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Indybay Feature

Immigrant Rights Marches Still ON Despite Swine Flu Hysteria

by Eye on South Bay and the Nation
The organizers of an immigrant rights march in the city of San Jose, California are staying in close contact with Santa Clara County health officials. They have confirmed that there is NO BAN on public gatherings. Furthermore it is unlikely that there will BE any such ban anytime soon. The large amount of publicity about Swine Flu right now, right around the time of immigrant rights actions across the nation, raises questions in many minds.

A quick internet search shows that NO immigrant rights marches anywhere in the U.S. have been cancelled at this time.
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We Raging Grannies have to wonder out loud about the role of right wing media, and certain extremist blogs, that have hyped up concern about immigrant gatherings scheduled for May 1. This would certainly be in line with past cases of motivation based on racism and bigotry. And we know that people who like to blame Mexicans are going to blame them for this outbreak too.

Keep in mind that this is an outbreak that might not have even come to the general public's attention if not for the media hype. This particular outbreak of flu has been monitored by health authorities since December. So the large amount of publicity now, right around the time of immigrant rights actions across the nation, raises questions in our minds. Lou Dobbs of CNN has been on a "immigrants cause health problems" kick for quite some time now.

In the days and weeks ahead, there will be plenty of misinformation and hysteria about this outbreak. To keep things in perspective, remember that malaria kills 3,000 people EVERY DAY, mostly children under 5 years of age, and it's considered a health "problem". Big pharma has no vaccines for malaria that can rake in billions of dollars, so malaria is not a news story.

Raging Grannies are old enough to remember that this is not the first swine flu panic. The last time was in 1976. In that year there was a massive swine flu vaccine campaign in the US.

Now we are all FOR vaccination programs when such programs are warranted. And Grannies are strong supporters of public health measures and health coverage that protects everyone (including undocumented immigrants) like Single-Payer healthcare could be in its best form. But back in the mid-seventies, a misguided effort to vaccinate against swine flu resulted in the rush to a vaccine for a pandemic that never materialized.

A vaccine is in the works for the current outbreak. We hope that the "powers that be" will consider the needs of public health before those of Big Pharma before implementing a vaccination program.

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by e
I kind of wondered the same thing about the rightwing media and the groups which influence it. Seems like every time a movement is growing to become a big enough threat to change things, some new and tragic event takes place, completely complicating everything and that to me will always seem very suspicious.

Also a huge protest against globalization the IMF and World Bank in DC got cancelled in 2001 due to 911 which set the anti-globalization movement in the U.S. few steps back by making public dissent against government and business seem insensitive, un-American and Un-Patriotic giving government and business all the power once again.


To skip over 8 years of time there was the shooting death of 4 police officers in Oakland just after the Oscar Grant riots that led to a new Bay Area movement against police brutality and the criminal justice system. You could safely say that this very much contributed to the fizzling out of the Justice for Oscar Grant movement.


And now the media hype over the Flu Pandemic is here to complicate the unity of immigrants, American workers, Students, Anarchists, Socialists, etc, etc but will we back down. Hell No We Won’t!

As if what I have said already hasn’t completely destroyed my credibility; there are many in this country and and others around the world who say there are nothing but a few families and world groups that are the true kings and pros at manipulating certain events in order to achieve a common goal. What Goal? “A New World Order, i.e. world government they say!

But that’s impossible right? Well let’s just say they allowed another 911 style attack on American soil that was much bigger. One can only wonder how much more oppressive America will be then, right?

I mean after all didn’t 911 get us to where we are today with the Patriot Act, Homeland Security, and on and on and on. God it takes so long to explain everything. Man, I’m just not too sure about coincidences anymore. Sometimes I just get that feeling that some of these events are no accident but are intentional and then the media and companies and military and police have there way. They always gain from tragedies. Isn’t that suspicious?


Most of these claims have been written off as conspiracy mumbo jumbo non-sense I know. As far as I'm concerned nobody in power can be trusted anymore and so I say the time for people rid the world of their governments in a common cause for a better future is now; a world w/ out war, destruction, tyranny, slavery, exploitation, genocide, racism, fear, and the list goes on.

A world revolution is not only desired but necessary in order to break down the barriers that divide us all. Of course bringing things down would have to be done with violence. These people aren’t going to give up power with out a fight. Keep that in mind.


No More Borders

No More Nations and Wars between Them

No More Government

No More Capitalism

No More Police and Prisons for drug addicts. Rehabilitation Not Incarceration

Nobody Is Illegal

Amnesty now!

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