Presentation on drones

Presentation at Drones Quilt Panel (7/22/2015)  By Bill Ramsey 

A thorough discussion of the legal, moral, and political consequences of the U.S. drone targeted killing program cannot be adequately completed in the space of an hour. There are books devoted to this discussion.  I recommend “Drones and Targeted” edited by Marjory Cohen.  

In it retired Princeton international law professor Richard Falk explains why weaponized drones pose a greater threat than nuclear weapons to international law and world order. 

Then Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, describes how drone targeted killings are the latest manifestation of a long standing U.S. policy of assassinations.  She traces the history from the Phoenix Program in Vietnam where 20,000 civilian supporters of the insurgents were eliminated to counter insurgency assassinations in Central and South America. 

In the next Chapter, national security correspondent for the New Yorker and author of “The Dark Side: How the War on Terror turned into a War on American Ideals” details Obama administrations escalation of drone use for targeted killing.

Then Global Exchange and Code Pink political activist Medea Benjamin interviews the families of victims of drone strikes.  Followed by a report by Alice Ross of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism documenting civilian casualties of drone strikes. 

This is followed by the co-chair of the International Committee of the Nation Lawyers Guide Jeanne Mirer’s exploration of how drone targeted killing violates specific US and international laws.  Then, Butler University philosophy professor Harry van der Linden analyzes whether drone targeted killing can be justified under the just war theory’s restraints on the resort to war and the execution of war. 

In the next chapter Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Pardiss Kebriaei discusses her role as lead attorney in the first legal challenge to the US targeted killing program Al­-Alauqi vs. Obama.   

Then the executive director of the public committee Against Torture in Israel Ishai Menuchen examines a drone targeted killing case that he brought before the Israeli High Court of Justice.  

Next professor of law at the Moritz Collage of Law at Ohio State University John Quigley suggests that the drone targeted killing policy rebounds to the detriment of the US. by engendering resentment and the use of violence against the US and its personal.

And finally, Tom Hayden, author, activist, teacher and editor at the Nation places the advent of drones into a historical context of U.S. military invasions and occupations.

Perhaps a book club is in order. 

Obama and International Law

President Obama came into office pledging to close Guantanamo and the practice rendition. Six years later, Guantanamo is still open and the rendition program has been replaced by an escalation of drone targeted killing.  Instead of capturing and turning over those designated as suspected terrorists for torture and then holding them in indefinite detention, the President Obama simply eliminates them. 

The President Obama, a lawyer specializing in constitutional law, cannot claim that it is unaware of the legal issues surrounding his drone targeting killing.  During his first term in office, Obama was put on notice that the drone targeted killing program violated U.S. and International Law requirements.    

The International Committee of the Red Cross’s guidance, entitled “Clearing the Fog of War” critiquing drone targeted killings was released on June 2, 2009. Some of you may remember that President Obama in responding to news of last month’s drone killing of civilians in Yemen blamed on “The Fog of War.”

United Nations Human Rights Committee’s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston released a report on drone targeting killing on May 24, 2010.

On December 7, 2010 Human Rights Watch sent a letter to President Obama, raising questions, based on international law requirements that HRW believes apply to the drone targeted killing programs.

In 2012, The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a law suits on behalf of the families of U.S. citizens who were killed by drone attacks, questioning the legality of targeted killings based on the due process rights of the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  

International Law and US Law violations

Briefly here are the legal issues raised of these reports and legal cases.

The UN Charter’s prohibition against aggressive war only allows a nation to carry out acts of war if it is about to be attacked or if the UN Security Council has authorized the use of force. The Geneva Conventions add the requirement that the attack must be militarily necessary and proportional and discriminate between “combatants” and non-combatants.

The ICRC and UN Human Rights Committee reports concluded that the U.S. drone targeted killings must be held accountable to the these provisions of international law. 

Military necessity requires that those targeted must be engaged in hostilities or are about to be and thus can be designated as combatants. 

It also requires that all other means, including attempts to arrest and appeals to surrender, must be attempted.  Military necessity requires a reasonable level of certainty. Targeted killings of “suspected terrorists” fall short of this requirement because “suspected” leaves room for doubt.  

“Proportional” means that the attack does not do more harm than it seeks to prevent, and that it distinguishes between combatants and civilians and avoids civilian causalities. 

The “due process” requirements of the U.S. Constitution are relevant to drone targeted killing, because Supreme Court cases related to Guantanamo detainees have determined that the constitutional requirement to provide due process extends to “any person” who is the object of U.S. government action, regardless of his or her country of residence or nationality. 

The person targeted person in a drone is denied the right to a trial or military tribunal and the killing takes place based only on suspicion and suspicion is nowhere near “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Are Drone Attacks are Precise?

One of the official justifications of the drone strikes is that while there is collateral damage it is far less than it would be in conventional air strikes or in special forces ground raids on homes.  Officials contend that drone strikes are more precise. 

Let’s examine this claim against the record of U.S. and Israeli drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Gaza.

