Blow up the world? No thanks.
To a
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Saturday, September 09, 2017
Blow up the world? No thanks.-Build The Resistance To Trump's North Korea War Policy
The Coming Fight for Veterans' Healthcare
The Coming Fight for Veterans' Healthcare
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A View From The Left- NEW WARS / OLD WARS – What Could Possibly Go Wrong
EMERGENCY RALLY TO OPPOSE WAR IN KOREA
Friday, September 8
@ 5:15 pm - 6:15 pm - Park Street Station, Boston
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NO FIRE, NO FURY – CATASTROPHIC WAR IS NOT AN OPTION
Yes to Negotiations – No to Escalation
Join us to insist that the Trump administration begin direct negotiations with no preconditions in order to create the conditions that lead to a negotiated settlement based on the common security of all countries involved.
IN KOREA, WHO SHOULD REALY BE AFRAID?
Pyongyang, North Korea is 6000 miles from Los Angeles. But the US surrounds Korea with dozens of bases housing tens of thousands of US troop – never mind the much larger armed forces of US allies in the region. For decades the US maintained tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, and today US naval and air forces around Korea deploy hundreds of nuclear weapons, with thousands more in the US which could hit North Korea. The US and South Korean armed forces regularly conductlarge joint military exercises which simulate, among other things, the invasion of North Korea. During the Korean War from 1951-53 US airpower nearly obliterated North Korea, killing an estimated 3 million people, mostly civilians; the US and South Korea were never willing to sign a peace agreement that left a North Korean government in power, so technically a state of war still exists.
Important historical background here: How History Explains the Korean Crisis and here: Ten Points on Korean History of Potential Current Relevance
Of course, it is always worrying when a new country achieves nuclear weapons capability. But the US has not threatened war against Israel, India or Pakistan. If the US were genuinely concerned about nuclear proliferation and the threat of a nuclear apocalypse, then it would have a better moral basis for opposing North Korean nuclear capabilities if it were willing, together with the other nuclear weapons powers, to support the UN Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty that has the overwhelming support of the world’s nations.
Who is Begging for War? The Poor Understanding of the American Conflict in North Korea
There is something unseemly about the fact that we – humans – have accepted the presence of thermonuclear bombs in the arsenals of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. The hyperventilation of these five hydrogen bomb powers to the North Korean test would bewilder a normal person, a person who sees world affairs with an element of rationality. What makes it morally impossible for North Korea to have a dangerous weapon of this magnitude, while it is seen as perfectly acceptable for the quivering finger of Donald Trump to rest on the button of a US inter-continental ballistic missile that carries a hydrogen bomb? … You don’t need to understand Korean culture to see why the North Korean regime is obstinate to build up its nuclear shield. Unless the United States and its allies downgrade their threats against North Korea, there will be no possibility of peace in North-west Asia. Indeed, this no longer a regional struggle. The hydrogen bomb changes everything. This is a global catastrophe. It is necessary to demand the creation of a real process for peace, not belligerent talk from the UN chamber. More
Stepping Away from the Brink of Nuclear War
For Kim Yong Un to give up his nuclear weapons, while we keep ours and have announced that we intend to overthrow his regime, would be tantamount to his committing suicide. He may be evil, as many believe, but there is no reason to believe that he is a fool… Thus, there can be no “success,” as described in current policy statements by the Trump administration. But, arrangements can be created – by enlisting China and Russia as partners in negotiations and by renouncing threats and such damaging (and ineffective) policies as sanctions – to gradually create an atmosphere in which North Korea can be accepted as a partner in the nuclear “club.” …If the United States government should decide to try this option, I think the following steps will have to be taken to start negotiations: First, the U.S. government must accept the fact that North Korea is a nuclear power; Second, it must commit itself formally and irrevocably to a no-first-strike policy. That was the policy envisaged by the Founding Fathers when they denied the chief executive the power to initiate aggressive war; Third, it must remove sanctions on North Korea and begin to offer in a phased pattern aid to mitigate the current (and potentially future) famines caused by droughts and crop failures; helping North Korea to move toward prosperity, and reducing fear; and Fourth, stop issuing threats and drop the unproductive and provocative war games on the DMZ. More
