Sahar Saba, a soft spoken young woman, stood firmly as darkness fell. She spoke of the hell that is her home; where 'everyone has a story to tell’ about a sister, a brother, a parent, or a child who was tortured, raped, killed; sometimes before their eyes.

She repeated several times that the problem of fundamentalism persists in Afghanistan. That RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, sees the persistence of fundamentalism as the major problem for women, children, and the Afghani culture in general. That the US attack and presence has done little to improve the situation, that indeed the situation has gotten worse under the US supported warlords.

Audio: Rockin' the Boat: Interview with Sahar Saba

[ Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan I Afghan Women's Mission ]

Santa Cruz Copwatch is a community based organization comprised of students, professionals, activists, community leaders, and others that seeks to provide police oversight by observing police activity, aiding people in airing their concerns and grievances with the police, and reporting their findings to the community. Copwatchers observe and record but do not interfere with police activity. Independent citizen police review and oversight is vital in all communities, but is especially important in Santa Cruz with the recent elimination of funding for the personnel of the Citizens' Police Review Commission.

Please join Santa Cruz Copwatch for a special screening of These Streets are Watching on Wednesday, April 7, from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the Resource Center for Nonviolence.

Brian Avery of the International Solidarity Movement will be speaking in Santa Cruz on Sunday, March 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Resource Center for Nonviolence (515 Broadway at Ocean in Santa Cruz).

On April 5, 2003, Brian Avery was shot in the face by the Israeli Military while wearing a bright red jacket. When he raised himself from the ground, witnesses saw that his left cheek had almost been totally shot off.

Brian was in Jenin as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement. The ISM is a Palestinian-led movement of Palestinian and international activists working to raise awareness of the struggle for Palestinian freedom and an end to the Israeli occupation. ISM utilizes nonviolent, direct action to confront and challenge the illegal Israeli occupation forces and policies.

There will also be a showing of “Dispatches: The Killing Zone.� Filmmakers Sandra Jordan and producer Rodrigo Vasquez reveal the shocking level of daily violence in the Gaza Strip. They arrived in Rafah right after the murder of Rachel Corrie.

Tune in to Free Radio Santa Cruz on Sunday, March 14, at 3:00 PM for a live interview with Brian Avery.

[ Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions I Rabbis for Human Rights I Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories I Gush Shalom I Palestinian Monitor I Middle East Research and Information Project ]

This article describes a labor arrangement that affects many thousands of people in Santa Cruz County. The employer is not the University, the County Government, or even the Seaside Company, owners of the Boardwalk. Most of the people affected aren't employees, for that matter.

What follows is an analysis of a contract. It's a real contract, in effect today, right here in our county.

The rules are from the contract between Local 23 of the United Transportation Union (UTU) and the Lift Line division of Community Bridges. The contract covers paratransit van drivers. Half of their work involves transporting the 3,400 people who are currently registered for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit. The rest of their work involves transporting clients of other programs, such as Medi-Cal (medical insurance for the very poor).

UTU, for its part, doesn't seem to want us to know what's in the contract. I mentioned, at a recent Metro board meeting, that the UTU/Lift Line contract was on the UTU Local 23 Web site. The files were gone within hours, replaced by a dummy screen saying that the information was password-protected (by permission only!). It is a dummy because, unlike the other password-protected parts of UTU's site, this one does not have a place for you to enter a password. Even before the contract was removed, UTU had deleted Appendix A, the pay scale. What could UTU be hiding from the public? Since we pay for and/or use the service, shouldn't we be allowed to see the document?

On February 27, the Taco Bell on Mission St. will be the starting point for the National Day of Action in solidarity with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, to highlight the sweatshop conditions in the Florida fields where Taco Bell's tomatoes are picked. This action is expected to have over 300 participants, with speakers, music, and art-in-action. This is the second largest planned action next to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' demonstration in Kentucky. Marchers will gather at 3:30 PM on Friday, February 27 at the Mission St. Taco Bell and march to the Pacific Ave. Taco Bell. This will be a big, action-oriented event that is not to be missed.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Santa Cruz's dirty little secret is the war on the poor and the use of "abnormal sleep deprivation".

This week's Sprouts is a documentary on the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ten days after the storm, Vinny Lombardo, a radio producer from Santa Cruz, CA travelled to Houston, TX, and New Orleans, LA to speak with Katrina survivors displaced by the hurricane.

audio: neworleans.indymedia.org/uploads/2005/12/sprouts_katrina_doc_1205_2005.mp3
TRT: 29:10

Article 5: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY DECEMBER 10, 2005
RALLY AGAINST TORTURE

Pacific Ave. & Cooper St. 2 PM to 4 PM

Now is The Key Time to Act to Save Tookie Williams:
www.savetookie.org

1. Make your call TODAY (Schwarzenegger - 916.445.2841)

2. Rally for Clemency on Thursday, 10AM at the Capitol
Building in Sacramento (other events at
www.savetookie.org)

3. Send a Letter to the Editor under 250 words,
include your
address and phone # to triblet (at) angnewspapers.com,
letters (at) sfchronicle.com and other papers
(samples at www.savetookie.org)