Reprieve, a London based human rights organization and the London based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, have documented the deaths of civilians resulting from US drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan between November 2002 and November 2014. 

Twelve years of US drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan have killed as many as 1,147 unnamed people in failed  attempts to kill 41 targeted named individuals.  Among the civilians killed were 159 children.

The 41 men who have been designated by the CIA and White House as targets of these raids appear according to US government media briefings on the drone attacks to have been killed multiple times. Can attacks that missed their targets over and over again, while killing over 1,100 including 159 children really be “precise?”

 The U.S. practice of follow-on drone strikes violates Rule 25 and Rule 115 of the Geneva Conventions.  Following some drone attacks on suspected terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the U.S. has launched an immediate second attack on emergencies medical teams attempting to treat the wounded at the scene of the attack.  And then launches a third attack on the funeral procession of those killed in the first attack. 

U.S. military officials have dubbed this a “double tap.”  The Geneva Conventions which prohibit deliberate attacks on medical personnel and protect the right of conflicting forces to bury their dead, would call this “double tap” a double war crime.

Can the deaths of so many civilians be the result of a precise weapon?  A report by the Center for Naval Analysis and the Center for Civilians in Conflict found that the drone attacks in Afghanistan have caused ten times more civilian deaths the piloted aircraft attacks

Israel’s use of Drones in Gaza 

 A report by the Gaza based the Al Mezan Center for Human rights documents that the Israeli Defense Force’s use of armed and surveillance drones has escalated in recent years, killing over 1,751 civilians and terrorizing thousands of children. 

Over the past decade, Israel’s use of unpiloted drones has increased dramatically, with each new military assault on Gaza relying more heavily on drones than the last.

In December 2008 and January 2009, the Israeli attacks on Gaza killed 1827 civilians.  633 of these civilians were killed by drone strikes. 

In December 2010 and January 2011, Israeli Attacks on Gaza killed 284 civilians. 77 of these civilians were killed by drone strikes. 

In November of 2012, Israel used armed drones in its military offensive on Gaza killed a total of 201 civilians.  

In the summer of 2014, Israel’s drones strikes killed 840 civilians, many of them children.

Israel’s persistent use of surveillance drones over Gaza is without precedent. Psychological terror has been inflicted on the people of the Gaza, especially children, by the constant presence of drones buzzing overhead with the capacity to rain death on those below at any moment.

This overhead constant buzzing is reminder that one’s death could come at any moment also raises violation of international law.  According to international treaties prohibiting torture the persistent threat that one is about to be killed is classified as an act of torture.  Now the treaty specifically refers to people in detention.  But remember, residents of Gaza are not allowed to leave their small strip of land. 

Playing for Change does "Ripple"

Ripple

By the Grateful Dead

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine

And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung

Would you hear my voice come through the music

Would you hold it near as it were your own?

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken 

Perhaps they're better left unsung

I don't know, don't really care 

Let there be songs to fill the air

Ripple in still water

When there is no pebble tossed

Nor wind to blow

Reach out your hand if your cup be empty

If your cup is full may it be again

Let it be known there is a fountain

That was not made by the hands of men

There is a road, no simple highway

Between the dawn and the dark of night

And if you go no one may follow 

That path is for your steps alone

Ripple in still water

When there is no pebble tossed

Nor wind to blow

You who choose to lead must follow

But if you fall you fall alone

If you should stand then who's to guide you?

If I knew the way I would take you home

Songwriters: GARCIA, JEROME J. / HUNTER, ROBERT C.

About the Iran deal....

Obama's bullshit response to petition

A Response to Your Petition on Edward Snowden

Thanks for signing a petition about Edward Snowden. This is an issue that many Americans feel strongly about. Because his actions have had serious consequences for our national security, we took this matter to Lisa Monaco, the President's Advisor on Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Here's what she had to say:  

“Since taking office, President Obama has worked with Congress to secure appropriate reforms that balance the protection of civil liberties with the ability of national security professionals to secure information vital to keep Americans safe.

As the President said in announcing recent intelligence reforms, “We have to make some important decisions about how to protect ourselves and sustain our leadership in the world, while upholding the civil liberties and privacy protections that our ideals and our Constitution require.” 

Instead of constructively addressing these issues, Mr. Snowden's dangerous decision to steal and disclose classified information had severe consequences for the security of our country and the people who work day in and day out to protect it. 

If he felt his actions were consistent with civil disobedience, then he should do what those who have taken issue with their own government do: Challenge it, speak out, engage in a constructive act of protest, and -- importantly -- accept the consequences of his actions. He should come home to the United States, and be judged by a jury of his peers -- not hide behind the cover of an authoritarian regime. Right now, he's running away from the consequences of his actions. 

We live in a dangerous world. We continue to face grave security threats like terrorism, cyber-attacks, and nuclear proliferation that our intelligence community must have all the lawful tools it needs to address. The balance between our security and the civil liberties that our ideals and our Constitution require deserves robust debate and those who are willing to engage in it here at home.”

