One person's commentary on protest activity at the 2005 Presidential Inauguration

This is the third and fourth installments on the current situation of Guantanamo Bay/ Camp Delta and the detainees there. So far, we have outlined how the situation got started, what were the issues before the Supreme Court, and what the Supreme Court case did and did not do.

In "The Guantanamo Maze" C. William Michaels offers explanation as to where the military tribunal situation now stands, and what are the likely next steps. This will be a four part discussion. The first part will review how the situation got started. The second part will take a look at the June, 2004 Supreme Court decision and immediate aftermath. The third and fourth parts will review the recent federal district court decision and try to predict the future--a future which could be at least as complicated as the present.

The “Intelligence Bill,” or S. 2845, was passed by the Congress, on Dec. 9, 2004, with little or no public input. Pushed by the ultra Iraqi War Hawk, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT), it creates the foundation for a national ID card. Bail can easily be denied to anyone charged with a terrorist offense. The power of Homeland Security bureaucrats to place an activist on “Watch” or “No Fly” lists have also been greatly enhanced by this police state scheme.

In an hour and a half seminar with 100 local activists, Professor Howard Zinn engagingly addressed his audience with witty and simply phrased responses to questions about progressive strategies of the left. Zinn’s carefully crafted, but easily understood opinions were enthusiastically received by an audience eager to learn from the veteran peace activist, world War II veteran, lecturer, writer and historian. This seminar preceeded Zinn's December 8th address at the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium.

Sport fans generating violence has a long history. The brawl at the game, between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, started by a fan tossing a cup of water on a player, is only the latest example. The Establishment doesn’t really give a good hoot about this ugly incident, since it only adds to the effects it seeks to manipulate the citizenry. If the fans get organized, however, and direct their venom at the Establishment, then watch out!

On October 26, 2004 a special anniversary was observed, although there weren't any parties and probably no one baked a cake or sent a card. On that date the nation observed the third anniversary of the USA PATRIOT Act, signed by President George Bush on October 26, 2001. A commentary in Indymedia's ongoing analysis of repressive legislation in the USA.

A coalition of local activist groups held a rally on Saturday November 6th around the issue of political prisoners within the United States, and educating more people about the plight of Eddie Conway. Conway, a former member of the Black Panthers, has been incarcerated, unjustly, for over 35 years.