Sunday, April 13, 2014

Cheers for this!

In military slang, Predator drone operators often refer to kills as ‘bug splats’
since viewing the body through a grainy video image gives the sense of an insect being crushed.

To challenge this insensitivity as well as raise awareness of civilian casualties, an artist collective installed a massive portrait facing up in the heavily bombed Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa region of Pakistan, where drone attacks regularly occur. Now, when viewed by a drone camera, what an operator sees on his screen is not an anonymous dot on the landscape, but an innocent child victim’s face.

Continue reading...
Not a bug splat

Spring Days of Action to End Drone Killing, Drone Surveillance, Global Militarization Protests Continue
Find or post an action near you!
Hawaii protest
Protesting the Land and Power in the Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium and Exposition in Hawai'i

Several hundred leaflets were given to tourists at one of the busiest corners in Waikiki.  Many were puzzled as to why we were protesting in the heart of the tourist area, but when they heard that the military had organized an international conference to further militarize the Pacific many thanked us, including 2 soldiers and 4 tourists from the Middle East who took extra leaflets to give to their friends.   A few still asked what drones were, and there were many who said they felt safer with drones.  One even said she was against all wars, and was so thankful that we now had drones to keep wars from happening!  

This action the first of many that World Can't Wait-Hawai`i has called in solidarity with the national Spring Months of Action to End Drone Killings, Surveillance, and Global Militarization.   The next leafleting will be at the talk by Al Gore at the Stan Sherif Center (lower UH Manoa Campus) from 6-7 pm on Tuesday, April 15.  As one WCW activist said:  "If Al Gore really wants to help Hawai`i save its environment, he should help get the U.S. military out of Hawai`i!" 


“children have no place in war”: Protesting in San Francisco

Weekly vigils against remote killings of civilians continued in downtown San Francisco Wednesday outside one busy entrance to the city's subway system (Montgomery Street BART station).  Inspired by photographer Noor Behran's documentation of brutal U.S. drone strikes on the people of Pakistan, demonstrators challenged passersby to confront the human cost of their government's targeted assassination policy.
SF protest
Every picture tells a story.

On Valentine's Day 2009, just weeks after President Obama assumed office, a CIA drone attack struck a village in South Waziristan. Approximately 30 people died in the bombing, including Noor Syed:
Noor Syed
Maezol Khan and his son were sleeping in the courtyard of their home when a missile from a drone struck a nearby car. As a result of the explosion, a missile part flew into the courtyard, killing Maezol's eight-year-old son.

At the funeral, the boy's mother was out of her mind with grief and began coloring the boy's face with her lipstick, perhaps to restore the color of life to his waxen features.


Join CodePink, World Can't Wait, Know Drones, Occupy SF Action Council and others every Wednesday, same time (5:30 pm) and place (northwest corner of Montgomery and Market Streets) to say NO to the President's assassination program.

List of Pakistanis and Yemenis Killed by Drone Strikes

This list was compiled for reading at anti-drone protests during the Spring Days of Action to End U.S. Drone Killing & Surveillance.

Find an event near you.  Download this list as a printable PDF.

Jill McLaughlin writes:

A member of Chicago World Can't Wait and myself worked together to compile this list of known vicitms of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. The sources to compile this list came from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and en.alkarama.org. The list can be used for street actions and vigils to call attention to and give a name and face to vicitms of the U.S. drone warfare — i.e. you may choose to make a moving memorial to these vicitms that can be moved place to place or you may choose to read these names aloud. It's important that we expose that our government is in fact killing many civilians contrary to Obama's claim that the use of drones is precise and accurate in terms of who gets targeted. The other reason this is important is because we must challenge the thinking and attitude that American lives are more important than others. Currently a document of photos is being compiled that can along with this list.

Abortion Rights Webcast Speakout TONIGHT
From StopPatriarchy.org:

Tonight, April 11, 7:00-9:30 pm at the Abortion Rights Emergency Speakout/WEBCAST, we will bring alive women's stories--before Roe v. Wade and today, the struggles of those who risk their lives to provide abortions, and the full anti-woman program driving this war on women.

Host a viewing party wherever you are. 
Tune in at StopPatriarchy.org and hear...
Dr. Willie Parker, award-winning doctor at the last abortion clinic in Mississippi. Sunsara Taylor, writer for Revolution newspaper/revcom.us, leader of the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride, and initiator of StopPatriarchy.org Merle Hoffman, CEO of Choices Women's Medical Center, which has provided abortions and other health services to women since 1971.

Marge Piercy Bill Baird
Donna Schaper, Senior Minister of Judson Memorial Church, will speak about her own abortion and why we must defend this right.  Marge Piercy, poet, novelist, memoirist, via video message: "It was a time when falling in love could get you killed." Bill Baird, reproductive rights pioneer who was jailed eight times in five states in the 1960s for lecturing on abortion and birth control
Plus:  David Gunn, Jr., son of first abortion doctor to be assassinated, via video message
Testimony from:
Susan Cahill, owner of the Montana abortion clinic that was destroyed and closed on March 3, 2013 about how this is an attack on all women
Dr. Susan Robinson, One of the only four doctors in the U.S. who openly provide late-term abortions; featured in the acclaimed documentary After Tiller
True stories of illegal abortions before Roe v. Wade
In New York City: Attend live at Advent Lutheran Church
93rd & Broadway

Webcast at stoppatriarchy.org.
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What are you sustaining when you give monthly to World Can't Wait?

