Mark Lewis' News Links

2005-09-13T08:51:00.000-06:00

Mark Lewis
http://CSAction.org

Colorado SPrings will hold a Leave My Child Alone Orientation in Gaylord Hall, on the Colorado College campus on Tuesday, September 13 at 6:30 pm. An 11 minute film will be shown and a planning, training, brainstorm session will follow. The task of the meeting is how to most effectively get high school seniors to opt out of the No Child Left Behind provision 9528, that gives their personal information to military recruiters.

The orientation is organized by Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission (ppjpc.org), Citizen's for Peace in Space, and Springs Action Alliance (csaction.org), in concert with national groups like Leave My Child Alone, and The Network Opposed to the Militarization of Youth.

Refreshments, documents, posters, websites, and other information will be provided. School Board and PTA attendance will be planned, letters to superintendents will be written, and resolutions to school boards will be finalized.

Dennis Apuan, director of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission said (ppjpc.org), "In many school districts, students' names, addresses and phone numbers are given to the military recruiters without first obtaining the student's permission. Then the recruiters bother them with many uninvited phone calls at home."

"This issue is about family privacy, as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Students and parents should demand that their school not give out their contact information without permission! We must stop the military's invasion of student privacy", Mr. Apuan said.

"Schools should be teaching peacemaking and mediation skills, instead of promoting militarism and glamorizing violent responses to conflict."

The film, created by Main Street Moms, and featuring Cindy Sheehan of Gold Stars Families for Peace (gsfp.org), who organized a month long protest outside President Bush's ranch this summer, lasts 11 minutes and will be shown at 7pm.

Mark Lewis, Of the Springs Action Alliance (csaction.org) said, "Recruiters target the socio-economically challenged and tell them they will get $70,000 for college under the GI Bill, but 43% never receive a penny and 92% get less than the full benefit the recruiters promise. On top of that they have to pay $1,200 annual fee for the enrollment, and it's not refundable!"

"25,000 families of service personnel are eligible for food stamps. I think that's not only in insult to those willing to risk their lives for our country, but proves the fact that the military is targeting at risk people of color and lower socio-economic background!"

Mr. Lewis publishes the full list of facts, documentation and forms on his website, http://CSAction.org and covers the ongoing counter recruitment movement in the group's daily news.

"I don't think the recruiter that was tape recorded in Golden, Colorado providing a student with a diploma mill to buy a fake GED for $200 is an isolated incident. That recruiter is on tape promising a falsified drug test to the student. I don't know about you, but I don't want that person in a fox hole with my daughter, and high as a kite, because some recruiter sold her safety out for some recruitment quota", Mr.Lewis said.

A petition in support of House Resolution 551 that would make the No Child Left Behind law an OPT IN law, will be available for signing. along with a petition to stop the Pentagon from compiling a database of 30 million high school students.

2005-09-03T16:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday's News
ACTIVISM:
CSAction.org and Thomasmc.com back in business
National Park Service will allow 100,000 to surround WH September 24
Photos of march in Austin with Cindy Sheehan
One of Camp Casey bus tours arrives in Wichita
Petition congress to support Medicaid and NOT the pharmaceutical industry
Petition Senate to keep Estate Tax
Leave My Child Alone.org for NCLB recruitment opt out forms

IRAQ:
5,0000 troops in giant assault on Tal Afar; 40 miles from Syrian border

PALESTINE:
1 million Palestinian school kids back in school in Gaza

WORLD:
Venezuela: Chavez claims a secret NATO plan to invade country

US:
Gallup refuses to poll US on impeachment; "hypothetical" until congress acts
Coroner admits Taser could have contributed to the deaths of 2 inmates shot multiple times
New record: 415 people have died in 11 months trying to cross the border into the US
KKKarl Rove owes DC $3,400 for claiming tax credits for 2 residences in 2 states
Security clearance removed for man who blew whistle of 500 tons of VX gas with faulty sensors

HURRICANE:
Photo of busses NOT used for evacuation, and cannot be used now for relocation
Contract to rebuild Navy facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana? Halliburton, of course
Homeland Suckyourity will not let Red Cross deliver food to New Orleans
FEMA head, Brown, fired from last job regulating horse shows; roommate of last head, Allbaugh
National Guard offered from New Mexico Sunday; WH blocked until Thursday
Noriega: US will accept Venezuela's offer of aid, but humanitarian workers is undecided
Colorado Springs town Hall brainstorm for hurricane relief 7pm, Set 6, City Auditorium
Hurricane Housing.org from MoveOn.org to offer or find housing for refugees
Second Harvest donations for hurricane food relief
Charity Navigator's list of those getting 4 stars for relief work
Network for Good.org list of recommended charities for hurricane relief
Air American public voicemail to help displaced find relatives; NOT set up by FEMA
AFO-CIO Union Community Fund for hurricane victims
NAACP fund for hurricane victims