Mr. Obama and his administration neither uphold civil liberties or our privacy or managed to keep our country secure. And he totally fails to mention that his administration has put more people in jail for speaking out and charged more people with espionage than all other administrations COMBINED.

His administration has been the worst ever in prosecuting whistleblowers. And Snowden realized that, and also realized that they would find a way to shut him up forever, if they could. By the way, this petition was from two years ago. 

Upcoming events for the week of August 2, 2015

UPCOMING EVENTS

08/03/15 PEACE WALK FROM SWANNANOA TO OAK RIDGE 

August 1 to August 8, Peace Walk from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge. Buddhist monks from the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda will lead a 7 day walk, 10 miles a day, from Swannanoa to Oak Ridge, TN to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Oak Ridge is where the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was built and where nuclear weapons work continues to this day. All are invited to join for the whole walk, or any part of it, for a day, even hours.  On Aug 8, walkers will join commemorative activities being conducted by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA). For more information, contact Ken Jones, jonesk@maine.edu. Their schedule follows:

August 3. Walk begins in Alexander and ends in Hot Springs, NC

August 4. Walk to the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda.

August 5. Dandridge, TN to New Market, TN

August 6. Attend 6 AM vigil at Y-12 to remember the victims of the bomb. Walk after into Knoxville.

August 7. Walk to Oak Ridge. At 7 PM, we attend forum for the Transform Now Plowshares activists

August 8. Attend Peace Rally organized by the Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance. Please see orepa.org for a full schedule of events to commemorate the 70th Anniversary.

08/03/15 DINNER WITH PROGRESSIVES 

Dinner with Progressives is a social outlet for thoughtful people in Asheville NC. The gathering includes time to eat together and then enjoy presentations which focus on solutions for a brighter future. This happens on the first Monday of the month. Please join us for dinner, dessert or beverage together at 5:30 PM at Green Sage cafe in Westgate with fellow progressives.  At 6 PM we will have Randy Bernard, regional organizer with MoveOn who will talk about MoveOn's upcoming activities. Contact Cheryl at ctorengo@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP.

08/04/15 HEALTH CARE PARITY: BENDING THE ARC FOR EQUITY IN BUNCOMBE

This exhibit is based on attempts of Asheville physician Dr. Charles Blair to enhance awareness of and address health disparities affecting primarily African Americans. The exhibition also is based on a non-empirical study of Sharon Kelly West, RN on “Access and Availability of Health Care For African Americans of Buncombe County 1890-1960″. Admission is free. Location is the YMI Cultural Center at 39 South Market Street in Asheville. This exhibit goes until 08/28/15 and the YMI Cultural Center is open during regular business hours. 

08/04/15 THE SPIRIT OF HIROSHIMA 1945 COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBIT

NC Peace Action is sponsoring a display of posters on the Hiroshima bombings in 1945 at First Congregational Church in Asheville, located on Oak Avenue in downtown Asheville. This will be up until 08/30/15. 

08/04/15 DINNER WITH BUNCOMBE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Pizza dinner with neighbors, community leaders and the sheriff’s department. Free to attend. Held at Leicester Community Center at 2979 New Leicester Highway in Leicester. Please call Buncombe County Sheriff’s office for more information.

08/04/15 ASHEVILLE TRANSIT COMMITTEE MEETING

Transit Committee Meeting is on Tuesday 8/4/15, from 3 - 5 PM.  Location is the First Floor Conference Room, City Hall, in downtown Asheville. All are welcome.

08/05/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING AND GREEN DRINKS

Sierra Club meeting on Waterfalls & Wildflowers - join us for Timothy Spira's presentation on "Exploring Waterfalls & Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains".  Tim's latest book is Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachians: Thirty Great Hikes. Tim is emeritus professor of botany at Clemson University. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/06/15 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NUCLEAR BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA

08/06/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is North Buncombe High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/06/15 CLEAN ENERGY IN THE MOUNTAINS EVENT 

Clean Energy in the Mountains is back! Come have a beer with us on August 6th at Highland Brewing Company on Old Charlotte Highway in Asheville. This event will gather NC Sustainable Energy Association members and clean energy leaders from across the Southeast as we recognize the forward progress happening in the western North Carolina region and beyond. Enjoy local catering and a Highland beer while connecting with friends and colleagues. Please register by Monday, August 3rd. Find out how to register, or ask for more information from Christy at christy@energync.org or 919-832-7601 ext 111. Time is 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

08/06/15 CREATION CARE ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING

All are welcome to take a moment to listen to one another, renew our spirits and learn about ways to engage the work of caring for creation.  Join us! Location is First Baptist Church of Asheville at 5 Oak Street in downtown Asheville and time is 5:30 to 7 PM. Be a part of the conversation. Call (828) 258-8737 or email: creationcare@mountaintrue.org for more information.

08/06/15 SHOWING UP FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network of groups educating and organizing white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. Asheville SURJ hosts a weekly discussion group on risk-taking, accountability, mutual interest and how to call more white people into racial justice work. Anyone with a passion for working with white people on racial justice is welcome! This group meets at 12 noon at Firestorm Cafe & Books at 610 Haywood Road in  Asheville. 