When It Comes to the War in the Greater Middle East, Maybe We're the Bad Guys
Perhaps it’s time to ask whether the United States is really playing the role of the positive protagonist in a great global drama… Certainly, it’s not the side of the average Arab. That should be apparent. Take a good, hard look at the region and it’s obvious that Washington mainly supports the interests of Israel, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt’s military dictator, and various Gulf State autocracies. Or consider the actions and statements of the Trump administration and of the two administrations that preceded it and here’s what seems obvious: the United States is in many ways little more than an air force, military trainer, and weapons depot for assorted Sunni despots… After Israel, Egypt is the number two recipient of direct U.S. military aid, to the tune of $1.3 billion annually. And that bedrock of liberal values is led by U.S.-trained General Abdul el-Sisi, a strongman who seized power in a coup and then, just for good measure, had his army gun down a crowd demonstrating in favor of the deposed democratically elected president. More
The U.S. Is in Denial About the Civilians It’s Killing in Syria
The number of civilians killed by the U.S.-led coalition assault on the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria is mounting, but the coalition’s commanding general has cast doubt on the toll his forces are inflicting on innocents there. The monitoring group Airwars currently assesses that 1,700 or more civilians have likely been killed by U.S.-led air and artillery strikes in Raqqa governorate since March. A minimum of 860 civilians, including 150 children, are credibly reported to have been killed in Raqqa since the official start of operations to capture the city on June 6. Despite these findings and corroborating evidence from U.N. bodies and nongovernmental organizations, Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend has described reports of large-scale civilian death as hyperbole. In one instance, the general prematurely called allegations not credible even before the coalition had completed its own investigation. More
In Boston-DORCHESTER STANDOUT FOR BLACK LIVES Thursday September 21, 5:30-6:30 PM at Ashmont T station
Come to the next monthly
DORCHESTER STANDOUT FOR BLACK LIVES
Thursday September 21, 5:30-6:30 PM
(and the third Thursday of every month)
at Ashmont T station plaza
Kelley writes:
The expressions of racist hatred and the murder in Charlottesville, and the reactions by the president heightened the sense that an August Standout for Black Lives was seriously needed. The addition of twenty new participants, along with two canine comrades, Sophie and Eli, as well as a number of very young sign holders, reflected that these feelings were widely shared. The horns beeping in support of the banner declaring that "We believe Black Lives Matter" have multiplied each month (even MBTA buses). This month we also had an influx of new people from the neighborhood as well as the continued support from Veterans for Peace, First Parish Church, Milton for Peace and folks from the Jamaica Plain vigil. It is a congenial atmosphere in which we are making a visible public statement about our opposition to racism. Thanks to all who came (especially the gentleman who brings us free food) and we welcome anyone interested in joining us next month.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Kelley, kelready@msn.com or Becky, beckyp44@verizon.net, or call Dorchester People for Peace 617-282-3783
Veterans Call for De-escalation, Negotiations, and Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Veterans Call for De-escalation, Negotiations, and Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Veterans For Peace, a U.S. based organization with international chapters in Japan and Okinawa, calls on the governmental leaders of the U.S., the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, aka North Korea), the Republic of Korea (ROK, aka South Korea) and Japan to stop their escalation of threatening words and actions, and begin negotiations toward the signing of the long-awaited Peace Treaty putting a final end to the Korean War.
Any attempt to solve the issues dividing the Korean Peninsula by warfare would bring disaster not only to the people living there, but also to all the people living in Northeast Asia.
Retired General Gary Luck, Former Commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, has estimated that such a war would leave one million dead. And what would be the aim of this war? Each side is threatening to make war on the other to punish it for threatening to make war. This is the behavior of schoolyard bullies, armed not with knives and clubs but nuclear weapons. This catastrophic war is avoidable, and must be avoided.
