From temaokun at earthlink.net Tue Aug 11 16:29:21 2009 From: temaokun at earthlink.net (Tema Okun) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:29:21 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] Radical Religious/Spiritual Yom Kippur in N.C. Message-ID: <9A0C3486-85A8-4CC5-885A-834F6EE31078@earthlink.net> We would appreciate it if you could share this with your list; we are trying to make sure that Jews (and others) who want to observe Yom Kippur and are looking for a radical religious/spiritual space know this is happening. Thank you so much. NC Havurah Yom Kippur Retreat Spiritual Nourishment and Radical Religious Community for the Jewish High Holidays Sunday and Monday September 27 and 28 The Stone House Mebane, NC Join us in building a spiritual and radical religious community at a two day Yom Kippur retreat full of study, singing, fasting, and prayer. We plan to create a spiritually uplifting, emotionally engaging, introspective, and welcoming space. In addition to focusing on our personal atonement we will be talking and reflecting critically about the teaching/meaning of Yom Kippur in the context of the ongoing occupation of Palestine and Palestinian people. We welcome people who identify in a diversity of ways. This will be an antizionist, nonzionist, diasporist, queer and trans positive space. We will spend Sunday day in a variety of workshops, studying and discussing the themes, prayers, practices, and meaning of Yom Kippur. This will include private and paired engagement in teshuva (a return/change/repentance/transformation/healing process) to help us reflect on where we have been in the previous year and where we aim to be in the year to come. Sunday evening and Monday we will observe Yom Kippur together through prayer, singing, fasting, and reflection. On Monday evening we will break fast together. Services, study, and discussion will be led by Rabbinical student and activist Ari Lev Fornari This spiritual radical retreat will be held at The Stone House in Mebane, N.C. www.stonecircles.org SUNDAY Workshops 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Festive Meal to Start the Fast 5 p.m. Kol Nidre Services 6:30 p.m. MONDAY Yom Kippur Retreat 10 a.m. - Sunset Break Fast 6:30 p.m. Festive Meal and Break Fast are potluck. Drinks will be provided. In order to offset the costs associated with the retreat, we ask that you make a financial contribution that meets your budget anywhere in the range of $25-$150. No one turned away for lack of funds! In order to plan properly, we ask you to pre-register by responding to this e-mail at temaokun at earthlink.net. Let us know whether you will be attending Sunday and/or Monday and/or both and indicate whatever contribution you feel you can make (if you can). For more information, contact Tema Okun at temaokun at earthlink.net . 919.949.0609 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NC Havurah Yom Kippur Retreat w-o #s.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 34419 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Wed Aug 12 08:44:22 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:44:22 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: [D2K-D] are black rights campaigners still relevant? article Message-ID: This was forwarded to me by a member of another org. ----- Original Message ----- From: Eos de Feminis To: D2K Diversity conference Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 1:21 PM Subject: [D2K-D] are black rights campaigners still relevant? article Are black rights campaigners still relevant? By Gary Younge Benjamin Jealous is the new leader of America's oldest and largest civil rights organisation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The 36-year-old joins an organisation that begins its 100th year with a funding crisis, an image crisis and dwindling membership. A few weeks ago, a private swimming club in suburban Philadelphia was accused of racism after it cancelled a contract with a group of mostly black and Latino children to swim there once a week. It was a hot afternoon towards the end of June, and as the children from the Creative Steps Day Camp dived in, some of the white parents pulled their kids out. One child said he overheard a woman ask: "What are those black kids doing here?" When asked why the group's contract had been cancelled, the club's president, John Duesler, initially said: "There is a lot of concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion? the atmosphere of the club." He has also said the decision was made out of safety considerations, not racial concerns. 'Beers and reconciliation' A few weeks later, a renowned Harvard professor arrived home in Cambridge Massachusetts to find he could not get into his house. ? The nature of the battles we are fighting has shifted ? Benjamin Jealous, new leader of the NAACP Henry Louis Gates Jr asked the cab driver if he would help jimmy the door. A passer-by saw them and called the police. The ensuing fracas between the policeman and the professor ended in the arrest of Mr Gates for disorderly conduct, and a fraught national conversation about racial profiling. The matter became an affair of state after President Barack Obama chastised the police for acting "stupidly". It ended with Mr Obama inviting the two men to the White House for highly publicised beers and reconciliation. In between those two incidents came the centennial conference of the nation's oldest civil right's organisation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which recently elected its youngest leader, 36-year-old Benjamin Jealous. It was a curious hiatus: a week sandwiched between two familiar bouts of interracial fury, during which commentators asked whether both the NAACP and the struggle for racial equality remained necessary and relevant. 'Greying revolutionaries' As the first leader of the organisation who has never experienced codified segregation, the appointment of Mr Jealous was controversial. The board was evenly split. His arrival signals not just a generational handover but yet more evidence of the paradigm shift in black American politics. Thanks to the success of civil rights struggles, African Americans can now advance through top colleges, business and academia. Their ascent is no longer limited to historically black colleges, the church and majority black congressional districts. ? One in three black boys born in 2001 is destined to go to jail, according to The Sentencing Project ? This creates more opportunity and less forced cohesion. In the past, black leadership was produced by the black community. Now black leaders are more likely to be presented to it. But Mr Jealous has a tough task ahead of him. "The fight in any year in any decade for this organisation is about two things," Mr Jealous said. "It's about the present and the future." But many believe the organisation is stuck in the past. Following the civil rights years there was a "rapid disintegration of purpose and organisation," says Juan Williams, author of the civil rights classic, Eyes on the Prize. "By the 1980s the very leadership of the group is in chaos," he says. "They become like greying revolutionaries." 'Human rights battles' Away from the conference marking the NAACP's centenary, pretty much all the African Americans we spoke to had a genuine affection for the historical advances achieved by the NAACP. Those young people we spoke to in working class areas of Harlem and Baltimore who had come into contact with the organisation were impressed. But they were also relatively few and most were pretty confused about what its role should be today and how it should go about playing it. The experiences of the children in Philadelphia and the fracas between Gates and the policeman indicates that racism remains an urgent issue. One in three black boys born in 2001 is destined to go to jail, according to the Sentencing Project, a national organisation that promotes "more effective and humane" alternatives to prison for criminal offenders. Yet reducing racism to a simple morality play starring villains and victims, white hoods and nooses is more ludicrous than ever. Thanks to civil rights victories, African Americans now have the right to go into any restaurant they wish. But thanks to the legacy of segregation and continuing discrimination many cannot afford what is on the menu. That, says Mr Jealous, demands a change in strategy. "The nature of the battles we are fighting has shifted," he said in his first conference address. "We will always be there to enforce basic civil rights. But the big battles. The battles for good schools; the battles for good jobs, for health care for all? are human rights battles." An organisation does not get to be 100 by accident. It needs to be sufficiently conservative to maintain its institutional integrity and sufficiently responsive to adapt to changing circumstances. Quite what that will mean for the young swimmers of Philadelphia, both black and white, remains to be seen. Benjamin Jealous - The Future Of NAACP? will be broadcast on Monday, 3 August, 2009 at 8pm on Radio 4. Gary Younge is a journalist based in the US. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/8181127.stm Published: 2009/08/03 11:58:14 GMT ? BBC MMIX Print Sponsor Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. Try it now. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity Visit Your Group Give Back Yahoo! for Good Get inspired by a good cause. Y! Toolbar Get it Free! easy 1-click access to your groups. Yahoo! Groups Start a group in 3 easy steps. Connect with others. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From margeryfreeman at yahoo.com Wed Aug 12 11:42:46 2009 From: margeryfreeman at yahoo.com (margery freeman) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:42:46 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [WAsummit] Radical Religious/Spiritual Yom Kippur in N.C. In-Reply-To: <9A0C3486-85A8-4CC5-885A-834F6EE31078@earthlink.net> Message-ID: <382187.19334.qm@web110103.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Tema, Thanks for this, which I'll share with our networks. I wanted to also thank you for your amazing article from Palestine.? I find that your words and the?conditions you describe continue to resonate with me.? I have been a "student" of Arab-Israeli politics and history, even as a U.S. gentile, since before the 1967 war.? Israel's path has been tragic - in large measure because I think it could have been prevented.? And now the logical outcome -?Israel's growing apartheid state?and the suffering of the Palestinians?- requires that that tragedy?becomes a central focus for antiracists in this country.? You've added much to the dialogue. Thank you for your tears, your wisdom, and your challenge. Best regards, Margery ? ? Margery Freeman The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond - Northeast Region 718-918-2716; cell: 504-813-2368 www.pisab.org; www.antiracistalliance.com ? --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Tema Okun wrote: From: Tema Okun Subject: [WAsummit] Radical Religious/Spiritual Yom Kippur in N.C. To: Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 6:29 PM We would appreciate it if you could share this with your list;? we are trying to make sure? that Jews (and others) who want to observe Yom Kippur and? are looking for a radical religious/spiritual space know this is happening.? Thank you so much. NC Havurah Yom Kippur Retreat? Spiritual Nourishment?and?Radical Religious Community? for?the Jewish High Holidays ? Sunday and Monday September 27 and 28 The Stone House Mebane, NC ? ? Join us in building a spiritual and radical religious community at a two day Yom Kippur retreat? full of study, singing, fasting, and prayer.?? We plan to create a spiritually uplifting, emotionally engaging, introspective, and welcoming space. In addition to focusing on our personal atonement we will?be talking and reflecting critically? about the teaching/meaning of Yom Kippur? in the context of the ongoing occupation of Palestine and Palestinian people. ? We welcome?people who identify in a diversity of ways.? This will be an antizionist, nonzionist, diasporist, queer and trans positive space. ? We will spend Sunday day in a?variety?of workshops,? studying and discussing the themes, prayers, practices, and meaning of Yom Kippur.?? This will include private and paired engagement in? teshuva (a?return/change/repentance/transformation/healing?process)? to help us reflect on where we have been in the previous year? and where we aim to be in the year to come.?? ? Sunday evening and Monday we will observe Yom Kippur together? through prayer, singing, fasting, and reflection. On Monday evening we will break fast together. ? Services, study, and discussion will be led by Rabbinical student and activist Ari Lev Fornari? ? This spiritual radical retreat will be held at The Stone House in Mebane, N.C. www.stonecircles.org ? SUNDAY ?Workshops 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Festive Meal to Start the Fast 5 p.m. Kol Nidre Services 6:30 p.m. ? MONDAY Yom Kippur Retreat 10 a.m. - Sunset Break Fast 6:30 p.m. ? Festive Meal and Break Fast are potluck. Drinks will be provided. ? In order to offset the costs associated with the retreat,? we ask that you make a financial contribution that meets your budget anywhere in the range of?$25-$150. No one turned away for lack of funds! ? In order to plan properly, we ask you to pre-register by responding to this e-mail at?temaokun at earthlink.net. Let us know whether you will be attending Sunday and/or Monday and/or both and indicate whatever contribution you feel you can make (if you can). ? For more information,? contact Tema Okun at?temaokun at earthlink.net?. 919.949.0609 -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From temaokun at earthlink.net Wed Aug 12 20:21:31 2009 From: temaokun at earthlink.net (Tema Okun) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:21:31 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] Radical Religious/Spiritual Yom Kippur in N.C. In-Reply-To: <382187.19334.qm@web110103.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <382187.19334.qm@web110103.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <03A8E47E-2FA9-4C1D-BC74-DE2736DC5091@earthlink.net> Thanks, Margery. Means a lot coming from you. Hope you are well. And thanks for spreading the word. Tema On Aug 12, 2009, at 1:42 PM, margery freeman wrote: > Tema, > Thanks for this, which I'll share with our networks. > I wanted to also thank you for your amazing article from Palestine. > I find that your words and the conditions you describe continue to > resonate with me. I have been a "student" of Arab-Israeli politics > and history, even as a U.S. gentile, since before the 1967 war. > Israel's path has been tragic - in large measure because I think it > could have been prevented. And now the logical outcome - Israel's > growing apartheid state and the suffering of the Palestinians - > requires that that tragedy becomes a central focus for antiracists > in this country.. You've added much to the dialogue. > Thank you for your tears, your wisdom, and your challenge. > Best regards, > Margery > > > > > Margery Freeman > The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond - Northeast Region > 718-918-2716; cell: 504-813-2368 > www.pisab.org; www.antiracistalliance.com > > > > --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Tema Okun wrote: > > From: Tema Okun > Subject: [WAsummit] Radical Religious/Spiritual Yom Kippur in N.C. > To: > Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 6:29 PM > > We would appreciate it if you could share this with your list; > > we are trying to make sure > > that Jews (and others) who want to observe Yom Kippur and > > are looking for a radical religious/spiritual space know this is > happening. > > Thank you so much. > > > > NC Havurah Yom Kippur Retreat > > Spiritual Nourishment and Radical Religious Community > > for the Jewish High Holidays > > > Sunday and Monday > > September 27 and 28 > > The Stone House > > Mebane, NC > > > > Join us in building a spiritual and radical religious community > > at a two day Yom Kippur retreat > > full of study, singing, fasting, and prayer. > > We plan to create a spiritually uplifting, emotionally engaging, > > introspective, and welcoming space. > > In addition to focusing on our personal atonement > > we will be talking and reflecting critically > > about the teaching/meaning of Yom Kippur > > in the context of the ongoing occupation of Palestine and > Palestinian people. > > We welcome people who identify in a diversity of ways. > > This will be an antizionist, nonzionist, diasporist, > > queer and trans positive space. > > > We will spend Sunday day in a variety of workshops, > > studying and discussing the themes, prayers, practices, > > and meaning of Yom Kippur. > > This will include private and paired engagement in > > teshuva (a return/change/repentance/transformation/healing process) > > to help us reflect on where we have been in the previous year > > and where we aim to be in the year to come. > > > Sunday evening and Monday we will observe Yom Kippur together > > through prayer, singing, fasting, and reflection. > > On Monday evening we will break fast together. > > > Services, study, and discussion will be led by > > Rabbinical student and activist > > Ari Lev Fornari > > > This spiritual radical retreat will be held at > > The Stone House > > in Mebane, N.C. > > www.stonecircles.org > > > SUNDAY > > Workshops > > 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. > > Festive Meal to Start the Fast > > 5 p.m. > > Kol Nidre Services > > 6:30 p.m. > > > MONDAY > > Yom Kippur Retreat > > 10 a.m. - Sunset > > Break Fast 6:30 p.m. > > > Festive Meal and Break Fast are potluck. > > Drinks will be provided. > > > In order to offset the costs associated with the retreat, > > we ask that you make a financial contribution > > that meets your budget anywhere in the range of $25-$150. > > No one turned away for lack of funds! > > > In order to plan properly, > > we ask you to pre-register > > by responding to this e-mail at temaokun at earthlink.net. > > Let us know whether you will be attending > > Sunday and/or Monday and/or both > > and indicate whatever contribution you feel you can make (if you can). > > > For more information, > > contact Tema Okun > > at temaokun at earthlink.net . 