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November 3, 2008 An Open Letter to Naomi Wolf By chris rice "There are 10 steps to close down a democratically functioning society -a blueprint that ALL 'would-be dictators' have followed." Such a blueprint exists for Revolution as well.  We don't usually think of it this way, but the Founding Fathers used many non-violent protests before engaging the British in battle: The Boston Tea Party, petitions to parliament,  stamp tax protests and demonstrations. Another part of the 'blueprint' is information. The Founding Fathers wrote books, ("Common Sense", "The Rights of Man", etc), newspaper articles, and published, published, published, letters to statesmen and diplomats, leaflets, etc. Starting with these two points, VoteStrike.com is calling upon citizens to stop funding their own destruction:  Seventeen Simple Non-Violent Resistance steps to stop fueling the money changers and corporate controllers of our great country. 1. Stop using credit cards - every transaction generates an automatic 1-2% fee to the banks from the store you're buying from.  Also, stop using bank ATM's which generate extra fees to your account. 2. BOYCOTT Mobil/Exxon, Shell, Texaco, Chevron, BP  -    use small independent stations.  Also, REDUCE GAS CONSUMPTION. We  MUST stop fueling the original BIG MONEY MONOPOLIZERS! Learn to be a http://www.hypermiling.com/. 3. Do your very best to stop using and throwing away PLASTIC! - It's a petroleum derivative. Buy milk in cartons. Recycle every bit of plastic you must use and return all plastic bags to the grocery store, including plastic bread bags and what your newspapers are wrapped with. 4. CANCEL cable television. (WE ARE TOTALLY ADDICTED TO 350 CHANNELS of SPORTS, MOVIES, PORN, NEWS. And as long as they can entertain us, we have no need to think.)                     5. MOVE MONEY OUT OF BIG INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISED BANKS: Bank of America;  HSBC (Bank of China); CITIBANK/CHASE, etc. Move to local credit unions or smaller local banks. Keep cash at home, at least to cover immediate expenses for a few months, in a safe deposit box. 6. STOP DONATING MONEY TO MOVEON, ACLU, politicians, mega- churches - Instead, donate food directly to pantries or money directly to people you know that need it. Cut out the middlemen that are taking millions and using it to gain power, not to 'do good'! Help a poor person or relative weatherproof their home or give them energy efficient light bulbs. 7. CUT ENERGY USE AT HOME AND AT WORK. Best thing people can do against big oil and dirty coal is also good for your own monthly costs. Help cut energy expenses also for local businesses, schools, and public buildings by turning lights off in empty rooms and bathrooms- instead of having that money go to the corps that are polluting and earning billions off of us and our community members. 8. BUY LOCAL! Support your community businesses, owned and operated by your neighbors. And look for product labels. When it's possible, only buy MADE IN USA! 9. START PAYING OFF ALL YOUR DEBT. Don't fall prey to ultra-consumerism. We are CONSTANTLY bombarded with advertising to BUY BUY BUY! We don't need all that STUFF! Put your money to good use: if you have a mortgage, secure your home first. Pay down the principle by adding any extra money each month- this saves thousands over time! Once it's paid off, no matter how deep recession/depression gets, your home is pure CAPITAL. 10. MAXIMIZE YOUR 401K to only what your company matches. Choose a treasurey money market fund, not a stock fund that you may not understand.  401K's have big penalty fees if you need to withdraw it early, so keep this in mind. Paying off a mortgage has equal value protecting you in retirement. 11. GROW some of your own food when possible. Plant an apple or pear or cherry tree (or all three). These mentioned grow even in colder climates. If you have the blessing of a large garden, learn to plant vegetables. Once grown, this produce is CAPITAL. Trade and/or sell it locally.  12.  BUY SMALL CARS! (or used) Unless you have 6 children, you have no need for a gas-guzzling SUV. 13. SHOP GARAGE SALES for things you need, and exchange goods/services on "http://www.craigslist.org. 14. IF YOU HAVE EMPLOYER PRIVATE INSURANCE- LIKE BLUE CROSS- USE IT- GO GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM OR COLONOSCOPY, ANNUAL CHECK UPS AND PAPS.-GET YOUR FLU SHOT THAT IS FREE !!!  - IF YOU HAVE MEDICARE OR MEDICAID OR STATE JOB INSURANCE- KEEP UP ON PREVENTIVE CARE BUT DONT ABUSE IT!  15. BUY NECESSITIES and GAS in the lower income areas near you, so the tax revenue goes to that area, not the higher income regions where it's not needed. 16. RECYCLE and make your own COMPOST. Make efforts to reduce trash and weight of trash- which not only helps the environment, but cuts expense for trash in your town. The more trash weighs the more taxpayers pay. Demand your public works enforce recycling and composting of yard waste. 17. REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION- which is a huge corporate factory lobby for DC (unless locally raised beef).  STEP TWO - PUBLISHING INFORMATION: We all owe a great debt of gratitude to people like Naomi Wolf, Alex Jones, Lou Dobbs, Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul for getting this info out to us, and their only reward will be an FBI file. And to great website like OpEdNews for publishing and interviewing Naomi Klein, Naomi Wolf, and many others.  We also owe the Youtubers and Diggers who blast this info out everyday. But now, we have enough information. Our government systems are so corrupt that both leading presidential candidates from both leading parties must campaign on the promise of 'change', and to clean up or fix Washington DC.  So the facts are no longer secret, the truth is out. And the time for action IS HERE. It is now time to act upon the facts given us and organize a resistance. We don't have to re-invent the wheel -just follow the blueprint. Organizing requires a journal as Ghandi mentioned. OpEdNews.com is just such a journal. Please donate articles, protest news, action alerts, and when possible, even money, to OpEdNews.com and consider it to be our publishing arm. (Power to the A.R.M.) Publishing actions/strikes to ourselves though would be fruitless. The only way to create a broad movement is to control the media, and with a small group of dedicated activists, that's a definite possibility. If as few as one thousand people committed to writing/posting articles and Youtube videos, and those same thousand people were to rate, comment, Digg, StumbleUpon, etc., each other's works the same day that they were published, we would hit the front pages of every social network out there, reaching a large enough audience to have direct actions, strikes and shut downs.  (To participate in this project contact the author at realchange@votestrike.com) Next step in the 'blueprint' is organizing locally to demand national action. The easiest way for you to find a local group is simply to go to http://votestrike.ning.com and fill out a profile with your zip code. We'll contact you with the necessary information for local activists and activities. Or, help organize a Strike group in your town. Please contact the author for details. As these local groups grow and develop, we will be able to move to the next steps of the blueprint. LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

