Come next 4 July, friends will be gathering to celebrate Independence from America Day in Byron Bay; friends of peace, friends of justice, friends of liberty, friends united in their dismay at the murderous lies of the US government, friends determined to withdraw Australia from the US Alliance, friends working together to remove the influence of tyranny from this land.

The very taste of freedom, it will be a carnival of liberation, an occasion for colour, costume and dance, for inspired song and words of truth, an occasion for fearlessly speaking up and speaking out in public place. Yorro Yorro! Everyone standing up alive!

It will be the third annual celebration of Independence from America Day in Byron Bay and the format will be much the same as last year: a rally in Apex Park, Main Beach, a carnival parade to the Byron courthouse, the burning of a Bush effigy and a speak out.

Come witness the prophesies of the Burning Bush.

From 11 am Friday 4 July.

In previous years the celebration has been associated with the trials of sniffer dog resistance hero, Rusty Harris, and an affirmation of our resistance to US Drug War policing in the Rainbow Region. This time around Rusty will be in court for a full hearing on the Thursday 10 July. In support of Rusty, a rally then too; the former a warmer for the latter.

If you are a friend interested to help with the preparations, call me on 0412 609 373.

May our peacemaking bear fruit for many generations to come.

Graeme Dunstan
Peacebus.com

His theme will be "saying no to the smiling assassins."

"I am saying no to the smiling liars and the bland brutality of this new season of tyranny, of a power elite which has hijacked democracy, declared itself beyond the law and rides roughshod over the dreams, aspirations and lives of the vast majority of the worlds citizens", he said.

"Many American friends share my concerns so I know that declaring Independence from America is not 'Anti -American,' he said.

"To declare independence from America at this time is to turn towards love and kindness, justice and peace, and away from to the tendency in each of us all to grasp at the will for power over others."

Independence from America Day will be celebrated with a carnival parade through Byron at about noon and a Speak Out outside the Byron courthouse.

"Time to speak up and speak out," says organiser Graeme Dunstan who is promising an artful event, an open mike and with some oratorical fireworks.

A cardboard sculpture will be burned and local performance poets including Gina LaKosta and friends, and rappers will give voice to the prophesies of the Burning Bush.

John Allan has many hats. He is a coordinator of Rural Australians for Refugees at a local and national level; the first non-Yolngu to be made a custodian of the Rainbow Serpent (Witij) dreaming by the Galpu clan of Eastern Arnhemland; and the Chair of the Lismore Arts Council. John has also had careers as an artist and psychotherapist. Drawing on 30 years involvement with Buddhism, he presently leads two weekly Buddhist discussion groups called, 'Reading the book of the Heart."

Further Information
Graeme Dunstan 0412 609 373
John Allan 02 6688 6147

Independence Day, an annual carnival of liberation in Byron Bay?

Graeme Dunstan, organizer of the 4 JulyIndependence from America Day, reckons it is highly probable.

"Great and enduring carnivals, such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Grass and the Nimbin Mardi Grass, have been born of protest," he said. "With such a rich and vibrant drum and dance culture in Byron, the time is ripe for an off season carnival in that gives the culture full flower expression in the streets".

Mr Dunstan, who has made a career of making festivals, is delighted at the enthusiastic response and support he is getting in preparing for the Independence Day celebrations in Byron Friday 4 July.

"Seems many people are deeply disturbed about the big lies and murderous denials of the US military and likewise the politics of fear propagated by the US administration," he said. "Many people are looking for a change in attitude and a way to express their concerns in a life affirming way."

The local cannabis law reform movement is of course backing the Independence Day celebrations and the Ganga Faeries, stars of the Nimbin Mardi Grass, will be strutting their stuff.

"The US can't hide from the truth anymore," said Michael Balderstone spokesperson for the Nimbin HEMP Embassy and speaker at the rally.

"Time for a fresh and independent look at drug policy in Australia, free of the US Drug War approach which has created so much division amongst us," he said. "Let us understand how and where the war on cannabis began and who is profiting from it now."