919.949.0609 > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Tema Okun 204 Rigsbee Avenue . #201 Durham . NC 27701 919.949.0609 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Thu Aug 13 01:06:27 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:06:27 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: thought y'all should know about this....something to consider...??? Message-ID: <3FD521DB9B4C4EC1AE11E4B9EBDEF194@OWNERPC> thought I'd forward this - might be something some of you want to participate in..looks interesting. nancy ----- Original Message ----- http://www.div17.org/Temp/2009%20TAAR%20Media%20Task%20Force.htm Taking Action Against Racism Media Task Force The Taking Action Against Racism Media Task Force is working on a creative endeavor and welcomes your submissions. The project goal is to create a webpage to provide educators, community leaders, diversity trainers, and all who seek to take action against racism through education a resource of high-quality, engaging media clips, with accompanying discussion questions, activities, and teaching tools. Clips are being organized by theme: overt racism, micro-aggressions, internalized racism, white privilege, how is racism learned, mixed isms. These categories will expand as media examples are collected. Clips also are categorized by the intended audience( e.g., K-12, college, business, etc) and a FAQ video is planned with national experts in the field of multiculturalism recommending how to do our best work in difficult dialogues. If you would like to give psychology away , want to work with some fun colleagues and have meaningful online and monthly phone conferences on the topic of how we can take action against racism, consider joining us. Visit our google group by clicking here or pasting http://groups.google.com/group/TAARmedia into your web browser. If you are interested in joining this effort, pleae email Jill Barber. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cls2001 at swbell.net Thu Aug 13 08:16:42 2009 From: cls2001 at swbell.net (Carrie Stewart) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:16:42 -0500 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: thought y'all should know about this....something to consider...??? In-Reply-To: <3FD521DB9B4C4EC1AE11E4B9EBDEF194@OWNERPC> References: <3FD521DB9B4C4EC1AE11E4B9EBDEF194@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <062801ca1c20$afd60350$0f8209f0$@net> Very cool - thanks! Carrie L. Stewart, M.C.I.S. Owner/Principal One World Consulting OneWorld at swbell.net 512-350-9030 (O/M) Gathering People ~ Finding Common Ground From: wasummit-bounces at lists.wacan.org [mailto:wasummit-bounces at lists.wacan.org] On Behalf Of Nancy Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2009 2:06 AM To: WASUMMIT LISTSERVE; D2KD Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: thought y'all should know about this....something to consider...??? thought I'd forward this - might be something some of you want to participate in..looks interesting. nancy ----- Original Message ----- http://www.div17.org/Temp/2009%20TAAR%20Media%20Task%20Force.htm Taking Action Against Racism Media Task Force The Taking Action Against Racism Media Task Force is working on a creative endeavor and welcomes your submissions. The project goal is to create a webpage to provide educators, community leaders, diversity trainers, and all who seek to take action against racism through education a resource of high-quality, engaging media clips, with accompanying discussion questions, activities, and teaching tools. Clips are being organized by theme: overt racism, micro-aggressions, internalized racism, white privilege, how is racism learned, mixed isms. These categories will expand as media examples are collected. Clips also are categorized by the intended audience( e.g., K-12, college, business, etc) and a FAQ video is planned with national experts in the field of multiculturalism recommending how to do our best work in difficult dialogues. If you would like to give psychology away , want to work with some fun colleagues and have meaningful online and monthly phone conferences on the topic of how we can take action against racism, consider joining us. Visit our google group by clicking here or pasting http://groups.google.com/group/TAARmedia into your web browser. If you are interested in joining this effort, pleae email Jill Barber. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Wed Aug 19 23:31:19 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:31:19 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Tell Verizon Wireless: Stop supporting Glenn Beck's race-baiting hate speech Message-ID: <8F08D416E6374A959C66124C67132FBD@OWNERPC> Dear Friend, Even Wal-Mart admits Glenn Beck has gone off the deep end and has withdrawn its sponsorship from his FOX News Channel program. Why then is Verizon Wireless continuing to underwrite Glenn Beck? Glenn Beck's race-baiting hate speech promotes untruths that are as dangerous as they are despicable. Here's a sample: "This president has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people ... this guy is, I believe, a racist." ColorofChange.org has run a successful campaign to get corporate sponsors to rethink their support of Glenn Beck. Wal-Mart, Geico and Best Buy have already pulled their advertising dollars from the show. Why hasn't Verizon Wireless? I just signed a petition to Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless asking him to cease all advertising on Glenn Beck's show . I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action. http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/verizon_beck/?r_by=5576-2113312-TYXdNRx&rc=mailto1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Thu Aug 20 01:30:46 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:30:46 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: Oscar Grant healing Message-ID: <8D959F96F2AA4126A74970D92011092E@OWNERPC> For those of you who are following the Oakland California Oscar Grant story, friends of mine led this healing event recently - worth reading - they are good folx. If you want to respond, send me a message and I'll pass it on..love, nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: amistadasc at aol.com To: D2K-D at yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:37 PM Subject: [D2K-D] Fwd: Day after D2k Friends: Ron sent this to me shortly after D2k. It is a wonderful update of Tommy, Ron and Spencer working with young men who have experienced a tragedy. Keep up the good work and our collective best thoughts are with you on your journey to help heal the Oscar Grant family and friends. juan -----Original Message----- From: Ron San Miguel To: Juan Lopez Sent: Sun, Aug 9, 2009 10:23 am Subject: Mil Gracias! Estimado Juan, Mil Gracias! D2K was more than I expected, and a much needed blessing. The work continues. Last night, Spencer and I went to Tommy Smith's Church to be in the circle with Oscar Grant's family and friends. Many young men and women were present, most of them had been there and witnessed Oscar Grant's murder by a BART police officer. Since Oscar's murder in the early morning hours of January 1, 2009, these young people (mostly young men) have been suffering quietly, while anger has been simmering within their hearts and minds. Some of that spilled out last night as Tommy, Oscar Grant's uncle, and others voiced the need for these young folks to recognize that they could safely express their feelings. They have been grieving, and are still struggling with the whole ordeal. They are in need of healing, and long for justice to be served. Although most of them were, as of yet, unable to express themselves, we all let them know that they have people they can turn to in their time of need. They are not alone, and it was clear to me that their Spirits were touched last night. I believe that they recognized that as well. After the session was over, several of them came up to speak with Spencer and I. During the session, Tommy had told them to not let their voices be silenced. If they were not yet able to speak openly and share their feelings, then they should at least write them down. One of them shared with me what he had written during the evening after Tommy had told them to write. I as touched that he shared it with me, although he had be unable or unwilling to do so with the group. We wanted Tommy to know that he is not alone in the work that he has begun with Oscar Grant's family and friends, and the challenge of ,street violence in Oakland and beyond. Our connection was deepened, and the Spirit of D2K moves forward, out into the community. I echo Corey's heartfelt "When thank you is not enough." Mil Gracias Juan. You made it possible for me to attend and to participate in D2K. Several songs will come out of my experience with the D2K familia -- one of which will be entitled "When Thank You Is Not Enough." Un Abrazo, Ron __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity a.. 2New Members Visit Your Group Give Back Yahoo! for Good Get inspired by a good cause. Y! Toolbar Get it Free! easy 1-click access to your groups. Yahoo! Groups Start a group in 3 easy steps. Connect with others. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kamuhm at yahoo.com Thu Aug 20 04:44:40 2009 From: kamuhm at yahoo.com (Kathy) Date: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:44:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [WAsummit] Tell Verizon Wireless: Stop supporting Glenn Beck's race-baiting hate speech In-Reply-To: <8F08D416E6374A959C66124C67132FBD@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <869642.37938.qm@web110401.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> I suggest that you drop VW in favor of Credo, who supports progressive causes and politics. That's what I did nearly 2 years ago when VW refused NARAL Pro-Choice's text message updates that we had subscribed for. ? I sent a letter to the corporate headquarters telling them why, and I posted that also to my blog. I never heard from VW, although they did backtrack?on NARAL shortly after that. ? Credo, btw, will buy out contracts from other carriers (up to $200) if you get hit with an early discontinuation fee. ?-- Kathy --- On Thu, 8/20/09, Nancy wrote: From: Nancy Subject: [WAsummit] Tell Verizon Wireless: Stop supporting Glenn Beck's race-baiting hate speech To: "WASUMMIT LISTSERVE" , D2K-D at yahoogroups.com Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 1:31 AM ?Dear Friend, Even Wal-Mart admits Glenn Beck has gone off the deep end and has withdrawn its sponsorship from his FOX News Channel program. Why then is Verizon Wireless continuing to underwrite Glenn Beck? Glenn Beck's race-baiting hate speech promotes untruths that are as dangerous as they are despicable. Here's a sample: "This president has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people ... this guy is, I believe, a racist." ColorofChange.org has run a successful campaign to get corporate sponsors to rethink their support of Glenn Beck. Wal-Mart, Geico and Best Buy have already pulled their advertising dollars from the show. Why hasn't Verizon Wireless? I just signed a petition to Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless asking him to cease all advertising on Glenn Beck's show . I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action. http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/verizon_beck/?r_by=5576-2113312-TYXdNRx&rc=mailto1 -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Fri Aug 21 22:45:37 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:45:37 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: [D2K-D] Fw: Message-ID: Another tiny but significant opportunity. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mutima Imani To: D2K-D at yahoogroups.com Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 12:30 PM Subject: [D2K-D] Fw: Mutima Imani Simplexity P.O. Box 20266 Oakland, Ca. 94620 510 205 4069 Cell 510 434 0832 --- On Thu, 8/20/09, Donna Sheehan & Paul Reffell wrote: From: Donna Sheehan & Paul Reffell Subject: To: "Martine Algier" , "Jude Cassel Williams" , "Ed Ellsworth" , "Mutima Imani" , "Carmen Langford West" , "Zoe Sexton" , "Annie Voisinet" , "Wendell Williams" , RS1-07Invitees at tc2.main.nc.us, "Juanita Brown" , "Janna Sobel" , "Maria Cunningham" , "john gouldthorpe" , "Terrilynn Hammond" , "Celeste Jackson" , "Lani Jacobson" , "Betty Louise" , "Diane Pansegrau" , "Hamish Sinclair" Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 8:31 PM Dear Friends, We, The Alliance of Partnership and Peace wish to nominate FIRST LADY, MICHELLE OBAMA, TO RECEIVE THE DOLLEY MADISON PARTNERSHIP AWARD PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN BY VOTING AND FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW...... ACCEPTANCE OF THE AWARD DEPENDS ON GETTING AS MANY "YES" VOTES AS POSSIBLE! The extraordinary partnership between Michelle and Barack Obama is an inspiration to create partnership in our own relationships at home, in business and in politics. The Feminine and Masculine working together for a new world. Dolley Madison exemplifies the female role in powerful partnership. By acting as official hostess for the widower President Thomas Jefferson and as the wife and political partner of Secretary of State and later President James Madison, Dolley had a profound influence on them and the fledgling republic. American historians now regard her as a co-founder of American democracy. (If you want to read more about her: http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/madison) VOTE HERE: Please click on the live link below to go to the poll site and vote http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/631009-187520 Please add the poll and link to your facebook/blog/web page to increase the polling base by clicking on the link within the poll widget, or forward this email to your friends. WE WILL COUNT THE VOTES September 15! BESIDE EVERY GREAT MAN IS A GREAT WOMAN __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar MARKETPLACE Mom Power: Discover the community of moms doing more for their families, for the world and for each other Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity a.. 2New Members Visit Your Group New web site? Drive traffic now. Get your business on Yahoo! search. Yahoo! Groups Small Business Group Improve your business by community exchange Support Group Lose lbs together Share your weight- loss successes. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Wed Aug 26 00:06:18 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:06:18 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: Thanks for demanding accountability for torture Message-ID: <9AF80EF99FC34A3C8743820B3398B411@OWNERPC> fyi - please take action. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: alerts at takeaction.amnestyusa.org To: Nancy Arvold Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 10:09 PM Subject: Thanks for demanding accountability for torture Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts about human rights violations going on in the name of national security. If you have not already done so, please forward this link to family and friends to keep the pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to ensure that the U.S. never tortures again: http://bit.ly/6hLuu ******************************************** Amnesty International USA Yesterday's news may have felt like a wave of promising developments, but only our next steps will determine the future of U.S. policies on torture. Urge President Obama and Congress to close the door on torture and illegal detention once and for all. http://bit.ly/6hLuu >From the announcement of a Special Prosecutor to the chilling stories of abuse in the CIA Inspector General's report, yesterday's news brought a barrage of developments on torture. In short, we've seen small positive steps, but the bigger picture remains deeply disturbing: limited investigations, impunity for those most responsible for authorizing crimes of torture, and policies like international rendition and illegal detention remaining on the books. Call on President Obama and Congress to end and ensure accountability for torture and other human rights violations. Click here: http://bit.ly/6hLuu Here's what's happening and our next steps: -- The appointment of a Special Prosecutor is a positive step toward accountability. We have long called for specific cases of detainee abuse by government personnel and private contractors, once shelved by the Bush Department of Justice, to be re-opened -- but much more must be done. The scope of the Special Prosecutor's investigation may be limited to the actions of a few mid-level personnel, and we all know that evidence puts responsibility for torture much higher up the chain of command. We need a full investigation?an independent commission of inquiry?to get the full truth. -- The CIA finally released two classified memos that Vice President Cheney had previously stated would justify the use of torture. Amnesty International requested the release of these memos in a Freedom of Information Act request submitted jointly with the Center for Constitutional Rights and New York University Law School. Far from supporting torture, the memos, in fact, offered little evidence of how attacks were prevented from obtaining testimony using such disgraceful methods -- another myth debunked. -- The CIA Inspector General's report, long kept in secret and released only due to a lawsuit by the ACLU, revealed new details about the CIA's use of torture and underscores the need for full accountability. Shameful stories about mock executions, death threats to detainee's family members and even an incident involving a power drill being placed to the head of one detainee each add to the mountain of evidence weighing against those at the highest levels who allowed such crimes to occur under their supervision. -- President Obama has approved the creation of special interrogation unit and it must abide by the Army Field Manual. The Field Manual is a far better standard than the heinous Office of Legal Council's interrogation memos, however, some techniques permitted by the Army Field Manual--including