St. Paul, MN – A lawsuit resulting from a police home invasion before the Republican National Convention was announced here at a press conference in front of City Hall, Oct. 10. Notice was served on the city of Saint Paul that lawyers representing Mike Whalen will seek $250,000 in damages.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following call from the Twin Cites-based Anti-War Committee for an October 13 call-in day to demand that St. Paul officials drop the charges against RNC protesters.

Incomes Fall, Poverty and Uninsured Rise Four Years in Row

On Aug. 30 the federal government reported that average household income fell and the poverty rate rose for the fourth year in a row. The same report also showed that the percentage of people who went without health insurance for the entire year increased; their numbers rose to almost 46 million. While, on average, the bottom 80% of the population lost income in 2004, the top 20% of the population increased both their average incomes (to $151,000), as well as their share of income – to more than half, at 50.1%.

Government Pension Privatization Causes Disasters in Britain and Argentina

Commentary

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera.

The Bush administration’s plans for war in Iraq pose a big risk to the economy. While the government claims the cost of the war will be about $50 billion, economist William Nordhaus of Yale University estimates that it could cost as much as $2 trillion, when including the costs of the war, an occupation of Iraq, and higher oil prices. This is more than one and half times as big as the entire federal government spending this year, and would lead to huge cuts in social services and other programs, as well as a massive increase in the federal deficit.

Poor and working class communities, already hit hard by layoffs and shorter work hours from the recession, are about feel more pain as state and local governments cut health care, education, and other social services that our families need.

There's not any doubt that executives at corporate giant WorldCom are guilty of fraud. By claiming that $3.8 billion in expenses were “investments,” they were able to tell investors that they had an extra $3.8 billion in profits. But games with accounting were the least of their crimes. 17,000 workers are losing their jobs. For the laid off, more than a few homes and dreams will be casualties of WorldCom's callousness. WorldCom employs about 80,000 people. More job cuts will take place in coming months. Pensions are gone. Families are left without health care. Life savings are wiped out.

America's rulers are serial killers. They have killed before and left to their own devices, they will kill again. Would-be President George Bush has turned the Texas Department of Corrections into a murder machine. Al Gore has never been in a position to sign a death warrant, but he has made it clear that he would have no problem doing so.

It's Oscar season and Hollywood is lined up to honor the industry's “best.” Unfortunately, as in previous years, controversial movies like The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington, are left out of the Best Picture category.

On May 1, International Workers Day, millions upon millions will be marching against the capitalist economic crisis that has engulfed most of the world. Working people in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America will hit the streets to protest the soaring unemployment, shorter hours and cuts in pay that are sweeping the world.

Anti-queer discrimination received a heavy blow when the Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage April 3. Four days later the Vermont state legislature overrode their governor’s veto and became the first non-judicial body to legalize same-sex marriage. Lesbian gay bisexual transgender (LGBT) people around the country were ecstatic about this one-two punch, but even more reason for celebration followed. On May 6, the governor of Maine reversed his previous opposition to gay marriage and signed a bill legalizing it. By doing this, these three states joined Massachusetts and Connecticut in granting gays and lesbians legal recognition of their partnerships.

No End in Sight for Working People

In the six months since the financial crisis exploded with the collapse of New York investment bank Lehman Brothers, the world economy has been gripped by the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. U.S. and European banks have admitted a trillion dollars in losses, while the banking system of Iceland totally collapsed. Almost all of the major economies of the world, with the exception of China, have started to contract, with millions of workers losing their jobs and businesses going bankrupt right and left. Hardest hit for now are the new capitalist economies of eastern Europe, who are being slammed by their dependence on borrowing from foreign bankers, falling exports and plunging currencies.

The tens of thousands of RNC protesters who hit the streets of Saint Paul Sept. 1 – 4 did something that was truly great. The demonstrations sent a powerful message that was heard around the world: The people of the United States reject the war on Iraq and the Republican agenda. We insist on peace, justice and equality. This message was heard by the rich and powerful, who responded with repression. And it was heard by hundreds of millions of people. Reports of the protests were carried by thousands of media outlets ranging from network TV in the U.S. to Al Jazeera to the New China News Agency. The Sept. 1 rally against the war was carried live on C-SPAN.

St. Paul, MN – At a press conference here, Feb. 6, Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee announced that the City of Saint Paul is spending $5000 to resolve a lawsuit that was filed by attorneys representing Mick Kelly. Kelly, an organizer for the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, was arrested outside the Xcel Center June 5, 2008 while passing out leaflets at the Obama rally. He was promoting the Sept. 1 anti-war march at the Republican National Convention. Police placed him under arrest, then he was searched, put in a squad car and taken to the old police headquarters where he was cited for soliciting and peddling.

When the House of Representatives bowed to popular anger and defeated the Bush administration’s $700 billion bailout bill on Sept. 29, 2008, Wall Street was dealt a stunning defeat. The next day, the Senate took the same bill and loaded it up with $100 billion dollars of tax breaks (including one for makers of wooden arrows). The Senate passed the bill the next day, which went on to pass in the House on Oct. 3.

In January, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stop evicting tenants in foreclosed homes. Instead tenants will be able to stay on as renters. Both Fannie and Freddie were taken over by the government last year and have changed some policies to help slow the tidal wave of foreclosures and evictions. By allowing tenants to stay on, the blight of abandoned foreclosed homes will be lessened, and families who rent will not be uprooted from their schools and communities.

The Colombia Action Network is organizing events in six cities to honor and remember those killed by the U.S.-backed war in Colombia. March 1 is significant because one year ago the U.S. government directed an attack inside Ecuador that killed Raul Reyes and 25 others. Raul Reyes was a commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP). Angela Denio who will be speaking in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said, “We will remember the brave Colombian rebels, Ecuadorian supporters and Mexican students who died at the hands of the U.S.-sponsored attack in Ecuador, especially FARC leader Raul Reyes who gave his life for the freedom of the Colombian people.”

St. Paul, MN – A Ramsey County judge threw out all charges Jan. 23 in the first Repbulican National Convention (RNC) protest-related case to proceed to trial. The ‘Wall Street Seven’ consisted of seven people arrested on Sept. 1, 2008 for blocking the intersection of 9th and Wacouta in downtown Saint Paul. They were charged with obstructing legal process, disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly and blocking traffic. All charges were thrown out after the city of Saint Paul had presented the prosecution’s case and the judge concluded there was insufficient evidence to support a conviction.