Views from a Corner Vigil

Open Letter to St. Paul MN Mayor Cole: Get Control of Your Police!

2008-09-04T16:21:00.002-04:00

September 4, 2008

Dear Mayor Cole:

The word is out. Your police, FBI, Secret Service, and sheriff personnel are making themselves the laughing stocks of the nation, dressed up in riot gear and semi-automatic weapons, running around out of control in order to "protect" [...someone, but who?] from peace and justice folks. To the rest of us, your police look like a cross between UPS brown shirts and Star Wars storm troopers. Didn't anyone tell them it's not Halloween or a GI Joe video game?

Please tell them to count to 10, take a deep breath, go have a cup of coffee or whatever they need to put back on their tolerant-reasonable-law-officer hats and let the protesters have their say and their day, as is their right. Then go deal appropriately with the very few who damage property.

The police are getting nowhere with being heavy handed and "preemptive" warrantless searches and seizures and arrests in homes -- they're making matters worse and putting an embarrassing face on your city and state, the RNC and their candidates, and police everywhere.

I urge you to put a stop to this, and to release immediately the hundreds of people these adrenalin-pumped guys have already rounded up indiscriminately. Unfortunately by dealing with them the way they have you can't really take court action against any of the incarcerated people who actually damaged property -- you can't sort out who's who or show that they have received due process.

And no doubt there will be lawsuits against the police for violation of rights, false arrest, assault, etc. as a result of this approach, particularly if the "non-lethal" weapons and rough handling cause serious injury or death as has happened in Boston and elsewhere.

So, if this doesn't stop and get straightened out immediately, which of you will wind up with the egg on his face? Who will be stuck taking public responsibility and legal and political consequences for the violence and antagonism and pathetic lack of discipline and judgment inflicted on the poor and the young and the idealistic visitors to your city, who just came to shout out for justice to the party which has been in power.

Even members of the press have been arrested, brutalized and thrown into crowded, make-shift jail pens in a police garage For heavens sake, leave them alone to do their job. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that if the police thought they were behaving properly they would welcome the press filming their professional handling of the situation and documenting the "crimes" they are dealing with for future prosecution.

At this point, restoring the peace starts with you. Please exercise your authority and insist that the police in your area do their job with dignity and within the law.

--Sandy Coy

Three opportunities to hear about war in the words of warriors and their families

2008-07-18T23:45:00.022-04:00

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. For starters, visit this site for information from the point of view of a 21-year veteran who served in Iraq: http://westerlyphotojournalfiles.blogspot.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Memo to Obama, McCain: No One Wins in a War

By Howard Zinn
The Boston Globe | July 17, 2008

BARACK OBAMA and John McCain continue to argue about war. McCain says to keep the troops in Iraq until we "win" and supports sending more troops to Afghanistan. Obama says to withdraw some (not all) troops from Iraq and send them to fight and "win" in Afghanistan.

For someone like myself, who fought in World War II, and since then has protested against war, I must ask: Have our political leaders gone mad? Have they learned nothing from recent history? Have they not learned that no one "wins" in a war, but that hundreds of thousands of humans die, most of them civilians, many of them children?

Did we "win" by going to war in Korea? The result was a stalemate, leaving things as they were before with a dictatorship in South Korea and a dictatorship in North Korea. Still, more than 2 million people - mostly civilians - died, the United States dropped napalm on children, and 50,000 American soldiers lost their lives.

Did we "win" in Vietnam? We were forced to withdraw, but only after 2 million Vietnamese died, again mostly civilians, again leaving children burned or armless or legless, and 58,000 American soldiers dead.

Did we win in the first Gulf War? Not really. Yes, we pushed Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, with only a few hundred US casualties, but perhaps 100,000 Iraqis died. And the consequences were deadly for the United States: Saddam was still in power, which led the United States to enforce economic sanctions. That move led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, according to UN officials, and set the stage for another war.

In Afghanistan, the United States declared "victory" over the Taliban. Now the Taliban is back, and attacks are increasing. The recent US military death count in Afghanistan exceeds that in Iraq. What makes Obama think that sending more troops to Afghanistan will produce "victory"? And if it did, in an immediate military sense, how long would that last, and at what cost to human life on both sides?

The resurgence of fighting in Afghanistan is a good moment to reflect on the beginning of US involvement there. There should be sobering thoughts to those who say that attacking Iraq was wrong, but attacking Afghanistan was right.

Go back to Sept. 11, 2001. Hijackers direct jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing close to 3,000 A terrorist act, inexcusable by any moral code. The nation is aroused. President Bush orders the invasion and bombing of Afghanistan, and the American public is swept into approval by a wave of fear and anger. Bush announces a "war on terror."

Except for terrorists, we are all against terror. So a war on terror sounded right. But there was a problem, which most Americans did not consider in the heat of the moment: President Bush, despite his confident bravado, had no idea how to make war against terror.

Yes, Al Qaeda - a relatively small but ruthless group of fanatics - was apparently responsible for the attacks. And, yes, there was evidence that Osama bin Laden and others were based in Afghanistan. But the United States did not know exactly where they were, so it invaded and bombed the whole country. That made many people feel righteous. "We had to do something," you heard people say.

Yes, we had to do something. But not thoughtlessly, not recklessly. Would we approve of a police chief, knowing there was a vicious criminal somewhere in a neighborhood, ordering that the entire neighborhood be bombed? There was soon a civilian death toll in Afghanistan of more than 3,000 - exceeding the number of deaths in the Sept. 11 attacks. Hundreds of Afghans were driven from their homes and turned into wandering refugees.

Two months after the invasion of Afghanistan, a Boston Globe story described a 10-year-old in a hospital bed: "He lost his eyes and hands to the bomb that hit his house after Sunday dinner." The doctor attending him said: "The United States must be thinking he is Osama. If he is not Osama, then why would they do this?"

We should be asking the presidential candidates: Is our war in Afghanistan ending terrorism, or provoking it? And is not war itself terrorism?

