Oct. 1, 2005

Protesters demand justice for hurricane survivors

WASHINGTON — An estimated 300,000 antiwar demonstrators marched past the White House Sept. 24 chanting, “End the war now — Bring the troops home!” It was the mightiest peace outpouring since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

A full 22 days after Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, Robert Williams of Vancleave, Miss., is still waiting for a FEMA or a county truck — something. “I called FEMA, once the phones came back,” the 32-year-old church janitor told the Los Angeles Times. “They gave us a case number and said someone would be out as soon as possible. We have no idea when that will be.”

The 2005 annual fund drive is underway and more than $20,000 has been collected. Plans are underway across the country to raise thousands more.

ST. LOUIS — Seventy-five percent of Change to Win’s $16 million budget will be earmarked for union organizing, delegates to the labor federation’s founding convention decided here Sept. 27. The affiliating unions are the Service Employees, Teamsters, Carpenters, Laborers, Food and Commercial Workers, Farmworkers, and Unite Here, which takes in hotel, apparel, laundry and casino workers. All but the Laborers and Farmworkers have disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO in recent months

With the Senate expected to confirm John Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court, civil rights and liberties leaders said senators who voted for Roberts were “turning their backs” on women’s, civil and voting rights.

ST. LOUIS — Over 1,000 trade unionists, students, religious and community leaders from around the nation attended the Jobs with Justice (JwJ) annual meeting here Sept. 22-25.

CURRITUCK, N.C.: Secret Service questions student; HARRISBURG, Pa.: Parents sue to defend science ; ATLANTA: Kids’ education sacrificed to oil company greed; WASHINGTON: Yes, you’re being robbed at the pump

WASHINGTON — “We’re in the middle of the tunnel and we don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” said Maly Rivera, a veteran of the U.S. Army 16th Brigade just back from Iraq and expecting to return for a second tour in January.

In Phoenix, 2,000 marched on Republican Sen. Jon Kyl’s office. Kyl, a big war supporter, faces the voters in 2006. Over 600 turned out in Tucson, where Ruben Reyes spoke on behalf of Rep. Raul Grijalva. Another 150 rallied in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Tens of thousands gathered in West Coast cities Sept. 24 to call for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, immediate return of all U.S. troops, and use of resources to meet people’s needs at home. Speakers connected the war to the dismal response to Hurricane Katrina.