AI HR Quote of the Day

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

"Human dignity is not quoted on the stock market" -- Pierre Sané, SG
Amnesty International, on the occasion of his Human Rights Day speech

It even sounds better, for some odd reason, in French, perhaps the words
ring more true, lingusitically, i would like to see it in latin,
espagnol, burmese, in all the languages of the world...

"La dignité humaine n'est pas côtée en bourse."

He got a lot of applause for that...Isn't it great they got Pinochet,
what smart timing, on Human Rights Day! Brillant. But what a drag to
have to work around the calender, so it is today with media events. I
think this is a very important thing to look into, how closely the
movement handles Burmese and international human rights media events. Of
course, the financial press, is disgusting in its oversight. The weekend
FT (Financial Times) could care less about HR Day, and not a story in
the paper all week, not that I could see, nor in the Wall STreet Journal
Europe. Perhaps I missed it but think not, the FT lead headliner today
is "Pinochet takes defiant line at court hearing", and this, "I am
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. I was a commmander in chief of the army, the
capitan general of Chile, president of the republic and actually I am at
the moment a senator of the republic." That, stated at a preliminary
bail hearing, to set the date for the next hearing. Well, did you know
the current US ambassador to Paris is none other than the Wall Street
honored Felix Rohatyn. You should read up on the Pinochet period.
Rohatyn's role at ITT and US govt hearings with the Justice Department
are described in Jack Anderson's  The Anderson Papers. For those of you
who do not know Jack Anderson was in during the Watergate period,
targetted to be killed by the Nixon White House plumbers, including
wacko Gordon Liddy. Anderson was one of the leading Washingon columnists
of the Washington Post, and Republican nemesis. See the chapter "From
ITT to Watergate/'I Don't Recall'" Rohayton was at ITT during the
Pinochet takeover, with millions of dollars from ITT used to overthrow
Allende." Not a word has surfaced in the ton of newsprint here in France
over the Pinochet UK affair. And there he sits in the US embassy, next
door to Chirac's Elysee Palace. L'histoire, c'est bien fou, non, mais
pas aussi bête que la presse aujourd'hui."

***
EuroBurmanet will be increasing its Free Burma activity next year
through meetings with french political representatives and various
interest pressure groups in a candid and open approach to the Total
problem and french government policy there. We will address the campaign
directly to the Total company, President Chirac, and Prime Minister
Jospin though a concerted European approach, and we hope that all of
you, on the eve of the end of the year celebrations, will join in
support of a change in the pro-SPDC french policy in Burma.

There is now a very interesting development which concerns our approach
to Total which we are not advised to disclose now, however, you will be
among those to know.

Meanwhile, in that regard, EuroBurmaNet would like to close this Human
Rights Week (quite a smash with the Dalai Lama rocking it with Bruce
Springstein, Radiohead and Alanis Morissette at the Bercy indoor Paris
standium) last Thursday night), with a preliminary invitation for those
of you wishing to see the French freeze and suspend Total/Unocal/Premier
investment in Burma, and to sign a petition that will be published and
sent to Messers Jospin and Chirac.

We are preparing the petition statement now. Any comments, advice, or
suggestions (re current outstanding petition statements that may be used
as preparatory references will be useful so send those too), and the
final version will be in french and english.

It will be a good way to start the new year, n'est-ce pas?

and while the us is in market mania, don't forget the quote

dawn star