COLORADO:
Tim Gill will match Red Cross with $1 million for hurricane victims
District judge will rule Tuesday on Bruce's ballot initiatives
Wal-Mart admits plans to build superstore in Falcon; and it lied about it last year

HUMOR:
bush announces major surgery to head removed from ass
Robertson apologizes for assassination remark; god apologizes for Robertson
bush places Cindy Sheehan on the the "Axis of Evil" list

2005-09-02T14:02:00.000-06:00

Fridays' news
ACTIVISM:
Saturday planning meeting for NCLB opt out of recruitment action at J&P, 11am; 632-6189
CSAction.org and Thomasmc.com servers in New Orleans are down until further notice
Thomasmc.com back up on another server
Hundreds hear Cindy at first stop on 26 city state bus in Austin
Photo: Joan Baez at the Crawford Peace House
MoveOn.org's hurricane housing website for refugees in southeast
Sergeant Kelly Dougherty, of Iraq Veterans Against the War, on the cover of INDY
Rove went to counter protest (he arranged) across from Camp Casey, Tuesday night (photos)
Write letter to editor of Colorado papers to inform parents how to OPT OUT of NCLB
Petition congress and Senate to bring home National Guard from Iraq NOW
Petition FDA commissioner to get off his ass and OK emergency contraception OTC
American rights at Work.org for Labor day

IRAQ:
Pentagram's top lawyer will take job at Blackwater, whom he investigated for corruption

PALESTINE:
90% of water in Gaza undrinkable after Israelis cut off supply squatters got

9/11:
Pentagram admits 3 more substantiate Atta, 3 others, named by Able Danger BEFORE attack
Secret CIA study recommends investigation of Tenet's response before attack

WORLD:
Darfur: AU suspends troop deployment to Sudan over lack of jet fuel and monsoons
Oil commodities investment firm predicts $92.50 per barrel by January

US:
2004 ruling for Gale Norton by S Court saying Wilderness Act is ONLY priorities, NOT prescription
bush/norton overturned regulation to deny mining permits for "substantial irreparable harm"
SAIC, largest private war pimp and profiteer, will go public in $1.7 Billion IPO offer
Personal savings rate dives into negative integers for second time in 46 years
Pediatric electrophysiologist: PROOF Taser caused fibrillation in heart of teen
Maryland: 9 couples get lawsuit to circuit court on same sex marriage
California Senate votes 21-15 to PASS same sex marriage bill
Cape Wind: US' first offshore wind farm will be 3 miles off Nantucket

HURRICANE:
bush/GOP passed largest ever CUT in Louisiana Hurricane protection in Energy Bill: $72M
2001: FEMA warned New Orleans hurricane 1 of 3 most likely disasters; NOT SADDAM
2001 article, among those ignored by bush, HS, GOP, about the threat to New Orleans
FEMA denies 500 Florida airboats entrance to New Orleans; threatened with arrest
bush fired civilian head of Corp of Engineers for saying budget to protect coastline was crap
Alabama S Court: no bail for looters in and around Mobile
Louisiana National Guard wants people and equipment back from Iraq where they're needed
Dave Matthews' fourth show at Red Rocks a benefit for victims; hope to raise $1 million
FEMA lists taliban Robertson's "Operation Blessing" 3rd on list for donations
Head of New Orleans emergency operations: FEMA response: "national disgrace"

COLORADO:
After Billions spent at Rocky Flats, radiation remains at 28 ot 178 test sites
Adams County fights proposed nuclear waste in hazardous waste dump near Last Chance
TABOR has surplus of $44.7 million
Molson/Coors board starts investigation with SEC after 20% loss from antitrust crime merger
Thornton ballot will also decide on Wal-Mart infestation
Gasoline, plane flights, building supplies, poultry, shrimping, railroads impact from hurricane inflation spiral
Fucus starts campaign to reestablish "christian" madrassa at AFA
Glenwood Springs council: doubling wind power to 8% from 4% would cost ONLY 65¢ per customer
Carbondale installs 4,000 Watt Solar generator for town hall this week
Rifle city council votes 5-2 AGAINST drilling Roan Plateau; Sept 20 deadline to BLM
Latest victims of oil/gas plunder: 120 wild mustangs to be removed near Rangley
Solar panels wait as Springs sits on ass on Amendment 37 rebates for renewable energy

HUMOR:
Cartoon: bush asks for help from roof of white house
Cartoon: reports of looting BEFORE the hurricane
Scientists map genome; show that republicons have 99% same genes as humans