Saturday, September 28, 2019

Keep up the momentum to #ImpeachNow MoveOn Political Action David Sievers

MoveOn Political Action David Sievers<moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
To  Alfred F Johnson  
Dear MoveOn member,
Impeachment.
That word is finally being said loud and clear across the halls of Congress, in media across the country, and by voters everywhere—and now a majority of the House of Representatives supports this impeachment inquiry, including your member of Congress, Representative Stephen F. Lynch, who was part of the flood of support for impeachment this past week.
Now, Congress is home for recess, and it's an opportunity to thank Rep. Lynch—and to also make sure he knows that constituents expect him to keep supporting a robust, transparent, unhindered inquiry that leads to a vote on actual articles of impeachment and the impeachment of Donald Trump.
If you can host an event, click here to sign up—or check out this map of events to see if there are opportunities near you. MoveOn is partnering with Indivisible, Stand Up America, By the People, Women's March, and more on Impeach Now actions throughout the recess, and we hope you'll be involved!
Just yesterday, MoveOn led a coalition of 30 progressive groups to hold an action at the Capitol, where we were joined by leading members of Congress to demand impeachment. Organized in 48 hours, this action generated images that have been featured in The New York Times and on national news shows, images that captured the passion for impeachment, firing up members of Congress who need to know that voters are on their side.
Here are a few of the images from the event:
rally photos
Of course, MoveOn members have been in this fight for a long time. We called for impeachment over two years ago, after it was clear that Trump abused his power and sought to obstruct justice by firing FBI Director James Comey over the Russia probe.
Since then, our protests, rallies, relentless calls, persistent social media pressure, original videos seen tens of millions of times, and leadership in the Nobody Is Above the Law coalition helped lay the groundwork for where we are now, making impeachment a possibility.
As a former top aide to Hillary Clinton said in Vanity Fair, “You couldn’t have gone from 0 to 60 miles per hour just based on Ukraine ... But roughly 150 members had already come out for impeachment before Ukraine. If groups like MoveOn and Indivisible hadn’t built that foundation, you’d be starting from scratch trying to get freshmen from swing districts, and it would have been much harder."
And that's why we're building on this work—to deliver thanks and continued vigilance and pressure to members of Congress over this recess. Please click here to step up and host an event near you—and we'll help recruit people to join you in delivering a message to Rep. Lynch.
Now isn't the time to hit the brakes. It's time to hit the gas.
  • First, we need to keep up momentum through the recess—thanking Democrats who have stepped up and demanding they stand strong, pressuring holdouts, and turning up pressure on Republicans.
  • Then, we need to defend the impeachment process from the right-wing echo chamber and amplify its findings—to ensure impeachment is supported by more and more of the American public.
  • And we need to begin to build the case for Republicans in the Senate to support impeachment—or be held accountable for aiding and protecting a criminal in the White House.
This is a lot of work—but we've been in this fight together for years. And if it takes six months to move through an impeachment trial—or 14 months to bring this criminality and corruption all the way to the election—we will confront and defeat Donald Trump, together.
Thanks for all you do, 
–David, Isbah, Robert, Kenia, and the rest of the team
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your ongoing support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us?

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
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*Labor's Untold Story- Joseph Wedemeyer, 19th Century Socialist and Karl Marx Associate

Click on title to link to Karl Marx Letter To Joseph Wedemeyer from the Karl Marx Internet Archives. More of their correspondence can be clicked on there. For more information about this key transplanted to America German supporter of Karl Marx Google for his "Wikipedia" entry.

Every Month Is Labor History Month


This Commentary is part of a series under the following general title: Labor’s Untold Story- Reclaiming Our Labor History In Order To Fight Another Day-And Win!

As a first run through, and in some cases until I can get enough other sources in order to make a decent presentation, I will start with short entries on each topic that I will eventually go into greater detail about. Or, better yet, take my suggested topic and run with it yourself.

In Honor Of The 100th Anniversary Of The Founding of The Communist International-From The Archives- *The Crisis Of World Capitalism- A Guest Commentary By Alan Woods

Click on title to link to article by Alan Woods concerning the crisis of the world capitalism economic order. This article is presented for informational purposes, some of Woods' conclusions I agree with, some not. The main point, in any case, for our purposes today is to not only analyze what the particular breakdown of the international capitalist order is at the moment but how to overthrow that order and create a more rational socialist order. As we now know from painful experience there is no economic crisis that the capitalists can not "solve". Economic analysis helps but organizing the labor movement is critical.

