Aisha writes: "When Muhammad Rafiq Butt died in the New Jersey's Hudson County jail on
Oct.
23 after a month of detention, no one knew he was there. The
55-year-old
Pakistani restaurant worker was one of the 1,147 people detained for
questioning in the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks. Until county
officials announced that Butt had been found dead in his jail cell,
neither
the Pakistani consulate, Butt's family, nor members of the local
Pakistani
community knew of his incarceration.

The Justice Department has since confirmed that they have no evidence
linking Butt to the hijackers. Butt, instead, was being held by the
Immigration and Naturalization Service for overstaying his visitor's
visa
and lacking proper travel documents. Yet his detention was cloaked in
secrecy. Butt's name was expunged from immigration charging documents.

Human rights attorneys say many immigrants like Butt, who speak little
English, often do not understand that they have the right to make phone
calls to lawyers and loved ones. And some, such as political
dissidents,
have good reasons for not contacting their consulates. But civil
liberties
groups say Butt's virtual disappearance into detention on Sept. 19 is
just
one of many cases where the government has withheld public information
about
detainees. Non-citizens held on immigration charges are most vulnerable
because they have no right to an attorney while in custody. Butt
appeared at
his hearing with a translator, but without legal counsel.

For the full story, go to:

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11882"

Autonomedia and Big Red Media announce the

2002 "Sheroes & Womyn Warriors" Wall Calendar

which is now available for purchase on-line at 2002 Sheroes Calendar.

Here is an explanation of this calendar project:

This is a corrective "history" project. It is part of a Herstory coming into being. We recognize, celebrate and honor "womyn" (spelled like this to take the Man out) of the past (as well as a few who still live today but are in their twilight years) who have been rebels and fighters against patriarchy, who opposed and fought invaders and aggressors to their homelands, and who represent radicals and revolutionaries of their times and societies, who if they were alive today, would continue to serve as sheroic examples. We've also included a few celestial and supernatural females important to a womyn-centeredness.

Rising Seas Force Evacuation of Island Country

Lester R. Brown

The leaders of Tuvalu--a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway
between Hawaii and Australia--have conceded defeat in their battle with the
rising sea, announcing that they will abandon their homeland. New Zealand
has agreed to accept all 11,000 citizens of Tuvalu, with migration expected
to start in 2002.

During the twentieth century, sea level rose by 20-30 centimeters (8-12
inches). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects a rise of up
to 1 meter during this century. Sea level is rising because of the melting
of glaciers and the thermal expansion of the ocean as a result of climate
change. This in turn is due to rising atmospheric levels of CO2, largely
from burning fossil fuels.