Starvin’ for Justice: Fast & Vigil for Life

29 June-02 July 2005
Starvin’ for Justice:
12th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish Capital Punishment

Where: In front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C. and supporting events all around the world.
Who: A coalition of groups working to abolish the death penalty, coordinated by Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
When: See above.
What: A fast and vigil with major speakers and entertainment.
Why these dates: 29 June is the anniversary of the 1972 case Furman v. Georgia in which the Supreme Court said that the death penalty violated the 8th Amendment’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishments” because of the arbitrary and blatantly racist manner in which it was applied. Unfortunately, a few years later in Gregg v. Georgia, the composition of the Court had changed and a majority ruled that new state dp laws COULD apply the death penalty in a fair, and therefore Constitutional, manner. Abolitionists have been attempting ever since to show that Gregg was wrongly decided since the dp is still arbitrary and manifestly unjust.

To register for the event, sponsor it, etc., go to http://www.abolition.org/starvin12.html If you can’t attend try to hold a supporting event in your community. Involve your church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship if you have one. More and more religious communities are opposing the death penalty–essential in this highly religious nation.

Downing Street Memo(s) The Smoking Gun

Have you heard of the Downing Street Memo? It is the notes of the former head of British Intelligence/MI-6 (equivalent of U.S. CIA) after meeting with U.S. counterparts. The notes were used in his briefing of PM Tony Blair and cabinet in July 2002 that Bush was determined to invade Iraq and was fixing intelligence around that policy! Read the memo here: http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/memo.html This past Thursday, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) held hearings on the memo. See the C-Span coverage here: http://www.c-span.org . Look for the video archives under Defense/Security.

You can take action to call for more investigation by Congress, more coverage by mainstream media, and for impeachment of the president for high crimes. Check out these actions and more at http://www.AfterDowningStreet.org