GoalOne most important thing is building a community of resistance.  Last week Ross Caputi was on the line with people from MA, FL, TX, IL, rural PA, Seattle, CA, and NY talking about why he does the Justice for Fallujah Project. He was asked why he, a veteran of the US military who participated in the second siege of Fallujah, had come back to study the war, turn against its injustice, and aid the Iraqis who are now suffering from the third siege, this one by the US backed Iraqi government.  Ross said for one thing, he had family who wasn't pro-war and they encouraged him to look at reality, and learn more.

On the call, an attorney offered to help Ross find help assessing the medical situation in Fallujah.  One person on the call wrote Debra later: “Just want to thank you for doing what you do.  I'm grateful, and I know how hard it must be to keep things moving forward.  I don't know if you remember meeting me at Judson Church when you had the fundraiser with the Collateral Damage prints and showed the video... I was glad to be able to be on the call last Thursday.  It was great to hear what Ross and others had to say.  I will continue to follow your work with World Can't Wait.”

The goal for the spring sustainer drive is 20 new sustainers by April 18. We're at 15 now.  Won't you sustain this community of resistance?

Sustain

Save the date: May 23rd:
Not Another Broken Promise! Not Another Day in Guantánamo!
Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait

Pivoting for Peace in Asia/Pacific


CHALLENGING US MILITARISM AND CORPORATE DOMINANCE


KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Hideki YoshikawaHideki Yoshikawa, environmental campaigner; leader of the Okinawa movement against U.S. military bases; professor at Univ. of the Ryukyus and at Meio Univ.
SPEAKERS 
The Pivot: Motivations, Dimensions, Impacts, Possible Consequences
Joseph Gerson, AFSC: Overview
Duncan McFarland, UJP: Chinese foreign & military policies
Alex Brown, Pres., IUE-CWA Local 201: Trans Pacific Partnership
 
Introductions: The Most Dangerous Hot Spots
Hyun LeeHyun Lee, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development: Northeast Asia
Yuichi Moroi, Temple University: Senkaku/Diaoyu; Japan-China-US
Impacts of the Pivot at Home: Building a Movement
Bruce GagnonBruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space: Solidarity
Mike Prokosch, New Priorities Network, Dorchester People for Peace: Move the Money, Costs of the Pivot
Speaker from Asian American Resource Workshop: The View from Asian American Communities

RegisterButton300

Saturday, April 19, 2014, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm

Cambridge Friends Meeting • 5 Longfellow Park, Cambridge • Harvard T 

This April President Obama will return to Asia and the Pacific to press military, economic and diplomatic “Pivot” from Iraq and Afghanistan to Asia and the Pacific. The goal: to “manage China’s rise” in ways that ensure continued U.S. dominance. 60% of the Air Force and 60% of the Navy are being deployed to the region. Military alliances are being deepened, new military bases built, and hundreds of billions dollars diverted to deploy dangerous advanced weaponry. And the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement is being negotiated in secret.

Little known to most Americans, though most don’t realize it, we’ve come to the brink of war – potentially nuclear war – twice in the last two years, first during tensions with North Korea and then over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Our hundreds of military bases have devastating impacts on people in “host” communities. And TPP will cost us jobs, worsen working conditions and assault the environment, all to increase U.S. economic leverage over China and further maximize corporate profits and power.

RegisterButton300The all day conference will bring us up to date on what is happening in Asia/Pacific, how it will affect us here at home, and what we can do.  Join us as we build our ability to pivot for peace, instead of for war.

Sponsored by American Friends Service Committee, Massachusetts Peace Action, United for Justice with Peace, Asian American Resource Workshop, and MoveOn.org Boston Council

Registration $10; with lunch $20.  Donations to the event beyond the cost of registration and lunch are tax-deductible. They are needed to meet the travel costs for our speakers.

Register: http://pivoting-for-peace.bpt.me or call 800-838-3006

Info: JSherysr@afsc.org   phone: (617) 661-6130




Upcoming Events: 

Demand 15 Bucks @ Starbucks
Saturday, Apr 12th, 3:30p @ Park St
 
 
 $9,637 every hour!
 
That's how much Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks makes while Starbucks workers get an average of less than $9 an hour! And that's not all. Asked about a $15/hr minimum wage, Schultz stoked fears about job losses at small businesses who he claimed "would not be able to afford it," while admitting that Starbucks could pay $15.

Ok, Howard, then stop hiding behind small businesses and pay Starbucks workers 15 now!

Join 15 Now New England on April 12th and show your support for $15/hr. We will be meeting at Park St at 3:00pm, then heading over to Starbucks on Winter St for an informational picket. 
3pm, Saturday
April 12th
Park St T Station
 corner of Park St and 
Tremont St

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