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TRUCKERS  SHUT  DOWN Nov. 3rd

for detailed info phone Gary Davis (304) 765-7050 or

Danielle at Truckerstrike08@yahoo.com

www.myspace.com/truckerstrike08

http://www.theamericandriver.com 

DRIVER'S ~ IT'S TIME TO UNITE & ORGANIZE
Contact:  Michael (JB) Schaffner - (940-923-3267)

http://www.unitedcdl.org 

"The date for the shutdown is November 3rd…. nationwide, get the word out … tell every driver you know and then some … talk about it in the truck stops, yell it out on the radio … e-mail everyone that has an e-mail address," the driver said.

"This strike is world wide now, not only are we striking but drivers from other countires are doing it as well, as we are all striking for the same reasons. We are already backed into a corner, and we have ran (sic) out of options," added Gator 714.

                     TRUCKERS SHUTDOWN November 3rd

                                   

Some are asking what date is the shutdown & what will happen ?

Here's the what, why, & when of it.

The reason for this shutdown is not to hurt this country in any way shape or form. But is in fact a peaceful method of sending a message to Washington, D.C. That we do indeed need help & our industry is the backbone of life in America as we know it.

The why of it covers issues that you & I as truckers, both O/Os & Co. drivers face on a daily basis. These problems range from excessivly long hours, separation from family, substandard pay, inadequate benefits, increased living costs and the failure of any one to address those issues.

