Howard Zinn on our "holy wars"

He presents a lot of good information on the Revolutionary war, the Civil war and WW2.  Although we were all taught in school that these were "good" wars and necessary wars, I don't think that is true anymore.  Years ago, I moved to Canada - and they are quite free of Britain without having a war to get free.  The US Civil war was brutal, and the only good outcome was the end of slavery in the US.  That is not why it started, and certainly other countries ended slavery without a war. 

Seige takes toll on Gaza children

Protests to Let Gaza Live!

There was a demonstration this morning at the White House while Obama is meeting with Netanyahu. 

I wish I could have been there!  Long live Palestine!

Top photo from DC, bottom one from Los Angeles.  Photos from ANSWER email.

Peace of the Action in DC on July 4, 2010

Who said this? (no fair looking it up)

Government will regard it as its first and foremost duty to revive in the nation the spirit of unity and cooperation. It will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality, and the family as the basis of national life.

Another peace prize for a war-mongerer

This time it is Tony Blair who gets a Peace Prize - for helping hundreds of thousands (or maybe a million) of innocents to find the eternal peace of the grave.  Prize is to be awarded by another critter who helped hundreds of thousands (or maybe a million) also find an early grave due to sanctions instead of war:  Bill Clinton.

BBC NEWS

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is to receive a prestigious US medal and $100,000 (£67,000) prize for his work in conflict resolution.  The National Constitution Centre is awarding him its Liberty Medal for "steadfast" efforts to broker peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.  Previous winners include Nelson Mandela and former US presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush senior.  Mr Blair said he was driven by values of "freedom, liberty and justice".  Mr Clinton, the centre's chairman, will present the medal in Philadelphia on 13 September.

Tony Blair also liberated Iraq's oil - for the benefit of a South Korea oil company.  He also got a load of money for that one.  

Meanwhile, the people of Iraq do not have drinking water (for the most part) and birth defects are skyrocketing in Fallujah, while cancer rates soar in Basra..... all thanks to the assholes who did their best to destroy them, and who are now getting PEACE PRIZES.  It is totally sickening.  (h/t to Chris Floyd for pointing all this out)

Email to a NC Senator

This is a response to a state senator from NC.  He is not my senator.  He sent out a Fourth of July message that (yet again) says our military is responsible for our freedom. 

My response:
I was taught in school that our military provided us with our 'freedoms' but I no longer believe that.  For starters, other countries became independent of Britain without military involvement.  Many other countries ended slavery without military involvement.  And while there were people fighting for freedom to keep their land and preserve their way of life, the vast majority of them were Native Americans and they lost - BIG TIME.

It is up to citizens to preserve our Constitution and our freedoms.  The military's job is to kill our enemies and break their shit.  Right now, we really don't have any enemies, all we have are Timothy McVeigh-wanttabees.  So our government is making some up.

And that "beacon of light to the rest of the world"???   Not so much anymore.  The rest of the world saw the hundreds of thousands of innocent people we blasted into bloody pulps, and our world standing took quite a hit.

I recommend reading the foreign press on a daily basis.

July 4th message from Afghan Peace Activists

Hero of War

Letter to Toronto police

complete with misspellings:

I am a Canadian living in Asheville NC. I have been watching the reports on the protests at the G20 and I can hardly believe what I am seeing.

I lived in Hamilton Ontario and always knew the police of Hamilton and Toronto to be helpful and police. [should say 'polite']   What I am seeing in videos at the G20 shows them acting like bruts [brutes] with no sense at all.

It looks to me that the police let the thugs break store windows and burn police cars on purpose, so they would then have an excuse to beat up on peaceful protesters and arrest people for nothing.

The use of plain clothes police jumping out of vans to snatch people who were doing nothing is especially sickening.

I am appalled.

It appears that Toronto has SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THEIR POLICE. They are out of control and don't know the difference between free speech, peaceful assembly and people destroying property. It seems that you have A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO BRING ABOUT SOME PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS THERE.

This is just appalling to me, as a Canadian, that the police acted this way.

I left this comment on this website for emailing Professional Standards board.

I have been watching The Real News about the protests there and how the police acted.

Quote from Eisenhower

"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense. We have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security alone more than the net income of all United States corporations.

"Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources, and livelihood are all involved. So is the very structure of our society.