sleep deprivation, isolation and exploitation of fears--could still result in torture or other ill-treatment. To ensure that the U.S. never tortures again, President Obama and Congress must close all loopholes for torture and other ill-treatment--as defined under international law. -- Reports are also surfacing that the Obama administration will continue the practice of international rendition--sending detainees to other countries for interrogation, outside of judicial review. Officials say that they are taking steps to ensure that rendered detainees are not tortured. President George W. Bush made the same promise. As long as international rendition is on the books, torture is an option. The ball is rolling. If it wasn't for your calls, emails, letters and persistent activism against torture, yesterday's news would have most likely never have happened. And if you need more proof that your actions are having an impact, just look at the case of Mohammed Jawad. He was at most 17 years old, and perhaps as young as 12, when he was first detained and sent to Guant?namo Bay prison. He was beaten, subjected to sleep deprivation, interrogated and told his family would be killed if he did not confess. For five years, he was denied access to a lawyer. Recently, the intense scrutiny being given to his case helped leverage a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed Jawad to have his day in court. He was ordered released. The government dropped all charges and this week he arrived home. This is how justice works. We know there's a better standard for interrogation methods and ensuring national security. This week's news is only the beginning. Now we've got to do all we can to ensure that yesterday's news isn't overlooked when crafting tomorrow's policies. Sincerely, Njambi Good Campaign Director Counter Terror With Justice Amnesty International USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Fri Aug 28 17:11:29 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:11:29 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: Glenn Beck's Attack on Van Jones: Fantasies & Falsehoods Message-ID: <4B917AB0DAFA453DAF1AAA88E7889B41@OWNERPC> Equal Justice SocietyHere is another example of ridiculous hate speech from Glenn Beck..he needs to stopped as an example of intelligent people no longer tolerating his hate-mongering lies. free speech is NOT what he does. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Eva Paterson To: narvold at california.com Sent: Friday, August 28, 2009 2:03 PM Subject: Glenn Beck's Attack on Van Jones: Fantasies & Falsehoods I Glenn Beck's Attack On Van Jones: Fantasies & Falsehoods Comment on this | Retweet this | Share on Facebook Civil rights attorney Eva Paterson stands up to Glenn Beck's smear campaign against Van Jones. As Van's first boss, she can set the record straight - and does. After smearing White House special advisor Van Jones for days on his show, Glenn Beck said on August 27, 2009: "I want to point out the silence; no one has challenged these facts - they just attack me personally." Well, the White House is wise to stay above the fray but someone has to set the record straight. And as the person who first hired Van Jones, initially as a legal intern and later as a legal fellow, I am in a unique position to know the truth. And the truth is: Beck is fabricating his facts. For instance: several times on his show, Beck has said or implied that Van went to prison for taking part in the Rodney King riots. NO CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS Van has never served time in any prison. He has never been convicted of any crime. And just to be clear: Van was not even in Los Angeles during those tumultuous days. I know because he was working for me - in San Francisco - when the four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. I was the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area when Van was an intern. The verdicts came down on April 29, 1992. I remember Van (who was then a legal intern working with me from Yale Law School) coming into my office in San Francisco. Many of us, including Van, sat there together, listening to the news and weeping. We were all in a state of shock. That night, TV showed the tragic images of LA burning. The next day, when an initially peaceful march in downtown San Francisco devolved into chaos, Van left the area in tears. He was not involved in any destructive activity. He even penned an essay despairing of the violence and the state of the country. So how can Beck make such unsubstantiated claims? THE TRUE STORY (FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE) This is what really happened. On May 8, 1992, the week AFTER the Rodney King disturbances, I sent a staff attorney and Van out to be legal monitors at a peaceful march in San Francisco. The local police, perhaps understandably nervous, stopped the march and arrested hundreds of people - including all the legal monitors. The matter was quickly sorted out; Van and my staff attorney were released within a few hours. All charges against them were dropped. Van was part of a successful class action lawsuit later; the City of San Francisco ultimately compensated him financially for his unjust arrest (a rare outcome). So the unwarranted arrest at a peaceful march - for which the charges were dropped and for which Van was financially compensated - is the sole basis for the smear that he is some kind of dangerous criminal. Van has spoken often about that difficult period 17 years ago - and its impact on him, as a young law student. But to imply that he was somehow a rioter who went to prison is absurd. Beck also bizarrely claims that Van was arrested in the Seattle WTO protests. That is just a flat-out falsehood. You don't have to take my word for it. Arrests and convictions are all a matter of public record. Beck is at best relying on internet rumors or even inventing claims to boost his ratings. Beck is no more accurate with present facts than he is with past ones. NOT A MYSTERIOUS "CZAR" Beck has said repeatedly that Van is some kind of a mysterious "czar," accountable to no one but the President. A simple internet search shows that this claim is false. A March 10, 2009, press release announced that Van was hired by the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality - to work on her staff as a "special advisor." In other words, Van is within the normal White House chain of command, reporting to an office confirmed by the United States Senate, just like most White House staffers. Media outlets sometimes use the "czar" shorthand. But the facts show that Van has no mysterious role or extra-constitutional powers. Beck has implied on two occasions that Van Jones and other Obama appointees were not vetted by the FBI. False. I was interviewed in my own office by an FBI agent, dutifully vetting Van. Yet another fabrication on the part of Mr. Beck. Beck also claims that Van has somehow gained control over $500 million in Green Jobs Act funding and can hand out millions of dollars at his whim. Again, that is patently ridiculous. NO AUTHORITY TO HAND OUT BILLION$ The law is clear that the Department of Labor has authority over the program, with normal rules governing the funds. Anybody who thinks that a lone government official can pass out money, arbitrarily and without oversight, knows nothing about our legal system. A blizzard of lawsuits would stop any such scheme in its tracks, if one were ever put in place. Perhaps more importantly: final authority at the Department of Labor lies with the Secretary of Labor. Anyone who thinks that a Senate-confirmed, Cabinet-level Secretary would cede control of a $500 million program to some mid-level White House staffer knows nothing about our political system. It is ridiculous. PROMOTING BUSINESS-BASED SOLUTIONS But I have to take on the worst one: Beck repeatedly and mistakenly asserts that Van is presently a communist. Once again, this charge is easily refuted - most obviously by the pro-business, market-based ideas Van has promoted for years, including in his best-selling book, The Green Collar Economy. Van's book is a veritable song of praise to capitalism, especially the socially responsible and eco-friendly kind. Yes, for a while, Van and his student-aged friends ran around spouting 1960s rhetoric and romanticizing revolutionary icons. But that was years ago. Way back then, I counseled him to rethink his tactics and to work for change in wiser ways. In time, he jettisoned his youthful notions and moved on to seek more effective and attainable solutions. Fortunately for all of us, it looks like he has found some. Over the past several years, Van has emerged as the perhaps the nation's chief proponent of using business-based solutions to create jobs and clean up the environment. In his book and his speeches, he highlights the key role of entrepreneurship in solving our nation's problems. THE 'GREEN' JACK KEMP? Van believes in government clearing the way for private-sector innovation. In a YouTube clip, he said recently that progressives and conservatives should work together to find common ground and create a clean energy economy. Van said: "We are not promoting welfare. We are promoting work. . We are not expanding entitlements. We are expanding enterprise and investment. . We are not trying to redistribute existing wealth. We are trying to reinvent an existing sector, so that we can create NEW wealth - by unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship. This should be common ground." He has been preaching that gospel, in various forms, for years and years. Van Jones is the nation's "Green" Jack Kemp - using business-based solutions to attack poverty. I found it interesting that Bill O'Reilly in his interview repeatedly asked Glenn Beck whether Van Jones' youthful views had changed over time. Beck never answers those inquiries and instead keeps insisting that Van has championed these ideas recently. Again, that is simply not true. QUOTES TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT Upon investigation, it turns out that Beck is quoting (out of context) an article that in fact makes the OPPOSITE point. The 2005 profile that Beck is flogging actually makes it crystal clear - even in the headline - that Jones has "renounced" his earlier views, matured and moved on. Van's transformation is the entire point of the piece, and it is impossible that Beck does not know this. Fortunately, O'Reilly seemed to sense the truth. I remember seeing O'Reilly interview Van Jones some time ago and was struck by how much respect O'Reilly showed for Jones. Perhaps O'Reilly's knowing queries were prompted by that encounter. When Van worked for me, he did exhibit that "know it all" quality that so many of us - myself included - have when we are young. Over the years, I have enjoyed watching him grow and blossom into a loving father and husband - and a creative, effective leader. VAN JONES: A TRUE PATRIOT Mr. Beck's unfounded attacks are misleading and false. All of us who know Van are so very proud of him and the work he is doing to improve the lives of ALL Americans. He has touched and improved thousands of lives in the course of his career. Now he is in a position to help millions. He will do well because Van is a true patriot, who loves his country. He has dedicated his life to trying to make it better - especially trying to uplift the poor, the left-out and the left-behind. In his book, Van draws a distinction between "cheap patriotism" and "deep patriotism." I highly recommend that chapter to Mr. Beck. I do hope Van is keeping his head up, walking tall and continuing to fight for green businesses and green jobs. Our country needs more of them - and more people like Van. Comment on this | Retweet this | Share on Facebook Equal Justice Society - * NEW AS OF JULY 1 * 260 California Street, Suite 700, San Francisco, CA 94111 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to this list as narvold at california.com. Click here to unsubscribe, or send email to unsubscribe.376961.289102426.1414083303102682259-narvold_california.com at en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 260 California Street Suite 700 San Francisco, California 94111 United States -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Sat Aug 29 11:40:59 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:40:59 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] more on psychologists and torture Message-ID: <3B4F04EF0CDD464CB08665EA06531503@OWNERPC> Revealed: Docs Describe in Extraordinary Detail Process of 'Rendition,' Torture Posted By Jason Leopold On August 25, 2009 @ 10:00 am In Torture | 8 Comments Among the treasure trove of documents released Monday related to the CIA's detention and torture program is a 20-page background paper that for the first time describes in extraordinary detail the process of "rendition" and the torture prisoners are then subjected to when they are flown to "black site" prisons. The document was turned over to the ACLU in response to the civil liberties group's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the government late Monday evening along with numerous others, including previously undisclosed Justice Department legal opinions. The background paper clearly illustrates that the torture of detainees was systematic and micromanaged by the top officials at the CIA, the Justice Department, medical professionals, and likely the White House. Previously, the CIA has refused to disclose any details of its rendition program citing state secrets. That the torture was overseen by medical professionals is a violation of international laws and treaties, and additionally, a breach of numerous professional ethical codes, including the United Nations Principles of Medical Ethics and the Declaration of Toyko. The background paper says the use of torture at the CIA's "black site" prisons "is essential to the creation of an interrogation environment conducive to intelligence collection." High-value detainees "are well-trained, often battle-hardened terrorist operatives, and highly committed to jihad. They are intelligent and resourceful leaders and able to resist standard interrogation approaches." The background paper reads as an instructional manual for interrogators on how and when to implement the "combined use of interrogation techniques" after a terror suspect is captured and "renditioned" to a "black site" prison in another country. "However, there is no template or script that states with certainty when and how these techniques will be used in combination during interrogation," the background paper states. "The interrogators' objective is to transition the HVD to a point where he is participating in a predictable, reliable, and sustainable manner. Interrogation techniques may still be applied as required, but become less frequent. "This transition period lasts from several days to several weeks based on the HVDs response and actions. The entire interrogation process outlined above, including transition may last for thirty days." The Dec. 30, 2004 document was prepared by the CIA for Dan Levin in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. The background paper includes an unsigned note on the fax cover sheet that says, "Dan, A generic description of the process. Thank you." "The background paper is a profoundly disturbing document that illustrates, as well as anything could, how far the CIA strayed from the law and from values that are integral to our democracy," said Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project. "That the barbaric methods outlined in the paper were approved by the country's senior-most officials is particularly appalling." "The purpose of interrogation is to persuade High-Value Detainees (HVD) to provide threat information and terrorist intelligence in a timely manner, to allow the US Government to identify and disrupt terrorist plots and to collect critical intelligence on al-Qa'ida," the background paper says. "In support of information previously sent to the Department of Justice, this paper provides additional background on how interrogation techniques are used, in combination and separately, to achieve interrogation objectives." The background paper then describes what happens after a terror suspect is captured and turned over to the CIA. The background paper describes this as "rendition." "The HVD is flown to a Black Site.A medical examination is conducted prior to the flight," according to the background paper. "During the flight, the detainee is securely shackled and is deprived of sight and sound through the use of blindfolds, earmuffs, and hoods. There is no interaction with the HVD during this rendition movement except for periodic, discreet assessments by the on-board medical officer. Upon arrival at the destination airfield, the HVD is moved to the Black Site under the same conditions and using appropriate security procedures." The so-called "Reception at Black Site" that follows involves a medical assessment and "administrative procedures." Detainees' head and faces are then shaved and they are photographed while nude to "document the physical conduction of the HVD." "The medical officer also determines if there any contraindications to the use of interrogation techniques." Contraindications is defined as a pre-existing condition or other factors that would increase the risk of either using a specific drug, carrying out a medical procedure, or engaging in a particular activity. Detainees are then interviewed by psychologists who prepare a report about the detainees' mental state and if there are any "contraindications to the use of interrogation techniques." At this point, interrogators begin to question a detainee-"in a relatively benign environment"- to gain an understanding of the prisoner's "resistance posture" and if he would be willing to cooperate in providing CIA interrogators with immediate information about terrorist plots against the United States. "The standard on participation is set very high during the Initial Interview," the background report says. "The HVD would have to willingly provide information on actionable threats and location information on High-Value Targets at large-not lower level information-for interrogators to continue with the neutral approach." The interrogation process, according to the