All People's Immigration Hearing was AMAZING!
s t a r r,

To commemorate the success of Marcha Migrante II, local activist organizations Gente Unida and the Border Angels held an ALL PEOPLE'S IMMIGRATION HEARING yesterday in San Ysidro to counter the bogus hearings held in San Diego last fall. Over 50 audience members applauded speaker after speaker who called for an IMMEDIATE END to the racial hatred and corporate control that continues to cost migrant workers their lives and their livelihoods every day...--Read More--

Jay Johnson-Castro's Description of Holtville Cemetery | Migrant March II Updates: 1 2 | Border Angels
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Medical marijuana patient needs defense
Nathaniel Archer,

My name is Nathaniel D. Archer, and I reside in San Francisco, Ca. I am registered with the State of California as a Medical Cannabis patient. I recently had all of my equipment and garden confiscated by the County of San Diego and was charged with cultivation. I was incarcerated despite the fact that I have documentation to support my patient status.

I have a court appointed Attorney, who has an agenda similar to that of the County of San Diego; to put myself and other advocates of Medicinal Cannabis behind bars, solely because of their denial of the existence of Medical Cannabis...

Related: DEA Raids SD Medical Marijuana Dispensaries | DA Dumanis Lies About Law | The Love and Death of a San Diego Activist | Medical Cannabis Advocates Decry Increase in State's MMJ Patient Cards
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Carta, Dibujo y Poema de la lucha en Oaxaca
vAPPOroaxaca,

Una carta al consulado mexicano de la coalición vAPPOroaxaca, un dibujo hecho por nuestra miembra mas jovencita y un poema hecho por otra miembra que fue leido durante el festival político-cultural en el Chicano Park el 22 de diciembre:

Los suscritos, miembros de la Coalición Vapporoaxaca (un esfuerzo de organización de Meicanos y Communidad solidaria Internacional), Con residencia en San Diego, Ca. Nos dirigimos a usted y a la Dependencia Federal que usted representa, para plantearle nuestras demandas y exigencias en relación al conflicto social que se vive en Oaxaca...

Despierto como de un letargo de un sueño apesumbrado Aun me encuentro cocinando, Volteo a ver el reloj Son casi las 6:00 de la tarde, mi hijo no a vuelto y ya es muy tarde Un vuelco da mi corazón asi que apago el fogón y salgo a buscarlo, Toda la gente viene corriendo y gritando ( corran que nos alcanzan, estos canijos Nos quieren agarrar.) de repente veo a un conocido y le pregunto, ¿Que si a visto a mi hijo? Lo acaban de secuestrar, me dice gritando, El helicóptero se lo acaba de llevar, no es posible me grita mi corazón. ¿adonde se lo han llevado sigo yo preguntando?...

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San Diego Indymedia in Transition
four san diego indymedia volunteers,

Los voluntarios del Centro de Medios Independientes de San Diego están dando inicio a un proyecto de un año para remodelar el portal de Indymedia San Diego y promover nuestros vínculos con grupos activistas y comunitarios cuyas voces no se escuchan lo suficiente en la región fronteriza Tijuana-San Diego.
Volunteers with the San Diego Independent Media Center have embarked on a year long effort to revamp the SDIMC website and our relationship to activist groups and underrepresented communities in the San Diego/Tijuana border region

Tentativamente nuestras prioridades iniciales incluyen:
--La Actualización del Portal de SDIMC para darle un mejor servicio a nuestros participantes y lectores, al permitir que un mayor número de voluntarios tenga acceso a su mantenimiento técnico.
--Mejorar el Acceso al portal para quienes tienen poco o ningún acceso al Internet, generando versiones impresas y en audio, y facilitando contribuciones de audio y por escrito.
--Dirigirnos hacia un Portal Bilingüe promoviendo un gran número de contribuciones en español y dando asistencia e incentivos para que nuestros lectores y voluntarios bilingües participen haciendo traducciones.
--Establecer Mejores Enlaces con Grupos Activistas y Comunitarios para que todos los eventos significativos que ocurren en nuestra región y que afectan a nuestros lectores se anuncien y reciban cobertura y reportajes.
Our tentative initial priorities include:
--Upgrading the SDIMC Website so that it better serves our contributors and readers and so its technical maintenance is accessible to a broader range of volunteers.
--Improving Accessibility to reading and contributing to the website for those who might have episodic or no internet access, by generating print and audio versions of the website, and by facilitating audio and written submissions.
--Moving Towards a Bilingual Website by providing assistance to and incentives for our bilingual readers/volunteers to help with translations, and by encouraging a broader range of spanish language submissions.
--Establishing Better Connections with Activist and Community Groups so that all significant events in the region affecting our readers are announced/reported on.

