MMSD Board Meeting

545 W Dayton Street, Madison

Join the Freedom Youth Squad at 5:30 pm on Monday, April 29 for a youth led teach-in before attending the MMSD Board of Education meeting at 6 pm.

We must continue to push for the investment in youth of color and the divestment from the police. As Black and Southeast Asian youth leaders, we want equitable, caring, loving and safe schools.

We demand:
1) The complete removal of cops from schools
2) Invest in youth of color
3) Let students and parents have control over school safety
4) Use restorative and transformative justice instead of punitive punishment

https://bit.ly/2V4nY1J

https://www.globalresearch.ca/

An International Criminal Lawyer has underscored that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has fallen under the influence of those who fund it mainly the EU, and US and private corporations who donate to it and who are very willing to use the court when it suits their interests.

Mr. Christopher Black told the Syria Times e-newspaper that the US will not recognize the court, nevertheless it attempts to use it through certain personnel placed in key positions to do its bidding.

“The Americans and British, for example, are putting pressure on the ICC to investigate and charge the Syrian government with war crimes.

This effort is fronted by certain lawyers pretending to represent Syrian refugees, but the lawyers all work for US and UK intelligence and NATO,” he said.

The veteran lawyer went on to say:

“one of the US lawyers involved is Stephen Rapp who was once in charge of prosecutions at the Rwanda tribunal where he engaged in some corrupt practices, then became head of the Hariri tribunal which had the objective of making propaganda against Syria, then became the US roving ambassador for war crimes. Now he is acting on US government’s orders.”

He affirmed that US, EU and other NATO countries do not want the ICC to be used against them but they are very willing to use it to suit their interests.

“The USA did sign up to the Rome Treaty but withdrew its signature under President Bush because the Americans see themselves as the exceptional people, subject to no laws but their own, at the same time that they try to dictate to the world what the law should be,” Mr. Black added.

He made it clear that there are of course many atrocities that have been committed by American forces in all their wars and will be in the future but they do not want to be judged in a world court, have their officer and leaders put on trial, their national reputation disgraced.

“They [American forces] also view war crimes tribunals as only suitable for those who have defeated, as propaganda show trials to justify their wars and portray the defeated enemy as criminals. But they will never tolerate the same treatment for themselves because they see themselves in their arrogance above all others and subject to no one’s judgement,” the lawyer stated.

He underscored that the ICC is not accountable to any higher body.

“For this reason, Russia and China and I suspect Syria have not joined it.  All national courts are part of a governmental system. Court decisions can be challenged at appeal levels and even to the government in certain cases. But there is no world government for the ICC to report to or where its decisions can be challenged.  So it has fallen under the influence of those that fund it mainly the EU, and US and private corporations who donate to it.”

The chance of the US or close allies being charged is zero

In response to a question about who will judge American, Israeli atrocities and their allies for their war crimes in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, the lawyer said:

“No one will judge them except the peoples of those countries. There are no means possible to bring them to justice before an international body with the present world power structure. However, each country that has suffered under their aggression can lay their own charges, have their own trials, even in absentia, and show the world the crimes that they committed.”

He indicated that the Americans have made it very clear they will not permit their people to be arrested by the ICC or their allies.

“As we saw this week with Afghanistan, when they don’t want to be investigated, the ICC will back off and will drop its investigations. They even have a law permitting them (a US law) to physically release any of their people even if they were arrested. So the chance of the US or close allies such as Israel being charged is zero.”

The lawyer asserted that the ICC is dominated by EU and US and other NATO countries such as Canada.

“Many of the staff are people that used to work under NATO -US command at the Yugoslav and Rwanda tribunals which were in name UN tribunals but were in fact controlled by the USA. Key staff they can rely on to do what they want are placed in key positions,” he said.

Mr. Black concluded by saying:

“Once again, the only people who can hold them accountable are the people of the nations they have attacked.”