© Copyright The New York Times Company

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/07/17/memo_to_obama_mccain_no_one_wins_in_a_war/

Howard Zinn is author of "A People's History of the United States."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Please share the following piece with all your friends who are veterans. Share it with your legislators. Try to get your local newspaper to publish it. Make copies and take them to local VFW's and American Legions and tack them on bulletin boards at local gathering places. Until we get honest as a nation, and until our soldiers and veterans with moral courage are heard, our military will continue to be used, abused, and then tossed aside when they tell the truth.

Thanks for still caring,

Beverley

Florida Military Families Speak Out

http://mfsoflorida.tripod.com

"When someone says my son died fighting for his country, I say, "No, the suicide bomber who killed my son died fighting for his country." (father of American Soldier Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley, USMC, KIA in Iraq)

Welcome Home, Soldier. Now Shut up.

By Paul Rockwell

There are two kinds of courage in war — physical courage and moral courage. Physical courage is very common on the battlefield. Men and women on both sides risk their lives, place their own bodies in harm's way. Moral courage, however, is quite rare. According to Chris Hedges, the brilliant New York Times war correspondent who survived wars in Latin America, Africa, the
Middle East and the Balkans,

"I rarely saw moral courage. Moral courage is harder. It requires the bearer to walk away from the warm embrace of comradeship and denounce the myth of war as a fraud, to name it as an enterprise of death and immorality, to condemn himself, and those around him, as killers. It requires the bearer to become an outcast. There are times when taking a moral stance, perhaps the highest form of patriotism, means facing down the community, even the nation."

More and more U.S. soldiers and Marines, at great cost to their own careers and reputations, are speaking publicly about U.S. atrocities in Iraq, even about the cowardice of their own commanders, who send youth into atrocity-producing situations only to hide from the consequences of their own orders. In 2007, two brilliant war memoirs — ROAD FROM AR RAMADI by Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia, and THE SUTRAS OF ABU GHRAIB by Army Reservist Aidan Delgado — appeared in print. In March 2008, at the Winter Soldier investigation just outside Washington D.C., hard-core U.S. Iraqi veterans, some shaking at the podium, some in tears, unburdened their souls. Jon Michael Turner described the horrific incident in which, on April 28, 2008, he shot an Iraqi boy in front of his father. His commanding officer congratulated him for "the kill." To a stunned audience, Turner presented a photo of the boy's skull, and said: "I am sorry for the hate and destruction I have inflicted on innocent people."

The Winter Soldier investigation was followed by the publication of COLLATERAL DAMAGE: AMERICA'S WAR AGAINST IRAQI CIVILIANS, by Chris Hedges and Laila Al-Arian. Based on hundreds of hours of taped interviews with Iraqi combat veterans, this pioneering work on the catastrophe in Iraq includes the largest number of eyewitness accounts from U.S. military personnel on record.

The Courage to Resist

We cannot understand the psychological and moral significance of military resistance unless we recognize the social forces that stifle conscience and human individuality in military life. Gwen Dyer, historian of war, writes that ordinarily, "Men will kill under compulsion. Men will do almost anything if they know it is expected of them and they are under strong social pressure to comply." "Only exceptional people resist atrocity," writes psychiatrist Robert Lifton.

How much easier it is to surrender to the will of superiors, to merge into the anonymity of the group. It takes uncommon courage to resist military powers of intimidation, peer pressure, and the atmosphere of racism and hate that drives all imperial wars.

Silencing the Witnesses to War

War crimes are collective in nature. Especially in wars based on fraud, soldiers are expected to lie — to their country, to their community, even to themselves.

The silencing process begins on the battlefield in the presence of officers, power-holders who seek to nullify the perceptions and personal experience of troops under their command.

In his war memoir, Aidan Delgado describes attempts of his commanders to suppress the truth about Abu Ghraib. First his captain says the Army has nothing to hide, Abu Ghraib is just a rumor. But then the captain continues:

"We don't need to air our dirty laundry in public. If you have photos that you're not supposed to have, get rid of them. Don't talk about this to anyone, don't write about it to anyone back home." In the U.S. military, the truth is seditious.

Two years ago, Marine Sergeant Jimmy Massey published his riveting autobiography (written with Natasha Saulnier) in France and Spain. How the Marine Corps - through indoctrination and intimidation - transforms a homeboy from the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina into a professional killer who murders "innocent people for his government" is the subject of Massey's unsettling, impassioned, Jar-head raunchy, and ultimately uplifting memoir, COWBOYS FROM HELL. (No U.S. publisher has picked up the book. A Marine who speaks truth to power is not without honor save in his own country.) In Chapter 18, Jimmy describes a seemingly minor encounter with his captain. Here Massey gives us a look into the process of human denial in its early phase.

Massey has just participated in a checkpoint massacre of civilians. His sense of decency, his sanity, is still in tact. Like any normal human being, he is distraught. The carnage of the war, the imbalance of power between the biggest war machine in history and a suffering people devoid of tanks and air power — the sheer injustice of it all — begins to take its toll on Massey's conscience.

In the wake of the horrific events of the day, his captain is cool. He walks up to Massey and asks; "Are you doing all right, Staff Sergeant?" Massey responds: "No, sir. I am not doing O.K. Today was a bad day. We killed a lot of innocent civilians."

Fully of aware of the civilian carnage, his captain asserts: "No, today was a good day."

Relatives wailing, cars destroyed, blood all over the ground, Marines celebrating, civilians dead, and "it was good day"!

The Massey incident goes beyond the mendacity of military life. It concerns the control, the dehumanization of the psyches of our troops.

As one Vietnam veteran put it years ago: "They kept fucking with my mind."

In 1994 Jonathan Shay, staff psychiatrist in the Department of Veterans Affairs, published a pioneering work on post traumatic stress — Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. According to Shay, who recorded volumes of testimony from Vietnam veterans, commanders routinely try to efface the perceptions and the normal feelings of compassion among American troops. Military necessity, including the ever-present need for political propaganda, determines what is perceived, and how it is perceived, in war.