Para que esto suceda, necesitamos que nos digas qué te parece lo más relevante y cómo ponerlo en práctica. Invitamos tus comentarios y sugerencias aquí al final de este artículo, o escribiéndonos a imc-sd ARROBA lists PUNTO indymedia PUNTO org, o con tu asistencia a los foros que tendremos durante el año.
To make this happen, we need your input on what to do and how to do it, as well as your help with carrying it out. We welcome your comments and suggestions, as comments to this article, as e-mails to us at imc-sd AT lists d0T indymedia d0T org, or as participation in media forums to be conducted later in the year.

El primer paso será re-diseñar el portal, un proceso que deseamos sea lo más accesible posible a personas con una amplia diversidad intereses y aptitudes técnicas. Te invitamos a nuestra primera reunión de planificación este jueves:
15 de febrero a las 6:30 pm en
The Other Side Café Calle 30 # 4096 en el área de North Park en San Diego
The first step will involve redesign of the SDIMC website, a process that we plan to make as open as possible to people with a broad range of interests and technical skills. Join us at the first planning meeting:
Thursday, February 15, 6:30PM
The Other Side Cafe, 4096 30th in North Park

El nuevo portal incluirá más opciones para multi-medios, un calendario integrado de eventos y anuncios, asimismo como blogs para contribuyentes frecuentes.
The new website eventually will include more multimedia options, an embedded event calendar/event announcements and blogs for all frequent contributors.

Se le invita a quienes asistirán a la reunión a repasar estos artículos previamente: / Participants are invited to check out the following articles prior to the meeting:
drupal website | drupal handbooks | drupal for indymedia: 1, 2 | algunos IMCs que usan drupal: / some IMCs using drupal: urbana-champaign, quebec, melbourne, columbus, tasmania, malta, belgium, climate, york.
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Marcha Migrante II Headed Towards San Diego
repost from Border Angels: borderangels.org,

Marcha Migrante II is collecting border stories as they journey along the u.s.-mexico border from San Diego to Brownsville and back. The caravan currently is a few days out of San Diego, with stops in San Antonio, New Mexico and Los Angeles planned before returning for the People's Immigration Hearing on Saturday, February 17, 11:30AM at Border Field State Park.

From Border Angels: McAllen to Brownsville (2/9): Hundreds gathered to say welcome and join the caravan !!! We held a rousing rally, heard heartbreaking testimonials and had car after car join the caravan!!! It was a beautiful sight as 30+ autos joined MARCHA MIGRANTE II and went from McAllen to Weslaco to Brownsville for presentations and to hear testimonials. Eagle Pass (2/10): We meet with the Institute of Mexican Abroad, Border Commission. We are again welcomed with wonderful kindness and support. We attend meetings and forums with locals, local authorities and discuss realities, policies and here stories of why we need the humane immigration reform NOW! Towards San Antonio (2/11): Stormy weather but nothing like what our brethren face when they travel North... Tomorrow I fly to Nebraska to debate F.A.I.R. president Dan Stien, others go to HUTTO PRISON for protest vigil and others attend Human Rights Border conference.

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The Women Behind THE RUBBER ROSE on Sexuality, Politics and Porn
Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger’s Newsmagazine,

Most adult-business proprietors don’t talk much about the political and social philosophies behind their operations. But LEA CAUGHLAN and CARLY DELSO-SAAVEDRA, owners of Rubber Rose in North Park, do.

Lea: Even then, within activist circles, over and over again I found myself mostly in male-dominated territory, being one of the few female voices speaking out...We were really seeing a need to create a woman-centric space where women would feel comfortable, where anyone could feel comfortable in this space, and fulfill their dreams and have positive sexual health.

Carly: The focus here is on creating a space where it would be comfortable for women to explore their sexuality, where they can feel free to ask questions and bring their partners... This can be a store where a mom and a daughter can walk hand-in-hand and introduce a little talk about birds and bees... As our store grows more stable, I definitely see being able to turn around and support a lot of activities in the community where we were once more hands-on activists.

Rubber Rose on myspace | Rubber Rose website
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Protest Torture Enabler John Yoo on Monday
san diego indymedia volunteer,

John Yoo was deputy u.s. assistant attorney general in the "justice" department from 2001 to 2003, where he contributed to the "Patriot" Act and authored memos narrowly defining torture and habeas corpus. He is a strong advocate of the unitary executive theory, the application of which critics believe renders the president virtually indistinguishable from a dictator. In a debate with Notre Dame professor Doug Cassel in 2005, Yoo signed off on crushing the testicles of children:
Cassel: If the President deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

Even some conservatives find Yoo's views to be repugnant. In late 2006, a complaint was filed against former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, Yoo and others in Germany for crimes against humanity by victims of torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay.