FLYER: New Richmond WI Crusaders Of Justicia April 15 2019

April 23, 2019 (4:30-9 p.m) – Community Conversation Public Forum at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC), 1019 S. Knowles Ave. New Richmond, WI 54017

May 7, 2019 (6 p.m.) – Plan commission meeting and special city council meeting at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC), 1019 S. Knowles Ave., New Richmond, WI 54017

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ALERT! The City of New Richmond has accelerated the rezoning and approval of a multi-million dollar, for-profit regional immigration detention Immigration Centers of America facility proposed in the city. On Friday afternoon at 2:30 PM the city announced they are pushing up the date of the public forum from the 25th to the 23rd in what appears to be an attempt to suppress public input. At the same time the city announced a “Special City Council Meeting” for the full council to approve the controversial project. The construction of this facility is a human rights atrocity for New Richmond, Wisconsin and our nation, and allowing the corruption of the approval process for the benefit of for-profit corporations is a perversion of representative government. Crusaders Of Justicia is aggressively working to reschedule buses and update information in response to this last-minute sabotage of open government principles by the city. Please re-post these rapidly changing updates as they become available, and stay tuned to this page and our web site at: https://www.CrusadersOfJusticia.org/

https://www.facebook.com/CrusadersOfJusticia/

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CALL & EMAIL THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL AND TELL THEM: NO DETENTION CENTER! https://bit.ly/2InksK2

New Richmond City Offices, 156 East First Street, New Richmond, WI 54017

New Richmond, WI Mayor Fred Horne. Phone: (715) 246-4268 / E-mail: mayorfred@newrichmondwi.gov

Craig Kittel: (715) 246-3961 / aldermankittel@newrichmondwi.gov

Scottie Ard: (715) 338-6064 / aldermanard@newrichmondwi.gov

Jim Jackson: (715) 338-5041 / aldermanjackson@newrichmondwi.gov

Mike Montello: (715)-246-6087 / aldermanmontello@newrichmondwi.gov

Ron Volkert: (715)-220-6788

James Zajkowski: (715)-377-9321 / aldermanzajkowski@newrichmondwi.gov

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ALSO: Eau Claire attorney John Behling, who is representing Immigration Centers of America , is the President of the UW Board of Regents. Yes, unless we’re missing something, the President of the UW System Board of Regents is the attorney for a for-profit company that cages human beings for profit, potentially even children. Weld Riley, S.C.  Law Firm. 715-839-7786.

Behling’s bio:

John Robert Behling is the first Board of Regents President from the Chippewa Valley area, where he is an attorney with the Eau Claire law firm Weld Riley, S.C. At the firm, Behling serves as the firm’s Vice President and chairs Weld Riley’s government and administrative law practice.

Behling previously served as an aide to Governor Tommy Thompson in both Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin, serving as the Governor’s policy advisor on labor, employment and regulatory issues. He also served in the state’s Department of Commerce.

Behling is a member of the Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce. His previous board service includes the Sacred Heart Hospital Foundation; Angel on My Shoulder, a statewide cancer support foundation; the Wisconsin 4-H Foundation Board; the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund; the Northwest Passage Foundation; and the Wisconsin State Fair Park Youth Foundation.

Behling graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with a bachelor of science degree in political science and economics. He received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. https://www.wisconsin.edu/regents/about-the-regents/

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Ongoing protests continue against the horrific conditions at the ICA – Immigration Centers of America – the for-profit prison company that operates the Farmville Detention Center. https://herndonrestonindivisible.org/event/ice-detention-protest-farmville-va/

2008 Protest at Farmville: https://bit.ly/2IxBS5S

La ColectiVA

No Bolsonaro in NYC!

We protest the gala hosted at AMNH to award Jair Bolsonaro, “Man of the Year”, by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce. The event is nothing short of an outrage to Brazil, to this institution housed in a building of the City of New York, to the country, to the world.

The Museum has said it is concerned about the event ( a “rental”) being hosted there, but despite the pressure and their statements on Twitter, has not cancelled the event nor responded to thousands of messages to cancel, from employees, to members, to visitors, to residents of NYC.

The AMNH describes itself as “one of the world’s preeminent scientific and cultural institutions (…) [that] since its founding in 1869, (…) has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education, and exhibition. [1]”.

In direct opposition to these values, Jair Bolsonaro and his government are enacting a strong anti-scientific agenda in Brazil, curtailing research funding, threatening public education, and reducing environmental regulations to an unprecedented level in Brazilian history.

By accepting to host the event, AMNH contradicts its principles and its role as one of the world’s leading scientific institutions.

Despite demands from over 400 scientists, AMNH curators and staff, activists, and politicians the museum has also refused to remove climate science denier and mega donor, Rebekah Mercer, from its board of trustees. Hosting an event honoring Jair Bolsonaro is symptom of the AMNH’s poor leadership, which further undermines its reputation and credibility.

