[MAPC] policy groupies report back on Kohl meeting

[MAPC] policy groupies report back on Kohl meeting

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2001-10-09

MISSION: infiltrate U.S. Senator Herb ("nobody's senator but yours") Kohl's
office, spewing peace-nic rhetoric and demanding action to protect community
members of color and Muslim-Americans, and to protect our civil liberties.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 08:00 hours to 08:45 hours, Tuesday, Oct 9, year 2001
C.E.

SPECIAL MAPC AGENTS: x, x, x, x, x (x) x

DEBRIEFING REPORT: MAPC special agents met with new regional office director
x and staff assistant x. Meeting mood was cordial.

MAPC agents introduced the coalition, our 3-point platform, organizational
members, and strong support from individuals (150-200 people at general
meetings, an estimated 5000 individual members). We thanked the Senator for
his support of anti-racist resolutions (in the wake of the attacks; everyone
voted yes...), and then got down to business.

We detailed current "anti-terrorism" legislation and our concerns regarding
it, especially highlighting the "Uniting and Strengthening of America Act"
(S.1510), an especially scary measure which may be voted on by the Senate as
soon as this week. Among other things, the "U.S.A. Act" would allow
indefinite detention of non-citizens (even if they've won immigration
hearings), expand the federal government's ability to conduct secret
searches, extend the ability to conduct warrant-less internet and phone
surveillance to anyone if "relevant to an ongoing investigation", etc.

We also called on the Senator to support the establishment of an
International Criminal Court, and to oppose the U.S. Servicemembers
Protection Act (S.857), which would actively oppose the ICC, levy sanctions
against other countries signing the ICC charter, and provide the Prez with
the authority to "take any measures necessary" to free U.S. citizens
detained against their will by the ICC (!!!).

Kohl staff were not able to provide us with the Senator's stance on this
legislation, but will report back to us. They will relay the extensive
meeting notes they took to the DC office, and contact us with information on
the Senator's stance on S.1510, the ICC/ S.857. They will also provide us
with names and contact info for the relevant DC aides to contact regarding
each issue we discussed. For interested readers, the general phone # for
Kohl's DC office is 202-224-5623. We will share the other info with you once
we receive it.

Kohl's local staff also said they would relay info on MAPC to local people
who call the office to express pro-peace views. They also told us that,
except for the first day or so after the Sept 11 attacks, the many calls to
the local office have been overwhelmingly pro-peace! (Hey, join the
bandwagon. The phone # for the local office is 264-5338.)

We left with the office written materials on MAPC, news reports on Sunday's
rally, an article on the ICC (in the current issue of Ms. - check it out),
and MAPC member x's recent Badger-Herald editorial on the
complexity of getting involved with Afghanistan's politics.

<a luta continua>

===>> transmission ends
____________________________________________
East Timor Action Network field organizer   ETAN field office
Social Justice Center
office 608-663-5431                         1202 Williamson St
cell 608-347-4598                           Madison, WI 53703
home 608-255-4598                           fax 608-227-0141

Check out these internet sites!
the East Timor Action Network/US http://www.etan.org
Madison, WI - East Timor projects http://www.aideasttimor.org
Madison's Social Justice Center http://www.socialjusticecenter.org

"We struggled for more than 24 years for independence. We've learned the
lesson that even small people have a voice."
    -East Timorese leader Mari Alkatiri, during the August 30, 2001
Constituent Assembly vote

Tuesday, October 09, 2001 9:08 PM

[MAPC] policy groupies report back on Kohl meeting