Yoo currently is professor at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, despite opposition from the local community to his appointment. Yoo will be debating USD professor Michael Ramsey on the "War on Terror" and the powers of a president during "War" at 5:30PM on Monday evening at the Joan Kroc Center for Peace and Justice Auditorium on the USD campus. Ramsey has marginally differing views, but himself is an elite bootlicker, having clerked for Supreme Court crazy Antonin Scalia in the early 90s (Yoo later clerked for Clarence Thomas). Real people with real opinions about torture and presidential powers are not expected to be represented in the debate.

Protest Torture Enabler John Yoo
Monday February 12 5:00PM
Joan Kroc Center for Peace and Justice
5998 Alcalá Park (off Linda Vista)

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USD's All Faith Service: Report and Responses
compiled by san diego indymedia volunteer,

from Mandy Oglesby: I sat nervously in the second pew of USD’s Immaculata church and waited for the 14th annual all faith service to begin... It had played such a prominent role in my youth as it is the church my mother was confirmed in, the church she was later married in and the church she prayed, I would one day be married in as well... The all faith service was instantly appealing to me, the idea of a catholic service embracing Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists was intriguing to say the least. The service was opened by the Muslim call to prayer...

from Cecil: As Louisa May Alcott Said - Man will not be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
from Jamie: Voltaire actually said that Cecil
again from Cecil: Actually, It was Diderot - Denis Diderot was a contemporary of Voltaire. It is an old hoax originally perpetrated by the great Edward Abbey. I choose to continue the tradition.
from Paul Bracker: It's easy to get caught up in the politics of religion (see above) and forget that there is a lot of interesting history and lore to be discovered.
from Nat: Faith is for the poor, uneducated and easy to command. It breeds division and bigotry.
from Jeff: Speaking of bigotry and division. Take a deep breath Nat-----aaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

--Read More of the Article and Comments--


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Invitacion para entrega de Documento.
vAPPOroaxaca.,

El Planton de Protesta en el Consulado Mexicano, como apoyo a la Novena Megamarcha en Oaxaca el 3 de Febrero, contempla tambien la entrega de un documento de Demandas y Exigencias esta vez al Secretario de Gobernacion.
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Migrant March II Update
Border Angels (repost),

MARCHA MIGRANTE II is a caravan traversing the entire MEXICO/US border from San Diego (Feb 2) to Brownsville Texas (Feb 9) and back (Feb 17). The caravan will gather stories along the border journey and share these stories at the People's Immigration Hearing in San Diego on the 17th as well as take these stories directly to Washington DC. The goal is humane and comprehensive immigration reform.

Initial Reports: (via Enrique Morones, Border Angels) San Diego (2/2): We planted the first of 4400 crosses and honored Oscar Garcia Barrios killed at border May 18th, 2006 as a very emotional letter was read (by Micaela Saucedo) from his mother. We then said good bye to all and 25 autos joined the MARCHA MIGRANTE II as we headed to our first stop the Holtville cemetery. Holtville (2/2): We planted 440 crosses for the unidentified but not forgotten migrants buried there. Yuma (2/3) We were met by 100 local community members and we placed 100 crosses for those that have died in the region the last 2 years alone. Phoenix (2/3): In the evening 500 people met us as we camped out and joined Elias Bermudez and other Arizona locals on a "fast for justice" 464 more crosses on the fences surrounding the camp site. Tucson (2/4): Isabel Garcia shares two heartbreaking stories of the tragic deaths of two children. Father Carney, Kat Rodriguez, Alexis Mazon and all of us were moved to tears as 12 year old Mathew (the youngest of the caravan group, asked "why we killing all these people" as 200 crosses laid in the middle of our circle. Douglas (2/4): Deliver supplies to migrants and to remember the tragic murder of Francisco Javier Dominguez (killed in the region, last month).

--Read More-- | Marcha Migrante II Schedule
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SDIMC Meeting/Discussion
sdimc member,

San Diego Indymedia is having our next open meeting/discussion:
Wednesday Feb. 7th @6:30PM
The Other Side Cafe
4096 30th St San Diego

This meeting is for those of us who have been around, out of the loop, and any new folks who want more information and/or like to get involved. So bring yourself and feel free to invite others.
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Vandals Target San Diego Migrant Camps
Diane,

SAN DIEGO--More than a half dozen migrant camps in the Rancho Penasquitos area have been vandalized in the past week, leaving many of the camps’ residents without clothing, blankets, or shelter.

