Independence from America Day celebration will be celebrated this Sunday as a triumphant homecoming for the peace activists who travelled to Rockhampton-Yeppoon to be part of the Peace Convergence that protested there against the US-Australian war games in Shoalwater Bay last week.

"Peace activists from the Rainbow Region were a major presence at the Peace Convergence," said Peacebus.com captain, Graeme Dunstan.

"The Byron Peace flags were flying at all the major Peace Convergence events and were much appreciated and admired."

The seventh annual, the Independence from America Day celebration will take the same form as previous years, assembling 11 am in Apex Park, Main Beach, Byron Bay for an open mike Speak Out on the US alliance.

"Like last year the event will foster public place oratory with a Sedition Competition, a stand up, knock down competition to see how seditious one can be standing up alive in Byron Bay," said Dunstan.

At about 12.30 am the wild & whacky Samba-Blisstas will lead a parade thundering through Byron streets to the Byron markets.

Bring a placard. Bring a costume. Bring seditious sentiments. And bring a drum.

Further Information
Graeme Dunstan, Peacebus.com 0407 951 688
Paul Barrett, Samba Blisstas, 0417 969 743

My! how the sands have shifted since we first started celebrating Independence from America Day in Byron Bay six years ago.

The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have gone from futile to blood soaked despair and the neo-liberal ascendancy falls apart. Blair gone; Bush and Howard soon to follow into ignominy.

Rudd's Alternative Liberal Party rushes to fill the gap, talking up nuclear and holding firm to the US wars and the US alliance.

One would have thought the surge of popular disgust that led to the homecoming of David Hicks would have been taken as a sign worth following.

But no, the ALP pitches its electoral campaign on what it perceives as the safe middle ground of more of the same.

Which means more Australian military deployed as Gurkhas for the collapsing US empire, more US bases, more US military exercises trashing our landscape and more taxes wasted on US wars and US armaments.

Let's let Rudd know that the sands are shifting still. Come out and celebrate Independence from America Day Sunday 1 July.

Like last year it will begin with an open mike speak out in Apex Park, Main Beach and conclude with a parade through Byron to the Markets.

The amazing Samba Blisstas are already rehearsing and drum master, Paul Barrett is promising the biggest turn out of drummers, shakers, and dancers yet.

Preceded by the mobilisation for the Peace Convergence and joint US-Oz military blast at Shoalhaven Bay, let our defiant celebration be a triumphal homecoming and a salute to courage and direct action locally bred.

For peace. For justice. For the Earth!

Graeme Dunstan
Peacebus.com

Paul Barrett and the Samba Blisstas leading the Independence from America Day parade up Johnstone Street, Byron Bay, 2 July 2006