FREE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON (JOMA)!!!!







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Sison arrested by Dutch police for Kintanar, Tabara slays

The Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office in Rotterdam, Netherlands and the Royal Netherlands Embassy have confirmed the arrest of Jose Maria Sison on Friday morning in Utrecht where Sison is based, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported.

Sison was arrested by the International Crime Investigation Team of the Dutch National Criminal Investigation Department to face the criminal charges for his alleged involvement in assassinations of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara that took place in Philippines.

Jan Fermon, Sison's lawyer told an abs-cbnNEWs.com source that the official charge was "incitement to murders" in the Philippines.

A statement on the Web site of the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office said: "The Communist leader was suspected of giving orders, from the Netherlands, to murder his former political associates in Philippines, Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara."

Wim de Bruin, the spokesman from the Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office said in a telephone interview with ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau that the arrest was done by the local police and the Interpol was not involved because Sison was suspected to have ordered the murders from the Netherlands, which is a criminal act under the Dutch law.

"We started this investigation, a year ago, in 2006 and the police have concluded so far at the moment to make the arrest," de Bruin explained.

According to the Public Prosecutor's office, except for Sison's apartment, the police also combed the apartments of Sison's co-workers, seven in Utrecht and one in Abcoude.

A source however said Sison’s house was also subjected to a search by Dutch authorities. The source also said the houses of National Democratic Front (NDF) negotiating panel head Luis Jalandoni and Ruth de Leon, executive director of NDF international information office were searched by Dutch authorities. Computers and files were reportedly taken.

De Bruin confirmed that it included the NDF Panel office in Utrecht.

Sison is the chief political consultant of the NDF negotiating panel in the suspended peace talks with the Philippine government.

The Dutch spokesman also said that it was only Sison who was arrested and that no other persons were arrested in connection with the charges.

De Bruin said that Sison who is the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) will be detained in the Netherlands and will be tried by a Dutch court and will not be expelled or deported to the Philippines.

The statement said that Sison will be indicted by the Examining Judge at Court in The Hague on Friday.

Romulo Kintanar was gunned down on January 23, 2003 while having lunch in a Japanese restaurant in Quezon City. Kintanar was a former member of the Central Committee and Politburo, the CPP’s leading bodies. He was also the former chief of staff of the New People’s Army until his arrest in 1988.

Tabara and Stephen Ong, boyfriend of Tabara’s daughter, were shot dead at the parking lot of SM Fairview in Quezon City in September 26, 2004. Tabara was the former head of the Visayas Commission of the CPP and also a former member of the Central Committee and Politburo.

Both assassinations were admitted to by the CPP and the New People’s Army.

CPP spokesman Gregorio Rosal had said: "It was absolutely correct to put an end to Kintanar's rotten, criminal, counter-revolutionary and bloody record." Rosal said a "people’s court" sentenced Kintanar in 1993. Kintanar was accused of being an "intelligence agent of the [Manila] government's military and police since 1992." He was also tagged by the CPP of being a "project officer in an assassination plot against Prof. Jose Maria Sison in the Netherlands" in 2000.

The CPP also said that a "people’s revolutionary court" tried and found Tabara guilty of "numerous criminal cases and complaints of human rights violations."

Kintanar and Tabara were expelled from the CPP in the early ‘90s.

The two were instrumental in the formation of groups that broke away from the CPP-NPA and remained critical of Sison.

Tabara at the time of his assassination was the chairman of the Revolutionary Proletarian Movement of the Philippines and the Revolutionary Proletarian Army – Alex Boncayao Brigade which frequently had armed encounters with the NPA.

Sison has denied direct involvement in the deaths of Kintanar and Tabara.

Sison had said Kintanar "had too many enemies in the criminal world of military and police operatives."

The CPP founder has also been accused by the widows of Kintanar Tabara of ordering their husbands’ deaths after they broke away from the CPP-NPA.

Sison has been on self-exile in the Netherlands since 1987. He had applied for but has not been granted political asylum. He could not be deported because he has claimed his life would be endangered upon his arrival in the Philippines.

Arroyo: Victory for justice

President Arroyo lauded Sison’s arrest saying that it was a giant step towards peace.

"A victory for justice and the rule of law," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The AFP also echoed the same response of Mrs. Arroyo with the CPP founder’s arrest.

"The arrest of Sison is a triumph of justice. Ironic as it is, he is assured of his day in court - a right denied to the thousands of innocent victims of Communist kangaroo courts. This is the long arm of the law catching up with Mr. Sison," Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, chief of the AFP's Public Information Office said.

Bayan: Sison’s arrest on prodding of Philippine government

Meanwhile, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) believed that the government is intensifying the attacks on progressive forces.

"They are trying to create a chilling effect on the mass movement here in the Philippines by arresting him (Sison). They are badly mistaken," Carl Ala, KMP spokesman said.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) , on their part, condemned the arrest and the raid on the houses and offices of NDF personnel by the Dutch authorities.

"The move to arrest Joma and the subsequent raids and interrogation of NDF personnel are most probably done with the knowledge and prodding of the Philippine government. We condemn both the Dutch and Philippine government for these latest attacks on civil liberties," BAYAN secretary general Renato Reyes said.

Reyes said that the legal basis for the arrests and raids remain unclear and are highly questionable. No formal charges have been filed by the Dutch authorities.