background paper, is broken down into three categories: conditioning techniques, corrective techniques and coercive techniques. The background report the describes the detention conditions detainees are subjected to and states that while that is not considered an interrogation techniques the conditions of their confinement will have an impact when they are interrogated. The next phase is referred to as "conditioning techniques" where a detainee is reduced to a "baseline, dependent state" as a result of a combination of tactics that leaves the detainee feeling he has no control over basic human needs. The "baseline state" is crucial, according to the background report, because it is supposed to make the detainee feel that his welfare is more important than the "information he is protecting." The combination of interrogation techniques, approved in Justice Department legal memoranda, to reduce a detainee to a dependent state includes nudity, sleep deprivation, and dietary manipulation. The paper notes that merely introducing these techniques alone won't bring immediate results. Rather, it's the repeated use of these techniques and using their combined use "which achieves interrogation objectives." Clinical descriptions of how to effectively administer these methods is then described. The background says that high-value detainees remain nude for an indefinite period of time. Detainees then are deprived of sleep and are placed in the "vertical shackling position to begin sleep deprivation." "Other shackling procedures may be used during interrogations," the report says. "The detainee is diapered for sanitary purposes, although the diaper is not used at all times." Dietary manipulation then follows whereby a detainee is fed Ensure Plus "or other food at regular intervals." Detainees receive a "target" of 1,500 calories a day based on guidelines from the CIA's Office of Medical Services. A high-value detainee who, presumably is uncooperative, then goes through the "corrective techniques" phase, which involves the "insult slap," "abdominal slap," "facial hold," and "attention grasp." The report says these methods are not administered simultaneously during an interrogation, rather they are interchangeable. The insult slap "is often the first physical technique used with an HVD once an interrogation begins." "As noted, the HVD may already be nude, in sleep deprivation and subject to dietary manipulation, even though the detainee will likely feel little effect from these techniques early in the interrogation," the report says. "The insult slap is used sparingly but periodically throughout the interrogation process when the interrogator needs to immediately correct the detainee or provide a consequence to a detainee's response or non-response. "The interrogator will continually assess the effectiveness of the insult slap and continue to employ it so long as it has the desired effect on the detainee. Because of the physical dynamics of the various techniques, the insult slap can be used in combination with water dousing or kneeling stress positions. Other combinations are possible but may not be practical." The same methods are employed when an interrogator uses the abdominal slap, the attention grasp and the facial hold. The next phase involves what the report calls "coercive techniques," some of which were first disclosed in Justice Department legal opinions released in April. Those methods include, walling, water dousing, stress positions. Cramped confinement, according to the report and the CIA's Office of Medical Services, calls for placing a detainee in a large box no more than eight hours at a time for "no more than 18 hours a day." The report also said interrogators can use a small box no more than two hours at a time and no more than 18 hours per day. Because of the "unique" aspects of "cramped confinement" it cannot be combined with other torture methods. The process that follows next is a sort of checklist for interrogators, or as the report says it, "a day-to-day look" at the interrogation process. Here's what the report says: A hooded high-value detainee is taken to the interrogation room and, under the direction of interrogators, is stripped, placed into shackles and positioned with his back to the "walling wall." Interrogators approach the detainee, place the walling collar over his head and around his neck and stand in front of him. The detainee's hood is then removed and the interrogator explains to the prisoner that he will do "whatever it takes to get important information" from him. If the detainee begins to resist he is immediately slapped across his cheek. If that doesn't work, the prisoner is then slapped on his stomach. Once it became clear to interrogators that a detainee was "lying, withholding information, or using other resistance techniques," the interrogator would repeatedly slam the prisoner head first into a wall. Then the detainee would be placed in the center of the interrogation room-nude- diapered, and shackled and deprived of sleep. White noise not exceeding 79 decibels would then be played to as a tool to keep the detainee awake. "This first interrogation session may last from 30 minutes to several hours based on the interrogators' assessment of the HVD's resistance posture," the background paper says. Another torture session follows and the time lapse could be as short as one hour or as long as a day. Between the first and second sessions, medical and psychological personnel observing the torture must advise "there are no contraindications to another interrogation session." The second round of torture follows the exact same pattern as the first; the detainee is placed in front of the "walling wall" and asked a series of questions and depending on the answers is slammed into the wall, slapped on his face and stomach. Except during this session, a detainee who fails to respond in a satisfactory manner is doused with water for several minutes. Stress positions and wall standing are also integrated. Sleep deprivation and dietary manipulation and white noise are repeated again if a detainee does not provide information his interrogators believe he has. The detainee is nude at all times. And then the process is repeated for a third time with the methods and line of questioning becoming more intense. For example, slamming a detainee into a wall would be repeated multiple times. Or, if a detainee placed in a stress position and fails to remain in that position he would be slammed into the wall. The only way for a detainee to stop this brutal treatment, the background paper notes, is by "cooperating with interrogators." Interrogators can then decide, after the third round of torture ends, to put a detainee in either a large or small box if it will have "the appropriate effect." Sleep deprivation can then continue for five days straight, "or possibly beyond for the hardest resisters," but it cannot exceed 180 consecutive hours. "Sleep deprivation will end sooner if the medical or psychologist observer finds" it necessary," the background paper notes. "On average, the actual use of interrogation techniques can vary upwards to fifteen days based on the resilience of the HVD." If interrogators need to exceed a 30-day pre-approved period, the interrogation team would need to submit a new interrogation plan to CIA headquarters in Langley. Earlier this week, the Obama administration announced that it will continue to render suspected terrorists to other countries, but it will monitor each case to ensure the detainees are not tortured. Jennifer Turner, a researcher with the ACLU Human Rights Program, said that pledge doesn't go far enough. "Any transfer of detainees in U.S. custody to other countries must fully comply with domestic and international human rights law," she said. "Examining the Bush administration rendition program and holding accountable those who broke the law will help to ensure that the same mistakes aren't repeated by the Obama administration." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article printed from The Public Record: http://pubrecord.org URL to article: http://pubrecord.org/torture/4070/describe-extraordinary-detail-process/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 26958 bytes Desc: not available URL: From narvold at sfo.com Sat Aug 29 12:35:49 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:35:49 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: [withholdapadues] Part 2 of Story on Abu Zubaydah "Psych Eval" Message-ID: <1EE20088509E46988C482A95FB1E60A8@OWNERPC> more on an individual experience of torture. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dr. John M. Stewart To: withholdapadues at yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 11:05 AM Subject: Re: [withholdapadues] Part 2 of Story on Abu Zubaydah "Psych Eval" Jeff, This is so very thorough and informative; I appreciate your dedication to revealing the truth about this man's suffering and those who contributed to his ordeal. --Jack John M. Stewart, Ph.D. Professor emeritus of Psychology, Northland College jstewart at ncis.