It was an extremely common experience in Vietnam, Shay writes, to be told by military superiors dealing with crime and trauma: "You didn't experience it, it never happened, and you don't know what you know." And it was fairly common for traumatized soldiers to say to reporters: "It didn't happen. And besides, they had it coming." Shay recorded the testimony of one veteran who, in great anger, describes the pressures to alter his perceptions of collective murder.

"Daylight came, and we found out we killed a lot of fishermen and kids. You said to the team, 'Don't worry about it. Everything's fucking fine.' Because that's what we were getting from upstairs. The fucking colonel says, 'Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it. We got body count.' They'd be handing out fucking medals for killing civilians. So in your mind you're saying, 'Ah, fuck it, they're just gooks.' I was sick over it, after this happened. I actually puked my guts out But see, it's all explained to you by captains and colonels and majors. 'Fuck it, they was suspects anyways. You guys did a great job. Erase it. It's yesterday's fucking news.'"

Willful Ignorance at Home

The collective process of denial on the battlefield eventually extends to the homeland. Returning soldiers, to be sure, are often honored, but only so long as they remain silent about the realities, the pathos, the absurd evils of war. Willful public ignorance is a source of pain for veterans.

Ernest Hemingway's brilliant short story, Soldier's Home, published in 1925 after World War I, gives us insight into the reluctance of civilians to address the psychic needs of soldiers back from war.

The simply told story is about a young man named Krebs who returns to his home in Oklahoma. At first Krebs does not want to talk about the war. But soon he feels the need to speak — to his family, his neighbors and friends. But as Hemingway tells us, "Nobody wanted to hear about it." His town did not want to learn about atrocities, and "Krebs found that to be listened to at all he had to lie."

There's the rub. His ability to assimilate into civilian life depended on his willingness to fabricate stories about the war. Soldiers are not only expected to lie on behalf of the military during the course of war, they are also expected to participate in homecoming rituals that preserve the civilian fantasy of war's nobility.

In Hemingway's story, the pressure to lie is so powerful, Krebs begins to manufacture stories about his experiences in battle — just to get along, just be able to lead a normal life.

Repression, however, is a major cause of mental illness and loneliness. Krebs morale deteriorates. He sleeps late in bed. He loses interest in work. He withdraws into himself.

That's all Hemingway tells us. It's a quietly told story, all the more powerful for its understatement.

There is a connection between Hemingway's war-informed fiction and real life. As Shay notes, there is a tension between a soldier's need to communalize shame and grief and the unwillingness of civilians to listen to troops whom they sent into battle. One Vietnam veteran told the following story:

"I had just come back from Vietnam and my first wife's parents gave a dinner for me and my parents and her brothers and their wives. And after dinner we were all sitting in the living room and her father said: 'So, tell us what it was like.' And I started to tell them, and I told them. And do you know that within five minutes the room was empty. They were all gone, except my wife. After that I didn't tell anybody what I had seen in Vietnam."

Welcome home, soldier. Now shut up.

Notwithstanding clichés and pieties about support for troops, those who promote war are often the least likely to share the burdens and memories of war when soldiers return. When Ron Kovic, who was paralyzed from the chest down during the war in Vietnam, steered his wheelchair down the aisle of the Republican National Convention in 1972, the delegates spat on him and cheered for Nixon — "Four more years."

W.D. Erhart, Vietnam veteran and author of Passing Time, never forgot the horrific episodes of his tour in Vietnam. In his first autobiography, he tells a friend about his speech at a Rotary Club.

"I even put on a coat and tie and went to the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club, for chrissake. I laid it all out for 'em. I told 'em about search and destroy missions, harassment and interdiction fire, winning hearts and minds, all that stuff Was I ever sharp that day.
"Now listen. You won't believe this. I got done and nobody said a word. No applause. Nothing. Then this skinny old fart shaped like a cold chisel gets up and says he's a retired colonel, and he thinks we should keep on pounding those little yellow bastards until they do what we say or we kill 'em all, and he tells me I can't be a real veteran because a real veteran wouldn't go around badmouthing the good old U.S. of A., and the whole place erupts in thunderous applause."

Welcome home, soldier. Now shut up.

Today Georgia Stillwell is a mother of a 21-year-old Iraqi war veteran. Her son is now homeless, unemployed, and despondent. Early one morning he drove his car over an embankment. She says that her son is a mere physical shell of himself. "My son's spirit and soul must still be wandering the streets of Iraq." It is not simply what happened in Iraq, but how veterans are treated at home when they seek to unburden their souls, that reinforces post-traumatic stress. On the night he drove the car off the road, he was crying, talking about the war. "His friends tell me he talks about the war. They describe it as 'crazy talk.' He wants the blood of the Iraqis he killed off his hands."

"Each generation," writes Chris Hedges, "discovers its own disillusionment, often at a terrible price. And the war in Iraq has begun to produce legions of the lost and the damned." For our morally courageous veterans — for all of us, really, who seek forgiveness — only the truth can heal.

BlackCommentator.com

Guest Commentator, Paul Rockwell, is a writer living in the Bay Area. He is also a columnist for In Motion Magazine. Click here to reach Mr. Rockwell BlackCommentator.com

2008-03-28T22:18:00.007-04:00

Monday March 10, 2008 - It was a beautiful sunny crisp day as we waited along South Street in Waltham, Massachusetts, where there was a photo-op event for Congressmen Nancy Pelosi, Ed Markey and Niki Tsongas at a new "green" elementary school this morning.

In all there were about about a dozen of us who came out with signs and shirts against the war and for impeachment. It was encouraging as usual to meet others with the same passion for peace and justice. We were from Lexington, Sudbury, Millis, Framingham, Wayland, Natick -- maybe other towns, but we had formed two groups to cover the two openings to the school, so I didn't get acquainted with all present.

While waiting holding our signs, we collected many honks, and I had a great chat with a police officer -- even wound up giving him a Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) palm card for "Health Care Not Warfare" and encouraged a couple of other attendees to get on the PDA database to start getting info.