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and [it] will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Pine Ridge - American Prisoner of War camp #334

Rewriting Afghanistan's narrative

Some information on G-20

Bullies:  Police arrest a protester during an anti G20 demonstration on Saturday, June 26, 2010 in Toronto as leaders of the world's key industrialized nations have started to arrive in for the G20 meetings. AP

Idiocy:  Two police vehicles, set on fire by anarchist demonstrators, burn in the midst of protests on the streets of Toronto during the G20 summit June 26, 2010. Reuters

Got to wonder why a small group of people could burn police cars and smash windows while the police did nothing, especially after they spent almost a billion on security.

Toronto Protest:  BERNARD WEIL - A plain clothed police officer (long hair and holding riot stick) is taken down by a protestor on Eastern Avenue. (This was on Sunday at the area of the detention center.  The plain clothed police jumped out of an unmarked van and started making arrests.)

Report:  Toronto police rough up journalists, arrest peaceful protestors at G20

More than 500 people have been arrested in Toronto after a night of rioting that saw police cars burned in the financial district and storefront windows broken as leaders of the world's largest economies gathered in the city for the G20 summit.
As clashes between police and protesters moved into their second day, there were more reports of journalists and peaceful protesters being arrested. The National Post reported that two of its photographers were arrested, and a Post blogger says a cyclist was arrested after accidentally bumping into a police officer.

The Real News Network has a report on the protests.

When Police Stick to phony script

Archer, who was in Miami as a liaison between protesters and police, has a 40-box checklist to identify the Model. Here are the main themes.
•  Information warfare. This starts weeks before the event. Protesters are criminalized and dehumanized, and described as dangerous “anarchists” and “terrorists” the city needs to defend against.
• Intimidation. Police start random searches of perceived protesters before any large rallies. They are asked where they are staying, why they are walking around. Police raid organizer’s homes or meeting places, “usually just before the summit, so there’s maximum chaos organizers have to deal with,” says Archer.
•  “They threw rocks.” That’s the line police use after tear-gassing or beating protesters most times, Archer says. Urine and human feces are variations on the theme. But it’s always the protesters who triggered the violence. A popular police tactic is called “kettling.” Officers on bike or horses herd protesters into an enclosed space, so they can’t leave without trying to break through the police line. Take the bait; you provoke a beating or arrest. And of course, there are the famous agent provocateurs, outted publicly two years ago in Montebello. Police officers dressed up like militant protesters to protect the peaceful crowd, they say; Archer says it’s to instigate trouble.
In Montebello, one of the three cops dressed in black was holding a rock.
“It’s the same lies every single protest,” she says. “It’s justification by law enforcement for their violent actions. This is a propaganda war.”
• Job well done. At the end, regardless of the bodies clogging the temporary holding cells and hospitals, the police always congratulate themselves. And by the time the cases go to court, the story is long forgotten and the circus has moved to a new unsuspecting town.
More than 270 people were arrested in Miami during the summit seven years ago . How many were convicted, in the end? I called the American Civil Liberties Union to find out.
“None,” said lawyer Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, who was the president of the Miami chapter back then.


And some evidence is emerging that there were agent provocateurs in the crowd.

Here an operative throws a metal chair through a Starbucks window. This man’s physique doesn’t look like a seedy ‘anarchist’ to me. Rather, this is the fit strong body of a trained soldier – somebody who puts in a lot of regular gym time. He is also wearing what is really a uniform and rather specialized equipment on his forearm and possibly his hip. Unfortunately in this picture we cannot see the shoes being worn. But we certainly can in the picture that follows, and this is where it gets interesting.

and

Take a close look at the upturned boot.  This is a brand new (? recently issued) very distinctive deep black colour combat boot. Note as at Montebello, the special thick heavy corrugated soles plus what appears to be some reinforcement of the upper forefoot area. Also note the mismatched black and white socks. Is this a recognition code to their uniformed colleagues? The nice heavy shiny new belt also appears to be part of a uniform. 

Maybe speculation, maybe not.

What if the spill in the Gulf is not stoppable?

Newly Frugal Guy

Yeah, they did not give a damn about the deficit when Bush was handing out tax cuts to the rich and spending a trillion on wars of aggression..... but NOW those "frugal" people don't want to help the poor people that resulted from their stinking policies!

Letter to Shuler tonight

Photo is of a recent Women in Black vigil at Pack Square in downtown Asheville.

Here is my letter to Rep. Shuler:

"If Americans pulled back and started paying attention to this war, it would become even less popular," a senior adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal says in a recent Rolling Stone magazine article called “The Runaway General.”  

I have been paying attention to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.  I am aware of the Special Forces operating in over 75 foreign countries.  And none of these actions are popular with me, because I see the dead civilians on my computer, and I hear the horrible tales of devastation that the US government has visited on them.  

