these demands included a guaranteed 30 hour work week, an end to the 1minute lateness policy, an end to unfair firings. Workers also called up on the company to stop all illegal anti-union activity, stop violating federal labor law and to abide by the National Labor Relations board settlement (http://www.starbucksunion.org/node/712).Take action! Call Starbucks management and let them know you do not approve of worker exploitation and the continuing anti-union campaign. Tell them to stop intimidating and harassing workers and allow us our right to organize. * Store Manager Patrice Britton: Work: 212-486-1632 Cell 917-528-6409 * District Manager Veronica Park: Cell : 201-970-1118 * Regional Director Kathy Mcleod: Cell : 917-862-145 or Work 212-613-1280 ext 2226 * Regional VP James Mcdermont: Work: 212-613-1280 ext 2201

*commenting is closed on this post due to spammers. Thank the spammers everyone!