"The government is going to have to realize we are doing everything we can. The government is going to have either put refiners online, negotiate some more with OPEC, or give us a tax break," Chris Rice explains.

“Our federal government is subsidizing railroads, airlines, banks and farmers,” he said. “Meanwhile, we’re being taxed to death.”

Then you have the Energy Crisis. Dick Cheney has set the Energy policy in this country for the last 7 plus year, he needs to be held accountable!

LIE:  Bush promised to fund research on hydrogen-powered cars so that we will be “less dependent on foreign sources of energy” and “improve the environment.”

FACT:  The Bush administration has “been working quietly to ensure that the system used to produce hydrogen will be fossil fuel dependent – and as potential dirty – as the one that fuels today’s SUV’s.”  Up to 90% of all hydrogen will come from oil, nature gas and other fossil fuels.  Bush also is paying for this program by stripping funding for programs that help automakers develop high-mileage cars and other energy conservation programs.  (Daily Mis-Lead 04.28.04)

LIE:  I’m a big proponent of clean coal technology to make sure we can use coal in a clean way.  (2^nd Debate)

FACT:  In 2000, Bush promised he would increase jobs and spend $2BB over 10 years on clean coal technologies.  Bush abandoned this pledge and his FY05 budget substantially cuts funds for basic coal research (30%) and the Clean Coal Power Initiative (70%).  (The Herald Dispatch 10/3/00, Department of Energy Budget Request FY2002-2005).

The when of it, is when we as an industry send a Strong message to the otherwise FOOLS in Washington, D.C. that "enough is enough".

We Will Be Heard.

I & Thousands of You have been telling people for Years now, that a change needed to take place. I have received more than a thousand e-mails from truckers who wrote to let me know they are ready to go on strike now.

Well, here's your chance to Stand Up for Yourself & let The World know We will Stand Strong. "One for all and all for one".

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Truckers Plan Strike November 3rd 2008.

Glad to see someone pro-active. I would like to go one step further and have everyone in the country strike. We are the strongest nation on earth, yet our infrastructure is failing.Our economy is terrible. Housing sector is depreciating. Unemployment is high. Banks want bailed out (with taxpayer money). Food, utilities, fuel all higher, still no-one does anything. I wonder how long it would take for industry and government to realize that the people are the greatest asset?

News  Item:

Factories close, supermarkets empty and jets run out of fuel as truckers' strike bites....

More at www.VoteStrike.com 

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Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_phenomenon defines /viral/ efforts on the Internet as:

An object (or an idea) is viral when it has the ability to spread copies of itself or change other similar objects to become more like (it) when those objects are simply exposed to the “viral object.”

General strikes, more common in Europe, are events that shut down the normal operations of a city, state, or nation for a period of time. These strikes aim to force awareness and action on a single issue or broader set of concerns. The 11/02/08 General Strike has a central location—http://votestrike.ning.com —on the Internet, which is linked to and reproduced on a variety of other internet sites. The site states the rationale for the effort:

The General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens. It is not about a single issue. It is not a gas protest, a bail-outs protest, an election fraud protest. It is not about torture, surveillance, corporate media, the war, or the environment. This strike is about all these issues and more.

We all have different concerns, but we all have the same concern:

We are being lied to and this government does not represent us.

Join millions of Americans in demanding truth, justice, and accountability.

This is our country.

And our world.

We just have to stand up.

A National Call to Action: starts Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

No school. No work. Buy nothing.

LOCK DOWN USA—NO Answers (to anything)

The strike targets key issues facing the American public, issues that have not been addressed in any meaningful way by any branch of government.

You have ignored the hundreds of thousands of American people who have been calling, faxing and emailing you opposing this bailout at least 100 to 1. You have ignored the almost two hundred economists from around the country that have contacted you and who have no conflict of interest and told you this bill will outright fail.

Do NOT believe the media that says this is a done deal, it's far from it. We can not let up! This issue is too important to us, to our children and to their children.