08/08/15 RALLY AND MARCH IN OAK RIDGE TENNESSEE

This is a remembrance of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a rally to say no to more nuclear weapons. There will be carpooling arranged by WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility. Contact Bob at robfhow@gmail.com if you are interested in carpooling. OREPA events start at 8:30 AM and go until 10 PM, but main rally starts at 2 PM. Action for Disarmament at Y12, will consist of origami peace cranes being tied to a wire near the Y12 fence and we will issue a public call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the cessation of weapons production at Y12. We will also call for our government to abandon plans for their new $6.5 Billion Uranium Processing Facility, proposed for Y12, in favor of a dedicated dismantlement of nuclear weapons facility at Y12. Activities will raise the call of the hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombs which destroyed Hiroshima & Nagasaki, for the world to step away from the nuclear abyss and move toward complete disarmament, the only guarantee that the world will never again know the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please see orepa.org for a full schedule of events to commemorate the 70th Anniversary.

08/09/15 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NUCLEAR BOMBING OF NAGASAKI

08/09/15 GLOBAL ZERO EVENT

Have you ever considered what a nuclear catastrophe would look like in your hometown? It’s been 70 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- two of the most devastating humanitarian tragedies in history. And yet the world is still bristling with more than 15,000 nuclear weapons, thousands of which are locked and loaded, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. The risk that these weapons will be used is growing and the consequences are greater than ever. Join Global Zero on Sunday, August 9, to commemorate the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by biking what would be the perimeter of a nuclear blast in Asheville. The event will be one of many corresponding actions around the world, serving as a powerful reminder that nuclear weapons were designed to wipe cities like ours off the map. RSVP for Bike Around the Bomb Asheville, or for more information, email field@globalzero.org. Time is 10 AM and meeting location is Pack Square Park. 

08/09/15 RESILIENT AGRICULTURE AUTHOR EVENT

Join us with author Laura Lengnick to discuss her newly published book, "Resilient Agriculture," and the role that sustainable agriculture will play in the future as climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the productivity and profitability of agriculture in North America. Time is 3 PM and location is Firestorm Books & Coffee at 60 Haywood Road in Asheville.

08/09/15 ASHEVILLE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN MEETING

Monthly meeting, free. Held at YWCA of Asheville at 185 French Broad Avenue. Time is 2:30 PM. Email ashevillenow@live.com for more information.

08/10/15 TRANSITION ASHEVILLE MEETING

Topic is “Growing Food Where You Live: Cultivating Solutions to Hunger and Malnutrition in WNC Communities”. One in four children in Western North Carolina struggle for access to three meals a day.  Sydney Klein and Dylan Ryals-Hamilton will share stories, insights, and adventures working with low-income residents to grow healthy food right where it’s needed most – in low-income communities and in food desserts.  The case study presented is the pilot project for a greater campaign for food resilience and community abundance. Time is 6:30 PM to 8 PM and location is Parish Hall at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church - parking available on street or off Evelyn Ally north of the church.

08/11/15 VETERANS FOR PEACE MEETING

Time is 6:30 PM and location is VFP HQ at the Phil Mechanic Studios: 109 Roberts Street in Asheville. (Location of meeting may change to Firestorm, but that has not been confirmed yet.)

08/12/15 GREEN DRINKS

“Wild Utah: America’s Redrock Wilderness” is a multi-media slideshow documenting citizen efforts to designate public lands in southern Utah’s spectacular canyon country as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.  This journey through redrock splendor invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these unique lands. The multimedia slideshow will be shown in conjunction with a presentation on the status of the Utah wilderness movement by Travis Hammill, Eastern Grassroots Organizer for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. This inspirational and informational event is a must see for people wishing to become personally involved to make the difference in this tremendous American public lands conservation effort. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

08/12/15 JUST PEACE IN ISRAEL/PALESTINE

This meeting will be at 9:30 AM at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church at 117 Montreat Road in Black Mountain.

08/12/15 CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION FOCUS GROUP

Join Us  on August 12th for the NC Division of Childhood and Early Education (DCDEE) western North Carolina focus group. DCDEE is gathering input on the state's 3-year plan for operating the child care subsidy program. Why is that important? The state has a unique opportunity to review and make improvements to many aspects around quality, market rates, safety, and parent/provider education. NC will submit a 3-year plan for the child care subsidy program, so now is the time to give your feedback. We hope you will join us at the focus group to share your perspectives and experiences to shape the future of this important program. WNC Early Childhood Coalition recommendations: Our coalition will be particularly focused on how to align the cost of quality care with the value of the voucher. We welcome you to join us in this advocacy. The focus group will be held at the Smart Start of Buncombe County Offices (2229 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC) on Wednesday, August 12. It is divided into three sections:

• 9:00-11:00 AM – Subsidized Child Care

• 12:00-2:00 PM - Program Standards and Quality Improvement

• 2:30-4:30 PM - Consumer Education

Contact Greg at gregb@childrenfirstbc.org for more information.