Eventually we saw a black car with tinted windows which sped by us yards away and the policeman confirmed that it carried the three big politicians. As we were getting into our cars afterward a Waltham reporter interviewed and photographed four of us, and he asked to keep one of the PDA palm cards. I never gave any to the principles though, as the police said we had to stay off school property, and that any attempt to make personal contact with the dignitaries would result in arrest. At least this time, the free speech zone was within view of the dignitaries.

In that small moment where we intersected with the powerful from Washington, I wonder: Did they see us? Did they understand our message? Will it make a difference?

But I'm glad I went because "nothing ventured, nothing gained". And at least now there will be another angle to the press coverage of this event for their scrapbooks.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008 - Our vigil this evening on the Fifth Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq at Wayland Center was great. My high point was when a young soldier in his full fatigues uniform apparently saw Betty's sign ("Support the Troops -- Bring Them Home" ). He slowed down, opened his car window in the rain, looked us in the eyes and said, "Bring us home." What more motivation do we need to continue?

New Ways of Music for the Anti-war Movement

2007-10-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

Bob Dylan's Masterpiece: "Masters Of War"

- International Cyber-Jam on YouTube

This is a cyberjam of truly international proportions. Visit the YouTube Page to not only rate this up but to read the rest of the description. In order of appearance we have:

1after909 - USA
AnnieCanada - Canada

bentonio07 - Germany/Italy

Miker2 - USA

tuskaiae - Australia

4846steven - UK

strat2caster - USA

GilsMusic - USA

Here are the lyrics for this Bob Dylan song, which tragically, maddeningly, are at least as true today as when he wrote them in 1963:

Masters Of War

Come you masters of war, You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes, You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls, You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin' but build to destroy
You play with my world like it's your little toy
You put a gun in my hand, And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old You lie and deceive
A world war can be won You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion As young people's blood
Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud

You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children Into the world
For threatening my babyUnborn and unnamed
You ain't worth the blood That runs in your veins

How much do I know To talk out of turn
You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned
But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you
Even Jesus would never Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness Do you think that it could
I think you will find When your death takes its toll
All the money you made Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your death bed
And I'll stand o'er your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead

Hopeful Things ...glimpses of light in the darkness

2007-10-14T08:20:00.000-04:00

Fight climate change with the flip of a switch!
One day, one hour, one bulb

Lights Out - Oct 20, 2007 (8-9 pm, mostly California) http://www.lightsoutsf.org/

Lights Out America - March 29, 2008 (Boston has signed on) http://www.lightsoutamerica.org/

Massive Mobilization to End the War - October 27, 2007
http://newenglandunited.org/

New England United, the new coalition of the six New England states, will rally to protest the war on Boston Common at 12:00 noon. March to Copley Square begins at 2:00 pm. Speakers include Howard Zinn, and Medea Benjamin of CODE PINK.

Boston is one of 10 major cities participating across the nation. Action called by United for Peace and Justice. Supported by Progressive Democrats of America and 100 other organizations.

* Bring All The Troops Home Now!
* End All Funding for the Iraq War Now!
* Support Our Communities, Fund Human Needs!
* No Attack on Iran!
* Stop the Attacks on Civil Liberties, Defend Human Rights!

Greg Mortenson coming to Harvard
Thursday, November 8, 2007.

Greg Mortenson will talk about his mission to promote peace, one school at a time, and show slides about the inspiring story behind his best-selling book, Three Cups of Tea.

Find out how to get tickets (required but free) at: http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/cpl/cambridgereads/

"Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world."
- Nelson Mandela

The Elders

We are moving to a global village and we need global elders. Fortunately for the world, out of deep concern a group formed this summer to help tackle some of the world's toughest problems. Called The Elders, the group includes Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and nine other senior statesmen and women who have the trust of the world. They are free to speak, to be fiercely independent, and to respond fast and flexibly in conflict situations. Their first mission, to Darfur and the Sudan, took place in September. Learn more at http://www.theelders.org/

The Elders are also building an online global village. A place where you can make your voice heard. Please leave your email address and share your thoughts on the role of The Elders and possible new Elders at http://www.theelders.org/village/

Nobel Prize winning Grameen Bank - A revolutionary anti-poverty strategy that works on the scale of the problem

Read about microlending in Banker to the Poor, the story of Grameen Bank written by its founder and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunus. Grameen Foundation's mission is to empower the world's poorest people to lift themselves out of poverty with dignity through access to financial services and to information. With tiny loans, financial services and technology, we help the poor, mostly women, start self-sustaining businesses to escape poverty. Founded in 1997 by a group of friends who were inspired by the work of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, our global network of microfinance partners reaches over 3.6 million families in 25 countries.

See and hear inspiring microlending stories:

The online video, "Breaking Through" gives you a glimpse of what this has meant for millions throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. The 16-minute documentary introduces you to families whose lives have changed through microfinance, and to Grameen's front line partners.

"To Our Credit" - a two-part series for PBS on microcredit and microenterprise development. Part One: Bootstrap Banking and the World profiles microcredit with stories from Bangladesh, South Africa, Bolivia and India. Within the past decade, 15 million people have received microloans. Part Two: Bootstrap Banking in America profiles microenterprise development in New England, Arkansas, South Dakota and Chicago. 300 U.S. organizations now provide loans and training to microbusinesses.

How we can help: http://www.grameenfoundation.org/get_involved/

Contact: Grameen Foundation, 1709 New York Avenue NW, Suite 101, Washington, D.C. 20006. TEL: (202)628-3560. FAX: (202)628-3880. Email: acounts@grameenfoundation.com Website: http://www.grameenfoundation.com/

The nation is rising to DRAFT Gore

Op-ed: CBS/ The Nation: Gore Should Heed the Call and Run. America does not need another prize, we need another president.

Draft Gore Petition Hits 200,000 Signatures.
Draft Gore Runs Full-Page Ad in the New York Times.