Other concerns of the strike include areas of strong public skepticism.

Our votes have been hijacked by privilege and special interest. And regardless of who wins this Presidential election, the American people lose.  When lobbyists wine, dine and bribe every politician, regardless of their party affiliation, our votes become worthless.

74% of Americans oppose the Iraq War and a majority says it should never have happened in the first place. Massive violations of civil rights are occurring with the aid of the U.S. Department of Justice, as reported by its former voting rights head. Confidence in the legitimacy of the Bush government has been voiced in polls. Both Zogby polls showed that tens of millions of Americans have little faith in the fairness and results of the presidential election.

Reflecting the disquiet of the American public, Bush popularity is in free fall. As low as 6% approval in recent polls, his decline has been steady and unending.

The strike campaign argues that these and other issues rarely covered in any depth by nearly all of the corporate media leave only one move for citizens—a general strike to protest the policies plus the lack of recognition and response.

Call to action: “We just have to stand up”

Standing up includes no work or school on November 2nd to the 5th, 2008. It also includes “no shopping”; a suspension of all purchasing during the strike. One strike web site claims that this can have a substantial impact even with just a small percentage of the population participating. A quiet cash register is their biggest fear.

General Strikes in the United States

The Seattle general strike of 1919 is the first known city-wide general strike in U.S. history. Failing to get promised wage increases, 35,000 ship yard workers were joined by 25,000 other Seattle union members for a 6 day work stoppage. The 60,000 workers and their families represented a huge portion of Seattle’s 315,000 population at the time.

Possible Origins

While “viral” in nature at this point, recent history may result in a broad-based coalition. The pervasive motivation is the clear indifference to pressing issues by all three branches of the federal government. 

The new Democratic Congress of 2006 has failed to pass a meaningful resolution to end the Iraq War. Act on articles of impeachment or properly address the sub-prime mess when it first erupted at the end of '07.

Specific recent political actions may well have contributed to the general strike. 

Only the People can hold their leaders accountable Nov. 02, 2008

Should this effort achieve momentum and see hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, “hit the streets,” politicians will be faced with a real dilemma. They will no longer be able to ignore, delay and dissemble, reaping the consequences in 2008.

Don't shop, don't drive, don't work, no school on Nov. 2 thru 5, 2008. 

Buy what you need BEFORE November 2.  Get your gas, your foods, your medicines, and stop participating in the entire corrupt system that only fills THEIR coffers and empties our pockets.

Watch the video, share the video link, talk with your friends/family and co-workers.  This is something that WE CAN DO! 

http://votestrike.ning.com/video/video/show?id=2207971:Video:3922

Simple Non-Violent Resistance steps to stop fueling the money changers and corporate controllers of our great country can be found here:

http://www.votestrike.com/non-compliance

Thomas Jefferson said that “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent” now is the time for all people to be heard.

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    I ran across a scripture that made me realize we need to be doing this not just for strangers but for our leaders, our nation.   We're about to vote in the most important election of our lives.  Our nation is crumbling from within, and not only the stock market or the banks or the home mortgages, but also the schools, our borders, our health care system, our criminal system and on and on.   If ever there was a time for prayer - it's now.   Here is the scripture:

"I  urge  that  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  &  thanksgivings  be  made  for  all  men,  for kings  &  all  who  are  in  high  positions,  that  we  may  lead  a  quiet  &  peaceful  life,  godly  &  respectful  in  every  way."   1 Timothy  2:1-3  (RSV)

After I read this, I immediately thought we should all pray this prayer before the elections, for our current leaders and our future leaders.   My next thought was that we all need to slow down, take a deep breath.  With so much going on in the world today, it's hard to take it all in.   Our massive spending and our massive debt is threatening an entire planet.   So it came to me 'out of the blue': what if we took a week off from shopping, from Nov. 3rd to the 7th and just breathed a collective sigh of relief, and then thanked our heavenly Father for our many blessings -  instead of always complaining about something? 

