Re: WTO Legality Questions - have my civil rights been trampled?

[ZoeScanner <zoescanner@yahoo.com>]

[: hacktivism :]

YES! YES!...........A Thousand times YES! they
have............But,you are not alone.....
From: "GhostinTheMachine" <ishi@ptd.net>
<zoescanner@yahoo.com>
 
Subject: FYI........"It don't look good".......

 *If you overlook the mention of ACLU several
hundred times ;) the story is good....er..or not
so good. Anyway,it indicates there has been a
change in dealings with protestors that leaves
them(protestors) in the dark...exactly where BB
and politicians like em to be as then they can be
dealt with however BB and GOV wants
to,unanswerable to no one but themselves.
Where did the "democracy" go??? Not that we ever
really had one without a fight. Now,they take
that away from us to.
 Here is what I found on the subject,Mia,and
anybody interested...plus some links at bottom
that may help. 
Also, This is a good one too,not related to the
question,but to the WTO in Seattle...
http://www.ruckus.org/
http://www.globalizethis.org/
http://www.globalizethis.org/live-cams.html   

Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 05:30:33 -0500 
        Help Protect Free Speech!
Join the ACLU!

Complaint in Texans United v. Governor George W.
Bush 
ACLU News Releases About Other Free Speech Cases 

ACLU of New Jersey Sues Trenton Officials For
Denying Public Forum to Community Activist 

ACLU Warns Ohio Mayor Not to Stifle Speech on
Local Citizen Group's Website 

ACLU Praises Cleveland Mayor's Support Of KKK's
First Amendment Right to March 

ACLU Defends Iowa Community Activist Sued for
Speaking Out at City Council Meeting. 
ACLU of Texas Sues
Gov. Bush, State Officials
Over Arrest of Demonstrators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 30, 1999
AUSTIN, TX -- Acting on behalf of protestors who
were arrested while exercising their free speech
rights, the American Civil Liberties Union of
Texas today filed a lawsuit against Gov. George
W. Bush and the Texas Department of Public
Safety. 
Gov. George W. Bush of Texas  
The ACLU announced the lawsuit at a news
conference this afternoon outside the Governor's
Mansion, where peaceful, non-disruptive
environmental protesters have been arrested at
least four times since March and threatened with
arrest if they protest again. 
************************************************
Although prosecutors dismissed all charges
against the protestors, the ACLU said the
Governor has maintained the right to arrest them,
saying in an April 1999 news conference that "the
rules have changed." But despite the ACLU's
repeated requests, state officials have not
provided a copy of the "revised" rules -- or any
rules at all. 
**************************************************
((This is downright scary...there is no other
word for it that is polite enough to post.)) 
Zoe
*************************************************
"These hidden rules that essentially give
unlimited police discretion to exclude and arrest
critics, when they make criticism in public,
violate Texas Constitutional rights to free
speech, petition, equal protection, due process,
and freedom from unreasonable seizures," the
ACLU's complaint said. 

"What is clear about this pattern of arrests is
that it was designed to intimidate and harass
protestors -- not to keep the sidewalks clear for
pedestrians," said Jay Jacobson, Executive
Director of the ACLU of Texas. 

For years, the Governor's Mansion has been the
regular site of press conferences, rallies,
informational pickets, and protests by people
with opinions on many issues. But beginning in
March 1999, police officers began to selectively
warn protestors that they were subject to arrest.


On at least four different occasions, the ACLU's
complaint said, citizen groups were arrested when
they did not disperse quickly enough to suit
state police officers. The groups were critical
of state policies encouraging industrial
pollution and had urged passage of laws to clean
Texas air. But their lobbying and public
education efforts were stymied, the ACLU said,
when they were arrested and forced to disperse. 

"This case is being brought under the free speech
and assembly sections of the Texas Bill of
Rights," said David Kahne, an ACLU cooperating
attorney. "We are asking the court to secure the
most basic of fundamental rights – that of
political expression in a public forum." 

Although charges were dismissed against all of
the protesters, the ACLU said a threat remains,
because the Department of Public Safety is still
asserting the right to bring new charges against
these same people, and has said that the decision
to bring the charges would depend on whether the
protestors continue to seek to express their
opinions. 

The case, Texas United Education Fund, Inc. v.
Bush, is being brought in state court in Travis
County, Texas, on behalf of Texans United
Education Fund, Inc., Downwinders at Risk, and
individuals Rick Abraham, Roger Baker, and Jim
Baldauf. 

Defendants in the case are George W. Bush,
Governor of Texas, and the Texas Department of
Public Safety and its Commissioners, James B.
Francis, Robert B. Holt, and M. Colleen McHugh. 

