PEACES
compiled by Jessica Maxwell
US Undermines International Criminal Court
On November 3, Under Secretary of State John Bolton announced that the US had
reached agreements with 70 countries to guarantee immunity for US citizens from
prosecution by the new International Criminal Court (ICC). Such arrangements
are referred to as Article 98 exemption agreements. He further suggested that
the administrations primary objection to the court is the risk that top
figures in US government, past and present, might be prosecuted for war crimes.
As an example, he cited recent attempts in Belgium to charge Bush and various
high level Pentagon leaders with war crimes for their illegal invasion of Iraq.
According to a report in the Independent (UK), Washington has severed military
aid to countries that are refusing to grant Article 98 exemptions. This policy
has been rigidly applied by the Bush administration, even to close allies who
have supported the American-led occupation of Iraq.
$87 billion Iraq Bill Includes Millions for
Miami FTAA Meeting
Bushs controversial spending bill to fund continued operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan included $8.5 million to subsidize the meeting of the Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA) held in Miami November 17-21. This fact received
little attention until an article was published in the Palm Beach Post on November
4 the day after the Senate passed Bushs spending bill, and a week
after it received House approval.
High-level ministers from every country in the Western Hemisphere (except Cuba)
will participate in the conference. With tens of thousands of protesters expected,
the majority of the $8.5 million will be used for security at the
meeting, including covering the cost of bringing in an additional 6,000 police
officers from outside.
Since the recent collapse of the World Trade Organization meetings in Cancun,
there has been enormous pressure from the Bush administration for a successful
FTAA conference. Miami is also vying to be the permanent headquarters of the
FTAA, and is therefore particularly concerned about proving its ability to control
demonstrations.
Ashcroft Targets Greenpeace
In April 2002, two Green-peace activists climbed onto a commercial ship off
the coast of Florida carrying a banner that read, President Bush, Stop
Illegal Logging. The ship was bringing illegal mahogany from the Amazon
rainforest into the US.
The individuals involved in the protest settled charges against them last year.
However, the Justice Department filed criminal charges against Greenpeace as
a corporate entity in July 2003, citing an obscure 19th century law prohibiting
unauthorized ship boarding. Greenpeace contends that this prosecution - the
first indictment of its kind in US history - is politically motivated because
of the environmental groups opposition to Bush Administration policies.
On October 27, the Port of Miami refused dock space to the Greenpeace ship M.Y.
Esperanza, which was passing through on its way to Europe. During the Esperanzas
stay in Miami, Greenpeace had planned to invite the public on board to learn
more about the groups work. However, the ship was forced to anchor three
miles out at sea, and authorities refused efforts to allow media and supporters
on board to visit the ship.
For more information, visit <www.greenpeaceusa.org/trial>.
Fighting Big Media
Over 1500 activists gathered in Madison, Wisconsin from November 7-9 for the
National Conference of Media Reform. Organizers originally expected about 200
to register when they envisioned the event several months ago. The massive turnout
has been attributed to activists frustration with mainstream medias
coverage of the Iraq war as well as this summers controversial rule changes
by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that drastically reduced media
ownership regulations.
Although a federal appeals court ruling in September has prevented the rules
from going into effect, a wide range of individuals and organizations have come
together to take action to counter the increasing conglomeration and corporate
control of the media. Among the many speakers at the conference were Ralph Nader,
Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!), John Sweeney (AFL-CIO President), and US Senator
Russ Feingold (D-Wis). A letter asking for a vote in Congress to overturn the
recent FCC action has already been signed by more than 200 members of the House
of Representatives.
Talk of a Draft Grows Despite Denials by
White House
In early November, the Defense Department placed a notice on its website asking
for men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members
of a local draft board. The notice explained: If a military draft
becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America
would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements
or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines. Positions
are available in many communities across the Nation.
By November 7, as it drew media attention, it had been pulled from the web site
without explanation. Federal officials say there are no specific plans to bring
back the draft, but that its important to be prepared if it does become
necessary. The public notice by the Pentagon was the first formal request to
re-establish a draft board since the draft was abolished in 1973.
The US has more than 130,000 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, reserves are
stretched thin, and troops are serving the longest unbroken war tours since
Viet Nam. With Turkeys recent decision not to send troops to Iraq and
US allies such as Australia and Spain pulling out of Baghdad, the prospect for
international help is rapidly disappearing.
A return to the draft would require a vote by Congress and a presidential signature.