08/13/15 DOCUMENTARY SHOWING  FOR SIERRA CLUB AND MOUNTAIN TRUE

The documentary “Merchants of Doubt” will be presented by The Orange Peel, the Sierra Club, and Mountain True at the Orange Peel in downtown Asheville on Thursday August 13 at 7:30 PM with doors opening at 7 PM. By the creator of Food, Inc., Merchants of Doubt is an important new documentary that focuses on climate change and its deniers' political agenda to discredit the inarguable facts. This will be a fully seated event, open to all ages. Entry is free, but a $5 donation is suggested to support the event's co-sponsor organizations, Mountain True and Sierra Club of WNC. Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

08/14/15 DANCE FOR DEMOCRACY FUNDRAISER

Time is 8 PM to midnight, location is The Orange Peel. Get your groove on at Dance For Democracy – a fun night of dancing and music at The Orange Peel, from Motown to rock ‘n roll and swing to hip-hop. Tunes to be cued up by amazing DJ Marley Carroll... Proceeds support Democracy North Carolina's work to promote access to voting in our state. Tickets are $10 per person or $50 for patrons (includes pre-event reception with complimentary food and drink). Buy tickets online at http://bit.ly/1L0hgNv. Some of the other groups supporting this are Children First, Green Opportunities, League of Women Voters, Mountain Voices Alliance, Mountain Peoples Assembly, YWCA-Asheville.

08/15/15 JUST PEACE FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE PROTEST

Just Peace for Israel/Palestine will hold their next street protest on August 15th at Pritchard Park from 11AM - 12:30 PM.  Focus will be on the effect of the occupation on children.

08/15/15 GREEN GRANNIES SING FOR THE CLIMATE

Green Grannies Sing for the Climate at Pritchard Park at 5 PM. Google "Singfortheclimate" and come out and sing with us! This happens on the third Saturday of every month. 

08/16/15 ETHICAL HUMANIST SOCIETY OF ASHEVILLE MEETING

“Ordinary People Making a Real Difference: A Report from the 100th Assembly of the American Ethical Union” will be presented by Joy McConnell and Jackie Simms at the Sunday, August 16th meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:00-3:30 PM, at The Friends Meeting House, 227 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC. Ours is the first generation that can end poverty, and the last that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, if humanity has the will to do so. To those ends, the United Nations prepared Sustainable Development Goals as a roadmap to fight against extreme poverty, strive toward more equitable economic growth and environmental sustainability, and reduce the dangers of human-induced climate change. To support those UN Goals, our 100th Assembly gave participants opportunities to hear experts on social, environmental, and economic development speak about the many grass-roots ways we can protect our world for future generations. Jackie and Joy will share what they learned at the Assembly and how they were inspired and energized by their experiences. Informal discussion and refreshments will follow the presentation. All are welcome. For more information call 828 687-7759 or email EHSAsheville@gmail.com.

08/19/15 GREEN DRINKS

People of faith are installing solar panels, planting gardens, recycling, testifying, protesting, marching, writing, preaching and engaging in all sorts of acts of courageous compassion. Come explore some of the transformative work that is already happening on behalf of all creatures great and small. Scott Hardin-Nieri is the Director of The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina. He has served in faith communities for over twenty years and after a “climate conversion” experience left his work in Monteverde, Costa Rica for the Blue Ridge Mountains. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

08/20/15 COMMUNITY DISCUSSIONS ABOUT USE OF FORCE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will host a series of community meetings for discussions about the use of force by law enforcement. Location is Owen High School. Time is 6 PM. The meeting will allow people to hear from Sheriff Van Duncan on the training and education that deputies receive regarding use of force, and Duncan will answer questions from community members about the topic. “We want to share with the public the law as well as the policies that we operate under when making use of force decisions,” Duncan said. “Being transparent with the public will hopefully create a shared understanding of law enforcement’s obligations as well as duties in protecting the public.” The question-and-answer portion of the program will be moderated by Lucia Daughtery of the Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council. This forum is free and open to the public.

08/21/15 to 08/23/15 MONTREAT CONFERENCE CENTER REMEMBRANCE OF MLK

On this weekend in August, at the Anderson Auditorium, Montreat College, in Montreat NC, there will be a weekend of remembrance of  Martin Luther King’s address at Montreat in 1965, called “Dr. King's Unfinished Agenda: A Teach-In for Rededicating Ourselves to the Dream”. There will be nine speakers; the main speaker will be U.S. Representative John Lewis. Events include programming and break out sessions for teens and adults. Basic registration fee is $40; for those able to help provide scholarship funds for the conference, a registration of $100 is appreciated. To register  or call 828.669.2911, ext. 339.   