Al Gore: The Conscience of the Democratic Party.
He’s eloquent, passionate, relentless, undaunted. The first political figure to oppose the Iraq war, Al Gore is also the lead champion and now Nobel Peace Prize winner for his fight against global warming, a passionate defender of our Constitution, and an unyielding voice against the Bush Administration’s abuse of power. Given his unmatched experience and leadership on issues of moral imperative. Gore is increasingly seen as Democrats’ best bet to win back the White House.

"Winning" in the Middle East

2007-08-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

What do Bush and Cheney mean by "winning the war"?

Passage by the Iraqi parliament of the oil law -- written by four major American corporations, which would sign away the right of the Iraqi people to most of the profit from their own oil for 30 years.
A government in Iraq which will cooperate with our agenda, and which can maintain control in the area in order to assure our ability to harvest their oil safely and efficiently.
An Iraqi people defeated by diminishing their numbers, power, collective knowledge, solidarity, infrastructure, health and wealth.
A secure path across neighboring nations for export of the oil from Iraq to the sea.
An "embassy" which is the size of a large city, free of local restrictions, which can serve as a haven of American culture for American personnel living and working in Iraq during the 30 year project.
Continued U.S. military presence to guarantee the status quo as we have created it to serve our interests.

On an imaginary balance sheet, what gains could be listed from U.S. domination of the best remaining oil (and water) in the Middle East?

U.S. control of the supply of these two valuable resources.
Enrichment of a few Americans (whether they continue to live the the States or not, and who pay as little tax as possible) - beyond imagination.
World power - also in the hands of a few Americans.
A feather in George Bush's stetson - now kept in Crawford, Texas, at the former pig farm Rove told him to buy in 2000 and re-image as a Ranch. The feathered hat will no doubt go with Bush down to the vast property in Paraguay he is buying up to escape justice at the end of his ride as head of the oulaw gang running the United States.

What are the costs of these gains on the balance sheet?

Death of a million-plus people who wanted to live in peace.
Breaking the U.S. military and states' National Guard, and building up of a federal mercenary military without legal controls.
Huge foreign debt and deterioration of the U.S. economy and ability to be self-sufficient.
Ever-decreasing opportunities, power and security for American middle and lower classes.
Compromise of our democracy and freedoms - checks and balances, Constitutional rights, justice system, elections, and the press.
Neglect of our national responsibilities to maintain infrastructure, safeguard the environment, and help those in need here and abroad.
Contributing to the growth of violence: inspiring revenge, necessitating self-defense, reducing options through poverty and powerlessness, pushing international sale of armaments because they are one of our few remaining manufactured products.
Becoming, ourselves, the principal terrorist nation in the eyes of the world.

Notable Quotes:

"There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights." General Smedley Butler

"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face. It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"-Bush's reply, "screamed" at an aide who had said, "There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution." November 2005, reported in Capitol Hill Blue 12/9/05

Overheard on a New York subway train...Hobo: "Attention, attention! I'm playing this saxophone to raise money for my spaceship!"Plays a horrible rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel."Hobo: "I'm going into space, and I'm taking George Bush with me!"Fellow passengers cheer.http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

Beware of Lurking GOP Barracuddas and Blue Dog Democrats

2007-08-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

As usual, GOP barracuddas are quietly developing a multi-faceted approach to overcome what should be an easy win for the Democrats in 2008.

Several GOP election process schemes have been emerging:

voting machines
voter caging
post-Katrina strategies which have forced demographics to the right in Louisiana
initiative in California to tie electoral votes to individual districts rather than winner-take-all for the state
eavesdrop on Dem political strategy communications at will after the gutting of F.I.S.A.

But here's the centerpiece of the plan for 2008, as I see it:

Trawl, Bait & Hook for the Nomination; Kill for the Election.

Trawl, Bait & Hook -
The right-wing and their media machine will be kinder -- even smoothing the way -- for the Dem candidates they think they can beat, UNTIL they are nominated.

The Kill-
Then they will put their media machine into full-destruction mode against the ill-chosen Democratic nominees. And we know that American voters are remarkably forgetful of lessons that should have been learned. They just keep falling for right-wing media smear-and-fear campaigns.

So, here's how the 2008 race could line up:

Clinton (gender, political baggage issues) and/or Obama (race, experience issues)
vs.
Romney (religious authoritarian, Reagan-ish) or Giuliani (9/11 "hero" authoritarian.)

This would be a dream contest for the GOP media machine! They could easily exploit the pro and cons with the volumes of juicy media clips on file, not to mention the pundits whom they will call in regularly for feeding frenzies. Their objectives?

gobble up some of the Dem and Independent votes
decrease Democratic push-back by demoralizing, confusing, and locking them out
minimize cross-over of Republican voters

Meanwhile the GOP cartel will continue to gain ground in the general PR war against the Democratic Party by embroiling the Congress in no-win problems, such as F.I.S.A. and the war, and then beat up and ridicule the sprawling Democratic Congress in the media. As disgusted as the public is with the Republicans, they may be persuaded to be angrier at the Democrats for not succeeding in rectifying the damage.

Speaking of Democrats, let's talk about the Blue Dogs...

This month, the Blue Dog Democrats, on the outer fringes of the Democrats' sprawl, gave critical votes to the Administration, gutting our F.I.S.A. protections under the 4th Amendment. This was not the first time they have worked against our interests.

Who are the Blue Dogs?

The Blue Dogs Coalition is a group of 47 (originally only southern) members of the House of Representatives. According to their website, the Blue Dogs claim to have provided "12 years of leadership" for fiscal responsibility, but hold conservative positions on issues, often voting with the Republican cartel. http://www.house.gov/ross/BlueDogs.

The Blue Dogs need to be confronted by their progressive constituents, and this August break is the perfect opportunity. If you know anyone who is in their districts, please pass this message on.

Progressives also need to get to work on replacing the Blue Dogs with true Democrats who will stand up on their hind legs and act like real men (and women). If that takes educating their constituencies on the issues and the process so they'll choose differently, then let's get on that!