The carnival will assemble in Apex Park, Main Beach Byron Bay at 11 am Friday 4 July. A carnival parade of flags, dancers and drums will dance through Byron Bay to the court house, where fiery performance poet, GinaLaKosta, and her friends will give voice to the prophesies of a Burning Bush.

Street orators, performance poets and rappers with something to say should contact Gina LaKosta on 6684 6996.

Further Information Michael Balderstone 6689 1123

Come 4 July Independence from America Day will be celebrated with dancing in the streets of Byron Bay, Australia.

"We want the world to know that we disassociate ourselves from the US tyranny, and demand an end to the Australian alliance with the USA," said event organiser Graeme Dunstan.

"The celebration will be a carnival of liberation," Mr Dunstan said. "An affirmation that another world is possible, a taste of life beyond tyranny, pro peace, for justice and for the Earth."

No deals with war criminals. No support for US wars. No US military bases. No US prisons. No truck with US corporate pirates. No engagement no more in the US culture of lies, fear, denial, greed and death.

The carnival will assemble in Apex Park, Main Beach Byron Bay at 11 am Friday 4 July. A carnival parade of flags, dancers and drums will dance through Byron Bay to the court house, where a cardboard effigy of a Bush will burn and local orators, rappers and performance poets will give voice to the prophesies of the Burning Bush.

The third 4 July celebration of Independence from America Day in Byron Bay, the event began as a protest to US Drug War policing (to wit: NSW police sniffer dog operations) and the trials of local sniffer dog resistance hero, Rusty Harris.

Rusty will be making his 12th appearance before the Byron court on 10 July in relation to charges arising from the first police sniffer dog operation in Byron of March 2001.

The Byron Environment Centre and a broad coalition of peace activists, drummers, poets, artists, activists and life lovers from the Wollumbin Bioregion support the celebration.

The Byron Environment Centre has agreed to support the Independence from America Day celebrations in Byron this 4 July.

"The group of activists who make up the BEC will be there with bells and drums on," said Robin Harrison."We will be out there dancing in the streets and showing the world how good it might be to be free and independent from the global tyranny of the US corporations."

"The consensus of our meeting was that we want the US to detach from us, go home and look after the troubles they have at home with poverty, crime and pollution," he said. "Meanwhile we of the Wollumbin Bioregion are taking local responsibility for our health and well being and getting on with living in biodiversity."

The meeting, which took place in Brunswick Heads last Sunday, also endorsed the non confrontational, "let's throw a party at it" approach to resisting US neo-imperialism in these times and at a local level.

In addressing the meeting organiser Graeme Dunstan described the event as a carnival of liberation in the streets of Byron Bay.

"It is the essence of liberty not to ask for permission to celebrate independence from tyranny," Mr Dunstan said. "Nor to pay corporate crooks for the privilege."

The Independence from America Day celebrations will begin with a rally in Apex Park assembling 11 am Friday 4 July. A carnival parade will warm up there (bring a drum, bring a costume, bring a flag) and then dance through Byron streets to the courthouse, where some fiery street oratory will be heard and a Bush effigy burned.

The organiser of the Independence from America Day celebrations, Graeme Dunstan, reports that the way is clear for a colourful carnival parade through Byron Bay this 4 July.

The crowd management for the event has been negotiated with the local area police commander, Inspector David Larkin, last Sunday 7 June and Graeme is pleased with the evident goodwill.

The Independence from America Day celebrations arose in protest to police sniffer dog operations in Byron in 2001 and in support of the resistance led by Rusty Harris.

"The Byron sniffer dog protests have achieved a significant local victory for the movement to end the US Drug War in this land," Mr Dunstan said. "While sniffer dog operations continue elsewhere in NSW, this 4 July we will be celebrating two sniffer dog free years for Byron."

Further more Mr Dunstan reports that Inspector Larkin has assured him that no sniffer dog operations are planned for Byron in the 'foreseeable future'.

Friends interested in contributing to the Independence from America Day celebrations will be meeting 4 pm Friday 13 June on Tyagarah Beach at the end of Grays Lane.

"Since a Burning Bush will be part of our celebration, we propose to begin our preparations with a sunset fire ceremony to invoke auspiciousness for our words and deeds", said Mr Dunstan.