08/28/15 REMEMBRANCE OF EMMETT TILL’S MURDER

Wear Black and White on July 25 (Emmett Till's 74th Birthday) and August 28. A Time For Unity In Black And White: Please join us again! Let's Remember Emmett Till and those who have lost their lives #CharlestonNine #TrayvonMartin #JordanDavis #OscarGrant #RenishaMcBride #EricGarner #MikeBrown #RekiyaBoyd #SeanBell #StephenBiko and so many others to hate, violence and racism in the US and in other parts of the world. How? Please Wear black and white attire/clothing items on July 25 and August 28 (the day Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, 60 years ago). This is a silent but powerful way to show that we will never forget.

08/28/15 ASHEVILLE TIMEBANK KICK OFF

Friday, August 28, at 6 PM, Asheville TimeBank kicks off with a potluck and orientation open to all. Location is the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Share your talents, exchange services outside the cash economy. Please bring a potluck dish and a laptop if you have one. Voluntary donation. Contact help@ashevilletimebank.org or call 828-348-0674 for more information, including how to access an application for the TimeBank.

09/02/15 SIERRA CLUB MEETING AND GREEN DRINKS

Sierra Club meeting on French Broad River Odyssey by Dr. Chris Lechner. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, (corner of Charlotte & Edwin). Time is 7 PM.  Contact: judymattox@sbcglobal.net, or 828-683-2176 for more information.

09/09/15 GREEN DRINKS

Interested in making your home greener, but frustrated because you don’t have thousands to spend for a major renovation? This discussion focuses on ways that homeowners on a tight budget can change how they operate their homes to achieve significant energy savings.  We will also discuss inexpensive upgrades that make easy do-it-yourself projects. Amy Musser will speak, and she is co-founder and principal of  VandeMusser Design, PLLC, founded in 2002. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

09/19/15 AMERICANS WHO TELL THE TRUTH EXHIBIT

Saturday, September 19 at 6 PM the exhibit at YMI (39 S. Market St.) called “Americans Who Tell the Truth” will open. Rev. William Barber of Moral Monday fame will speak as his portrait is unveiled September 19th for the first time as a new addition to other heroes on display for the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit.  Mountain People's Assembly is hosting this event with YMI. This is a ticketed event, tickets start at $25. Go to YMI webpage for more information.

09/21/15 INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE - MARCH FOR PEACE

A new partnership of peace makers have come together to plan an exciting weekend of peaceful activities as communities around the globe celebrate International Day of Peace in Asheville and Black Mountain. The new group calls itself WNC 4 Peace, with members representing all facets of peace, from the spiritual, the community, and the world. On Monday, September 21, at 12 noon WNC 4 Peace hosts a March for Peace downtown to the Peace Pole behind Pack's Tavern where participants will observe a moment of silence.   Asheville bells will be rung all around town, Peace Activist and Performer David LaMotte plans to sing with people of diverse beliefs gathered to explore the spirit of peace in a troubled world, while white doves are released to send our message out into the universe. Participants will then be invited to join with planners as they watch other peace celebrations live streamed from around the world at a nearby location. For more information, call Rachael Bliss at 828-378-0125.

09/23/15 GREEN DRINKS

This legislative session has been jam-packed with moves to roll back environmental protections, hinder renewable energy, slash funding for open space protections and more. But it’s not all bad news. Many of our WNC legislators have stood against these shenanigans and are attempting to forward legislation to protect our communities’ natural resources. We’ll get you caught up on environmental outcomes of this legislative session, priorities between sessions and next year, and how you can get involved in holding our lawmakers accountable to the public they serve. Socializing at 5:30 and presentation is at 6 PM. Location is The Green Sage at 5 Broadway Street in downtown Asheville.

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ONGOING EVENTS

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TUESDAY

Veterans for Peace have a weekly vigil at 5 PM at Pack Square, Vance Monument

WEDNESDAY

Haywood Peace Vigilers have a weekly vigil at 4 PM at Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville

THURSDAY

Asheville Homeless Network meeting at 1 PM at A-Hope on North Ann Street in Asheville.  

Youth Outright Poetry Night at United Church of Christ on 20 Oak Street in Asheville at 5 PM

FRIDAY

Women in Black have a weekly vigil at noon at the City Hall in Hendersonville

Women in Black have a monthly vigil at 5 PM at Vance Monument in Asheville (first Friday only)

SATURDAY

Transylvanians for Peace and WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility have a weekly vigil at noon in front of the courthouse in Brevard. Call 884-3435 to confirm. 

Third Saturdays – Asheville’s Green Grannies invites the public to “sing for the climate” at Pritchard Park at 5 PM.

SUNDAY

Youth OUTright meeting from 4 to 6 PM at First Congregational United Church of Christ at 20 Oak Street in Asheville. Ages 14 - 23 only.

Gulf of Tonkin

Gulf of Tonkin

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the lie that started the American war of aggression on Vietnam. All wars start with lies, and often the ones who are pushed to self-defense or just join in the slaughter, join in the lying too. Our leaders, and many in the media, were liars then and they are liars now.