Attorney David Kahne of Houston is lead counsel
for the ACLU, working with Terrill L. Flenniken
of Brenham and David Kairys of Philadelphia. 

***************Here are some of my links and some
I just found that "may" have a clue as to what
can be done about this
madness********************

http://www.upf.org/thefed/legis/advoc.htm   
United Citizens Advocates
Global Virtual Assembly
**************************************************
For A Global Peoples Assembly
http://www.igc.apc.org/globalpolicy/ngos/falk.htm
**************************************************This
has a wee bit of related info..maybe more,I didnt
have time to read it all******
http://www.un.org/Overview/Organs/ga.html
Last updated on March 3, 1998.  General Assembly 

*************************************************
the NGO/DPI "Peoples Assembly"      
http://acgc.org/UPA/peoplesassem.htm
**************************************************
Introduction to MPAN     
http://www.ourvoices.org/intro/mpan.html
**************************************************
Establishment of the permanent Global Peoples
Assembly
http://www.ourvoices.org/hap/proposal.html
**************************************************
Calendar of Events Related to A World Peoples
Assembly
http://acgc.org/sites/WPA.html
**************************************************
I do not know much about this one yet.....but it
looks interesting............
The Peoples' Virtual Assembly  , Writing a Real
Contract with America
http://www.ionet.net/~dwaddell/pva.html
**************************************************((apparently,it
took off...))
 Peoples' Virtual Assembly, Status of Pilot
Project           
http://www.ionet.net/~dwaddell/status.html 
**************************************************(also
involved with the WTO happenings)           We
the peoples :IISD    
http://iisd1.iisd.ca/50comm/default.htm
**************************************************
UNPO
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation
http://www.unpo.org/
**************************************************
This one looks most promising,indeed.
 
GLOBALBEAT............telling truth to peoples at
risk
http://www.nyu.edu/globalbeat/pubs/manoff0798.html
**************************************************
Failing any help in the above,maybe there is
something here?:
 Legislative Information System
1999 Session 
http://leg1.state.va.us/lis.htm
*************************************************
PGA Infos 
http://www.agp.org/agp/en/index.html
**************************************************
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/appover.html
**************************************************
http://www.wagingpeace.org/
**************************************************
This is one of the 'things' I have been
'pestering' most of the WTO participants with for
months now.....it Really seems to bug some of
em..hehehe
               *********
>>>Question:
How do you justify this to your family?
Do they know what you do? 
Do you have young children in your family?
what about their future? 
Will you seal them in a plastic bubble?
What will they think of you when they find out?
Answer:________________________________.
I can think of none...can
you?<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
       *****                    *****
I dont like what I found...not one little
bit...feels too much like a
Capitolist?/communist?/capitolist?/communist?
state to me....
must keep looking....after all...the truth IS out
there......isn't it?
I hope there is Someting useful in here...
Peace...and good luck!
ZoeScanner


--- "Me Uh, K." <pram512@yahoo.com> wrote:
> [: hacktivism :]
> 
> A couple of concerns origonating from the
> recent
> (continuing) WTO riots.
> Does anyone know if there are there laws
> concerning,
> or where I might research (from the web, or
> course,
> library's closed):
> 
> -the Authorities' banning the sale of gasmasks,
> and
> arresting anyone cought with one? (especially
> since
> they've been generous with the stuff, and many
> uninvolved people have been gassed - most
> people in my
> office have bought goggles to protect their
> eyes)
> 
> -Implementing a mass-curfew without declaring
> martial
> law?  (which appears to be what's being
> enforced, but
> as of yet, it's been undeclared)
> 
> -The use of unprotected animals (horses) when
> there is
> going to be a chemical irritant (teargas)
> involved? 
> (they had gaurds for their faces, to protect
> them from
> thrown objects and what-not, but not from the
> gas)
> 
> -A lack of identification on riot-gear
> uniforms? 
> (There are no badges on those things - the cops
> have
> perfect anonymity, while most of us are forced
> at one
> point or another to reveal our faces?)
> 
> -Allowing avenues of escape when teargas is
> involved? 
> (I was in a protest last night that was boxed
> in on
> all four sides by the police/national gaurd,
> who
> didn't allow anyone out even after teargas was
> deployed.  Those of us that escaped had to
> climb
> fences or rush the line - I have bruises across
> my
> back you wouldn't believe)
> 
> -No protest zones - (Isn't it illeagle to
> impede our
> right to assembly, riots be damned?)
> 
> -mia k. (hoping that when she gets off work
> tonight,
> there might still be a non-violent protest or
> two left
> for her to take part in, becuase she's sick and
> tired
> of being teargassed)


=====

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