"The rights of the NDF personnel are being clearly violated by the Dutch government. Meanwhile the Arroyo government is beside itself with glee over the latest developments," Reyes added.

He added: "The Arroyo government has long sought the incarceration of Sison along with the termination of the peace process. The attacks on the NDF personnel who are part of the peace process clearly show that the Arroyo government has no intention to pursue meaningful peace negotiations". With reports from Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau and RG Cruz

Celebrating my 100th Post: Rock the Bells BAY AREA!!!!!



While I was in New York enjoying the fruits of my Wu Tang interview, and the lovely fall weather, Nina Parks was hard at work in Frisco, hustling her way to Rock the Bells, and eventually onstage to take these awesome flicks (Way to hold it down for the fam, cuz cuz!).

Apparently, while at her regular outing of Cha Cha Cha's sangria and black garlic mussels, she bumped into no other than Redman who was fabulously dining on the same cuisine on Haight Street. Being the business-minded non-beezy that she is, she merely said hello and asked if he was enjoying San Francisco and preparing for his gig. Almost in the same breath, she said that she was trying to retrieve a photo pass for the event, but to no avail. Sensing that her ninja photography powers would be wasted, he offered to keep in touch for the next two days and get her in.



But you know how these rappers are nowadays, all bark and no bite. Afraid of being jilted at the VIP, she put her trust in his stankin' ass to be a man of his word. Sure enough, with the laws of attraction and the lucky number 7 by her side, he nonchalantly appeared at the gate, wristband in hand, and led her backstage to one of the most coveted shows of the year.


Rage Against the Machine


U- God of the Wu Tang Clan


YEE!!!!

Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' to Fuck Wit



I am well on my way to becoming the first journalist in the United States to interview all the members of Wu Tang (except Old Dirty, of course, RIP). And while the magnitude of this event only hit me as I was staring at the faces of Raekwon, U-God, RZA, GZA, Cappadonna (lightweight member), Mastah Killa, and Ghostface all in the same room as myself, I am still eternally fascinated about what kind of good deed in my life I did to deserve such awesome karma. With Inspectah Deck and Method Man soon-to-be on the horn, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I can crank out a groundbreaking story that doesn't involve the same boring response that a.) hip hop is officially dead b.) capitalism killed it c.) and nothing will ever be as good as when Wu Tang first got together.
We kind of know this already. Before I give the goods away, I thought of my son, Kahlil, who will be born in about 4 months and thought "How cool is that, that he gets to meet Wu Tang Clan while he's in the womb!" What kid do you know gets to say that at show-and-tell? Although my dumb ass camera faltered at the exact moment the pictures were supposed to be taken post-two-and-a-half-hour-interview ("Umm, it says change the batteries"), I was lucky enough to have my camera phone in hand to document such a momentous occasion. And since every one of those guys has a kid of their own, I'm hoping for their sake, and Kahlil's as well, that hip hop truly isn't dead. It's just waiting on being reborn to the right parents.



Kahlil Bayani Deocampo, Due December 26, 2007, and blessed by the WU

THUD.




Lupe not doing enough kicking and pushing


The Game, midsentence

I've actually been lucky enough to see one performer fall offstage in person: Sean Paul in Oakland. That shit was priceless!

More of my SIMPSONS dreams come true:


"The Simpsons go to Paris with Linda Evangelista"
"Models": The Simpsons, Linda Evangelista, and various designers
Illustrations by Julius Preite

Harper's Bazaar did a fashion spread with our favorite Simpsons characters, along with the fashion industry's most celebrated designers - animated. Here are some of my favorites...
(Thanks for the link miss.crew and ohnotheydidnt LJ!)






DONATELLA VERSACE






CHANEL

and




JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

Simply fabulous, dahling.

I suppose this is the equivalent to...



"Read A Book" by Raphael De La Getto


a.) Hiding pureed carrots in Mac and Cheese to get kids to eat their veggies?

b.) Hiding antibiotics in fish to heal sick Harbor Seal pups?

c.) Telling your kids they're going to Disneyland, when they are really headed to

the dentist?

d.) Telling fat people that getting a Wii instead of a regular game console is

better because they're at least getting some of the daily exercise

they require?


Either way, you're talking to an ignorant population. And like a frustrated parent that knows better, if it works, it WORKS .

(I like it)

See! A Simpsons FAN since 1990.


My third grade class picture, Treasure Island Elementary. And of course, they spelled my fucking name wrong, like they do every year.


It was picture day that day, and it totally slipped my mind. So being the independent, fashion-minded third-grader that I was, I dressed myself up in the latest fashion (oversized tee with the knot, multi-colored leggings, hot pink scrunchie socks, LA Gears, headband, and yes, hairsprayed bangs ) and ran off to immortalize myself in this time capsule we call elementary class pictures. Little did I know that I would be standing next to the most overdressed kid (Damn you Stephanie!) and that my fake-ass bootleg-ass Simpsons shirt from Oakland would STILL be relevant over 16 years later. I mean, they didn't even bother to skip the yellow silkscreen off the eyeballs.

That, my friends, is dedication. Until I see your picture, I'm going to laugh from my mighty pedestal. Ha. Ha. Ha.

If it's one thing...my people know how to have FUN!



THRILLER


and then there's this: