SANTA CRUZ, CA – According to a document obtained by NBC News, the Pentagon has been spying on 1,500 “suspicious incidents,� including anti-war and counter-recruitment meetings and actions throughout the nation over the past 10-month period. Among the first pages of more than 400 released, 10 college anti-war protests were listed, including UC Santa Cruz Students Against War (SAW)’s counter-recruitment protest of April 5, 2005, which was the only one to be labeled both credible and a “threat.�

Despite having dealt with both undercover police and university agents involved in the acts of surveillance and repression, the news came as a little shock to many SAW members, reaffirming long-held beliefs about the nature of the U.S. military. 3rd year student Jen Low noted the hypocrisy of the government’s messaging, reminding us that, "the notion of the Pentagon spying on peaceful protesters is a major threat to the freedoms that they claim to protect."

While the Department of Defense has not commented on the allegations, student activists assert that the rising unpopularity of the Iraq War and the inability of military recruiters to meet their quotas make the counter-recruitment movement a strong candidate for repression by a “homeland security� apparatus run amok.

[ Original MSNBC story ] [ DoD Database of domestic 'threats' (.pdf) ]

Audio: Rockin' the Boat: DoD Spying on Counter-Recruitment Organizers

see also: Pentagon spying at UCSC: Standards for our Country, Standards for Ourselves

from Pittsburgh IMC: POG returns to Oakland Recruiting Station

previous coverage: Wanted - information about under-cop || Rally, Queer Kiss-in Greet Military Recruiters at UCSC || UCSC Students Kick Military Recruiters Off Campus

School Board renigging on promised salary negotiations after two years of cuts. Support the educators and the kids they teach on Wednesday, December 7th at 7pm during the PVUSD Board meeting at the District Office.

When I became a teacher I thought this was a respectable job that was highly regarded by society. When I told people of my profession the response was always positive. "Wow, that's so noble." "You must be a special person." "We need more people like you." So of course I thought I must be a valuable member of society. But in the first several years of teaching I learned a few things that don't make me feel so important anymore.

1. I will never be able to afford a house.
2. I will most likely be living paycheck to paycheck for a long time.
3. It will be a very long time before I can support another person on my salary.
4. I have to pay for more schooling than I can afford in a very short amount of time to add onto the student loans that I can barely afford already on my salary.
5. I am a cog. I am not allowed to be the wheel in a public school setting.
6. Most of my classroom decisions are made for me by people who have not been in the classroom and have little understanding of what my kids need.
7. Too many years of this and I will need severe counseling to sleep well at night. It's not just papers I take home every night. The irony of it all is that I love my job and I wouldn't want any other. The other teachers at my school feel the same way despite the heavy adversity we face. Maybe we are masocists or just maybe we see the value in our students. We are the grunts of the school system. We are also highly abused by administration.

Carolyn Savino, president PVFT wrote: The above article and the accusation that the Board of Trustees has renigged on promises for a salary increase for teachers are not true and do not reflect the beliefs of the PVFT Executive Council nor the PVFT Negotiations Team. We have asked teachers to attend tonight's Board meeting to remind the Board that we have done well by the district in the tough years and it is now time for them to support the teachers in better times. This action is to call attention to Board members that negotiations are going on and that we need their support in order to be successful in those talks. Whoever put this information on this website along with a link to our website did so without the knowledge or permission of PVFT. We do not want to create anamosity with the Trustees when there is no reason to do so.

[ Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers ]

We want you to teach Free Skool Santa Cruz

January 19. 2006 - At approximately 12PM, hundreds of custodians (and their student supporters) at UC Santa Cruz skipped lunch to demand just wages.

The workers, part of the union AFSCME, recently found out that custodians at nearby colleges receive 14-30% more than they do, for the same (or less) work. Far from being a living wage, many UCSC custodians are working two/three jobs to make ends meet. This is at the same time that the UC system has raised student fees almost 80% over the past few years, and have given almost a billion dollars of executive perks for top UC employees, approximately the same amount of money as the student fee increases. Recently, Denice Denton, UCSC's Chancellor, claimed that Robert Dynes, the UC President, should be given an even higher salary. Dynes already makes more than $400,000 a year.

Meanwhile, the UC claims they have no money for the lowest-paid workers, academic programs, student initiated outreach and retention, and scores of other programs. It appears that there is not a lack of money, but a lack of decent priorities - not a budget crisis but a moral crisis.

The spirited rally, organized by AFSCME, with the support of the Student and Worker Coalition for Justice (SWCJ), is the continuation of a hard-fought struggle for the dignity of UCSC's lowest paid workers.

Speakers included:

* Julian, Yolanda, and a few other AFSCME workers.
* Maria, Marla, and Javier from the SWCJ.
* Dana Frank (prof of History)
* American Federation of Teachers (AFT) member
* Tony Madrigal (City Council, SEIU)
* Robert Chacanaca from the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council (MBCLC)

The Bicycle Film Festival is seeking submissions for its sixth annual Festival. The event will feature dozens of different films on a variety of bicycle styles - from BMX to urban bike culture, cycling to commuting.

We need to go to law school. Seriously. As activists, we are absolutely dependent on an industry of law that we know very little about and have very little influence in. Prison is serious stuff and to have so little available help within our own ranks is not acceptable or safe. Our friends and lovers are shuffled around in a system that leaves them wondering what they were actually charged with and/or convicted of and what exactly the evidence against them was. Our family are left in utter darkness about procedures and are reduced to begging for legal information from attorneys paid $200 an hour. I seriously believe we need more activist attorneys. NOW.

Dear Friends,

We would enjoy your participation in the workshop we are leading on Nonviolent Communication and Social Change: Beyond Righteous Anger Saturday, Jan 14th 10 am – 1 pm (Friends Meeting House 225 Rooney St. Hwy 1 at Morrissey) (In Honor of Martin Luther King’s Birthday: sponsored by NVCSantaCruz)