"If  you  put  an  end  to oppression... if  you  give  food  to  the  hungry  &  satisfy  those  who  are  in  need  then  the  darkness  around  you  will  turn  to  the  brightness  of  noon."   Isaiah  58:9-10

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams, Address to the Military, October 11, 1798

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With the Iraq war dragging on longer than WWII soley for corporate profits.  With the passage of FISA and the bailouts against voters' demands, it is painfully obvious our system of checks and balances has been hijacked by privilege and special interest.

If the ballot is the corporations' friend, we must act against it:

Fellow Misfits- You MUST watch this video. Viva La Revolution!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhGAsa7CW94

Here ye Here ye!!! Calling all SHAMANIACS! CIRCUS FREAKS! METAPROGRAMMERS! ZOMBIES! CLOWN ARMIES! ANONYMOUS! MUSICIANS! SEAMSTRESSES! LUNATICS! MISFITS! THE REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!

We will no longer wait for some fake elected "AMERIKKKAN OFFICIAL" to liberate us.  We hereby TRANSFORM OURSELVES into our own superheros, villains, and heroines, liberating ourselves NOW from the track lit tomb of bureaucrappic politics.  Do we want to spend our precious energy revolting against a system that’s designed to crush our very resistance, or do we want another alternative altogether?  I’d rather party down during the apocalypse then spend my life force playing by someone else’s rules in a game I'm designed to lose!

Election Day (Tuesday Nov. 4th) is fast approaching, and we want to make a cosmikataclysmic statement this year.  The puppets in charge are just that- puppets.  They are put there to give us the illusion of free will and a choice.  This somehow placates people into thinking if they just cast their vote, they are playing their obligatory cultural part in the grand political play.  Why would we deign to participate in the grandest puppet show of all time?  (Can you say, “Illuminaughty, Oil Tycoon, Corporation, and Freemason?”)  We’ve been programmed to think that somehow our vote makes a difference.  While this may be true to some small degree, more and more- voting machines are becoming rigged by the Republicans, and the popular vote doesn’t amount to dog shit.  Corporations have more rights than individual citizens.

If you think that a two-party system is any kind of choice, the revolution is here to prove you wrong.  If voting changed anything, it would be illegal.  We do, however, support you getting out there to vote for whatever degree of change it’s capable of enacting, but we also hope that you’ll go in costume to show your support for alternative freedom not dependent on our two spoon-fed choices and the linear, rational, anti-intelligence of modern humanity’s monotony. COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST MONOTONY THIS ELECTION DAY!!!!

I vote for a giant army of anonymous clowns, costumed superheros and supervillains, and massive zombie walks to the polls and through the streets and stores with creative protest signs doing things the programmed robots of America never thought were possible.  Anarcho-political street theatre (with props!) videotaped and photographed in L.A., New York, San Francisco, Tucson, AZ, and anywhere else our agents of chaos spring up and call the troops into action.  We already have our agents stationed in these major cities, so if you would like to participate on Election Day, send a quick note of inquiry to the contact below with your city, and we will disclose the various meeting points closer to the date.  Or just spring up with your own possee wherever however!  And pass this invite along!  We are still looking for other art generals who can push the red button on their collective group factions and promote the art revolution.  Recruits are always welcome.

WE ARTISTIC REVOLUTIONARIES dumb ourselves UP!!----- With half-crocked fairy princess alligator costumes and demonic security guard uniforms.  We are the not-so-secret agents of CHAOS and INSPIRATION blowing the hot breath of MAGICK in the face of a sleeping population, stirring them for an ETERNAL, psychoiridescent instant from the NIGHTMARE OF HISTORY. ‘Cause this sucker’s going to collapse, and we pretend it’s not, but make no mistake- this civilization is going down.  We will dress it up and party it down, with singing and dancing and laughing and crying and making out in public all decked out like the funny animals we know we really are.  And when did the masquerade begin?  We don’t know.  And when will it end?  We really can’t say.  This is the climax of our species.

