[Dialogue] 2005 Internat'l Commission of Inquiry

[Chagnon@comcast.net]

Lucille Chagnon here.

I'm  not sure how many of you are aware that the 2005 International Commission of Inquiry begins tomorrow, Friday, October 21st at 6 pm two blocks from Penn Station in New York.  It is sponsored by Not In Our Name (NION), and following is their latest e-mail,  received today.  Let us not forget the silence of so many during the pogroms of World War II.


"Beginning Friday at 6:00 pm, President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of 
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and a number of other administration officials will be 
put on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The first Session will 
be October 21 and 22 (for details see www.bushcommission.org).

This extraordinary event, harkening back to the famous Bertrand Russell War 
Crimes Tribunal of 1967, is one that you will not want to miss. By being present 
you will be a part of making history. Every person attending makes the statement 
that in these times none of us can stand aside from moral responsibility for 
what is being done in our name. (To register to go 
www.bushcommission.org/dateplace.htm.)

For the first time, the 2005 International Commission of Inquiry is pulling 
together the full scope of what the Bush administration is doing to the people 
of the world. The issues to be investigated include: 1) Wars of Aggression, 
particularly Iraq and Afghanistan. 2) Torture and Indefinite Detention; 3) 
Destruction of the Global Environment, in particular systematic policies 
contributing to the catastrophic effects of global warming. 4) Attacks on Global 
Public Health and Reproductive Rights, in particular the genocidal effects of 
forcing international agencies to promote "abstinence only" in the midst of a 
global AIDS epidemic.

In addition, there will be a special Saturday afternoon session on Bush's 
response to hurricane Katrina, featuring both experts and survivors telling 
their own vivid stories.

Even the most avid readers of the news will come away from these sessions 
"shocked and awed" at what they have learned. Never before has the whole story 
been pulled together in one place by the experts and eye-witnesses who can tell 
the story. For example, in the Friday evening opening session you will hear the 
shocking details of how the military is currently force-feeding detainees on 
hunger strike in the U.S. concentration camp at Guantanamo Bay.

Seats are still available. Register on-line at 
www.bushcommission.org/dateplace.htm, by calling 212-941-8086, or register at 
the door. If you are forced to miss this historic event, you can still help to 
give it the greatest possible impact by contributing on line at 
www.nion.us/NSOC/sign.htm. You may also contribute by check. Make payable to Not 
In Our Name and mail to NION, 305 West Broadway, #199, New York, NY 10013. Also 
write to C-SPAN at events at c-span.org and ask that they broadcast this event 
nationally.

Opening speakers include Marcus Raskin from the Institute for Policy Studies, 
Michael Ratner from the Center for Constitutional Rights, and a special message 
from historian Howard Zinn. The first evidentiary session on torture and 
detention will feature Barbara Olshansky who is coordinating the defense 
attorneys representing the detainees at Guantanamo.

The Commission is sponsored by the Not In Our Name statement of conscience (see 
www.nion.us) and is endorsed by the country's most prominent voices of 
conscience, including Sen. James Abourezk, Edward Asner, Russell Banks, Michael 
Eric Dyson, Richard Falk, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Rabbi Michael Lerner, the 
National Lawyers Guild, Michael Ratner, Gore Vidal, Cornel West, and Howard Zinn

FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 6PM, AND SATURDAY OCTOBER 22, 10AM
GRAND BALLROOM OF THE MANHATTAN CENTER, 311 W. 34TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY
(on 34th Street just west of 8th Ave, two blocks from Penn Station)

Be there!
Suggested admission, $30 for two-day session. Sliding scale for low income."