In understanding the background to this situation, it should be remembered that the DPRK has been under nuclear threat from the U.S. ever since the Korean War in the 1950s. That their government has in recent years taken to threatening nuclear retaliation to any attacker is a wildly dangerous and morally condemnable policy, but it is not unique to the DPRK. It is a policy, invented by the U.S. and adopted by every country that possesses nuclear weapons, called “nuclear deterrence”. Every criticism heaped upon the DPRK for following this policy applies equally to every country possessing nuclear weapons.
Each year the U.S. and the ROK carry out joint military exercises right up against the DPRK border, and based on the scenario of an invasion of that country.
Every year the DPRK, which unsurprisingly considers this a threat, protests with verbal counter-threats and, recently, missile launchings.
This year, the U.S. and Japan carried out joint military exercises at the same time as the U.S.-ROK exercises. Rhetoric has escalated. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened “fire and fury like the world has never seen”, and stated that “all options are on the table”, which means a pre-emptive strike is being considered. DPRK leader Kim Jong Un threatened to launch missiles aimed at the vicinity of Guam. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe threatened to send Japan’s Self Defense Forces along with any U.S. invasion of the North, which would spell the final end of Japan’s Peace Constitution. Kim Jong Un responded by sending a missile over northern Japan – though not, as was claimed, violating Japan’s airspace, as when it passed over Japan it was in outer space, at an elevation even higher than that of the many satellites that legally pass over Japan every day.
Prime Minister Abe, however, took advantage of the situation by calling a state of emergency in northern Japan, commandeering the national broadcasting system NHK, and also the cell-phone system, to urge people take shelter from the alleged impending attack by moving to the basements of concrete buildings (few buildings have these). Presumably Abe is hoping that the resulting panic will help him to promote his militarization plans, and in particular to gain support for his purchases of expensive counter-missile commodities. (It is noteworthy that during this “state of emergency” the trains, including the bullet trains, were kept running.)
This gambling with the lives of millions has got to stop. And there is a way to stop it. DPRK, while carrying out its threatening nuclear tests and missile launchings, has repeatedly said it wants to negotiate a peace treaty ending the Korean War, which the U.S. has been refusing. But a peace treaty is a very good idea, the signing of which would allow the many hundreds of millions of people living in Northeast Asia to breathe a sigh of relief. Veterans For Peace calls on the U.S. Government to accept this offer, and to begin negotiations with the DPRK aiming at signing such a treaty and normalizing relations between the DPRK and the ROK.
And as the governments of the relevant countries seem locked into their present self-destructive policies, we call upon the citizens of those countries, who surely do not want a meaningless nuclear war where they live, to demand that their governments back off and begin negotiations, which are the only way to bring peace to the region.
Written by Veterans For Peace, VFP Japan and Okinawa VFP
En Boston-REMINDER-RECORDATORIO encuentro5 Peña Invitation/invitación a la Peña del encuentro5 In Solidarity with America Latina Independence/En Solidaridad Con Independencia de America Latina
REMINDER-RECORDATORIO encuentro5 Peña Invitation/invitación a la Peña del encuentro5 In Solidarity with America Latina Independence/En Solidaridad Con Independencia de America Latina
----- Forwarded Message -----
Join us at the encuentro5 Peña to commemorate and celebrate the anniversaries of independence of America Latina and in solidarity with its Peoples’ resistance and movements for economic liberation/ Únase a nosotros en la Peña del encuentro5 para conmemorar y celebrar los aniversarios de independencia de América Latina, y en solidaridad con sus Movimientos Populares de resistencia y liberación económica.
Saturday September 9, 2017 7:pm - 11:pm-- sábado 9 de septiembre del 2017 7’11ñpm
9A Hamilton Place across from Park St. train station (Green-Red lines) and next to Orpheum Theater/ acruzar de la estación de tren Park St. (lineas roja-verde= y alado del teatro Orpheum
To view flyer/para ver volante http://encuentro5.org/home/
In this month of September nations from America Latina are commemorating and celebrating anniversaries of their independence (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile and Mexico), however, the economic oppression resulting from imperialist endeavors such as trade agreements and agribusiness instituted by former colonizers continue to create economic crises. A response to these crises has been to organize an economic liberation movement for auto determination while building a new and better world with no colonies, no borders are fueling people's movements. Examples of economic, imperialist and colonial oppression are Puerto Rico still a colony of the USNA (united states of north america) and the democratically elected government of Venezuela is under attack by opposing right wing forces.
Long live the Bolivarian Revolution!
En e este mes de septiembre, naciones de América Latina conmemoran y celebran aniversarios de sus independencia (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile y México). la opresión económica resultante de esfuerzos imperialistas tales como acuerdos comerciales y agro negocios instituida por pasados colonizadores continúan creando crisis económicas. Una respuesta a estas crisis ha sido organizar un movimiento de liberación económica para la autodeterminación mientras se construye un mundo nuevo y mejor sin colonias, sin fronteras. Estos esfuerzos están inspirando movimientos populares. Ejemplos de opresión económica, imperialista y colonial son Puerto Rico todavÃa una colonia de la USNA (estados unidos de norte america) y los ataques iniciado por la o p osición derechista. sobre el gobierno
democráticamente elegido de Venezuela.
¡Que viva la Revolución Bolivariana!
______________________________
Act-MA mailing list
Act-MA@act-ma.org
http://act-ma.org/mailman/listinfo/act-ma_act-ma.org
To set options or unsubscribe
http://act-ma.org/mailman/options/act-ma_act-ma.org
Join us at the encuentro5 Peña to commemorate and celebrate the anniversaries of independence of America Latina and in solidarity with its Peoples’ resistance and movements for economic liberation/ Únase a nosotros en la Peña del encuentro5 para conmemorar y celebrar los aniversarios de independencia de América Latina, y en solidaridad con sus Movimientos Populares de resistencia y liberación económica.
Saturday September 9, 2017 7:pm - 11:pm-- sábado 9 de septiembre del 2017 7’11ñpm
9A Hamilton Place across from Park St. train station (Green-Red lines) and next to Orpheum Theater/ acruzar de la estación de tren Park St. (lineas roja-verde= y alado del teatro Orpheum
To view flyer/para ver volante http://encuentro5.org/home/
In this month of September nations from America Latina are commemorating and celebrating anniversaries of their independence (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile and Mexico), however, the economic oppression resulting from imperialist endeavors such as trade agreements and agribusiness instituted by former colonizers continue to create economic crises. A response to these crises has been to organize an economic liberation movement for auto determination while building a new and better world with no colonies, no borders are fueling people's movements. Examples of economic, imperialist and colonial oppression are Puerto Rico still a colony of the USNA (united states of north america) and the democratically elected government of Venezuela is under attack by opposing right wing forces.
Long live the Bolivarian Revolution!
En e este mes de septiembre, naciones de América Latina conmemoran y celebran aniversarios de sus independencia (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile y México). la opresión económica resultante de esfuerzos imperialistas tales como acuerdos comerciales y agro negocios instituida por pasados colonizadores continúan creando crisis económicas. Una respuesta a estas crisis ha sido organizar un movimiento de liberación económica para la autodeterminación mientras se construye un mundo nuevo y mejor sin colonias, sin fronteras. Estos esfuerzos están inspirando movimientos populares. Ejemplos de opresión económica, imperialista y colonial son Puerto Rico todavÃa una colonia de la USNA (estados unidos de norte america) y los ataques iniciado por la o p osición derechista. sobre el gobierno
democráticamente elegido de Venezuela.
¡Que viva la Revolución Bolivariana!
______________________________
Act-MA mailing list
Act-MA@act-ma.org
http://act-ma.org/mailman/listinfo/act-ma_act-ma.org
To set options or unsubscribe
http://act-ma.org/mailman/options/act-ma_act-ma.org
On The 150th Anniversary Of Marx's "Das Capital"-"Slavery, Plunder and the Rise of Capitalism"
On The 150th Anniversary Of Marx's "Das Capital"-"Slavery, Plunder and the Rise of Capitalism"
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