For The Fifty- Steve McQueen’s “The Great Escape” (1963)-A Film Review

For The Fifty- Steve McQueen’s “The Great Escape” (1963)-A Film Review  



DVD Review

By Film Editor Emeritus Sam Lowell

The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and a fistful of male stars to round out the cast, 1963

One of the great things about my long stay at this site (and at the now on-line American Film Gazette) is that Pete Markin, my editor (and Ben Gold at the Gazette) almost without exception let me review almost anything cinematic from virtually any genre and not grumble about my choices. That is true of this encore presentation the classic iconic (the big motorcycle chase for one thing) 1960s World War II movie The Great Escape as well. The encore part needs a little explanation since my first review of the film was written for my high school newspaper the North Adamsville High Magnet back when I was a sophomore. Of course that review of the film seen at the now long gone Strand Theater in Adamsville Center one Saturday afternoon was all about detailing the action, detailing how the good guy Allied officers outwitted the nasty Nazi night-takers who were trying (and almost succeeding) in over-running all of Europe and who knows where else, and concentrating on the long drama (with intermission) as it unfolded. What it did not entail, what got missed, was the little point about the murder of the fifty officers who were captured after the great escape and executed against even the barest minimum of Geneva Convention standards. What got missed then but not now as well is the dedication in the film (and in this headline) of those fifty murdered men who after all were only doing what the fog rules of war were expecting of them-escape and/or create as much havoc for the enemy as possible if you cannot.             

The storyline is actually pretty simple for an almost three hour movie. A group of hard ass Allied officers who have already off-camera created problems for the German High Command by a collective untold number of escapes from other POW camps are transferred to a state-of-the-art facility. Needless to say from about minute one they individually attempt to escape. No go. Then a senior British officer just recaptured and transferred comes up with the big plan –a massive escape of 250 men to tie down as many German troops as possible. The bulk of the film then concentrates of the logistics, the temporary set-backs, and the division of labor among the officers who brought different skill sets to the table. Then the big day came but due to some problems only about seventy men escaped. As I have already telegraphed of that lot fifty were captured and executed, a few escaped, and a few were captured and returned to the camp.

The central figure in all of this, the one highlighted throughout the film is Hilts, played by Steve McQueen, who between bouts of solitary (with American as apple pie glove and ball in hand to while away the time) and that aforementioned great motorcycle chase gave the Germans all they could handle. Alas he was one of the captured and returned ones. Yeah, this one, this based on a true story about the camp and the Nazi night-takers actions is for the fifty. Enough said.                



Friday, September 27, 2019

VFP eNews: VFP Stands up for Climate! Veterans For Peace

Veterans For Peace<vfp@veteransforpeace.org>
To  Alfred Johnson  
 
September 27, 2019:  VFP Stands up for Climate, Chapter Recaps, San Diego VFP tells Trump: NO War in Iran, Silencing Our Veterans: a Bridge Too Far, White Supremacy in the U.S. Military, An Update from Ireland, Shut Down Creech, School of Americas Watch, In the News, Reminders and Calendar!
 
Tijuana Chapter marching in their Peace Day march

International Peace Day

Catastrophic climate change is an imminent danger facing the world.  This year for International Peace Day, the U.N. declared the theme to be “Climate Action for Peace”.  Taking action on climate change is vital as a way to promote peace throughout the world.  Ending war and militarism are vital if we are to create a sustainable future.
VFP members and chapters across the country marched in local Climate Strike actions and took part in many different actions and events to celebrate International Peace Day. 
Below is a a few spotlights from across the country, but make sure to check out our entire page of chapters that participated! (Above image is Veterans For Peace Hector Barrios Chapter 182 in Tijuana marching in the Peace Day celebration)
 
NYC marching

Chapter 34 - New York, NY

On Sunday, September 22nd, VFP Members in Chapter 34 took part in the People's Mobilization to Stop the US War Machine and Save the Planet Rally and March (part of a series of actions that took place in NYC). The event featured Cornel West, Roger Waters, members of the Embassy Protection Collective, Extinction Rebellion, music by Ben Grosscup plus many solidarity, climate crisis, and resistance groups.
Climate Strike Chicago

Chapter 26 - Chicago, IL

Members of VFP Chapter 26 took part in the local student Climate Strikes. From their Facebook page: "Inspiring to be out here with so many of Chicago's youth taking the lead and discussing climate change."
 