It's up to us, Progressives. Now and in the future, let's make sure those bad dogs don't hunt no more... They eat the bird!

Bud Cramer - AL-5

Gabrielle Giffords - AZ-8

Marion Berry - AR-1
Mike Ross - AR-4

Joe Baca - CA-43
Dennis Cardoza - CA-18
Jim Costa - CA-20
Jane Harman - CA-36
Loretta Sanchez - CA-47
Adam Schiff - CA-29
Mike Thompson - CA-1

John Salazar - CO-3

Allen Boyd - FL-2
Tim Mahoney - FL-16

John Barrow - GA-12
Sanford Bishop - GA-2
Jim Marshall - GA-3
David Scott - GA-13

Leonard Boswell - IA-3

Melissa Bean - IL-8

Joe Donnelly - IN-2
Brad Ellsworth - IN-8
Baron Hill - IN-9

Dennis Moore - KS-3

Ben Chandler - KY-6

Charlie Melancon - LA-3

Mike Michaud - ME-2

Collin Peterson - MN-7

Gene Taylor - MS-4

Mike McIntyre - NC-7
Heath Shuler - NC-11

Earl Pomeroy - ND, At-Large

Mike Arcuri - NY-24
Kirsten Gillibrand - NY-20
Steve Israel - NY-2

Zack Space - OH-18
Charlie Wilson - OH-6

Dan Boren - OK-2

Christopher Carney - PA-10
Tim Holden - PA-17
Patrick Murphy - PA-8

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin - SD, At-Large

Jim Matheson - UT-2

Jim Cooper - TN-5
Lincoln Davis - TN-4
Bart Gordon - TN-6
John Tanner - TN-8

Nick Lampson - TX-22

Hopeful Things

2007-08-07T00:52:00.000-04:00

YES! Magazine and Positive Futures Network (PFN)
http://www.yesmagazine.org/
Our hope lies in the fact that millions of people around the world are creating needed changes in their homes, communities, work places, and nations. Powerful innovations are taking hold within agriculture, businesses, criminal justice, schools--virtually every sector of society. The work of the Positive Futures Network is to give visibility and momentum to these signs of an emerging society in which life, not money, is what counts; in which everyone matters; and in which vibrant, inclusive communities offer prosperity, security, and meaningful ways of life.

The People's Declaration of Peace ...a commitment to take nonviolent steps for a comprehensive plan to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Sign The Declaration of Peace at http://declarationofpeace.org/goal We will take every nonviolent step possible to meet these goals:

An end to all funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq.
Safe and rapid withdrawal of all U.S. troops and coalition forces from Iraq, with no future deployments.
No permanent U.S. military bases or installations in Iraq.
Support for an Iraqi-led Peace process, including a Peace conference to shape a post-occupation transition.
Return control of Iraqi oil to the people of Iraq, as well as complete sovereignty in their economic and political affairs.
Support for reparations and reconstruction to address the destruction caused by the U.S. invasion, military occupation, and 13 years of economic sanctions.
Establish a U.S. “peace dividend” for job creation, health care, education, housing, and other vital social needs at home.
Increased support for U.S. veterans of the Iraq war.
No war against Iran or any other nation.

----------------------------------------------

Featured Quotes

Overheard on New York subway train...
Hobo: "Attention, attention! I'm playing this saxophone to raise money for my spaceship!"Plays a horrible rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel."Hobo: "I'm going into space, and I'm taking George Bush with me!"Fellow passengers cheer.

http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

2007-07-25T09:53:00.000-04:00

I was troubled to hear Howard Dean's interview with Rachel Maddow on Air America last evening. Regarding impeachment, he stated:
(1) the American people want healing more than the satisfaction of justice via impeachment and should not be put through it;
(2) there are more important things for Congress to pursue than focusing attention on just the two top officers of this administration and it would take up all the remaining time;
(3) if Congress pursues impeachment we will lose the Dem majority in 2008 because the Clinton impeachment gave the process a bad name;
(4) justice can be pursued against Bush etal "if we still want to" under a Dem president and legitimate Attorney General.

Regarding ending the war, he stated:
(1) Bush will not do it;
(2) the American people will not tolerate cutting off funding as it leaves the troops "high and dry";
(3) it is logistically impossible to bring the troops home quickly;
(4) if we bring the troops home we risk Iraqis converting to al-Quaeda enmass;
(5) we need to "clean up the big mess we have made over there" before leaving.

I am disappointed in Dean's views. It might sound like a safe, reasonable set of positions in a shallow sense at first, but it does not deal with realities of the polls, or with the noose tightening around our Democracy and the Constitution as ominous Executive Orders continue to flow out of the White House, filling in the remaining chinks in laws passed over the last several years which create totalitarian regime upon the president's orders.

The Congressional hearings are encouraging, but I don't know if they will result in major corrections before the administration gets us into another war and/or suspends the Constitution entirely based on a supposed domestic or international emergency. Kucinich's strategies are sounding better and better, as are those of Progressive Democrats of America.

Howard Dean says he is not holding our troops over a barrel for political security, but I'm not sure that they are not the collateral damage, so to speak, of Dean, Reid and Pelosi's strategy to win and maintain power with the belief that a long period of power is necessary to correct the devastation of the Republican Congresses and presidencies.

While politicians compute probabilities, I think about the mounting injuries and deaths of many peoples, the growing hatred, hunger, impoverishment, migration, and environmental destruction, in addition to the destruction of our military.

Citizens have a right to expect that their elected official's central goal is the common good and not their personal enrichment or expedient influence. But the reality is to effect change they must gain and remain in office, and as campaign finance stands, that is most easily paid for by big corporate money.

Unfortunately, corporations have gone global. And so, the common good of any particular people is no longer important as long as someone in the world can produce the product and someone else can buy it. I think the way out of this corrupt, war-mongering jungle has to be bold and new. That is not what Howard Dean or the Dem leadership are proposing.