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On 8/28/09 8:10 PM, "Jeffrey Kaye" wrote: from Firedoglake Experiment in Terror: The Psychological Evaluation of Abu Zubaydah and Its Role in Designing Torture by Jeff Kaye In part one of this article, we looked at why the psychological report on Abu Zubaydah was ever written, and concluded, "It is clear the evaluation was written specifically to get permission for waterboarding, and not to undertake a serious psychological evaluation of the prisoner." In this second part, we look at when the report was likely written, and why the timing of it was consistent with the claim that the "evaluation" was really a pro forma performance for the sake of the lawyers. In addition, we will examine how some of the bogus claims about Zubaydah are linked to the cover story that brought about the torture program itself. When Was the Evaluation Written? The report was almost certainly written in July 2002, not long before it was passed to the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). It likely was part of a packet of material used to present the "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques," including waterboarding, as potentially "safe" to use. There are plenty of indications in the report that Zubaydah had been under observation and interrogated (tortured) for some time prior to the drafting of the report (emphasis added). Of particular note has been subject's ability to manage his mood and emotions during detention. [About four lines redacted] In addition, he showed strong signs of sympathetic nervous system arousal (possibly fear) when he experienced the initial "confrontational" dislocation of expectation during an interrogation session.... As has been observed during his recent detention, he was able to quickly bounce back from these most disconcerting moments and regain an air of calm confidence, and strong resolve in not parting with any other threat information. By sympathetic nervous system arousal, the report's author means rapid breathing and heartbeat, dilated pupils, raised blood pressure, a spike in adrenaline, muscle tension, increased sweating -- noting "fear," possibly Zubaydah experienced a panic attack. What could have brought about this "'confrontational' dislocation"? Most likely it was the appearance of James Mitchell and his SERE-style torture methods, replacing the early "rapport"-based interrogation of Ali Soufan and the FBI interrogation team. What Mitchell or whomever is saying here is that when things got rough, Zubaydah was temporarily shaken and "talked" more, subsequently regaining his "calm" and not producing more of what the torturers wanted. Mitchell arrived in Thailand sometime in April 2002, and FBI interrogator Ali Soufan left in mid-May, in protest over the implementation of Mitchell's "learned helplessness" techniques. Already, Zubaydah had been subjected to forced nudity, sensory overload, shackling and sleep deprivation (and I'd guess, dietary manipulation, i.e., slow starvation), and perhaps other cruel treatment. (Soufan admitted that the FBI interrogation did not meet Geneva Common Article Three standards, either.) If my thesis is correct, the "dislocation" took place sometime before mid-May. This appears to be corroborated by the fact that it was in mid-May, according to a narrative released by the Senate Intelligence Committee (H/T again to Marcy Wheeler) that the CIA first proposed ratcheting up the pressure on Zubaydah, including the use of the waterboard. According to CIA records, because the CIA believed that Abu Zubaydah was withholding imminent threat information during the initial interrogation sessions, attorneys from the CIA's Office of General Counsel met with the Attorney General, the National Security Adviser, the Deputy National Security Adviser, the Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, and the Counsel to the President in mid-May 2002 to discuss the possible use of alternative interrogation methods that differed from the traditional methods used by the U.S. military and intelligence community. At this meeting, the CIA proposed particular alternative interrogation methods, including waterboarding. The frustration with Zubaydah -- who by mid-May had recovered from his "dislocation" experience (or conversely, had simply nothing more to say, or was already beyond reasonable functioning) -- places the portion of the psych evaluation narrative on this point a minimum of two months before the report was presumably written. It also means the report could not have been written before mid-May. If the psychological evaluation was written to assess Abu Zubaydah's ability to handle interrogation, or to assess what types of interrogation techniques might be most effective, then it would have been written much earlier. It looks as if they were interested in running an experiment, trying out certain (SERE) techniques, irregardless of the actual psychological characteristics of the individual involved. That's why there was no earlier evaluation. The only purpose for this evaluation was CIA concern that they would not be caught doing something "illegal," i.e., to cover their asses. Abu Zubaydah and the Al Qaeda Resistance Manual The contradictions regarding the portrayal of Abu Zubaydah's life, noted in part one of this article, are most pronounced around his relationship to the vaunted "resistance" techniques of Al Qaeda fighters. The report retails alleged claims that Zubaydah actually wrote the manual. At another point, it states he is "familiar and probably well versed" in Al Qaeda resistance techniques (emphasis added). It's easy to forget today that Zubaydah was later proven to never have been an Al Qaeda or Taliban member, nor "privy to the information the government alleged he had provided" (H/T Gitcheegumee ). As Marcy Wheeler has pointed out , the claims regarding Abu Zubaydah and the Al Qaeda manual coincide with the early stages of the torture program, when a Mitchell and Jessen review of said manual was used as a cover for the experiment of reverse-engineering SERE techniques into a physical torture program to use on supposed Al Qaeda prisoners. As a recent article of mine pointed out, the ostensible Al Qaeda manual likely was part of a cover story originating with CIA/Special Operations officers, operating on orders from Cheney's office, and sent down through the JPRA command, who used Mitchell and Jessen, and possibly other outsourcing companies, for implementation of a new torture program. It didn't hurt that they all planned to make a lot of money in the process. Once the torture program was well under way, the Al Qaeda manual meme faded away, and JPRA insinuated itself as the new, go-to agency for "war on terror" interrogators. In the end, a turf war ensued, with JPRA, Special Operations command, DIA and super-secret covert action arm, the Strategic Support Branch, on one side, and FBI, other existing intelligence groups (like the Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and, to a certain extent CIA, on the other. None of these groups really opposed all abusive interrogations (even the FBI had dirty hands), but were quick to criticize the ineffectiveness of the other group's protocols. The conflict still continues today. The latest plan of the Obama administration, introduced by its Interrogation Task Force just last Monday, to create an omnibus group of interrogation professionals and place its center at the FBI, represents a partial defeat of sorts for those who placed their bets on the "learned helplessness" paradigm. But it does not represent the end of torture, only the return to the CIA-oriented program based on isolation, sensory deprivation/overload, sleep deprivation, and fear. The latter are enshrined in Appendix M of Army Field Manual 2-22.3 , the new "golden standard" for U.S. interrogations. Did Abu Zubaydah write the Al Qaeda resistance manual or not? Almost certainly not, but the report's own contradictions on this point are telling, as it points to carelessness in writing the report, as the product itself was not important, only its conclusion: Zubaydah should be waterboarded. The purpose of the report was to provide a guarantee -- because a psychological professional signed off on it! -- that it is "safe". This so-called "evaluation" is obscene, unprofessional, and I'm ashamed that my profession, which has helped so many people, has been dragged into the worst sort of crimes and unethical, illegal behavior. I support the call of Physicians for Human Rights for Congress and the White House to convene a non-partisan commission to investigate the role of medical and psychological professionals in "the design, justification, supervision, and use" of the torture program, and to prosecute those involved. __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (5) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Members | Calendar Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent Activity a.. 2New Members b.. 1New Files Visit Your Group Give Back Yahoo! for Good Get inspired by a good cause. Y! Toolbar Get it Free! easy 1-click access to your groups. Yahoo! Groups Start a group in 3 easy steps. Connect with others. . __,_._,___ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: