King County, Diebold Voting Software, and Felons, Oh My

Andy Stephenson, a Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State in Washington, along with Black Box Voting author, Bev Harris, have dug up some new "dirt" on Diebold. According to allegations made at press conference yesterday in Seattle, Diebold is apparently full of convicted felons. This AP story details some of the allegations levied. During the press conference it came out that, Jeffery Dean, a current executive with Diebold was previously convicted of thefts that were hidden through a

"cover-up [that] involved a high degree of sophistication and planning in the use and alteration of records in the computerized accounting system that defendant maintained for the victim, and the defendant used his position of trust and fiduciary responsibility as a computer systems and accounting consultant for the victim to facilitate the commission of the offenses."

Last month the Secretary of State of California had a meeting and ordered Diebold to cooperate with, and to pay for an audit of their installed hardware/firmware/software versions statewide. Today partial results of that audit were released, and it was a doozie...

Full press kit and supporting documents are available from BlackBoxVoting.org

New Seattle IMC site

The new Seattle IMC website is now online. Expect it to undergo changes over the next days and weeks, as new functions are added, and bugs worked out.

Thank you for your patience during this time.

PepperSpray Productions' latest video screens at the IMC Thursday, 12/11, featuring Amy Goodman commentary

PepperSpray is a small collective of media activists who answered the IMC call to "make your own media." Based in Seattle, PepperSpray makes and distributes short video pieces. They also publish a news video quarterly, available by subscription and at selected news stands, called "The Leader." The newest issue #9 will show at the IMC this Thursday. The two hour showing with an intermission social, features a media analysis by Democracy Now's Amy Goodman as well as a variety of shorts by independent videographers. Videographer, Warcry, presents "Solidarity Palestine" that includes an interview with Rachel Corrie's Olympia boyfriend and best friend. Doors open at 6:30; film starts at 7:00. More information.

26 activists face felony charges

Miami Activist Defense needs your testimonies, photos, and particularly VIDEO footage in preparing for the mass defense and civil litigation. We are working with both the Miami Public Defenders and the National Lawyers Guild.

There are 26 defendants facing serious felony charges, as well as hundreds facing misdemeanor charges. There is nothing more useful than VIDEO footage, but eye witness testimony and photo evidence can of course be very useful in getting charges dismissed.

Find out how to help here.

STOPFTAA.org/legal | FTAAIMC

Long-time member reflects on what's going on at the IMC

A lot of people have been wondering what's going on at the Seattle IMC. Doors closing? Lease breaking? The few core collective members have been working hard at sorting through a lot of issues that have come to a head in the last two months and taken us completely off guard. One long-term member, who likes to go by a3m, finally found the time to reflect on what's been happening. The following is the first of what will be on-going updates as we grapple with next steps and future planning. (Articles of our recent death and demise are premature; the last time we checked we were still alive--buried, it's true--under a ton of work.):

Well, lets not hear about gender imbalances. For when it came to the last few standing bodies, it has been a dead heat. And the old allies coming foreward? Women for the greater part.

And while these few good men and women try to patch the bleeding left in the wake of recent departures, there has been some nasty spillage. We apologize for not taking time earlier to say whats going on. Truth is, we have not been sure. And rather than respond to the rumoring and to the heated calls to have heads roll, we have been pouring over unfinished business, finding forgotten business and making future plans.

Since the Battle of Seattle, its been difficult to keep a singular vision of the Seattle IMC. Without an event to rally us, there have been many directions taken that "could" be seen as part of the mission. Some worked well, others drained our time and resources without advancing the mission.

Full story

For additional opinions on the state of the IMC see:

Media Politics: A Necessary Autumn for the Seattle IMC

Independent Media--but not Indymedia--cover IMC Problems

Half Hate

In Iraq, Labor Protest Remains Illegal

Despite promises of democratization, US occupation policies in Iraq have turned a deaf ear to the needs of Iraqi workers, who suffer the same restrictions on organizing and workplace democracy as under the Saddam Hussein regime, under worsened economic conditions. As under the previous regime, the US-led Coalition Provision Authority has banned labor unions and organized protests, rights guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Approximately seventy percent of the Iraqi workforce is unemployed. Most who have found jobs working on reconstruction projects are being paid a CPA-dictated "emergency" wage of $60 a month. None of the $87 billion recently appropriated by Congress is destined to help impoverished Iraqi workers or the unemployed. Instead, the money will prepare the way for the transformation of the Iraqi economy, and the privatization of the state enterprises at its heart. The beneficiaries are US conglomerates and contractors such as the notoriously anti-union, Seattle-based firm Stevedoring Services of America.

Read the full story here.

Campaign for Labor Rights in Iraq | US Labor Against War

Until the End of Their Days

Ten years after Washington voters passed the "three strikes, you’re out" initiative, nearly 220 prisoners sit behind bars for life. Proponents say that we’ve put away the "worst of the worst." But 40 percent of those who have "struck out" have done so because of robbery convictions, compared with 12 percent who are serving life for murder, and 20 percent for a sex crime under the three-strikes statute. In Washington, nearly 36 percent of all three strikers are African American, though they represent merely 3.2 percent of the state population. Opponents of three strikes say the net cast by this law has extended far too wide. According to critics, committing people to prison for life – and especially for non-violent crimes or crimes committed under the influence of drugs and alcohol – ignores the real potential for rehabilitation.

Colors Northwest's Silja Talvi has the whole story.

Media Island Launches New Site

Olympia's Media Island has relaunched its website, with a spiffy new format incorporating open publishing and syndicated features from the Seattle, Portland and Global Indymedia sites, as well as local/regional progressive news and activist resources. The site relaunch is part of a project to join forces with OlyNetwork, a South Puget Sound activist calendar and directory. Founded in 1984, Media Island is the forerunner and sponsor of many community media projects; in 1999 the group played a foundational role in setting up the first Independent Media Center office and website in Seattle. The group's Olympia premises, open to the public, house a library, computer training facilities and meeting space.

N30: Double Feature Fundraiser and Slide Show

This Sunday, Nov. 30, marks the fourth anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle and the launch of the IMC movement around the world. Come see the film that captures that event best: "This is What Democracy Looks Like" and then see the latest film on the recent WTO protests in Cancun: "Kilometer Zero." On hand will be producers of "Kilometer Zero," and they will also present a slide show, "We Are Everywhere." Come down to the Seattle IMC, 1415 3rd, in Downtown Seattle on Sunday, November 30 to catch both films, slide show and celebrate with us the people's movement against corporate greed and globalization.

Door charge is $5-$20 sliding scale (this is a fundraising event).
Show Times for all films and events:

[All ages]
1:00–2:15 "This is What Democracy Looks Like"
2:45–3:45 "Kilometer Zero"
4:00–4:30 "We Are Everywhere" Slide Show
4:30–6:00 Break

[21 and over]
6:00 –7:00 Music
7:00 –7:30 "We Are Everywhere" Slide Show
7:30 –8:45 "This is What Democracy Looks Like"
9:00-10:00 "Kilometer Zero"
10-10:30 Wrap Up

For full film descriptions, Click Here.

Race to the Bottom!

For the past decade, American wage earners have been thrust into a 'race to the bottom' by trade policies that export jobs and factories to wherever in the world labor costs, worker rights and environmental standards are lowest. It is estimated that since passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Washington State has lost over 40,000 jobs. As good jobs are eliminated, wages drop for those jobs that remain, benefits are cut, funding for schools and social services are slashed. In this race to the bottom, environmental regulations and food safety standards are also threatened in order to facilitate 'free' trade at any social cost.

On Nov. 22, as the FTAA Ministerial continues in Miami, the Seattle-based Community Alliance for Global Justice will sponsor a Race to the Bottom. The 5K race will be a symbolic trip through Seattle to highlight local issues connected to unbalanced trade policy. Runners (and walkers) are encouraged to dress in either a corporate criminal or a fair trade champion costume. The run/march begins at 11:30am in Pioneer Square, and ends with a rally at the Labor Temple in Belltown.

Race to the Bottom | FTAA IMC | Stop the FTAA