Letter to Editor, Wayland Town Crier

2007-07-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

To: Michael Wyner, Editor

It is good that Patricia Berry Cunningham wrote her letter to the Crier, published on 7/5/07,
(http://www.townonline.com/wayland/opinions/x1190526652 ) since she brought into the open the beliefs of 41% of Americans in a recent Newsweek/MSNBC poll. ("What You Need to Know Now: Dunce-Cap Nation" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19390791/site/newsweek/ )

As the polling article points out, the problem with Ms. Cunningham's premise (that we attacked Iraq because that is where the 9/11 militant Islamic fundamentalists were) is that the premise is FALSE.

NONE of those responsible for 9/11 were from Iraq and there was NO presence of al-Quaeda in Iraq at the time of our invasion. Saddam despised Bin Laden and al-Quaeda and he did not tolerate them in Iraq when he was in control. He was a secular dictator and saw them as a threat to his power.

In a press conference on 8/21/06 at the White House, and in remarks on 9/17/03 responding to televised statements by Vice President Cheney, President Bush admitted that there was no relationship between Saddam and 9/11, when asked pointed questions.

Once you face the facts about no connection between 9/11 and Iraq, then you are left to explain why we attacked them in the first place, and why we are still fighting there, especially since Bush's declaration of victory and end of hostilities on 5/2/03. Thus, the current investigations in Congress.

Some claim that anything we have done was worth it because the world is better off now. But our military activity in the Muslim Middle East is al-Quaeda's dream recruiting tool world-wide. And now that Saddam is gone, militant fundamentalists are finally free to go into Iraq. They go there to fight against foreign powers occupying their region and because we want to impose our values and culture along with our economic interests.

Our troops are also up against most ordinary Iraqis who are saying, thank you for getting rid of Saddam but we'll take it from here; please go home. "The Iraqi people, aside from the secession-bent Kurds, have wanted the U.S. out of their country for at least three years, in percentages ranging from two-thirds to 80%, with 61% claiming a right to national resistance through armed struggle." (Huffington Post 5/14/07, supported by March 2007 UN Global Policy Forum poll, http://www.globalpolicy.org/)

I am in agreement with the Catholic Church that this war against Iraq was unjust from the beginning and that our correct stance relative to people of the Muslim faith is mutual tolerance and peace.

Furthermore, paraphrasing Pope John Paul II, we should deal with any murders and conspiracies through international criminal and intelligence channels and preserve law in the process, not come down on whole groups of people with massive military force using any means that seem expedient.

It is impossible to root Islamic militants out of existence in the world, and it is immoral, counterproductive, and dangerously unfair to give our military force that mission.

Remember, it was the brilliant generosity of the Marshall Plan, not just allied military victory and continued presence, that secured a lasting peace with our enemy Germany after WWII. Our Marshall Plan provided aid for everything from food to rebuilding infrastructure. It was based on the belief that desperate people take desperate measures and are very unstable, and that ordinary people WANT to live in peace and will do so if given specific, compassionate, non-intrusive support when they need it. We should pave the way for this kind of support of Iraq as we withdraw our military.

America used to have the courage to believe that restraining our might and taking the high road was our path to security.

Do we still?

Sandy Coy
Hawthorne Rd, Wayland

In support:
Lisa Avanzato-Ushkurnis, Framingham
Ellen M. George, Holliston
Carol Coakley, Millis
Maureen Kelley, Natick
Judy Rich, Natick
Diane Moreau, Wayland
Stan Robinson, Wayland
Kathleen Woehrling, Wayland

I had a dream...

2007-07-06T15:49:00.000-04:00

The night our vigil group received a death threat, I dreamed that I was standing on some steps crying for a little boy I could see who had to sleep out on the ground in a wet blanket. But then I discovered that I was locked out of the building and would have to sleep on the ground too. Wolves started to come around me in the night. At first I just hoped they would go away. But they didn't and started to bite me. Then I had a sudden insight: I could sing out really loudly. I tried it, and as I sang I couldn't tell if the wolves were hurting me. But it didn't seem to matter because the singing took over everything.

I know it is a big decision to go public with your views and inconvenient to take the time. But just like light overcomes darkness, peace and justice will win out if given voice by more and more people like us. So I encourage you to be brave and go out and vigil, throughout the summer or as long as it takes.

We get people thinking and talking about peace and justice, and help to turn the tide, just by being there.

It's the Fourth of July!

2007-07-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

Take a few minutes away from beer and barbecue under the flag today and watch or read the text of this piece by Keith Olbermann last night on MSNBC, talking straight to all of us. Every patriot at heart needs to listen well to these impassioned words, on this day of all days. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070407Y.shtml

Watch Merle Haggard's "America First" on youtube. Thanks to Jon for forwarding this.

Merle makes it clear how he feels: Bush's empire - criminal. Bush's war - for profit and no good. Bush's domestic policies - absolute failures. Americans - down trodden and fed up. George, when you've lost Merle, you've lost America. You're down to your henchmen and th' dog - that is, so long as you keep ther money, pardons, and beer flowin'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR_V7tR2Cww

Also, check out "Freedom River" narrated by Orson Wells.

This classic animated parable concentrates on the indifference that makes people blind to the injustices around them. It traces how the erosion of freedom, like the pollution of natural resources, can occur so gradually that both evade the attention of a busy and preoccupied nation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABKLirW24LE

Views of a Catholic priest who works in Iraq, visiting the U.S. this month

2007-07-03T02:44:00.000-04:00

U.S. Military Is Not The Answer
He said that he thought that our troops leaving Iraq abruptly would be irresponsible. By this he meant that we are responsible to make sure that healing, helpful groups, particularly from nearby understanding, compatible cultures, are in place before our troops leave. He said military troops are not able to do what needs to be done. What is needed are people armed with social and professional skills - not guns - to repair the various kinds of damage. He says we owe the Iraqi people an apology as we leave, and smoothing the way for others to help would be an appropriate part of making restitution. One of the important tasks for these healing groups will be helping the Iraqis forgive one another for what they have done to each other under Sadam and under the U.S. occupation.