We will be employing a strict regime of costumed anti-camouflage as far as the “I” can see.  Costume is your PSYCHIC ARMOR and is an INDISPENSABLE part of fooling the pigs into thinking we’re just some innocent freaks out for a few laughs.

The War on Terror is a FAKE.  The Real Fake War is the War on Anxiety- Anxiety that Keeps us paralyzed from feeling like we can DO, BE and WEAR exactly what we want, when we want.  So bust out your body paints and throw on a chicken hat.  No one will remember the nightmare of history when we all look so stupid fabulous, and believe me, we will all be craving a hearty dose of forgetting soon.

“Resistance is feudal.  Join the art army of evil bunny dictators and self-elected space pharaohs today!” –Joan o’ fArt

I’d like to give you a personal account about the necessity of costume as psychic armor.  For a long time, I attracted feds and security guards like flies to honey.  They could smell my anti-authority streak and went right for my throat.  I was usually able to smooth talk my way out of these situations or otherwise escape but walked away shut down from my creative expression and very upset.  However, when I started wearing costume, something amazing occurred.  The cops started to like me.  In fact, they thought I was so cute they started taking pictures of me and with me, and not mugshots either.  My intuition about the necessity of costume was proved correct, as I found a way to completely throw the trail off of my malicious intent and hatred for pigs.  Pigs became my cohorts in fake crime!  The last thing you want to do in this art battle is get a pig who wants to smash your face into the pavement, and I’m telling you, COSTUME AND NO FEAR IS THE WAY!!!!! Subvert them with humor!  If you are caught in the midst of some anti-patriot anarcho spectacle, FREEZE!  Literally!  Don’t move!  What a beautiful vision of motionless clowns and impotent feds who can’t arrest anyone who’s not doing anything against the law!

Feel free to write rainbowclownshit@yahoo.com, Joan o’ fArt on tribe.net, or www.myspace.com/thebadbabysitterproject with your city and desire to contribute to the cause.  Feel free to share all pertinent ideas, leads, and visions to add to the collective pool and help us achieve immortality.  Please pass this invite along to all your freaky friends.  Infinite Thanks.  Fellow Misfits- You MUST watch this video.  Viva La Revolution!!! 

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WARNING: Tainted Chinese Milk products found on US shelves

More than a dozen countries have banned or recalled Chinese dairy products--the latest was France which does not import Chinese dairy products but has halted imports of Chinese biscuits, candy or other foods that could contain Chinese dairy derivatives. The government described the measure as a precaution.

U.S. and European consumer safety officials urged Beijing to better enforce product safety standards.

20 million TONS of Chinese manufactured milk powder and products containing milk powder were imported into the US from China this year.

The US...is the ONLY country...that has NOT banned food products containing milk powder manufactured in China off its shelves.

British supermarket chain Tesco removed Chinese-made White Rabbit Creamy Candies off its shelves as a precaution amid reports that samples of the milk candy in Singapore and New Zealand had tested positive for melamine--an industrial chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority said "White Rabbit Creamy Candy" was ordered off of shelves after tests showed it was contaminated. White Rabbit is among the best-known candy brands in China and one of the few exported widely. The United States is among 40 nations that import the candy.

Chinese baby formula tainted with the chemical has been blamed for the deaths of four infants and the illnesses of 53,000 others in China. Health experts say ingesting a small amount of the chemical poses no danger, but melamine can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

VoteStrike.com has found halloween candy manufactured in China with milk powder widely being sold in US stores.

China, the FDA, the Bush administration, and corporate America -They are heartless, so we are asking citizens to NOT SHOP November 2, 3, 4, and the 5th 2008.

Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy plants have added it to milk products to make it seem to have a higher protein level.

Melamine is the same industrial contaminant from China that poisoned and killed thousands of U.S. dogs and cats last year.

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Public offices across the country were forced to close, with hundreds of thousands of people reported to have joined the nationwide strike called by private sector umbrella union GSEE and its public sector counterpart ADEDY, representing around 2.5 million people--around half of Greece's workforce.