It is sick beyond words. War is always a failure of human intelligence and human compassion. It is a near total success when it comes to getting Americans to believe in the lies, and stays that way until it is beyond clear that they will lose another war of aggression they started. Unfortunately, it is not Americans who really suffer from our lies and wars of aggression - it is the people we bomb who REALLY suffer.

Letter to Pope Francis

Dear Pope Francis,

We are Catholics and fellow Christians and other people of peace and justice living in the United States where you will be visiting this September. We respectfully ask that you listen to our request and publicly respond to it with resoluteness equal to the gravity of the matter here raised.

In your recent encyclical, Laudato Si’, you proclaim that “War always does grave harm to the environment and to the cultural riches of peoples, risks which are magnified when one considers nuclear arms and biological weapons.” Visiting the United States, the most prolific polluter and, not coincidentally, the greatest war maker on the globe, is a challenge and an opportunity that we pray you do not fail to take advantage of.
You have rightly denounced the terrorism of ISIS and similar organizations, and you have appropriately named the murder of more than one million Armenians by the Turkish state in 1915 as “the first genocide of the 20th century.” There were no Catholic chaplains in the Turkish military in 1915 and the banners of ISIS are not displayed today in Catholic churches. The U.S. military, on the other hand, is predominantly Christian with one-third of the force Catholic, so that it might be hoped that your denunciation of terrorism and genocide might have a more positive effect here and now. We beg you to speak out just as clearly and publicly denounce the terrorism and genocide that your host country, the United States, is even now inflicting on the Muslim and Christian Arab people of the Middle East and the people of Afghanistan. Decades of aggression including sanctions, bombings, invasions, arming of insurgents, have left millions dead, many more millions displaced and homeless. Assassinations by remotely controlled drones destabilize civil societies and kill thousands of innocents. Thousands have been imprisoned and tortured. Many lands are being made desolate and poisoned, and ancient communities are being devastated.

In September you will be visiting a nation that is committing a trillion dollars to the development and production of a whole new generation of nuclear weapons, threatening unprecedented destruction of creation, while many of its own people lack the means needed to live lives of simple dignity. The global inequality that you decry, wherein the poorest suffer the brunt of diminishing resources and the ravages of chaos in the climate, is not judged by those who control the government and the economy in the United States as a problem to be solved, but an advantage to be defended at all costs. With more than 800 U.S. military bases already around the globe, the lands of indigenous people are still being plundered against their protests to construct even more bases.

We do appreciate the pleas for peace and justice that you and your predecessors have made over these horrible years. These good words are only rarely taught by the Catholic bishops, pastors and educational institutions in the United States. They have been systematically undermined by U.S. Catholic institutions to the point where the vast majority of the Catholic faithful, Catholic soldiers especially, are completely unaware that they have ever been spoken.

At the end of World War II, Albert Camus lamented that, even as an unbeliever, he was one of millions who waited for but never heard any word from Rome against the carnage he witnessed. The condemnation from Rome was voiced, he later discovered, but voiced in a style “not at all clear.”

We hope that you will not repeat the error of your predecessors. “What the world expects of Christians,” Camus insisted, “is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear, and that they should voice their condemnation in such a way that never a doubt, never the slightest doubt, could rise in the heart of the simplest person.”

Pope Francis, we understand that you come to the United States as a diplomat and as a pastor, but in these perilous times we need you here as a prophet most of all. Please do not speak to President Obama, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Catholic bishops, and the American people, without making a clear denunciation of the complicity of our nation’s government, its people, its institutions and its churches in crimes against humanity and God’s creation.

Please consider signing on to this letter. Link here.

"Devils & Dust" by Bruce Springsteen

I got my finger on the trigger

But I don't know who to trust

When I look into your eyes

There's just devils and dust

We're a long, long way from home, Bobbie

Home's a long, long way from us

I feel a dirty wind blowing

Devils and dust

I got God on my side

And I'm just trying to survive

What if what you do to survive

Kills the things you love

Fear's a powerful thing, baby

It can turn your heart black you can trust

It'll take your God filled soul

And fill it with devils and dust

Well I dreamed of you last night

In a field of blood and stone

The blood began to dry

The smell began to rise

Well I dreamed of you last night, Bobbie

In a field of mud and bone

Your blood began to dry

And the smell began to rise

We've got God on our side

We're just trying to survive

What if what you do to survive

Kills the things you love

Fear's a powerful thing, baby

It'll turn your heart black you can trust

It'll take your God filled soul

Fill it with devils and dust

It'll take your God filled soul

Fill it with devils and dust

Now every woman and every man

They wanna take a righteous stand

Find the love that God wills

And the faith that He commands

I've got my finger on the trigger

And tonight faith just ain't enough

When I look inside my heart

There's just devils and dust

Well I've got God on my side

And I'm just trying to survive

What if what you do to survive

Kills the things you love

Fear's a dangerous thing

It can turn your heart black you can trust

It'll take your God filled soul

Fill it with devils and dust

Yeah it'll take your God filled soul

Fill it with devils and dust

From Win Without War

Not that this will stop them from claiming "peace" as a reason to bomb. They also like to claim that bombing is for humanitarian reasons, which is complete bullshit. "They" happen to be the politicians, pundits and elites in the USA. Hope one day they get to experience what they have visited on other innocent people.