In all cases, intruders entered the camps while the migrants were away and used knives or scissors to slash tents, tarps, and bicycle tires, slit open sleeping bags, and cut up blankets, shoes, and clothing. Many of the damaged items were new, some with the tags still attached. The camps’ residents who were interviewed asked not to be identified, but one said that even his pencils had been broken in half. He said he “just can’t fathom the hearts and minds of people who would do something like this.”

Video: Vandalism in Migrant Camps

Related: Minutemen Swarming San Diego Day Labor Sites | Resistance to Minutemen in Socal | "Border War" Protest Video | Operation "Where's the War!?" | Video of Operation W.T.F (Where's the Fence) | Racist Violence in National City Saturday | Residents Celebrate as National City Becomes Sanctuary | | Border Patrol and SDPD Arrest Day Laborers | The Minuteklan Rallies: Observer Arrested | A(nother) Weekend with the Minutemen | The Homeland War
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San Diego SOAW Activist Sentenced to Prison
SOA Watch,

California residents Joshua Harris and Cathy Webster of San Diego and Chico, respectively, were each sentenced to 2 months in federal prison today by the Columbus, Georgia federal court. Harris, 30, and Webster, 61, are among 16 defendants, ranging in age from 17 to 71, who were charged with trespassing after peacefully walking onto the Fort Benning military base in protest of the School of the Americas/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHINSEC) this past November 19 during the annual School of the Americas Wach vigil at Ft. Benning.

"I'm here today because I believe there is a cause-effect relationship between the training that takes place at Ft. Benning and the human rights violations that continue to occur in Central and South America, even if the Pentagon does not recognize a cause-effect relationship," Harris said. Webster added, "I am a grandmother. I have come here to add my voice to the thousands who call for the closure of this notorious school which trains Latin American soldiers. There is a Hopi saying: 'When the grandmothers speak, the world will begin to heal.' Listen to the grandmothers."

Links: School of the Americas Watch | More about the SOA 16 | SOA/WHINSEC website
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San Diego’s Anti-War Protest 1/27/07
Mark Gabrish Conlan/Zenger’s Newsmagazine (abstract added by sdimc volunteer),

An estimated 1500 protesters attended an anti-war demonstration at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego on Saturday aimed at the ongoing occupation of Iraq, the Bush administration's recent announcement of a 'surge,' and expectations of an impending attack on Iran. Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers, spoke at the rally and then the protesters marched through the Gaslamp along the usual route.

The San Diego demonstration paralleled numerous demonstrations across the country, including a United for Peace and Justice protest in Washington, DC, which drew between tens of thousands and 500,000

Via US-IMC:
From the DC-IMC Newswire: Hundreds of Thousands Put Impeachment Back On the Table | Break Way March Rushes Capitol Building | Protestors lay siege to US Capitol, smash window at military recruiter | Radical Youth Contingent and Students for a Democratic Society March Overview | Photos: 1 | 2 | Audio

Other Reports: Boston | Los Angeles | Oklahoma: 1, 2 | Olympia, WA | Oregon City | Portland, OR | Sacramento, CA | San Francisco | Seattle | Vancouver, WA
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The Homeland War
Leslie Radford,

It was just another skirmish in the two-year war on migrants. Sixty minutemen, from San Diego Minutemen and Save Our State, tried to run day laborers out of San Juan Capistrano, but they were held at bay by thirty or so determined day laborers and their supporters.

A contractor pulled into the parking lot, and the minutemen rushed over to deter him. The contractor assured the minutemen that he paid all the requisite business and employee taxes. The call went out from the workers and their supporters: would a minuteman take the job? Eventually a white-bearded minuteman agreed and climbed into the truck, to the laughter of the laborers. The contractor and the minuteman drove off, but the minuteman reappeared about half an hour later, admitting that he had been fired.

Related: Minutemen Swarming San Diego Day Labor Sites | Resistance to Minutemen in Socal | "Border War" Protest Video | Operation "Where's the War!?" | Video of Operation W.T.F (Where's the Fence) | Racist Violence in National City Saturday | Residents Celebrate as National City Becomes Sanctuary | | Border Patrol and SDPD Arrest Day Laborers | The Minuteklan Rallies: Observer Arrested | A(nother) Weekend with the Minutemen
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Community Residents Say No To Prison Expansion
rocky neptun,

Several hundred activists, former inmates and San Diego neighborhood residents gave a collective, thunderous no to Governor Schwarzenegger's recent proposed prison expansion scheme. Meeting at the Malcom X Library on Jan. 21st, participants blasted the deceit around a so-called "re-entry" facility proposed for the San Diego region; while others suggested it was time to look at changing the entire California justice system.

Community activists talked about the advantages of the prison industrial complex for corporations, district attorneys and prison guards and its failures for inmates. A huge petition was unfolded, signed by over 1,000 of the 10,000 women prisoners in California, opposing the Governor's prison expansion efforts. Most of the signers were from the twin prison complexes that sits amid almond groves near Chowchilla - the largest concentration of women prisoners in the world.

Forum participants ended the gathering with suggestions for follow-up actions, including attending a March 28th demo against the Governor's call for prison construction at the state capitol, putting pressure on local legislators to oppose all prison expansion schemes, and educating the general community about the need for real prison reform built on community-based treatment and justice programs.

More info: Curb Prison Spending
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A(nother) Weekend with the Minutemen
a(nother) anti-racist,

I wonder how many people know that there are a lot of organizers who spend almost every morning with the Minutemen and almost every weekend with them as well. Well, not a lot every morning at 7am, but on the weekends, we're all pretty busy.

This weekend with the Minutemen started on Saturday morning at 7am. First, the usuals went to the Home Depot on Fairmount in mission gorge. The Minutemen go there daily and harass day laborer and anti-racist organizers go there every morning since the Minutemen have been responsible for pepper spraying, assaulting and threatening people with physical and sexual violence on numerous occasions.

My Saturday began when we went to Gabriel Pollach's barbershop at noon. Gabriel is the Minuteman who pepper sprayed about 10 non-violent artists and activists in National City, with absolutely no response from the police. So, a bunch of us decided to visit him at his place of employment. We figure that since the Minutemen spend everyday stopping day laborers from geting work and feeding their families, we should do the same...

Related: 1 | 2 | 3
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WHY IS LEONARD STILL IN PRISON?
Janice Jordan,

Yes!, American Indian Movement Activist, Leader and Warrior Leonard Peltier is STILL IN PRISON! The 6th of February 2007 marks the 31st Anniversary of the illegal arrest and false imprisonment of Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier.

According to one of Mr. Peltier's lawyers, Barry Bachrach, "virtually every known AIM leader in the United States was incarcerated in either state or federal prisons since (or even before) the organization's formal emergence in 1968, some repeatedly. After the 1973 siege of Wounded Knee (SD), for example, the FBI caused 542 separate charges to be filed against those it identified as “key AIM leaders”. This resulted in only 15 convictions, all on such petty or contrived offenses as “interfering with a federal officer in the performance of his duty”.

FREE LEONARD PELTIER!

Please write Leonard Peltier:
Leonard Peltier # 89637-132
USP Lewisburg, U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. BOX 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837

Links: Leonard Peltier Defense Committee | Defense Committee Blog | Leonard Peltier on Wikipedia | Free Leonard Peltier | COINTELPRO
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An alternative to militarized parade
Gloria Verdieu,

A new San Diego coalition offers an alternative to the militarized Martin Luther King Day parade.

The event was organized by the King/Chávez Coalition for Justice and Unity, which was formed after last’s years King Day Parade. A diverse group of community members came together to discuss what to do about the parade, which had been moved out of the community and had become disturbingly militarized and completely co-opted by corporate interests. The King Day Parade has turned into a tourist attraction that represents everything that Martin Luther King was against.

Organizers plan to return to this park in 2008, but to also have a march through the community to the park.

Related: Community Retakes Legacy Of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Don McEvoy Remembers Martin Luther King | Is The Official San Diego Martin Luther King Jr Parade Too Official? | Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence: Audio and Text
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Nunca se Acaben La Cosecha de Maiz!
general giggles,

The Boredom Patrol of the rebel clown army performs at the Zapatista Corn Harvest festival in Escondido, CA. The performance shows the horizontality of the Zaptistas and the dangers of GMO corn which motivated the Mother Seeds in Resistance project to create GMO free corn sanctuaries around the world.

The video is in spanish and english with spanish subtitles, but we may post an english subtitled version soon if people want one.

//

La Patrulla Aburrida del Ejercito de Paysa@s Rebeldes hace una performance en la Festival de Cosecha de Maiz Zapatista en Escondido, CA. La performance mostra la horizontalidad de los Zapatistas y las amenazas del maiz transgenico, que motivo el proyecto Semillas Madres en Resistencia para crear santuarios para maiz Zapatista sobre el mundo.

El video es en español y ingles con titulos en español, pero podemos hacer una con titulos in ingles si gente quieres.

Low quality youtube version | High quality quicktime at video.indymedia.org | Zapatista Corn Festival at La Milpa Organica | Zapatista Corn
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