The Iraqis Can Govern Themselves
They have been doing so for many thousands of years. They have a long history of highly valuing education and were a very sophisticated people. At this point, there has been so much destruction that support of friendly teams from surrounding countries would be important to recovering stability. But what our government means by "the Iraqis must stand up so we can stand down" is that our troops are there to prop up a government which we pressure to support U.S. financial interests, and we want an Iraqi security force which will take this over, against their own interests at times. This is not true self-government and is not acceptable to the Iraqi people.

The Truth About Violence Between Muslims and Christians In Iraq
The Qu'ran commands believers to be tolerant and kind particularly toward brothers and sisters "of the Book" (Muslims, Christians and Jews). In Iraq, there is the same tolerance now between Muslims and Christians as before. The violent incidents we hear about are when someone from the slum areas intimidates people by killing, or a bomb or threatens to torture to get them to abandon their property. By killing a priest they can be sure to scare Christians. It is a tactic used when the target is a Christian home or area, but it could vary if the target is a non-Christian person with property. The problem is not religion, it is desperate poverty. He believes that the Pope made a point of concern about the violence affecting Christians because he was probably told by a bishop that priests and deacons had been killed and that Christians were being scared away from their ancient community. [The pope's statement of concern about violence in the area was made in connection with President Bush's visit, but was not against Muslims. -Sandy]

Why Are Iraqi Christians Going to Syria?
The exodus to Syria by Christians is part of the general exodus of Iraqis who have been intimidated or are without work and leave their country if they are able, particularly if they have children. They go where they are welcomed, which so far is mostly Syria. They are looking for a job, people they know - maybe family, and safety in conducting everyday life. They hope to get a visa to go elsewhere, maybe even the U.S. Syria is a small country and is being overwhelmed, yet they still take in the Iraqis -- and we will not.

Why Are Some Muslims Militant Extremists?
In most religions, there have been groups which arose and condemned and persecuted people for their beliefs. But in the Christian religion, for example, ultimately the mainstream teachings of love of God and neighbor in our scriptures prevailed. There may be some Muslims deviating from their faith out of misguided zeal , desired to retaliate or to gain power, but it must be remembered that they are a small minority. Many of the people trying to stir up confusion in Iraq are from Yemen.

What Is the Issue With Muslims and Women?
Non-Muslim women in Iraq are not expected to cover themselves in the same way Muslim women would. Religious Muslims of both sexes are very modest and dress accordingly. Muslim men care deeply about protecting their women and girls and are angered by harm being done to them by some of our military. Modest dress may help to protect them.

Attitude about education of Muslim women depends on the national cultures, not on any tenet of their faith. In Iraq, women were educated because education for all was a highly valued national tradition.

The Fourth of July 2007, and Peace vs. War

2007-07-03T02:21:00.000-04:00

I am 59 years old and last Thursday I received my first death threat.

It was on the corner where I and others stand weekly for peace and justice. We mostly get honks with big smiles, thank you's, V signs and thumbs-up -- sometimes from veterans or families with tears in their eyes.

But last Thursday, a young man who was a passenger in a car moving through our intersection in two lanes of traffic claimed to have served in Iraq and shouted, "You f__in' Democrats!" Then, in a rising crescendo of rage, he screamed, "I WILL BE BACK TO F__IN' KILL YOU!" over and over, as he struggled to climb out of the car window. He had made it half-way out the window and was still screaming when the car went out of view, speeding north.

We weren't sure if he was angered by our mere presence, or by something we said or did in the confusion. Maybe it was one of the signs? The latest numbers of U.S. military and Iraqi dead and dollar cost. "Impeach Cheney First". "Peace Now" with an American flag. "If you believe in this war, ENLIST". Or the rainbow "PEACE" banner. We think and talk about it, but don't know why, or if he will come back.

Speaking for myself, I do not like this war and want it to stop. I believe that its true purpose is for global control and huge profit-making deals to benefit a relative few at the expense of the rest. I feel outraged that people who signed up for the National Guard and the military to truly help our country are being sent to Iraq again and again to subdue its citizens against their wishes. And that they come home to financial and relationship difficulties without the psychological support and other benefits they desperately need. The guy who wants to kill us is probably one of them.

While most drivers express agreement with our stand for peace and constitutional rights, those who don't seem to think that we are not "supporting the troops" and/or our country. Here are examples of what they say.

One young woman in an SUV shouted that we should be thanking our military in Iraq who are "keeping us free so our children can continue to speak English."

A young man out leisurely riding his bike said that the war is totally justified because that's how we get their oil which we need.

An old man in a run-down car said he wants to kill all Muslims.

A woman slowed her Lexus and politely challenged us to lay equal blame on Clinton.

An old woman silently thumbed her nose at us for a full minute during a red light.

A man in a suit and a BMW wanted revenge for 7000+ dead Americans: September 11 victims of Saudi Wahabi extremists, plus the military killed during our invasion and occupation of Iraq -- he says they were all killed by the same enemy in the same war.

People report us to the police because they think we are breaking the law expressing our views on public property, apparently unaware of the First Amendment.

So here we are, living with...
...people who talk and act this way to their neighbors because they are full of ignorance, hate and fear;
...a government that is bankrupting us and destroying the Constitution they swore to protect and defend;
...and a growing number of people throughout the world who are very angry with us who could be dealt with more effectively through diplomacy, a just attitude on our part, international intelligence gathering and criminal justice -- instead of arrogance, urban combat, torture, bombs, and nuclear intimidation.

At the time of the American Revolution, two-thirds of the colonists were either loyal to the Crown or indifferent. Only one-third fought for freedom and created our Constitutional democracy.

I am not going to stop speaking out, despite threats of violence or discouragement by "friendly" cynics and cowards. My father and grandfather fought wars for this, and I continue their fight in my own way. I want to honor their courage and sacrifice, and to pass on freedom and a country of laws and tolerance to my children in their memory.

The least I can do is speak up.