Szymon Niemiec writes:

"Poland's New Government Cracks Down on the Powerless"

Szymon Niemiec

POZNAN, POLAND — A demonstration held in the city of
Poznan today disintegrated into violence as police moved in on
peaceful protesters. According to organizers including civil rights,
LGBT and other left-wing organizations, the demonstration was held to
protest Poznan Mayor Ryszard Grobelny's decision to ban organizers
from holding an Equality march, and to demonstrate against
discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, race, and
disability.

The police initially surrounded the demonstrators to
separate them from opponents of the march and militiamen, who
outnumbered the activists approximately ten to one. After about two
hours of peaceful protest, one activist was dragged out of the circle
by the police while his companions cried "We're in Poland, not in
Belarus" and his fellow activists sat down to protest his removal.
Police thereupon began detaining marchers, only stopping when police
cars grew too full.

According to witnesses and protesters, those detained were dragged
face-down along the pavement; some were bludgeoned by police or struck
open-handed on the kidneys. In all, some 80 activists were detained for
questioning, while those from the opposition crowd who were heckling and
assaulting protesters were allowed to continue their activities
unmolested. In a slogan reminiscent of Nazi era propaganda, one placard
carried by the opposition group proclaimed "One leader, one faith, one
truth."

First U.S. Woman Conscientious Objector

Katharine Jashinski

Statement made at Ft. Benning, GA on November 17, 2005 by SPC Katherine
Jashinski, first woman in the military to publicly declare resistance to
participation in the war:

My name is Katherine Jashinski. I am a SPC in the Texas Army National
Guard. I was born in Milwaukee, WI and I am 22 years old. When I
graduated high school I moved to Austin, TX to attend college. At age 19
I enlisted in the Guard as a cook because I wanted to experience military
life. When I enlisted I believed that killing was immoral, but also that
war was an inevitable part of life and therefore, an exception to the
rule.

Fish Numbers Plummet in Warming Pacific

Geoffrey Lean,
UK Independent

Disappearance of plankton causes unprecedented collapse in sea and
bird life off western US coast

A catastrophic collapse in sea and bird life numbers along America's
Northwest Pacific seaboard is raising fears that global warming is
beginning to irreparably damage the health of the oceans.

Scientists say a dramatic rise in the ocean temperature led to
unprecedented deaths of birds and fish this summer all along the
coast from central California to British Columbia in Canada.

Historic Vermont Secession Meeting Held


Greg Szymanski

The members of a peaceful freedom-fighting group want no part of neo-cons
running the imperialistic U.S. government. Plan to secede from the U.S.
gaining momentum in the fiercely independent Green Mountain state.

The neo-con band of criminals running Washington, trampling on civil rights
at home and invading countries at will overseas, has led a large group of
strong-minded Vermont freedom-fighters with no choice but to secede from the
United States.

And last Friday at the state capital building in Montpelier, a historic
independence convention was held, the first of its kind in the United States
since May 20, 1861, when South Carolina decided to leave the Union.