I know it is massively, massively, massively evil and as far from the teachings of Jesus Christ as anyone can get.

I want it to stop.

I want the US to start being a force for good in the world instead of evil.  

Wars are evil.

Occupations are evil.

Bombing people is evil.

Killing people is evil.

I want it to stop.

All wars are wars against children

The greatest casualties of this long war are the children of the world

By Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) - 06/08/10 01:25 PM ET 

 

The War in Afghanistan has now surpassed the number of years we spent in Vietnam, making it the longest war in U.S. history. This grim landmark must serve as an awakening for the human and financial costs of the war. Our continued presence in Afghanistan foments resentment toward us, undermines the human rights of the Afghan people, and places our troops in harm's way. Prior to the Memorial Day break, the House passed a bill authorizing $159.3 billion for the continuation of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the so-called "war on terror" with little-to-no discussion of the cost our constituents must bear to keep the wars going. The war is creating a new generation of Americans who will experience the trauma of war, like Vietnam veterans before them. Billions of dollars go toward our supposed nation-building in Afghanistan. Yet millions of Americans struggle as funds for essential social services get cut.

The greatest casualties of this long war are the children of the world for whom war becomes as ordinary as the sunrise. Children, who go to bed hungry each night, who are denied the fullness of health, who are ill-housed, ill-clothed, who do not have a chance for a decent education, whose opportunities in life are limited because the resources of nations are squandered in unnecessary wars based on lies. What a terrible legacy this generation of leaders will leave for the children of the world unless we finally come to an understanding of the utter futility of war, unless we challenge the underlying thinking that leads to war, unless we firmly explore the science of human relations which leads away from war and towards understanding and human unity. This is the surge the world is waiting for.

In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to be asked to give another $33 billion for war efforts. Congress must stop funding this misguided war. We need to bring the troops home now.

Aboard the Mavi Marmara

An eyewitness report:

The People's Journey comes to Asheville

Salam Hassan

Josh Stieber

Conor Curran

At the presentation by “The Peoples Journey” on June 12, 2010 in Asheville, Conor Curran was the first to speak.  He said we need to break down barriers of ignorance and cultural prejudice.  Their tour will be joined by two girls from Gaza soon.  Conor talked about his transition from Marine to long haired hippy.  He said that he feels the common goal of humanity is to make a better world.  Even when operating from a fear based position, they have the underlying goal of trying to make a better world.

Conor said that he thought about and prepared for the worst and found himself in the middle of it all.  He was very fear based in searching an Iraqi home, but the Iraqi homeowner served him tea with compassion and love – and that day started to change him.  He recommended that we exercise our ‘compassion muscles’. 

Salam Hassan, an Iraqi who has moved to the US, was the next to speak.  He started by saying that he had polio at age one, which he mentioned because he uses crutches to walk.  Salam when to Baghdad University at age 16, and he said that Iraq was a military state.  But, if you did what you were supposed to do, then your life went okay.  Salam was kicked out of college because his father spoke out about Saddam.   He trained in engineering but he went into journalism after US invasion.  He reported for Pacifica Radio.  He explained Iraqi ideas of hospitality and said that some Iraqis still see the US military as guests, and they should therefore be treated as guests and in a hospitable manner.  He talked about meeting with Conor and Josh, and how they found they had so much in common.  He feels that peace is way more than the absence of violence – way more than that.

Josh Stieber spoke last, and he said he was motivated by 9/11 events to keep Americans safe.  He joined the military to “fix” Iraq.  He saw videos of bombings in basic training, and also saw celebration of this death and destruction.  He said that they were also subjected to “fear” development.  He talked about moving into a factory in Iraq and how the locals protested peacefully against this.  The US troops put up barricades and destroyed businesses and homes and things just got worse and worse.  And he spoke of how the violence just increased there in Iraq. 

They then played the WikiLeaks video, and Josh said it was a common event and the US troops sometimes did worse.  (Josh was a member of the unit on the ground in the WikiLeaks video, but he was not on scene when it happened.  He did write a letter of apology to the Iraqi people in response to the video.)  He felt more and more that he was being a hypocrite in Iraq and that the war had stopped making sense morally and strategically.  He became a conscientious objector.

After the talk was over, I asked Josh if he felt that the people running the war (who he said were not making sense strategically) were just dumb or if they were doing it on purpose.  Josh did not have an answer for that question.

They were not able to connect with the Afghan peace group on the evening of their presentation.  Their story is here.

And you can follow The Peoples Journey at this link.