Almost 200 domestic and international flights and many train services were cancelled, while ferries were forced to remain in port. State hospitals ran on skeleton staffs and schools, universities and post offices were closed. Bank staff, lawyers and civil engineers also joined the strike.

One union official said that participation in the strike in many sectors exceeded 90 percent of the workforce, while another official claimed that the overall size of the strike was in the millions. Journalists were also on strike.

The general strike was called over several issues including the 2009 draft budget, privatisations, and limits on pay, changes to the pension system and opposition to the recently proposed bailout for Greece's main banks.

Opposition to the banks bailout was especially vocal during one of the demonstration marches through Athens on Tuesday. According to Reuters, thousands of workers marched through central Athens,"to oppose the 2009 draft budget, which goes to parliament for debate this week. They are also angry at tax collection measures and privatisations of companies, such as Olympic Airlines."

Two marches made their way through Athens, voicing opposition to the 2009 draft budget that is due to go before parliament this week, and demanding the €700 minimum wage is doubled.

Many of the demonstrators angrily protested the recent €28 billion ($37 billion) government rescue deal to protect the main Greek banks hit by the international credit crisis. One banner read: "Not one euro to support the capitalists."

Kyriaki Tassioula, 45, a waitress, said, "We are protesting because they are not listening to us... The government guarantees the banks but it cut my pension."

Dimitris Papadogonas, 28, an artist, said, "We are here because we have problems and the government ignores us, but politicians are rich and we are poor."

One demonstrator said, "Capitalism, which defines this crisis, has become dangerous for workers and their job security."

Stathis Anestis, a spokesman for GSEE, was quoted by AP as saying, "The government must change its ways. We will continue if they persist and we will intensify our struggle with more strikes."

While one protest in the capital Athens passed off peacefully, scuffles broke out at a separate rally between riot police and youths throwing stones. Riot police fired tear gas. There were two injuries.

According to libcom.org, "During the course of the protest march provocative riot police forces attempted to break the university asylum of Propylaea on whose grounds the initial gathering of the trade unions took place. This attempt was faced with the active response of anarchosyndicalists and students. The reaction of the police, which employed tear gas against the demonstrators injuring two, was effectively counteracted by an attack of the dockworkers in defence of the asylum."

The general strike is the latest and most concentrated expression of the opposition by the Greek working class to the economic policies of the Conservative government of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Greece, which accounts for around 2.5 percent of the euro zone economy, is experiencing the effects of the slowdown of the global capitalist economy. In common with other European administrations, the Greek government intends to make the workers and the struggling sections of the middle class pay for the crisis while seeking to shield the wealthy. Consequently, the Karamanlis administration is pushing ahead with the privatisation of major concerns, recalibrating the pension system against the interests of millions of retired and retiring workers--by eliminating most early retirement schemes, merging pension funds and capping auxiliary pensions--and handing over billions of euros to the financial elite.

Greece's seven largest banks, including the National Bank of Greece, control 90 percent of the market. The €28 billion rescue plan includes Greece providing up to €15 billion to back new bank loans or refinance existing ones. The Greek government has already said it plans to raise deposit guarantees, after countries across Europe took similar measures.

Last month, the government proposed to sell off the faltering Olympic Airlines. According to AP, "flagging revenues forced the government to impose new taxes on capital gains and the self-employed earlier this year, and also to intensify plans to privatize ailing state companies."

Karamanlis won re-election, only last year, partly through reassurances that workers would be protected from mass layoffs while his administration set out to tackle key social and economic reforms.

Despite repeated assurances to shield consumers from price rises and compensate workers from privatised firms, the popularity of the government--currently protecting a fragile parliamentary four-seat majority--has plummeted amidst allegations of cronyism and corruption.

Meanwhile union leaders say the prospect of widespread job losses and government reform of wage and social security benefits will push more of the 11 million population into poverty. One in five Greek workers live below the poverty line, earning less than 5,000 euros a year, according to government figures.

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