Santa Fe Climate Strike

Chapter 55 - Joan Duffy (Santa Fe, NM)

VFP Chapter 55 joined the local Youth Climate Change Gathering and Climate March.
San Diego Climate Strike

Chapter 91 - San Diego

San Diego Veterans For Peace Chapter 91 members joined several different Climate Strike actions in solidarity around the county. VFP member Jim Brown joined SanDiego350 members at Encinitas Village Gate Middle School's strike, September 20, 2019


 
Evansville International Peace Day

Chapter 104 - Evansville, IN

Members VFP Chapter 104 gathered on Saturday to commemorate International Day of Peace and honor humanity’s quest for peace. Local members presented a young tree to gift to the City of Evansville as a gesture of good will. They say the tree symbolizes the belief that peace is possible when rooted in non-violence, justice, and respect for all people.
In a statement sent to local media, President of Evansville VFP Bart Lindenschmidt said, “We think the people of Evansville aspire to a peaceful community, and we share and support that desire as a fundamental need of people everywhere.”


Boston CLimate Strike

Chapter 9 - Smedley Butler Brigade (Boston, MA)

Members of VFP Chapter 9 took part in the Boston Climate Strike. Senator Markey stopped for some photos.
 
Peace Dove

Be sure to check out our Wrap Up page that includes more Chapters taking Climate Action!

 
No War in Iran

San Diego VFP tells Trump: NO War in Iran

Local activists held a rally at Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego on Wednesday to protest President Trump’s visit to the city.  Veterans For Peace San Diego was there!

Person holding a VFP Flag

Silencing Our Veterans: a Bridge Too Far

In recent days, a group of military operational psychologists has sent a letter to APA authorities expressing outrage over a panelist who was scheduled to participate in a symposium at last month’s annual convention.
Monisha Rios, a former Veterans For Peace National Board Member, and founder of MIRA, has been involved heavily in organizing and coalition-building within the American Psychology Association (APA) and keeping a close eye on military psychology and the APA's historically profitable relationship with war.
 
White Supremacy in the U.S. Military

Michael McPhearson: White Supremacy in the U.S. Military

Michael McPhearson was a guest on The Santita Jackson Show on Thursday, September 26th, to talk about White Supremacy in the U.S. Military.  Motivated by the story of Army SPC Jarrett William Smith, she asked me on the show to talk about White nationalism in the U.S. military. Smith was recently charged with distributing bomb-making information over social media. 
Listen now! (Michael's interview starts at the 1:06:20 mark)
Check out Michael's blog to see a list of resources that he refers to in the interview.
Ken and Ed marching on a road in Ireland

An Update from Ireland

Former US Army veterans Ken Mayers (82) & Tarak Kauff (77) take a couple of hours out from their three-week walk from Shannon to Malin Head to talk about their Shannon Airport St. Patrick's Day peace action & Eddie Mitchell of Love Leitrim talks about the urgent need to oppose the import of US fracked gas to the Shannon Estuary.
Right now, Ken and Tarak are nearing the end of their walk.

 
SOAW graphic

Veterans For Peace heads to SOAW

VFP enthusiastically supports this year's theme Commemorative Gathering - Bridging the Past and Present Remembering the 30th Anniversary of The UCA Massacre. School Of Americas Watch strives to expose, denounce, and end US militarization, oppressive US policies and other forms of state violence in the Americas.
Veterans For Peace has reserved 20 rooms at the Candlewood Suites, (3389 Victory Dr., Columbus, GA).

Shut down Creech

Shut Down Creech

"The remote nature of drone warfare offers room for indiscriminate killing and collateral damage that might be avoided if the combatant were on the ground. The technological advances in drone combat has opened new opportunities for the Military Industrial Complex that eventually will lead to fully autonomous artificial intelligence making battlefield decisions. Join us at Creech Air Force Base and shut down drone warfare!" - Garett Reppenhagen, Executive Director of Veterans For Peace, former US Army sniper, Iraq War veteran
Register Now!  and find out more about Shut Down Creech
 
Get Ready for the Fall with VFP Gear

'Cost of War' Hoodie

The first day of fall was last week! Make sure you have your cooler weather VFP gear!
Check out our Hoodie we just got re-stocked in the store:
Front: VFP Helmet Logo on left chest area
Back: VFP Logo, "Costs of War" and other verbiage in a block design.
VFP in the News

VFP in the News!

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