This country is so violent and so evil.

On the death of Sandra Bland

Comment left on Texas Department of Public Safety website:

Officer Brian Encinia should be fired immediately for his outrageous behavior toward Sandra Bland on July 10, 2015.

He is clearly out of control. His comment "I WILL LIGHT YOU UP" to someone who had done nothing but not use a turn signal is a clear sign that he is not mature or stable enough to be a police officer. He will go on to kill people if DPS lets him remain on duty. It is only a matter of time.

His supervisors should be fired too - they are not up to the job at all.

His behavior towards Sandra Bland was very, very disgusting and totally uncalled for. It is really unfortunate that Sandra is dead and Encinia is not. He is the one who does not deserve to live and is not a positive contributor to our country. Sandra Bland was.

I am a 60 year old white women who lives in North Carolina. I am sick, sick, sick of seeing white police officers act like such brutal animals with no common sense or decency. I am sick, sick, sick, of seeing them escape any responsibility for their actions, when they clearly should be given a trial and sent to jail. 

I will not set foot in Texas anytime soon. I find the idea of going there very nauseating. 

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Email to the Waller County Sheriff's office, where Sandra Bland was imprisoned - for knowing her rights and speaking back to a police officer. She was pulled over for a failure to use her turn signal, after she pulled over to let the officer pass her. 

To whom it may concern:

I am a white women, 60 years old, who lives in North Carolina.

I am appalled at the incidents that happened at your jail.

Really, this is beyond disgusting what happened to Sandra Bland. She should never have been in jail in the first place, much less kept there for three days. Obviously, she was not given a decent level of care, if a young women like that ended up committing suicide. 

I am not convinced it was a suicide.

Sandra Bland deserved to live. Your staff and your jail are responsible for the fact that she is now dead.

I find that appalling.



Their response:

Official Press Release
07/23/2015

Sheriff R. Glenn Smith sends his sincerest condolences, thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Ms.. Sandra Bland. 
Recently, the Sheriff's Office provided inmate processing forms to local and national media outlets. To clarify these forms, it is important we are outlining the jail booking process as it relates to inmates arriving at the Waller County Jail. Inmates are brought into the Waller County Jail intake section by the arresting officer. The arresting officer completes a jail booking-in sheet and inventories the arrestee's property. Jail staff meets with the arrestee and arresting officer and completes a screening form for Suicide and Medical and Mental Impairements form and Texas Department of State Health Services Correctional Tuberculosis form. These forms are provided to the main control supervisor prior to the inmate being accepted.
The inmate is walked to the booking area where they are processed by the booking officer. Depending on how many inmates are being processed at this time, an inmates photograph may be taken in their original clothing or the inmate may be dressed-out in orange. Their photograph is taken on the wall south of the booking officers' desk. We should note if the inmate is not standing directly in the center of the backdrop, a portion of the white wall may appear. 
At the booking desk, the inmate is asked the same questions listed on the Screening form for Suicide and Medical and Mental Impairements form. The book-in officer verbally asks these questions to the inmate, and then types the inmates' response into the computer. It should be noted that jailers are required to document answers given to them by the inmates. If the answers are different at each time, this indicates the inmate changed their answer. Ms. Bland was allowed to make a phone call at her time of booking, but we cannot release the name and details of that call. 
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards outlines how inmates are segregated in county jails. The Waller County Jail has two sections for female inmates. Due to the offense Ms. Bland was charged with, she was classified to cell#95. Cell#95 is classified as a medium to maximum security cell. Ms. Bland was classified as medium assaultive as defined by The Texas Jail Commission. At this time there were no other inmates inside cell #95, being that no other female inmates met this classification; Ms. Bland was the single occupant of Cell#95. We can confirm that Ms. Bland was offered Emergency Medical Services prior to being transported to the jail. Ms. Bland refused medical treatment. 
The Sheriff's Office will confirm that Ms. Bland, based on Jail Staff observations, was not placed on any suicide watch. 
The death of any person in the custody of any governmental entity should experience great scrutiny and be thoroughly investigated by an outside source. Sheriff Smith immediately notified the Texas Rangers who arrived within the hour. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also actively involved in this investigation. The Waller County Sheriff's Office has provided and will continue to provide any and all documentation to the outside investigative agencies. 
Sheriff Smith has asked local attorney Paul Looney to form an outside Sheriff's Commission, to take an outside view of jail procedures, evaluate personnel, discuss community relations, and any other issue this commission deems necessary. Mr. Looney has accepted the Sheriff's offer and the Sheriff looks forward to Mr. Looney's selection of committee members. 
To maintain the integrity of this investigation, the Waller County Sheriff's Office is not releasing any further information, or conducting further interviews at this time. 
Auth: R. Glenn Smith, Waller County Sheriff