Jair Bolsonaro’s political campaign has been fueled, among other issues, by a overt anti-scientific discourse. During the political campaign of 2018 and the first hundred days of his government, professors, universities, and research institutions have been systematically threatened and harassed by the president and his allies.

The Bolsonaro government has reduced the federal budget for Science and Technology by 42.27%[2]. His government has also publicly praised fascism and expressed nostalgia for the former Military Regime in Brazil: a troubling trend that represents a great danger to freedom of expression, a cornerstone of society’s scientific development.

The anti-scientific nature of Bolsonaro’s government is well represented in the views of his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernesto Araújo, who claims that climate change is an invention grounded in “Marxist” and “Globalist” ideas, and threatens to abandon the Paris Agreement.

Furthermore, Bolsonaro’s Ministry of Agriculture has authorized the use of 152 new pesticides, many of which are forbidden in other parts of the world, deemed to be related to cancer. The administration has also transferred the responsibility of regulating indigenous reservation demarcations, environmental and climate policy, ecological education, and water resource management to the Ministry of Agriculture, which works for the interests of agribusiness. This change represents a threat to the protection of the already endangered environment, human rights, and biodiversity of Brazil, including the Amazon Forest.

We believe that science, technology and education are key elements for the constitution of a free and democratic society. We believe that the discovery, interpretation and dissemination of information about human cultures and the natural world depends on the protection of our natural resources and respect for indigenous populations. We hope that the AMNH will not let its reputation be tainted by associating itself with a figure such as Jair Bolsonaro, renowned for his obscurantism and attacks against science, human rights and nature.

[1] https://www.amnh.org/about

Please, sign and share the petition:
http://chng.it/4QS7T5ffjW

–Gala Honoree Causes Concern at American Museum of Natural History:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/12/arts/american-museum-natural-history-bolsonaro.html

–De Blasio slams museum event honoring Brazil’s far-right president:
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-de-blasio-bolsonaro-american-museum-of-natural-history-20190412-ntd34xgrlzhr5jggu3mdk3526y-story.html

–AMNH Employees Revolt Over ‘Appalling’ Decision To Host Bolsonaro At Museumhttp://gothamist.com/2019/04/12/amnh_employees_revolt_over_appallin.php

Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition

https://bit.ly/2Gb32fR

Jair Bolsonaro’s political campaign has been fueled, among other issues, by a overt anti-scientific discourse. During the political campaign of 2018 and the first hundred days of his government, professors, universities, and research institutions have been systematically threatened and harassed by the president and his allies. The Bolsonaro government has reduced the federal budget for Science and Technology by 42.27%[2]. His government has also publicly praised fascism and expressed nostalgia for the former Military Regime in Brazil: a troubling trend that represents a great danger to freedom of expression, a cornerstone of society’s scientific development.

The Grass is Greener – 2019-04-13 Ricardo Vaz on Venezuela

Live from Caracas, Ricardo Vaz reports to us on the latest U.S. sanctions and responses, exposes fake news, and offers analysis on the unfolding situation. The immediate coup has failed, but the economic war continues.

Stop & Shop is asking hard-working employees to accept wage and benefit cuts that will negatively impact service inside stores.

https://bit.ly/2GkD2Qs

(scroll to the bottom of the list to add your name to this sign-on statement)

Rep. Ilhan Omar is a fighter for working people who upholds her time as a union member with pride and continues to stand with unions, with working people, and with all who are oppressed.

Just a couple months into her first term as one of the first two Muslim women ever elected to Congress, Rep. Omar faces unprecedented attacks. Her statements and intentions are being purposely twisted in cynical and disingenuous ways to try to discredit and isolate her.

As union members we understand the importance of solidarity when our union siblings are under attack. The biggest enemies of working people and unions like Donald Trump and his followers — who themselves are guilty of enabling violent antisemitism and white supremacy — are stoking the attack on Rep. Ilhan Omar.

We unequivocally stand with Ilhan Omar against the Islamophobic smears being leveled at her for her outspoken views.

We denounce the despicable efforts of Republicans to label her a terrorist or connect her to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

We call on our fellow union members, on our unions, and on elected officials to stand with Ilhan against Republican efforts to pit Jews and Muslims against each other.

We #StandWithIlhan.

In Solidarity,

Minnesota Workers United (statement initiator)

https://bit.ly/2GkD2Qshttps://bit.ly/2GkD2Qs